Tag: Brentford

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Arsenal extends Premier League lead; Villa surges up to third

Arsenal edged out Brentford 2-0 to restore their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League on Wednesday as in-form Aston Villa beat Brighton 4-3 to climb up to third in the table.

The Gunners failed to hit top form at the Emirates Stadium but did enough to take another step towards a first league title in 22 years thanks to goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka.

Mikel Arteta took the chance to use his strength in depth as Saka, Eberechi Eze and Jurrien Timber were rested from the start as captain Martin Odegaard made his first start since early October.

Merino maintained his place up front despite Viktor Gyokeres’ return to fitness and rewarded Arteta with another vital goal.

The Spaniard was picked out perfectly by Ben White’s cross and powered in his 11th goal of the season for club and country.

Brentford boss Keith Andrews also heavily rotated, with top scorer Igor Thiago among those left on the bench.

But the Bees still posed the leaders problems and were only denied an equaliser through Kevin Schade’s header by a brilliant save from David Raya against his former club before half-time.

Saka was introduced on the hour mark and the England winger finally made the points safe in stoppage time as his strike had too much power for Caoimhin Kelleher.

Villa produced a stunning fightback against the Seagulls to continue their fine form with an eighth win in nine league games.

The visitors were their own worst enemies in a dreadful start. Jan Paul van Hecke bundled in from a corner after Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot failed to collect. Pau Torres then turned past Bizot into his own net from Jack Hinshelwood’s cross.

Ollie Watkins had scored just once in 19 previous appearances this season but turned the game around with a quickfire double before the break.

The England striker forced in Ian Maatsen’s low cross before latching onto Morgan Rogers’ brilliant through ball to slam past Bart Verbruggen.

Amadou Onana completed the comeback with a back-post header from Matty Cash’s corner before Donyell Malen made it 4-2.

Centre-back Van Hecke curled in his second of the night to set up a tense finale, but Brighton succumbed to their first home defeat of the season.

Wolves suffered an eighth consecutive defeat as Igor Jesus’ header earned Nottingham Forest a 1-0 win at Molineux that moved Sean Dyche’s men four points clear of the relegation zone.

Burnley also remain rooted in the bottom three after Daniel Munoz scored the only goal in a 1-0 win that lifted Crystal Palace up to sixth. (JapanToday)

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Arsenal wins again to extend lead in Premier League; Man United salvages late draw

The wins just keep on coming for Arsenal.

The Premier League leader extended its advantage at the top of the standings to seven points on Saturday after a 2-0 victory against Burnley.

That’s 13 wins from 15 games in all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s team after a flying start to the season that has only strengthened belief it will end its long-running title drought.

Not since 2004 has Arsenal been crowned English champion – but it has quickly established itself as the team to beat this season.

First half goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice at Turf Moor made it nine wins in a row and put further distance between Arsenal and the chasing pack.

“Every weekend I know how important it is to win football matches,” Rice said. “I realize the position we’re in and what we can achieve as a club.”

Manchester United missed the chance to provisionally move up to second, but maintained its recent unbeaten run by scoring late to salvage a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest.

Chelsea beat Tottenham 1-0 and bottom of the table Wolverhampton remains winless after yet another defeat – losing 3-0 to Fulham.

Crystal Palace beat Brentford 2-0 and Brighton won 3-0 against Leeds.

Another win and another clean sheet for an Arsenal team that has by far the meanest defense in the league.

Victory at Burnley was the seventh straight shutout for the London club, which has only conceded three goals all term. This was also the third time in the league this season that Arsenal denied its opponent any shots on target.

Crucially, the goals are flowing at the other end and summer signing Viktor Gyokeres scored his sixth of the season to put Arsenal in front with a 14th minute header from close range. Rice doubled the lead in the 35th with another header low into the corner.

“We knew it was going to be a tough test, but we had to stick to our principles,” Rice said. “In the end our quality shone through.”

Amad Diallo scored a stunning left-footed volley from the edge of the area to salvage a point for United and ensure coach Ruben Amorim’s unbeaten run was extended to four games.

United had led Forest at halftime at the City Ground after Casemiro’s header in the 34th.

But the visitors were stunned after the break when Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona struck within five minutes of the restart to put new Forest coach Sean Dyche in sight of a first league win since taking charge.

“We lost control of the game for five minutes and we paid the price,” Amorim said.

Bruno Fernandes hit the post with a long range effort as United went in search of a leveler and in the 81st Diallo lashed a volley beyond Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.

