Chelsea paid a heavy price for a 3-2 defeat at West Ham United as first Liverpool, then Manchester City, leapfrogged them in the Premier League title race on Saturday, with City ending the day on top for the first time this season.
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea began the day with a narrow lead and twice went in front at the London Stadium, only to be stunned by a late goal from substitute defender Arthur Masuaku.Mendy brought down Jarrod Bowen for a penalty that was converted by Manuel Lanzini.
Mount restored Chelsea’s lead with a superb volley four minutes later only for West Ham to draw level early in the second half when Bowen fired in hard and low.In the day’s late kickoff, Manchester City outclassed Watford in a 3-1 victory at Vicarage Road with Raheem Sterling paving the way before Bernardo Silva struck twice.
Chelsea had seemed to be in control of their game after 28 minutes when Thiago Silva scored with a header from a Mason Mount corner but the European champions gifted the hosts a penalty in the 40th minute when Jorginho put his goalkeeper Edouard Mendy under pressure with a poor back pass.It looked as though Liverpool had let Chelsea off the hook as their later clash at Wolverhampton Wanderers went into stoppage time still goalless.
But Divock Origi, making his 100th appearance as a Liverpool substitute, latched on to a Mohamed Salah pass to smash a winner past Wolves keeper Jose Sa in the 94th minute.But all their hard work came to nothing as Origi showed what a great impact substitute he can be, with his winner sparking wild celebrations on the Liverpool bench.
“It was clear: when you don’t score you just have to keep going and that’s what we did,” manager Juergen Klopp said.We are not good enough in the details at the moment,” Tuchel told reporters. “We do too many big mistakes.”
Wolves had defended resolutely against a Liverpool side who have been in unstoppable goalscoring form.Masuaku clinched it for the fourth-placed hosts in the 87th minute with a cross that flew into the goal.
It meant Chelsea slipped to third spot with 33 points from 15 games, one point behind Liverpool and two behind Manchester City. West Ham have 27 points.And then Divock Origi, the legend, came and finished it off for us. I love it.”
There was no such drama for City who racked up a fifth successive league win and a 31st in the calendar year, surpassing their previous club record.There are always things we have to improve but right now, the guys are playing at a really good level,” manager Pep Guardiola said. “We scored three beautiful goals and we could have scored more.”
Newcastle United’s wait for a first league victory of the season is over after Callum Wilson’s goal earned them a 1-0 victory against fellow relegation battlers Burnley.The win lifted Newcastle off the bottom on goal difference, above Norwich City who play at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Brighton & Hove Albion drew for the eighth time this season as Neal Maupay rescued a point in a 1-1 draw at Southampton. Maupay struck in the eighth minute of stoppage time to deny Saints their fourth league win of the season after Armando Broja had give them a first-half lead.
Defender Ezri Konsa scored twice as Aston Villa came back from a goal down to beat Leicester City 2-1, rising above them to 10th spot in the Premier League table on goal difference on Sunday after a pulsating encounter.
Harvey Barnes squeezed the ball through Konsa’s legs to open the scoring in the 14th minute, but Konsa got the last touch on Emiliano Buendia’s goal-bound header to put his side level again three minutes later.
Villa thought they had taken the lead in first-half stoppage time when Jacob Ramsey fired home in a tussle with Kasper Schmeichel, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review when the keeper was found to have been in control of the ball.
Undeterred, Konsa got the lead nine minutes into the second half as he headed home John McGinn’s corner from a tight angle at the back post.
The goal was the 10th that Leicester have conceded from a set piece this season, excluding penalties.
McGinn’s pinpoint set pieces and incisive passing created plenty of opportunities in the second half for Villa, with Ollie Watkins denied by Schmeichel in the 67th minute and Jacob Ramsey spurning another chance four minutes later.
Jamie Vardy came off the bench to give Leicester’s attack a shot in the arm but it was Harvey Barnes who came closest to getting an equaliser for the visitors, forcing a brilliant save from Emiliano Martinez in the 75th minute.
Schmeichel’s goalkeeping kept Leicester in the game and he also made a late foray up the field for a corner in second-half stoppage time, but Villa managed to hang on to give new boss Steven Gerrard his third win in four league games.
Villa coach Gerrard revealed that his efforts to fire up his side at halftime paid dividends.
“I thought Leicester started really well. We were too passive. When we made passes there were loads of sloppy turnovers. We gave the players some home truths at half-time. The reaction was exactly what we wanted,” he told Sky Sports.
“To take nine points from 12 is a big return from the players. They deserve a load of credit, but there’s still work to do. Some of them still need to improve,” he added.
Next up for Gerrard is a return to Anfield, but it will not be a sentimental journey for the 41-year-old.
“I just want to go there and win. We go there with confidence and belief, we just want to make it as difficult as we can,” he said.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur continued their recoveries from poor starts to the season with victories in the Premier League on Sunday.
United, with German manager Ralf Rangnick in charge for the first time, beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Old Trafford thanks to a late goal from Brazilian midfielder Fred.
The Reds have not lost in the three league games since Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was dismissed following the 4-1 defeat at Watford.
Antonio Conte’s Tottenham enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win at home to bottom club Norwich City, the North London club’s third straight win under the Italian manager.
Manchester City lead the Premier League on 35 points with second-placed Liverpool on 34 points and Chelsea, who suffered a 3-2 defeat at fourth-place West Ham on Saturday, in third place on 33 points.
Spurs are fifth on 25 points with United one place and a point behind.
United had struggled to create clear chances against Patrick Vieira’s well-organised Palace side but the frequently maligned Fred beat Vincente Guaita with a wonderful strike from the edge of the box in the 77th minute after being set up by substitute Mason Greenwood.
Palace should have gone ahead minutes earlier but Jordan Ayew missed from point-blank range at the back post after James Tomkins had headed down a corner.
United held firm against some late Palace pressure, leaving Rangnick pleased with what he saw from his debut on the bench at Old Trafford.
“We need to keep clean sheets. With just the one training session, I was really impressed. We did much better than expected,” he said.
An early goal from Lucas Moura and two after halftime from Davinson Sanchez and Son Heung-min ensured the three points for Spurs.
Moura gave the home side a 10th-minute lead with a shot from outside the penalty area that proved as impressive a finish as the slick build-up that led to it.
Sanchez thrashed home a loose ball from close range from Son’s corner to double the lead after 67 minutes and effectively snuff out some enterprising passages of play from struggling Norwich.
Ten minutes later Son held off the visiting defence to work himself into position and smash the ball past Tim Krul in the Norwich goal.
Patrick Bamford struck in added time as Leeds United snatched a 2-2 Premier League draw against Brentford.
Sergi Canos and Shandon Baptiste had put the Bees 2-1 up at Elland Road.
In Sunday’s late kickoff, central defender Ezri Konsa scored twice as Aston Villa came back from a goal down to beat Leicester City 2-1, giving new Villa boss Steven Gerrard his third win in four league games.