Premier League review: Leeds secure a point late on; Five-star Leicester beat Watford
A review of Sunday's action in the Premier League, where Pascal Struijk's late goal rescued a point for relegation-threatened Leeds.
Results
Leeds 1-1 Brighton
- Infogol xG: 2.30 - 2.05
Pascal Struijk headed a stoppage-time equaliser as Leeds snatched a vital point in their fight for Premier League survival with a 1-1 draw against Brighton.
Late substitute Struijk headed home at the far post in the second minute of added time to lift Leeds out of the bottom three after Danny Welbeck had given Albion a half-time lead at Elland Road.
Following relegation rivals Burnley’s defeat at Tottenham earlier on Sunday, Struijk’s last-gasp leveller ensured Leeds’ bid to retain their top-flight status will be decided on the final day of the season.
West Ham 2-2 Manchester City
- Infogol xG: 0.82 - 2.60
Manchester City battled back from two goals down and missed a late penalty to keep the title race alive after a rip-roaring 2-2 draw at West Ham.
Jarrod Bowen’s first-half double threatened to hand the initiative to second-placed Liverpool, who would have surely relished the challenge of drawing level on points and gnawing away at the goal difference at Southampton on Tuesday night.
But Jack Grealish pulled one back after the break and an own goal by Vladimir Coufal hauled City level to at least keep their title destiny in their hands.
Pep Guardiola’s side were then awarded a spot-kick which, had they scored it, would have left them needing just a point against Aston Villa next weekend to retain the Premier League crown.
But Lukasz Fabianski saved Riyad Mahrez’s effort to ensure the race at the top will go to the wire.
Watford 1-5 Leicester
- Infogol xG: 2.60 - 1.87
Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes each scored twice as Roy Hodgson’s final home match in charge of relegated Watford ended in an embarrassing 5-1 Premier League loss to Leicester.
Joao Pedro’s deflected effort gave the Hornets an early lead in front of incoming head coach Rob Edwards.
But familiar defensive issues contributed to the hosts’ downfall as James Maddison’s leveller and doubles from Vardy and Barnes condemned them to a 26th Premier League loss of a miserable campaign.
The Foxes’ victory was relatively straightforward after their ongoing set-piece frailties were exposed early on and keeps them on course for a fifth-successive top-half finish.
Meanwhile, Watford’s latest defeat equals the overall top-flight record of 15 home reverses in a season and leaves former Forest Rovers boss Edwards in little doubt about the major summer overhaul required.
Veteran former England manager Hodgson, who turns 75 in August, will depart Hertfordshire having failed to taste victory on home soil and with just next weekend’s trip to Chelsea to improve a paltry return of nine points from 51 available since his January appointment.
Tottenham 1-0 Burnley
- Infogol xG: 2.31 - 0.67
Harry Kane’s controversial penalty was enough for Tottenham to edge past Burnley and pile the pressure on Arsenal in the race for Champions League qualification.
Kane struck from 12 yards in first-half added time after referee Kevin Friend ruled that the ball flicked Ashley Barnes’ outstretched arm after a VAR check.
That proved enough for the vital three points which sees Spurs climb above their north London rivals into fourth, ahead of the Gunners’ trip to Newcastle on Monday night.
It was a nervy 90 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur, that would have been much less stressful had Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope not made a string of fine saves.
Everton 2-3 Brentford
- Infogol xG: 2.29 - 2.13
Everton blew a chance to secure their Premier League status as Brentford twice came from behind to earn a 3-2 win against nine men at Goodison Park.
Leeds’ draw against Brighton meant victory for the Toffees would put an end to the spectre of a first relegation since 1951, and that seemed the most likely outcome when Dominic Calvert-Lewin marked his first start in five weeks with a 10th-minute opener.
But, in keeping with Everton’s season, things were not going to be that simple – Jarrad Branthwaite was sent off for a foul on Ivan Toney eight minutes later, and Brentford levelled through a Seamus Coleman own goal.
Though Richarlison restored Everton’s lead just before the break, the pressure told in the second half as two goals in three minutes from Yoane Wissa and Rico Henry gave Brentford their first league double over Everton since 1936, and left Frank Lampard’s side still only two points above the bottom three.
Aston Villa 1-1 Crystal Palace
- Infogol xG: 0.89 - 1.48
Substitute Jeffrey Schlupp netted a late equaliser as Crystal Palace secured a 1-1 draw at fellow Premier League mid-table side Aston Villa.
Schlupp, three minutes after coming on, finished from close range in the 81st minute to cancel out Ollie Watkins’ 69th-minute opener.
Lucas Digne had a strike saved by Jack Butland and Watkins hit a shot wide in stoppage time as a subsequent Villa push to reclaim the lead proved in vain.
The result left Patrick Vieira’s Palace and Steven Gerrard’s Villa still in 11th and 12th place respectively, a point apart.
Wolves 1-1 Norwich
- Infogol xG: 1.07 - 1.43
Rayan Ait-Nouri’s first goal in 19 months salvaged a point for Wolves against relegated Norwich.
The defender – who had not scored since his 2020 debut – struck to rescue a 1-1 draw at Molineux.
Yet eighth-placed Wolves extended their winless run to six – a streak which officially ended their hopes of a return to the Europa League.
They were forced to come from behind after Teemu Pukki’s 11th goal of the season gave the Canaries a first-half lead.
Relegated Norwich did at least end a run of five straight defeats but they remain bottom of the Premier League.
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