Brighton surged to within touching distance of the Premier League's top four after Danny Welbeck proved the difference in a battling 1-0 away win over Newcastle United.

Fabian Hurzeler's side rescued a remarkable 3-2 win over Tottenham before the international break, and left St. James' Park with another impressive three points on Saturday.

Newcastle threatened in the opening stages but Welbeck punished Eddie Howe's hosts slack defending with a well-taken 35th-minute opener after linking up with Georginio Rutter.

Bart Verbruggen's brilliant resistance kept Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon at bay, while Dan Burn saw a late finish ruled out for offside.

But victory came at a cost for Brighton as Welbeck left the pitch on a stretcher with nine minutes remaining after a seemingly innocuous clash with Schar.

The visitors move up to fifth, just two points adrift of the top four. Their hosts, however, have experienced differing fortunes as they are now winless in four league games and eighth in the top-flight standings.

Data Debrief: Welbeck on fire for the Seagulls

Welbeck registered his 100th Premier League goal involvement (72 goals, 28 assists) and has now scored as many goals in the competition this season as he did in the 2023-24 campaign.

The Brighton forward has now scored as many goals in the league this season (five in eight games) as he managed the whole of last term (five in 29).

The visitors have now scored five goals in the last 15 minutes of the first half, more than any other team in the Premier League this season.

Everton stretched their Premier League unbeaten run to four games as Sean Dyche's side saw off Ipswich Town 2-0 at Portman Road.

The Toffees showed little sign of rustiness after the international break, as first-half goals from Iliman Ndiaye and Michael Keane set them on course for their second league victory of the season.

Fan favourite Ndiaye provided the spark on the road once again for Everton, as he netted in successive away games with a brilliant 17th-minute strike, and Keane produced a clever close-range finish to put the Toffees in control just before the break.

Matters might have been different had referee Michael Oliver, after a VAR review, not overturned his decision to award Ipswich a penalty for Dwight McNeil's challenge on Jack Clarke.

Ipswich showed signs of life after the restart, yet Conor Chaplin's scuffed effort late on was the best they could muster, with Jordan Pickford largely untroubled.

Indeed, the best chances of the second half fell to Everton, with Ndiaye and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who squandered a great opportunity early on, unable to beat Arijanet Muric.

Data Debrief: Toffees end away day wait

After losing their first four league games of 2024-25, Everton are now unbeaten in their last four (W2 D2), with this their first away win in the Premier League since December 2023 (2-0 against Burnley).

Dyche's team have ended a run of 12 successive away Premier League games without a clean sheet, while home and away, the Toffees are just the fourth side to record as many as 20 shutouts in the competition since his first game in charge in February 2023.

Ipswich, meanwhile, remain without a win since their return to the big time – only in 2009-10 (first 14) and 2018-19 (first 11) have the Tractor Boys endured a longer winless start to an English league season.

Manchester United launched a second-half fightback to ease the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag with an important 2-1 victory over Brentford.

United needed two stoppage-time goals to beat the Bees on their last visit to Old Trafford in October 2023, and their powers of recovery were required again on Saturday.

Ethan Pinnock headed Brentford into the lead five minutes into first-half stoppage time, nodding Mikkel Damsgaard's corner home after Matthijs de Ligt was forced off temporarily due to a head injury.

However, two moments of individual class turned the game around in the second half.

Alejandro Garnacho levelled within two minutes of the restart when he volleyed in from Marcus Rashford's cross.

United upped the ante from there, and the pressure paid off shortly after the hour mark as Rasmus Hojlund latched onto Bruno Fernandes' backheel before coolly lobbing Mark Flekken.

Data Debrief: Brentford surrender another lead

Pinnock gave Brentford the lead with his eighth Premier League goal, while he also netted in successive games for the first time.

Since Brentford's first match in the competition in 2021-22, Gabriel Magalhaes (14) is the only defender to score more times in the English top flight.

However, United responded within 89 seconds of the restart, with Garnacho's goal the quickest netted after half-time in the Premier League by the Red Devils since October 2022 (Fred, 76 seconds against Tottenham).

After dropping the most points from winning positions in the Premier League last season (30), Brentford have already now dropped the most in the division after leading this term (11).

Victor Boniface scored a 72nd-minute winner as Bayer Leverkusen completed a 2-1 comeback victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Champions Leverkusen, who face Brest in the Champions League next week, missed a fifth-minute penalty through Boniface, but the Nigeria international made amends in the second half to lift Leverkusen up to 14 points in fourth place, leapfrogging Eintracht.

