The race for Champions League qualification has change into even tighter within the Premier League after Chelsea beat newly-crowned champions Liverpool and Newcastle dropped essential factors at Brighton.
But with a record-extending sixteenth defeat of the marketing campaign at Brentford, Manchester United might hardly be additional away from all that drama.
Liverpool’s gamers had been afforded a guard of honour by Chelsea as they got here onto the sphere at Stamford Bridge for his or her first match as champions.
They didn’t actually play like champions, although, with Chelsea operating out 3-1 winners because of a third-minute objective by Enzo Fernandez, an own-goal by Jarell Quansah within the 56th and a stoppage-time penalty by Cole Palmer, who fired again at social media trolls after his star flip.
Virgil van Dijk’s header had made it 2-1 however Liverpool had been off the tempo for a lot of the sport.
“We performed very nicely as a group. They’re champions for a purpose, however we confirmed need. I simply felt regular. Shit occurs … sorry for my language. Clearly it occurs, I went three months with out scoring, nevertheless it simply offers me extra combat and motivation to do extra for myself and for the group,” Porter mentioned.
“Social media these days is filled with idiots. I don’t pay any consideration to that.
“I’ve scored immediately and I’m glad, nevertheless it’s just one and I’ve received to maintain bettering and attempt to attain new ranges. Getting possibilities and never scoring, it feels such as you’re letting your group down. I really feel like I’m mentally robust anyway. I really feel satisfaction in serving to the group and if I’m not doing that, I’m not glad.”
The win lifts fifth-placed Chelsea right into a tie for 63 factors with fourth-placed Newcastle, who wanted an 89th-minute penalty by Alexander Isak to salvage a 1-1 draw at Brighton.
With Manchester Metropolis some extent larger in third place and each Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa three factors again in sixth and seventh, respectively, the combat to complete within the prime 5 and qualify for subsequent season’s Champions League appears like going to the wire. Forest have a sport in hand, at Crystal Palace, on Monday.
The Premier League seems to carry little significance to Man United any extra this season, with the 4-3 loss at Brentford leaving them fifteenth on 39 factors and already sure of recording their worst-ever complete within the Premier League in addition to their lowest end.
United’s focus is simply on profitable the Europa League and qualifying for the Champions League by that route.
That’s Tottenham’s dream too, so Ange Postecoglou not noted a slew of key gamers for the 1-1 draw with West Ham in a London derby between two struggling groups.
Tottenham beat Bodo/Glimt 3-1 within the first leg on Thursday and face a tricky journey to northern Norway for the return sport subsequent week.
Postecoglou made eight modifications in opposition to West Ham, but nonetheless noticed Wilson Odobert open the scoring within the fifteenth along with his first league objective for Spurs. Jarrod Bowen equalised within the twenty seventh.
“I’m pleased with the gamers’ efforts,” Postecoglou mentioned. “It’s not simple making so many modifications and it’s going to have an effect on the fluency and even the rhythm of the group.”
James Maddison didn’t play for Tottenham, with Postecoglou saying the playmaker’s knee damage — sustained in opposition to Bodo/Glimt — “doesn’t look nice.”
Man United boss Ruben Amorim fielded the membership’s youngest ever Premier League line-up.
Damage-prone Mason Mount scored his first objective of the season and winger Amad Diallo, simply again after three months out, netted the third objective in stoppage time because the guests got here from 4-1 down however couldn’t discover an equaliser. Kevin Schade scored two of Brentford’s targets.
A primary-half objective by Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh — a former Newcastle participant — appeared like seeing off his outdated membership, just for Isak to transform a penalty after Yasin Ayari’s outstretched arm in a defensive wall block in opposition to Fabian Schar’s free kick.
Newcastle had beforehand been awarded two penalties, just for each of them to be overturned after video critiques.
Isak moved onto 23 league targets for the season, placing him second behind Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (28). It’s essentially the most by any Newcastle participant in a Premier League season since Alan Shearer in 2001-02.
with AAP
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