West Ham United stun Chelsea

 

West Ham United twice came from behind to earn a stunning 3-2 victory over Chelsea following a difficult day for Blues goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in the Premier League clash at the London Stadium on Saturday.

The hosts, who have already beaten Liverpool this campaign but came into the match with no wins in their past three matches, twice came from behind to ensure a share of the points.

Thomas Tuchel’s side were dominant early on and took a deserved lead when Thiago Silva headed in Mason Mount’s corner on 23 minutes.

And just moments later, Silva was the hero at the other end as he used his experience to stop Vladimir Coufal’s effort on the line.

Despite Chelsea’s superiority, West Ham were given a chance to go level five minutes before half-time when Mendy failed to clear Jorginho’s backpass and fouled Jarrod Bowen in the process.

Referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot and Manuel Lanzini sent Mendy the wrong way to make it 1-1.

But West Ham failed to go into the break ahead as Mount put Chelsea 2-1 ahead with a stunning close-range volley following a delightful cross from Hakim Ziyech.

David Moyes’ team were a different side after the interval and again equalised on 58 minutes as Bowen powered an effort past Mendy after picking up Michail Antonio’s knockdown.

And with the game petering out for a draw, Arthur Masuaku caught Mendy out at his near post with three minutes remaining with what appeared to be a mishit cross but found its way into the back of the net.

The defeat marked the first time this season Chelsea had conceded more than one goal in a Premier League match.

“It is impossible to make so many mistakes and expect a result,” Tuchel said after the match.

Despite the win, Moyes said he was unconvinced by his side’s performance. He told BT Sport, “It was very fortunate the goal, let’s not kid ourselves. Truthfully I didn’t think we played that well today, but we got the goals.”

Origi strikes late, Liverpool win

Liverpool forward Divock Origi came off the bench and scored a 94th-minute winner to edge past Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.

Origi, who replaced midfielder Jordan Henderson on 69 minutes, pounced on following a pass from forward Mohamed Salah to snatch a late winner as Liverpool capitalized on Chelsea’s 3-2 defeat away to West Ham earlier on Saturday, despite a host of missed chances.

“We came here to win and eventually it happened, that’s why we do the hard work in the week for this,” a grinning Origi said, adding that manager Jurgen Klopp had sent him on with the instruction, “Be Divock.”

The first half was a tense affair, with neither side managing a shot on target, although Salah did find space at the back post after a brilliantly worked move, only to be denied a certain goal by Wolves defender Romain Saiss who intercepted and nicked the ball away.

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, playing against his former club on his 25th birthday, missed a guilt-edge chance in the second half as stepped past goalkeeper Wolves Jose Sa but could not find a way around opposing defender Conor Coady, who blocked the forward’s shot on the goal line. Klopp’s side missed another big chance, this time in the dying stages, as forward Sadio Mane failed to score from seven yards out following a deflected header from midfielder Fabinho.

However, replacement Origi struck the ball home from the edge of the six-yard box in the final moments of the match to secure a win for Liverpool, who move to 34 points in the Premier League after 15 games.

Wolves, who have now lost their last 10 Premier League games against Liverpool, sit eighth in the league on 21 points.

“We missed massive chances,” Klopp said, reserving a special endorsement for Origi, who features mainly as a substitute given Liverpool’s attacking riches.

“Give the ball to Divock was the plan,” he said of his late tactical switch.

“He’s an incredible striker. I love the player. His skills are outstanding. He’s one of the best finishers I’ve seen in my life.”

“We played a lot of good stuff. The longer the game goes and it’s still nil-nil, you feel the pressure because we wanted the win so badly.”

Manchester City move top

Manchester City cruised to a 3-1 away win over Watford on Saturday to move a point clear at the top of the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola’s side started quickly as forward Raheem Sterling opened the scoring on four minutes, nodding home following a cross from Phil Foden. City doubled their lead midway through the first half when midfielder Bernardo Silva struck past goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.

Silva netted again in the second half – his sixth Premier League goal in eight games this season – with a curling shot into the far corner from just inside the 18-yard box.

Watford striker Cucho Hernandez pulled one back on 74 minutes with a powerful strike past City goalkeeper Ederson, but it was not enough to stop City from easing to victory.

“There are always things we have to improve but right now, the guys are playing at a really good level,” Guardiola said.

“We scored three beautiful goals and we could have scored more.”

Saturday’s result meant City leapfrogged Chelsea, who began the day as league leaders before losing 3-2 away to West Ham, as Guardiola’s side sit on 35 points after 15 games. Liverpool are one point behind in second place following a last-minute victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier on Saturday.

Watford, whose boss Claudio Ranieri had previously won eight of his nine career matches against City, are three points clear of the relegation zone in 17th place.

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Courtesy: ESPN

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