Author – Amrit Santlani
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City took control of the Premier League title race by opening up a four-point lead over Arsenal after beating Leeds United 2-1 at the Etihad on Saturday. Frank Lampard avoided an unwanted run of seven consecutive defeats as he finally picked up his first win as Chelsea’s interim manager, helping his side to a 3-1 win over Bournemouth.
Connor Gallagher opened the scoring for the Stamford Bridge side just nine minutes into the game, but they were caught out by a quick response from Matias Vina just before the half-hour mark. Benoit Badiashile (82 mins) and João Félix (86 mins) scored before the end of regulation time to secure the three points for Chelsea. Brazilian veteran Thiago Silva played the entire match, as did Neto in the Bournemouth goal.
Later on Saturday, Manchester City host Leeds, looking to consolidate their position at the top of the table. Guardiola’s side took the lead with two goals from Ilkay Gundogan in the first half. Goalkeeper Ederson shone for the defending champions, although Leeds managed to equalize just before the end of the game, creating a tense finale, but City held on for the three points.
Tottenham finally ended their winless run of the last five games after securing a narrow 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. Ryan Mason’s side opened the scoring through Harry Kane in first-half stoppage time and Spurs held on to claim a crucial victory. Emerson played the full 90 minutes, while Richarlison was sent off in the 79th minute.
At Anfield, Mohammed Salah’s goal early in the first half helped Liverpool beat Brentford 1-0, as Jurgen Klopp’s side remain within touching distance of fourth-placed Manchester United, who have two games in hand. The Brazilian duo of Alisson and Fabinho played the entire match for the Reds.
Also on Saturday night, Julen Lopetegui’s Wolves thwarted Aston Villa’s European ambitions by securing a narrow 1-0 win thanks to Toti Gomez’s early goal.