Premier League

Manchester United closed in on the Premier League’s pole position after a 2-1 home win over Aston Villa on Friday put them level on points and games played with champions and leaders Liverpool.

United trail their traditional rivals on goal difference with both teams on 33 points from 16 matches. Liverpool travel to Southampton on Monday.

United stretched their unbeaten league run to 10 games as Bruno Fernandes capped another fine individual performance with a penalty after Bertrand Traore had cancelled out Anthony Martial’s opener for the home side.

The hosts had the upper hand in the first half and Martial forced an acrobatic save from Emiliano Martinez before he buried a superb diving header past the Villa goalkeeper after Aaron-Wan Bissaka’s cross in the 40th minute.

The visitors came close through Ollie Watkins before Traore got on the end of a sharp Jack Grealish pass at the far post and beat United keeper David De Gea with a slick shot from close range in the 58th.

But Villa’s joy was short-lived as Fernandes drilled his penalty into the bottom right corner three minutes later after Paul Pogba went down under a challenge from Douglas Luiz, with the spot-kick given after a VAR check.

A late strike from Tomas Soucek gave West Ham United a 1-0 win at Everton in the first Premier League game of 2021 that had been short on fireworks until the Czech midfielder’s well-deserved winner in the 86th minute.

The Hammers lost goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski to injury during the warm-up but his replacement Darren Randolph barely had a save to make as Everton struggled to break down their rearguard.

It took until just before halftime for either side to register a shot on target as Everton’s Brazilian winger Bernard fired a fizzing drive goalwards, but Randolph was alert to the danger and got down smartly to keep the ball out.

The introduction of Mikhail Antonio as a 59th-minute substitute provided a much-needed shot in the arm for West Ham and they had a flurry of chances in quick succession around the hour mark, but it was Soucek’s late strike that sealed it.

His initial effort from the right forced a great save from Jordan Pickford who parried the ball away, but it was only cleared as far as Aaron Cresswell.

The West Ham fullback got plenty of power on his shot, which got a heavy deflection before falling perfectly for Soucek to stab it home from close range.

Soucek’s goal gave West Ham boss David Moyes his first victory at Goodison Park since leaving Everton in 2013.

“To come to Goodison Park and get three points and to play as well as we did … we got the reward for it,” a delighted Moyes told BT Sport.

“It was important to get something from this. It was our third game in six days, we asked the players to do it and they did a brilliant job.”

The victory leaves West Ham 10th in the standings with 26 points while Everton, who could have gone second with a win, remain in fourth spot on 29 points, and boss Carlo Ancelotti was disappointed not to get more out of the game.

“The game was in the balance. We didn’t have a lot of opportunities, they didn’t have a lot of opportunities,” he told BBC Sport.

“We have to accept the result. It will be important to keep our belief high … We are in the position we would like to be and hopefully we can be there at the end of the season. That is our target.”

Brighton and Wolves celebrated the New Year by putting on an exciting clash that ended 3-3 as Graham Potter’s side drew for the eighth time this season.

With just one win at the Amex in 2020, Potter’s men looked to have turned a corner when Aaron Connolly handed them an early lead (13), but Wolves roared back with three goals before the break.

Romain Saiss headed them level (19) before Dan Burn scored an unfortunate own goal (34). He then compounded a miserable evening by fouling Adama Traore inside the box and Ruben Neves slotted home the penalty (44).

Wolves shot themselves in the foot, though, giving away a penalty just 15 seconds into the second half when Joao Moutinho tripped Neal Maupay, who dusted himself down to make it 3-2 from the spot (46).

Brighton hit the bar through Adam Webster but eventually broke through when his defensive partner Lewis Dunk powered home a header. Wolves could have stolen the points with the last touch but substitute Owen Otasowie headed over from six yards out.

Fulham’s Premier League trip to Burnley that was scheduled to kick off at 1200 GMT on Sunday has been postponed due to fresh COVID-19 cases at the London club, the league said on Saturday.

The move comes after Fulham’s away game against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday was also called off due to a “significant rise” in positive COVID-19 cases within their camp.

