A review of Saturday's action in the Premier League, where Mohamed Salah scored his 150th goal for Liverpool as they beat Norwich.
Results
Liverpool 3-1 Norwich
- Infogol xG: 3.38 - 0.67
Mohamed Salah’s 150th Liverpool goal helped keep his side’s title challenge on track as they came from behind to beat Norwich 3-1 at Anfield.
Victory kept the pressure on leaders Manchester City ahead of their evening kick-off but more significantly it was the momentum it maintained in their pursuit which was crucial.
How significant this result – an eighth successive win in all competitions – is will only be known come May, but it felt like a season-defining moment when the Egypt international rolled home a gentle shot in the 67th minute to put the Reds ahead.
It had been a pivotal four-minute period as Sadio Mane’s overhead kick had just levelled things up after Milot Rashica’s deflected shot had given the Premier League’s 19th-placed side a shock lead.
But it was the brilliance of Salah, becoming only the 10th man to reach 150 goals in the club’s history and the second fastest (232 matches) after Roger Hunt (226), which made the difference.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s spinning pass out from the back could not have been better judged but the Egyptian still had work to do, drawing Angus Gunn out of his goal, cutting back onto his right foot and then tucking home a shot which wrong-footed the backtracking defenders.
Manchester City 2-3 Tottenham
- Infogol xG: 2.62 - 1.93
Harry Kane reminded Manchester City just what they missed out on as he scored two goals to earn Tottenham a dramatic 3-2 win at the Etihad Stadium.
The England captain was desperate to join the champions in the summer but City never came up with an offer that even got close to Spurs’ valuation, and how he made them pay as their 15-game unbeaten streak was ended.
After playing his part in Dejan Kulusevski’s opener, he put Spurs back in front following Ilkay Gundogan’s equaliser with a sublime finish before delivering late drama.
Riyad Mahrez’s stoppage-time penalty had looked like stealing City a point but Kane, who also had a goal ruled out by VAR, had other ideas, heading home an even later winner in the fifth minute of time added on.
Brighton 0-3 Burnley
- Infogol xG: 0.61 - 0.63
Wout Weghorst fired his first Premier League goal as relegation-threatened Burnley climbed off the bottom of the table with a resounding 3-0 success at Brighton.
Netherlands striker Weghorst – a £12million January signing from German club Wolfsburg following Chris Wood’s departure to Newcastle – set the Clarets on course for a first win in 12 top-flight games with a clinical finish.
Josh Brownhill’s deflected drive doubled the visitors’ advantage before Aaron Lennon’s second-half strike sealed a stunning scoreline at the Amex Stadium.
Success on the south coast was only a second top-flight victory of a difficult season for the struggling Clarets’ – and a first away from Turf Moor.
The overdue triumph lifts Sean Dyche’s side above Norwich on goal difference and leaves them five points from safety, albeit with games in hand on their rivals.
However, it came at a cost as top-scorer Maxwel Cornet limped off early in the second period following a challenge on Alexis Mac Allister.
Brighton – missing influential defenders Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster due to suspension and injury respectively – endured a frustrating afternoon, epitomised by a first-half flashpoint between Robert Sanchez and Shane Duffy.
Arsenal 2-1 Brentford
- Infogol xG: 1.87 - 0.61
England duo Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka once again provided the goods as Arsenal beat Brentford to move within a point of the Premier League top four.
Making just his second league start since December 2, Smith Rowe’s solo effort broke the deadlock before fellow academy graduate Saka added a well-taken second in a 2-1 victory, Christian Norgaard striking a last-gasp consolation for the visitors.
The win drew Arsenal level on points with West Ham in fifth and left them just a point off Manchester United, who occupy the final Champions League place.
The Gunners also have two games in hand on United, who face a trip to Leeds on Sunday afternoon.
Aston Villa 0-1 Watford
- Infogol xG: 1.15 - 1.52
Emmanuel Dennis ended Watford’s three-month wait for a victory as Roy Hodgson celebrated his first win in charge on the road at Aston Villa.
The Hornets arrived at Villa Park in the midst of the longest current winless run in the Premier League, having picked up just two points in the 11 matches that followed November’s memorable win against Manchester United.
Hodgson replaced Claudio Ranieri during that bleak run and secured his first victory as Watford manager on Saturday afternoon as Dennis headed home a cross from Ismaila Sarr to seal a 1-0 triumph.
Steven Gerrard – who played under Hodgson with Liverpool and England – was left frustrated by the well-drilled visitors, who held firm during a lively Villa start in which Danny Ings saw penalty appeals against Samir turned down.
But Villa huffed and puffed without seriously threatening Ben Foster’s goal, with opposite number Emiliano Martinez having far more to do.
The Argentina international would only be beaten in the 78th minute as Dennis headed home a fine cross from Sarr – the first goal of the Hodgson era and a winning one at that.
Crystal Palace 0-1 Chelsea
- Infogol xG: 0.82 - 1.11
Hakim Ziyech struck an 89th-minute winner to help new world champions Chelsea earn a narrow 1-0 win at Crystal Palace.
Video assistant referee had denied the Morocco international earlier in the second half when Romelu Lukaku, who only had seven touches at Selhurst Park, was deemed to be offside.
It looked like being another frustrating afternoon for Thomas Tuchel’s side until Ziyech netted to build momentum after their Club World Cup success in Abu Dhabi with three points in the Premier League, which strengthens their stranglehold on third position.
Chelsea’s numerous cup commitments meant this was their first top-flight fixture since January 23 and any faint title hopes they had after a 2-0 win over Tottenham last month had virtually evaporated now.
Southampton 2-0 Everton
- Infogol xG: 2.79 - 0.30
Stuart Armstrong and Shane Long struck rare Premier League goals as Southampton overwhelmed Everton 2-0 on the south coast.
If Armstrong was ecstatic to end a drought running from April 4, 2021, Long stepped off the bench to top that sense of relief with his first touch.
Republic of Ireland striker Long’s last Premier League effort for Saints came in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on February 22, 2020.
Just as Saints’ goalscorers are enjoying a top-flight resurgence, so too are Ralph Hasenhuttl’s collective. Southampton extended their recent fine run to just one defeat in 11 matches in all competitions with another impressive showing.
Southampton dominated in every area of the field as James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu’s mix of industry and ingenuity buffeted Everton off their stride all afternoon, Kyle Walker-Peters bossed the left flank and Armando Broja was unfortunate to end the day without a goal.
Armstrong and Long cemented Saints in 10th spot and left Everton floundering in 16th.
West Ham 1-1 Newcastle
- Infogol xG: 0.91 - 1.34
Newcastle’s revival continued with a hard-fought point in a 1-1 draw at top-four hopefuls West Ham.
Joe Willock’s scruffy equaliser cancelled out Craig Dawson’s header as the Magpies made it six Premier League games unbeaten.
It was another important point in Newcastle’s survival bid and was all the more impressive given they were without arguably their two most important players, with Allan Saint-Maximin and Kieran Trippier both injured.
For West Ham it felt more like two points dropped as they missed the chance to climb back above Manchester United into fourth.
