Liverpool ended its Premier League drought with a 2-0 victory over visiting Aston Villa. A four-match losing run for the Reds also ended a four-match winning run by Aston Villa in the Premier League. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah was gifted an opening goal on a poor clearance by Emi Martinez, a much-needed break for the struggling Salah and the Reds. The goal was Salah’s 250th for the Reds across all competitions, making the Egyptian star just the third player to accomplish that at Liverpool, joining Ian Rush and Roger Hunt. Ryan Gravenberch scored Liverpool’s insurance goal in the second half. Aston Villa threatened in the first half but was thoroughly frustrated in a second half where Manager Unai Emery was red carded for his vocalized discontent.
Arsenal, meanwhile, continued to employ what could prove a championship formula. The Gunners relied on a stifling defense and set piece mastery to defeat Burnley 2-0. The match was the seventh clean sheet for Arsenal and goalkeeper David Raya this season with the Premier League winners having allowed only three league goals all season. Victor Goyerkes scored the opening goal off a corner kick, marking the 12th time this season that Arsenal has converted from a dead ball situation. Declan Rice would score later in the first half to provide more than sufficient insurance for Arsenal and its smothering defense.
Manchester City is now Arsenal’s chief pursuer after the Citizens downed Bournemouth 3-1 at the Etihad. Erling Haaland was unsurprisingly the scoring star with two first half goals while teammate Nico Reilly became the first Manchester City player not named Haaland to score a goal since September. Bournemouth competed better than the final score might indicate but was unable to convert chances when presented, the Cherries’ Eli Kroup, in particular, wasting some good goal scoring opportunities. Nico's first goal of the season 🩵 pic.twitter.com/nKOv4Z6GS4
Tottenham Hotspur’s struggles at home continued with a 1-0 loss to visiting Chelsea. Spurs has now taken but a single point from its last four home matches. Supporters are beginning to become frustrated with both those results and a style of play which is more pragmatic than pleasing. Things change quickly in the Premier League. After an overall good start to the Premier League season built on road success, Manager Thomas Frank is now coming under criticism for his style of play and the unfortunate results at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Chelsea, meanwhile, will hope Saturday’s goal by Joao Pedro proves a turning point for a player who had been brilliant much earlier in the season before slumping of late.
While Spurs and Chelsea were engaging in their London derby, a man’s job was going up in flames farther south in England’s capital city. Wolverhampton Manager Vitor Pereira was sacked immediately following Wolverhampton’s 3-0 loss to Fulham. Pereira was highly acclaimed for improvement he instituted last season to move Wolves out of relegation danger. He was even awarded a new three-year contract early this season despite signs that the tide was turning. The season has progressed miserably, however, for Pereira and the club as Wolves has yet to win and occupies that nefarious place at the bottom of the Premier League table. The stress was clearly taking a toll as Pereira had to be forcibly removed from a heated discussion with Wolves supporters just a week ago. The pasting at Craven Cottage proved to be the final straw. Whoever will replace Pereira is still a question mark. There should also be some shame on the part of Wolves ownership which stripped Pereira of stars like Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo last summer with little to no reinvestment. The new Wolves manager will take over a side which is eight points from safety.
Another manager of a distressed side had a much better weekend than Pereira. Nuno Espirito Santo, himself a one-time Wolves manager and on his second team this season after parting ways with Nottingham Forest, recorded his first Premier League win as manager of West Ham in a 3-1 victory over Newcastle. In addition to the manager’s first win, it was the first home victory at London Stadium this season for the Hammers. West Ham moved to within three points of safe but vulnerable Burnley in battle for league survival.
Leeds, meanwhile, signaled its desire to be part of the relegation battle by losing for the third time in its last four Premier League matches. A 3-0 defeat at Brighton leaves the Whites just four points clear of the drop line. Diego Gomez scored two second half goals for the Seagulls after Danny Welbeck had given the Seagulls a halftime lead.
Nottingham Forest is a point below West Ham in the relegation zone. The Tricky Trees ended a four-match losing run but hoped for even more Saturday until Manchester United’s Amad Diallo scored an 81st minute equalizer in a 2-2 draw. While salvaging a point, the draw at the City Ground ended a three-match winning run for an improving Manchester United side.
It did not take long for Brentford to come back to earth after its impressive 3-2 win at Liverpool last week, part of a three-match winning streak for the Bees across all competitions which ended Saturday. Crystal Palace prevailed 2-0 over the Bees at Selhurst Park as JP Mateta scored his fourth goal in his last two matches for the Eagles. Mateta’s six goals on the season are joint second in the league, albeit well off the 13-goal pace of league leader goal scorer Erling Haaland.
Former Arsenal player Granit Xhaka scored his first Sunderland goal on Monday to give the Black Cats a 1-1 draw versus Everton. Xhaka’s 46th minute strike at the Stadium of Light equalized a match which was dominated by Everton in a first half which saw Iliman Ndiaye score to give the Toffees the halftime lead. Everton, piloted by former Black Cats Manger David Moyes, has now won but once in its last eight matches.
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