Premier League: Nottingham Forest 2 Brighton 3
Evan Ferguson scored as 10-man Brighton ended their six-game winless run in the Premier League by beating Nottingham Forest 3-2 in a drama-filled encounter at the City Ground.
Injuries and their Europa League exertions had caught up with the Seagulls as they last won against Bournemouth at the end of September, but they put that right in testing circumstances.
They fell behind to Anthony Elanga’s early opener but were in total control after Ferguson’s fine goal and Joao Pedro’s double put them 3-1 up.
But the complexion of the game changed when VAR advised referee Anthony Taylor to give Forest a penalty, with Brighton skipper Lewis Dunk seeing red for his over-zealous protest.
Morgan Gibbs-White scored from the spot but Forest could not find a leveller and Brighton held on for a much-needed win, which keeps them on the shoulder of the top seven.
For Forest this was a first home defeat in the Premier League since April and with just one win in the last nine games, boss Steve Cooper might be starting to feel the pressure.
His side enjoyed the perfect start as they went ahead inside the opening three minutes.
Gibbs-White picked the ball up on the right and surged forward before sending in a cross which was perfect for Elanga to head back across goal into the far corner.
It could have been a platform for Forest to build on but they did not take the opportunity and the visitors began to get a foothold in the game.
The hosts created their first chance in the 18th minute when Billy Gilmour was teed up on the edge of the penalty area, but he shot straight at Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Ferguson made no such mistake in the 26th minute as he pulled Brighton level with a fine finish.
Pascal Gross fizzed a ball into him on the edge of the area, he took a touch and then curled a sublime finish into the bottom corner.
The Seagulls continued to look the better side and went ahead in first-half added time.
Pedro ghosted in late to meet Gross’ cross with a thumping header as the £30 million-man scored for the first time in the league since September.
Things got even better for Brighton just before the hour as they made it 3-1 from the penalty spot.
Chris Wood needlessly tugged Pedro to the floor and the striker picked himself up and converted with ease.
The drama arrived in the 69th minute as Callum Hudson-Odoi was barged over by Jack Hinshelwood, though referee Taylor chose not to award the penalty.
He was advised to check his pitchside monitor by VAR official Graham Scott and subsequently changed his decision.
Seagulls captain Dunk did not take the news well and earned two yellow cards in the space of 21 seconds for dissent but took much longer before he eventually left the field.
After some pushing and shoving in the penalty area, Gibbs-White kept his calm to convert the penalty almost seven minutes after the foul was awarded.
That set up a grandstand finish and Forest thought they had snatched a point in the last minute of 10 added on but Bart Verbruggen palmed away Ryan Yates’ header.
Newcastle 4 Chelsea 1
Newcastle produced a stunning second-half display as the Magpies halted Chelsea’s Premier League momentum with a 4-1 win at St James’ Park.
Jamaal Lascelles’ first-half error handed Raheem Sterling the chance to cancel out Alexander Isak’s opener with a superb free-kick, but the Newcastle skipper gave his side the lead with a bullet header on the hour.
Joelinton then pounced on Thiago Silva’s blunder on the day he became the Blues’ oldest ever outfield player at 39 years and 64 days.
The excellent Anthony Gordon produced a fine solo effort seven minutes from time to seal a thumping win, the perfect response to the Magpies’ 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth before the international break.
That it was achieved without 13 senior players – Joe Willock and Emil Krafth joined the casualty list on the eve of the game – will have been a source of huge satisfaction for head coach Eddie Howe.
The vast majority of a crowd of 52,227 left with smiles on their faces, but wondering what team Howe will be able to field at Paris St Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, who had seen his side score eight goals against Tottenham and Manchester City in their previous two games, looked on as a positive first half dissolved into chaos with full-back Reece James receiving his marching orders late on for two bookable offences.
Newcastle were ahead with 13 minutes gone when Gordon recycled Kieran Trippier’s cross beyond the far post and picked out youngster Lewis Miley on the edge of the box via a deft touch from Joelinton.
The 17-year-old slid a neat pass into Isak’s feet and the striker turned smartly before firing past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
However, the visitors were back in it within 10 minutes when, after Lascelles had been dispossessed inside the visitors’ half, Nicolas Jackson played Sterling into the space he had vacated and the winger’s run towards goal was halted illegally by Trippier.
Sterling took charge of the resulting free-kick and curled it superbly over the wall and into the net with Pope rooted to the spot – the first league goal he had conceded at St James’ in 383 minutes of football.
Pope had to be at his best to turn away Enzo Fernandez’s effort after a flowing counter-attack sparked by Conor Gallagher in which James was twice involved and defender Benoit Badiashile headed straight at the keeper from the resulting corner.