It was a day that also saw RB Leipzig provisionally take over the Bundesliga lead with their 2-0 victory at Mainz.

Leipzig went top on 17 after easing to victory ahead of Bayern Munich, also on 14, taking on Stuttgart later on Saturday.

Leverkusen shot out of the blocks against Eintracht and came close after a minute with a strike from Granit Xhaka.

They were awarded a penalty soon after, but Boniface's weak effort was saved by Eintracht keeper Kevin Trapp.

Eintracht scored first with their own spot kick in the 16th minute with the league's leading scorer Omar Marmoush, who also hit the woodwork, bagging his ninth goal of the top-flight campaign.

The Egypt forward has now scored in six consecutive Bundesliga matches.

Leverkusen's Robert Andrich completed a superb passing move in the 25th minute to draw the hosts level and the Germany international came close to another goal when he rattled the post with a low drive just past the hour.

But it was Boniface who scored the winner, heading in at the far post after Trapp failed to control a cross into the box.

The visitors squandered a golden chance to level deep in stoppage time after a mistake by Leverkusen's Lukas Hradecky, who became the first non-German goalkeeper to reach 300 Bundesliga matches.

But Leverkusen prevailed after defender Jonathan Tah managed to clear the ball off the line.

Data Debrief: Relentless Leverkusen prevail

While the outcome of this match remained uncertain until the final moments and the winning goal came relatively late in the game, Leverkusen deserved their victory.

Marmoush’s goal from the spot was one of only two shots on target the visitors managed, whereas Leverkusen racked up nine attempts on target and had 27 shots overall, accumulating a big expected goals (xG) total of 3.75.

That total of 27 shots is their highest in a league match in 2024-25 and nine of the attempts came from a relentless Boniface, the joint-highest total for any player in a Bundesliga game this season.

Boniface now has a team-high five league goals this season, though even those impressive figures are dwarfed by the brilliant Marmoush, who has racked up nine goals and four assists in his last six top-flight appearances for Eintracht.

Jordan Ayew’s last-gasp winner denied 10-man Southampton their first Premier League win of the season as Leicester City pulled off a stunning comeback to win 3-2 at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Cameron Archer had opened the scoring for the hosts after just eight minutes before Joe Aribo slotted home the second to double the lead 20 minutes later.

But Facundo Buonanotte got Leicester back into the tie in the 64th minute, bundling home Abdul Fatawu's cutback.

Ten minutes later, Ryan Fraser saw red and conceded a penalty after holding back Jamie Vardy from poking over the line. The striker duly converted from the spot.

Ayew then completed the comeback in the 98th minute, driving a low shot into the bottom corner to seal a second consecutive win for Leicester.

Southampton are bottom of the table after failing to hold onto a point, while the Foxes move up to 13th. 

Data Debrief: Late drama disaster for the hosts

Since they returned to the Premier League in 2012-13 after a seven-season gap, Southampton have dropped 231 points from leading positions in the Premier League, more than any other side in that time.

The side that sit bottom of the table have now gone 21 games without a win in the Premier League (D5 L16), their outright longest winless streak in top-flight history.

Maybe they should have seen the result coming as the hosts found themselves two goals ahead at half-time for the first time in a Premier League game since November 29th 2020, against Manchester United, a game they also lost 3-2.

Aston Villa climbed back into the Premier League's top four after coming from behind to beat Fulham 3-1 in an entertaining clash at Craven Cottage that saw both teams finish with 10 men.

There was a frantic start to the match on Saturday, with Villa attacker Morgan Rogers cancelling out Raul Jimenez's earlier effort inside the opening nine minutes.

Fulham threatened regularly in the first half, but were ultimately made to pay for their profligacy.

Jimenez headed a glorious opportunity wide from four yards out, before Andreas Pereira had a penalty saved by Emiliano Martinez after Matty Cash was penalised for handball following a VAR review.

Villa capitalised when Ollie Watkins put them in front for the first time just before the hour mark, heading home at the near post from Youri Tielemans' corner.

Shortly after Joachim Andersen's straight red card for fouling Watkins, Issa Diop's own goal put the result beyond doubt, though Unai Emery's side also finished a man down after substitute Jaden Philogene was sent off for two bookable offences.

Data Debrief: Villa dish out more capital punishment

After overturning an early deficit, Villa went on to record their ninth victory from their last 13 Premier League games in London.

The visitors' second and third goals both came from crosses, taking their tally of such goals for the season to seven, with no Premier League side registering more.

