A first point for Nottingham Forest in eight away matches took them three points clear of the relegation zone as Taiyo Awoniyi’s double earned them a battling 2-2 draw at Chelsea, while Leeds United also fought back to earn a first point under Sam Allardyce.
Awoniyi put Forest in front at Stamford Bridge, beating returning Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to a cross to head in his third goal in two matches.
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Forest found themselves 2-1 behind as Raheem Sterling struck twice in seven minutes, netting his fifth and sixth goals of the season.
But back came Forest, and Awoniyi drew them level on 62 minutes with another close-range header from Orel Mangala’s delivery.
The result takes Forest to 34 points, three clear of Leeds and two ahead of Everton, who host leaders Manchester City on Sunday. Chelsea are 11th with 43 points.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
38 | -34 | 39 |
| 16 |
Nottingham Forest
NFO
|
38 | -30 | 38 |
| 17 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -23 | 36 |
| 18 |
Leicester City
LEI
|
38 | -17 | 34 |
| 19 |
Leeds United
LEE
|
38 | -30 | 31 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
38 | -37 | 25 |
Leeds fight back despite missed penalty
Leeds came from behind to earn a vital point at home to Newcastle United and keep their hopes of Premier League safety alive.
Luke Ayling gave the hosts a dream start by scoring in the seventh minute, and Leeds had a great chance to double their lead when Joelinton brought down Junior Firpo in the box on 27 minutes, but Patrick Bamford’s penalty was saved by Nick Pope.
Less than two minutes later, Max Wober fouled Alexander Isak in the box and Callum Wilson converted the penalty for his ninth goal in nine matches.
Wilson repeated the feat in the second half, scoring another penalty after Firpo handled a cross in the area. It made Wilson the first Newcastle player to score 17 Premier League goals in a season since Alan Shearer in 2003/04.
But Leeds fought back, Rasmus Kristensen seeing his shot deflect past Pope. And although the Whites were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time after Firpo's second booking, they held on.
The draw lifts them above Leicester City with 31 points but they remain 18th, one point behind Everton.
Newcastle are third with 66 points, four clear of Liverpool in fifth.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Manchester United
MUN
|
38 | +15 | 75 |
| 4 |
Newcastle United
NEW
|
38 | +35 | 71 |
| 5 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
38 | +28 | 67 |
| 6 |
Brighton & Hove Albion
BHA
|
38 | +19 | 62 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
38 | +5 | 61 |
| 8 |
Tottenham Hotspur
TOT
|
38 | +7 | 60 |
| 9 |
Brentford
BRE
|
38 | +12 | 59 |
Man Utd strengthen grip on third place
Manchester United boosted their top-four ambitions and moved four points clear of Liverpool, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag’s side, who were missing their injured top scorer Marcus Rashford, went ahead on 32 minutes when Antony squared the ball to give Antony Martial a simple finish for his fifth league goal of the season. Martial is now Man Utd’s 11th-highest Premier League goalscorer, with 61 goals, one behind David Beckham.
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Wolves’ debutant goalkeeper Daniel Bentley made a hat-trick of saves from Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes and Antony to stop United extending their lead.
But he was eventually beaten again deep into added time when Alejandro Garnacho picked up Fernandes’ pass and scored in off the post.
United remain fourth, but their first Premier League win in three matches takes them to 66 points. Wolves remain in 13th place on 40.
Villa boost top-six hopes
Aston Villa also boosted their European hopes with a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur to move level on points with their opponents.
Jacob Ramsey put Villa ahead in the eighth minute when he swept home Leon Bailey’s cutback for his fifth goal of the season. It was the third consecutive away match where Spurs had gone behind inside the opening eight minutes.
Spurs went 2-0 down when Douglas Luiz fired in a superb free-kick 18 minutes from time.
Harry Kane set up a grandstand finish when he netted his 27th goal of the season, converting a penalty after being fouled by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. It was the 24th match in which Kane had scored this season, equalling the record set by Mohamed Salah in 2017/18.
Spurs were unable to find an equaliser, and Villa’s first double over the north Londoners since 1995/96 takes them level on 57 points with two matches remaining.
See: How teams qualify for Europe
Saints condemned
Second-half goals from Fulham’s Carlos Vinicius and Aleksandar Mitrovic condemned Southampton to a 2-0 defeat and confirmed their relegation after 11 seasons in the Premier League.
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Southampton had to win to preserve their top-flight status, but moments after Saints’ Carlos Alcaraz had a goal ruled out for offside, Harrison Reed won possession and slipped the ball through to Vinicius to put Fulham 1-0 ahead.
Substitute Mitrovic, returning following an eight-match suspension, took only seven minutes to make his mark, heading home Harry Wilson’s 72nd-minute cross.
It secured Fulham's 15th Premier League victory of the season, setting a club record in the competition.
See: Southampton relegated after defeat to Fulham
Eze's classy double
Eberechi Eze scored twice as Crystal Palace secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth.
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In-form Eze put Palace ahead with his ninth league goal of the season, converting after Jordan Ayew had flicked on Wilfried Zaha’s cross.
Eze’s second of the afternoon was a thumping finish into the top corner. It was set up by Michael Olise for his 10th assist of the season, the first time a Palace player has reached double figures in the Premier League.
Victory takes Palace to 43 points, four ahead of AFC Bournemouth, who sit two places below in 14th and are all but safe.
Sunday feast
Everton have a chance to open up a four-point gap on the bottom three when they face leaders Man City tomorrow.
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Pep Guardiola's City side will themselves eye a win to open a four-point gap on Arsenal, who host Brighton & Hove Albion in the later match.
See: When can the champions be decided?
Sunday’s other fixture sees Brentford entertain West Ham United looking to maintain hopes of a seventh-place finish and a first European adventure.
The Hammers know a victory would secure Premier League football for next season, while their six-point gap above the relegation zone may already be enough.
