Manchester City fans booed the Premier League anthem ahead of kick-off in Sunday's game against Aston Villa.

City have been accused of over 100 breaches of financial regulations between a period of 2009 and 2018.

Their first match since those accusations came to light saw them host Villa at the Etihad Stadium, where the league's anthem – which is played before every match in the competition – was roundly booed by the home supporters.

Pep Guardiola, who gave an impassioned defence of the club this week, received a huge ovation as he made his way out of the tunnel for what was his 250th Premier League match in charge of City.

City fans have previous for jeering at anthems, with supporters routinely giving the same response to the Champions League's music after they were accused of breaching UEFA's financial fair play rules.

They eventually managed to overturn a ban from European football and instead paid a €10million fine.

Marcus Rashford scored his 21st goal of the season as Manchester United left it late to beat managerless Leeds United 2-0 at Elland Road on Sunday.

Rashford salvaged a 2-2 draw for Erik ten Hag's side after relegation-threatened Leeds had taken a shock two-goal lead when the two rivals met at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The forward continued his outstanding form by heading the Red Devils in front 10 minutes from time in a fiery Premier League encounter in West Yorkshire.

Alejandro Garnacho sealed the victory five minutes later as Manchester United moved about Manchester City into second place ahead of the champions' game against Aston Villa later in the day.

Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion were victims of "significant" human errors during Saturday's Premier League action, according to the body responsible for match officials in English football.

Ivan Toney equalised against the Gunners at Emirates Stadium to ultimately secure Brentford a 1-1 draw, but the goal should not have stood due to Christian Norgaard – who nudged the ball across goal for the assist – having previously been in an offside position.

VAR Lee Mason failed to spot it despite the goal going to a review to check if Ethan Pinnock had been offside.

Also on Saturday, Brighton were denied a winning goal when Pervis Estupinan had his strike ruled out for offside – the VAR seemingly deemed the wrong Crystal Palace defender to be the deepest player.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) admitted there were mistakes.

A statement read: "PGMOL can confirm its chief refereeing officer Howard Webb has contacted both Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion to acknowledge and explain the significant errors in the VAR process in their respective Premier League fixtures on Saturday.

"Both incidents, which were due to human error and related to the analysis of offside situations, are being thoroughly reviewed by PGMOL."

PGMOL did not comment on the controversy that occurred at London Stadium, however, where Chelsea were denied a late penalty when West Ham's Tomas Soucek handled the ball in the box.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter sarcastically praised Soucek for a "good save" after the game.

Brentford have condemned racist abuse aimed at striker Ivan Toney following their 1-1 draw at Arsenal on Saturday.

Toney scored the equaliser that sealed a point for Brentford against the Premier League leaders, though replays appeared to show that the goal should have been ruled out for Christian Norgaard straying offside in the build-up.

In a statement released by Brentford on Sunday, the club claimed that Toney was subjected to racist abuse on Instagram, and pleaded with all football fans to "celebrate diversity".

"Immediately after Brentford’s game against Arsenal, Ivan Toney received a barrage of abusive, racist direct messages via his Instagram account," the statement read.

"We are disgusted and saddened that Ivan has had to deal with this yet again.

"We will not tolerate it and we will do everything we can to pursue the individuals involved. 

"Ivan was subject to similar abuse in October last year, and the perpetrator is now facing the consequences in court. 

"How many times does this need to happen?

"We call on football fans everywhere to relish the competition and rivalry that exists between us, but to respect and embrace our differences and celebrate the diversity that exists throughout the Premier League.

"There is no room for racism."

This weekend's Premier League games saw a return of the taking of the knee prior to kick-off as part of the No Room for Racism campaign.

Last year, Toney said that members of his family had been racially abused in the stands at Goodison Park, during a 3-2 win for Brentford over Everton.

David de Gea is set to become the first non-British player to make 400 Premier League appearances for one club after being named in Manchester United's starting XI for the clash with Leeds United.

