Premier League review and highlights: Leicester make it eight in a row, wins for Newcastle and Sheffield United
Game-by-game report, highlights and key statistics for Sunday's action in the Premier League.
Premier League results
- Aston Villa 1-4 Leicester City
- Newcastle 2-1 Southampton
- Norwich 1-2 Sheffield United
- Brighton 2-2 Wolves
Flying Foxes move six clear of City to move within eight points of Liverpool
Jamie Vardy continued his red-hot form as ruthless Leicester dismantled Aston Villa 4-1 to keep Premier League leaders Liverpool in sight.
The former England international bagged a brace to net for an eighth straight game and ensure the Foxes closed the gap on the Reds at the top to eight points.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Jonny Evans also scored to help Leicester set a new club record of eight consecutive top-flight wins.
Jack Grealish did make it 2-1 just before the break but the Foxes were rarely in danger.
Brendan Rodgers' second-placed side are 14 points clear of fifth-placed Manchester United and refusing to budge in the title race.
In contrast, Villa sit 17th after they were thumped, slipping to a fifth defeat in seven games.
Brendan Rodgers happy to go under radar
Opta stats
- Leicester City have won their last eight Premier League games in a row – their best-ever winning run in their top-flight history.
- Aston Villa suffered their heaviest home league defeat since losing 4-0 to Chelsea in April 2016.
- Leicester striker Jamie Vardy became the first player to score in eight consecutive Premier League appearances since Vardy himself did so back in November 2015 (11 in a row).
- Jamie Vardy became the second player to have scored in eight consecutive Premier League appearances on more than one occasion, along with Ruud van Nistelrooy who did so twice in 2002 and 2003.
- Jack Grealish has scored six goals in all competitions this season, equalling his best tally in a single season for Aston Villa (also six in 2018/19).
- Leicester City have won their last four away Premier League matches by an aggregate score of 17-1.
- Kelechi Iheanacho has been involved in six goals in his two starts in all competitions against Aston Villa (4 goals, 2 assists), scoring three goals and assisting one for Man City in January 2016 in the FA Cup and scoring and assisting today for Leicester.
- Since Brendan Rodgers’ first Premier League game in charge on March 3rd, Leicester striker Jamie Vardy has scored 25 Premier League goals – eight more than any other player.
Fernandez seals late Newcastle victory
Federico Fernandez scored a late winner as Newcastle came from behind to beat Southampton 2-1 in the Premier League.
The central defender smashed home his second goal of the season from close range after goalkeeper Alex McCarthy could only parry substitute Sean Longstaff's 87th-minute piledriver.
His effort came after Jonjo Shelvey had cancelled out Danny Ings' opener with his fifth goal of the season and third in as many games as he headed in substitute Andy Carroll's cross.
However, the Saints will have headed off on the long journey back to the south coast feeling they deserved better on a day when home keeper Martin Dubravka had to make two fine first-half saves from Nathan Redmond.
Opta stats
- Newcastle are unbeaten in seven Premier League games at St. James’ Park – they never surpassed this number under Rafael Benitez, last having a longer such run in April 2012 under Alan Pardew (nine games).
- Newcastle have earned 22 points from their opening 16 games this season, nine more than they had at the same stage last season.
- Since Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first game in charge exactly a year ago today, Southampton have lost five Premier League games in which they’ve netted the opening goal – this is the most of any side.
- Newcastle have had nine goals scored by defenders in the Premier League this season, the most of any side.
- Danny Ings is the third player to score in five consecutive Premier League games for Southampton, after James Beattie and Matt Le Tissier, who both did so twice.
- Southampton’s last 13 Premier League goals have been scored by Englishmen; they are the first Premier League have scored 13 consecutive goals scored by English players since themselves between March and August 2014 (also 13).
- Jonjo Shelvey has scored in each of his last three Premier League games for Newcastle, and has now netted six goals in his last 12 apps - his previous six Premier League goals were spread across 116 matches.