But Pope was fortunate to escape when he scuffed a 36th-minute clearance straight to Gallagher and was relieved to see him make equally poor contact with his attempt at goal.
Trippier very nearly matched Sterling’s brilliance with 43rd-minute free-kick which rattled the crossbar as a rousing half drew to its conclusion.
The Magpies regained the lead on the hour when Trippier opted to play the latest in a series of free-kicks square to Bruno Guimaraes rather than into the box and he and Joelinton combined to feed Gordon, whose pinpoint cross was headed home by the unmarked Lascelles.
Newcastle increased their lead within two minutes when Silva’s miskick presented Joelinton with a chance to run in on goal and smash the ball past the helpless Sanchez.
James’ afternoon got worse with 17 minutes remaining when, having earlier been booked for dissent, he received a second yellow card for a foul on Gordon and was dismissed.
Fabian Schar would have made it 4-1 but for a fine one-handed save by Sanchez, but there was nothing the Spain international could do to keep out Gordon’s inch-perfect 83rd-minute strike.
Luton Town 2 Crystal Palace 1
Luton won for the second time in the Premier League this season as substitute Jacob Brown’s dramatic late goal earned a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Kenilworth Road.
A stolid match burst suddenly to life 18 minutes from time when defender Teden Mengi blasted Rob Edwards’ side into the lead from a corner, just reward for the pressure they had put Palace under in the second half.
Michael Oliseh levelled within seconds for the visitors, a brilliant goal that deserved more than to be in a losing cause.
But Luton, buoyed by the 10-point deduction handed to Everton this week, roared back, sealing a first top-flight home win in more than 30 years when Brown nipped between defender and goalkeeper seven minutes from time to nick it.
The hosts dominated the ball in the opening 20 minutes but with little clear idea of how to hurt Palace.
The visitors by contrast were superior in possession and almost made it count after 23 minutes.
Eberechi Eze blasted low from range and brought a diving save from Thomas Kaminski, with the goalkeeper up quickly to deny Jeffrey Schlupp on the rebound with a superb block.
Amari’i Bell thumped a speculative drive from all of 40 yards that Sam Johnstone took the sting out of well with two solid palms.
It encapsulated Luton’s approach in the first period as they found the route to goal, both out wide and centrally, barred by an organised Palace rearguard.
Tom Lockyer tripped Eze 20 yards out to give Palace a final shot at breaking the deadlock before half-time, but the forward’s free-kick lacked the power to beat Kaminski who saved comfortably.
It was the kind of tame, ponderous effort that a languid first half had deserved.
Cheick Doucoure left the field on a stretcher shortly after half-time, having gone down off the ball. It seemed to unsettle Palace and Luton were quickly on top, Chiedozie Ogbene coming to life down the left with a series of driving runs.
Odsonne Edouard put the ball in the net with a cool finish on the rebound after Lockyer blocked his initial shot, but VAR intervened, ruling the striker had handled the ball as it clipped up off the Luton skipper.
A goal at that stage for Palace would have been completely against the run of play.
When Luton’s goal arrived minutes later, it was utterly deserved.
Alfie Doughty’s corner was floated over left-footed and arrived in a cluster of bodies eight yards out. As heads flew towards the ball, Mengi peeled away in anticipation at the far post and, as it dropped at his feet, he showed consummate cool to take a touch and drive it low across goal into the corner.
There was barely time to assess what three points might do for Luton’s survival hopes before Palace equalised, Oliseh showing why the club strived so hard to keep him in the summer with a sublime solo goal, stepping in off the left and bending a cool, arching finish high past Kaminski.
But Luton were not done and it was Palace’s tormentor Ogbene who made the goal that would win it.
His cross from the right pitched awkwardly inside the box but should nevertheless have been a simple mop-up job for Joachim Andersen.
Instead, the defender allowed the ball to run across him and there darting between him and the goalkeeper was Brown, lunging in to prod Luton back in front.
Andersen had the chance to make amends when he shot low towards Kaminski’s near post, the keeper turning it behind well with a strong right foot, before Jefferson Lerma hit a post in stoppage time.
But Luton held on to put life into their survival bid.
Burnley 1 West Ham 2
Tomas Soucek’s stoppage-time volley condemned Burnley to a seventh-consecutive home defeat as Vincent Kompany’s struggling side conceded two in the space of five minutes to lose 2-1 to West Ham.
For much of the second half it seemed as though Jay Rodriguez’s 49th-minute penalty was going to earn the Clarets a vital win and lift them off the bottom of the Premier League table.
But an 87th-minute own goal from Dara O’Shea, under pressure from West Ham teenager Divin Mubama, levelled it before Soucek volleyed home a second in the first of seven minutes added on.
