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EPL PIX: Bournemouth shock Arsenal; United, Spurs win

October 20, 2024

Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.

Brilliant Bournemouth stun Arsenal

IMAGE: Ryan Christie, right, celebrates scoring Bournemouth's first goal against Arsenal. Photograph: Ian Walton/Reuters

A brilliantly-worked goal by Ryan Christie and a Justin Kluivert penalty gave Bournemouth shock 2-0 Premier League win at home to 10-man Arsenal on Saturday, with Gunners defender William Saliba shown a straight red card in the first half.

The defeat brought Arsenal's unbeaten start to the league season to a shuddering halt and leaves them third in the standings on 17 points, one behind leaders Liverpool and behind Manchester City on goal difference, with both sides in action on Sunday.  

There was an early sign of the error-strewn display that was to come when Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya gave the ball away cheaply in the 16th minute, resulting in a shot over the bar from in-form Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo.

Already missing Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka through injury, Arsenal then lost Saliba on the half-hour mark when a yellow card for bringing down Evanilson was upgraded to red after a VAR review, and it turned out to be the pivotal moment of the game.

Semenyo was in the thick of things again in the 36th minute with a powerful dribble and shot that Raya parried behind for a corner, and five minutes later the Arsenal keeper spilled a cross from him, forcing a hasty recovery to block Marcus Tavernier’s follow-up.

IMAGE: Justin Kluivert scores Bournemouth's second goal from the penalty spot. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Reuters

After making the most of their one-man advantage to pin the visitors back, Christie finally broke the deadlock in the 70th minute when fellow substitute Kluivert flicked a low corner into his path, and the 29-year-old drilled it into the top corner to give Bournemouth the lead.

Things went from bad to worse for Arsenal seven minutes later when Raya upended Evanilson in the box, and Kluivert scored from the spot to make it 2-0 and secure three well-deserved points for the Cherries.

"They are a top, top team, the football they have played in the last few years, but the lads dug deep, controlled the game in big spells and got the win," Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook told Sky Sports.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was frustrated at his side's third sending-off in eight league games this season.

"I'm proud of us as a group of players, because to keep fighting and believing, that we believe that we can win, even with 10 men. I thought we played really well even with 10 men," he said.

"But the naivety of it is that we've got to stop making mistakes - we want 11 players for 90 minutes, and that wins you football matches."

Man Utd beat Brentford for first win in more than a month

IMAGE: Manchester United's Rasmus Hojlund celebrates scoring their second goal with Bruno Fernandes. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters

Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund got on the scoresheet as Manchester United bounced back after conceding a controversial goal to beat Brentford 2-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday for their first victory in more than a month.

 

The win meant United climbed to 10th in the standings on 11 points after eight matches, and eased some of the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, whose job has been the subject of media speculation. Brentford are 12th on 10 points.

United had 10 men on the pitch when Ethan Pinnock headed in Brentford's goal from a corner deep in first-half stoppage time after referee Sam Barrott instructed Matthijs de Ligt to go to the touchline to stem the bleeding from a gash on his head.

United came out of the break fired up and Garnacho latched onto a cross from Marcus Rashford to fire home from the left side of the six-yard box into the far corner in the 47th minute.

Hojlund put the home side ahead in spectacular fashion in the 62nd when Bruno Fernandes found him with a back-heel pass, and the Dane chipped the ball over goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

Son powers Spurs to big win over West Ham

IMAGE: Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min celebrates scoring their fourth goal. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters

Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to thrash West Ham United 4-1, with captain Son Heung-min returning from injury to wrap up the victory before the visitors had Mohammed Kudus sent off late on in an entertaining Premier League derby.

West Ham went ahead through Kudus after 18 minutes but Spurs equalised in the 36th on the counter when Dejan Kulusevski's shot was tipped on to the woodwork by Alphonse Areola only for the ball to roll along the line and in off the far post.

The hosts continued to dominate after the break and scored again when Yves Bissouma side-footed home before Son's shot rebounded off Areola and a defender for an own goal by the keeper. Son then got on the scoresheet with a fine solo effort.

West Ham went down to 10 men in the 86th when Kudus was sent off for violent conduct after a VAR review. The win took Spurs up to provisional sixth place in the standings with 13 points from eight games, while West Ham are 14th with eight points.

Tottenham came into the match still smarting from throwing away a two-goal lead at Brighton & Hove Albion to lose 3-2 before the international break, much to the disgust of Australian Postecoglou who was determined it would not happen again.

However, this time they found themselves behind, against the run of play, as Kudus's shot into the ground bounced up and over Spurs defender Pedro Porro on the line after a cut back from Jarrod Bowen who burst past Destiny Udogie on the right.

