On another spectacular weekend of Premier League football, the top sides handed out an important message to the other runners: going one goal ahead is never a guarantee of success.
The league’s top three teams all came from behind to win, and there was incredibly high drama in North London as Tottenham Hotspur left it until the 98th minute to even draw level against Sheffield United.
The early kick-off gave Liverpool a chance to go top when they visited Wolverhampton Wanderers. But when Hee-Chan Wan met Pedro Neto’s low cross at the back post, he was unmarked, and he slotted home. Suddenly the task seemed so much harder.
Wolves were buoyant and could have had a second, but Matheus Cunha was wasteful in front of goal.
Whatever was in the Reds’ half time cup of tea worked wonders!
Liverpool worked hard to keep Mo Salah away from the clutches of the Saudi Pro League last week, and the Egyptian once again showed why, as he made two assists to give Liverpool a vital three points and four wins on the bounce.
Cody Gakpo, who has been in fine form for the Netherlands, poked home a cross shot from Salah, and then Liverpool’s main man rolled the ball across for Andrew Robertson to rifle home the second. Wolves defender Hugo Bueno deflected a third into his own net to make it 1-3 in injury time.
Jurgen Klopp’s team were top of the table, but only briefly as Manchester City responded, as expected.
A trip to West Ham was never going to be easy, and an incredible series of saves from Hammers keeper Alphonse Areola made it even harder.
Erling Braut Haaland even made a glaring miss in a frustrating first half, and he was made to pay when the excellent James Ward-Prowse gave the hosts the lead with a diving header.
City made an explosive start to the second half, and when Jeremy Doku ran at the Hammers defence, he swept his shot into the far corner beyond Areola. Julian Alvarez crashed a free kick against the crossbar, and Areola made another great save from a Haaland volley.
But City’s pressure eventually counted when Bernardo Silva lifted his shot over the Hammers keeper, and Haaland eventually got his goal with a deadly finish on 86 minutes.
The Premier League 2023 betting oddsare right behind Manchester City, and that is why!
Aston Villa were the third team to come from a goal down to win 3-1 after Odsonne Edouard had given Crystal Palace a 47th-minute lead. Late goals from Jhon Duran, Douglas Luiz, and Leon Bailey helped the Villains to leapfrog the Eagles into seventh place.
But the most dramatic comeback of all came at the London Stadium, where high-flying Tottenham beat struggling Sheffield United thanks to two late, late goals.
Gustavo Hamer gave the Blades a shock lead against the run of play as Spurs launched wave after wave in attack. The Whites had 70 per cent possession and 28 shots, and a roar went up in the stadium when the fourth official signalled 12 minutes of added time.
98 minutes had passed when Richarlison glanced home a header and then Spurs threw the kitchen sink at it, and when Dejan Kulusevski fired home the winner on 110 minutes, the Tottenham Hotspur stadium exploded into bedlam.
It was the latest Premier League comeback in history, and Kulusevski’s goal, which was timed at 99 minutes and 53 seconds, was the latest Premier League winner on record.
Spurs went second.
Red Devils in Disarray
My SBOTOPwriting pal James was not a happy chap on Sunday morning after he watched Brighton give his beloved Manchester United an education on Saturday afternoon.
The Seagulls are one of the most upwardly mobile sides in the English top flight, and they moved up to fourth place after beating Manchester United at Old Trafford with the most popular score-line of the weekend: 3-1.
Former Red Devil striker Danny Welbeck gave Brighton a lead before Pascal Gross made it two, and Joao Pedro was the third scorer to take advantage of poor defending.
Substitute Hannibal gave the hosts a consolation with his first goal for the club. But Erik Ten Hag’s team has now lost three of its opening five games, and even James will admit they were rather lucky to beat Wolves and Nottingham Forest for their six points.
All is not well at the Theatre of Dreams, but in other Premier League 2023 news,Marco Silva’s Fulham are going nicely after beating new boys Luton Town 1-0 at Craven Cottage, a win that took Fulham up to ninth in the table. Carlos Vinicius climbed off the bench to tap in the winner and give Silva his 50th win in 100 games as Fulham manager.
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