Continuing his fine form, Watkins scored against Fulham for the sixth time, matching his best tally against a single opponent (Brighton, also six).

The Jamaica Golf Association staged its Heroes Golf Classic at the Sandals Golf and Country Club in St. Ann last weekend with the inclusion of a special section dubbed WAGR for World Amateur Golf Ranging where selected golfers play 54 holes over two days instead of the normal three days.  Those golfers had to play a grueling 27 holes each day. 

Zandre Roye topped the male section which included twelve other golfers, after posting scores of par 71, one over par 72 and par 71 for a combined score of one over par 214. 

Oshae Haye, who shot the lowest single round score of two under par 69 in the first round, followed up with scores of one over par 72 and six over par 77 for a total score of five over par 218 to grab second place. 

Pro golfer Orville Christie was one stroke back on 219 (74, 72, 73) in third place. 

On the female side, junior golfer Mattea Issa also took up the WAGR challenge and ended with a combined score of 20 over par 233 after posting 83, 85 and 75 over the three rounds. 

The players who competed in the WAGR section of the Classic gained points towards their international ranking in the sport. 

The other golfers in the Classic played 18 holes each during the two-day event with varying results. 

William Lee was first in the Men and Men Senior 0-6 category after posting nine over par 151 (77, 74). Kemari Morris was nine strokes back in second place on 18 over par 160 (84, 76). 

The top three golfers in the men Super Senior 0-12 category were Keith Stein one over par 143 with conservative scores of par 71 and one over par 72. Gregory Wright was 11 strokes back in second place on 154 (78, 76), while Mike Gliechman was another four strokes back on 158 (83, 75) in third place. 

Desi Collins took the Men Super Senior 13-24 section after posting 44 over par 186 (94, 92). 

The Masters section went to Carlyle Hudson 152, followed by Philip Wilson 171 and Winston Johnson 179. 

Several ladies competed in the Classic as well, playing two rounds. Diane Hudson 193 won that section, while Valerie Grant and Susan White were tied for second place after scoring 194 each over the 36 holes. 

The junior golfers who have not seen any competition since their Caribbean Championship in August were invited to join the seniors and some of them did so.

Boys 15 and Under player Shasa Redlefsen scored 173 (90, 83) while Boys 11 -13 player Jacob Schnoor scored 187 (98, 89). The other junior player to finish the Classic was Girls 15 and Under player Alessandra Coe with a combined score of 171 (81, 90). 

The Heroes Golf Classic was played a week early to allow Jamaica to defend the Caribbean Golf Association’s 4-Ball Championship which it has won for the past three consecutive years. That championship is scheduled for this weekend in Trinidad & Tobago this weekend.

 

Ange Postecoglou hailed an "outstanding" second-half display from Tottenham in their win over West Ham.

In stark contrast to the capitulation at Brighton before the international break, Spurs took the game away from the Hammers after the interval on Saturday.

Goals from Yves Bissouma and Son Heung-min, combined with Alphonse Areola's own goal, saw Spurs to a 4-1 win in the early kick-off, with Dejan Kulusevski having cancelled out Mohammed Kudus' opener in the first half.

Kudus became the sixth different West Ham player to both score and get sent off in the same Premier League game when he was sent off for violent conduct late on as Spurs capitalised on a dominant second-half display in which they had 10 shots and got five on target.

"We had to fight hard in the first half," Postecoglou told BBC Sport.

"Going a goal down wasn't ideal but we clawed our way back into it, and it is not easy. West Ham are a big physical side and they have got some speed as well.

"Second half we were outstanding. We upped the tempo and played some quality football, defended when we needed to and got our finishing right.

"I think we had some chances where we could have scored more but if we keep creating the goals will come. We want to be that sort of side that creates lots of chances.

"It was not about changing things. We knew there had been a bit of an arm wrestle and we always back ourselves to keep going at the intensity we always do and upping it and taking the game to West Ham. We knew that putting them under pressure here at home, we would eventually get there.

"It was a bad 45 minutes not a bad 90 minutes [v Brighton] so we were not that far away. In that game we stopped the things we had to do in the second half but today it was a 95-minute performance."

James Maddison set up Kulusevski's equaliser, though was taken off at half-time.

In the process, Maddison became just the second Tottenham player on record (since 2003-04) to create at least five chances in a Premier League game while playing 45 minutes or fewer, after Darren Anderton v Fulham in August 2003 (five chances created in 32 minutes).

