Premier League round-up: Chelsea 1-1 Everton; Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle
Chelsea were pegged back by Everton at Stamford Bridge, while Liverpool kept up the pressure on Manchester City with a comfortable 3-1 win over Newcastle.
Chelsea 1-1 Everton
Profligate Chelsea conceded vital ground in the Premier League title race by slipping to a sub-standard 1-1 draw with callow Everton at Stamford Bridge.
Teenage defender Jarrad Branthwaite netted his first Everton goal to plunder a draw for the injury-hit Toffees, stunning a Chelsea outfit missing a clutch of senior players through Covid-19.
Mason Mount thought his seventh top-flight goal of the campaign would be enough for Chelsea to mask a major glut of missed chances.
Reece James produced his sixth assist of an already-fine campaign, but no sooner had the Blues forged ahead than Branthwaite turned in Anthony Gordon’s free-kick to silence Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s fourth match in seven without a win in the Premier League left Thomas Tuchel’s men trailing leaders Manchester by four points.
Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle
Liverpool made light of the Covid-enforced absences of Virgil Van Dijk and Fabinho to comfortably beat struggling Newcastle 3-1 at Anfield and become the first English side in history to register 2,000 top-flight victories.
Mohamed Salah equalled Jamie Vardy’s record of providing a goal or an assist in 15 consecutive Premier League appearances with his 22nd strike of the season after Diogo Jota had equalised former Reds midfielder Jonjo Shelvey’s early effort.
Trent Alexander-Arnold made sure of the three points during the unnecessarily tense closing stages with a 25-yard blast.
Salah now has 24 Premier League goal involvements this season (15 goals, nine assists) and only only Alan Shearer, in 1994-95, has more (25) before Christmas.
Liverpool also set yet another club record of scoring for a 32nd successive game in all competitions, beating their previous best from January 1958.
Victory moved Jurgen Klopp’s side back to within a point of leaders Manchester City, edging three ahead of Chelsea after they could only draw at home to a severely-weakened Everton.