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IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Tuesday.
Manchester City threw away a two-goal lead as Brentford's Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard scored late goals to earn the hosts a 2-2 draw in a Premier League thriller on Tuesday.
After suffering six league defeats in November and December, City bounced back with a draw against Everton and wins over Leicester City and West Ham United, but Tuesday's late collapse brought their short-lived revival to an abrupt halt.
The point leaves them sixth on 35, 12 adrift of leaders Liverpool, who drew 1-1 at second-placed Nottingham Forest, while the Bees are 10th on 28 following an unlikely comeback.
After struggling to create chances in the first half, City winger Savinho went close to breaking the deadlock in the 50th minute, marauding forward through the left channel before thumping a shot off the foot of the post.
Two minutes later City striker Erling Haaland headed straight at the keeper when he should have scored.
The breakthrough finally came for City in the 66th minute when a brilliant ball from the right by Kevin De Bruyne was met by Foden, who steered a deft volley in at the far post.
The game should have been over when Foden made it 2-0 12 minutes later by reacting quickest to rattle home the rebound, after Savinho's shot was saved, to silence the home fans.
Four minutes later, however, Brentford's Wissa ensured a nervy finish when he fired in from close range to reduce the deficit and, with City's defenders having made several last-ditch interventions to protect the lead, they should have been aware of the threat posed by the hosts.
But Denmark international Norgaard was allowed to complete the comeback two minutes into added time, getting enough power on his glancing header to send it past Stefan Ortega, despite the City keeper getting a strong hand to it.
City manager Pep Guardiola was animated at the final whistle, both hugging and berating his goalkeeper after another underwhelming display by his side.
“We just looked tired at the end in the last 20 minutes, we looked leggy," Foden said.
"They put longer balls into the box and we didn't deal with the physicality in the end.
"It's definitely picked up from previously and performances are a lot better than they were. We've still got steps to go to where we want to be but as long as we keep making them small steps and improving that's what we're aiming to do."
Things were a lot brighter for the Brentford players after their display of character was rewarded with a point.
“I don’t know how we did it," Norgaard said.
"We stayed in the game even though we were 2-0 down. We hung in there ... and I’m proud of the way we managed to come back in the game.
“We aren’t here to lose by one so when Wissa got one back … I don’t know how I ended up there but it was nice to see it go in. Even though I’m not a striker I tend to listen in the meetings. I just attacked the gap and I was fortunate to see it go in,” he added.
Jota salvages a point for Liverpool at Forest
Liverpool substitute Diogo Jota's second-half header earned the visitors a battling 1-1 draw with surprise Premier League title rivals Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, keeping the leaders six points clear at the top of the standings.
High-flying Forest, who are enjoying a remarkable season after just avoiding relegation last term, raced into the lead in an electric City Ground atmosphere through striker Chris Wood with eight minutes on the clock.
Liverpool, whose only league defeat this season prior to their trip to the East Midlands came against Forest in September, looked to be heading for another humbling before Jota headed home a 66th-minute equaliser from a corner.
Jota and Mohamed Salah went close to snatching victory for Liverpool but found home goalkeeper Matz Sels in inspired form. Instead, the draw ensured Arne Slot's team sit six points above second-placed Forest, who have played a game more.
"I could not have asked for more," Slot said. "Second half was outstanding. There are not many teams that can create so many chances against an opponent so defensively strong. Unfortunately we couldn't get a second.
"It is so, so hard for every team to create here. And at times it was one chance after another. That's why it was such a disappointment to go 1-0 down. I have to be pleased with what we got."
The fixture recalled memories of the late 1970s and early 1980s when Forest would regularly compete for the English top-flight title with Liverpool.
This season, Nuno Espirito Santo's Forest side unexpectedly find themselves chasing the Merseysiders down once more, coming into Tuesday's clash on the back of seven wins in a row in all competitions, without conceding a goal in the last five.
Out to do the league double over Liverpool for the first time in a season since 1963, Forest edged in front as Wood continued his fine form with his 13th league goal of the campaign.
The visitors were seeing all of the ball but not doing a great deal with it. In the opening period alone, Liverpool enjoyed 70% possession, while failing to find the target.
Forest continued to stand firm, with home supporters dreaming of being in touching distance of their illustrious opponents, only for Jota to be left unmarked to level 22 seconds after coming off the bench with his first touch.
Three superb saves from Sels preserved a deserved point for Forest, who remain Liverpool's closest title rivals.
Forest supporters, however, having seen their side keep the league leaders at bay for so long, will view the draw as a missed opportunity.
"Tonight was a lesson for us, because this is how we want to compete," Nuno said. "I am very proud of how we played.
