By: Tagdh McGinty
Crystal Palace Vs Tottenham
The 20-year-old, who gave away two penalties against Wolves last weekend, scored from close range in the 66th minute at Selhurst Park to secure a fourth win in a row in all competitions for Spurs. Palace, without injured forward Wilfried Zaha, struggled to create chances, with substitute Alexander Sorloth created their best opening in injury-time when he was denied by Hugo Lloris
Spurs have now won seven of eight away Premier League matches this season while Palace are yet to win at home and have lost six of their last seven games in all competitions. Palace looked to be up against it from the start due to the absence of Zaha, having not won a Premier League game without him in the starting line-up since September 2016.
However, the hosts did show some promising early signs as Lucas Moura headed away from an open Cheikhou Kouyate in the box and then Andros Townsend shot into the side-netting.
Dele Alli headed wide from Ben Davies’ cross and Harry Kane then forced Wayne Hennessey into a save with a shot from 25 yards out. Spurs looked in control of the game before the break, only for Palace to battle back at the start of the second half and see James Tomkins spurn a good chance when he headed wide at the back post from a corner.
But it was from a Spurs corner that the deadlock was eventually broken in the 66th minute. Kane’s header was deflected up into the air and, as Jordan Ayew waited for the ball to drop, Foyth leapt and headed in from close range.
Palace applied pressure in the final 10 minutes but Lloris saved a 20-yard shot from Jeffrey Schlupp and then denied Sorloth in injury-time after the striker was presented with a clear sight of goal in the box.
Liverpool Vs Fulham
Salah’s 34th goal at Anfield gave Liverpool a first-half lead just seconds after Aleksandar Mitrovic had his headed goal controversially ruled out for offside at the other end. Shaqiri extended Liverpool’s advantage early in the second half (53) to ensure Jurgen Klopp’s side recorded their 10th league win of the season and puts further pressure on the managerial future of Slavisa Jokanovic.
The result means Liverpool stay two points behind leaders Manchester City while Fulham remain three points adrift at the foot of the Premier League table. Liverpool did take the lead shortly before half-time but it arrived in controversial circumstances. Mitrovic nodded in a Tom Cairney cross but he was adjudged to be offside just 13 seconds before Liverpool went up the other end, following some quick distribution from Alisson, and Salah slotted the ball home. Replays suggest Mitrovic may have been kept onside by Andrew Robertson before it was chalked off by the referee.
Liverpool started the second half confidently and they doubled their lead in the 53rd minute when Robertson’s fine cross was volleyed in by the unmarked Shaqiri at the far post. With Fulham pushing numbers forward, they left gaps at the back which Robertson almost exploited as he fired a shot on goal from range on the counter-attack, but Rico was there once again to bat the ball away.
Fulham failed to create any significant chances late on as the match fizzled out with the west London club recording their seventh loss in a row in all competitions. For Liverpool, their unbeaten run extends to 11 matches in the league.
Chelsea Vs Everton
Maurizio Sarri’s side were nullified by disciplined visitors during the first half but the scoreboard showed their dominance after the interval as Jordan Pickford, the goalframe and the offside flag left them frustrated.
Marcos Alonso had the game’s best chances but the stage seemed set for Ross Barkley against his former club, the late substitute could only lash wide from distance and a home breakthrough remained elusive. Chelsea would have returned to the summit, for a few hours at least, but the result leaves them third in the table behind Manchester City and Liverpool, with Everton staying in ninth place.
Sarri will regret the missed opportunity but his start to Premier League management is now a record one, the Italian surpassing Frank Clark’s 11 unbeaten run with Nottingham Forest from August to October 1994.
After the Chelsea Pensioners had led remembrance tributes, the visitors to west London started brightest on the pitch, Andre Gomes headed narrowly over the goal and Bernard missed wide following threatening Lucas Digne deliveries.
A ball over the top narrowly evaded Alvaro Morata’s lunge but Chelsea continued to be thwarted by well-drilled opponents, as well as by Everton goalkeeper Pickford when Yerry Mina’s foul on Eden Hazard gave Alonso a dead-ball chance.
Alonso drilled against the far post (minute 65) as a Chelsea opener impossibly remained elusive but Morata could have no complaints when he tapped in soon after but saw the offside. The Spaniard was further aggravated when a tussle with Michael Keane brought no Everton punishment and a flurry of substitutes were made in vain, Barkley’s entrance was promising but failed to deliver late drama.
Manchester City Vs Manchester United
City dominated the early stages and took the lead through David Silva from eight yards (minute12), before Sergio Aguero’s fine strike from an acute angle put them up two and seemingly in control. Anthony Martial then pulled one back from the spot, but the champions regained their two-goal advantage with four minutes remaining as sub Ilkay Gundogan controlled brilliantly and slotted home from close range after United fell asleep at the back.
The result means City will go back to the top of the Premier League, two points above Liverpool and now four above Chelsea following their draw with Everton, while United are in eighth, seven points off the top four.
City made the most of the early running as Bernardo Silva flashed a 20-yard effort just wide and thoroughly deserved their opener in the 12thminute. Raheem Sterling’s fine cross to the back post was kept alive by Bernardo Silva, Aguero looked to be hauled to the ground by Chris Smalling, but as referee Anthony Taylor let play go on, Silva squeezed home a right-footed goal from eight yards.
The second did come just three minutes into the second half, as United lost the ball in midfield and allowed Aguero a run at Victor Lindelof. After a lovely one-two with Riyad Mahrez, Aguero thundered one over David De Gea from a tight angle to the right of goal.
The visitors struggled to create much thereafter, and City wrapped it up in the 86th minute as Bernardo Silva’s cross caught United napping, allowing Gundogan to take the ball down and turn it past David de Gea.
Arsenal Vs Wolves
Ivan Cavaleiro took advantage of an error by Granit Xhaka to put Wolves ahead in the 13th minute. Arsenal were flat and it looked like they were heading for their first defeat since Aug. 18, especially after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang spurned a superb chance in the 73rd minute.
However, substitute Mkhitaryan leveled in the 86th minute with a cross that curled into the far corner and Morgan Gibbs-White hit the bar for Wolves in injury-time. While the result ends a run of three straight defeats for Wolves, they will probably feel they should have taken more from the game.
The visitors took the lead after 13 minutes when Xhaka dummied in his own half and gave the ball away to Cavaleiro. He passed forward for Raul Jimenez, who crossed into the middle for Cavaleiro to finish.
Alexandre Lacazette saw a close-range shot blocked in the 22nd minute, but otherwise Arsenal struggled to break down an organized Wolves defense. It was the visitors who looked the more likely to score next as Bernd Leno saved twice from Helder Costa and Jimenez dragged wide from around 20 yards out.
Arsenal looked off their game and even after the break they struggled to assert any extra pressure. Lucas Torreira saw a dipping shot tipped over by Rui Patricio, but it took Arsenal until the 71st minute to create a clear opening as Hector Bellerin blazed over from the penalty spot. Shortly afterwards, Aubameyang was guilty of a glaring miss as he swept a shot against the post.
