Arsenal cemented their position at the top of the table by beating north London rivals Tottenham, a day after second-placed Manchester City were beaten by controversy over Manchester United’s derby.
It was another win for Newcastle and Chelsea and Everton’s struggles continued as Chelsea enjoyed a much-needed good day at the office.
Here, the PA news agency reviews what we learned from the Premier League games played over the weekend.
Derby spoils and increased leadership for Arsenal
Arsenal’s title bid looks as convincing as ever after a 2-0 win over Tottenham eight points behind second-placed Manchester City. The Gunners took advantage of Hugo Lloris’ error to take the lead, and captain Martin Odegaard doubled Mikel Arteta’s side’s advantage with a hit in the 36th minute. The Spurs were unable to respond after the break, as Antonio Conte’s fifth-placed team was five points out of the top four. In what was another day of celebration for Arsenal, there was an unpleasant moment for their goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale after the final whistle, when a spectator jumped on the billboard and looked like they were kicking the England national team.
VAR victory for the resurrected Red Devils
Arsenal were given the chance to maintain their lead in Saturday’s Manchester derby, where City beat United 2-1 in dramatic and controversial conditions. Jack Grealish’s opener for Pep Guardiola’s champions was canceled in the 78th minute by a contentious Bruno Fernandes goal – meanwhile, there was much debate over whether Marcus Rashford, who was offside, interfered with the game. VAR decided that wasn’t the case, and Rashford then finished the comeback with an 82nd minute finish, with the Red Devils delivering the most spectacular result to date of their impressive revival under Erik ten Hag – their fifth consecutive league win – putting them one point behind City at the table. .
Magpies continue on their way to Mitro after new penalty problems
With United in the top four in points and goal difference ahead, Eddie Howe’s Newcastle extended their good streak in the league to their 14th undefeated game Sunday, beating Fulham 1-0. late Alexander Isak header. This comes after Fulham’s top scorer, Aleksandar Mitrovic, suffered a second penalty breakout in three games – the former Newcastle forward who saved a kick against Southampton on New Year’s Eve came back from 12 yards this time, but the effort was futile. The couple was denied for contact.
blues support
Chelsea entered their home game against Crystal Palace on Sunday needing a significant lift, scoring a win in nine league trips in a 2-1 loss to Fulham three days ago – and it was a positive afternoon for Graham Potter’s men. Just before kick-off, the club announced the signing of Shakhtar Donetsk’s Mykhailo Mudryk, and the Ukrainian winger then watched from the stands as their new side beat Palace 1-0 with a second half header from Kai Havertz.
Merseyside misery
It was a different story for Liverpool, who, like the West Londoners, were 10 points behind the Champions League, while the weekend was a bit of a break for Chelsea. Jurgen Klopp’s men were defeated 3-0 at Brighton on Saturday, and the German later said “I can’t remember a worse match”. That same afternoon, there was more grief as the Reds’ Merseyside neighbors Everton lost 2-1 at home to Southampton, the only side below them at the table, to increase the pressure on boss Frank Lampard. Things are reaching a real boiling point regarding the Toffees – threats to senior Everton officials throughout the week meant the entire board was ordered to stay out of the game, and fans staged a sit-in after the final whistle.