Everton end Chelsea run, dour draw in Manchester derby
With 2000 supporters allowed back into Goodison Park after nine months, Everton won 1-0 to end Chelsea’s 17-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
Third-place Chelsea can now be overtaken — if Leicester beat Brighton this morning — and front-runners Tottenham and Liverpool can pull further away at the top of the Premier League with wins overnight.
“I don’t think we were at our best,” Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said. “We have been on a really good run and we knew what was coming with Everton physically and we didn’t handle that well. We didn’t show enough to break them down.”
An uncharacteristic mistake by Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy — bringing down Dominic CalvertLewin — allowed Gylfi Sigurdsson to score a penalty in the 22nd minute and spark home celebrations as Everton rose to seventh.
There was no atmosphere, intensity or goals as United and City drew 0-0 in the 183rd Manchester derby.
The rivals are both unusually low in the Premier League, too. United are eighth and City, who have won the league three times since their neighbours last lifted the trophy in 2013, are a point and place behind.
“We’re not happy to draw 0-0 at home at Old Trafford,” United captain Harry Maguire said, “and not create any big chances for fans to get off their seats and get excited about.”
There has been little joy for them watching from home this season — with United failing to score in three games at Old Trafford. But after exiting the Champions League, a draw against their biggest rivals is helpful for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“I was very, very pleased with it — exceptional attitude,” he said. “Of course, we had some moments where we had to defend . . . or there were
times they really pegged us back. But we stuck at it, defended really well. So attitude-wise, recovery, mental recovery, they’ve done brilliant.”
Newcastle’s 2-1 victory at West
Bromwich Albion began with Miguel Almiron scoring the fastest goal this season at 19.98 seconds.
After Darnell Furlong scored a 50th-minute equaliser in the empty
St James’ Park, Dwight Gayle headed in the winner off the crossbar in the 82nd to lift Newcastle to 11th place. West Bromwich are 19th.
Just like in Manchester and Newcastle, Wolverhampton also remain unable to bring fans back as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Wolves fans missed losing a derby. Anwar El Ghazi scored a penalty in the fourth minute of stoppage time — following Nelson Semedo’s foul on John McGinn — to give Aston Villa a 1-0 win in a game that ended with two players sent off.
Villa had Douglas Luiz sent off in the 85th minute after being shown a second yellow card for catching Daniel Podence with an elbow.
Wolves were also reduced to 10 moments after the penalty when Jacob Ramsey was fouled and Joao Moutinho was booked again by referee Mike Dean. Villa are 10th after 10 games and Wolves are 12th.