Arne Slot’s Liverpool went top of the Premier League on Saturday night thanks to a hard fought 2-1 win away to struggling Wolves, while Manchester City were held to a draw at Newcastle.
Saturday’s results leave the Reds at the summit on 15 points with the Sky Blues and Arsenal on 14 and Chelsea a point further back.
Wolves started their game against Liverpool joint bottom of the table but they began brightly and had the first shot on goal when Matheus Cunha curled the ball into the grateful arms of Alisson. And Liverpool’s first shot on target came after the half hour when Mo Salah fed Trent Alexander-Arnold and the England man shot straight at Sam Johnstone.
But the Reds were ahead on the stroke of half time and it was centre back Ibrahima Konate , who scored against AC Milan in the Champions League, who rose to meet a brilliant Diego Jota cross and power his header home. Wolves are nothing if not fighters and they were back in the game on 56 minutes when Rayan Ait-Nouri poked the ball home after a scramble in the Liverpool box. But the Reds were ahead again within five minutes from the penalty spot. Nelson Semedo pulled Jota to the ground and Salah fired home the penalty to make it 2-1.
City pay the Penalty on Tyneside
The weekend’s Premier League football started with Newcastle at home to league leaders Manchester City and a chance for the Sky Blues to extend their lead at the top of the league table; but after taking a first half lead through Josko Gvardiol they were denied victory by a controversial penalty, won and scored by Anthony Gordon.
After good work from Jack Grealish, Gvardiol found the bottom left hand corner of Nick Pope’s net to send the Sky Blues into the break with their noses in front. But it didn’t take the hosts long to respond and there was more than a hint of doubt in the referee’s decision as Gordon raced through and fell as Ederson came out to challenge for the ball. There may have been the slightest of touches and that was enough for the officials to award Newcastle a penalty, which Gordon gleefully converted. The Magpies’ winger, playing up front in the absence of Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, has been known to win some crucial dead ball kicks with his ability to draw a foul and this effort was enough to earn to earn his team a point, as City dropped points for the second time this season. Pope was called into action to make stops from Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva but this was a lacklustre showing from the champions and manager Pep Guardiola will expect to see more from his side in the coming weeks.
The Premier League 2024 betting odds here at SBOTOP back the Sky Blues to retain their title but the news that midfield lynchpin Rodri is out for the season with an ACL injury was a huge blow to Manchester City this week and Guardiola has already been linked with a move for Torino’s midfielder Samuele Ricci, who is valued at around £30m after making a superb start to this season as Il Toro have marched to the top of the table. The 23 year old moved to Turin from Empoli in 2022 and has already won four caps for the Azzurri.
Injury time goals move Arsenal level with City
There was incredible drama at the Emirates where Arsenal beat Leicester City 4-2; but they relied on two late, late goals to win the points having already been pegged back from a two goal lead. The Gunners were ahead early on when Jurrien Timber, who has been in excellent form, drove a ball across the area and Gabriel Martinelli was there to sweep the ball past Mads Hermansen and into the net.
And then on the stroke of half time Martinelli slid the ball through to Leandro Trossard and he swept the ball home to give the Gunners a well deserved two goal lead.
The Foxes had been woeful in the first half but they were given hope on 47 minutes when James Justin’s header took a ricochet to beat David Raya. But if that was a scrappy goal Justin’s second was a beauty, the sweetest of volleys which flew past Raya to level the game with half an hour to play. Arsenal pressed and pressed and missed chance after chance as the clock ticked away, and they eventually broke through on 94 minutes when the Foxes midfield ace Wilfried Ndidi diverted a corner into his own net; and then Kai Havertz made the game safe on 99.
In other Premier League 2024 news, Chelsea went up to fourth with an impressive 4-2 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion; and there’s more action to come with Manchester United and Tottenham meeting on Sunday.
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