Another thrilling weekend of Premier League action saw Liverpool extend their lead at the top with a hard-fought win over Southampton, Ruben Amorim’s managerial debut ended in a draw, and Tottenham delivered a statement victory over defending champions Manchester City.
Here’s a closer look at the matchday 12 results in detail.
Tottenham inflict more pain on Manchester City
Pep Guardiola admitted Manchester City are navigating unfamiliar territory after a crushing 4-0 defeat to Tottenham marked their fifth consecutive loss and snapped a remarkable 52-game unbeaten streak at home. James Maddison scored twice within seven minutes in the first half, with Pedro Porro adding to his former club’s misery before Brennan Johnson sealed the emphatic victory.
City’s first home defeat from open play since just before the 2022 World Cup leaves them 8 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, who overcame Southampton on Sunday.
Liverpool extend their lead at the top
Liverpool widened their lead at the top of the Premier League to eight points with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Southampton at St Mary’s. Mohamed Salah’s second-half brace secured the comeback after Southampton shocked the visitors by taking a 2-1 lead through Mateus Fernandes. Dominik Szoboszlai had earlier opened the scoring for Liverpool in the 30th minute, taking advantage of a misplaced clearance by Flynn Downes.
Southampton’s valiant effort wasn’t enough to lift them off the bottom of the table, where they remain five points adrift of 17th-placed Wolves. Meanwhile, Liverpool are firmly in control at the top, heading confidently into their upcoming showdown with Manchester City.
Man Utd held by Ipswich
Ruben Amorim faced a sobering reality of the challenge ahead at Manchester United as his lackluster side were held to a 1-1 draw by a struggling Ipswich Town in his managerial debut on Sunday. Just minutes into the match at a windswept Portman Road, Marcus Rashford silenced the home fans by converting Amad Diallo’s perfectly placed cross.
Chelsea up to 3rd; Villa winless in six
Enzo Maresca, who led Leicester to promotion last season, has revitalized Chelsea, steering them back to winning ways after two consecutive Premier League draws.
Goals from Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez secured the victory, while Jordan Ayew’s stoppage-time penalty offered Crystal Palace a glimmer of hope. Ayew’s cool finish set up a tense finale, but third-placed Chelsea stood strong to close the gap to within a point of Manchester City.
Aston Villa extended their winless streak to six games, needing to come from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw at home against Crystal Palace. Ismaila Sarr and Justin Devenny gave the Eagles the lead on two occasions, with Ollie Watkins equalizing before the break. Villa missed a chance to pull ahead when Dean Henderson saved Youri Tielemans’ first-half penalty, but the Belgian redeemed himself by delivering the corner that Ross Barkley headed in to secure a hard-fought point.
Arsenal back to winning ways; Wolves thrash Fulham
Bukayo Saka’s spectacular opener set the tone for Arsenal’s commanding 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, breaking the deadlock early in the first half and propelling the Gunners back to winning form. With four winless Premier League matches behind them, Saturday’s home game against Forest brought the Gunners back on track.
Wolves mounted a strong comeback to thrash Fulham 4-1 at Craven Cottage on Saturday, climbing one point clear of the relegation zone. Alex Iwobi put Fulham in front in the 20th minute, curling a shot into the top left corner after being allowed to cut onto his weaker left foot. However, Wolves responded emphatically, with Matheus Cunha scoring twice—once in each half—and providing an assist to help secure their first away win of the Premier League season.
Brighton beat Bournemouth; 10 men Brentford earn a point at Goodison
Brighton & Hove Albion secured a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, with goals from Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma, while the hosts were left a man down after Carlos Baleba’s second-half red card. The win lifted Brighton to fifth in the Premier League table with 22 points from 12 matches, level on points with Chelsea in third and Arsenal in fourth, while Bournemouth slipped to 13th with 15 points ahead of the final weekend fixtures.
Brentford, playing with ten men for the entire second half, managed to hold Everton to a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park, earning their first away point of the Premier League season. Christian Norgaard’s red card left the visitors at a numerical disadvantage, but they defended resolutely to secure a hard-earned point. Everton remain in 15th place with 11 points, while Brentford temporarily climbed into 10th.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
