Arsenal bolsters top four chances by beating Manchester United, Liverpool wins Merseyside Derby, and more…

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Arsenal entered the top four by beating Manchester United 3-1

Some major developments took place in the 2021/22 Premier League standings over the weekend. Arsenal secured another entry into the top four by beating Manchester United by a 3-1 margin, whilst following a 2-0 defeat against arch-rivals Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby, Everton slipped down to the relegation zone.

Check out what happened over the weekend in the Premier League:

Arsenal 3-1 Manchester United

There are many ways of bouncing back from a losing streak, but Arsenal’s way could be the best of them all. Following three successive league defeats, Arsenal defeated Chelsea in the London Derby in their last match and then followed it up with a 3-1 win over rivals Manchester United.

Nuno Tavares opened the scoring for the Gunners in the 3rd minute, whilst Mikel Arteta’s men doubled their lead in the 32nd minute, courtesy of Bukayo Saka’s penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo reduced the deficit for the Red Devils only a couple of minutes later, but the Gunners restored their cushion in the second half when Granit Xhaka got his name on the scoresheet in the 70th minute.

Leicester City 0-0 Aston Villa

Both Aston Villa and Leicester City had a golden opportunity of getting their campaign back on track with a victory, but interestingly, neither were able to display their opportunistic side as the game ended in a goalless stalemate.

The Foxes dominated the lion’s share of possession but the best chances of the game fell to Steven Gerrard’s team. However, the likes of Ollie Watkins and Coutinho were not clinical enough to pounce on the chances.

Manchester City 5-1 Watford

Gabriel Jesus scored four goals in Manchester City’s 5-1 win over Watford

Gabriel Jesus scored four goals in Manchester City’s 5-1 win over Watford

Liverpool might keep breathing down their necks but it does not seem to be bothering league leaders Manchester City one bit since they registered a comfortable 5-1 victory over relegation-threatened Watford.

Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring in the 4th minute while he doubled his tally nineteen minutes later. Hassane Kamara reduced the deficit for the Hornets in the 28th minute but that was the solitary source of joy for Roy Hodgson’s team in this fixture. Jesus scored two more goals while Rodri too got his name on the scoresheet.

Norwich City 0-3 Newcastle United

Newcastle United are absolutely unstoppable at the moment as they registered their fourth consecutive Premier League win with a 3-0 triumph over Norwich City. Brazilian attacker Joelinton opened the scoring in the 35th minute.

The second goal was scored by the same scorer in the 41st minute, whereas the Magpies’ third goal was scored by Joelinton’s countryman Bruno Guimaraes in the 49th minute. With this defeat, Norwich City’s relegation now seems written on the wall.

Brentford 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur blew their chances of snatching the fourth place from Arsenal as they played out a goalless stalemate against Brentford

Tottenham Hotspur blew their chances of snatching the fourth place from Arsenal as they played out a goalless stalemate against Brentford

Following Arsenal’s win over Manchester United, it was absolutely necessary for Tottenham Hotspur to secure three points to reclaim their position in the top four but they failed to do so, as Brentford restricted them to a goalless stalemate.

Interestingly, the game was predominantly dominated by the Bees who had 15 attempts as opposed to Spurs’ nine, of which none were on target. With this draw, Thomas Frank’s team is now only a couple of places away from the top half of the standings.

Burnley 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

After what seems like an eternity, Burnley has finally got themselves out of the relegation zone as they registered their second consecutive triumph by handing Wolverhampton Wanderers a 1-0 defeat.

Though the game was predominantly dominated by the Wolves, the majority of the big chances came to the Clarets. The first half did not produce any goals but the killer blow was delivered by Czech Republic striker Matej Vydra in the 62nd minute.

Chelsea 1-0 West Ham United

Christian Pulisic’s last-minute winner secured all three points for Chelsea

Christian Pulisic’s last-minute winner secured all three points for Chelsea

Chelsea finally ended their streak of home defeats with a 1-0 win over rivals West Ham United in what was an enthralling London Derby. The first half ended goalless as both sides were wasteful in front of the goalmouth.

Thomas Tuchel’s team got a golden opportunity to score in the 86th minute when they were rightfully awarded a penalty, but Jorginho’s spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Lukasz Fabianski. However, just when it seemed that the game has slipped out of the Blues’ grasp, Christian Pulisic came up with a 90th-minute winner to secure all three points for the team from West London.

Brighton & Hove Albion 2-2 Southampton

Southampton bounced back from a two-goal deficit to secure a 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion and subsequently keep distance from the bottom seven. Danny Welbeck’s strike got the Seagulls in front in the second minute, whereas a Mohammed Salisu’s own goal in the 44th minute doubled the lead of Graham Potter’s team.

However, Southampton was awarded a freekick right at the end of the first half and as he has done so often over the course of the season, James Ward-Prowse struck a fantastic shot to reduce his team’s deficit. The Saints’ skipper came up trumps once again in the second half as his long-range effort in the 54th minute helped Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team to snatch a point from the game.

Liverpool 2-0 Everton

Liverpool won the Merseyside Derby to push rivals, Everton, into the relegation zone

Liverpool won the Merseyside Derby to push rivals, Everton, into the relegation zone

The writing was already on the wall, but Everton fans still dared to dream of a miracle against their arch-rivals, the mighty Liverpool. However, reality does not usually work on miraculous lines and as expected, Liverpool painted Merseyside red by securing a 2-0 triumph.

The Toffees should be commended for keeping the scoreline goalless in the first half, but the second half was all about Jurgen Klopp’s team. Andrew Robertson opened the scoring for the Reds in the 62nd minute while Divock Origi came back to haunt Everton once again, as he found the back of the net in the 85th minute.

Crystal Palace 0-0 Leeds United

Though they are still not safe from the dreaded grasp of relegation, Leeds United further distanced themselves from the bottom three by playing out a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace. With this stalemate, the Whites are now unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches.

The game was dominated by Patrick Vieira’s men and the Eagles had 17 attempts, but none of them could breach Jesse Marsch’s spirited backline. With this hard-earned point, Leeds United are now five points clear of the relegation zone.

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