Following a thrilling 3-3 draw between Arsenal and Liverpool on Friday night at the Emirates, the Premier League fixtures for Saturday brought some shocking results.
Everton 0-0 Chelsea
Despite being without an in-form Wayne Rooney, and not managing a single shot on target, Everton secured a point against Chelsea at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Regardless of the lack of attacking flair, the hosts were solid in defence. Although Chelsea lacked a certain spark themselves, the Toffees were well organised in the middle and have goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to thank for keeping out several chances.
He denied Pedro, Eden Hazard and Antonio Rudiger to make sure manager Sam Allardyce maintained his unbeaten record since taking over on Merseyside.
Brighton 1-0 Watford
Pascal Gross’ lone goal gave Brighton their first Premier League victory in eight games as they beat struggling Watford at the Amex Stadium.
The deadlock was broken 64 minutes into the second half with Gross’ shot from the edge of the box found its way into the back of the end.
It was just the second time in their last seven games that Brighton managed to find the back of the net.
Watford was never really a threat and Brighton had a few more chances which should have put them even further ahead.
The Hornets could have snatched a point in the 94th minute with Mat Ryan fumbled an Andre Carrillo cross, but all Stefano Okaka could do from close range was get his knee to the ball for a wide shot.
Manchester City 4-0 Bournemouth
Manchester City continued their dominance in the English Premier League with an easy win over Bournemouth. Dominant in virtually every aspect, City moved 14 points clear at the top of the EPL log. Sergio Agüero bagged a brace while Raheem Sterling and Danilo added one each as City became the first team in 35 years to score 100 goals in a calendar year in top-flight football.
Southampton 1-1 Huddersfield
Huddersfield came from behind to take a point against out-of-form Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday.
Laurent Depoitre levelled in the second half for the Terriers, heading home from close range following Tommy Smith’s cross.
The Saints’ opener came from frontman Charlie Austin who stooped low from a corner for the opener. Austin, though, was lucky to stay on the pitch having caught Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl in the face with a late, stray boot.
The game ebbed and flow, but shared points was all both sides could manage.
Stoke City 3-1 West Brom
Stoke City grabbed three valuable points against West Ham on Saturday. Joe Allen’s 19th-minute strike was doubled with Eric Choupo-Moting adding a second in injury time of the first half.
Salomón Rondón got one back for the visitors, slotting a Chris Brunt through ball into the back of the net, but Stoke kept their cool and held on for a much-needed victory, adding a third late in stoppage time.
Swansea 1-1 Crystal Palace
A Luka Milivojević penalty in the 59th minute gave Crystal Palace a 0-1 lead against Swansea City, but Jordan Ayew’s first goal since August helped the Swans pick up a valuable point. They remain bottom of the EPL log, but will see the result as some progress.
West Ham 2-3 Newcastle
After being level at 1-1 at half-time, West Ham United and Newcastle United unleashed a goal frenzy during the second half, gifting the Magpies their first win in nine Premier League games.
Marko Arnautović and Henri Saivet scored within minutes of each other within the first ten minutes of the first half, before thing settled down. Then, in the second half, 16 minutes yielded three goals with Andrew Ayew, Mohamed Diamé and Christian Atsu all finding the back of the net.
Burnley 0-3 Tottenham
Harry Kane scored a hat trick to help Spurs pick up three valuable points away from home. The three goals put him level with Alan Shearer’s record of 36 Premier League goals in one calendar year. Shearer did it with Blackburn in 1995.
Leicester 2-2 Manchester United
Credit: TheSouthAfrican
