DeLonghi Scultura Pump Espresso Questions & Answers

I bought this at the beginning of November, and although it makes a great cup of coffee, it was not long before the water started to continue dripping fast, almost flowing, after completing the cycle of making an espresso or longer cup. I can no longer gurantee that the drip tray will not overflow when I am not expecting it. Furthermore, when I unscrew the filter holder, the filter stays up in the recepticle and more often than not then falls down and spills sludgy coffee everywhere. I have taken out the pieces inside and cleaned everything right out several times but to no avail. What is causing these two faults?

Does the ECZ351GY only take a 7.2 cm cup??