 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Images from EPL matches played on Sunday.
Manchester United edged closer to a top-four finish in the Premier League after Mason Greenwood headed an opportunist late winner to secure a 2-1 home win over struggling Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
Former United striker Danny Welbeck had headed Brighton into a 13th-minute lead before Marcus Rashford equalised in the 62nd minute and Greenwood popped up on the edge of the six-yard box to complete the Old Trafford side's comeback in the 83rd.
The result left second-placed United on 60 points from 30 games, 14 behind leaders Manchester City who have played a game more and four ahead of third-placed Leicester City. Brighton stayed 16th on 32 points, six points above the relegation zone.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was pleased with his side's hard-fought win and said David De Gea and England's Dean Henderson, picked ahead of the Spaniard, were now neck-and-neck in the pecking order for first-choice goalkeeper.
"It's always difficult to play Brighton," Solskjaer told the BBC.
"We have had good results and we've had to earn them the hard way. We managed to find a way in the second half.
"We had to come in at halftime and compose ourselves as we didn't create much after they scored."
"I've got two great keepers, two numbers ones. David de Gea spent a while back home and then he had internationals so he hadn't played for about a month. He'll definitely play football for us again."
Welbeck fired Brighton ahead with a composed finish after Henderson saved his initial header with United's static defence giving him time and space to pick his spot after Neal Maupay swung in a cross from the right.
Lewis Dunk shaved the crossbar for Brighton with a 19th-minute header and Jakub Moder also came close for the visitors on the stroke of halftime before United moved up a gear in the second half.
Rashford levelled when he took a Bruno Fernandes pass in his stride and beat goalkeeper Robert Sanchez with a clinical side-footed finish into the far corner from inside the penalty area.
Maupay's shot flashed across the face of goal in the 72nd before Greenwood got on the end of a speculative Paul Pogba volley in the 83rd to find the net and turn the tide as Dunk was unable to clear his header off the line.
Tottenham Hotspur missed the chance to move up to provisional fourth place in the Premier League after relegation-threatened Newcastle United held them to a 2-2 draw with a late equaliser from substitute Joe Willock at St James' Park on Sunday.
The result leaves Spurs in fifth with 49 points, two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, but West Ham United can go above both of their London rivals into the Champions League spots if they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers away on Monday.
It also marked the sixth time Spurs have failed to win a league game this season when they were leading at halftime.
The result left Newcastle three points above third-bottom Fulham, who lost 3-1 at Aston Villa and have played a game more.
Harry Kane gave Tottenham the lead with two goals in four minutes in the first half after Joelinton's opener for Newcastle before Arsenal loanee Willock struck to earn a point.
"Whenever you're ahead in a game, as we have been a lot this season, and you give the lead away in the last five to 10 minutes, it's always hard to take," Kane told BBC Sport.
Newcastle took the lead after 28 minutes when sustained pressure saw them win the ball back and Sean Longstaff found Joelinton at the far post for the Brazilian to fire home.
However, the advantage lasted barely 90 seconds as Spurs hit back when Kane capitalised on a ricochet from Giovani Lo Celso's pass and tapped into an empty net two minutes later.
England striker Kane doubled the visitors' lead in the 34th when he peeled off his marker to receive Tanguy Ndombele's through ball before pulling the trigger with a low, angled shot past goalkeeper Martin Dubravka into the far corner of the net.
Spurs were quieter in the second half as Newcastle grew into the game but Kane had a golden opportunity to score a hat-trick on a counter-attack but his effort hit the woodwork.
"I feel like we could have played better in the second half. We were a bit sloppy. We didn't take our chances and got punished for it," Kane added.
Newcastle's perseverance finally paid off in the 85th minute when Willock pounced on a rebound at the back post to equalise after Tottenham failed to clear Joelinton's header.
"I'm an Arsenal player so it does makes it a bit sweeter," Willock, who came on in the 79th minute, said. "(Manager Steve Bruce) told me to come on, run around and get in the box to try and score goals. I'm happy I was able to do that."
Southampton fight back to beat Burnley
Southampton fought back from two goals down to beat Burnley 3-2 in the Premier League on Sunday and increase their comfort above the relegation zone with just their second win in 13 league games.
Burnley took a 12th minute lead through a Chris Wood penalty, after VAR spotted that Kyle Walker-Peters had brought down Erik Pieters.
The Clarets then doubled their advantage with a fine strike from Czech forward Matej Vydra, after Wood had headed on a Ben Mee long ball forward.
But the Saints got back into the game with a well-struck effort from Stuart Armstrong, the Scotland midfielder driving home after a clever flick from Danny Ings.
Former Burnley striker Ings then levelled up the contest with a fine solo goal, outdoing Mee, cutting past the sliding James Tarkowski and slipping the ball through the legs of Nick Pope.
Burnley struggled to recover from seeing their lead vanish in 11 minutes and a winner for the home side looked inevitable after James Ward-Prowse hammered a drive against the underside of the bar and Burnley keeper Nick Pope produced a magnificent reflex save to keep out a deflected Armstrong drive.
The winner came in the 66th minute when an Ings drive was saved by Pope but Theo Walcott latched on to the loose ball and picked out Nathan Redmond at the back post who volleyed home.
Southampton keeper Fraser Forster twice denied Wood in the latter stages - doing well to get a hand to a curling shot and then keeping out a close range header.
Burnley felt they should have had a penalty in the latter incident where Wood's shirt was pulled but Southampton deserved the points and should have had a fourth when substitute Che Adams had only Pope to beat but shot wide.
Southampton move up to 13th on 36 points, ten above 18th-placed Fulham. Burnley are on 33 points in 15th.
"It was a difficult start for us, and normally an opponent that is not helpful if you go two down," said Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuettl.
"Our decision-making in the final third was fantastic. We could have scored five or six or more goals against a team that doesn't normally give you many chances," he added.
Burnley defender Tarkowski was critical of his team's concentration levels.
"It's very unlike us, that. Our record of going ahead and getting a win or at least a draw is one of the best in the league, so to go 2-0 up, be very comfortable, it was mental sloppiness from everyone really," he said.
