IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Saturday
IMAGE: Mohamed Salah celebrates on scoring the equaliser against Crystal Palace, his 150th Premier League goal, at Selhurst Park in London. Photograph: Premier League/X
Mohamed Salah netted his 200th goal for Liverpool and Harvey Elliott scored a stoppage-time winner as Liverpool came from behind to beat 10-man Crystal Palace 2-1 and go top of the Premier League table after a rip-roaring clash on Saturday.
Liverpool top the standings on 37 points, one ahead of Arsenal who face Aston Villa later on Saturday, after a game that centred on the sending-off of Eagles forward Jordan Ayew for a second yellow cards after an innocuous infringement in the 75th minute.
Referee Andrew Madley was in the thick of things throughout the game, doling out eight yellow cards to the home side and denying them a penalty in the first half after being called to the sideline in a VAR review.
Palace eventually took the lead from a penalty in the 57th minute after another lengthy video review found that Jean-Philippe Mateta had been fouled by Liverpool centre-back Jarell Quansah, and Mateta stroked the ball home from the spot.
Liverpool hadn’t managed a single shot on target and were struggling to create chances until Ayew, who was first booked for not retreating from a free kick on the hour mark, was booked again and dismissed in the 75th minute after a harmless-looking challenge.
IMAGE: I’m happy for the record, I’m also happy for the team to win the game, Mohamed Salah said. Photograph: Liverpool FC/X
Salah struck just over one minute later, netting his 150th Premier League goal to cancel out Mateta’s penalty with Liverpool’s first shot on target in the game.
Knowing a win would send them to the top of the league, Liverpool continued to pour forward and their persistence paid off when substitute Elliott rattled in the winner in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to the delight of the travelling fans.
Salah struck just over one minute later, netting his 150th Premier League goal to cancel out Mateta’s penalty with Liverpool’s first shot on target in the game.
Knowing a win would send them to the top of the league, Liverpool continued to pour forward and their persistence paid off when substitute Elliott rattled in the winner in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to the delight of the travelling fans.
“It was really tough today, but of course when we win the game and I score a goal it is a great feeling,” a delighted Salah told broadcaster TNT.
“I’m happy for the record, I’m also happy for the team to win the game.”
Missing Joel Matip, who is out with an ACL injury, and Alexis Mac Allister among others, Liverpool were able to call on goalkeeper Alisson, and he played superbly on his return from injury as the Reds presented their title credentials.
“We’re going in the right direction, (but) there’s a lot of the season left. We need to make sure we keep getting the three points and if we’re contenders at the end of the season then let’s go for it,” goal-scorer Elliott said.
“The aim is to win the Premier League,” he added.
Manchester Utd slump to humiliating 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth
IMAGE: AFC Bournemouth’s Neto in action with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters
Miserable Manchester United were humiliated 3-0 at home by Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday as the pressure ratcheted up once again on manager Erik Ten Hag.
A midweek victory over Chelsea had offered cause for optimism but in-form Bournemouth exposed just how far Ten Hag’s United have fallen this season.
The Dutchman looked forlorn as he watched on in the teaming Old Trafford rain as his shambolic side were comprehensively outplayed and fortunate not to lose by more.
Bournemouth’s fans taunted Ten Hag with chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” while home fans booed loudly at the final whistle although many had long since trudged off.
United’s fourth home league defeat of the season hardly inspired much hope ahead of next week’s must-win game against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
For Bournemouth, who won with goals by Dominic Solanke, Philip Billing and Marcos Senesi, it was their first ever win at Old Trafford and a fourth victory in five league games.
After a shaky start to the season the south-coast club are now thriving under Andoni Iraola’s high-pressing style and their relegation fears are rapidly receding.
They took the lead after five minutes when Lewis Cook burst through a non-existent United defence and squared the ball for Solanke to finish tidily.
Solanke was close to making it 2-0 before halftime when Cook again played him through but this time his shot struck the post.
