Man City Held Again In 6 Goal Spurs Thriller Liverpool Move To 2nd

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Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min scores the opening goal during the match against Manchester City. (AP pic)LONDON: A Sunday goal glut ended with champions Manchester City drawing a third successive Premier League game as they were held 3-3 at home by injury-hit Tottenham Hotspur to slip to third place in the table, three points behind leaders Arsenal.
The five games produced 24 goals, the last of which was headed home by Spurs winger Dejan Kulusevski in the 90th-minute at the Etihad Stadium to deny Pep Guardiola’s side victory.
Liverpool moved a point above City into second spot as they scored twice late on to turn around a 3-2 deficit at home to Fulham and win 4-3 with Trent Alexander-Arnold sealing victory.
Ten-man Chelsea beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 at Stamford Bridge while fourth-placed Aston Villa needed a late Ollie Watkins goal to scrape a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.
West Ham United drew 1-1 at home to Crystal Palace.
City have now gone three games without a win in the league for the first time in six years as once again their nemesis Tottenham caused Guardiola’s side a headache.
Despite winning three successive titles, City have now beaten Spurs only once in their last five meetings.
Substitute Jack Grealish’s 81st-minute goal looked to have secured City victory but Kulusevski headed in Brennan Johnson’s cross to reward Ange Postecoglou’s side’s risk-taking approach and move them back up to fifth, six points off the pace.
Tottenham’s Son Heung-min had opened the scoring in the sixth minute on the counter-attack but then levelled for City as a cross bounced off him into the net three minutes later.
Phil Foden gave City the lead and they twice hit the woodwork in a dominant first half but Giovani Lo Celso equalised after the break with a sublime low shot.
In a frantic conclusion Guardiola’s side were furious deep in stoppage time when Grealish was through on goal but play was stopped for a foul on Erling Haaland during the build-up.
“It is hard when you review the image, the referee decides to blow the whistle after he has already said to play on. After the pass, the whistle, so I do not understand this action,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
“It was a good game. It is a pity. Sometimes football is like life, you do not get what you deserve.”
Arsenal, who beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 on Saturday, lead the table with 33 points from 14 games, with Liverpool on 31 and Manchester City on 30.
Late goals
Liverpool scored two late goals a minute apart just when defeat loomed against Fulham at Anfield.
The hosts’ Wataru Endo scored his first Premier League goal in the 87th minute before Alexander-Arnold struck the winner.
Alexander-Arnold’s 20th-minute freekick had ricocheted off the bar and in off Fulham keeper Bernd Leno to give Liverpool the lead but Harry Wilson equalised four minutes later.
Alexis Mac Allister restored Liverpool’s advantage after 38 minutes with a stunning long-range strike but Kenny Tete equalised for Fulham in first-half stoppage time.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid’s header sent the visiting fans wild in the 80th but the Londoners left empty-handed as Liverpool remain unbeaten at home in the league since October 2022.
“The feeling after the game was exceptional,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. “During the game it was slightly different.”
Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez scored twice, his first Premier League goals, as they held off Brighton in an absorbing Stamford Bridge duel while Levi Colwill also got his first league goal.
Fernandez headed home in the 17th minute and Colwill, on loan at Brighton last season, made it two four minutes later.
Facundo Buonanotte pulled a goal back and Conor Gallagher was sent off on the stroke of halftime for a second yellow card.
Brighton pressed Chelsea in numbers at the start of the second half but their substitute James Milner could not keep up with Mykhailo Mudryk on the counter and brought him down, allowing Fernandez to restore Chelsea’s two-goal lead.
Joao Pedro’s glancing header made it a nervy final few minutes but 10th-placed Chelsea hung on.
Bournemouth were on the brink of a valuable home win against Villa but Watkins headed a 90th-minute leveller.
“This point is not the best but it is not the worst,” Villa manager Unai Emery said. - FMT

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