Saturday’s Premier League games in gameweek eight saw wins for Brighton and Liverpool. Here is a more detailed look in those potentially crucial matches:
Connolly brace adds to Tottenham’s woes
Tottenham suffered a 3-0 defeat at Brighton’s AMEX Stadium, as young forward Aaron Connolly grabbed a brace on his Premier League full debut.
With the visitors on a poor run of form, Brighton took full advantage after just three minutes. The goal was another disaster for Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. The France international dropped a Pascal Gross cross and compatriot Neal Maupay was on hand for a simple header.
The afternoon soon got even worse for Lloris, as the experienced goalkeeper landed on his left arm. He received lengthy treatment before Paulo Gazzaniga replacing the World Cup-winner. Brighton doubled their lead on 32 minutes. Gazzaniga kept out an initial effort by young Connolly, only for the forward to score from close-range with the rebound.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino attempted to change things by replacing big summer signing Tanguy Ndombele with Harry Winks. Spurs improved slightly, but the home side were still more threatening. Gross struck the bar with a free-kick and took a three-goal lead on 65 minutes. Connolly picked up a long pass by Lewis Dunk before cutting inside Toby Alderweireld and beating the Tottenham goalkeeper with a powerful effort.
Tottenham finally looked threatening at the other end. However, Seagulls goalkeeper Mat Ryan proved to be more than a match for the visitors attacking players.
The victory moved Brighton up to 13th place in the Premier League table. it was only the Seagulls second league win of the campaign. Meanwhile, the defeat just adds to the pressure on Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino after their midweek 7-2 mauling by Bayern Munich.
Last-minute Milner penalty maintains Reds winning run
As we predicted Liverpool recorded a win over Leicester, with both teams scoring. However, Jurgen Klopp’s team needed a 95th-minute penalty from James Milner to overcome the Foxes 2-1 at Anfield.
The home side was far from their best, but still had chances to take the lead. However, eventually, they did go ahead on 40 minutes. James Milner’s superb 50 yard past found Sadio Mane, who had found space behind Jonny Evans. The Senegal international then kept his composure from 15 yards out to slot past Kasper Schmeichel in the visitor’s goal.
The Reds should have extended their lead, but Leicester scored an equaliser with just ten minutes left on the clock. Substitute Ayoze Perez picked up the ball 25 yards out and slid a pass beyond Virgil van Dijk to James Maddison, who held off two challenges before his low effort hit Adrian before going into the net.
Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhary produced a cynical tackle on Mohamad Salah in the last minute of the clash, receiving a yellow card and incensing Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
However, that was not the end of the drama. Deep into stoppage-time, Leicester’s Marc Albrighton lost the ball to Sadio Mane, then proceeded to produce a clumsy challenge in the penalty area, which was enough for the officials to give a spot-kick. After a VAR check Milner sent Schmeichel the wrong way with the penalty.
The win means that Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points. It also means that Jurgen Klopp’s team have also won 17 straight league wins. The Reds are still second-favourites to win the Premier League title. Leicester remain a respectable fourth place in the table.
Saturday’s other Premier League results
Burnley 1-0 Tottenham
Norwich 1-5 Aston Villa
Watford 0-0 Sheffield United
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
How long can Liverpool extend their winning Premier League run?
