Liverpool goes top of the Premier League as Manchester City’s impressive 32-game unbeaten streak came to an unexpected halt with a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday, shifting the momentum in the title race.
Pep Guardiola had forewarned that his Manchester City squad might be “in trouble” due to mounting injuries, a prediction that quickly manifested on a day filled with surprises. Arsenal also faced disappointment, losing 1-0 to Newcastle, while Liverpool managed a late comeback to claim a 2-1 victory over Brighton.
The most shocking result occurred at Bournemouth, where the Cherries surged to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Antoine Semenyo and Evanilson. They successfully fended off Manchester City’s attempts to rally back.
Josko Gvardiol managed to score for City in the 82nd minute, but Erling Haaland’s header was saved in injury time, and he later struck the post from the rebound.
This marked City’s first league loss of 2024, making it their second consecutive 2-1 defeat across all competitions, following their elimination from the League Cup by Tottenham midweek. The defending champions now find themselves trailing Liverpool by two points.
Guardiola commented, “Today we could not handle their intensity, and that’s why we lost the game.”
In a thrilling clash, Cody Gakpo’s cross inadvertently found its way into the net for an equalizer in the 69th minute, followed by a stunning goal from Mohamed Salah in the 72nd, securing the win for Liverpool.
Salah, assisted by Trent Alexander-Arnold, skillfully maneuvered past a defender and curled an unstoppable shot into the net, propelling Liverpool to the top of the table.
Arsenal now sits seven points behind the leaders and has dropped to fourth place, overtaken by Nottingham Forest, who triumphed 3-0 over 10-man West Ham. The Gunners could slip to sixth if Aston Villa and Chelsea secure victories on Sunday.
Southampton celebrated their first win of the season, courtesy of Adam Armstrong’s late goal, lifting them from the bottom of the table. However, fellow promoted teams Ipswich and Wolves remain winless after squandering second-half leads.
Ipswich conceded a last-minute equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Leicester, while Wolves and Crystal Palace played to a thrilling 2-2 draw, with all four goals coming in a rapid 17-minute span during the second half.
Lack of creativity costs Arsenal
The absence of midfielder Martin Odegaard due to injury proved detrimental for Arsenal, who struggled to create opportunities at St. James’ Park after falling behind early.
Alexander Isak’s early header secured the win for Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, who effectively neutralized Arsenal’s lackluster attack throughout the match. This marked the second consecutive year Newcastle has defeated Arsenal 1-0 at home.
Declan Rice had Arsenal’s best opportunity in injury time but failed to convert, heading wide from a Bukayo Saka cross.
Forest surges into third place
Nottingham Forest, led by free-scoring striker Chris Wood, is emerging as one of the season’s surprises.
Wood netted his eighth goal of the season, helping Forest achieve its highest league position in 26 years with a commanding performance against West Ham, who played with ten men after Edson Alvarez received a second yellow card in first-half injury time.
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ola Aina also contributed goals for Forest, who secured their third consecutive win and previously defeated Liverpool earlier in the season.
While Forest thrives under Nuno Espirito Santo, pressure mounts on Everton manager Sean Dyche after a five-game unbeaten streak ended with a disappointing loss to Southampton, who had only one point before the match.
Everton believed they had equalized in injury time through substitute Beto, but the goal was disallowed for offside after a lengthy VAR review.