He might have scored a winner with another fierce strike that was cleared off the line.

“We managed to score, we had a big opportunity in the end. But we lost two points and that is the feeling, but we have the next week to work and to try and get these points in another stadium,” Amorim said.

Chelsea bounced back from last week’s defeat to Sunderland with victory against London rival Tottenham.

Joao Pedro’s finish in the 34th was enough to separate the teams at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but Enzo Maresca’s team had numerous chances to extend its lead.

Spurs’ league record at home is looking increasingly concerning for coach Thomas Frank, with the last win coming against Burnley on the opening day of the season.

An eighth league defeat from 10 games this season leaves Wolves rock bottom and in danger of being cut adrift.

The signs were ominous from the ninth minute when Ryan Sessegnon opened the scoring for Fulham at Craven Cottage and it got worse from there.

The visitors were down to 10 men when Emmanuel Agbadou was sent off in the 36th and in the second half Harry Wilson extended Fulham’s lead before Yerson Mosquera’s own goal made it 3-0.

The latest defeat will only heighten speculation over the future of Wolves coach Vitor Pereira, who only signed a new three-year contract in September.

At the age of 34, Danny Welbeck is still delivering in England’s top flight.

The Brighton striker’s 11th-minute goal at the Amex Stadium was his sixth in as many games and opened the scoring against Leeds.

At this rate, the former Man United and Arsenal player may be a contender for England’s World Cup squad.

“I just control what I can control – I am enjoying playing my football here at Brighton, my focus is always on Brighton and doing the best that I can,” Welbeck said.

Diego Gomez scored twice in the second half to complete the 3-0 win for Brighton.

Jean-Philippe Mateta was on target for Palace in its 2-0 win against Brentford. (JapanToday)

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Man Utd beat Brighton, Sunderland stun Chelsea to go second in Premier League

Manchester United climbed into the Premier League’s top four with a 4-2 victory over Brighton, as Sunderland went second after stunning Chelsea 2-1 on Saturday.

United took nearly a year into Ruben Amorim’s reign to win back-to-back league games but have now won three-in-a-row after ending Brighton’s run of success at Old Trafford.

The Seagulls had won on their previous three visits amid a run of six wins in seven league games against United.

There are signs of the Red Devils’ £200 million trio ($266 million) of attacking additions in the transfer window, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, beginning to click.

Cunha curled in his first goal for the club from outside the box to open the scoring.

Casemiro’s deflected effort doubled United’s lead before half-time.

Sesko then teed up Mbeumo to fire in at the near post.

Danny Welbeck’s brilliant free-kick and Charalampos Kostoulas’ header set up a nervy finale.

But Mbeumo smashed home his second goal to seal the points in the 97th minute.

United surge ahead of Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham into the Champions League places and within three points of leaders Arsenal.

Sunderland’s dream return to the top flight after an eight-year absence goes on after Chemsdine Talbi’s stoppage time winner at Stamford Bridge.

The Black Cats already seem set to buck the trend of all promoted sides being relegated straight back to the Championship in the past two seasons.

Chelsea looked like they would be the side to go second in the table when Alejandro Garnacho drilled in his first goal for the club after just four minutes.

Sunderland levelled midway through the first half when Wilson Isidor bundled in from close range after Chelsea failed to clear a long throw-in.

The visitors comfortably held the Club World Cup winners at bay in the second period before landing the sucker punch on the counter-attack in the 93rd minute when Brian Brobbey teed up Talbi to curl perfectly into the bottom corner.

Defeat leaves Chelsea down in seventh and any hope of a title challenge fading fast.

“We were not good enough and in the Premier League the consequences can be bad,” said Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.

“If you want to be there (challenging for the title), you need consistency.”

Newcastle beat Fulham 2-1 thanks to captain Bruno Guimaraes’ 90th minute strike at St. James’ Park.

Jacob Murphy pounced on an error by Calvin Bassey to give the Magpies a first-half lead.

Sasa Lukic headed in Fulham’s equaliser just before the hour mark.

But Marco Silva’s men fell to a fourth consecutive defeat that leaves them hovering just above the relegation zone.

Guimaraes swept home the rebound after Bernd Leno had saved William Osula’s initial effort to propel Newcastle up to 11th.

Liverpool slumped to a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat as Brentford bullied the defending champions in a 3-2 win.

Goals from Dango Ouattara, Kevin Schade and Igor Thiago secured victory for the Bees, who climb to 10th in the table.