On the substitution, Postecoglou said: "We needed more running power in midfield and Pape [Sarr] has lots of that, bags of energy and running.

"He really helped us to get control of the midfield and that gave us a good platform to go forward. Our general play improved from there and we looked dangerous going forward."

Raphael Varane has joined Como as a board member following his retirement from football last month.

The defender joined the club as a free agent at the end of last season after three years at Manchester United, with his final year in the Premier League hampered by injuries.

However, he suffered a knee injury during his Como debut in August, prompting him to decide to hang up his boots at the age of just 31.

Varane will now serve as a board member for the Serie A club, advising on youth development, education and product innovation.

"Being a top-level sportsman comes with joy, sacrifice, and the constant drive to push beyond limits," Varane told Como's website. "Throughout my career, I've been motivated by a desire to improve and strive for excellence.

"Transitioning from the field to the boardroom isn't the end of my football journey; it's a new beginning that I'm looking forward to. Joining the board of Como allows me to continue contributing to the sport while shaping its future.

"This new phase of my career feels like a second birth, not an ending. I'm not saying goodbye to football.

"Joining the Como 1907 Development Committee excites me, and I look forward to being part of an ambitious project that resonates with my values.

"Together, we will invest in youth development, expand educational opportunities, and innovate product solutions to bring the club's vision to life."

West Brom missed the chance to reach the Championship summit after Dane Scarlett's stoppage-time header snatched a 1-1 draw for Oxford United.

The Baggies seemed set to move to the top of the second-tier table, at least temporarily after Saturday's early kick-offs, when Karlan Grant drove in a first-half opener at the Kassam Stadium.

Des Buckingham's battling hosts stayed in the clash throughout, however, before Oxford captain Elliott Moore flicked on a long throw-in for Tottenham loanee Scarlett to head into the top corner in the 92nd minute.

Dropping two points late on leaves Carlos Corberan's side fifth in the Championship, with fourth-placed Burnley and league leaders Sunderland yet to play.

Further down the table, Luton Town claimed a much-needed 3-0 win over fierce rivals Watford to ease the mounting pressure on Rob Edwards at Kenilworth Road.

Jordan Clark needed just 11 minutes to open the scoring before Carlton Morris headed home Alfie Doughty's 47th-minute corner to punish some woeful Watford defending.

Substitute Jacob Brown sealed victory in the 91st minute after a long ball from goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski as Luton managed back-to-back league victories over Watford for the first time since 1992.

Luton sit 15th in the table after Saturday's victory, one place and a point behind Preston North End, who fought to a 1-0 win over Coventry City, leaving Mark Robins' side just above the relegation zone.

Emil Riis' 72nd-minute finish proved the difference at Deepdale, where Coventry have never won in 23 league attempts (D8 L15).

Coventry may be looking over their shoulders at Cardiff City, who are level on points with Robins' men after thrashing 10-man Plymouth Argyle 5-0 at home.

Rubin Colwill scored one and assisted two more as Cardiff, under the interim charge of Omer Riza, made the most of Ibrahim Cissoko's first-half dismissal for lashing out at Perry Ng.

Alex Robertson got things going with his 16th-minute opener before the Bluebirds ran riot after the interval with goals from Anwar El Ghazi, Callum Robinson and Chris Willock.

A crushing defeat leaves Wayne Rooney's Plymouth just three points clear of the relegation zone after the Championship's return from the October international break.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has suggested that the FIA’s action against his team is due to “paranoia” from rivals in the paddock.

The controversy surrounds a device on the Red Bull cars that could allow them to change the height of the car floor. When in parc ferme conditions between sessions on race weekends, alterations to cars are prohibited.

On Thursday, Red Bull and the FIA came to an agreement that the team would remove the device from their cars ahead of the Austin Grand Prix on Sunday.

Horner has argued there is nothing untoward about the device, and the FIA are only acting on unfounded concerns of Red Bull's rivals.

"I think there's been a bit of moaning from one of our rivals," he told Sky Sports. "It's the FIA's job to look into these things. It's on a list of the open-source components, so it's been publicly available for the last three years.

"The FIA are happy with it, I think, just to satisfy perhaps some paranoia elsewhere in the paddock.

"Every car has a tool that they can adjust what we call the front of the floor, being the bib, and ours is located at the front in front of the footwell.

"You've got to have the pedals out, other panels and pipework out in order to get to it. So, it's like any other adjustment on the car. It would be easier to adjust the rear roll bar than it is to get to that component."

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown had previously said he would expect "huge consequences" were Red Bull discovered to be using the device illegally.

