Premier League Roundup: Chelsea’s unstable season continues following a contentious 2-2 draw at home against relegation-struggling Burnley
Chelsea’s turbulent season endured another blow on Saturday as Burnley, who are currently facing relegation difficulties in the Premier League, managed to secure a 2-2 draw despite being a man down. Burnley player, Lorenz Assignon was shown a second yellow for a foul on Mykhailo Mudryk. Chelsea seized this advantange as Cole Palmer scored from the ensuing penalty in the 44th minute.
Nonetheless, a shocking goal from Josh Cullen, hailing from Ireland, two minutes post half-time momentarily leveled the score before Palmer restored the lead for Chelsea in the 78th minute. The game was soon balanced again when Dara O’Shea scored from a corner, leaving the clubs in 11th and 19th position respectively.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth claimed a 2-1 victory over Everton due to an injury-time own goal by Irish defender Seamus Coleman. Everton, who had seen their 10-point financial irregularity deduction reduced to six, found it hard to create scoring chances. Bournemouth’s lead was established by Dominic Solanke in the 64th minute, and despite an equalising goal from Everton substitute Beto, the match concluded with Coleman inadvertently steering the ball into his own net, leading to Everton’s third successive defeat.
In another match, Nottingham Forest secured a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, thanks to Chris Wood, who safeguarded a valuable point for his team currently battling relegation.
Forest dropped into the relegation zone the previous week after a penalty of four points for violating financial regulations last season. The team conceded the first goal in the 11th minute when Jean-Philippe Mateta brilliantly shot into the top left corner. However, Forest managed to level the match in the second half when Wood made use of Morgan Gibbs-White’s cross from the left wing and netted in with a short distance header during the 61st minute. After consulting with VAR for any potential offside, the goal was confirmed. Forest consistently posed a threat to Palace’s defence post the equaliser, but failed in converting their chances. Ultimately, the game ended in a draw at the City Ground with Forest sitting in 17th position, tied at 22 points with Luton Town in third-bottom place after 30 matches.
As for the match between Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town, Son Heung-min, the captain of Tottenham Hotspur, ensured a 2-1 Premier League win over Luton Town in the 86th minute following a momentous Tottenham move, which boosted his team’s top four aspirations on Saturday. Despite Luton gaining the first point thanks to Tahith Chong and Son being obstructed by the post, Tottenham brought the match to an equalizer in the 51st minute when Issa Kabore unfortunately scored an own goal. Son’s ultimate goal granted Tottenham their well-deserved victory, pushing them into fourth place with 56 points – a leap over Aston Villa based on goal difference. Villa was due to play Wolverhampton Wanderers at home later. Luton descended below Nottingham Forest back into the relegation zone.
Lastly, Fulham made a comeback from a two goal lag to settle for a 3-3 draw against Sheffield United on Saturday in the Premier League. The lead was taken by United when Oli McBurnie’s cross located Ben Brereton Diaz in the penalty area for a swift netting in the 58th minute. Fulham restored the balance in the game just four minutes later as Joao Palhinha scored off a corner with a powerful header.
McBurnie reinstated United’s advantage in the 68th minute, a short while before Brereton Diaz landed his second, taking the score to 3-1. However, Fulham’s Bobby Decordova-Reid managed to net a goal in the 86th minute, followed by an equalising score from Rodrigo Muniz three minutes into overtime.
Despite this, United continued to languish at the bottom of the standings with a total of 15 points, as they prepared to meet Liverpool on Thursday. Fulham, occupying the 12th spot with a tally of 39 points from as many as 30 games, were scheduled to go up against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.