Premier League: Brentford 3 (Thiago 30, 65, Yarmolyuk 73) Sunderland 0
Igor Thiago scored twice to keep Keith Andrews’ Brentford’s unlikely European push on track and become the top-scoring Brazilian in a Premier League season in a 3-0 win over Sunderland.
The 24-year-old striker notched his 15th and 16th goals of a sparkling campaign, taking him past the season’s-best tallies of countrymen Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Martinelli and Matheus Cunha.
Yehor Yarmolyuk added a third to sink fellow surprise packages Sunderland, who were left to rue Enzo Le Fee making a mess of a Panenka penalty when he could have made it 1-1.
Le Fee’s misplaced confidence saw him chip the ball straight into the arms of Irish keeper Caoimhín Kelleher.
Kelleher is something of a penalty-saving specialist, having saved efforts from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé in the past.
But he did not have to move a muscle to stop this one, merely standing in the centre of his goal to take a dolly of a catch.
It meant Kelleher has saved four of his six penalties he has faced in the Premier League, the best save rate of any goalkeeper to face five or more penalties in the competition.
Moments later Thiago, Sunday’s hat-trick hero against Everton, grabbed his second to put the Bees on the way to a fourth win in five matches.
Brentford always like to make a fast start and Black Cats goalkeeper Robin Roefs was forced into his first save after just 37 seconds, tipping Kevin Schade’s lob over the crossbar.
They took the lead on the half-hour after Vitaly Janelt nicked possession from Nordi Mukiele in midfield.
The German’s instant, inch-perfect through-ball sent Thiago clean through to round Roefs and roll into an empty net.
Brentford almost had a second in stoppage-time of a one-sided first half when Lewis Keane-Potter’s free-kick clipped the crossbar.
For Sunderland, a scuffed free-kick from Granit Xhaka and a blocked effort from Dan Ballard was the sum total of their efforts in the opening half.
They had a better chance at the start of the second but Le Fee side-footed over the crossbar from 18 yards.
And they were gifted a route back into the match in the 57th minute when Kristoffer Ajer clumsily bundled over Brian Brobbey in the area.
Le Fee’s embarrassment was complete moments later when Schade’s shot came back off the crossbar and Mathias Jensen lifted the ball back to the far post.
Schade headed it across goal where Thiago was on hand to tuck away his record-breaking goal.
The Black Cats, like the Bees, are enjoying a fine season despite being tipped to struggle, but they were finished off with 17 minutes still to play when Yarmoliuk lashed in the third.
Newcastle 4 (Barnes 36, 90+12, Joelinton 54, Guimaraes 90+1) Leeds 3 (Aaronson 32, 79, Calvert Lewin 45+5)
Harvey Barnes snatched a 4-3 victory over Leeds as Newcastle served up a seven-goal Premier League thriller of which Kevin Keegan would be proud.
On a night when it was announced that the man known on Tyneside simply as ‘King Kev’ is undergoing treatment for cancer, the team for which he played and then managed twice laid on a madcap 90 minutes during which the visitors led three times.
The excellent Brenden Aaronson twice and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, from the penalty spot, put Leeds ahead, but Barnes, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes levelled to set up a grandstand finish in which Barnes won it front of a mesmerised crowd of 52,176.
Man City 1 (Haaland 41) Brighton 1 (Mitoma 60)
Title-chasing Manchester City dropped points for a third successive game as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Brighton on Wednesday.
Erling Haaland’s penalty put them on course for a return to winning ways after draws against Sunderland and Chelsea but Kaoru Mitoma’s first goal since September brought more frustration.
The result at the Etihad Stadium means Premier League leaders Arsenal will have a chance to move eight points clear when they host champions Liverpool on Thursday.
Haaland and Rayan Cherki both spurned good opportunities to win the game late on.
Fulham 2 (Jimenez 55, Wilson 81) Chelsea 1 (Delap 72)
Incoming head coach Liam Rosenior watched from the stands as 10-man Chelsea lost 2-1 to rivals Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson were the Fulham scorers either side of an equaliser in the second half from Liam Delap, but the story once again was Chelsea’s inability to keep 11 players on the pitch, Marc Cucurella dismissed midway through the first half for denying Wilson a goalscoring chance.
This was the seventh red card the team had received this season and the third time in the league they had gone down to 10 in the first half. Equally concerning for Rosenior – who starts work officially on Thursday morning – will have been the sight of three Chelsea players talking themselves into a booking over their protests.
Everton 1 (Keane 17) Wolves 1 (Mane 69)
Everton shot themselves in the foot as they had Michael Keane and Jack Grealish sent off in a 1-1 draw which maintained Wolves’ recent momentum.
Keane, the Toffees’ goalscorer, was shown a red card for grabbing the hair of Tolu Arokodare in an aerial challenge.
Everton’s Jack Grealish claps the referee after a decision given against him. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
But if manager David Moyes and the majority of Hill Dickinson stadium were furious with that decision, Grealish’s second yellow card – his first Premier League dismissal – for sarcastically applauding referee Tom Kirk in only his second top-flight game made them apoplectic.
Keane’s third goal of the season made him the club’s joint-second highest scorer in the Premier League this season, highlighting the issues Moyes is having to deal with.
But the team had been in control after his 17th-minute poacher’s finish, only to fail to capitalise and get picked apart far too easily as 18-year-old Matheus Mane scored for the second successive game.
Five points from three matches, with draws away at Manchester United and now Everton, shows Wolves have turned a corner after 11 straight league defeats but safety is still 14 points away.
Bournemouth 3 (Evanilson 22, Kroupi 36, Semenyo 90+5) Tottenham 2 (Tel 5, Palhinha 78)
Antoine Semenyo bid a potential farewell to Bournemouth in style by piling pressure on Tottenham boss Thomas Frank with a stunning late winner in a 3-2 success at the Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries’ top scorer, who is on the verge of a £65 million move to Manchester City, had largely been a peripheral figure before smashing home his 10th goal of the season in the fifth minute of added time.
Joao Palhinha’s bicycle kick looked set to earn Spurs head coach Frank a reprieve after first-half goals from Cherries pair Evanilson and Junior Kroupi overturned Mathys Tel’s early opener.
But the under-fire Danish manager is likely to face further scrutiny after Semenyo’s dramatic intervention left his side with just two wins from 12 top-flight fixtures amid Tottenham’s fanbase rapidly losing patience.
Crystal Palace 0 Aston Villa 0
Aston Villa’s aim of making a significant dent on Arsenal’s lead at the Premier League summit was thwarted by a goalless draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
A tight match tilted dramatically in the Eagles’ favour midway through the second half but they were unable to convert a number of chances, before Villa finished with a flourish.
Oliver Glasner’s side at least collected a point as they look to halt their slide down the table in the wake of losing four of their last five matches.