Luton Town 0-1 Tottenham: Spurs won with sheer hard work, says boss Ange Postecoglou
Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou seen here with our Michael Yiakoumi praises his team’s “sheer hard work” and “character” following their 1-0 win over Luton which lifts them to top of the Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur went top of the Premier League table with a 1-0 win at Luton Town on Saturday, despite playing the whole of the second half with 10 men.
Dutch defender Micky van de Ven scored the only goal of the game in the 52nd minute when he poked home a first-time shot after a cut back from James Maddison following a Spurs short corner move.
Arsenal moved level on points with neighbours Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the Premier League after beating champions Manchester City on Sunday as Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Mohammed Kudus scored an 89th-minute equaliser to earn West Ham a point against Newcastle United in a 2-2 draw and Aston Villa stayed fifth in the standings after drawing 1-1 at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Arsenal came into the match having not beaten City in the league since 2015, a run of 15 games — their longest winless streak against a single opponent in league history.
Ending that run looked unlikely as City had the better of the chances in the first half, with Arsenal’s Declan Rice clearing off the line to keep the champions at bay.
Arsenal did not have a single shot on target in the opening period, but upped the tempo after the break.
The game appeared to be edging towards a stalemate before Martinelli struck four minutes from time, a deflection off City defender Nathan Ake taking the ball past keeper Ederson.
The goal sparked wild celebrations at the Emirates, as Arsenal moved above City into second place on 20 points, two above the champions, and trailing Spurs only on goals scored.
“It is a great feeling,” Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said. “We have not beaten them for so long, but I am in no doubt we have beaten the best team in the world.
“I am really proud to be part of this team. We have to keep believing in what we are doing.”
BRIGHTON THRILLER
In a thrilling match on the south coast, Brighton captain Lewis Dunk scored with a deft volley to cancel out Mohamed Salah’s brace for Liverpool as the Seagulls came from behind to earn a point.
The home side took the lead in the 20th minute when Simon Adingra picked the pocket of former Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and fired home, but Salah levelled in the 40th minute with a trademark left-foot finish.
The Egyptian gave his side the lead from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time after Dominik Szoboszlai was pulled down, only for Dunk to snatch a deserved point for the hosts to keep Brighton sixth, one point behind fourth-placed Liverpool.
“We are generally in a good moment,” Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp told Sky Sports.
“We have big expectations for ourselves but now the boys leave (for the international break) with the right information that when we come back and prepare for the next super important period.
Alexander Isak’s quickfire second-half double looked set to stretch Newcastle’s winning run to five games in all competitions after Tomas Soucek had given West Ham an early lead at London Stadium.
Kudus got the home crowd roaring again, however, when he fired home the equaliser from the edge of the box. West Ham retained their grip on seventh place while Newcastle are eighth, a point behind.
Defender Pau Torres’ back-post equaliser earned Villa a point at Wolves. The in-form Hwang Hee-chan tapped home Pedro Neto’s pull-back to edge the hosts in front, but their advantage lasted only two minutes, as Torres steered a cross from Ollie Watkins into the net.
Even though Mario Lemina was sent off for the visitors late on after picking up two yellow cards, Villa still had chances to win it in stoppage time, but had to settle for a draw.
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has challenged Raheem Sterling to consistently play well and prove Gareth Southgate was wrong to leave him out of the England squad.
Sterling had a hand in all four goals as the Blues romped to victory after falling behind at Burnley.
The veteran of 82 caps last played for England at last year’s World Cup and has just been left out of a fourth successive squad for a friendly with Australia and a Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy.
“I think a player with his experience knows he needs to perform and to show the manager of the national team he was wrong in the decision,” said Pochettino after Chelsea scored four goals in a Premier League match for the first time since April 2022.
“Only with performances and scoring goals is he going to show he deserved to go.”
Sterling’s heroics at Turf Moor came after 18-year-old French forward Wilson Odobert marked his first Premier League start by drilling low and hard past Robert Sanchez to send Burnley into raptures.
Chelsea were disjointed for spells but were back on level terms before half-time thanks to an own goal.
