Images from the English Premier League matches on Thursday.
Trossard seals derby win for Arsenal
Leandro Trossard transformed the mood at Arsenal with the winning goal as they recovered from an early setback to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at home and move back into second place in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Belgian Trossard fired in just before halftime to seal a derby victory that not only rekindled Arsenal's title hopes by cutting the deficit to Liverpool to four points, but also proved a timely tonic after a difficult start to the year.
A 2-0 defeat at home by Newcastle United last week in the League Cup semi-final first leg and then a penalty shootout exit at home against Manchester United in the FA Cup third round had left Arsenal's season in danger of unravelling.
A season-ending injury to Gabriel Jesus added to Arsenal's woes this week and when Son Heung-min's deflected volley gave Tottenham the lead against the run of play after 25 minutes it looked as though Arsenal's gloom might deepen.
But they hit back impressively to deservedly win a third Premier League north London derby in succession for the first time since 1989. Arsenal moved back above surprise package Nottingham Forest with 43 points from 21 games with Liverpool, who drew with Forest on Tuesday, on 47 from 20.
"Outstanding today. From the first minute we were really at it, really intense. We played with a real purpose to hurt them. We created an unbelievable atmosphere," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. "The attitude we played with, not feeling sorry for ourselves, was phenomenal."
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou had no complaints about his side's 11th league defeat of the season which leaves them in 13th place with 24 points. His side have won only once in nine league games and the Australian knows far better is expected.
"We were nowhere near the level we needed to be in the first half in such a big game," he told reporters. "Way too passive."
Tottenham barely got out of their own half in the first 20 minutes but almost took the lead from their first attack when Djed Spence's low cross looked like being a tap-in for Solanke before a superb interception by Gabriel.
Arsenal keeper David Raya then made a great save from Solanke but he had no chance when Son's volley flicked off William Saliba to leave him wrong-footed.
The hosts equalised in the 40th minute from a reliable old routine as Declan Rice swung in a corner that left Tottenham keeper Antonin Kinsky floundering and Gabriel's back post header deflected in off Spurs forward Dominic Solanke.
Tottenham had reason to feel frustrated though as the corner from which Arsenal equalised was shown to have been wrongly awarded, although a downcast Postecoglou made little of it.
Four minutes later the turnaround was complete as Tottenham were yet again guilty of losing the ball in dangerous areas and were punished as Trossard was played in by Martin Odegaard to fire a left-foot shot past the dive of Kinsky who would have been disappointed not to get a hand on it.
Arsenal failed to finish off Tottenham after the break with Kai Havertz and Odegaard both guilty of failing to give their side some breathing space. It almost cost Arsenal as Pedro Porro struck the outside of the post deep in stoppage time for the visitors but Arsenal had done enough to secure the points.
Arteta's side are unbeaten in 11 Premier League games and while there is still a gap to Liverpool, victory over Tottenham could prove the spark they need to chase down Arne Slot's team.
"The three points is the most important thing. Hopefully now we can go on a run because this is the most important part of the season," Rice said.
Isak powers Newcastle to victory
Alexander Isak scored for the eighth Premier League game in a row with a brace of goals as Newcastle United eased to a 3-0 home victory over struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers at St James’ Park on Wednesday.
Anthony Gordon netted the third, with an assist from Isak, as Newcastle moved into fourth place with 38 points from 21 games. Wolves remain in the relegation zone with 16 points from the same number of matches.
Only four players have scored in eight successive Premier League matches, with Isak joining Jamie Vardy and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who both did it twice, and Daniel Sturridge, as the Swede took his tally for the season to 15 in the top flight.
"I feel amazing," Isak said. "Individually I feel free and confident but looking at the team, we are doing so well as well, defending and with threats going forward.
"It is a team and I have to keep contributing with goals. When we play at our best, the players will feel free.
"In my position as well I want to be able to express myself in the best way I can."
Wolves had some bright moments and a goal by Santiago Bueno was disallowed for a handball, while they also struck the woodwork twice through Jorgen Strand Larsen. But their defending remains an Achilles heel in a season of struggle.
Newcastle claimed a ninth win in a row in all competitions and sixth on the trot in the Premier League with their ambition to finish in the Champions League qualification places alive and well.
Newcastle broke the deadlock on 34 minutes as Isak picked up the ball 40 yards out and drove towards goal.
Wolves failed to put in a challenge on the edge of the box and the Swede fired low into the bottom-left corner of the net via a deflection.
The home side continued to create the better chances, but Wolves looked dangerous on the break and Larsen struck the outside of the post. He would hit the woodwork again late on.
Isak scored his second just before the hour mark when he was fed in the box by a clever pass from Guimaraes, and his turn and finish was clinical.
Second-half substitute Matheus Cunha flashed a shot wide when he should have hit the target, before Gordon added Newcastle’s third.
This time Isak was the provider as he slid a pass into Gordon in the box and the forward easily finished unmarked from 10 yards past Jose Sa in the visiting goal.
