It was a weekend of opposite luck in the Premier League for clubs at Merseyside, with Liverpool maintaining their title bid and Everton pulled deep in a relegation dogfight.
Cristiano Ronaldo produced a vintage performance to propel Manchester United to a thrilling 3-2 win over Tottenham, while Brentford, Leeds and Watford enjoyed vital victories in the fight against the drop.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the main talking points from the latest round of top-flight fixtures.
The Remourless Reds keep the pressure on Manchester City
Following their midweek loss to Inter Milan in the Champions League, Jurgen Klopp’s team quickly returned to winning ways with a 2–0 win at Brighton, their eighth consecutive Premier League victory. Luis Diaz scored the opening goal and looks like one of the best business so far in the January transfer window, while Mohamed Salah’s penalty means he has scored 20 goals in a season for the fourth time in his five years at the club . , The gap to leaders Manchester City was again cut to three points ahead of a visit to Crystal Palace on Monday.
referee in the spotlight
Diaz led Liverpool at Brighton despite being dodged by home goalkeeper Robert Sanchez in the process. Remarkably, Sánchez was also not shown a yellow card by referee Mike Dean, who had not been advised by VAR to check the pitchside monitor. Meanwhile, Chelsea forward Kai Havertz was booked by referee David Coot for catching Dan Byrne in the face with his elbow, but Newcastle fans felt he should have been sent off when the German defeated the late winner at Stamford. The bridge was caught, there was even more to complain about.
Ronaldo turns years back
Ronaldo missed Manchester United’s derby defeat with a hip problem, but the 37-year-old came back with a blistering and match-winning hat-trick against Tottenham. The Portuguese star lit up Old Trafford with a brilliant opener from 25 yards and restored the home team’s lead after Harry Kane equalized from the penalty spot. Harry Maguire’s own goal threatened to give the visitors a point but Ronaldo had other ideas and completed his hat-trick with a thumping header in front of Stratford End.
Emotions come to the surface at London Stadium
Andrey Yarmolenko was very emotional after giving West Ham the lead against Aston Villa. Ukraine was back in the forward Hammer squad for the first time after being granted compassionate leave due to war in his homeland. Yarmolenko received a standing ovation from both sets of fans as he came on as a 53rd-minute substitute for Michael Antonio and the 32-year-old, whose family is still in Ukraine, was in tears after his goal. It was a memorable, poignant moment as the home team registered a 2-1 victory in an otherwise forgettable match.
Everton in freefall as relegation battles
Everton’s 1–0 loss at home to Wolves was their eighth loss in nine league matches, and Frank Lampard’s side were eliminated from the bottom three on goal difference only. Watford joined Everton on 22 points thanks to a 2–1 win at Southampton, with Burnley on 21 points after a 2–0 loss at Brentford, a win that saw Thomas Frank’s side eight points clear of the drop zone. done. Leeds are on 26 points after a dramatic 2-1 win over bottom side Norwich at Elland Road, their first win under new boss Jesse Marsh. While the Canaries look certain to back off fast, the fight to avoid joining them in the championship is set to go to the wire.
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