- Allan Saint-Maximin attempted 18 dribbles against Southampton, the last Newcastle player to attempt as many in a Premier League game was Hatem Ben Arfa in December 2013 against Stoke City (also 18).
Wolves' unbeaten run continues after coming from behind at Brighton
Diogo Jota's double stretched Wolves' unbeaten record to 11 matches after a 2-2 draw at Brighton.
The Portuguese frontman struck either side of quickfire goals from Neal Maupay and Davy Propper in a crazy 16-minute spell at the end of the first half.
Another point on the road lifted Nuno Espirito Santo's spirited side back up to sixth, while Brighton's encouraging start to the season continued as they moved level with Arsenal.
Opta stats
- Wolves have amassed 24 points from their 16 Premier League games this season (W5 D9 L2) – their highest total at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1979-80 under John Barnwell (25 points).
- Brighton had 61.7% possession during their draw with Wolves, the third most for the Seagulls in a Premier League match this season. Indeed, under Graham Potter, Brighton are averaging 55% possession in the top-flight, compared to just 42% during Chris Hughton’s tenure.
- Nine of Wolves’ 16 Premier League games this season have ended level – only Ipswich in 1992/93 and Sunderland in 2014/15 drew more matches at this stage of the competition (10).
- Brighton versus Wolves is the third Premier League game this season to see both sides score at least twice during the first half, after Norwich v Chelsea and Liverpool v Everton.
- Neal Maupay’s equaliser was his sixth Premier League goal of the season – three times as many goals as any other Brighton player in the competition so far.
- Only 96 seconds separated Brighton equalising and taking the lead through Davy Pröpper’s header.
- Diogo Jota and Raúl Jiménez have now combined for nine goals in the Premier League – with the Portuguese’s opener helping them overtake Steven Fletcher and Matt Jarvis (8) for the most combinations by a duo leading to Premier League goals for Wolves.
- Raúl Jiménez has been directly involved in 30 goals for Wolves in the Premier League (19 goals, 11 assists) – no player has more goal involvements for the club in the competition (level with Kevin Doyle).
Blades extend unbeaten run on the road as Norwich lose 11th match in 16
Sheffield United came from behind to seal a 2-1 victory over struggling Norwich at Carrow Road.
The Blades bounced back from their first defeat in eight matches against Newcastle on Thursday with a determined and solid performance against a Norwich side who have not won at home since September.
The Canaries took the lead through Alexander Tettey inside the opening half an hour after starting the match brightly.
However in the second half, it was Sheffield United who dominated. Enda Stevens' header drew his side level with George Baldock firing home just three minutes later to put his side ahead.
The game was not without its moments of VAR controversy, with a red card for Chris Basham overruled and a lengthy delay over whether to award Sheffield United a goal, with both sets of fans expressing their displeasure at the new technology.
'VAR doing referees a disservice' - Wilder
Opta stats
- Sheffield United are still unbeaten away from home this season (W2 D6), their longest run without defeat from the start of a top-flight season since 1899-1900 (10 games).
- Sheffield United are the first promoted side to remain unbeaten in their opening eight away Premier League games since Blackburn Rovers in the 1992-93 campaign.
- Only Southampton (23) have conceded more home goals than Norwich in the Premier League this season (20), with the Canaries conceding at least twice in each of their last seven at Carrow Road.
- Norwich lost a Premier League game from ahead for the first time this season, while this was Sheffield United’s first comeback win of the campaign.
- Sheffield United won a Premier League away game in which they conceded the first goal for only the third time – also doing so at Liverpool in April 1994 and Coventry in March 1993.
- Sheffield United’s George Baldock has been involved in five Premier League goals this season (2 goals, 3 assists). Among defenders in the competition, only Liverpool full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold (7) and Andrew Robertson (6) have been involved in more.
- Norwich’s Alexander Tettey scored his first Premier League goal in 1463 days, since netting against Southampton in January 2016.
- Sheffield United forward David McGoldrick has had more shots without scoring than any other Premier League player this season (28), with the Irishman having a further three unsuccessful attempts in this match.
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