Erik ten Hag also handed Jadon Sancho his first start since a 1-1 draw with Chelsea on October 22 after the England international made substitute appearances in two of United's previous three games following a lengthy spell out of action.

De Gea started his career at Atletico Madrid before signing for United ahead of the 2011-12 season.

He helped United win the Premier League title in the following campaign, yet has only got his hands on two more trophies since then – the FA Cup and EFL Cup in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

His landmark appearance at Elland Road also makes him the first goalkeeper in Premier League history to make 400 appearances for the same club.

The 32-year-old's contract expires at the end of the season, though United have an option to trigger a one-year extension, and there have been talks regarding an agreement for a longer renewal.

Ten Hag shuffled his pack in defence, with Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw starting in the middle of the back four instead of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.

Sancho, meanwhile, has been drafted back in following his excellent cameo against Leeds on Wednesday, as United fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with their manageress rivals.

No replacement for Jesse Marsch has yet been instilled at Leeds, with caretaker Michael Skubala taking charge of his second match.

Highly rated Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the Bundesliga club until 2027.

The Ecuador international has impressed since his move from Argentinian side Talleres ahead of the 2021-22 season and was linked with a move to Premier League outfit Tottenham in the January transfer window.

He has 24 senior international caps for Ecuador under his belt, playing every minute of his country's three group stage fixtures at the Qatar World Cup.

Leverkusen are keen to hold onto the player and have extended his existing deal by a year to ward off any potential suitors.

Hincapie said: "They didn't promise me too much here, but as a young player at the highest level they gave me the playing time I wanted.

"I was able to establish myself here and also consolidate my position in the national team.

"It's a huge motivation for me to confirm my achievements in the coming years and to aim for titles with Bayer Leverkusen."

Southampton have sacked Nathan Jones after just 14 games in charge.

Former Luton Town boss Jones replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl on November 10, but he has endured a torrid time and leaves the Saints rooted to the bottom of the Premier League. 

He suffered a 3-1 defeat away at Liverpool in his only game in charge before the World Cup break and things did not improve when domestic football returned.

The 49-year-old has overseen a run of six defeats in seven Premier League games since then, culminating in Saturday's dire 2-1 home defeat to 10-man Wolves.

Jones raised eyebrows in his final weeks at Southampton by declaring in the wake of his side's 3-0 defeat to Brentford that "statistically, there weren't many better than me around Europe in terms of aggression, clean sheets, defending the box, balls in the box, xG, all those sorts of things".

He angered Saints supporters after that defeat by saying he felt he had compromised his principles because of pressure from "personnel" and "fans".

In a statement on Sunday, the club confirmed first-team coaches Chris Cohen and Alan Sheehan had also left the club, with first-team lead coach, Ruben Selles, taking charge of training and preparing the team for next weekend's game against Chelsea.

Marcus Rashford has been challenged to finish the season with as many as 35 goals by Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

Rashford hit the net for the 20th time this term as the Red Devils recovered from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 Premier League draw with Leeds United on Wednesday.

The England forward has scored 12 goals in 14 appearances since returning from the World Cup and has almost three times as many goals as United's next highest scorer Bruno Fernandes, who has seven to his name.

With Rashford on course to comfortably surpass the most prolific campaign of his career to date of 22 goals in 2019-20, Ten Hag urged him to keep aiming high.

"[There is] much more to come and we have months to play, important months," Ten Hag told the club's website. "We have to get into a position where we can win trophies. 

"Until now, where we are, Marcus has had a big impact in this season. 

"I remember at the start of the season, I was questioning can he score 20 goals. Now he has that marker, he has scored 20 goals, but now it's about getting more. 

"He has to challenge himself to get 30 or 35, but most focus has to be on the next goal and if you have that focus, you will see where you end up. But most important is that we win as a team."

Rashford travels for Sunday's return fixture at Leeds having scored twice in his past three away league games, after only netting once in his previous 18 top-flight road trips.

To say this season isn't going according to plan for either Liverpool or Everton would be an understatement.

Liverpool have taken seven points from their six matches back since the World Cup break; Everton are on four from the same number of games.