Fulham requested the Premier League to rearrange the Burnley game after the latest round of testing revealed a further increase in positive COVID-19 cases.

Harry Kane and Son Heung-min are doing “special things” for Tottenham Hotspur this season, manager Jose Mourinho said after the dynamic duo both scored in a 3-0 win over Leeds United that lifted Spurs to third in the Premier League on Saturday.

Kane gave his side the lead from the penalty spot — his 10th league goal of the season — then combined with Son who doubled Tottenham’s tally just before halftime.

It was Son’s 100th goal for Tottenham and the 13th time this season that the pair had combined for a league goal, equalling the whole season record set by Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton for Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95.

“I think in the Premier League there are many good players everywhere even in clubs where you don’t believe they can have great players,” Mourinho said. “But I have to say that Sonny and Harry are doing special things this season.

“They are very good players as you know for many years. I want more goals, especially from other players but today the second goal is great, is also great because it was something we spoke about against a team that defends the way Leeds does.”

While the scoreline rather flattered Tottenham against a Leeds side who enjoyed 64% possession, it snapped a four-game winless sequence in the Premier League and sent Mourinho’s side back into the top four of the table.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder said there was “no hiding place” for him and his players after they suffered their 15th Premier League defeat of the season at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Jeffrey Schlupp and Eberechi Eze scored a goal apiece as Palace heaped more misery on United with a 2-0 victory, leaving the Blades bottom of the table with two points, 11 adrift of the safety zone.

Wilder’s side have not won in 17 league games this season — the longest winless run from the start for an English top-flight side.

A rare Kieran Tierney goal, a superb team effort finished by Bukayo Saka and a brace from Alexandre Lacazette gave Arsenal their third Premier League win in a row as they beat West Bromwich Albion 4-0 in snowy conditions on Saturday.

Fullback Tierney cut in from the left and curled home his second goal for Arsenal in the 23rd minute, then Saka combined brilliantly with Lacazette and Emile Smith-Rowe before tapping home a simple second for the visitors five minutes later.

West Brom had an early second-half strike ruled out for offside before Lacazette blasted two goals in five second-half minutes as the Baggies’ woeful defence, which with 39 goals conceded is the leakiest in the league, fell apart once again.

Leicester City moved up to third place in the Premier League as second-half goals by James Maddison and Youri Tielemans secured a 2-1 victory away at Newcastle United on Sunday.

Substitute Andy Carroll’s strike for the hosts set up a tense finale but Leicester were worthy winners.

They moved above Tottenham Hotspur with 32 points from 17 games played, one point behind co-leaders Liverpool and Manchester United, who have played one game less.

Maddison blasted Leicester in front in the 55th minute, and when the outstanding Tielemans produced a great finish to double the lead after 72 minutes it seemed that Leicester’s seventh away win in the league was in the bag.

Carroll’s first Premier League goal for Newcastle for 10 years offered a late twist.

“When we got the goal against us, we started panicking and stopped playing really. In general, we played well and the win is the most important thing,” Tielemans said.

Leicester began well, and Maddison came close to giving them an early lead with a curling effort that fizzed just wide.

Manager Brendan Rodgers was livid when Jamie Vardy and Tielemans were guilty of over-elaborating once they had sliced open Newcastle shortly after, while Vardy also had a goal from a tight angle disallowed for offside.

Newcastle were well-organised without offering much in attack in a largely forgettable first half, but the hosts started the second half with greater purpose.

They were stopped in their tracks though when Harvey Barnes surged forward and slipped a pass to Vardy who held the ball up before teeing it up for Maddison to lash home.

Leicester’s slick attacking football was evident again for their second goal as Marc Albrighton slid an astute pass inside towards Tielemans, who did not even need a touch before burying the ball past a helpless Karl Darlow.

Newcastle manager Steve Bruce sent on Carroll, and the big striker rewarded him almost immediately with a clinical volley — his first league goal since returning to the club in 2019.

Suddenly the hosts came alive and Leicester were living dangerously at times until they were relieved to hear the whistle.

Newcastle’s winless run in the league now extends to five games and they stay in 15th spot with 19 points.