A cross by Sterling, back in the starting XI after a virus, struck the knee of Belgium defender Ameen Al-Dakhil and looped over James Trafford into the net.
Chelsea, inspired by Sterling, then scored three times in a strong second-half showing to take the points.
Sterling – a four-time Premier League winner – won a penalty after being fouled by Brazilian defender Vitinho, which allowed Cole Palmer to score his first goal for the Blues since moving from Manchester City.
The former Manchester City player then scored his side’s third with an arrowed finish after Conor Gallagher had spotted his run.
Play restarted after Sterling’s goal before referee Stuart Attwell stopped the game as a check by the video assistant referee (VAR) for a potential offside was still continuing. The goal was eventually allowed to stand.
Substitute Nicolas Jackson sealed the points with a spin and finish, with Sterling once again involved in the move.
Everton ended their home misery by swatting aside winless Bournemouth to collect their first Premier League victory at Goodison Park this season.
Sean Dyche’s side had suffered four consecutive defeats on their own pitch, partly because of poor finishing, but here they put that right with well-taken goals.
Bournemouth played into their opponents’ hands with a series of defensive lapses and were punished by James Garner’s cool finish after 10 minutes following a slip by centre-back Illia Zabarnyi.
The second goal came courtesy of a poor punch by goalkeeper Neto, with the ball falling to Jack Harrison 25 yards out. The on-loan Leeds winger brilliantly lofted a first-time finish into an unguarded net.
The Toffees could have had a third on the stroke of half-time, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s towering header at the back post rattled the crossbar.
But the home side remained buoyant against a dire Cherries team and sealed victory on the hour mark when Abdoulaye Doucoure smashed in, just as he did on the final day of last season to ensure survival.
Bottom side Sheffield United’s search for a first win of the season continued as Tom Cairney’s bizarre strike helped Fulham to victory in a match overshadowed by a severe injury to Blades captain Chris Basham.
The game at Craven Cottage was stopped for 13 minutes midway through the first half as Basham received treatment, the centre-back raising a thumb to the crowd as he left the field on a stretcher before being taken to hospital.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid eventually scored a deserved opener for the hosts after 54 minutes, slotting past Wes Foderingham following an excellent pass by Andreas Pereira.
United, far more competitive after regrouping at the interval, were rewarded for a positive response to that setback when Antonee Robinson diverted substitute Yasser Larouci’s cross from the left into his own net.
But Foderingham was left helpless when Fulham substitute Cairney slipped as he took aim from the edge of the area, causing his attempt to loop up and hit the underside of the crossbar, before going in off the United goalkeeper.
Willian put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time as Fulham rose one place to 12th, while United remain rooted to the foot of the Premier League table after seven defeats in eight games.
Scott McTominay scored twice in stoppage time as Manchester United came from behind to record a sensational Premier League victory against Brentford at Old Trafford.
United were staring at a third successive home league loss for the first time since 1979 thanks to Mathias Jensen’s first-half effort.
McTominay was only brought on with three minutes remaining as manager Erik ten Hag desperately searched for salvation – and the Scot duly provided it.
He showed excellent control before firing home when Kristoffer Ajer scuffed a clearance inside his own box for the first.
Then, after Anthony Martial had a low shot saved by Thomas Strakosha, McTominay reacted quickest to a Harry Maguire flick-on and applied the priceless finish.
The home fans celebrated long after the final whistle as their team headed round on a lap of honour, which was probably a bit extreme but, given the circumstances, totally understandable.
Crystal Palace settled for a goalless draw against Nottingham Forest in Roy Hodgson’s 400th game as a Premier League manager.
In a game of few chances, Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White went closest of all players when his cushioned volley came back off the post in the first half.
Forest centre-back Murillo was denied by Sam Johnstone after a brilliant run, while Jean-Philippe Mateta dragged Palace’s best chance wide.
The draw leaves Palace ninth and Forest 13th, eight and five points clear of the relegation zone respectively at this early stage.
Hodgson, now 76, first managed in the Premier League with Blackburn in 1997, having previously coached teams including Inter Milan, Switzerland, Malmo and Bristol City.
