🩁 PL Breakdown: City and Arsenal slip as Norwich win basement battle | OneFootball

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Padraig Whelan·18 January 2020

🩁 PL Breakdown: City and Arsenal slip as Norwich win basement battle

Article image:🩁 PL Breakdown: City and Arsenal slip as Norwich win basement battle

Manchester City and Arsenal both conceded late goals at home and had to settle for a point, while Norwich secured a huge win from their relegation six-pointer against Bournemouth.

Here’s what went down on a dramatic Premier League Saturday 



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  1. Watford 0-0 Tottenham

Palace ruin Pep’s birthday

Article image:🩁 PL Breakdown: City and Arsenal slip as Norwich win basement battle

Pep Guardiola’s 49th birthday celebrations were ruined by Crystal Palace at the Etihad as they scored a late equaliser to rescue a point against Manchester City.

Palace, after Kevin De Bruyne crashed a free-kick off the bar, had early penalty appeals turned down for a John Stones collision with Wilfried Zaha before they did go ahead six minutes before the break.

A corner from the right was poorly defended, allowing Gary Cahill to nod across for Cenk Tosun, making his full debut, to steer a brilliant header into the far corner for a half-time lead.

Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus both missed chances for City before handball and VAR combined to incredibly take a penalty away from the champions with 20 minutes remaining.

But AgĂŒero then stepped up to the plate by netting from crosses from Jesus and Benjamin Mendy with instinctive finishes which looked to have won the game for City.

However, an 89th minute own goal from Fernandinho after a low drive across the area secured a point for Palace from a topsy-turvy affair.


Arsenal pay the penalty

Article image:🩁 PL Breakdown: City and Arsenal slip as Norwich win basement battle

Arsenal were left cursing the officiating as they were somehow denied a late penalty for a foul on Nicolas Pépé before shipping a late equaliser at home to Sheffield United.

After a strong start to the game in north London, the visitors faded somewhat before the break and were punished on the stroke of half-time.

A neat passing move on the edge of United’s box ended with Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross being bundled in by the ever alert Gabriel Martinelli to hit double figures for the season.

It took a quick-thinking Granit Xhaka block on the line with his chest to deny the Blades a leveller after the break, although Arsenal had a massive penalty appeal somehow not given when Pépé was brought down in the box.

That decision ultimately cost Arsenal, when John Fleck volleyed into the ground and past Bernd Leno with seven minutes remaining to claim a point.


Cook’s crazy call costs Bournemouth big

Article image:🩁 PL Breakdown: City and Arsenal slip as Norwich win basement battle

For the fifth time in the league this season, the bottom two sides did battle in a six-pointer that went the way of Norwich to reignite their hopes of survival.

The pressure of relegation battles can do strange things to a player, which is the only explanation for Steve Cook’s crazy decision to gift Norwich an opener.

Having slipped in the area, he stuck out an arm (a good save to be fair) to deny a goal-bound Norwich strike and was shown red for it – with Teemu Pukki landing the coup de grñce by scoring from the spot.

Although the Canaries lost Ben Godfrey to a poorly-timed late tackle on Callum Wilson and leave it 10 on 10, this time the Canaries saw it through to put some light at the end of the tunnel.


Captain fantastic saves Villa again

Article image:🩁 PL Breakdown: City and Arsenal slip as Norwich win basement battle

It took a late Jack Grealish goal at Brighton to deny Aston Villa falling to what could have been a very costly loss as they picked up a point on the road.

Brought in to aid Aston Villa in their battle against the drop, it took new goalkeeper Pepe Reina just 38 minutes before he was picking the ball out of his own net.

He could perhaps have done better in keeping out Leandro Trossard’s cross-goal strike but FrĂ©dĂ©ric Guilbert will also have to shoulder some of the blame for losing his man as Neal Maupay broke forward and found the Belgian.

But when Villa needed a hero to step up in the second half, it was their hometown hero who did so when Jack Grealish thumped a late strike home to rescue what could be a vital point come May.


Jiménez and Traoré tag team stuns Saints

Article image:🩁 PL Breakdown: City and Arsenal slip as Norwich win basement battle

Southampton let a two-goal half-time lead slip as a RaĂșl JimĂ©nez-inspired Wolves stunned them to pick up a huge away win.

Jan Bednarek and Shane Long both scored their first goals of the season, not that you would have known it the way they finished them, in the first half to put the Saints in a commanding position at the break.

But Wolves pulled one back early in the second half as Pedro Neto, a man who seems to have been hurt by VAR more than most recently, scored a goal that there were no doubt over as he finished smartly from an Adama Traoré cross.

After Jiménez moved up top, the hosts had no answer to him as he first levelled from the spot before completing in an incredible comeback after combining brilliantly with Traoré to score a slick winner.


West Ham and Everton share the points

Article image:🩁 PL Breakdown: City and Arsenal slip as Norwich win basement battle

The David Moyes derby ended honours even in London as Everton came from behind to claim a point at West Ham.

There was very little to write home about in this one before both sides hit the net in the closing stages of the first half.

West Ham opened the scoring when a Robert Snodgrass cross was headed in by Issa Diop before some equally slack set-piece defending at the other end allowed Everton an equaliser.

This time, Pablo Zabaleta completely lost his man from a Lucas Digne corner, allowing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to head home for a share of the spoils.