Premier League roundup: VAR drama as Chelsea beat Hammers, Bournemouth mount big comeback

Brentford - Leeds

Brentford secured a timely 5-2 victory over Leeds United, ending a run of three winless games in the Premier League (PL). The Bees have now collected seven of their nine league points this season at the Brentford Community Stadium.

Brentford boss Thomas Frank claimed his team deserved more points this season, and they set about earning those with an early chance when Mathias Jensen won the ball high up the pitch before curling wide. A lively Kean Lewis-Potter then saw his shot blocked after excellent build-up play from Bryan Mbeumo. Leeds began to apply some pressure down the other end, but after a VAR check, it was the Bees who had the chance to convert a penalty. Ivan Toney was brought down by a robust challenge from Luis Sinisterra, but dusted himself off to send Illan Meslier the wrong way for 1-0.

With HT approaching, Toney doubled his tally for the game with a sumptuous free-kick, whipping it into the top corner beyond a despairing Meslier. However, that two-goal cushion didn’t last long, as Sinisterra made amends for his clumsy penalty concession by getting on the scoresheet with a bullet shot from the edge of the box.

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The second period got off to an energetic start with the hosts looking dangerous on the break once more. A third goal for the hosts appeared to be on the cards, and so it proved when Lewis-Potter found himself in behind the Leeds backline, forcing David Raya to come racing off his line to deny him. The ball broke to Toney, who nonchalantly nutmegged Cody Drameh, before keeping his composure to dink in a shot from range, completing his hat-trick.

With the points seemingly slipping away, Jesse Marsch lost his cool on the touchline, seeing a red card for his protestations before his side pulled one back through Marc Roca. However, Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa quickly put an end to comeback hopes killing off the game with a flurry for the home side. The result sees Brentford leapfrog Leeds in the table, having avoided conceding first for the seventh time in PL eight outings. Meanwhile, despite a promising start to the league campaign, the Yorkshire side are now without a victory in three.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Ivan Toney (Brentford)

Chelsea - West Ham

Chelsea came from behind to snatch a late 2-1 win over London rivals, West Ham United. Kai Havertz bagged an 88th-minute winner to extend The Blues’ superior H2H record at Stamford Bridge, having lost just once in their last 17 meetings at home.

Chelsea began dominating the game right from the off, keeping hold of the ball as West Ham were happy to sit back and soak up the pressure. The Blues had over 75% of possession throughout the first half but despite having so much of the ball, they struggled to break down a solid Hammers defence. Mateo Kovačić came closest for the home side with an effort from outside the box but his shot flew just wide of the post. Thomas Tuchel would have been disappointed going into HT as his side looked sluggish and stifled by David Moyes’ game plan.

The visitors came out fighting in the second half, showing a lot more attacking intent. New signing Lucas Paquetá and Michail Antonio looked particularly dangerous but the experience of Thiago Silva paid dividends as his defensive awareness allowed him to prevent counter attacking opportunities. His new partner at the back Wesley Fofana fancied marking his debut with a dream goal but his flying shot on goal from 25 yards out sailed wide.

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The Hammers made their second-half pressure pay as they broke the deadlock around the hour mark. Jarred Bowen’s corner wasn’t cleared and Édouard Mendy flapped at the ball, allowing it to drop to Declan Rice who squared it to Antonio for a simple tap-in. Thomas Tuchel turned to his bench in order to turn the game around and one of the men brought on, Ben Chilwell equalised with 15 minutes to go. Silva clipped a ball into the box and Chilwell first looked like he had mis-controlled the ball with his head but somehow managed to squeeze the ball home from near the by-line - an incredible finish from the tightest of angles.

The second man to come on with Chilwell was Havertz, who repaid his manager with a superb volley in the 88th minute. Maxwel Cornet thought he had snatched a 90th minute equaliser but after a lengthy VAR review, his equaliser was ruled out for a foul on Mendy, giving Chelsea all three points. The late drama would have infuriated David Moyes but Tuchel was pleased his substitutions combined to win just their third game in six league games.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea)

Newcastle - Crystal Palace

Newcastle United wasted several big chances and had a second-half goal ruled out as their Premier League winless run extended to five matches following a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.

After similar starts to the season with just one victory each in their opening five matches, Newcastle and Crystal Palace were looking to get back to winning ways. Each team’s goal scorers from mid-week looked threatening early on with Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha firing from 20-yard to force Nick Pope into an early save, before Alexander Isak almost added to his Newcastle tally on his St James’ Park debut by dribbling into the Palace area, chipping straight into the arms of Vicente Guaita.

The Magpies eventually gained control of the match and pushed for the opener with a flurry of chances in the closing stages of the first half. Sean Longstaff was denied by Marc Guéhi’s goal-line clearance, before the match-winner in this fixture last season, Miguel Almirón, thumped the post with a deflected volley from the edge of the area.

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Eager to extend their unbeaten run to four matches at home with a victory, Newcastle pressed again early in the second period and Sven Botman’s header across goal was poked into the net by Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell. However, the defender’s blushes were spared as Michael Salisbury consulted VAR to check a foul in the build-up, eventually chalking off the opener. In an attempt to keep their run of scoring first in four straight away matches, Patrick Vieira looked for substitutes Michael Olise and Odsonne Édouard to provide more attacking threat. The pair nearly combined to break the deadlock with Édouard racing through against Pope but the Magpies goalkeeper turned the striker’s shot round the post. Newcastle kept pushing until the final whistle and Joe Willock fired inches wide from close range late on.