The Reds could be as low as 11th by the time Monday's meeting between the Merseyside rivals takes place at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp's team have looked a shadow of their former selves. Even in their poor title defence in the 2020-21 campaign, which included a 2-0 home defeat to Everton, they never seemed so unlikely to compete not only for the top honour, but Champions League qualification.

This time last year, Liverpool were in contention for an unprecedented quadruple; they would go on to triumph in the EFL Cup and FA Cup, though fell just short in the Premier League and lost 1-0 to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

After selling Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich but bringing in Darwin Nunez and tying Mohamed Salah down to a new contract, Liverpool seemed set for another title push after beating Manchester City in the Community Shield.

Yet it has all gone downhill from there. They are out of both domestic cups and have no chance in the league, with their tally of seven defeats in the top tier closing in on their worst tally in Klopp's full seasons in charge (nine – 2020-21).

 

Everton, on the other hand, are mired in another relegation battle, with yet another manager in place. Sean Dyche arrived last month, following Frank Lampard's dismissal after less than a year in charge.

Dyche started in style at Goodison Park, however, guiding Everton to their first win since October by beating league leaders Arsenal 1-0.

That victory has not lifted Everton outside of the relegation zone, though it injected some optimism into the team and fanbase ahead of the short trip across Stanley Park.

The cornerstone of Everton's win over Arsenal was Dyche's midfield trio, while that area of the pitch is a clear issue for Klopp. It might just be where this match is won or lost.

Liverpool found lacking

It was easy to be impressed when Liverpool announced they had struck a deal with PSV to sign Cody Gakpo, before the January transfer window had even started.

Gakpo had starred for the Netherlands at the World Cup and was taking the Eredivisie by storm, having scored 21 goals and set up a further 25 since the start of last season up until his switch to Anfield. But he has yet to score or assist in six matches, creating only two chances across 497 minutes of action.

While Liverpool will be confident Gakpo will come good, the sensibility of signing another forward for big money when their midfield needs are so glaring could be called into question.

The Reds are reportedly keen to sign Jude Bellingham at the end of the season, and the Borussia Dortmund sensation might well be transformative. However, Liverpool needed reinforcements now, not in six months' time.

 

Fabinho's form has been erratic, and it feels as though the 29-year-old might well have passed his peak. The Brazil international is recording his lowest per-90 totals for duels (8.5), duels won (4.2), duel success rate (48.9), forward passes (14.8), attempted passes (59.7) and tackle success percentage (52.1) since he joined in 2018. On the flip side, he is giving away 1.7 fouls per 90, his highest tally in a Liverpool shirt.

He was fortunate to escape a red card in the FA Cup defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on January 28 and then missed last week's defeat to Wolves through illness.

Stefan Bajcetic started in Fabinho's place against Wolves and has looked bright when called on, though at 18 cannot be expected to perform consistently week in, week out.

Thiago Alcantara came to Liverpool as one of the world's best midfield maestros, but injuries have limited him to just 93 appearances and 71 starts.

Indeed, Thiago has not lived up to the form he showed at Bayern Munich, and while he creates a scoring chance every game on average, he has only directly contributed to nine goals.

To sum up his frustrations, Thiago is a doubt for Monday's match due to a hip issue.

Jordan Henderson works as hard as ever, but at the age of 32 cannot be relied on to play 90 minutes up to three times a week. Naby Keita, on the other hand, has never really lived up to his price tag.

Harvey Elliott has solidified himself as a regular, playing 1,131 top-flight minutes, and he leads the way for open-play shot-creating actions when it comes to Liverpool's midfielders (68).

Liverpool's midfield has been the bedrock of so much success, but it's in need of a revamp.

 

Building blocks for Dyche

Having utilised a 4-4-2 for much of his time at Burnley, Dyche sprung something of a surprise in his first match in charge of Everton by playing a three-man midfield.

Yet this was not the awkward, disorganised 4-3-3 that Lampard had attempted to force into place in his latter days as Everton boss, but rather a solid, robust 4-5-1 that, off the ball at least, morphed into the two, solid banks of four that Dyche is renowned for.

