Manchester City 1 Everton 1
Demarai Gray scored a stunning equaliser as struggling Everton ended 2022 by snatching an unexpected point against Manchester City.
Erling Haaland looked to have put champions City on course for victory in a scrappy Premier League contest at the Etihad Stadium with his 27th goal in just 21 appearances for the club.
The prolific Norwegian struck in clinical fashion after 24 minutes but Gray responded with a sublime curling effort from the edge of the area just after the hour.
John Stones had earlier hit the post against his former club but Everton showed great resilience to hang on and limit City’s formidable Haaland-led attack.
It ended a run of four games without a win for the Merseysiders and eased some of the pressure on manager Frank Lampard.
Haaland, as ever, had looked like he would make the difference early on. He required treatment after a clash with Ben Godfrey inside the first minute and, after he finally got back to his feet, it became apparent Everton had riled him.
He threatened for the first time when he latched on to a fine through-ball from Kevin De Bruyne and rounded Jordan Pickford but fired into the side-netting.
City claimed the lead when Riyad Mahrez slalomed his way through the area and pulled back for Haaland, who finished clinically on the turn.
Everton had welcomed Dominic Calvert-Lewin back into their side after a number of injuries but they struggled to provide him much service.
Idrissa Gana Gueye did curl in one dangerous cross but Calvert-Lewin was unable to make clean contact with his header.
The second half got off to a slow start, not helped by a lengthy hold-up for one of the assistant referees to have his communication equipment repaired.
When play restarted it was Everton who surprisingly clicked into gear first, bringing them an unlikely equaliser just after the hour.
City backed off as Gray charged into the area, and although he slipped as he tried to cut back inside Manuel Akanji, he quickly regained his composure to curl a fine shot into the top corner.
Everton’s attempts to disrupt the flow of the game then began to frustrate City. De Bruyne shrugged off some crude challenges but Jack Grealish and Haaland got some rough treatment.
City piled on the pressure in the latter stages but Pickford saved well from Mahrez in a goalmouth scramble and numerous other attempts on goal were blocked.
With 11 minutes of stoppage time played, it was a nervy finish for the visitors but they held on with some dogged defending.
Newcastle 0 Leeds 0
Fabian Schar wasted a hat-trick of chances as Newcastle’s hopes of a seventh successive Premier League win were dashed by Leeds.
The Magpies’ best opportunities on an ultimately barren afternoon fell to the Switzerland international and fellow defender Dan Burn, but neither was able to break the deadlock and the Yorkshiremen emerged with a hard-fought 0-0 draw at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe’s men dominated, particularly after the break, but were unable to find a way past goalkeeper Illan Meslier, and it took a fine save from opposite number Nick Pope to prevent Rodrigo from snatching three points in front of a crowd of 52,211.
As a result, Newcastle ended 2022 disappointed, but still sitting in third place in the table ahead of Tuesday’s trip to leaders Arsenal.
Magpies midfielder Bruno Guimaraes emerged from the tunnel wearing Pele’s number 10 shirt as both clubs paid tribute to his compatriot before kick-off, but the home side found themselves on the back foot when the game got under way.
Newcastle eventually established themselves in the game with the link-up between Kieran Trippier and Miguel Almiron down the right starting to pay dividends, and it was the full-back who handed Schar the chance to open the scoring from a 21st-minute corner, although the Switzerland international’s downward header flew agonisingly wide.
Jack Harrison, back in the Leeds team after injury, failed to match the quality of his 36th-minute run with a finish which did not trouble Pope, but Tyler Adams had to cover back well to deny Schar a shot at goal after a Newcastle break – with the defender’s ambitious pleas for a penalty going unrewarded.
Pope was forced into his first genuine save 12 minutes after the restart, diving to his right to turn away Rodrigo’s well-struck effort and Newcastle stepped up a gear to pin Leeds back deep inside their own half.
Meslier repelled Schar’s 62nd-minute header and Sean Longstaff fired over after Joelinton’s enterprising run seconds later, prompting Howe to introduce Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin to popular acclaim.
Longstaff cleared the crossbar once again after good work by Almiron as an increasingly fractious contest entered its final quarter, but the visitors held firm to claim a creditable draw.
Fulham 2 Southampton 1
Southampton will begin 2023 at the foot of the Premier League after a last-gasp Joao Palhinha goal condemned them to a 2-1 defeat at Fulham.
James Ward-Prowse thought he had secured a first point under new Saints boss Nathan Jones after scoring a free-kick to cancel out his own own-goal.
But Palhinha struck a minute from time with a far-post header to leave Southampton rock bottom.
Fulham, meanwhile, will end the year as top dogs in west London after climbing above Chelsea and Brentford, despite top-scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic missing a stoppage-time penalty.
Fittingly it was their first home match since the death of their 1966 World Cup-winning full-back George Cohen, and a moving tribute was paid, with former boss Roy Hodgson and Cohen’s son Anthony laying wreaths.
Pele was also remembered before kick-off, and Saints striker Che Adams immediately tried to emulate the Brazil great with a shot from near the halfway line as Cottagers goalkeeper Bernd Leno was out of his goal.
He succeeded too as, just like Pele’s famous effort against Czechoslovakia, the ball drifted wide.
Fulham were exerting more pressure, though, and took the lead in the 33rd minute.
Willian lifted a corner to the edge of the penalty area from where the lurking Pereira hit a volley which deflected off Ward-Prowse’s shin and looped into the net.
Pereira almost doubled the lead after the break when he met Bobby Decordova-Reid’s cross at the near post, but he could not steer it on target.
Instead Southampton equalised after Decordova-Reid committed the cardinal sin, fouling Adams in the perfect range for Ward-Prowse.
The England international duly obliged, curling a superb effort from 22 yards over the wall and past the diving Leno.
Kenny Tete could have put Fulham back in front after a spill by Saints keeper Gavin Bazunu, but the full-back shanked his shot wide.
Both teams pressed for a winner, and it was Fulham who snatched it at the death.
After the VAR had checked and ruled out a Fulham penalty claim, Tete headed on Pereira’s corner and Palhinha nodded it home.
Then, in stoppage time, a combination of Bazunu and Lyanco wiped out Dan James, but the Saints keeper kept out Mitrovic’s spot-kick.
Bournemouth 0 Crystal Palace 2
Crystal Palace picked up three vital points with a 2-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Both goals for Palace, who had failed to register any shots on target in their Boxing Day loss to Fulham, came from first-half set pieces.
Jordan Ayew opened the scoring when he nodded in a corner from Michael Olise, who also set up Eberechi Eze for the Eagles’ second.
