In a gripping Premier League clash, Crystal Palace’s Trevoh Chalobah went head-to-head against Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in London, on October 5, 2024. (Xinhua)
Saturday night saw Liverpool maintaining their pole position in the Premier League, clinching a slim 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. Meanwhile, Manchester City and Arsenal also claimed victories to keep their pursuit alive.
Diogo Jota bagged the game’s solitary goal just nine minutes in. However, Liverpool’s Alisson had to make some stellar saves before limping off with a hamstring strain after an hour, handing the stage to third-choice Vitezslav Jaros for his debut performance.
With Caoimhin Kelleher sidelined by illness, Jaros saw his big moment and rose to the occasion with critical saves throughout his debut.
Manchester City had their work cut out for them against a tough Fulham side, who struck first in the 26th minute through Andreas Pereira, courtesy of a Raul Jimenez assist.
Despite missing injured Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne, City’s Mateo Kovacic smashed a decisive shot into the net just six minutes later, and again gave City the upper hand early in the second half with a precise long-range effort.
Jeremy Doku, coming off the bench, hammered another stunning shot from outside the area to make it 3-2. But Fulham fought back, with Rodrigo Muniz giving them a late lifeline with an 88th-minute strike.
Arsenal mirrored City’s resilience, overcoming an early setback in their 3-1 home win against Southampton. Southampton’s Cameron Archer fired them ahead with a superb right-footer.
Yet, Arsenal’s response was swift. Only two minutes passed when Kai Havertz, assisted by Bukayo Saka, restored parity. Saka then set the stage for Gabriel Martinelli to put Arsenal ahead, before sealing the win himself in the dying moments.
Over at West Ham, top-tier talents delivered a critical 4-1 victory over Ipswich, granting coach Julen Lopetegui a much-needed boost.
Michail Antonio wasted no time, netting the opener from Jarrod Bowen’s pass in the first minute. Although Liam Delap equaled the score with a stunner shortly after, Mohammed Kudus ensured West Ham led by halftime.
Bowen himself scored West Ham’s third, and Lucas Paqueta added a fourth, marking the team’s inaugural home win of the campaign.
Leicester City also tasted success, courtesy of Facundo Buonanotte’s 16th-minute strike, edging past a wasteful Bournemouth who couldn’t capitalize on their chances.
Brentford edged out a roller-coaster battle against Wolverhampton with a 5-3 victory, leaving the latter still in search of their first win.
Nathan Collins set the tone early, scoring in the second minute, but Matheus Cunha quickly equalized.
Bryan Mbeumo restored Brentford’s lead with a penalty in the 20th minute, only for Jorgen Strand Larsen to even things up once more. Christian Norgaard then put Brentford ahead in the 28th minute.
Ethan Pinnock bagged an additional goal just before halftime, while Fabio Carvalho rounded out Brentford’s tally. Rayan Ait-Nouri concluded the scoring deep into injury time, though the result was clear long before then.
Everton and Newcastle United concluded the day’s events in a stalemate, a 0-0 draw characterized by scarce clear-cut opportunities.
Edited by: Ali Musa
Axadle international–Monitoring