"This is a difficult team to play at home," Wolves manager Vitor Pereira said. "We created a lot of chances to score, the difference was they (Newcastle) scored in the key moments of the game and we missed the goals."
Everton lose to Villa
The second coming of David Moyes failed to inspire Everton on Wednesday as they lost 1-0 at home to Aston Villa and, though they might not need a miracle to avoid Premier League relegation, the returning manager will at least have to find a way for them to score.
Villa had lost their last five away games in the league but were by far the better team at Goodison Park and took the points via Ollie Watkins' 51st-minute goal.
Moyes, back at the club he left in 2013 after the sacking of Sean Dyche last week, got a close-up view of the massive challenge he faces as Everton struggled for accuracy and ideas all night to make it one win in 12 league games, during which time they have failed to score in nine of them.
That drought never looked like lifting on Wednesday and they remain two places and one point above the relegation zone, while Villa move up to seventh, level on points with Manchester City.
Moyes is Everton's ninth permanent manager since he left the club after 11 relatively successful years to join Manchester United but, if anyone was expecting an immediate transformation in approach after the dour fare served up under Dyche, they were soon disappointed.
It was a curiously subdued atmosphere at the ground and Everton quickly slipped into their default mode this season – cautious, careful and lacking any notable attacking intent.
It was Villa who took the initiative as Jordan Pickford saved well from Morgan Rogers, James Tarkowski made a desperate block to deny Youri Tielemans and Watkins shot wide after seizing on a poor Ashley Young backpass.
Everton managed their first attempt on goal after half an hour when Dominic Calvert-Lewin shot wide and he then had an off-balance effort cleared off the line by Boubacar Kamara.
Watkins put Villa ahead six minutes after the restart when he was left in too much space to run on to a Rogers through ball and slot low past Pickford.
The goal shook the home fans into life but Everton's players remained disjointed and inaccurate and their night was summed up in stoppage time when Calvert-Lewin, desperately short of confidence after scoring two goals all season, side-footed a bobbling ball over the bar.
"I’m under no illusions about the job I’ve got to do – we couldn’t score a goal tonight,” Moyes said.
"We tried hard but a little bit of a mistake, a bit out of position, has cost us the game really."
The only solace Moyes could take from the night was defeats for relegation rivals Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, but he knows he will not be able to rely on that for the rest of the season if Everton are to avoid relegation for the first time in 71 years.
"The position we are in isn’t as good as we’d like it. We had some really good results and good draws and were hard to play against under Sean, but we have to show more quality on the ball," he said. "That’s the part I was disappointed with tonight."
It was a different mood of course in the Villa camp.
"It was a tricky match, they made it difficult and the atmosphere was top but we ground it out," Watkins said.
"We could have been a bit more clinical in the first half and it's a deserved three points. I had a chance in the first half but you have to keep going. You have to keep your mind in the game."
Villa boss Unai Emery was also a happy man. "We competed very well, we had some clear chances and conceded only one really," he said.
"We didn't have quite the same control in the second half but the clean sheet was important and it was important we ended this run (of away defeats)."
Palace keep up away form with win at Leicester
Crystal Palace kept up their impressive away form in the Premier League as second half goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Marc Guehi handed them a 2-0 win at struggling Leicester City on Wednesday.
Palace extended their unbeaten run away from home in the league to six matches with victory at the King Power Stadium and moved up one place to 14th in the standings.
Hosts Leicester lost a sixth successive league game and remain second from bottom, paying the price for squandering chances to take a first half lead.
Mateta’s opener came seven minutes into the second half in Palace’s first effort on target while Guehi added the second 12 minutes from time.
The imposing Mateta showed his power as he netted a sixth league goal of the season, shrugging aside Leicester defender Jannik Vestergaard before rounding goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk after being set up by a driving run through the middle from Ismailia Sarr.
Guehi's goal came via a setpiece from Eberechi Eze, who lifted the ball high into the penalty area with the defender coming in on the left to steer home the ball on the volley.
"That one wasn't actually planned, it was off the cuff," said Guehi.
"We practice set-pieces a lot but that one was just instinctive. Eze has the quality to deliver."
Palace had initially been forced onto the back foot as Leicester made the brighter start but a 17th minute opportunity for the 38-year-old Jamie Vardy ended meekly after he bore down on the Palace goal but shot straight at goalkeeper Dean Henderson with his weaker left foot.
Vardy also miscued a close-in chance later in the half after some silky skills from Stephy Mavididi saw him get a cross in, despite several defenders blocking his path.
There was a let off for the hosts midway through the first half when their effort to work the ball up the line was blocked and ricocheted for Mateta, but the Palace striker’s snap effort went well over the crossbar.
Boubakary Soumare struck the crossbar for Leicester before Palace’s second goal and efforts from Vardy and substitute Patson Daka either went narrowly wide or were blocked by the Palace defenders on a night of frustration for the home fans, who jeered their side at the final whistle.
"I think the difference in performance from us was too big. We dropped our levels and Palace are lethal. First chance is in and they took the momentum," said Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Palace have now lost only one of their last 10 league games and are away again at the weekend at West Ham United.
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