Liverpool’s lead is reduced in the Premier League and Man City ends the crisis. Chelsea and Arsenal win
MANCHESTER, England — Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League was reduced to seven points after a 3-3 draw with Newcastle on Wednesday.
Chelsea moved into second place by beating bottom-placed Southampton 5-1, while Arsenal are third after a 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
Manchester City, fourth, ended their streak of seven games without a win with a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool’s result will give their title rivals hope after Fabian Schar’s 90th-minute equalizer at St James’ Park.
Arne Slot’s team twice came from a goal ahead to take the lead in the 83rd minute thanks to Mohamed Salah’s second goal of the match. But the Merseyside club were denied an eighth consecutive victory in all competitions when Newcastle produced a fightback of their own.
“I have mixed feelings, we were outstanding in the second half, but we weren’t good enough in the first half,” Slot said. “Maybe 3-3 is what the match deserved.”
Chelsea and Arsenal took advantage of this. Chelsea’s third consecutive league victory puts them ahead of Arsenal on goal difference.
City have also closed the gap and are nine points behind Liverpool after finally ending the worst run of results of Pep Guardiola’s managerial career.
“We needed it. The club, the players, everyone had to win,” Guardiola said.
After wins over Real Madrid and City last week, Liverpool’s title credentials were put to the ultimate test by Newcastle, who led at half-time through Alexander Isak and again in the second half through Anthony Gordon.
Goals from Curtis Jones and Salah twice leveled the game before Salah appeared to have sealed victory late on.
Schar equalized after Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher misjudged a late free-kick. It means Liverpool have dropped points for only the third time this season after drawing against Arsenal and losing to Forest.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca said this week that his team is not in the title race, but the standings tell a different story.
The London club are Liverpool’s closest challengers after their latest victory against 10-man Southampton.
Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho all scored in the rout at St Mary’s Stadium.
Southampton had briefly equalized through Joe Aribo, but Chelsea were already 3-1 up and in control when Jack Stephens was sent off before the break.
Arsenal handed new United head coach Ruben Amorim a first defeat with a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium.
Two goals from corners in the second half made the difference, with Jurrien Timber and William Saliba finding the back of the net, but Arsenal still slipped to third place, despite closing in on Liverpool.
Mikel Arteta’s side have finished second in each of the last two seasons and look set for a new challenge after an unconvincing start to the campaign.
“You get written off, but we stayed together as a group,” said Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice. “You stay together and we start to reap the rewards.”
Making his first start since September, Kevin De Bruyne showed City exactly what they were missing by scoring a goal and creating another as the four-time defending champions returned to winning ways.
The Belgian playmaker provided the cross for Bernardo Silva to give City an eighth-minute lead against Forest at the Etihad Stadium. He produced a trademark finish to sweep the ball past goalkeeper Matz Sels in the 31st to put City on course for a first win in eight games.
Jeremy Doku made it 3-0 in the 57th, but it was De Bruyne’s performance that stood out after seeing much of his season disrupted by a groin injury. He left the field in the 74th minute to a standing ovation from the local crowd.
“It’s been a difficult time but you have to accept the challenge and I think we did well today,” De Bruyne said. “The Premier League is getting harder and harder. We need to improve as a team first and we will see in a few months where we are. Hopefully we have improved a bit and are a lot closer.
But the victory could have come at a cost due to concerns over the fitness of Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake, who were both out.
“Nathan doesn’t look well.” We’ll see tomorrow,” Guardiola said. “Manu is making the last two months very difficult.”
A first win in six games for Everton moved Sean Dyche’s side out of the relegation zone, while back-to-back defeats for Wolverhampton left the club second from bottom of the table.
Ashley Young and Orel Mangala put Everton in control before two second-half own goals from Craig Dawson sealed a 4-0 victory for the Merseyside club, who are five points clear of the bottom three.
Aston Villa ended an even longer winless run by beating Brentford 3-1 to secure a first victory in nine games in all competitions. Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins from the penalty spot and Matty Cash scored the goal.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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