Man City edge out Spurs to go top, Brighton scramble key point
LONDON (Reuters) - Phil Foden’s first Premier League goal ensured Manchester City edged past Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 on Saturday to return to the top of the Premier League and avenge their Champions League elimination by Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
COSTLY DEFEAT
Defeat may prove costly for third-placed Spurs who are struggling to hang on to their top-four place. Three points separate them from sixth-placed United, who have played one game fewer. “It was an amazing game again,” Pochettino said. “It was tough again. Both teams competed really well and I think we deserved more. (City keeper) Ederson was man of the match. “I am happy, disappointed with the result but so happy with the performance — we were always in the game.” At Molineux, Brighton hardly oozed confidence after a run of four straight league defeats with no goals scored, but they scrambled a draw to go three points clear of Cardiff with four games remaining. Crucially, they also have a much better goal difference. Fulham produced the shock of the afternoon by beating Bournemouth 1-0 at the Vitality Stadium — their second successive victory of an underwhelming season. Aleksandar Mitrovic scored the winner from the penalty spot to ruin Eddie Howe’s 500th game as a manager. Gerard Deulofeu scored an impressive double as FA Cup finalists Watford kept their European ambitions alive with a comfortable 2-1 victory over Huddersfield while Leicester City twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with West Ham United at London Stadium. Jamie Vardy bagged their first equaliser with his 16th goal of the season before Harvey Barnes pounced in stoppage-time with his first goal for the Foxes. “It’s obviously a great feeling to score — it’s been a long time coming,” Barnes said. Perez struck twice in three first-half minutes for Newcastle but Mario Lemina replied as Southampton threatened a comeback. Perez sealed the points late on to become the first Newcastle player to score a Premier League hat-trick since 2015.Man City back on top, Huddersfield go down
On the afternoon that Huddersfield Town were relegated and Manchester United celebrated the full-time managerial appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 2-1 win over Watford, City again demonstrated why they remain the league’s benchmark.
Bernardo Silva scored for the third game in a row and Sergio Aguero extended his league-leading tally to 19 in a dazzling early spell, allowing the champions to ease to a seventh straight league victory while never having to hit the heights.