Abdoulaye Doucoure had fallen out of favour under Lampard but was back in against the Gunners for his first league start since August, and turned in one of his best Everton displays.

Only Gueye (10) won possession more times than Doucoure (nine) for Everton, while the former Watford midfielder's tally of 27 attempted passes ranked third for the Toffees. He also made two interceptions (a team high alongside James Tarkowski and Amadou Onana) and won his only attempted tackle.

No Everton outfielder created more final third entries (seven), while Doucoure also played a key role in limiting Oleksandr Zinchenko's impact. The Ukrainian had a game-leading 121 touches though created only one chance.

On the opposite side of Gueye, Onana delivered another display that hinted at his immense potential.

While Everton have floundered in recent months, Onana seems to have settled into English football. He led the team in touches (47), tackles (four) and tackles won (two), and only Dominic Calvert-Lewin (nine) won more duels for the Toffees than the Belgium international (eight).

 

Dyche handed Onana the responsibility to press, and he won possession twice in Arsenal's defensive third. His recoveries tally finished at eight, including a well-timed intervention that resulted in the 21-year-old teeing up a fantastic chance for Calvert-Lewin.

Everton's new manager noted in his post-game press conference that Onana still had plenty to learn, but the signs are promising.

Gueye, meanwhile, thrived in his best role in front of the defence. Too often under Lampard, the 33-year-old was losing the ball in dangerous areas, but against the Gunners he completed all 25 of his passes.

One swallow does not make a summer, of course, and Everton have a lot of work to do to drag themselves out of danger. 

Everton are likely to lack Calvert-Lewin due to injury, whereas Liverpool still have a star-studded forward line to choose from. If Klopp's men can get a foothold in the middle of the pitch, another derby win should be theirs.

Indeed, given Everton have only won one of their last 22 league visits to Anfield, Liverpool still have to be considered huge favourites.

However, if Dyche can get his midfield to perform as they did against Arsenal, then Everton might just fancy their chances of getting something.

Liverpool supporters can be forgiven for already thinking ahead to next season after what has been a terrible 2022-23 campaign to date.

Out of both domestic cup competitions and down in 10th in the Premier League, only a Champions League last-16 tie with Real Madrid is keeping the Reds' season alive.

While questions have been asked of manager Jurgen Klopp's future, the German looks set to stay on at Anfield after reportedly being given the necessary funds to rebuild the squad. 

With several key players such as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk all in or approaching their 30s, a major overhaul may well be required.


TOP STORY – KLOPP TO STAY ON AT ANFIELD

According to The Telegraph, Liverpool's owners will provide Klopp with "significant funds" to freshen up the Reds' ageing squad ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

That could mean a number of established stars being moved on to make room for the likes of Jude Bellingham and Matheus Nunes, who are both high on Klopp's wanted list.

The report also suggests Liverpool are close to bringing in a successor to head of research Ian Graham, who helped identify Salah, Sadio Mane and Andrew Robertson as previous targets.

Klopp is said to be happy with the assurances received from his bosses as he plans ahead for what would be his ninth season in charge at Anfield.


ROUND-UP

- Real Madrid are interested in signing Kingsley Coman, but Bayern Munich will not sell for anything less than €100million, according to Sky Germany. Coman still has four and a half years to run on the contract he signed in January 2022.

- Should Coman depart, the same report indicates Bundesliga leaders Bayern may turn their focus to Borussia Monchengladbach's Randal Kolo Muani, who is valued at the same figure.

- According to Spanish outlet El Nacional, Madrid turned down a big-money offer from Paris Saint-Germain to sign Vinicius Junior last year. French champions PSG are said to have offered as much as €135m, which Los Blancos president Florentino Perez shot down.

- Chelsea chiefs are resigned to losing Mason Mount at the end of the season, per The Telegraph. Academy product Mount is due to be out of contract next year and has been unable to agree fresh terms with the Blues.

