Brighton 0 Arsenal 1 [Saka 9]
Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to seven points after Bukayo Saka’s first-half goal saw them scrape a 1-0 win over Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
This was a potentiality pivotal night in the title race but Mikel Arteta’s side were a long way from at their best, sloppy and slow in attack, careless with the ball and altogether too accommodating in letting Brighton play through them in midfield.
A more optimistic reading would be that despite being unable to find any fluency, they dug in doggedly and held off opponents who were superior to them in almost every area.
Most crucially of all, this was a third league win in a row, and on a night when Manchester City dropped points at home, one more fixture crossed out in their race to the finish.
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Manchester City 2 [Semenyo 31; Rodri 62] Nottingham Forest 2 [Gibbs-White 56; Anderson 76]
Manchester City dropped two crucial points in the title race as relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest twice came from behind twice to rescue a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
A header from Rodri just after the hour put City back on course for victory after Morgan Gibbs-White cancelled out Antoine Semenyo’s opener but Elliot Anderson levelled for a second time.
City do still have a game in hand on the Gunners but manager Pep Guardiola will rue another game in which his side lost control in the second half.
Forest, meanwhile, are still to win in the league under new manager Vitor Pereira but on this evidence they a fighting chance of survival.
Ryan Yates even went close to grabbing a late winner when he headed narrowly side in stoppage time but Semenyo also had a free-kick turned over and a Savinho shot was blocked on the line.
Newcastle United 2 [Gordon 45+6 pen; Osula 90] Manchester United 1 [Casemiro 45+9]
Will Osula came off the bench to blast 10-man Newcastle to a dramatic 2-1 victory over Manchester United as Michael Carrick suffered defeat for the first time in his interim reign.
The 22-year-old Dane struck in spectacular style in the 90th minute of a pulsating encounter to end both Carrick’s eight-game unbeaten run and the Magpies’ return of three successive Premier League defeats in style.
Thirty years to the day since Eric Cantona famously fired United to a 1-0 win over Kevin Keegan’s Magpies at St James’ Park which proved a decisive blow in the race for the title, the sides served up a pulsating contest which remained in the balance until the final whistle.
Jacob Ramsey’s dismissal for a second bookable offence sparked a frenzied conclusion to the first half during which Anthony Gordon put the home side ahead from the penalty spot before Casemiro restored parity.
The Magpies, who were aggrieved at referee Peter Bankes’s decision to caution Ramsey for simulation, battled their way manfully through the second half to secure a fourth successive home win over the Red Devils in front of a hugely appreciative crowd of 52,184.
Aston Villa 1 [Douglas Luiz 2] Chelsea 4 [João Pedro 35, 45+6, 64; Palmer 55]
João Pedro scored a hat-trick as Chelsea boosted their Champions League qualification hopes with a handsome 4-1 win at Aston Villa.
Pedro’s first Premier League treble saw Liam Rosenior’s side climb into the top five and move just three points behind a faltering Villa side in fourth.
Cole Palmer also scored on a memorable night for the Blues, who showed spirit to come from behind after Douglas Luiz’s opener.
It was by far the best performance of Rosenior’s two months in charge and they will approach the remainder of the season with confidence.
When Luiz struck inside three minutes, Villa had high hopes of taking a huge step towards securing their own Champions League ambitions, but their night turned sour.
They have now won just one of their last six games and are in real danger of slipping out of contention for a place in next season’s most prestigious club competition.
And Unai Emery’s men are looking increasingly like they will need to win the Europa League as their route into it.
Fulham 0 West Ham 1 [Summerville 65]
Crysencio Summerville continued his one-man mission to save West Ham with the goal which sank Fulham 1-0.
The in-form Dutch winger pounced on a dreadful mistake from Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno for his seventh goal in his last 10 appearances.
Three crucial points at Craven Cottage moved the Hammers level with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, leaving them in the relegation zone only on goal difference.
