Arsenal - Bournemouth 3-2
Manchester City’s victory earlier in the day meant that the Gunners could ill afford to slip up here as they looked to restore their five-point lead at the PL summit. However, it was the worst possible start for Mikel Arteta’s men, as strugglers Bournemouth sensationally took the lead directly from kick-off. January signing Dango Ouattara caught the back four by surprise, as he surged towards goal and slid the ball across the frantic Arsenal box. Billing was first to react, and he tapped in past Aaron Ramsdale to put the Cherries ahead. Clocked at just nine seconds, the strike was Bournemouth’s fastest ever, and the earliest of the PL season so far.
Arsenal were immediately on the attack, and Neto was forced into making a fantastic double save to deny both Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka. In spite of Arsenal’s overwhelming dominance of the ball, the visitors went toe-to-toe for chances in the first half. Ouattara almost went from creator to goalscorer following a scintillating counter, but this time Ramsdale was able to pull off a fantastic save.
A slender one-goal lead looked like a daunting prospect for the side with the worst defensive record in the division to hang onto, but Bournemouth were soon rewarded with an unlikely second. Having scored in their recent draw with Newcastle, Marcos Senesi got on the end of an excellent Joe Rothwell corner delivery and glanced it into the net. Arsenal, who had won their last eight matches against newly promoted sides, never relented, and they rallied to make it a ninth, netting two goals in quick succession. First, Emile Smith Rowe headed a tentatively cleared corner back towards goal, finding Thomas Partey who made no mistake. Inspired, the home side got their equaliser when Reiss Nelson found Ben White at the far post, and his shot made it over the line despite the best efforts of Neto.
With a late winner in the offing, the roars of the home crowd turned from hopeful to expectant, and Arsenal were able to unbelievably complete the comeback eight minutes into stoppage time. Nelson, having already assisted the equaliser, fired a wicked strike from the edge of the box into the far corner of the net, sending the Emirates into dreamland. The victory for Arsenal will be treated with a degree of relief, as they avoid the scare and retain their PL lead.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Philip Billing (AFC Bournemouth)
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Aston Villa - Crystal Palace 1-0
Coming into the contest having failed to score a first-half goal since New Year’s Eve, the visitors thought they’d made the dream start within five minutes. However, Wilfred Zaha - back in the side after recovering from injury - saw his well-taken strike ruled out for a marginal offside. Grateful for the reprieve, Villa soon began to dominate possession, and deservedly found the breakthrough in the 27th minute, when Matty Cash’s dangerous low cross was diverted into his own net by Joachim Andersen.
Backed by the fervent home support, the Villans looked to extend their lead before HT, with Palace offering very little in the final third. Ollie Watkins - having become the first Villa player to net in five consecutive PL matches last week - spurned a glorious chance to double the hosts’ advantage, firing narrowly wide when well-placed in the box.
The second half began in cagey fashion, with neither side able to stamp their authority on proceedings. This suited Villa, who were handed a major boost on the hour mark when Cheick Doucouré picked up a second booking for an ugly challenge on Calum Chambers. Armed with the numerical advantage, the hosts went in pursuit of another goal to put the game beyond Palace, but Vicente Guaita stood firm to deny a low strike from John McGinn.
With time ticking into the final 10 minutes, Villa looked to see out the closing stages, and despite a late rally from the visitors, they comfortably managed to do so, securing a hard-fought, but well-deserved three points. The result sees Villa move seven points ahead of Crystal Palace in mid-table, as the struggling Eagles continue to search for their first PL victory of 2023.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Matty Cash (Aston Villa)
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Brighton - West Ham 4-0
Jason Steele was making his second-ever PL appearance, while Alphonse Areola was making his first league start since January 2022. The latter was the first to be worked, as Solly March danced through West Ham’s passive defence before unleashing a strike that was parried by the Frenchman. There was a blow for Brighton, as Tariq Lamptey was forced off through injury inside a quarter-hour. The mood was soon lifted at the Amex Stadium, though, as Jarrod Bowen clumsily brought Kaoru Mitoma down for a penalty that Alexis Mac Allister confidently converted, scoring his first PL goal since winning the FIFA World Cup.
