SM
Ipswich vs. Man United: 23 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Five talking points from this weekend's Premier League action

:Headline: Five talking points from this weekend's Premier League action:
Chelsea struck a blow against Manchester City while Arsenal ended Sam Allardyce's record of never being relegated from the top flight.
Sports Mole

Manchester City's coronation as Premier League champions must wait as their loss to Chelsea coupled with Manchester United's come-from-behind win at Aston Villa kept the title race alive for a few more days at least.

Sam Allardyce's record of never having been relegated from the top flight came to an end as West Brom's fate was sealed, while the race for the top four has heated up after defeats for Leicester and West Ham.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what we learned from the latest round of fixtures.

Chelsea lay down a marker

Not only was this a chance for Manchester City to wrap up a third league title in four seasons, they could have gained a psychological edge over Chelsea ahead of their Champions League final later this month. City were well in the ascendancy just before the interval, leading 1-0 and with Sergio Aguero hovering over a spot-kick. But the Panenka penalty backfired horribly as Edouard Mendy, having initially made a move to his right, got back to his feet to pluck the chipped effort out the air. The Blues rallied after half-time thanks to goals from Hakim Ziyech and Marcos Alonso, bursting City's bubble and giving them plenty to think about before their May 29 meeting.

Comeback kings at it again

Murmurs of discontent are never far from the surface at Manchester United these days but there can be no doubting the spirit of the side under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as they recorded a 10th comeback win of the term at Aston Villa. Bertrand Traore's fantastic goal had given Villa hope of recording a first home win over their opponents in 26 years but Bruno Fernandes' penalty was swiftly followed by Mason Greenwood's strike – becoming United's top-scoring Premier League teenager as a result – before Edinson Cavani added a third. A 3-1 win has momentarily delayed City's title triumph while West Ham's defeat against Everton has guaranteed United a top-four finish.

Bye-bye Baggies

West Brom manager Sam Allardyce had never before been relegated from the Premier League (Richard Heathcote/PA)

There would have been a shiver among West Brom's relegation rivals when Albion appointed Allardyce last December. After all, the former England manager had never been relegated from the Premier League. But while there has been an upturn in performances since he replaced Slaven Bilic, this was a challenge beyond even Allardyce. The Baggies needed a miracle – they had to win their last four matches and hope for an implosion from one of the teams outside the drop zone – but they fell at the first hurdle as Arsenal claimed a 3-1 win to bounce back from their Europa League heartache. As for West Brom, can they now hang on to Allardyce, who has a break clause in his 18-month deal?

Leicester outfoxed by magnificent Magpies

Newcastle claimed a surprise win at Leicester (Alex Pantling/PA)

The surprise of the last few days goes to Newcastle, who were humiliated 5-0 by Leicester on their last visit to the King Power Stadium, the gulf in quality painfully obvious. The same was true on Friday night – except this time it was Newcastle, defying their respective positions in the table, dishing out the punishment. A 4-2 win lifted the Magpies 12 points clear of the relegation zone and on the cusp of safety for another season. Such a setback for Leicester raises concerns at the prospect of a collapse similar to last season, when they missed out on a top-four finish. Tuesday's trip to Manchester United is an opportunity to bounce straight back and steady the ship.

Reds still in contention for top-four finish

Jurgen Klopp has challenged Liverpool to win their last four matches (Phil Noble/PA)

Defeats for Leicester and West Ham leave the door a little more ajar for Liverpool, who got back to winning ways after successive draws against Newcastle and Leeds by defeating Southampton 2-0. Sadio Mane's first-half header and Thiago Alcantara's first goal for the club in the 90th minute saw Liverpool finish the weekend six points behind fourth-placed Leicester but with one game in hand – the postponed clash with Manchester United. Jurgen Klopp has set his side the challenge of winning their last four matches, conceding: "It will be difficult but we will try anyway."

body check tags ::

amp_article__446737 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-05-09 21:24:15:
html db last update - 2021-05-09 21:24:15 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Share this article now:
AG
Read Next:
UEFA 'ready to switch Champions League final to Wembley'
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Sam Allardyce Sergio Aguero Hakim Ziyech Marcos Alonso Jurgen Klopp Thiago Alcantara Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
UEFA 'ready to switch Champions League final to Wembley'
Battle lines are drawn: Man United, Man City 'to fight' for Sporting star
'You have to listen' - Rodri opens up on Real Madrid links
Manchester City planning Josko Gvardiol move?

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Preview: Barcelona vs. Brest - prediction, team news, lineups

1

PB

Will Yamal be available? Predicted Barcelona XI vs. Brest

2

WY

Preview: Wrexham vs. Lincoln - prediction, team news, lineups

NEW

3

PW

Team News: Who makes Amorim's first Man United XI? Will the Red Devils play 3-4-3?

NEW

4

TN

Preview: Sporting Lisbon vs. Arsenal - prediction, team news, lineups

5

PS

Newcastle 'join Arsenal and Liverpool' in battle for attacker

6

N'

Sunday's Premier League predictions including Ipswich Town vs. Man United

7

SP

Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal 'learn asking price' for Brighton forward Ferguson

8

MU

Wolff 'lucky' to get Bottas back at Mercedes

9

W'

Yamal update: Barcelona injury, suspension news vs. Brest

10

YU


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .