The English Premier League (EPL) league table continues to get intense with each passing matchday. This past weekend produced some interesting results.
Newcastle 1-0 Everton
Newcastle and Southampton sealed important wins in the Premier League on Wednesday. The Magpies beat a feisty but lacking-in-ideas Everton to solidify their spot in fifth position in the table, and Southampton won a south-coast derby against Bournemouth to pull away from the relegation zone to 14th. Elsewhere, there was focus on the behaviour of Cristiano Ronaldo. Everton pushed for an equaliser in the second half but struggled to apply any real pressure to the goal of Nick Pope, mustering just one shot – off target – in the entirety of the match. They sit 15th having scored just eight goals in 11 games – only Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Wolves have scored fewer this season.
Man United 2-0 Tottenham
Goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes in the second half were enough for Manchester United to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Premier League at Old Trafford. The win laid down a marker in the battle for top four and beyond and was the best performance of the Erik ten Hag era. Tottenham produced a tame performance and missed the opportunity to apply pressure to Arsenal, who sit top of the table. United saw out the remainder of the game easily enough, looking more likely to score a third than Spurs did a first. They are moving in the right direction; despite their loftier league position, the same cannot be said of Spurs.
Leicester 2-0 Leeds United
Leicester moved off the bottom of the Premier League table with a 2-0 win over Leeds to ease some pressure on manager Brendan Rodgers. A Robin Koch own goal and a Harvey Barnes strike following a fine team move were enough to see Rodgers’ side secure a vital win in their bid to climb the Premier League table. For Leeds, their wait for their first Premier League win since August continues and have now registered three defeats in a row. The Leicester defender was aggressive in his defending and it paid off as his man marking of Patrick Bamford prevented the striker from being used as a focal point for Leeds to build attacks. Combining well with Daniel Amartey as a duo, substitute Rodrigo was also neutralised.
Other Results:
Brighton 0-0 Nottingham Forest
Crystal Palace 2-1 Wolves
Bournemouth 0-1 Chelsea
Fulham 3-0 Aston Villa
