Izuchukwu Okosi
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Manchester City claimed their 12th successive Premier League win on Saturday with a 1-0 win over second placed Chelsea to movement 13 points clear at the top of the English Premier League table.
Kevin De Bruyne captain on the day scored a brilliant winner against his former club Chelsea on 70 minutes, and in some style. He took Joao Cancelo’s pass and ran at the Chelsea defence before curling in his fifth career strike against his former team.
City have 56 points, while Chelsea stay second with 43 but with more matches played than all the teams below them as Liverpool having two games in hand and likely to overtake the Blues.
Former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho enjoyed a dream return to English football as he came off the bench at Villa Park to inspire Aston Villa’s fightback from 2-0 down to draw with Manchester United.
Villa had taken the lead on six minutes, when Bruno Fernandes’s shot from 25 yards squirmed through Emiliano Martinez’s hands and into the net.
Fernandes doubled United’s advantage in the 67th minute, collecting Fred’s pass before firing in off the crossbar.
Nine minutes after coming on, Coutinho was involved in the build-up to the Jacob Ramsey’s 77th-minute goal.
The youngster Ramsey returned the favour and assisted the Brazilian with a perfect cross to restore parity on 81 minutes.
With the draw, Man Utd stay seventh with 32 points, five behind fourth-placed West Ham United. Aston Villa are 13th on 23 points.
Nigerian by blood Republic of Ireland’s striker Adam Idah scored his first Premier League goal and was Man of the Match as Norwich City claimed a first win in nine matches, beating Everton 2-1 at Carrow Road to move off the bottom of the table.
Norwich were rewarded for a fast start with a first goal since November when Josh Sargent’s low shot deflected in off Michael Keane on 16 minutes.
The Canaries struck again within two minutes, when Idah finished from Brandon Williams’ pass.
Everton have been tipped to sack manager Rafa Benitez and they gave themselves hope on the hour through substitute Richarlison’s sensational overhead kick.
Richarlison then saw a goalbound shot blocked, but Norwich held firm to pick up their third win of the season.
Dean Smith’s side move up to 18th with 13 points, one adrift of 17th-placed Watford, who they face next. Everton are six points above them in 15th.
Nigeria striker Emmanuel Dennis could not save Watford as he started same time his compatriots were in Afcon duty against Sudan.
Joao Pedro scored lately via a header to earn troubled Watford a point against Newcastle United as it finished 1-1 at St James’ Park. Watford stay 17th with 14 points, two more than 19th-placed Newcastle.
Raul Jimenez continued his good scoring record against Southampton as Wolverhampton Wanderers won 3-1 for a second successive league victory.
Wolves went ahead through Jimenez’s penalty on 37 minutes, awarded after Rayan Ait-Nouri had been fouled by Jan Bednarek. It was Jimenez’s fifth goal in seven matches against Saints.
The hosts’ second on 59 minutes came through Conor Coady, who reacted quickest after Max Kilman’s header had rebounded off a post for the Wolves captain’s first Premier League goal at Molineux.
James Ward-Prowse’s superb late free-kick gave Southampton hope, but Wolves responded to the midfielder’s fourth goal in five matches when substitute Adama Traore ran clear in added time to score his first goal of the season.
A third win in four unbeaten matches keeps Wolves in eighth with 31 points. A first defeat in five for Southampton drops them to 12th, seven points back.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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