Bowen had an opportunity to make amends when the ball fell fortuitously into his path, although he fired straight at Steele. That proved to be a rare moment of hope for the Hammers in a timid first-half display, with Brighton soon back in complete control as they moved the ball around well, entering HT having held 76% of possession, while Adam Webster and Lewis Dunk stood strong whenever called upon.
After Mac Allister was unable to convert two opportunities early in the second period, he won the flick-on for Joël Veltman to chest home as West Ham calamitously conceded from a corner for the first time in the PL this season. The Hammers’ frustrations showed around the hour mark as they picked up three bookings in four minutes, although that never translated to them troubling Brighton. Instead, they were cut open by the Seagulls as March started a move that saw Pascal Groß tee up Mitoma.
The Hammers’ humiliation was capped off when Danny Welbeck scored with an impressive finish from the edge of the box, as Brighton recovered from taking one point in their previous two PL matches to boost their hopes of a maiden European campaign. Meanwhile, West Ham will travel to AEK Larnaca having lost three of their last four matches across all competitions. This defeat also leaves the Hammers one point above the relegation zone for now.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion)
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Chelsea - Leeds 1-0
Desperately lacking a goal-scoring touch of late, Chelsea started the game on the front foot as a Raheem Sterling-led counterattack ended with Illan Meslier brilliantly denying Kai Havertz when through on goal. Carrying much of the Blues’ threat, Sterling was again involved, this time cutting back to João Félix, who side-footed a bouncing ball onto the crossbar from the edge of the area. The Blues kept knocking on the Leeds door, but it was a familiar outcome in front of goal, with Ben Chillwell failing to catch a back-post volley cleanly.
The HT break did little to alter the pattern of play, with Sterling the next to misfire in front of goal. However, the Leeds backline could only hold out for so long, and Chelsea finally made their deserved breakthrough with 53 minutes on the clock, as Wesley Fofana rose highest to head in Chillwell’s corner. Having previously tasted victory on just one Premier League away trip this season, a Leeds turnaround looked improbable, yet the visitors remained in the contest as the clock ticked down.
Nevertheless, Potter’s side did enough to see out a much-needed victory and avoid recording the longest Chelsea winless streak since the 1994/95 campaign. Five points adrift from Fulham in seventh, the Blues remain in contention for European qualification. Meanwhile, Javi Gracia’s Leeds remain outside the bottom three on goal difference alone, nervously looking over their shoulder.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Raheem Sterling (Chelsea)
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Wolves - Tottenham 1-0
After a bright start for new coach Julen Lopetegui, three consecutive winless games meant his side hosted the North Londoners desperately in search of a spark. Spurs wanted to strengthen their position within the Premier League (PL) top four however, and there was little sign of a hangover from their FA Cup exit to second-tier Sheffield Utd in midweek, as they took control in the West Midlands.
Wolves’ indecisive backline were lucky to escape when Pedro Porro blasted wide, before Dejan Kulusevski drew a smart save out of José Sá as Spurs continued to flood their hosts’ penalty area in the opening 25 minutes. A physical first half was interrupted through a serious-looking injury to Diego Costa, and perhaps ironically, the extended pause seemed to benefit his side. The visitors eventually regained control however, and only the woodwork stopped them taking the lead on the brink of HT, as Porro’s free-kick slammed against the crossbar with Sá beaten.
Son Heung-min led his side’s second-half charge for an opener and was desperately unlucky to see an effort smash the underside of the bar after Harry Kane’s neat lay-off. Wolves looked content to threaten on the counter, and they nearly stunned their visitors on one such attack, with Nélson Semedo millimetres away from connecting with the ball as it fizzed across the area. A second period played at a magnificent tempo then saw Fraser Forster forced into a fine save from Raúl Jiménez’s headed effort, though it was the sight of the Mexican forward chasing back 60 yards to cut out a Tottenham attack that really displayed Wolves’ new-found hunger under Lopetegui.
His side left their counter-attack intentions behind and found themselves firmly on top in the finale as a typical Rúben Neves piledriver only just cleared the bar, before Matheus Cunha ought to have done better as he skewed wide from just 10 yards out. Wolves completely justified taking the lead when a goal arrived late on, as Traoré’s wonderful half-volley slammed into the net with help from the crossbar to secure a victory that might yet prove vital to their top-flight status.
Flashcore Man of the Match: Matheus Nunes (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
