Manchester City was shaken before the end of the first half, and regained its momentum against Brighton (2-1) on Saturday and advanced, at least temporarily, at the top of the tournament ahead of Arsenal, who came from a long distance against Chelsea (2-2).
Suspense remains comprehensive at the top of the English Premier League, with the four leading locomotives remaining one point away before Tottenham’s match (fourth) on Monday against Fulham at the end of the ninth round. Liverpool ranks third after beating Everton 2-0.
. The city returns to success
Manchester City entered the international break with two consecutive defeats against Wolverhampton and Arsenal, the first since 2018 in the league.
At home, the Citizens did not waste any time thanks to goals from Julian Alvarez (7) and Erling Haaland (19), the ninth in nine matches for the Norwegian striker. But they broke out in a cold sweat after Ansu Fati pulled one back in the 73rd minute.
Pep Guardiola responded to the BBC: “We played 55-60 minutes really well, and we had more and more scoring chances. In the end we defended with our hearts.”
. Tweezers arsenal
Amorphous in the first period, guilty of extraordinary defensive errors, Arsenal recovered from a two-goal deficit against Chelsea (2-2) to calm the angry fans at Stamford Bridge and maintain their invincibility in the league.
Coach Mikel Arteta said: “The way the team reacted was wonderful, and this is the part I loved.” His friend Mauricio Pochettino, on the Chelsea bench, said that he was “disappointed because we wasted two points,” but he was “satisfied because we were able to compete.”
Arsenal ranks second, equal to City and one point behind Liverpool and Tottenham, a north London rival who could regain control of the tournament on Monday.
Chelsea were heading towards a third consecutive success in the Premier League thanks to a penalty kick from Cole Palmer (15th, 1-0) and a dropped ball from Mykhailo Modric (48th, 2-0), with the help of William Saliba’s goal, already. Guilty of handball on the penalty kick.
But Arsenal regained hope with a long shot from Declan Rice (77′, 2-1), looking out after a poor recovery from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, then Leandro Trossard equalized six minutes after Arsenal entered the Belgian winger (84′). , 2-2).
Chelsea occupies ninth place, eight points off the podium.
. Salah carries Liverpool again
Liverpool, with its numerical superiority, needed time to overcome weak-placed Everton (2-0), before Mohamed Salah liberated Anfield with a brace.
Al-Masry executed the penalty kick awarded to Luis Diaz (75) forcefully, before scoring his seventh goal this season in the league, after a lightning counterattack in stoppage time (90+7).
Everton resisted in the 243rd Mersey derby, despite Ashley Young being excluded after receiving the second yellow card (37th). Liverpool could also have finished the match with ten men, but Ibrahima Konate narrowly escaped a second yellow card, before Jurgen Klopp sent him to the bench.
On Saturday afternoon, Newcastle also beat Crystal Palace (4-0) to rise to fifth place ahead of the weekend’s final matches.
. Manchester United with Charlton in front
Manchester United won late against its host Sheffield United (2-1), sending condolences to the hearts of its fans, after the death of club legend, Bobby Charlton, on Saturday, at the age of 86 years.
At Bramall Lane, the crowd and players paid tribute to the 1966 world champions with a minute’s applause before kick-off.
The “Red Devils” suffered after that against the rising team, but they escaped with a long shot from Portuguese defender Diogo Dalot (77).
This second success in a row allows them to finish eighth ahead of West Ham, who could return to the top if they put in a good performance on Sunday against Aston Villa.
The situation is more complicated for Sheffield, which is in twentieth place with only one point, four points behind Luton, the first club outside the relegation zone. The “Haters” performed a funny performance by overcoming a two-goal deficit to tie the score 2-2 in the 92nd minute at Nottingham Forest Stadium.
