Ange Postecoglou under fire as Chelsea roar back to sink Spurs 4-3
Chelsea roared back from two goals down to beat Tottenham 4-3, moving into outright second and piling the pressure on Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou while Arsenal slipped up. EPL WRAP
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Chelsea roared back from two goals down to beat Tottenham 4-3, moving just four points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after Arsenal were held by Fulham.
The Gunners and Chelsea both started the day seven points behind Arne Slot’s Liverpool, whose game this weekend was postponed due to stormy conditions.
Arsenal were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw but Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea, kicking off later Sunday, mounted a stunning comeback at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski put Tottenham two goals up inside 11 minutes but Jadon Sancho quickly pulled one back with a fine strike and the second half belonged to the visitors.
Cole Palmer equalised from the penalty spot in the 61st minute, Enzo Fernandez put Chelsea ahead 12 minutes later and Palmer chipped in another spot-kick before Son Heung-min added a late third for Spurs.
Second-placed Chelsea now have 31 points after 15 games, two points ahead of London rivals Arsenal. Liverpool, with a game in hand, are on 35 points.
But it is a disastrous result for Spurs, who hammered champions Manchester City 4-0 late last month.
Ange Postecoglou’s men have now lost seven of their 15 Premier League games and are languishing in 11th place in the table.
FULHAM 1 ARSENAL 1
Bukayo Saka had a late winner ruled out for offside by a VAR review as the Gunners’ four-match winning streak was halted in west London.
Raul Jimenez fired Fulham into an early lead before William Saliba levelled after yet another Arsenal goal from a corner.
“We are very disappointed not to win the game, overall we absolutely dominated the game from start to end,” Arteta told the BBC.
“We did all the things that we wanted to do during the game and unfortunately we concede one goal in one shot. The way the team played, the way the team wanted to win, it was unbelievable.”
Arsenal were still without influential defensive pair Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori through injury and Fulham exposed a makeshift left side of the Gunners’ backline to take the lead.
Kenny Tete’s ball in behind was pounced on by Jimenez, who drove forward and fired brilliantly across David Raya into the far corner on 11 minutes.
Arsenal underlined their threat from set-pieces when they scored twice from corners to beat Manchester United 2-0 in midweek.
Yet for all their preparations, Fulham were still powerless to prevent the corner kings from striking again.
Saliba stabbed home Kai Havertz’s header from close range for Arsenal’s 23rd goal from corners since the beginning of last season.
Another corner should have led to the winner but Thomas Partey nodded wide when unmarked from another pinpoint Declan Rice delivery.
Saka did head in at the back post as stoppage time approached, but Gabriel Martinelli had strayed offside before supplying the cross.
LEICESTER CITY 2 BRIGHTON 2
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester struck twice late on to deny Brighton in a 2-2 draw at the King Power.
Tariq Lamptey opened the scoring in spectacular fashion with a looping effort into the top corner from outside the box and Yankuba Minteh looked to have sealed the three points for the Seagulls 11 minutes from time.
But Jamie Vardy started the comeback on 86 minutes before teeing up Bobby De Cordova-Reid to snatch a point in stoppage time.
Van Nistelrooy, appointed at the King Power late last month, praised 37-year-old striker Vardy.
“If you are on the scoresheet and make an assist, then you have to say this result would not be possible without him,” said the Dutchman.
IPSWICH TOWN 1 BOURNEMOUTH 2
Bournemouth also scored twice in the dying minutes to deny Ipswich a first home win in the top flight for 22 years in a 2-1 win at Portman Road.
Conor Chaplin put Ipswich in front, but the Cherries move up to eighth after substitutes Enes Unal and Dango Ouattara turned the game around in the dying minutes.
Ipswich remain four points adrift of safety in the bottom three.
Originally published as Ange Postecoglou under fire as Chelsea roar back to sink Spurs 4-3
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