aken six straight in this series and the Oilers have lost three in a row in Western N

LONDON -- Steven Gerrard scored twice from the penalty spot as Liverpool stretched its Premier League winning streak to nine matches and returned to the top of the table with a 2-1 win at West Ham on Sunday, while Arsenal was dealt another blow by a top-five team in a 3-0 thrashing by Everton. Juan Centeno Jersey . For once, the free-scoring Reds had to battle hard to claim a hard-fought victory ahead of their much-anticipated clash against Manchester City in a meeting between the two main title contenders. "It is going to be a magnificent atmosphere at Anfield," Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said. "The supporters really urged us on today and we want to see if we can get 10 in a row." With five games remaining, Liverpool leads Chelsea by two points as it pursues a first league title since 1990. Manchester City is four points off the pace but has two games in hand. Earlier, Everton made Arsenal pay for their poor defending with strikes from Steven Naismith and Romelu Lukaku as well as an own goal from Mikel Arteta. "You could say there was a lack of fight," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "Its a massive worry. We have to come back with much more personality and much stronger challenges." Arsenal has secured only two points from its last four matches as the Gunners remain in fourth place in the standings, but only one point above Everton, which has a match in hand and a better goal difference. Gerrard put Liverpool ahead in the 44th minute after West Ham defender James Tomkins handled a flick by Luis Suarez in the area. But West Ham defender Guy Demel equalized on the stroke of halftime when Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet spilled a cross following a challenge from former Liverpool striker Andy Carroll. The assistant referee initially signalled for a foul on Carroll, but referee Anthony Taylor overruled him despite protests from the Liverpool players. Gerrard then scored his second in the 71st minute after Liverpool defender Jon Flanagan was brought down by West Ham goalkeeper Adrian. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger criticized his players for their poor display and admitted his side is now facing an uphill task. "Im 100 per cent determined to fight to make the top four but it will be difficult," said Wenger. "We have a run-in that is feasible but we must focus on the quality of our displays before dreaming of places." While Everton continued its superb attacking form to cut its deficit to the Gunners to one point in the battle for the fourth place, Arsenal stuttered again against a strong team. The Gunners have lost all their away league matches against the current top five, also losing 6-3 at Manchester City, 5-1 at Liverpool and 6-0 at Chelsea. Everton, which has scored 12 goals in its last four games, claimed a sixth consecutive league win. "It would mean everything," Naismith said about his teams possible top-four finish. "But we have believed from the start of the season and we have shown that in these recent performances." The defeat piled pressure on Wenger, who is chasing a first trophy with the Gunners since 2005 and has guided them to Champions League football in each of his 16 full seasons in charge. Everton had beaten Arsenal just once in their last 15 league meetings but looked the superior team on Sunday. Naismith opened the scoring in the 14th minute from inside the box after Leighton Baines picked Lukaku with a low ball. The Belgium international forced Wojciech Szczesny into a save but the Arsenal keeper could not hold the ball and Naismith fired home the rebound. Arsenals defence buckled again with Lukaku hardly challenged when he doubled the Merseyside teams lead in the 34th minute following a good collective move. The powerful forward collected a through ball from Kevin Mirallas then cut inside and fired a low shot past Szczesny. Wengers team improved after the interval, but Everton decided the game when Bacary Sagna lost the ball to allow Mirallas to launch a quick counterattack. The Belgian slipped the ball to Naismith who could not round Szczesny but the loose ball came into Mirallas path before rebounding into the net following a challenge from Arteta. Joe Kelly Jersey . -- Quarterback Josh Johnson has returned to the San Francisco 49ers and his former college coach, Jim Harbaugh. Jim Rice Jersey . The Leafs were back on the ice Wednesday following an 10-day break. It apparently wasnt long enough, as Team Canadas 2-1 win over Latvia didnt conclude before the Leafs began practice. "I was thinking we might get a little delay, but it was nice to get out there," said Tyler Bozak of watching Wednesdays game. https://www.cheapredsox.com/791z-david-price-jersey-red-sox.html . Catch the game on TSN starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. Tampa Bay currently holds the last of the Atlantics three automatic bids to the playoffs, but the Maple Leafs are just one point behind.After a record-setting performance in a shutout win last week, Ben Scrivens and the Edmonton Oilers came crashing back to earth Saturday in Boston. The Oilers will try to get back in the win column on Monday when they continue a four-game road trip with a battle against the Buffalo Sabres. Edmonton won its third straight game last Wednesday against visiting San Jose, beating the Sharks 3-0 as Scrivens stopped 59 shots to set an NHL record for saves in a regular-season shutout. Scrivens was busy again on Saturday and he managed to stopped 37-of-41 shots in his clubs 4-0 loss in Boston. He kept the game close by stopping 21-of-22 shots through two periods, but the Bruins scored three times on 19 shots over the final 20 minutes. Scrivens, who was acquired in a trade with Los Angeles last month, fell to 2-3-1 in five games with the Oilers after Saturdays loss. The 27-year-old is sporting a 2.21 goals against average and .944 save percentage since the trade. The Oilers were shut out for the seventh time this season on Saturday, but it was the first time they were blanked since a 6-0 setback to St. Louis on Dec. 21. Edmonton, which will also face the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils on this trip, is just 8-19-4 as the visiting team this season. The Oilers have dropped eight of their last nine on the road. This evenings game at First Niagara Center pits the last-place teams from each conference against each other. Edmonton occupies the baasement in the West with 42 points and only the Sabres have fewer points in the NHL with 38. Brock Holt Jersey. Buffalo will try to put its most recent effort in the rearview when it takes the ice tonight. The Sabres were slammed 7-1 in Colorado on Saturday, losing for the eighth time in 10 games. Matt DAgostini registered the lone goal for the Sabres in the lopsided loss. Starter Ryan Miller was yanked after yielding five goals on 27 shots. Jhonas Enroth finished up by allowing two scores on 12 chances and he expects to get the start tonight. Millers backup has never faced the Oilers in his career. Colorado seized control by scoring three times in a span of just over five minutes in the opening period and the Avs would push the lead to 5-1 by the end of 40 minutes. "They got that early jump, went up 3-0 in the first and never looked back," noted Sabres forward Marcus Foligno. "We were out there looking around. Its not a good feeling getting beat like this. There was nothing good about it." Buffalo is at home for two straight before playing its final game before the Winter Olympic break Thursday in Ottawa. The Sabres have lost six straight on home ice and are 9-15-5 as the host this season. The Sabres and Oilers havent faced each other since Buffalo grabbed a 4-3 home win on Jan. 3, 2012. Buffalo has taken six straight in this series and the Oilers have lost three in a row in Western New York. ' ' '