Peerless Liverpool roll on as Leicester stumble
Record-breaking Liverpool beat Tottenham 1-0 to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to a yawning 16 points on Saturday as Southampton gained sweet revenge over high-flying Leicester.
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool secured their 20th win in 21 Premier League matches thanks to Roberto Firmino's 37th-minute goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs had their chances to take at least a point as Son Heung-min and Giovani Lo Celso missed the target with the goal gaping in the final 15 minutes.
The European champions have won 61 points in the Premier League - the most any side has ever registered after 21 games in a single season across Europe's big five leagues, assuming three points for a win.
Their scarcely credible lead over second-placed Leicester means they are almost certain to claim their first English top-flight title for 30 years barring a calamitous collapse.
"We played super football in their box, but for 90-95 minutes you have to be ready," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports. "We were, but we still have to do better."
Speaking about Liverpool's record he said: "It's special. To win the number of games, to always be ready to fight, that's what the boys do.
"The only thing is that you don't get anything for best starts. The only thing we're interested in is what we can get in the summer. This league is so strong. We have to be ready."
- Leicester lose -
Earlier, Southampton claimed their fifth win in their past six games in all competitions as they came from behind at the King Power Stadium to beat Leicester 2-1.
Dennis Praet fired the hosts into an early lead, but Stuart Armstrong's deflected effort quickly pulled Hasenhuettl's men level.
Danny Ings then scored his 10th goal in 11 games eight minutes from time and the visitors survived a late scare when Jonny Evans's header was ruled out by VAR for offside.
During Spurs' match against Liverpool, injured Tottenham forward Harry Kane tweeted an image of himself in his hospital bed following successful surgery on his damaged hamstring. He wrote: "First day of recovery starts now!"
Defending champions Manchester City travel to Aston Villa on Sunday, 17 points behind Liverpool.