Prime of the desk is left unchanged, as Metropolis, Liverpool and Chelsea all safe victory from the penalty spot.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND (REUTERS) – Premier League leaders Manchester Metropolis and title challengers Liverpool and Chelsea all wanted penalties to safe victories on Saturday (Dec 11), leaving the highest of the desk unchanged.
Manchester Metropolis beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on the Etihad because of a Raheem Sterling spot kick after a controversial penalty award.
Liverpool additionally received by a single objective in opposition to Aston Villa, managed by former Anfield favorite Steven Gerrard, with the guests upset on the determination to award a penalty when Mohamed Salah went down within the field earlier than changing the 67th-minute winner.
A Cristiano Ronaldo penalty within the seventy fifth minute helped Manchester United to an unconvincing 1-0 win at backside crew Norwich Metropolis, their second successive league victory below interim supervisor Ralf Rangnick.
Chelsea midfielder Jorginho scored twice from the spot, together with a stoppage-time winner, as Thomas Tuchel’s facet beat Leeds United 3-2 at Stamford Bridge.
England ahead Sterling’s one hundredth Premier League objective was simply sufficient to earn leaders Metropolis victory over 10-man Wolves.
Wolves had restricted Metropolis within the opening interval earlier than their striker Raul Jimenez’s dismissal for 2 yellow playing cards in fast succession in first-half stoppage time shifted the chances in opposition to them.
Metropolis dominated from then on, edging in entrance via Sterling’s penalty – a choice that required a prolonged VAR verify – within the 66th minute, with the ball putting Joao Moutinho.
Referee Jon Moss dominated the ball had hit the Portuguese midfielder’s arm and though the tv pictures urged it had struck him within the higher ribs, VAR backed the on-field determination.
At Anfield, there was a surprisingly low-key reception for Gerrard, the Liverpool-born former captain and Champions League winner, earlier than a recreation the place his Villa crew set about irritating the house facet.
Liverpool dominated the primary half with Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez doing effectively to save lots of efforts from Andy Robertson and Salah.
After the break, Martinez produced a superb reflex cease to maintain out a robust header from Virgil van Dijk however Liverpool’s stress lastly paid off when Salah went down within the field below problem from Tyrone Mings.
The Egyptian fired house an unstoppable spot-kick to safe the win for Juergen Klopp’s facet.
“We have misplaced to a tender penalty as a result of when you watch it correctly, Tyrone’s been fouled first,” stated Gerrard.
“The disappointing factor is that the referee hasn’t gone to take a look at it,” he added.
Chelsea might ailing afford one other slip-up, after final week’s loss at West Ham United, however they had been pushed all the best way by Leeds, earlier than ending up with a 3-2 house win.
Leeds went forward in opposition to the run of play within the twenty eighth minute when Daniel James went down below a problem by Marcos Alonso to win a penalty that Brazilian playmaker Raphinha stroked house.
However the Blues clawed their manner again into the sport when Alonso, attempting to atone for his earlier error, stole the ball from Stuart Dallas, exchanged passes with Timo Werner and crossed for Mason Mount to attain with a first-time angled shot.
Tuchel’s males turned the sport round when referee Chris Kavanagh, after a VAR verify, awarded them a penalty after a Raphinha problem on Antonio Rudiger and Jorginho fired excessive into the online.
Chelsea had been then caught out within the 83rd minute when 19-year-old Joe Gelhardt, barely on the sector in its place, related with a Tyler Roberts cross to attain his first league objective.
Simply when the Blues regarded like they’d slipped additional behind within the title race, Rudiger went down below a problem by Mateusz Klich and Jorginho slotted house.
United lacked concepts at Norwich, with house keeper Tim Krul making two high quality saves within the second half earlier than Ronaldo received and transformed his spot-kick in opposition to the second-half run of play.
A late save by David De Gea and a last-gasp intervention by substitute Eric Bailly denied Norwich a draw, lifting United to fifth place within the standings behind fourth-placed West Ham on objective distinction.
Arsenal weathered storms on and off the pitch earlier than coasting to a 3-0 Premier League win over Southampton on Saturday as boss Mikel Arteta dropped captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the match-day squad for disciplinary causes.
Southampton had been on high within the early levels however the Gunners broke via within the twenty first minute with Alexandre Lacazette ending off a sweeping break.
Objectives from midfielder Martin Odegaard and defender Gabriel made positive of the win for Arsenal, who’re sixth on 26 factors.
