PARIS OLYMPIC GAMES
Arsenal relinquished top spot to Liverpool at Villa Park as Unai Emery’s Aston Villa punctured Mikel Arteta’s title ambition with a 1-0 victory on Saturday.
Buoyed by their midweek victory over Manchester City, Villa started fast and they were ahead after just seven minutes.
It was a well-worked goal made from the midfield with Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans and John McGinn all involved.
For the first time in the club’s 149-year history, Aston Villa have won 15 consecutive home league games, scoring 39 goals, conceding seven and keeping eight clean sheets.
After the final whistle, Emery was animated and joyful, as he walked down to the tunnel.
He was high fiveing and fist bumping fans, this victory gave him more satisfaction than the one against the defending champions.
For the Gunners, it was a third league defeat of the season, and to make matters worse for the suspended Mikel Arteta, he wasn’t there to exert any influence.
Martin Odegaard wasted two of their better chances to level matters, but in truth despite piling forward in the second half the visitors struggled to cut open their opponents.
Unai Emery’s men remain third, but are just two points off new leaders Liverpool. Despite the widespread perception Villa don’t have the squad to go the distance, back-to-back wins over Manchester City and Arsenal is quite the statement.
Liverpool
For the second weekend running, Liverpool left it really late to secure three points, Liverpool have gained more points from losing position than any other team in the league this season (18).
Liverpool went top of the Premier League after coming from behind to beat 10-man Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park.
Mohamed Salah also scored his 200th goal for Liverpool in all competitions, becoming only the fifth player in the club’s history to reach that landmark.
Harvey Elliott’s last minutes (90+1) curling effort gave Liverpool the win as
Remi Matthews, who came in for injured Crystal Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, watch helplessly.
The incredible Egyptian Salah has now been directly involved in more Premier League goals than any Liverpool player in the competition’s history, in 234 games he has scored 148 goals and given 65 assists.
Manchester United
Bournemouth left Old Trafford with all three points for the first time in their history, with the theatre of dreams gradually turning into a theatere of nightmares for fans United.
It was an incredible mid-week for the red devils not because the defeated Chelsea 2-1,Erik ten Hag had been named Manager of the Month for November after leading Man Utd to three Premier League wins from three, while Harry Maguire was named Player of the Month and Alejandro Garnacho scooped Goal of the Month for his bicycle kick against Everton.
All that fell like a pack of cards when the energetic Lewis Cook played the ball into the box and there was Dominic Solanke, getting in front of Maguire to tap home a eighth Premier League goal of the season, continuing his fine run of form.
Solanke was involved in the build up to Bournemouth’s second, leading the break before playing the ball out to Marcus Tavernier who crossed to the back post for Philip Billing to head in.
It was soon 3-0, and this was shocking defending. Tavernier was the provider again, this time from a corner with his delivery right onto the head of Marco Senesi who was unmarked in the Man Utd box.
For Man Utd, it was a fourth home league lost this season, having only lost 4+ in one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s 21 Premier League campaigns (six in 2001/02).
They have also now lost more Premier League home games since Sir Alex retired (35) than they did during his Premier League tenure at the club (34).
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