Category: English Premier League

West Ham started terribly but came back strongly after Aston Villa were forced to reorganise when Tyrone Mings was forced off with injury

1 min: Peeeeeep! Aston Villa get the ball rolling.

Just before kick-off, here’s Jacob Steinberg’s report on Tottenham’s latest misfortune:

Away from the mutinous chants pouring down from the south stand, the unmistakeable disgust with Daniel Levy and the gathering angst around Ange Postecoglou, it was possible to forget about Leicester. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side have endured a horrible winter and, when they found themselves behind to a fragile Tottenham at half-time, they had the look of a group waiting for the sweet release of relegation.

At that stage they were on their way to their eighth consecutive defeat in the Premier League, equalling a club record set in the 2000-01 season. If history was a guide, though, then playing Spurs was good news for Van Nistelrooy. After all Leicester stopped the rot by beating them 4-2 at Filbert Street 24 years ago. It meant there was almost a grim inevitability to how this match unfolded. In control after Richarlison’s header, it was astonishing to see an injury-hit Spurs collapse in the first five minutes of the second half, 1-0 becoming 1-2 thanks to goals from Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannous.

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After scoring on 68 minutes, Erling Haaland’s expression was pure box office – and who could blame him? Manchester City had hit the front, Chelsea were cowed, and relief mainlined through Pep Guardiola.

The ruthless striker’s 18th Premier League goal of the season was a sweet lofted effort fashioned over a backpedalling, out-of-position Robert Sánchez in the Chelsea goal: Haaland watched the ball kiss the net, then offered a comical what-else-do-you-expect face to the jubilant congregation.

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Second-half goals from Erling Haaland and Phil Foden boosted Pep Guardiola after an early mistake by City debutant Abdukodir Khusanov

Chelsea get the ball rolling. Then an early touch for the new boy Khusanov.

Before kick-off, a moment to remember three former Manchester City players who have recently passed on: Tony Book, Denis Law and Bobby Kennedy. The warmest of applause and an a cappella version of Blue Moon.

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Dango Ouattara scored a hat-trick as Bournemouth hammered Forest, while Riccardo Calafiori gave ten-man Arsenal a crucial win

Arsenal are without Martin Odegaard, who is unwell, but William Saliba and Myles Lewis-Skelly return.

Wolverhampton (3-4-2-1) Jose Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Agbadou; Nelson Semedo, Andre Trindade, Joao Gomes, Ait Nouri; Sarabia, Cunha; Larsen.
Subs: Johnstone, Hwang, Dawson, Rodrigo Gomes, Doyle, Toti Gomes, Bellegarde, Goncalo Guedes, Pedro Lima.

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• Dewsbury-Hall and Chukwuemeka catch Moyes’s eye
• Dwight McNeil set for surgery on knee injury

Everton are hoping to send Armando Broja back to Chelsea in exchange for another loan from Stamford Bridge, with the midfielders Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka on David Moyes’s wishlist.

Everton had wanted to terminate Broja’s season-long loan after the Albania international was ruled out for 10-12 weeks with ankle ligament damage, only for Chelsea to demand compensation for the remainder of the deal. Moyes is desperate to improve his attacking options in this window but Everton, who still have to be mindful of profitability and sustainability restrictions, have used their full allocation of four loan signings this season. One potential solution that has arisen in talks between the two clubs is for Broja to return to Chelsea and Everton to take another of their players on loan.

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Chelsea travel to the Etihad to take on Manchester City while Fulham host Manchester United at Craven Cottage

Saturday 3pm Venue Vitality Stadium

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Harvey Elliott deserves a Liverpool start, Chelsea should go for the jugular at City and Mikey Moore would help Spurs

In a surprise to pre-season predictors, this match is as important as a fixture in January can be in the battle for Champions League football. Nottingham Forest head into the weekend level with second-placed Arsenal, while Bournemouth are three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and seven back from Forest. The scrutiny on both teams is growing but they keep answering the questions thrown at them. Despite having no out-and-out striker last weekend, Bournemouth put four past Newcastle, giving Nuno Espírito Santo a warning. Justin Kluivert scored a hat-trick, his second of the season, at St James’ Park as Andoni Iraola’s flexible front four excelled. Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo might feel more confident against a natural No 9 but Forest’s centre-back pairing will relish the challenge. Will Unwin

Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest, Saturday 3pm (all times GMT)

Brighton v Everton, Saturday 3pm

Liverpool v Ipswich, Saturday 3pm

Southampton v Newcastle, Saturday 3pm

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Chelsea moved up to fourth with their first Premier League win of 2025

2 min: James hits the corner long and Jackson gets on the end of it at the far stick, albeit to little effect. Sa claims the ball. But Chelsea come back again, Madueke out-powering Ait-Nouri down the right and entering the box. He’s got the opportunity to shoot, but takes one touch too many and a glorious chance is gone.

