Fernandes on the spot as Man United beats Watford 3-0
Bruno Fernandes coolly rolled in a penalty for his first goal for Manchester United to set his new team on its way to a 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Watford in the Premier League yesterday.
Anthony Martial also netted, for the third straight game, and teenager Mason Greenwood added a brilliant third goal as United climbed above Tottenham and Sheffield United into fifth in the standings. That is currently a Champions League qualification place following Manchester City's recent two-season ban from European competitions by UEFA.
Fernandes has slotted seamlessly into the United team since his January move from Sporting Lisbon. After grabbing his first assist in the 2-0 win over Chelsea on Monday, the Portugal playmaker got on the scoresheet for the first time against Watford.
He was brought down by Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster – a former United player – as he surged through into the area, and got himself up to impudently roll home the 42nd-minute spot kick, sending Foster the wrong way.
It was no surprise to see Fernandes taking penalty duties, having scored 12 out of 12 from the spot when at Sporting.
Watford striker Troy Deeney thought he had equalized in the 52nd when he bundled in following a corner, but the goal was disallowed by VAR because the ball struck the arm of teammate Craig Dawson as the defender went for a header off the cross.
Watford, which stayed in the relegation zone with 11 games left, was further punished when Martial made it 2-0 with a cheeky finish after his initial shot was saved by Foster. The French forward collected the loose ball, beat Etienne Capoue with a lovely drag-back, and chipped Foster from an acute angle.
Watford winger Gerard Deulofeu curled a shot onto the crossbar before Greenwood made the points safe, collecting Fernandes' inside pass and rifling a fierce shot into the roof of the net from just inside the area.
Odion Ighalo, the former Watford striker signed by United from the Chinese Super League on transfer deadline day last month, came off the bench for his home debut and struck the post with a shot in the 84th after rounding Foster.
In-form Jota scores 2 as Wolves beats Norwich 3-0
Diogo Jota added two more goals to the midweek hat trick he scored in the Europa League as Wolverhampton beat last-place Norwich 3-0 in the Premier League yesterday to keep in touch with the Champions League qualification positions.
The Portugal forward scored in the 19th and 30th minutes, then drove in a shot that struck the post before Raul Jimenez bundled home the loose ball for the third goal in the second half at Molineux.
Jota has had an injury-interrupted season but is in a rich vein of form, having netted three goals in Wolves’ 4-0 win over Espanyol in the first leg of the Europa League last 32 on Thursday.
He appeared to benefit from Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s decision to switch from his usual 3-4-3 formation to a 3-5-2 favored at the end of last season, which saw Jota playing as a central striker alongside Jimenez rather than a wide forward. That meant right winger Adama Traore, one of Wolves’ best players this season, was dropped to the bench.
Wolves are managing to juggle its domestic and European commitments impressively and moved up to eighth place in the league, just two points behind Manchester United in fifth place. That is currently a Champions League qualification place following Manchester City’s recent two-season ban from European competitions by UEFA.
It looks increasingly likely Norwich will be returning to the second-tier League Championship after just one season in the top flight. Daniel Farke’s side, which has earned praise for its positive football, is seven points from safety with 11 games remaining.
One negative for Wolves was the sight of left wing back Jonny Otto coming off injured late in the game after falling awkwardly under Ben Godfrey as the Norwich defender attempted a cross.
Aubameyang's double steers Arsenal to 3-2 win over Everton
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Jamie Vardy as the leading scorers in the Premier League by grabbing goals either side of halftime in Arsenal’s end-to-end 3-2 win over Everton that kept his team in contention for Champions League qualification yesterday.
Arsenal recovered from conceding a goal inside the first minute at Emirates Stadium, with an equalizer from Eddie Nketiah and a double from Aubameyang earning the hosts victory.
Aubameyang moved onto 17 goals, a tally all the more impressive given the fact he is playing as a left-winger this season. The Gabon striker finished tied with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane as the league’s top scorer last season.
Arsenal climbed to ninth and is four points behind fifth-place Manchester United, which occupies the final qualifying spot for the Champions League now that second-place Manchester City has been banned from European competition for the next two seasons for breaching financial rules.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored an acrobatic volley after David Luiz failed to clear a corner to give Everton an early lead in an open game full of chances.
Nketiah steered in substitute Bukayo Saka’s left-wing cross to make it 1-1 before Luiz made up for his earlier mistake by playing a superb pass through to Aubameyang, who curled home a 33rd-minute finish from the left in the same manner Arsenal great Thierry Henry used to do so regularly.
Back came Everton and in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, Yerry Mina flicked on Gylfi Sigurdsson’s mis-hit shot from the edge of the area and Richardson got the faintest of touches to prod the ball through the legs of Bernd Leno and over the line.
Aubameyang earned Arsenal the win by heading home Pepe’s cross in the first minute of the second half, but it needed a serious of great saves and interventions from Leno to preserve the home side’s lead as Everton piled on the pressure late on.
Everton is one of the many teams fighting for European qualification. It is in 11th place, but only four points behind Man United.