LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) – Manchester City came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday in a pulsating Premier League encounter at Anfield.
After struggling against a dominant City in the first half, Liverpool took the lead in the 59th minute when Mohamed Salah threaded the ball through to Sadio Mane who confidently fired past goalkeeper Ederson.
But City were on level terms 10 minutes later when Gabriel Jesus cut in from the right, leaving four Liverpool defenders behind before finding Phil Foden who drilled the ball into the far, bottom corner.
Salah then restored Liverpool’s lead with a stunning individual goal, twisting and turning to lose Joao Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte before firing home.
Once again, though, City responded — Foden again finding space on the left and pulling the ball back to Kevin De Bruyne whose curling shot took a slight deflection off Joel Matip and beat keeper Alisson.
Wissa grabs last-gasp winner as Brentford beat West Ham
Substitute Yoane Wissa struck a dramatic 94th-minute winner to give Brentford a 2-1 victory over West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday as the promoted side continued their superb start to life in the Premier League.
The game seemed to be heading for a draw before Wissa scored through the crowd from eight yards out after Lukasz Fabianski had punched away a towering header from Pontus Jansson.
“It was very good… I know I needed one chance to score. It’s a good feeling, good atmosphere, very happy for the fans… it was now or never because we had too many chances to score in the first half,” said Wissa, who signed from Ligue 1 club Lorient in the summer.
Brentford flew out of the blocks and almost netted twice in the opening exchanges before Bryan Mbeumo made the pressure count in the 20th minute when he slotted home after Fabianski could only parry a low drive from Sergi Canos.
“We deserved to be up in the first half. We defended well in the box,” said Brentford manager Thomas Frank.
Son shines as Tottenham end streak with win over Villa
South Korean Son did not add to his three league goals this season but produced a tireless display and his two assists ensured Tottenham will head into the international break with their tails up after a sticky patch.
His clever pass set up Pierre-Emile Hojberg for Tottenham’s opener in the 27th minute and shortly after Villa had drawn level he again left a Villa defending trailing in his wake to deliver a cross that Matt Targett turned into his own net.
Ollie Watkins celebrated his recall to the England squad with Villa’s leveller — his first league goal of the campaign.
Tottenham are still clearly a work in progress under Nuno Espirito Santo, but the performance was a vast improvement on last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at local rivals Arsenal — a third successive loss in which they conceded three goals.
Victory lifted Tottenham into eighth spot with 12 points while Villa, whose three-match unbeaten league run ended, slipped to 10th with 10 points.
“We needed a win but a well-deserved win. We did a good match against tough opponents. Important for us, the boys and the fans. We reacted well after conceding and positive in a lot of ways,” Espirito Santo said.
“Many times we conceded and go flat but this time the team did well. We missed chances to kill the game.”
There was a nervousness about Tottenham in the opening exchanges but Villa were not able to take advantage and the hosts grew in confidence.
Kane was close to a spectacular opening goal with a quickly-taken free kick from the halfway line which had Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez back-pedalling to keep out.
Son also fired over before he combined with Hojberg down the right and slid a pass across for the Dane to place a side-foot shot into the bottom corner.
Villa began the second half well and Targett had a goalbound effort blocked by Cristian Romero, who impressed after being selected ahead of Davinson Sanchez.
Son volleyed over from a cross by Emerson Royal and out-muscled Ezri Konsa down the left but had his effort from a narrow angle blocked by Martinez.
Villa left back Targett was in the thick of the action and it was his low cross that allowed Watkins to nip in front of Eric Dier to score in the 67th minute.
All eyes were on how a fragile Tottenham would react but thanks to Son they did so in style.
Played in down the left by Sergio Reguilon he left Kortney Hause trailing before threading a low cross to Moura and Targett’s desperate intervention sent the ball into the net.
Kane, who scored a hat-trick against NS Mura in the Europa Conference League in midweek, had chances to kill the game off but was unusually hesitant and the England striker’s six-game streak without a Premier League goal is his worst run since the 2015-16 campaign.
“I didn’t think there was an awful lot in the match,” Villa boss Dean Smith said. “They had the outstanding player on the pitch in Son Heung-min, he set up the winner and caused us problems all game.”
Palace fight back to secure 2-2 draw with Leicester
Crystal Palace fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 home draw with Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday, as substitutes Michael Olise and Jeffrey Schlupp cancelled out first-half goals by Kelechi Iheanacho and Jamie Vardy.
Leicester were in cruise control after two howlers by Palace centre back Joachim Andersen but the hosts looked the more likely winners after a superb second-half fightback.
The result left Leicester 13th in the table on eight points with Palace one point behind them in 14th.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers was furious after seeing his team throw away a two-goal advantage.
“It is a disappointing result,” he told Sky Sports. “I think we went in front against the run of play but I thought we always looked a threat.
“Throughout the game we didn’t look solid defensively in our final 25 yards of the pitch. So that is something that the international break gives us a chance to reflect on.”
Iheanacho, celebrating his 25th birthday, fired Leicester ahead in the 31st minute when he robbed Andersen of the ball and steered it past goalkeeper Vicente Guaita from the edge of the penalty area.
Another error by the Danish defender allowed Vardy to double the lead six minutes later as he slotted the ball inside the near post after Andersen failed to cut out a Harvey Barnes pass into the area.
The 34-year old Vardy became only the second player to score 90 Premier League goals after turning 30, three fewer than former Arsenal striker Ian Wright.
Olise was instrumental in Palace’s comeback as he netted his first Premier League goal shortly after coming on for Jordan Ayew, and he also had a hand in the equaliser.
The 19-year old, who joined Palace from Championship side Reading during the close season, volleyed home his own rebound from 12 metres after a Palace defender had blocked his initial attempt in the 61st minute.
Incessant Palace pressure bore fruit again 11 minutes later as the visiting defence failed to clear Olise’s cross and the ball fell kindly to Schlupp, who powered a close-range header past Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Schlupp almost scored another against his former club when he headed wide and the visitors were hanging on in stoppage time.
“It is one of those things, I got my first goal against my old club which is what I wanted to do when I came on,” he said. “It is nice to get a goal and rescue a point.
Reuters
Photo Manchester City’s goalkeeper Ederson (L) in action against Sadio Mane (C) of Liverpool during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City in Liverpool, Britain, 03 October 2021. EPA-EFE/Andrew Yates