Liverpool slip to sixth and could be seven points adrift of leaders Arsenal by Sunday as their title defence has collapsed in spectacular style over the past month. (JapanToday)

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Haaland fires Man City to win at Brentford, Everton end Palace’s unbeaten run

Erling Haaland carried Manchester City to within three points of Premier League leaders Arsenal with the only goal at Brentford, while Crystal Palace’s 19-game unbeaten run was ended by a 2-1 defeat to Everton on Sunday.

The Norwegian maintained his sensational early season form to score his 18th goal for club and country in just 11 appearances this season.

Haaland showed his strength to bully his way through the Brentford defence from Josko Gvardiol’s long ball and fire home on nine minutes.

Victory came at a cost for Pep Guardiola’s men as Rodri was forced off in his latest injury setback since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament tear that saw him miss most of last season.

The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was in tears when he had to be replaced with an apparent hamstring problem midway through the first half.

Despite a less than sparkling performance, City held out to haul themselves up to fifth and right back into the title race.

Palace missed the chance to go second after suffering a European hangover at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The Eagles were dominant in the first 45 minutes but were left to rue not adding to Daniel Munoz’s finish from Ismaila Sarr’s pass.

However, their UEFA Conference League exertions in winning away to Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday took their toll in the second half.

Iliman Ndiaye equalised from the penalty spot after Maxence Lacroix clumsily upended Beto as Everton fought back to avoid a first defeat at their new home.

Jack Grealish then got fortunate for his first Everton goal as Munoz’s attempted clearance rebounded off the Manchester City loanee into the roof of the net.

“I thought Crystal Palace should have been out of sight, they should have been 3-0 up, but we stuck at it,” said Everton boss David Moyes.

Ange Postecoglou’s wait for a first win as Nottingham Forest manager goes on after a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle.

The Australian is the first Forest boss in over 100 years to fail to win in his first seven games and now faces an anxious wait to see if club owner Evangelos Marinakis decides to make another managerial change over the international break.

“I knew it was a big challenge walking in. That’s what it is and there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Postecoglou.

Newcastle had only won one of their opening six Premier League games.

But Bruno Guimaraes led the Magpies to victory with a brilliant strike from outside the box to break the deadlock on 58 minutes.

Guimaraes then won a penalty after robbing former team-mate Elliot Anderson inside the Forest box.

Nick Woltemade smashed the resulting spot-kick into the top corner for his fourth Newcastle goal since joining from Stuttgart last month.

Forest slip to 17th, the same league position that saw Postecoglou sacked by Tottenham at the end of last season despite winning the Europa League.

After a slow start to the season, Aston Villa beat Burnley 2-1 to secure a fourth win in the last 11 days.

Donyell Malen was the Villa match-winner with his first goals since April.

The Dutch forward opened the scoring after racing onto Boubacar Kamara’s brilliant through ball to slot into the far corner.

Morgan Rogers was the creator for the second that Malen controlled before drilling confidently into the far corner.

Lesley Ugochukwu pulled a goal back but Burnley remain in the relegation zone.

Wolves are still rooted to the foot of the table after conceding a late equaliser to draw 1-1 at home to Brighton. (JapanToday)

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Liverpool concedes late goal as its 100% start to Premier League ends with loss at Palace


There was a flurry of stoppage-time goals in the Premier League on Saturday — and one of them ended Liverpool’s 100% start to its title defense.

Eddie Nketiah’s strike in the seventh minute of added-on time secured Crystal Palace a 2-1 victory over the champions and extended the London team’s unbeaten run to 18 games stretching back to April.

Liverpool, which won its first five games of the campaign, saw its lead trimmed to three points — with second-place Palace now its unlikely closest challenger.

The Reds have made a habit of scoring late goals themselves this season and Federico Chiesa’s 87th-minute effort looked like securing a draw at Selhurst Park — or even giving them a chance of grabbing a sixth straight win.

Chelsea played almost the whole second half with 10 men against Brighton and paid the price, conceding two goals in stoppage time to lose 3-1 for a second straight defeat.

Erling Haaland scored in the 90th minute and again in injury time to wrap up Manchester City’s 5-1 win over Burnley.

Tottenham scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time through Joao Palhinha to draw 1-1 with Wolverhampton, which collected its first point of the campaign.

And Manchester United’s latest loss was sealed by a stoppage-time goal for Brentford, which won 3-1. It could have been so different had Bruno Fernandes’ penalty not been saved by Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher in the 76th minute, denying United an equalizer for 2-2.

