Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag’s future is uncertain following his team’s 0-0 draw away to Aston Villa on Sunday.
While a draw against a high-flying Premier League rival with strong Champions League performances might not seem poor, Ten Hag urgently needed both a win and a convincing display.
Both sides looked flat in the game, with Villa creating more chances, although United almost scored when Bruno Fernandes’ shot hit the bar. This result does little to secure Ten Hag’s position, especially after United’s joint-owner Jim Ratcliffe made non-committal comments about the Dutchman’s future earlier this week. Additionally, the team has not scored a Premier League goal in over 300 minutes.
An impressive Nottingham Forest held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in a match where both goalkeepers were the standout performers with a series of impressive saves.
Chris Wood put Forest ahead in the 49th minute, but Cole Palmer then set up Noni Madueke for the equalizer eight minutes later. Forest then h
eld on for the last 12 minutes of regular time and 13 minutes of added time after James Ward-Prowse was sent off for a second yellow card.
Tottenham fell apart in the second half to suffer a 3-2 defeat away to Brighton after having led 2-0 at halftime. Ange Postecoglou’s side was excellent in the first 45 minutes, leading through goals from Brennan Johnson and James Maddison.
However, Pervis Estupinan’s entry as a second-half substitute sparked life into Brighton, who equalized with goals from Yankuba Minteh and Georginio Rutter before Danny Welbeck secured victory in the 66th minute.
Saturday’s matches saw Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal all win, although none of them had things easy.
Liverpool remain top after Diogo Jota’s ninth-minute goal gave them a 1-0 win away to a spirited Crystal Palace, in a match that saw third-choice goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros make his debut after Alisson was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Manchester City had to recover after falling behind to Andreas Pereira’s 26t
h-minute opener for Fulham, with Mateo Kovacic scoring twice before Jeremy Doku added another. Rodrigo Muniz’s 88th-minute goal gave City some nervous moments toward the end.
Cameron Archer’s 56th minute shot put Southampton ahead at Arsenal, but Kai Havertz quickly leveled after Bukayo Saka’s assist. Saka then assisted Gabriel Martinelli for Arsenal’s second and scored the third in the closing minutes.
West Ham won 4-1 at home to Ipswich Town, giving Julen Lopetegui his first home win as Hammers boss. Michail Antonio put West Ham ahead in the first minute, and although Ipswich leveled through Liam Delap’s excellent finish five minutes later, Mohammed Kudus put West Ham back in front at the end of the first half, with Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta at last giving Lopetegui something to celebrate.
Facundo Buonanotte’s 16th-minute goal gave Leicester City their first win of the season as they beat Bournemouth 1-0.
Brentford piled the pressure onto Wolves in a thrilling 5-3 win, with Nathan Collins putting t
hem ahead in the second minute and Matheus Cunha leveling three minutes later.
Bryan Mbeumo’s 20th-minute penalty put Brentford back ahead, but Jorgen Strand Larsen quickly leveled again, before Christian Norgaard and Ethan Pinnock made it 4-2 before halftime,
Fabio Carvalho scored Brentford’s fifth in the last minute, with Rayan Ait-Nouri notching a consolation for Wolves in injury time.
Finally, Everton and Newcastle United drew 0-0 in a tense game with few clear chances.
Source: The Namibia News Agency