United finally began to threaten an equaliser in the second half after the introduction of Rasmus Hojlund off the bench in place of Anthony Martial.
Hojlund and Antony had shots blocked in quick succession and Diogo Dalot lashed another chance into the side-netting.
But United were floored by two goals in five minutes for Bournemouth — Billing and Senesi both scoring with thumping headers from Marcus Tavernier deliveries, as United’s defence went AWOL.
Bournemouth hunted for more goals and were denied a very late fourth when Dango Ouattara bundled through and netted but his effort was ruled out for handball after a VAR check.
Bournemouth’s victory did not flatter them in the slightest and the club are up to the relative safety of 13th place. For sixth-placed United it remains one step forward and two steps back as they undid all the good work of Wednesday’s impressive victory over Chelsea.
They have now lost 11 of their 23 games in all competitions this season.
Sheffield United’s McAtee nets first Premier League goal in Brentford win
IMAGE: Sheffield United’s Vini Souza and teammates celebrate after the match. Photograph: Chris Radburn/Reuters
Sheffield United’s James McAtee scored with a stunning strike to secure a 1-0 home win over Brentford on Saturday and give Chris Wilder his first victory in his second stint as the Yorkshire team’s manager and only their second this season.
The precious three points were not enough for Wilder’s team to climb off the bottom of the table, where they have eight points after 16 games. The Bees are 11th on 19 points.
Wilder, 56, returned to United on Tuesday after the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom following last week’s 5-0 loss at Burnley.
Near the final whistle on Saturday, delighted Blades fans sang: “He’s one of our own, he’s one of our own, Chrissy Wilder, he’s one of our own.”
The 21-year-old McAtee, on loan from Manchester City, lit up rain-lashed Bramall Lane with his first Premier League goal just before halftime when he curled a left-foot shot from the right side of the box into the far corner from Gustavo Hamer’s pass.
United had several chances to go 2-0 up, including captain Anel Ahmedhodzic’s narrow miss from a free-kick shortly after the interval. Substitute Anis Ben Slimane had a terrific chance but fired his second-half shot straight at keeper Mark Flekken.
Brentford, missing their injured top scorer this season Bryan Mbeumo, lost for the fourth time in five league games.
Keeper Trafford the hero as struggling Burnley draw 1-1 at Brighton
IMAGE: Brighton & Hove Albion’s Simon Adingra scores their first goal. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters
Simon Adingra’s header cancelled out a superb strike by Wilson Odobert as Brighton & Hove Albion came back from a goal down to grab a 1-1 Premier League draw at home to Burnley on Saturday, with keeper Jack Trafford excelling for the visitors.
The 21-year-old shot-stopper pulled off a string of fine saves in second-half stoppage time to keep his side in it after a heroic defensive display against a sluggish Brighton side who struggled to manufacture any sense of urgency in their play.
Brighton’s Pascal Gross came close to opening the scoring in the 28th minute when he ran at the goal from the right before firing a low shot towards the bottom near corner in an effort to surprise Trafford, but the keeper was alive to the danger.
The hosts dominated possession and had decent chances to break the deadlock before the 19-year-old Odobert gave his relegation-threatened side the lead against the run of play, cutting in from the right and checking back before firing a shot into the top-left corner just before the break.
Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi sent on Kaoru Mitoma for Adam Lallana at halftime and the Japanese winger created plenty, but it was Gross who provided the cross for Adingra to head the ball back across the goal and in at the far post.
As Burnley’s energy reserves wore down, Trafford stepped up with a number of saves in stoppage time to thwart Brighton, with a superb dive to tip an angled Mitoma volley over the bar being the pick of the bunch.
In all, Trafford saved nine of Brighton’s 10 shots on target, and afterwards the keeper said he was somewhat disappointed that his side had earned only one point from the game.
The draw sees his side, who are at home to fellow strugglers Everton next weekend, remain second from bottom of the table on eight points, while Brighton are eighth on 26 points.
