Author – Amrit Santlani
With just two weeks to go until the end of the season, the race for the Premier League title is hotting up. Matchday 36 kicked off on Saturday and although the top two – Manchester City and Arsenal – will be in action on Sunday, there was plenty to look forward to as Chelsea drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest.
The race for the top four got even more interesting when Manchester United beat Wolves, but Newcastle United drew 2-2 with Leeds United. Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-1 to Aston Villa, putting them at a disadvantage in the race to qualify for the UEFA Europa League.
Raheem Sterling and Taiwo Awoniyi score twice each as Chelsea draw 2-2 with Forest
After securing his first win as Chelsea’s interim manager, Frank Lampard failed to capitalize on the moment when his side drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest, who are trying to avoid relegation.
Raheem Sterling helped his side salvage a point after going behind to a goal from Taiwo Awoniyi in the 13th minute. In the second half, Sterling scored twice in the space of 10 minutes to turn the game around and put his side in command, before Awoniyi scored again just after the hour mark to help secure a point for the visitors.
Brazilian defender Thiago Silva put in an uneven performance, but played the full ninety minutes, while Renan Lodi, Danilo and Felipe impressed Forest.
Anthony Martial and Alejandro Garnacho lead Man United to victory over Wolves
Manchester United hosted Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford, looking to consolidate their fourth place after consecutive 1-0 defeats to Brighton and West Ham. Anthony Martial opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark to put United in the lead, before Alejandro Garnacho sealed the three points with a late goal to double Erik Ten Hag’s side’s advantage.
Brazilian winger Antony put in an impressive performance and was the driving force behind the Red Devils, while Casemiro was erratic and also received a yellow card; Fred played just 10 minutes, coming on in place of Christian Eriksen. Matheus Cunha put in a positive performance for Wolves, but was unable to make his firepower count in front of goal.
Aston Villa beat Spurs 2-1 to cause more pain for Ryan Mason
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Aston Villa beat Tottenham, who also have Europa League hopes, and drew with Spurs, further heating up the race for Europa League places. The north London team has had some tumultuous results of late. Last week’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace was their first victory since early April, although they lost further ground in the table with another poor performance against Villa. Jacob Ramsey opened the scoring in the eighth minute and Douglas Luiz secured the three points with a goal in the 72nd minute. Harry Kane scored a consolation goal at the end of the match, giving the traveling fans something to celebrate.
Brazilian midfielder Luiz scored a fine free-kick to secure all three points for Villa, while Emerson and Richarlison had a night to forget for Spurs.
In other games on Saturday, Leeds United drew 2-2 with Newcastle United, dealing a blow to the Toons in their bid to finish third, and Fulham beat Southampton (2-0) to make the relegation situation even worse. Crystal Palace continued to grow under Roy Hogdson with another crucial win over Bournemouth (2-0), who are coming off two consecutive defeats.