Premier League roundup: Brilliant Brighton sink tepid Chelsea, Everton suffer damaging loss
Chelsea 1-2 Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion secured their first-ever victory at Stamford Bridge courtesy of an impressive comeback display which sees Frank Lampard’s Chelsea outfit remain in the bottom half of the Premier League.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has recently called the Seagulls ‘the best team in the world at building up from the back’ and the south-coast side immediately displayed their prowess with Alexis Mac Allister guilty of spurning two early opportunities. Having somewhat lurked in the shadows recently, Mijailo Mudryk remained an effective outlet for Chelsea however, and his driving runs resulted in chances for the Londoners and provided the narrative for an expansive and hugely entertaining first half.
It was another youngster, Evan Ferguson who almost opened the scoring with an effort that cannoned off the woodwork, but, despite finding themselves under intense pressure, Chelsea would break their scoring duck in fortuitous circumstances. Conor Gallagher drove at the Brighton backline and his effort took a huge ricochet before beating looping over Robert Sánchez. That goal only served to poke the Brighton bear however, and, after forcing Kepa into several spectacular saves, they levelled through Danny Welbeck, who added the finishing touch to Pascal Groß’s whipped delivery.
The visitors’ continued to hound their hosts after the break, pinning them into their own half to the surprise of the Stamford Bridge faithful. Their attacking tempo and vice-like defensive press was too much for Chelsea to deal with, and the chasm of quality between the sides was as evident as Brighton’s seven point Premier League point lead coming into the afternoon. Perhaps relieved to see his side weather the storm as the hour mark approached, Lampard responded by making a triple change.
The shuffle did little to change the shape of the contest however, as Brighton continued to stretch the Chelsea ranks, often through Kaoru Mitoma, whose solo runs were a constant headache to his hosts. Therefore, it was unsurprising when the Blues eventually saw their dams burst with 20 minutes to go, as Julio Enciso unleashed an unstoppable 25-yard rocket into the top corner.
That incredible strike only intensified the Seagulls’ sky-high confidence as they strolled to victory with Chelsea failing to land a glove in the closing stages. Roberto de Zerbi will be extremely satisfied with his side’s performance and may see this deserved victory as perfect preparation for a FA Cup semi-final meeting with Manchester United next Sunday.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion)
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Everton 1-3 Fulham
Fulham kept their slim hopes of European qualification alive with an impressive 3-1 victory over relegation-threatened Everton, as the Cottagers secured a first league triumph in six attempts.
With just goal difference separating Everton and the relegation zone coming into the contest, the Merseyside club knew the importance of a positive result, as they look to avoid a first relegation since 1951. In desperate need of points, the visit of former boss Marco Silva and an out-of-form Fulham side seemed like the ideal opportunity for the hosts to distance themselves from the bottom-three, with the Cottagers losing each of their last five matches across all competitions.
True to form, it was Everton who edged a closely-fought opening 15 minutes, with Demarai Gray seeing the hosts’ best opportunity superbly thwarted by Bernd Leno. Despite a slow start, Fulham gradually gained a foothold in the contest, and after missed opportunities for Harry Wilson and Andreas Pereira, the Cottagers broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, when Harrison Reed reacted fastest inside the box to fire a rebound beyond Jordan Pickford.
Undeterred by the setback, Everton went in pursuit of an immediate response, but wasteful finishing from Neal Maupay and James Tarkowski continued to frustrate the home faithful. Intent on making amends for their profligacy in front of goal, Everton found a deserved leveller before HT, as Dwight McNeil controlled a neat pass from James Garner, before drilling a pinpoint finish into the bottom corner.
The visitors emerged after the restart eager to regain control of proceedings, and were duly rewarded within six minutes, as a deft touch from Willian set up Wilson, who confidently swept home to restore Fulham’s lead. Armed with the momentum, the Cottagers looked to press home their advantage going into the final half-hour, and Daniel James netted a third for the West London side, pouncing on a loose ball inside the six-yard box to finish beyond Pickford.