Bournemouth also scored in stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw at Leeds and Sunderland won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest, whose recently hired manager Ange Postecoglou has yet to win a game in five matches at his new club.

Liverpool had not been entirely convincing in gaining a maximum 15 points and Arne Slot’s team was undone again by Palace, which beat the Reds in a penalty shootout to win the Community Shield before the English season began.

Palace took the lead in the ninth minute through Ismaila Sarr and wasted a string of chances to move further ahead — with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta the biggest culprit.

Nketiah’s goal was scrappy but maintained Palace’s long undefeated run under Oliver Glasner, who has kept the team playing well despite losing star midfielder Eberechi Eze to Arsenal late in the transfer window.

“If one team deserved to win today it was Palace,” Slot said. (JapanToday)

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Fernandes lifts Man Utd gloom; Frank suffers first league loss with Spurs

Bruno Fernandes eased the pressure on Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim as his last-gasp penalty sealed a 3-2 win over Burnley, while Thomas Frank suffered his first Premier League defeat as Tottenham manager on Saturday.

Just days after a humiliating League Cup second-round loss at fourth-tier Grimsby, United were on the brink of another damaging result after promoted Burnley twice came from behind at Old Trafford.

Amorim had admitted after the Grimsby debacle that he sometimes thinks about quitting and often hates his players.

His mood would have been even darker before United captain Fernandes came to the rescue seven minutes into stoppage time.

United’s first win in three league games this season will give Amorim some much-needed respite heading into the international break, although questions will still be asked of the Portuguese coach after his side’s latest erratic display.

Luck was on United’s side when they took the lead in the 26th minute.

Casemiro’s header thumped off the crossbar and hit Burnley captain Josh Cullen on the back, ricocheting over the line before Martin Dubravka could claw it away.

Lyle Foster hauled Burnley level with a 55th-minute finish from Jacob Bruun Larsen’s cross.

Bryan Mbeumo put United back in the lead just 15 seconds later when he slammed in Diogo Dalot’s cutback for his first league goal since his summer move from Brentford.

United’s frailties were punished again as Jaidon Anthony equalised in the 66th minute.

It was a shambolic goal, with Altay Bayindir spilling Loum Tchaouna’s shot and Anthony poking the loose ball goalwards before Kobbie Mainoo’s attempted clearance rebounded in off the United goalkeeper.

But in the final moments Anthony pulled Amad Diallo, with a lengthy VAR check concluding the foul continued inside the area, conceding a controversial penalty that Fernandes gratefully tucked away to Amorim’s immense relief.

“I was frustrated like any Man United fan, we had chances to score more goals. But today we were the better team,” Amorim said.

“Sometimes we were not playing so well, but you can see the effort of everyone on the pitch wanting to win.”

Tottenham were beaten 1-0 by Bournemouth to end Frank’s strong start since he arrived from Brentford to replace the sacked Ange Postecoglou in the close-season.

Tottenham had won their first two league games under the Dane without conceding a goal, including a 2-0 win at Manchester City last weekend.

But Evanilson struck in the fifth minute with a deflected shot as Bournemouth left north London with their second win this term.

Leaders Chelsea took advantage of VAR controversy to beat Fulham 2-0 as the visitors were left to rue a series of costly decisions awarded against them at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca’s side, who have seven points from three games, were fortunate not to fall behind in the west London derby when Fulham were harshly denied a first-half opener.

Josh King’s strike was ruled out after VAR deemed Rodrigo Muniz’s accidental collision with Trevoh Chalobah was worthy of a foul.

As if that wasn’t infuriating enough for Fulham boss Marco Silva, Joao Pedro put Chelsea ahead beyond the scheduled eight minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half.

Adding to Silva’s anger, Chelsea’s second goal was also VAR-influenced as Ryan Sessegnon was adjudged to have handled a cross, leading to Enzo Fernandez converting from the penalty spot.

Jack Grealish starred as Everton beat Wolves 3-2 at Molineux.

Beto headed Everton in front from Grealish’s flick after seven minutes before Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan levelled in the 21st minute.

Iliman Ndiaye restored Everton’s advantage in the 33rd minute, applying the finishing touch to a flowing move involving on-loan Manchester City winger Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Dewsbury-Hall bagged Everton’s third, blasting home from Grealish’s pass in the 55th minute before Rodrigo Gomes reduced the deficit in the 79th minute.

Sunderland staged an impressive fightback to beat Brentford 2-1 at the Stadium of Light. (JapanToday)