Premier League analysis: Tottenham tumble, West Ham and Chelsea flourish, Man City held
Ten-man Tottenham tumbled to a 3-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace on Thursday night, while Wednesday night delivered a pivotal set of Premier League fixtures at both ends of the table.
Igor Tudor’s troops are just one point above the relegation zone and have now gone a club-record 11 league games without a win.
Spurs travel to Anfield to face Liverpool on March 15, and their plight was worsened by West Ham’s vital midweek win at Fulham, with the Irons now firmly in the fight for survival.
Sports News Blitz’s Zephryn Dockree takes a look at a selection of top-flight action.
Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest
At the top of the table, Man City were held by Forest after a late defensive scramble, with Murillo’s crucial clearance preserving the draw.
Bernardo Silva felt Man City were harshly treated by officials, a complaint that has become familiar for Pep Guardiola’s side this season.
Despite the frustration, the home side still had more than enough firepower to beat Forest, who now sit level on points with West Ham in 18th.
For Man City, the result leaves them seven points behind Arsenal with just nine games remaining, making a title return to the Etihad look increasingly unlikely.
Newcastle United vs Manchester United
William Osula’s last-minute stunner earned 10-man Newcastle all three points, handing Michael Carrick his first defeat as United boss.
It was a costly loss for the Red Devils, who missed the chance to create breathing room in the race for the top four.
Things worsened after the final whistle when Paul Scholes criticised Carrick on Instagram, saying United had been “crap” for four games, a post that left fans with a bitter taste.
The result changes little for Newcastle, who look set for a mid-table finish, but it deals a serious blow to United’s top-four credentials.
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Aston Villa vs Chelsea
João Pedro’s hat-trick gave Chelsea a much-needed bounce-back win after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal.
Beating top-four rivals Villa is huge for Liam Rosnier’s side, who now sit fifth, just three points off third.
Unai Emery’s side, meanwhile, are in trouble after managing just one win in their last seven.
The result only adds to what is becoming one of the most unpredictable top-four races in recent years with no side cementing their place.
Brighton vs Arsenal
Most of the action in this one happened on the touchline. Bukayo Saka’s ninth-minute strike put Arsenal ahead, but Brighton boss Fabian Hürzeler spent much of the afternoon furious with what he felt were the Gunners’ time-wasting tactics.
Hürzeler didn’t hold back after the final whistle, accusing Mikel Arteta’s side of playing a “bad brand of football” and repeatedly running down the clock.
The German may have a point. Arsenal’s restarts took a combined 30 minutes and 51 seconds, the longest in a Premier League game this season.
Beyond the controversy, Brighton remains comfortably mid-table, while Arsenal edge closer to a first league title in 22 years.
Fulham vs West Ham
This was another game filled with refereeing controversy after an early Alex Iwobi handball was waved away.
Nuno Espírito Santo felt hard done by, but the bigger talking point came later when a strange error from Bernd Leno gifted Crysencio Summerville the chance to put West Ham 1–0 up.
It was a scrappy, tense affair with chances few and far between, but the Hammers didn’t care.
From there, they saw the game out and now have a real chance of completing the great escape, sitting level on points with 17th-placed Forest.
