Liverpool forward Sadio Mane celebrates his last gasp winner with teammate Oxlade-Chamberlain

By Temisan Amoye, Lagos

The Premier League returned for Matchday 11, with a lunchtime kick-off which saw Man United lose by a lone goal to Bournemouth. League hopefuls Liverpool and Man City had to dig deep to avoid disappointment. And it wrapped up with Chelsea securing an away win at Watford.

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Match 1, Bournemouth 1-0 Manchester United, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth

Bournemouth secured a vital win over Manchester United, thanks to ex-red devil Josh King’s goal on the stroke of half-time. Clinching their first win in six attempts. Man United struggled to get anything out of the game, with youngster Mason Greenwood coming closest to securing a point for his team, hitting the post late on.

Bournemouth move up to sixth, facing Newcastle in Matchday 12. Meanwhile, Solksjaer’s United dropped to eighth, with their focus on making amends in Thursday’s Europa League tie against Partizan Belgrade.

Match 2, Arsenal 1-1 Wolves, Emirates Stadium, London

The return of Mesut Ozil to the starting XI against Wolves could do only so much, with the Gunners playing a 1-1 draw against Wolves. Striker Aubameyang scored his 50th goal for Arsenal, when he gave them the lead in the 21st minute. Wolves dominated the second half, forcing Leno into numerous saves.

Their efforts would pay off in the 76th minute when Raul Jimenez popped up with a header to score the equalizer. The result sees Wolves climb up to 11th, with the Gunners staying in 5th place.

Match 3,  Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool, Villa Park, Birmingham

Senegalese forward Sadio Mane inspired Liverpool to secure a late comeback victory against Aston Villa. Villa took the lead in the 21st minute through Mohammed Trezeguet. Liverpool dominated all areas but would have to wait till the 87th minute, where fullback Robertson scored a header from a Mane cross.

Mane scored the winner in the 4th minute of added time, where he flicked a header from an Alexander-Arnold cross into the far post, to secure a late victory for Liverpool.

The result sees Klopp’s men maintain their six-point lead over rivals Man City, going into their crunch with the Cityzens at Anfield in Matchday 12. Aston Villa face Wolves next, with the Villans hoping to secure a better result.

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Match 4,  Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 Norwich City,  AMEX Stadium, Brighton

Brighton continued their fine form with a 2-0 win over struggling Norwich. Brighton took the lead in the 68th minute when Belgian winger Leandro Trossard tapped in a Montoya cross. 

Trossard would be involved in another Brighton goal when his freekick was diverted into the net by Brighton defender Shane Duffy. Trossard capped a brilliant cameo off the bench, registering a goal and assist to secure a vital win for Brighton.

Match 5, Manchester City 2-1 Southampton, Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Man City had to dig deep to secure a 2-1 victory against Southampton. The Saints took the lead in the 14th minute through a Ward-Prowse tap in. Despite dominating possession and creating chances, it took until the 70th minute for City to equalize. Sergio Aguero scored his 9th league goal to break Saint hearts.

City continued to pile the pressure and were rewarded in the 86th minute when Kyle Walker’s outstretched foot gave City the lead. Man City take the trip to Anfield to face title rivals Liverpool, while Southampton host Everton at Saint Mary’s

Match 6,  Sheffield United 3-0 Burnley, Bramall Lane, Sheffield

Sheffield continued their impressive form with a 3-0 victory over Burnley. The blades secured victory in the first half when 2 goals from John Lundstram and Fleck gave them a three-goal with Lys Mousset setting up all three goals.

Both sides went on to endure a scoreless second half. The victory sees Sheffield climb up to an incredible 6th place. With the blades performing beyond expectation.

Match 7,  West Ham United 2-3 Newcastle United, London Stadium, London

An incredible game saw Newcastle race up to a three-goal lead against West Ham. Defenders Clark and Fernandez gave Newcastle a two-goal lead by halftime. Jonjo Shelvey made it 3-0 with a superb freekick in the 51st minute.

West Ham pulled two goals back through Balbuena and Snodgrass but were unable to secure a comeback. With the hammers now winless in 5 games in the league, giving West Ham real cause for concern. Newcastle will be hoping they can build up from this victory, which has seen Newcastle pull clear of the relegation zone to 15th place

 

Match 8,  18:30 pm:  Watford (20th) vs Chelsea (4th), Vicarage Road, Watford

Chelsea secured their fifth successive Premier League victory with a 2-1 victory over Watford. Tammy Abraham gave Chelsea the lead in the 5th minute, taking his premier league goal tally to an impressive 9 goals in 11 matches. Pulisic doubled Chelsea’s lead in the 55th minute.

Watford having struggled for goals all season, were awarded a penalty which Gerard Deulofeu converted in the 80th minute.  The blues held on till fulltime.

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