- Fabrizio Romano claims Reiss Nelson's future remains undecided as talks over a new deal with Arsenal are not at an advanced stage. The 23-year-old, who has been restricted to just two substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, is set to become a free agent in July as things stand.

Cristian Stellini has questioned the mentality of Tottenham's players and accepts "something has to change" after a 4-1 loss at Leicester City.

Spurs failed to build on last weekend's 1-0 win over Manchester City as their hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four suffered another setback.

Rodrigo Bentancur gave Tottenham the lead, but Leicester responded with goals from Nampalys Mendy, James Maddison and Kelechi Iheanacho before half-time.

Harvey Barnes added a late fourth at the King Power Stadium to inflict a fourth league defeat on Spurs in seven matches since the turn of the year.

Tottenham assistant Stellini, who took press duties despite Antonio Conte returning to the dugout following gallbladder surgery, was not pleased with what he saw on Saturday.

"To be consistent is a long process; it's a mental process," he said. "You have to be better mentally and better with the approach. After we scored the goal, something changed.

"We struggled a lot and we are disappointed for that. There's not an explanation because if you know what happened you can change this. 

"It happened last season, after we beat Manchester City we lost to Burnley. We are a team, and in the team something has to change, not individually. It's about the desire.

"It's about recovering the mental energy. After a game against City, maybe we used all the energy we had. To recover that is like a battle. You have to recreate the same energy."

Conte returned to Tottenham's training ground on Thursday, eight days on from undergoing surgery, but Stellini explained the head coach is still recovering.

"It's good for the club, the team and everyone to have Antonio back," he said. "He has to take it easy a bit. 

"He cannot use his energy 100 per cent and we have to give something more to cover the gap. We know we have to be more responsible."

Tottenham are two points behind fourth-place Newcastle United, who played out a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth later on Saturday and have a game in hand.

Conte's side host London rivals West Ham and Chelsea in their next two league games, but first is a Champions League last-16 first-leg tie away at Milan on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola reaffirmed that Manchester City's glorious moments will always belong to them, asking if it was the club's fault Steven Gerrard slipped in the 2013-14 season.

City have been accused of over 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between the seasons of 2009-10 and 2017-18. 

Speculation has been rife as to the level of punishment the champions might receive should they be found guilty, including points deductions, relegation or the stripping of the titles they won during that time period, including two under Guardiola.

Yet Guardiola has insisted the moments cannot be taken away from City or their fans regardless of the punishment, if indeed there is one, with the manager sarcastically asking the press if it was his club's fault that Liverpool great Gerrard slipped at a vital moment in the 2013-14 title race.

Gerrard fell to the Anfield turf during a clash with Chelsea in April of that season, with Demba Ba going on to score as the Blues triumphed and handed City the chance to go and win their second Premier League title.

"Those moments belong to us. They absolutely belong to us, regardless of the sentence, they belong to us," Guardiola said.

"The goal from Sergio Agüero [in 2012]. I don't know if we are responsible for Steven Gerrard slipping at Anfield. Was that our fault?

"I have respect for Steven Gerrard – but that moment belongs to us.

"The moments that we lived these years together, the Premier League will decide, but I know what we won and the way we won it.

"I know the effort we put in. If something happened in 2009 or 2010 it is not going to change one second."

Guardiola has full faith in the club's hierarchy.

"What I can say is I am proud of my owners, of my chairman, and the relationship we have had, this time together," he said.

"I have relied on them [and what they told me] a lot in the past, now you can't imagine."

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola also remains fully committed to City's cause.

"If they want me here I will be here," he continued. "The results are not good, they will put me out because it is a business where you have to win.

"But if they want me I will not let them down and my players, too. I want to convince them that what we have done, we have done and they won't remove it.

"We have to defend our position and the way to do it is on the pitch, that’s the only way, and the way we have done it all the time."

City would move within three points of league leaders Arsenal, who drew with Brentford on Saturday, should they beat Aston Villa on Sunday.

