By Dennis Mungai
Aston Villa were left to rue missed chances as they lost 2-1 to Manchester United at Villa Park. Rasmus Hojlund had given United the lead before Douglas Luiz equalized in the second half. Villa wasted some clear cut chances and got punished for that when substitute Scott Mctominay scored the winning goal via a header from a Diogo Dalot cross. The result sees United close the gap to five points behind Villa.
Earlier on Sunday, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice starred for Arsenal in a 6-0 rout of West Ham at the London Stadium. William Saliba, Trossard and Gabriel also got on the score sheet for the Gunners. The win sees them solidify third spot on the table, level on points and goal difference with Man City in second place.
Erling Haaland returned to the starting 11 and scored a brace to help Man City see off Everton 2-0. The Toffees had held back City to zero shots on target till the 71st minute when Haaland got his first goal. He then added another from a Kevin De Bruyne assist, his fourth since his return from injury. Haaland now has 16 goals, 2 ahead of Mo Salah in the race for the Golden Boot.
Other Saturday results saw Newcastle beat Nottingham Forest 3-2, while Fulham defeated Bournemouth 3-1. Tottenham Hotspurs needed a last minute goal from Brennan Johnson to defeat Brighton 2-1, while Darwin Nunez’s late goal in the second half helped Liverpool blaze past Burnley 3-1. Only 2 points separate the league leaders Liverpool and third placed Arsenal. The last match of the week sees Chelsea visit Crystal Palace on Monday, with a win for the Blues moving them to 10th place.