“All game it was there and obviously when I came on, we got the goal and put the pressure on them so could have nicked something. It wasn’t a great first half. It’s hard this time of the year with all the games,” Carroll said.

“We came out in the second half and played a lot better. I thought we deserved something.”

Manchester City shook off the impact of a COVID outbreak in their ranks to outclass Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge and put themselves firmly in the Premier League title mix on Sunday.


City manager Pep Guardiola had six players unavailable after positive tests but his team responded in scintillating fashion with goals by Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne dismantling Chelsea in 16 first-half minutes.

After that it felt like damage limitation for a subdued Chelsea side whose season is unravelling alarmingly after a strong start, although substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi did grab a stoppage-time consolation goal.

City’s vintage display lifted them to fifth in the table with 29 points, four behind joint leaders Liverpool and Manchester United having played one game less.

A fourth defeat in six league games leaves Chelsea in eighth place with 26 points having played two games more than City.

Positive COVID tests robbed Guardiola of Kyle Walker, Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres and keeper Ederson for the first game of the new year.

There was also the matter of Benjamin Mendy breaking COVID protocols, although he was on the City bench.

Initially City looked vulnerable but when De Bruyne missed a sitter in the 15th minute it sparked them into life and Chelsea were swept aside with ease.

City are unbeaten in seven league games and have conceded only two goals in that run, scoring 14.

“After five or 10 minutes we found our rhythm,” said De Bruyne, who was instrumental in City’s best moments. “After that we played very well and took our chances at the right time.

“We play a bit differently this year but the team is finding the rhythm in the last month.”

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard now faces the task of trying to pull his side out of a nosedive that has silenced all talk of a title challenge.

De Bruyne should have given City the lead when he was played in by a superb pass from Joao Cancelo but the Belgian dragged his shot agonisingly wide of the far post.

Three minutes later though City went ahead as Foden played the ball sideways to Gundogan who produced a silky turn before firing a right-footed shot past Edouard Mendy.

City doubled their lead in the 21st minute when De Bruyne threaded a pass in to Foden who finished clinically.

The wheels really fell of the Chelsea wagon in the 34th minute when De Bruyne headed a ball out and Raheem Sterling had half the length of the pitch at his mercy with Chelsea’s defence desperately trying to reel him in.

Sterling looked to have over-elaborated as he was forced wide but eventually turned to thud a shot against the post with the ball rebounding to De Bruyne who coolly slotted home.

Chelsea enjoyed more possession in the second half with City content to play on the break but they looked a forlorn side and rarely tested City’s American goalie Zack Steffen who was making his Premier League debut in place of Ederson.

The only blot on City’s copybook was the late goal by Hudson-Odoi who turned in a cross from Kai Havertz.

A superb second-minute lob by Danny Ings gave Southampton a surprise 1-0 home win over Premier League leaders Liverpool, with the Reds’ attack looking rudderless as they were held scoreless for the second game in a row.

With the injury-hit champions fielding a makeshift centre-back pairing of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, striker Ings, who joined Southampton on loan from Liverpool in 2018 before making the transfer permanent a year later, was able to exploit some confusion at a set piece to secure the win.

The victory lifted Southampton to sixth in the table on 29 points, behind Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City on goal difference. Liverpool stay top on 33 points ahead of Manchester United, who have a game in hand, on goal difference.

As Henderson called his players to shore up the middle, James Ward-Prowse floated a free kick down the left that Trent Alexander-Arnold failed to deal with, and Ings pounced to send a deft left-footed lob over Alisson into the net.

Liverpool did not manage a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes, with their best chance headed just over the bar by Mohamed Salah during the first-half stoppage time.

They dominated the second half, but once again a concerted effort by the massed ranks of Southampton’s defence kept them out, and coach Ralph Hasenhuettl fell to his knees at the final whistle as his players celebrated.

“He (Hasenhuettl) is very passionate and he brings that passion into the game, and it’s great for us to see that,” goal-scorer Ings told Sky Sports.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, whose side were held to a goalless draw by Newcastle United in their last outing, was disappointed with the display.

“They (Southampton) put a lot of work in. Our decision-making was just not good, that is how it is when you don’t have momentum. We should have had much more chances,” he said.

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