The English Premier League’s top three kept up the furious pace of their title race by picking up hard-fought wins on Saturday, although all three needed second-half penalties to do so.

Manchester City maintained its one-point lead after Raheem Sterling’s 100th league goal secured a 1-0 home win over Wolverhampton in the early kickoff, and chasing duo Liverpool and Chelsea responded with slim victories of their own.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard’s return to Anfield nearly dealt a damaging blow to Liverpool’s title hopes but Mohamed Salah’s penalty in the 67th minute secured a 1-0 win for the Reds after goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez frustrated the hosts for much of the game.

At Stamford Bridge, Jorginho had to convert two spot kicks — the second in the fourth minute of stoppage time — for Chelsea to beat Leeds 3-2. His first penalty in the 58th put Chelsea 2-1 up but Joe Gelhardt equalized in the 83rd.