The corresponding fixture last season saw City come from behind to beat Villa – then managed by Gerrard – 3-2 on the final day of the season, clinching the fourth Premier League title of Guardiola's tenure in the process, ahead of Liverpool.

Eddie Howe is concerned about the injury sustained by Joe Willock in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, where Newcastle United also saw Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin forced off.

Almiron fired home at the end of the first half to cancel out Marcos Senesi's opener, but fourth-place Newcastle could not find a winner as Howe was held on his return to his former club.

Newcastle are now unbeaten in a club record-equalling 17 league games, although five of their past six matches have finished all square, while only Reims (12) have drawn more times across Europe's top five leagues.

While Newcastle have stuttered somewhat by their previous high standards, of more concern to Howe will be the fitness of three key players ahead of the EFL Cup final against Manchester United on February 26.

Almiron went off with 10 minutes left after appearing to suffer a wrist injury, while Saint-Maximin's game was ended after what looked to be an innocuous collision.

Howe does not believe either injury is too serious, but Willock's hamstring issue is more worrying ahead of that Wembley showdown in two weeks' time.

"Miggy [Almiron] and Max, I don't think they're too bad," Howe said at his post-match press conference. "Miggy, I think, got stamped on his hand, so we think he'll be okay. 

"Maxi was just a knock. The concern from today is Joe Willock, who has gone off with a hamstring problem."

Willock has featured in all 22 of Newcastle's league games this season, starting all but two of those, and has two goals and two assists to his name.

Senesi's close-range finish marked the first time Newcastle have conceded the opening goal in 15 top-flight games, with the previous occasion also coming against Bournemouth in September.

Almiron's 10th Premier League goal of the season in 22 games – one more than he managed in 110 appearances in his first four seasons in the competition – earned the visitors a point that keeps them ahead of the chasing pack in the race for Champions League football, though Newcastle had Kieran Trippier to thank for a goal-line clearance from Dominic Solanke's flick.

"It's up to us to find solutions but the real positive is we are not losing games," Howe added.

"Despite not winning, we're keeping our points tally moving in the right direction and if you look around league, the league is so tight.

"There are a lot of results that mean the challenge for us is to be as consistent as we can. We're going through a phase where we're creating chances but not scoring and I think that will end, I don't think that can continue."

Arsenal dropped points in the title race on a busy Saturday in the Premier League, denied by an Ivan Toney equaliser as Brentford drew 1-1 at Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta's had a better day of it than north London rivals Tottenham, though, as Spurs were thrashed 4-1 at Leicester City, despite taking an early lead.

Elsewhere, Chelsea were denied a win at West Ham after Emerson Palmieri equalised Joao Felix's first goal of his loan spell from Atletico Madrid.

Southampton's woes continued as they were beaten 2-1 at home against Wolves, despite taking the lead and having a man advantage for over an hour after Mario Lemina was sent off for the visitors.

Newcastle United's run of draws continued as they were held 1-1 at Bournemouth, while Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion also could not be separated, and Fulham beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 at Craven Cottage.

Here, Stats Perform looks at Saturday's biggest games, with the guidance of Opta data.

West Ham 1-1 Chelsea: Blues struggle to handle Hammers

Graham Potter's Chelsea were left frustrated after a late claim for handball was denied at London Stadium, and this draw was the first in nine Premier League encounters between West Ham and Chelsea since a 0-0 in September 2018.

The Blues have drawn three consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since February 2012, and remarkably, there were no shots on target in the second half from either side, being just the second Premier League match where that has occurred this season after Southampton v Nottingham Forest in January.

Emerson became the first former Chelsea player to score his first Premier League goal for a club against the Blues since Frank Lampard for Manchester City in September 2014.

On his return from suspension, Joao Felix became the 12th different player to score for Chelsea in the Premier League this season, with no side having had more in 2022-23 (excluding own goals), which perhaps is not a surprise when you consider the number of players they now have.

Arsenal 1-1 Brentford: Toney time dents Gunners' title push

It seemed like business as usual when Leandro Trossard gave the hosts the lead, but this ended up being the first time Arsenal had failed to win a Premier League home game in which they scored first since January 2022. They had won 10 in a row at Emirates Stadium when opening the scoring before this game.