Faced with a daunting two-goal deficit, Everton pushed for a late comeback, however the Fulham rearguard held firm during the closing stages to secure a richly-deserved three points. The result leaves the Toffees 17th, sitting precariously above the relegation zone on goal difference, with Nottingham Forest and Leicester both having a game in hand. As for Fulham, a first league victory since mid-February consolidates their place in the top-ten.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Harry Wilson (Fulham)
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Southampton 0-2 Crystal Palace
Eberechi Eze’s second-half brace earned Crystal Palace a 2-0 win at Southampton in the Premier League (PL), leaving the Saints four points adrift of safety as time continues to run out on their survival bid.
A battle of two sides at opposite ends of the nine-team PL relegation dog-fight saw basement boys Southampton in desperate need of ending a five-match winless streak. Palace were a rejuvenated side since rehiring Roy Hodgson as manager, picking up back-to-back wins to move up to 12th, however they started sluggishly at St Mary’s and were lucky not be behind when Joe Aribo blazed his effort over the bar from close range after getting on the end of a James Ward-Prowse corner.
After becoming the youngest player in PL history to set up three goals from open play in a single game against Leeds last time out, Palace’s Michael Olise once again looked in the mood, only being denied the opening goal inside 15 minutes by a tight offside call. That was the only shining light for the Eagles in an otherwise dominant first half Southampton performance that should have seen Theo Walcott draw first blood for the Saints, but instead he blasted his effort wide of the post from 12 yards to ensure honours were even at the interval.
Whatever Hodgson said at HT clearly worked as the Eagles came flying out of the blocks and deservedly took the lead through Eze. The 24-year-old did brilliantly to pounce on a rebounded Jordan Ayew effort to poke home and edge Palace towards their fourth unbeaten game in a row against the Saints. Eze was a man possessed in the second half and doubled his side’s lead with a wonder strike that started with the Englishmen turning away from two Southampton defenders before unleashing a piledriver into the bottom corner from 30 yards out.
Southampton came alive after finding themselves two goals behind and were unlucky not to find a way back into the game. In particular, youngster Carlos Alcaraz who saw his effort come flying back off the post before another effort went narrowly over the bar. At the other end, Ayew missed a golden opportunity to put the contest to bed, but Palace held on to claim all three points and record consecutive PL away wins against Southampton for the first time in their history.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
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Wolves 2-0 Brentford
Diego Costa scored his first goal since arriving at Wolverhampton Wanderers, before a Hwang Hee-chan strike secured the three points late on against Brentford to put the West Midlands outfit within touching distance of safety.
At the start of the campaign, most likely imagined this clash between two pre-season relegation candidates would have a huge say in the battle at the bottom. Instead, Brentford, who have enjoyed a stellar second season in the top flight, remained an outside bet for a European spot before kick-off, but the capital club found themselves behind at the break. Netting his first Premier League goal since May 2017, Costa was on hand to poke home a bouncing ball in the penalty area, sending the home crowd into raptures.
Having looked destined to drop out of the top flight before new boss Julen Lopetegui’s arrival, Wolves now enter the final furlong of the 2022/23 campaign with Premier League safety in their hands. It had looked as if the hosts would get the chance to double their lead, when Toti Gomes went down under a challenge from Brentford goalkeeper David Raya inside the 18-yard box. Replays suggested the visitors’ shot-stopper was lucky not to have conceded a penalty, with both the on-field referee and video assistant confirming any alleged wrongdoing.
Feeling aggrieved, the Wolves faithful continued to voice their dismay towards referee Paul Tierney. Ultimately, it wouldn’t matter, as Hwang added a much-deserved second for the hosts midway through the second half. Tapping home into an empty net from inside the six yard box, the South Korean international’s second Premier League goal in three appearances ensured Lopetegui’s side would be going home with the three points.
The result for Wolves bucks the trend of the away side taking points from five of the last six H2Hs, much to the frustration of Brentford, whose season appears to be drifting into obscurity with each passing week. As for Wolves, they put daylight between themselves and the bottom three, with a seven point gap now separating them from the drop as things currently stand.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers)