Premier League leaders Manchester City and Chelsea slugged out a magnificent 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge with former City youngster Cole Palmer levelling for the hosts with a stoppage-time penalty on Sunday.
For the second time this week Chelsea were involved in an extraordinary tussle after their 4-1 win at nine-man Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, this time going toe-to-toe with the champions in a rip-roaring duel.
City, for whom Erling Haaland scored twice, once from the penalty spot, ended the weekend one point clear at the top with 28 points with Liverpool, who beat Brentford 3-0 on 27 along with Arsenal who beat Burnley on Saturday.
Mohamed Salah reached another scoring milestone for Liverpool, netting twice to reach 200 goals in English football and become the first player in the club’s history to score in each of their first six home league games of a season.
Aston Villa beat Fulham 3-1 to match a 40-year-old club record of 13 straight home league wins.
West Ham United’s Tomas Soucek powered home a late header to seal a topsy-turvy 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest and end their winless streak, while Brighton & Hove Albion’s winless league run was extended to six games when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sheffield United.
Chelsea and City served up a sizzling Sunday classic with Mauricio Pochettino’s side showing once again that they are beginning to gel after a mediocre start to the campaign.
City opened the scored when Spanish defender Marc Cucurella pulled Haaland’s shirt to concede a VAR-checked penalty which the Norwegian coolly converted in the 24th minute.
Five minutes later Chelsea’s 39-year-old Brazilian defender Thiago Silva equalised with a header and former City forward Raheem Sterling capitalised on a Josko Gvardiol stumble to put Chelsea in front after 37 minutes.
Manuel Akanji headed City level in first-half injury time and Haaland bundled in his second a minute after the restart, only for Nicolas Jackson, who scored a hat-trick against Tottenham, to equalise for Chelsea.
City appeared to have won it through Rodri’s 86th-minute strike but there was one final twist as Armando Broja was fouled in the box by Ruben Dias and Palmer kept his cool as tempers frayed to earn his side a point.
‘MASSIVE PLAYERS’
“We knew how tough it is to come here with the team they have built,” City’s Rodri said. “They have signed massive players. It wasn’t our best today. In the end we scored four but there were some mistakes.”
Things were far more sedate at Anfield where Liverpool moved right into title contention thanks to another contribution from the talismanic Salah.
“Crazy,” Klopp said of the 31-year-old Salah, who has 10 goals in 12 league games this season. “Goal number 200 in England, right? Exceptional, played a super game today.”
Aston Villa cruised past Fulham with strikes from John McGinn and Ollie Watkins and an own goal by Antonee Robinson.
Villa Park has become a fortress under Unai Emery as his side, along with Liverpool and Manchester City, are the only teams to have won all their home league matches this season.
“We are in the top five and I think this is a moment to enjoy and to analyse deeply, even when we are winning, how we can improve,” Emery said.
West Ham’s Soucek got on the end of James Ward-Prowse’s corner to seal the points for the Hammers who had gone four games without a league victory.
Victory lifted the Hammers to ninth in the table with 17 points from 12 games while Forest are 15th with 13 points.
Brighton & Hove Albion were reduced to 10 men after midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud picked up a red card.
Simon Adingra scored an early goal for Brighton but Dahoud’s sending-off for a stamp on Ben Osborn’s leg allowed United to capitalise and equalise through an Adam Webster own goal.
Brighton are eighth in the table, while Sheffield United are 19th with just one win.
Arsenal beat struggling Burnley 3-1 to move level on points with leaders Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table on Saturday after Tottenham Hotspur slipped to a last-gasp loss at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Manchester United recovered from their midweek Champions League defeat with a 1-0 victory over Luton Town, Everton scored a late winner to triumph 3-2 at Crystal Palace and struggling Bournemouth upset depleted Newcastle United 2-0 in the late game.
Leandro Trossard, William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko scored in Arsenal’s victory which lifted them above Spurs to second in the table, level on 29 points with Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Josh Brownhill had equalised for the visitors early in the second half but their joy was shortlived as Arsenal quickly retook the lead and secured the win to condemn Burnley to a sixth straight defeat.
Arsenal’s afternoon was slightly soured by substitute Fabio Vieira being shown a straight red card but manager Mikel Arteta, who blasted officials after the loss to Newcastle United a week earlier, gave the referees high marks.
“Please ask me about VAR because today it was good… I hope that I’m on TV saying the referees are so good and I’m completely with them and being very constructive,” Arteta said.
A late turnaround from Wolves thwarted Tottenham’s chance of returning to the Premier League summit earlier on Saturday as Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina scored in stoppage time to secure the hosts’ 2-1 win.
INSPIRED SUBSTITUTE
Wolves manager Gary O’Neil brought Sarabia on as a late substitute and the Spaniard scored the equaliser in the 91st minute and assisted the winner six minutes later.
The result left Spurs, who played with a makeshift back four due to injuries and suspensions, third in the standings while Wolves moved up to 11th.
“It is an amazing feeling, we’ve been pushing so hard. We deserve this game,” Lemina told TNT Sports.
A goal in the 59th minute from defender Victor Lindelof earned United a 1-0 win over Luton and secure a second successive league victory. Erik ten Hag’s side moved into provisional sixth place and have now picked up 12 points from their last five league matches.
“It is a good day,” Ten Hag said after his 50th game as United boss. “We needed the win and we got it but we could make life more easy by scoring early on and getting a second.
“We created the chances but we didn’t score apart from one. I am happy with that and I am happy with the clean sheet.”
Ten Hag, however, will serve a suspension when his team travel to Everton on Nov. 26 after picking up his third yellow card of the season.
Idrissa Gueye scored four minutes from time to earn Everton a breathless win at Selhurst Park. Sean Dyche’s side were twice pegged back after taking the lead but Gueye slid the ball in to seal Everton’s fourth away win in five matches in all competitions.
“A fighting performance without a doubt,” Dyche told Sky Sports. “I think we can play better than that but the fight, the determination and the willingness and mentality to win games is improving all the time.”
Vitalii Mykolenko and Abdoulaye Doucoure also scored for the Toffees who moved up to 14th.
“We’re finding ways to win, that’s a massive factor,” Dyche said. “We’re growing here.”
Two second-half strikes by forward Dominic Solanke gave Bournemouth a deserved victory over Newcastle which lifted the Cherries to 17th place in the table, three points clear of the relegation zone. Newcastle are seventh.
Reuters
