Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the table at the weekend, while those around them dropped points, as Thomas Tuchel extended his unbeaten start as Chelsea manager too.
City travelled to Anfield to face the current champions Liverpool on Sunday and came away as 4-1 winners after blowing away Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Ilkay Gundogan missed a penalty but made up for it with two second-half goals, to continue his incredible run of form, which was added to by strikes from Raheem Sterling and the man-of-the-match, Phil Foden.
An initial equaliser from Mohamed Salah via the penalty spot gave the Reds hope, but poor goalkeeping from Alisson Beck led to another disappointing loss for Klopp and his players. Dropped points by Manchester United and Leicester made things more comfortable at the top for Pep Guardiola’s side too.
United were 2-0 up and then 3-2 up against Everton but a last-gasp equaliser from Dominic Calvert-Lewin ensured that match ended 3-3. Edinson Cavani, Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay all netted for United, but the 95th-minute strike from Calvert-Lewin on top of goals from Abdoulaye Doucoure and James Rodriguez saw the game end in a draw.
Leicester drew in less dramatic fashion, playing out a goalless draw against Wolves. A late chance for Jamie Vardy could have seen the Foxes go level in second with United, but instead they have to settle for third spot.
Closing the gap on United and Leicester are Tuchel’s Chelsea as they continued their winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United. Another penalty for the Blues was converted by Jorginho alongside another goal for fan favourite Mason Mount which gave them their third consecutive win, despite a comical own goal by Antonio Rudiger.
Tottenham also got back to winning ways with a 2-0 triumph over West Brom, with quickfire goals from Son Heung-min and the returning Harry Kane helping them move to within four points of the top four.
Their north London rivals didn’t get on so well, as Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by Aston Villa. The only goal of the game was scored by Ollie Watkins as Villa moved clear of the Gunners, with the former ninth and the latter 11th in the table.
Elsewhere, the nine-men of Newcastle somehow kept out a Southampton onslaught to win 3-2 at St James’ Park. Despite Jeff Hendrick’s dismissal and Fabian Schar having to go off injured with no substitutes left, Newcastle held on after netting through debutant Joe Willock and a brace from Miguel Almiron. Takumi Minamino scored on his Saints debut, which was added to by a superb James War-Prowse free-kick, but it wasn’t enough as they lost their fourth consecutive game.
Refereeing controversy was the only real talking point of West Ham and Fulham’s 0-0 draw, as Mike Dean sent off Tomas Soucek for accidentally knocking a Fulham player with his elbow. The red card was quickly overturned just two days later and Soucek will be available for their next match.
Leeds moved into the top half with a convincing 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, with Patrick Bamford scoring his 100th career goal after the Yorkshire club went ahead through Jack Harrison.
Finally, Burnley and Brighton drew 1-1 as both clubs moved further away from the relegation zone. Lewis Dunk and Johann Gudmundsson netted for their respective clubs, as they now look to their FA Cup fixtures in the week.