It was cruel on Burnley, who had largely contained a West Ham side devoid of inspiration without the injured Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio, but just when their fans thought they could celebrate a first home league win since May, it all fell apart at the death.
A side that broke records on their way to the Championship crown last term are now making too much unwanted history, with this loss seeing them match Newport’s 53-year-old record of starting a league campaign with seven home defeats.
Burnley narrowly shaded a fairly dismal first half, but ended it frustrated after Luca Koleosho’s penalty appeals were waved away six minutes before the break.
The teenager ran into the box and tumbled over the dangling leg of Vladimir Coufal but referee Sam Barratt, perfectly positioned, pointed for a goal-kick, deeming that Koleosho had run into the Czech defender, a view upheld by VAR Craig Pawson.
Koleosho and Burnley would get their penalty just two minutes into the second half. The Italy youth international appeared to have hit a dead end as he faced four West Ham players but – as he tried to turn away – he was caught on the heel by Mohammed Kudus and this time Barratt pointed to the spot.
Rodriguez had to hold his nerve through a VAR check but then fired his penalty under the dive of Alphonse Areola for his first goal of the season.
West Ham were forced to wake from their slumbers as the game finally came to life.
O’Shea blocked Soucek’s shot after a free-kick from deep, then Sander Berge got in the way of James Ward-Prowse’s shot following a long throw-in. Another set-piece came to Lucas Paqueta, but his powerful volley was still rising as it sailed over.
Burnley had chances to score what would surely have been a decisive second. Zeki Amdouni won possession on the right and charged into the box, forcing Areola into a sharp save at his near post.
Substitute Aaron Ramsey then went close to making an instant impact in the 73rd minute, springing forward down the right side and cutting in towards goal, only to send his shot over.
West Ham fans had been singing the name of Mubama before he replaced the largely-anonymous Danny Ings just after the hour, and the 19-year-old helped as West Ham turned up the wick late on.
Kurt Zouma blazed high and wide from Paqueta’s cross before substitute Said Benrahma failed to get enough bend on a curling shot, but the pressure was building.
And it paid off when Kudus got to the byline and pulled the ball back towards Mubama, with the ball bouncing in off the unlucky O’Shea.
Burnley were still reeling from that when West Ham won it at the death, as Soucek met another Kudus cross with a superb volley.
Sheffield United 1 Bournemouth 3
Marcus Tavernier fired a double as Bournemouth dismantled Sheffield United to win 3-1 at Bramall Lane and maintain their resurgence under Andoni Iraola.
Tavernier struck early in both halves, his brace sandwiching Justin Kluivert’s first Premier League goal, while the impressive Cherries could have won by a bigger margin.
Substitute Oli McBurnie headed a stoppage-time consolation for the Blades, who remain in the relegation zone.
Bournemouth cruised to their first league win on the road this season and made it three victories in four top-flight matches to climb seven points clear of the bottom three.
The Blades had followed up their recent first Premier League win of the season against Wolves with a 1-1 draw at Brighton before the international break but were a distant second best.
Bournemouth bounced back from a 6-1 thrashing at Manchester City by beating Newcastle 2-0 at home in their previous match and their confidence was soon apparent as they were rewarded with a 12th-minute lead.
Antoine Semenyo cut in from the right and his ball into the box found Tavernier, who evaded his marker with a neat first touch before burying a shot under Wes Foderingham.
Tavernier went close to adding his second goal of the season moments later when he was foiled by Jack Robinson’s last-ditch tackle.
Bournemouth continued to dominate and Kluivert, son of former Netherlands striker Patrick, was a fraction away when he fired into the side-netting following Tavernier’s clever step-over.
The visitors threatened again as in-form striker Dominic Solanke flashed a near-post volley wide.
The Blades became increasingly ragged and Tavernier, who could have had a first-half hat-trick, fired over after more good work from Semenyo.
Paul Heckingbottom’s side regained a semblance of composure as half-time approached but that was undone in first-half stoppage time by Foderingham’s costly error.
The Blades goalkeeper dallied as he collected a long punt forward outside his area and was dispossessed by Kluivert, who then stroked the ball into an empty net.
The Blades were booed off at the interval and the home fans vented their frustration again six minutes after the restart when Bournemouth added their third goal to put the game to bed.
Adam Smith clipped in an excellent cross from the right when left unopposed and Tavernier ghosted in at the far post to side-foot home.
James McAtee fired wide for the Blades following a goalmouth scramble but Bournemouth threatened to add to their tally.
Foderingham kept out further efforts from Semenyo, Kluivert, Ryan Christie and substitute Luis Sinisterra while tempers flared in the 69th minute, with George Baldock, Robinson and Bournemouth substitute Philip Billing all booked after a melee.
McBurnie’s late header was scant consolation for the Blades, who slipped to their 10th league defeat of the season.
