Premier League: Liverpool and Brentford pick up wins in end 2022 on a high
Liverpool came from behind to beat Leicester City 2-1 but only after two calamitous own goals from defender Wout Faes in their Premier League clash at Anfield on Friday.
The Belgian centre back miscued a clearance in the 38th minute to hand Liverpool the equaliser, after Leicester took a surprise fourth minute lead through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and then put the ball into his net again on the stroke of halftime.
Liverpool, who stay sixth but move within a point of fifth-placed Manchester United, albeit having played a game more, will consider themselves lucky after a stuttering performance with both clubs guilty of missing good chances.
Leicester remain 13th, four points above the relegation zone, after they lost a 10th league game of the season.
Leicester grabbed the lead as the home defence was caught out by a long clearance from goalkeeper Danny Ward, followed by two quick touches that put Dewsbury-Hall away on goal.
He ran almost half the length of the pitch, outpacing the Liverpool defence, to score.
Leicester looked good value for their advantage until Faes’ miscued clearance of a ball into the box from Trent Alexander Arnold looped up over Ward into the back of the Leicester net from a tight angle.
Faes was under no pressure as he attempted to hack the ball clear, giving away a cheap, although unfortunate, equaliser.
He was also unlucky with Liverpool’s second seven minutes later, chasing back as Darwin Nunez’s chipped effort hit the Leicester post and rebounded back into play, hitting the onrushing Faes on the knee and going into the net.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah had three second half chances to increase the home side’s lead while Nunez came close with an effort that whistled over the bar with 12 minutes left.
Leicester, who lost 3-0 at home to Newcastle United on Boxing Day in their first league game back after the World Cup break, also created some decent chances, notably for Harvey Barnes who tormented Liverpool down the left-hand side but all that yielded no results as the Reds rode on luck to secure all three points.
Brentford beat West Ham United 2-0 to hand them a fifth straight Premier League defeat on Friday, leaving the Londoners hovering just above the relegation zone as 2022 draws to a close.
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice shaved the outside of the far post with an early shot and was left to rue that miss when Toney reacted quickest to stab the ball home from close range following a long Brentford throw-in after 18 minutes.
Toney turned provider from another throw-in just before the break as he teed up Josh Dasilva to score and the home fans expressed their frustration by booing loudly as the players left the field at halftime.
Jarrod Bowen thought he had won a penalty for West Ham early in the second half but, in a decision that summed up their night, a VAR review found that the contact with Ben Mee started just outside the box and a free kick was awarded instead.
West Ham manager David Moyes threw on Michail Antonio up front in the 64th and, though he brought physicality and energy, the Hammers still lacked quality in attack with defender Craig Dawson coming closest to scoring with an 82nd-minute header.
In the meantime Lukasz Fabianski had to pull off a superb reflex save to deny Brentford’s Saman Ghoddos, who fired a rocket towards the bottom right corner after Toney’s free kick was blocked only for the Pole to turn it behind for a corner.
West Ham had a couple of late set pieces but Brentford’s only cause for concern came in stoppage time when Toney was taken off on a stretcher with a suspected knee injury that makes him a doubt for their next game at home to Liverpool on 2 January.
The defeat leaves West Ham in 17th place just a point above the drop zone, while Brentford move up to ninth on 23 points.