Brown's team currently sit top of the Constructors' Championship, with a 41-point advantage over second-place Red Bull.

McLaren are under pressure after Max Verstappen qualified in pole position for the sprint race in Austin, and Horner suggested a deflection strategy from their rivals in raising the concerns.

"I feel that it's sometimes to distract from perhaps what's going on in your own house, then sometimes you try to light a fire somewhere else?" he jibed.

A rampant second-half performance saw Tottenham ease to a 4-1 win over London rivals West Ham on Saturday, easing the pressure on boss Ange Postecoglou.

Mohammed Kudus put West Ham ahead early on, firing home at the back post following good work from Jarrod Bowen on the Hammers' right, only for Dejan Kulusevski to fire in off the post to level in the 36th minute. 

Under-fire head coach Postecoglou surprisingly withdrew James Maddison at half-time despite the England man assisting the equaliser, but that change paid off as Spurs swiftly pulled clear.

Yves Bissouma swept home in the 52nd minute, then Son Heung-min's shot deflected off both Jean-Clair Todibo and Alphonse Areola before creeping in for an own goal.

Son then made it three goals in an eight-minute span to kill the contest, racing onto a pass from Maddison's replacement Pape Sarr before finishing at the near post.

To add to West Ham's woes, Kudus was sent off for violent conduct late on, with the VAR intervening to recommend an on-field review after he raised his hands to Micky van de Ven's face.

Julen Lopetegui's visitors drop to 14th in the Premier League table with eight points, while Tottenham go sixth with 13 ahead of Saturday's other fixtures.

Data Debrief: Kulusevski takes centre-stage

It was certainly a surprise to see Maddison withdrawn at half-time, after he drove over halfway to assist Kulusevski's equaliser.

He became just the second Tottenham player on record (since 2003-04) to create five or more chances in a Premier League game while playing 45 minutes or fewer, after Darren Anderton versus Fulham in August 2003 (five chances created in 32 minutes).

However, Postecoglou's switch certainly paid off as Kulusevski shone in a number 10 role.

His clever reverse pass allowed Son in to force the own goal, while the Swede also led all players on the pitch for dribbles (six), duels contested (15) and won (eight) and possession regains (eight) in an all-action display.

New Zealand are on the brink of securing a first Test win in India for 36 years, following the hosts' late collapse on day four.

The visitors' decision to take a second new ball proved crucial, and left them requiring just 107 runs for victory.

India resumed at 231-3, and Sarfaraz Khan led their charge as he notched his maiden Test century with an impressive 150 off 195 balls.

The hosts, who were bowled out for just 46 in the opening innings, were looking strong, having overturned their 356-run deficit for the lead at 400-3.

However, the tide turned when New Zealand took the new ball. After Tim Southee claimed Khan, William O'Rourke then denied Rishabh Pant (99) a century, while he also bowled KL Rahul (12) and Ravindra Jadeja (five) soon after.

Matt Henry also took three wickets, claiming Ravichandran Ashwin (15), Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj (both for a duck) as India were bowled out for 462, setting their opponents a target of just 107 when play concludes on Sunday.

Data Debrief: Ton up for Khan as Pant agonisingly misses out

The new ball was certainly the decisive factor on a day interrupted by rain delays. Indeed, India were 62-3 thereon, having previously looked on course to set their opponents a healthy target.

While Khan notched his maiden Test century, Pant was not so fortunate as he was dismissed when needing just one more run for his seventh ton.

In fact, he has now hit more 90s (seven) than centuries (six) in Test cricket.

Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich says Davante Adams has "looked fantastic" as the wide receiver looks set to make his New York Jets bow on Sunday.

Adams was traded to the Jets from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday, reuniting him with former Green Bay Packers team-mate Aaron Rodgers.

With speculation surrounding his future, the 31-year-old missed his final three games with the Raiders due to a hamstring injury.

However, he is expected to be back to full fitness and ready to make his Jets debut when they travel to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"We didn't know what to expect with him coming here," Ulbrich said of Adams on Friday.

"Obviously, he'd been listed on the injury report with his hamstring, so we had to make an assessment once he got here, and he's looked fantastic."

The Jets are aiming to end a run of three straight defeats, but will be boosted by the reunion of Adams and Rodgers.

During their eight seasons together with the Packers between 2014 and 2021, Adams caught 615 passes from Rodgers for 7,529 yards and 68 touchdowns. 

Among active players, no quarterback-receiver combo has more receptions or touchdowns.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.