"Tonight was a special atmosphere. I don't look at the league table at this stage, we have to keep going."
Chelsea claw back to draw with Bournemouth
Chelsea captain Reece James rescued a point for his side with a 95th-minute free kick to snatch a 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Tuesday.
Second-half substitute James, playing his first league game since November because of injury, beat goalkeeper Mark Travers with a perfectly placed curler into the far corner of the net.
But it was two points dropped for the hosts who dominated much of the game, scoring through Cole Palmer in the first half before Bournemouth replied with a Justin Kluivert penalty early in the second period and Antoine Semenyo put them ahead.
Chelsea, who have failed to win in their last five league games, stay in fourth place in the table on 37 points from 21 matches, with Bournemouth seventh on 34.
"I think we had a few clear-cut chances that we should have taken in the first half and put the game to bed," James told TNT Sport. "It's mixed emotions."
Palmer scored his 14th league goal this season after receiving a neatly weighted ball from Nicolas Jackson who had squirmed free of three midfielders on the halfway line.
Chelsea talisman Palmer then sent Travers to the floor with a little dummy and rolled the ball into his net.
The hosts had several first-half chances to double their lead, through Jackson, Palmer and Enzo Fernandez.
But they let the visitors back into the game three minutes into the second half when Moises Caicedo brought down Semenyo and Kluivert sent Robert Sanchez the wrong way from the spot.
There was a moment of controversy when referee Robert Jones was called to the monitor to decide whether David Brooks should be sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella's hair, but he showed a yellow card prompting howls of protest from the home fans.
The Stamford Bridge faithful were then stunned into silence in the 67th minute when Semenyo rounded 18-year-old defender Josh Acheampong and sent a near-post rocket past Sanchez.
Travers kept Bournemouth ahead, blocking shots from Jackson who was busy all night but could not get the ball past the goalkeeper and the visitors looked dangerous on the break.
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said his side deserved more, especially from the first half which he described as one of their best of the season.
"The negative thing is that we changed how we played after conceding. We dropped back," he said.
"The most important thing is to create chances. It happened many times in the last four or five games. We don't score and then we concede. Tonight after we concede the penalty, we drop a bit and we need to improve on that."
James, a product of the Chelsea academy who has been plagued by injury all season, roared in celebration and relief when his free kick hit the net with three more added minutes to play.
"I knew it was a good distance and that side of the goal was open. There was a period where I was scoring quite frequently and I haven't had that feeling for quite a long time," he said.
West Ham edge Fulham in Potter's first league game in charge
West Ham United rode their luck to beat charitable London rivals Fulham 3-2 at the London Stadium in new manager Graham Potter's first Premier League match in charge on Tuesday.
A fluent Fulham side dominated the derby but failed to take their chances and gifted the hosts two goals, the second of which scored by Lucas Paqueta proved to be the winner.
Fulham, for whom Alex Iwobi scored twice, will wonder how they left pointless but Potter will not care as he enjoyed a victory on his home debut.
"It's a fantastic three points when you consider the players we've got missing," former Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea boss Potter, who replaced Julen Lopetegui last week, told TNT.
"It was a real team effort and we had to ride our luck at times and had to suffer but we scored three goals."
Victory lifted West Ham two places to 12th with 26 points while Fulham's first defeat in nine league games left them in ninth spot with 30.
Potter had been out of the game since he was sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, choosing to resume his career at West Ham. On arriving in east London he said it felt like Christmas and Fulham offered up some late presents.
West Ham hardly got a kick early on and Harry Wilson thumped a volley against the crossbar for the visitors while Antonee Robinson should have done better than shoot wide.
The hosts took the lead when Fulham tried to play out from the back but Andreas Pereira's wayward pass across his own penalty area went straight to Carlos Soler who stylishly curled home his first goal for West Ham in the 31st minute.
It was completely against the run of play and Fulham were stunned again two minutes later when Tomas Soucek volleyed in from close range after a great pull back by Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Iwobi reduced the deficit shortly after the interval when his cross aimed at Raul Jimenez's head deceived West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and went straight in.
But Fulham self-destructed again as keeper Bernd Leno was caught dawdling in possession by substitute Danny Ings who turned the ball to Paqueta to fire into an empty goal.
Iwobi again reduced the deficit with his second of the evening, an almost identical effort to his first, and Fulham laid siege to the West Ham goal in the closing stages but the hosts hung on grimly for a morale-boosting win.
Substitute Adama Traore spurned Fulham's best chance late on when he blazed over after a goalmouth scramble.
"When you make mistakes like we did, it's very difficult to win football matches," Fulham boss Marco Silva said.
"There was only one team that was on the pitch trying to win the game until we conceded that first goal that we gave them."
