Jota double inspires Liverpool to win over Leicester

LIVERPOOL, England : Liverpool closed the gap on Premier League leaders Manchester City to nine points as Diogo Jota's doubled earned Juergen Klopp's side a 2-0 victory over Leicester City on Thursday.

After City's 2-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday extended their advantage at the top, second-placed Liverpool needed to issue a response, edging in front in the first half at Anfield thanks to Jota's close-range finish.

Mohamed Salah came off the bench to rapturous applause to make his first appearance since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, with the Egyptian striker curling a sumptuous effort against the post as Liverpool pressed for a second.

That second did not look like it was going to come as chances continued to come and go, but Jota remained ruthless in the penalty area, drilling home the game-clinching goal three minutes from time.

The win moved Liverpool onto 51 points from 23 games, with leaders City having played one game more, while Leicester's poor season continued as they remain languishing down in 12th in the standings.

(Reporting by Peter Hall, editing by Pritha Sarkar)