Brighton enjoyed another fruitful trip to Old Trafford on Sunday, while there were crucial wins for Everton and Nottingham Forest.
Brighton win again at old Trafford
Brighton recorded their third straight Premier League away win at Manchester United as second-half goals from Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter secured three points on a day of tributes to Denis Law at Old Trafford.
Rutter capitalised on an dismal error from United goalkeeper Andre Onana to seal it in the 76th minute after Mitoma had poked home from close range on the hour, securing a deserved win for the industrious Brighton.
Bruno Fernandes’s 23rd-minute penalty cancelled out an early opener from Yankuba Minteh but Ruben Amorim’s inconsistent United side remain without back-to-back Premier League wins all season, and Brighton are becoming a bogey team, having now won six of their last seven league matches against United.
After ending a run of eight games without a win by beating Ipswich 2-0 on Thursday, the win lifts Brighton up to ninth in the table, but this poor United side remain stuck in 13th, having won just one of their last six league games.
Before the match, United paid tribute to Law, the ‘King of the Stretford End’ who died on Friday at the age of 84. The last of the United Trinity, which also included Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best, Law is third on United’s list of top goalscorers with 237 in 404 appearances for the club.
The teams were led on to the Old Trafford pitch by a bagpiper playing Flower of Scotland before Sir Alex Ferguson, accompanied by Brian Kidd, Paddy Crerand and Alex Stepney, laid a wreath, followed by a poetic tribute and a minute’s applause.
Everton back in business
Goal-shy Everton embarrassed injury-hit Tottenham with their first Premier League goals since Boxing Day in a one-sided opening 45 minutes which paved the way for a 3-2 victory at Goodison Park that piled pressure on Ange Postecoglou.
In the second game of David Moyes’ return since replacing Sean Dyche, this felt like a real throwback performance to the Scot’s Toffees heyday of the late 2000s – and they were well worth what was only their fourth victory of the campaign.
Bristling with energy, aggression and a lack of fear of their opponents, the home team raced into a 3-0 half-time lead, something which they had not achieved at Goodison for 15 days short of eight years.
A rejuvenated Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored his first in 17 matches and Iliman Ndiaye scored his maiden home league goal before the unfortunate Archie Gray, unwittingly involved in the first two, turned the ball into his own net.
Victory lifted Everton four points clear of the relegation zone and only four below their 15th-placed opponents, whose first-half performance was inexcusable against the league’s lowest scorers despite the loss of striker Dominic Solanke to a training-ground injury the previous day.
Postecoglou, who had 10 players injured and lost Radu Dragusin to a head injury for the second half, now faces even more questions about his management of an underperforming squad.
Forest resist Southampton fightback
Nottingham Forest survived a second-half Southampton fightback to earn a narrow 3-2 victory and keep the pressure on Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
Forest saw out a nervous final few minutes to pick up a seventh win from their last eight outings to keep the gap between themselves and leaders Liverpool to six points.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side produced a professional and clinical display in the first half to give them a healthy advantage at the break courtesy of strikes from Elliot Anderson and Callum Hudson-Odoi, before Chris Wood nodded in his 14th goal of the season.
Southampton, who were without key man Tyler Dibling due to injury, refused to roll over and Jan Bednarek got them back into the contest with half-an-hour to play before Paul Onuachu headed home his first goal for the club, but it was not enough as Forest survived a late scare.
City hit Ipswich for six
A brace by Phil Foden helped Manchester City get back to their best with a 6-0 trumping of Ipswich.
City collapsed in midweek to drop more points away to Brentford but produced a reminder of their quality with a scintillating attacking display at Portman Road.
Foden broke the deadlock after 27 minutes before he set up Mateo Kovacic to rifle home soon after and the England playmaker grabbed a second before half-time.
Pep Guardiola’s men did not take their foot off the gas after the break, with Jeremy Doku and James McAtee on target in between Erling Haaland’s 57th-minute effort as the striker toasted his new nine-and-a-half-year contract with the club.
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