Premier League roundup: Forest secure crucial point at Chelsea while Saints go down
Chelsea 2 Nottingham 2
A brace apiece for Raheem Sterling and Taiwo Awoniyi saw Chelsea and Nottingham Forest draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge, as Steve Cooper’s side put an end to seven winless Premier League games on the road.
Having finally gotten back to winning ways after 10 attempts in all competitions against Bournemouth last time out, Chelsea would have been hoping to enjoy the start of a turnaround.
However, on a revival of form himself, Awoniyi had other ideas, nodding home on the end of Renan Lodi’s inch-perfect cross to give Nottingham Forest the lead with 13 minutes gone - his third goal in his last two games.
In particular, it was a moment for Edouard Mendy to forget after missing his punch and leaving the forward with a simple free header.
Unimaginative and lacklustre, the Blues’ response was one which reflects their dismal season, with Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix enjoying Chelsea’s best chance of the half just before the break, heading into the grateful grasp of Keylor Navas.
Alas, whatever Frank Lampard said at half-time seemed to finally jolt the hosts into life, and with that, Sterling found the equaliser just six minutes after the restart. In vintage Sterling fashion, the winger checked his run to receive Trevor Chalobah’s cutback and fired a deflected effort into the roof of the net.
Momentum then swung entirely in Sterling’s direction, who turned the game on its head with his second goal of the match, bending a perfect finish into the far corner, to leave Navas with no chance just before the hour mark.
Forest mounted a response of their own in an unexpected turn of events, however, when Awoniyi - just as he did against Southampton last time out - got his second of the game, once again heading home in the 62nd-minute.
A true back-and-forth affair, Lodi and Sterling threatened to find a winner for their respective sides, but ultimately, Chelsea and Forest were forced to settle for a point apiece, leaving Steve Cooper’s side just three points adrift of the relegation zone.
The Blues, meanwhile, remain on course for their first bottom-half finish in the league since the 1995/96 season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Raheem Sterling (Chelsea)
Manchester United 2 Wolves 0
Manchester United cemented their place in the Premier League top-four as a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers saw the Red Devils extend their unbeaten record on home soil to 27 matches (W23, D4).
Despite slumping to successive league defeats, Erik ten Hag had the rare luxury of an empty week to prepare for his side’s clash against Wolves, and this was evident during the early stages, as United made a bright start, with plenty of possession inside the visitors’ half.
For all their neat build-up play, however, clear-cut chances came at a premium for the hosts, with Daniel Bentley - making the first league appearance of his career - saving well from a Bruno Fernandes free-kick.
United continued to probe for a breakthrough as the first half progressed, and their patience was duly rewarded in the 32nd minute, when Antony, having missed a golden opportunity just minutes before - unselfishly squared to Anthony Martial, who tapped home from eight yards out.
Buoyed by the opener, the Red Devils looked to press home their advantage before the break, however, Bentley stood firm to thwart Raphael Varane, as Wolves kept the deficit to just a single goal going into the interval.
The hosts - unbeaten in their last 133 league matches when leading at half-time - emerged after the restart eager to build on their lead, although the absence of 29-goal Marcus Rashford was plain for all to see, with a distinct lack of cutting edge in the final third.
This continued into the final 20 minutes, as Jadon Sancho was a low effort superbly tipped around the post by Bentley, setting up a nervy finale for the Champions League-chasing hosts.
Having recorded just one win at Old Trafford since 1980 (D3, L10), a late fightback from Wolves always seemed unlikely, and it was the hosts who added a second deep into stoppage time through substitute Alejandro Garnacho, to wrap up a hard-fought victory and move four points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool.
As for Wolves, Julen Lopetegui’s side remain 13th, with their top-flight status safely secured for another campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Daniel Bentley (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Aston Villa 2 Tottenham 1
Aston Villa extended their winning Premier League home run to six straight games after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at Villa Park, with the victory also fuelling their chase for European football next term.
A glance at the PL table pre-game suggested this clash was almost a must-win for Villa if they are to secure a top-seven spot this term. And with manager Unai Emery calling this match a “final” in the build-up, it was hardly a surprise to see the Villans shoot out of the traps in front of their claret-draped home faithful.
In fact, it took only eight minutes for the hosts to take the lead, when a clever Leon Bailey cutback allowed Jacob Ramsey to slam home from 10 yards - more pain for Tottenham, who have conceded the most goals within the opening 15 minutes of PL games this season.
One-way traffic for Villa ensued until Heung-min Son smashed the post after a fluid counterattack with almost 25 minutes gone. Villa were again soon on top, though, and Fraser Forster was forced into a terrific save to stop Bailey’s ferocious effort from inside the box.
