Soccer

Premier League: Bazunu and Saints hand Chelsea second consecutive defeat

Leeds rescue draw at home to Everton; Mitrovic scores again in Fulham win

Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu makes a save during the victory over Chelsea. Photograph: Steven Paston/PA
Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu makes a save during the victory over Chelsea. Photograph: Steven Paston/PA
Tue Aug 30 2022 - 22:03

Southampton 2 Chelsea 1

Chelsea’s stuttering start to the season continued as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Southampton on Tuesday despite Raheem Sterling giving them an early lead.

Sterling struck in the 23rd minute with his third goal in two games but Chelsea’s lead was short lived.

Romeo Lavia levelled five minutes later with a thumping finish from outside the area.

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Adam Armstrong then turned the match on its head in first-half stoppage time - finishing superbly to round off a slick passing move by the hosts.

Chelsea, beaten at Leeds United in their previous away game, were unable to make much impression on a tireless Saints side in the second half despite plenty of possession.

Southampton’s win moved them to seven points from five games, the same total as Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea.

Fulham 2 Brighton 1

Aleksandar Mitrovic bagged his 100th goal for Fulham on the way to a 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at Craven Cottage on Tuesday, bringing an end to the visitors’ longest unbeaten run in the top flight.

After a first half short on chances, Mitrovic broke the deadlock in the 48th minute when Neeskens Kebano swept the ball across the goalmouth for the powerful Serb to fire in at the far post. It was the striker’s 100th goal for the Cottagers in all competitions.

Fulham had the Seagulls reeling seven minutes later when Andreas Pereira crossed the ball in only for Lewis Dunk to deflect it heavily into his own net, piling the misery on Graham Potter’s men.

Brighton were thrown a lifeline just three minutes later, however, when Bobby De Cordova-Reid brought down Pervis Estupinan in the area, and Alexis Mac Allister smashed his penalty in high past the lunging Bernd Leno.

The win lifts Marco Silva’s Fulham to eight points from five games, while Brighton remain on 10 points ahead of a full slate of midweek fixtures. It also brings to an end Brighton’s nine-match unbeaten run, their longest in the Premier League.

Crystal Palace 1 Brentford 1

Yoane Wissa headed a late equaliser after coming on a substitute to earn Brentford a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace.

Palace looked to be easing towards three points after in-form Wilfried Zaha’s stunning opener in the 59th minute.

Zaha cut in from the left to curl an unstoppable right-footed effort into the far corner, his fourth goal in the Premier League this season.

But Brentford hung in and Wissa was unmarked in the penalty area to salvage a point - his effort standing after a Var check for offside went in favour of the visitors.

Brentford almost won it late on with Rico Henry having a great chance saved but Palace hung on.