Brentford showed great resilience and have now scored 15 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season, with no side netting more (including penalties).

That could also be something for Arsenal to work on, as each of the last three Premier League goals the league leaders have conceded have come from headers, despite not conceding any beforehand this season.

Only Harry Kane (nine) has found the net away from home more often in the Premier League this season than Brentford striker Toney (seven), whose equaliser broke Gunners hearts.

Leicester City 4-1 Tottenham: Lloris-less Spurs hammered by Foxes

A high-scoring game was hardly a shock at King Power Stadium. There have been 128 goals scored in 34 Premier League matches between Leicester and Tottenham, with the average of 3.8 per game the highest such ratio among fixtures to be played more than 20 times in the competition.

Spurs, who were without injured goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, have lost two of their last three away games in the Premier League (W1), conceding four goals in each defeat, having only lost two of their previous 14 such games beforehand (W7 D5). The other recent heavy loss was 4-2 at Manchester City.

Despite having a disappointing campaign so far, Leicester here became the first team in Premier League history to score three first-half goals in back-to-back matches when conceding first in each game, having also done so at Aston Villa last time out.

Leicester's James Maddison, who was linked with a move to Antonio Conte's Spurs this week, scored and had an assist. Maddison has been directly involved in 11 goals in his last 10 Premier League starts (seven goals, four assists), scoring in each of his last three league appearances against Spurs.

Southampton 1-2 Wolves: Jones under pressure as Saints lose to 10 men

Head coach Nathan Jones is not the first Jones to struggle at Southampton. Saints have lost five consecutive Premier League home games for the first time since April-August 1998, when they were under the leadership of Dave Jones.

Wolves fought from a goal and a man down to win against their favourite Premier League opposition, having won each of their last five meetings, the first time they have ever been victorious in five consecutive games against a specific opponent in the competition.

It is clear where a big problem lies for Saints, having only kept one clean sheet in their last 28 Premier League matches (1-0 v Bournemouth in October).

Jan Bednarek found his own net, again, and has now scored four own goals as a Southampton player in the Premier League; the joint-most of any player for the club in the competition, along with Jos Hooiveld.

Chelsea head coach Graham Potter sarcastically commended West Ham's Tomas Soucek for a "good save" that mystifyingly did not lead to a penalty in Saturday's 1-1 draw.

Former Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri cancelled out Joao Felix's opener at London Stadium before the VAR took centre stage.

First, the technology came to Chelsea's rescue in the 82nd minute as Soucek tapped in a rebound, the goal disallowed due to Declan Rice being offside with the initial headed effort.

Then, Chelsea were convinced they were due a penalty as Soucek blocked Conor Gallagher's effort with his hand in the area.

According to reports, PGMOL – the body responsible for match officials in English football – has since said the decision was correct because it perceives Soucek's arm to have been outstretched to break his fall.

The incident did not go to a VAR review as referee Craig Pawson's decision was deemed satisfactory, and although Potter was initially surprisingly calm about the controversy, he could not resist a pop or two in his post-match press conference.

"I thought it was a good save so you need your goalkeeper sometimes to get you the points," he told reporters.

"It hasn't been given so there's nothing for me to say. I've only seen it briefly as I walked across. It looks like one of those where if it was given, I don't think it would be overturned but it hasn't been given, so I don't know."

He added: "It looked quite a handball to me. I didn't know Tomas could get down that easily and save like that. It's a good stop from him. It's not for me to say about VAR."

Potter was then asked if he just wanted more consistency with such decisions, but the Chelsea boss was sceptical about that even being possible.

"You won't [get consistency] because they're human beings," he said of the VAR officials.

"A different human being in the room and every single decision and action, you won't get the same one again, so it's very hard to get consistency.

"Sometimes they go for you, sometimes they don't. You just have to accept that."

The draw leaves Chelsea ninth in the Premier League.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.