Leicester beat Southampton to go second, West Brom are up and running under Big Sam and there were wins for Brighton, West Ham and Chelsea.
James Maddison and Harvey Barnes strikes sent Leicester second in the Premier League as Brendan Rodgers’ side edged out victory against absentee-hit Southampton.
👏😄 Nice to see Leicester players getting creative with their celebrations tonight pic.twitter.com/vSqRUNK4Ot
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) January 16, 2021
The high-flying teams played out an entertaining encounter at an impressive tempo in front of empty stands at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
Leicester had not beaten Southampton on home soil since 2016 but Maddison’s fierce strike helped them end that frustrating run, with Barnes scoring in stoppage time to wrap up a 2-0 win against Ralph Hasenhutt’s men.
What a finish from James Maddison 👏
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 16, 2021
He smashes it into the roof of the net to put Leicester in the lead and follows it up with some socially distant celebrations! pic.twitter.com/7QCQ42RvWB
Saints were without the likes of Danny Ings, Oriol Romeu and Jannik Vestergaard on Saturday evening but started on the front foot, impressing in and out of possession against the flustered Foxes.
But Leicester cranked up the pressure towards half-time and went ahead in the 37th minute as Maddison rolled Jack Stephens and lashed past Alex McCarthy in front of watching England boss Gareth Southgate.
Kasper Schmeichel pulled off some important saves on his 400th Leicester appearance and Stuart Armstrong rattled the crossbar in a helter-skelter second period.
Jamie Vardy somehow failed to puncture growing tension against Southampton, who were caught out at the death by Barnes.
Harvey Barnes gets Leicester's second goal of the evening late in injury time 🙌
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 16, 2021
A big three points that propels Leicester to second in the table 💪 pic.twitter.com/Va0YUNR6RE
Neal Maupay’s first-half effort was enough to sink Leeds 1-0 and clinch Brighton their first Premier League win since November.
Maupay tapped home at the far post for his seventh goal of the season in the 17th minute as the Seagulls halted a 10-game winless run in all competitions.
It was a successful return to Elland Road for Brighton’s Ben White, who helped Leeds win promotion during a loan spell last season, while his former club slipped to a third straight defeat under Marcelo Bielsa for the first time in 12 months.
Bielsa’s side were bidding to bounce back from last week’s embarrassing FA Cup defeat at Crawley.
However, they sorely missed suspended midfielder Kalvin Philiips and rarely got close to producing the form which has won them so many admirers in the top flight.
🗓 Wednesday: Pep Guardiola says Brighton play beautiful football.
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) January 16, 2021
🗓 Saturday: Brighton score beautiful team goal.
👏 Great build-up play by the Seagulls as Neal Maupay sneaks in at the far post...
👇 #BHAFC #LeeBha pic.twitter.com/lmwKydNGE5
Michail Antonio returned to goalscoring form as West Ham edged closer to the top six with a 1-0 victory over Burnley.
He tapped home in the ninth minute after good build-up play between Said Benrahma, Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals in what was the Hammers' first attack of the match.
The Hammers are expected to splash out on a striker this month following the sale of Sebastien Haller to Ajax, but Antonio showed why he remains their main man up front, if he can stay fit, with his fourth goal of the season and first since October following a spell out injured.
It proved enough to clinch back-to-back Premier League wins and West Ham are now unbeaten in five matches in all competitions.
Two Matheus Pereira penalties proved decisive in the Black Country derby as West Brom won 3-2 at Wolves to give Sam Allardyce his first win as manager.
It clinched just their second victory of the Premier League season, and while Albion remain second bottom they were temporarily just three points from safety until Brighton's win at Leeds widened the gap to five points.
Quickfire goals from Fabio Silva and Willy Boly had given Wolves a half-time lead after Pereira’s penalty opener.
But Albion turned the first Black Country derby for nine years around with their own rapid response, Semi Ajayi’s header levelling before Pereira’s spot-kick winner soon after the break.