EPL: Arsenal Title Bid Rocked By West Ham, Man Utd Rescue Everton Draw
Arsenal’s bid for the Premier League title suffered a significant setback on Saturday as they fell to a surprising 1-0 defeat against West Ham, while Manchester United managed to salvage a 2-2 draw against Everton after trailing by two goals.
With league leaders Liverpool not playing until Sunday’s clash against Manchester City, Arsenal had a golden opportunity to narrow the gap. However, Mikel Arteta’s side stumbled in their first loss in 16 league matches, thanks to a first-half goal from Jarrod Bowen. The Gunners’ woes deepened when Myles Lewis-Skelly received a red card after a second-half foul, leaving Arsenal to finish the match with ten men.
This defeat leaves Arsenal eight points behind Liverpool, who could extend their lead to a daunting 11 points with a win against a struggling City side. The Gunners’ last defeat in the league came in November against Newcastle, and their lack of attacking options was evident in this match, with key players like Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka sidelined.
Bowen’s goal came just before halftime, capitalizing on a pinpoint cross from Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Lewis-Skelly’s dismissal in the 73rd minute, upgraded from a yellow to a red card after a VAR review, compounded Arsenal’s frustrations.
At Goodison Park, Manchester United appeared to be heading for another disappointing loss after falling behind to goals from Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure within the first 33 minutes. However, Bruno Fernandes sparked a comeback with a free-kick goal 18 minutes from time, and Manuel Ugarte leveled the match shortly thereafter. United’s late drama continued when Everton were awarded a penalty in stoppage time, only for the decision to be overturned by VAR.
United manager Ruben Amorim expressed frustration with his team’s performance, acknowledging they had only played well in the second half.
In other action, Marco Asensio’s first goals for Aston Villa secured a thrilling 2-1 victory over Chelsea, whose struggles deepened with a costly error from goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen. Chelsea took the lead through Enzo Fernandez but succumbed to Asensio’s brace, including a last-minute winner that capitalized on Jorgensen’s blunder. Chelsea now sits just outside the top four, having lost four of their last five matches.
Tottenham eased pressure on manager Ange Postecoglou with a commanding 4-1 win at Ipswich. Brennan Johnson scored twice early on, and Djed Spence and Dejan Kulusevski rounded off the scoring for Spurs, ensuring a second consecutive victory.
Wolves secured a vital 1-0 win over Bournemouth, moving five points clear of the relegation zone. An own goal from Illia Zabarnyi, upgraded to a red card after VAR intervention, put Bournemouth at a disadvantage.
Crystal Palace enjoyed a 2-0 victory over Fulham, aided by an own goal from Joachim Andersen, while Southampton’s relegation fears deepened following a crushing 4-0 defeat to Brighton, marking their 21st loss in 26 league games this season. Joao Pedro, Georginio Rutter, Kaoru Mitoma, and Jack Hinshelwood all found the net for Brighton, further condemning the bottom-placed Saints.