Spurs stepped up the pressure though and equalised on the counter-attack when Kulusevski cut in from the right and fired a shot that eventually found its way into the net much to the frustration of Areola who had initially made a fine save.

Tottenham midfielder James Maddison was substituted at the break with Pape Matar Sarr coming on to replace him as Spurs continued to take the game to West Ham and seven minutes into the second half the home side went in front for the first time.

Udogie made good progress on the left and cut the ball back into the area for Bissouma to fire home.

Spurs then broke quickly again and Kulusevski played in Son down the right. Although the South Korean forward's tame, low shot was saved by the feet of Areola the ball hit Jean-Clair Todibo and rebounded into the net off the unfortunate keeper.

Son then wrapped up the win on the hour with a trademark goal as he twisted and turned before firing home a low shot. He almost scored again minutes later but hit the post, with West Ham's defence reeling under the home side's pressure.

A dreadful afternoon for the Hammers was complete when Kudus was sent off for pushing defender Micky van de Ven in the face before he did the same to Sarr in the melee that broke out.

Referee Andy Madley, who had initially shown a yellow card, was summoned to the VAR screen and Kudus was dismissed.

Everton down Ipswich to continue unbeaten run

IMAGE: Everton's players celebrate after Michael Keane scored the second goal against Ipswich. Photograph: Tony O Brien/Reuters

Everton’s Premier League mini-revival continued on Saturday as they comfortably beat a ragged Ipswich Town 2-0 away to make it four games in a row unbeaten, with the toothless hosts never looking likely to claim their first victory of the season.

First-half goals by Iliman Ndiaye and Michael Keane were a fair reward for Everton's dominance and though they failed to convert several good chances in the second half, Ipswich never remotely threatened a comeback.

Everton, who lost their first four games of the season, have now won two and drawn two of their last four to chalk up eight points in 16th place. Ipswich, with four points from four draws, are 17th.

After waiting 22 years for this fixture, the fans were forced to hold on for a further 15 minutes on Saturday as kick off was delayed by a turnstile issue.

Everton were seeking a first league win over Ipswich since 1994, having lost three and drawn the other in four games in the early 2000s, and it looked there for the taking almost from kick-off.

They duly went ahead after 17 minutes when Ipswich’s defenders failed to clear a Jack Harrison cross and Ndiaye was left clear to hammer it in from close range.

Ipswich were awarded a first-half penalty after Jack Clarke clashed with Dwight McNeil and went down, but the decision was reversed after a VAR review ruled that Clarke had kicked McNeil's leg.

The Portman Road gloom was deepened soon after with a second Everton goal as centre back Keane collected a neat McNeil pass and smashed in a shot at the keeper’s near post from the tightest of angles five minutes before the break.

Everton continued to dominate in the second half but, having led 2-0 against Bournemouth and Aston Villa and lost both 3-2, their fans were desperate for a third.

Ndiaye and McNeil missed good opportunities to settle the nerves, as did striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who twice had one-on-ones with the keeper but finished tamely.

Brighton punish wasteful Newcastle

IMAGE: Newcastle United's Harvey Barnes in action with Brighton & Hove Albion's Ferdi Kadioglu. Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters

Danny Welbeck's first-half goal against the run of play gave Brighton & Hove Albion a 1-0 win at Newcastle United on Saturday, a result that extended the home side's winless streak to four Premier League games. 

With striker Alexander Isak back after a period out with a toe injury, Newcastle dominated the opening exchanges but struggled to convert their plentiful possession into shots on target in the first half, and Welbeck was more than happy to make them pay.

Isak broke free in the 33rd minute with only the keeper to beat but Bart Verbruggen was able to block his goal-bound effort with his body. Less than two minutes later Welbeck showed him and the rest of the Newcastle attack how it should be done, muscling into the box to slip the ball past Nick Pope and give Brighton the lead. 

Anthony Gordon came close to levelling for the home side with an angled drive in the 41st minute, but again Verbruggen was alert to the danger, pushing the ball away, and the body language of the Newcastle players began to suggest that it was not going to be their day. 

After just two shots on target in the first half, the Magpies' accuracy improved in the second half but the shots they managed on target lacked power and precision, while Brighton looked dangerous every time they crossed the halfway line. 

A lengthy stoppage for an injury to Welbeck, who was eventually carried off on a stretcher off the field, saw nine minutes of time added on at the end of the second half, and though Dan Burn finally got the ball into the Brighton net, he was well offside and the goal was chalked off.

The Seagulls who wasted a number of good chances to add to their tally, hung on for a win that moved them up to fifth in the table on 15 points, while Newcastle remain eighth on 12. 

Source: REUTERS
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