1 min: Chelsea are immediately on the front foot. Neto crosses from the left, the Wolves old boy’s ball earning the first corner of the evening. James to send it in from the right.

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A growing number of well-run clubs have shown what can be achieved by recruiting smartly and playing to a system

• Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here

This is not 2015-16, when Leicester City won the league, but this season does share certain similarities. After 22 games of that season, Arsenal topped the table on goal difference from Leicester with Manchester City a point back and Tottenham four behind them. It was the following weekend that Leicester began to take control of the league, as they beat Stoke, Manchester City drew at West Ham and Arsenal lost at home to Chelsea. Wins over Manchester City and Liverpool in their following two games consolidated a lead that they never surrendered.

It’s not to diminish Leicester’s achievement to point out that they benefited from a number of elite sides having disappointing seasons: Arsenal came second with only 71 points. The theory then was that the general wealth of the Premier League – the fact that, to use Deloitte’s figures from 2024, Aston Villa, Brighton, Fulham, Leeds, Crystal Palace and Everton are among the 30 wealthiest clubs in the world by revenue – meant that the elite were facing too consistent a challenge for 85-plus points in a season to be a viable target every year. A flourishing middle class, the thought ran, had helped equalise the league, at least at its top end.

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Manchester United’s wing-backs are struggling, Foden is back to his best and Bournemouth are top-four contenders

Ruben Amorim is repeatedly learning that his team are worryingly susceptible out wide. Brighton’s first two goals came from players being given space on the flanks in the huge gaps between wing-backs and centre-backs. Kaoru Mitoma gifted Yankuba Minteh a tap in and the favour was repaid in the second half. Leny Yoro had terrible troubles against Southampton and there were similar struggles once again as Brighton tested him on the outside. Noussair Mazraoui had a forgettable afternoon, looking poor in possession, which helped Brighton for the opener and he failed to intervene before Mitoma steered the second home at the back post. Mazraoui was moved to the left and soon the third goal arrived as Yasin Ayari was given the freedom to cross the ball. The wing-back positions need specialists and those available to Amorim are unable to provide the defensive robustness and attacking support required, although he will be sticking with 3-4-3 whether they like it or not. Amorim needs to find a solution. Will Unwin

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United's season lurched further into turmoil after a 3-1 loss to Brighton in the Premier League, with manager Ruben Amorim labelling his side as 'being the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United'. 'I know that you want headlines, but I am saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that,' Amorim said. It was a seventh defeat in 15 games overall for United under new head coach Amorim

• Premier League top scorers 2024-25: who is leading race for Golden Boot?

• Ruben Amorim says team worst ‘maybe in the history of Manchester United’

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The defiance came far too late. Whether it was the two goals that gave a glimmer of respectability to Tottenham’s latest defeat or Ange Postecoglou’s belief in his ability to arrest a decline, the sight and sound of their fightback was futile. Spurs were the gift that ­Everton and David Moyes needed.

The final scoreline flattered the losing side. Everton – a team that had scored 15 league goals all season before Spurs arrived – were three up at half-time and lamenting the fact it wasn’t six. Spurs were abject in every regard. They improved after the break, though only after Dominic Calvert-Lewin could have made it four and not enough to prey on Everton’s fragile confidence until Richarlison poked home in the 92nd minute. This was no spirited recovery from a team without a win in six Premier League games. This was unacceptable, even accounting for the lengthy injury list that Postecoglou highlighted afterwards.

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On a sombre afternoon graced by a piper’s rendition of Flower of Scotland and a poetic tribute to the great man, Manchester United went down dismally in their first game since Friday’s passing of Denis Law.

Ruben Amorim’s 15th match piloting United enters the record books as a seventh defeat. Afterwards his declaration was damning, branding his side as the poorest “maybe in the history of Manchester United”.

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Everton held off a late fightback from Tottenham to earn a crucial 3-2 win at Goodison Park

The Premier League table at the start of play

This is a cracking read on an underrated player who marked one of the all-time greats out of a Champions League final

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Mikel Arteta’s side were two up and cruising against their visitors only to be pegged back by goals from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins

• Read Ed Aarons’ match report from the Emirates Stadium

We’ve had four away wins in the four top flight games played so far today. Can Villa make it five out of five to leave Liverpool seven points clear of Arsenal at the top of the league with a game in hand?Emery’s side dealt Arsenal’s title hopes a hammerblow at the Emirates in April last season and will be hopefull of doing exactly the same today.

Newcastle United 1-4 Bournemouth

Brentford 0-2 Liverpool

Leicester City 0-2 Fulham

West Ham 0-2 Crystal Palace

Arsenal v Aston Villa 5.30pm (GMT)

View the Premier League table

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