In the end, Spurs were perhaps lucky to be only one goal down as the half-time whistle blew, with a frustrated-looking Harry Kane summing up their first-half struggles.
The early stages of the second period carried the same brutal intensity from Villa, who were completely trapping Spurs in their own half. But even if Emery’s tactics were having the desired effect, his side still needed to be bailed out by a superb Emiliano Martinez stop to deny Kane after the ball broke to the forward from close range.
Despite the goalkeeper's brilliance, it was still an uncharacteristic failure to score from a forward who recently became the league's second-highest goalscorer behind Alan Shearer.
An improved second-half display from the North Londoners saw them trouble their hosts on occasion, but Douglas Luiz’s fine free-kick, which curled beyond the grasp of Forster, gave the home outfit breathing space.
While that wasn’t the end of the drama, as Kane’s late penalty offered his side hope, the Villa fans made their voices heard in the final minutes to help get their team over the line.
As such, European qualification is in Villa’s hands, with this victory moving them level on points with their visitors in seventh position.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Leon Bailey (Aston Villa)
Crystal Palace 2 Bournemouth 0
Crystal Palace breezed past a tame Bournemouth side to win 2-0, leaving the Cherries winless in their last five visits to Selhurst Park.
Michael Olise and Dominic Solanke have both been bright sparks for their sides of late, but were unable to work the opposition goalkeeper with their attempts after carving out half-chances, meaning Joel Ward’s pirouette earned the biggest cheer of a relaxed opening 25 minutes.
Olise continued to get on the ball and provided a moment of quality with a cross that Wilfried Zaha was unable to capitalise on as the ball sailed through his legs before Cheick Doucoue saw his effort from the edge of the box blocked.
In the 39th minute, Palace finally showed the quality that has taken them to safety with some wonderful build-up play that culminated in a clinical finish from Eberechi Eze with the game’s first shot on target.
Zaha almost got in on the action soon after, ghosting past Chris Mepham and curling an effort agonisingly wide.
That momentum continued into the second half as Neto was forced into a strong save by Will Hughes’ expertly controlled volley, although that was followed by Zaha being forced off through injury.
The Eagles’ dominance carried on despite the absence of their talisman, and Eze doubled his tally by cutting inside Illya Zabarnyi and firing home a peach of a strike. That moment took him to 10 goals and gifted Olise the assist that made him the first Palace player to reach double figures in a Premier League campaign.
Even after Gary O’Neil’s triple change on the hour mark, Bournemouth offered very little and failed to record a single shot on target.
Roy Hodgson took this as an opportunity to bring on the rarely-seen Jairo Riedewald and James McArthur, as Palace secured their fifth win from eight matches since the league’s oldest manager returned to the helm at Selhurst Park.
Even though Bournemouth have now suffered back-to-back defeats, the Cherries’ four wins from their previous five matches have taken them to the cusp of mathematically confirmed safety.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)
Southampton 0 Fulham 2
Ruben Selles became just the third manager in Southampton’s history to oversee a relegation from the top flight, as the sorry Saints slumped to their 24th defeat of the campaign at home to Marco Silva’s impressive Fulham.
In a first half that epitomised Southampton’s torrid campaign, the south coast side were second best throughout the first 45 minutes.
While they may not have had a goal to represent their dominance, Fulham were the side to come closest, with Willian seeing a left-footed strike cleared off the line. The ex-Chelsea man was unable to squeeze the ball beyond the plethora of bodies in front of the goal, with Lyanco the Saints defender to eventually clear the ball to safety.
Despite a goalless first half, there was a feeling of inevitability surrounding Fulham’s eventual opener, with Carlos Vinicius netting just three minutes after the break to condemn Saints’ slim survival hopes.
Falling to the Brazilian in front of an empty goal, Vinicius needed no invitation to tap home his third goal in four Fulham outings, giving the capital club a much-deserved advantage.
His reward for finding the target? Being subbed off for the returning Aleksandar Mitrovic. And who else but the Serbian would be on hand to net Fulham’s second of the afternoon?
Arriving onto Harry Wilson’s chipped ball into the penalty area, Mitrovic marked his comeback after a lengthy eight-game ban with a stellar diving header to secure the three points for Fulham and confirm Southampton’s relegation to the second tier.
It was a tepid end to Saints’ 11-year stay in the Premier League and the side who gave the division the likes of James Ward-Prowse, Dusan Tadic, and Virgil Van Dijk will now be playing in the Championship next season.
As for Fulham, their memorable campaign continues to go from strength to strength, as with the three points, the west Londoners equal their highest-ever win tally for a Premier League campaign (15).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Harry Wilson (Fulham)