It will feel like two points lost rather than one gained for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle as the Magpies couldn’t make their dominance count as they recorded a fourth draw in five matches. Meanwhile, Palace will certainly feel relieved to leave Tyneside with a fortuitous point and their first clean sheet on the road since March 2022.

Nottingham Forest - Bournemouth

Nottingham Forest produced a sensational turnaround, coming back from two goals down at HT to claim a remarkable 3-2 win at the City Ground. 

With both sides on the end of drubbings from Manchester City and Liverpool in the last week, it perhaps came as little surprise that neither side had the confidence to fully commit to their attacks. Shortly after the half-hour mark, the game’s first shot on target finally arrived, and it proved too good for Norberto Neto in the Cherries’ goal. Morgan Gibbs-White’s corner was met by a towering header from Cheikhou Kouyaté who powered past the Brazilian shot-stopper for his first Forest goal.

On the stroke of HT, Bournemouth’s chances of mounting a comeback were dealt a massive blow as the hosts were awarded a spot-kick. Lloyd Kelly blocked Neco Williams’ shot with his arm, and despite a pitchside review, Michael Oliver upheld the decision and Brennan Johnson converted from 12 yards, showing tremendous composure after an incredibly long delay.

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Gary O’Neil needed to inspire a second-half comeback that looked unlikely, after his side failed to register a shot on target before the break, and had now conceded 18 since last finding the net. That would all change though, as the visitors reduced the arrears in spectacular fashion, as Philip Billing unleashed a thunderbolt from range that left Dean Henderson with absolutely no chance in the Forest goal.

Bournemouth were now in control, and levelled the contest after the hour mark. Forest failed to clear their lines from a corner and Dominic Solanke pounced, firing in a bicycle kick to score his 50th goal for the Cherries. The visiting fans could scarcely believe what they were seeing by the 87th minute, as they completed the most incredible comeback. Scott McKenna’s awful back-pass was intercepted by Solanke, who slotted in substitute Jaidon Anthony to score the winner.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth)

Tottenham - Fulham

Tottenham Hotspur extended their unbeaten streak to six matches, scraping narrowly past a spirited Fulham outfit with a 2-1 win. They become the third team to crack 100 Premier League London derby victories after Chelsea and Arsenal.

In stark contrast as to how they were expected to start, Fulham began in a strong manner, perhaps drawing confidence from their first league win against Brighton this campaign. However, it was star marksman Harry Kane who emerged in the spotlight, unleashing a powerful strike from mid-range to force shot-stopper Bernd Leno into a fantastic save, before seeing a header from Heung-min Son’s cross disallowed for offside.

Having turned the tide of the match, Spurs advanced with great finesse going forward, with Kane and Son combining eloquently to muster clear-cut chances – the best of which saw the latter strike the crossbar from close-range following the former’s clever pass inside the box. Spurs didn’t have to wait long though, breaking the Cottagers’ resistance following some perseverant pressing play. After stealing the ball back, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg received an inch-perfect pass from Richarlison on the edge of the box and made 1-0 with a fine low finish to hand Antonio Conte the driving seat.

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Eric Dier and Richarlison both came agonisingly close after the break, but it was Fulham marksman Aleksandar Mitrović who came the closest with a fantastic edge-of-the-box shot that Hugo Lloris thwarted with a world-class save. Minutes later, perhaps inspired by his counterpart, Leno pulled off wonderfully accurate back-to-back stops on the other end following efforts by Ryan Sessegnon and Son. But he could do little to avoid conceding a second after Sessegnon forced the visiting backline into a scramble, with the Fulham youth product turning provider for Kane’s simple tap-in from close range as the final minutes dawned.

Making up for his earlier miss, Mitrović halved Tottenham’s buffer in the 83nd minute, curling in a brilliant effort into the top right corner from the left wing, leaving Lloris with no chance. However, it proved a little too late for an equaliser despite the Serbian painfully missing out on a brace in the dying minutes. With the loss, Marco Silva’s side register a ninth defeat in the last 13 H2H away matches.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur)

Wolves - Southampton

Wolverhampton Wanderers recorded their first Premier League (PL) victory in 13 matches as a first-half strike from Daniel Podence proved enough to overcome a spirited Southampton side 1-0 at Molineux. 

Coming into the contest on the back of a brilliant comeback victory against Chelsea in midweek, Southampton looked disjointed in the opening 15 minutes, with Rayan Aït-Nouri and Pedro Neto both wasting good opportunities for the hosts. Undeterred by their slow start, the Saints gradually grew into the match as the half progressed, although a distinct lack of quality in the final third meant clear-cut chances were at a premium.

Having failed to win a PL home game from behind since May 2021, scoring first was always going to be important for Wolves and the hosts took a deserved lead on the stroke of HT. An inviting delivery from Matheus Nunes fell perfectly to Podence, who directed a dinked finish over Gavin Bazunu for his second goal of the season.

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Southampton started the second half quickly as they searched for an equaliser and the visitors came within inches of finding one as Che Adams directed a close-range header against the crossbar. Grateful for the close escape, Wolves responded in impressive fashion, and nearly doubled their advantage with 20 minutes remaining as Jonny fired a long-range strike narrowly wide of the target.

With time ticking into the final 10 minutes, Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhüttl introduced striker Sékou Mara in the hope of turning things around. However, despite plenty of late pressure from the visitors, the Wolves rearguard held firm to secure an impressive clean sheet and their first win of the PL campaign.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers)