LONDON: Chelsea came from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham 4-3 on Sunday and go second in the Premier League thanks to two Cole Palmer penalties.
Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski gave under-fire Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou a dream start.
But his cavalier attacking approach will come under more scrutiny as Chelsea roared back to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to seven games.
Jadon Sancho gave the visitors a foothold before they dominated the second half with Palmer twice cool from the spot, either side of Enzo Fernandez’s strike.
Chelsea close to within four points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand after their visit to Everton on Saturday was postponed due to high winds.
Son Heung-min’s 96th-minute goal was little consolation for Spurs who have won just once in seven games and remain 11th in the table.
Postecoglou was involved in an angry confrontation with his own supporters after a dismal display in a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Thursday.
Spurs have often saved their best for the biggest games this season, beating Manchester City twice and cruising to a 3-0 win at Manchester United early in the campaign.
Postecoglou’s men flew out of the traps to leave an in-form Chelsea chasing shadows in the early stages.
Solanke stole in at the near post to turn in Brennan Johnson’s cross to open the scoring.
Kulusevski then meandered along the edge of the Blues’ box before firing low past Robert Sanchez to make it 2-0 inside 11 minutes.
Sancho scored his first Chelsea goal in a 5-1 romp at bottom-of-the-table Southampton in midweek to earn himself a start.
The Manchester United loanee quickly got the visitors back in the game with a brilliant long-range strike past Fraser Forster.
Somehow that was the end of the scoring in a frantic, fast-paced first 45 minutes that had chances aplenty at both ends.
Pape Sarr headed off the crossbar and Solanke should have converted Son’s cross to extend Tottenham’s lead.
At the other end, Forster stretched his long limbs to deny Palmer and Pedro Neto an equalizer.
Both sides were also fortunate to get to the break with 11 men still on the field.
Moises Caicedo’s studs-up challenge on Sarr was deemed not to have excessive force by the VAR official.
Likewise, Kulusevski escaped further punishment for a stray elbow on Romeo Lavia.
Led by Palmer, Chelsea took control after the break to rub more salt in Spurs wounds and leave Postecoglou’s future up for debate.
The former Australia boss bemoaned this week how his side often “shoot themselves in the foot” and so it proved for the vital fourth goal.
Yves Bissouma unnecessarily dived in on Caicedo to concede a penalty, which Palmer coolly dispatched to level.
Palmer had a major role in Chelsea’s third as well as his shot was blocked after a weaving run into the Spurs box, but the ball fell for Fernandez to blast home from the edge of the area.
To compound Tottenham’s woes, both their preferred center-back pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven both had to be replaced after being rushed back from injury to start.
Another moment of madness secured the points when Sarr barged Palmer over inside the area.
The England international this time impudently dinked the spot-kick Panenka-style down the middle of Forster’s goal.
Son turned in James Maddison’s cross to set up a nervy finale.
But Enzo Maresca’s men held on to close in on Liverpool and further their case as unexpected contenders for the title.
Chelsea beat Spurs in seven-goal thriller to go second
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Chelsea beat Spurs in seven-goal thriller to go second
- Led by Palmer, Chelsea took control after the break to rub more salt in Spurs wounds and leave Postecoglou’s future up for debate
Jens Odgaard scores for Bologna to end Fiorentina’s winning run in Italian league
- Substitute Alessandro Gabrielloni and Nicolas Paz Martinez both scored in added time as Como beat AS Roma 2-0 in a lively contest
BOLOGNA, Italy: Bologna striker Jens Odgaard scored Sunday in a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina, ending the Florence-based club’s eight-match winning run in the Italian league.
The Danish player broke the deadlock near the hour-mark at the end of a fine collective move.
Fiorentina were seeking a ninth consecutive Serie A victory that would have seen them break the club record set in 1960.
After a balanced first half, Bologna were the better side after the interval and had several occasions to score — including Santiago Castro hitting the post — before they eventually broke the deadlock when Odgaard made the most of a loose ball in the box to score his third league goal.
Bologna moved up to seventh place in the standings.
Fiorentina remained in fourth place, level on points with third-place Inter Milan. League leaders Atalanta have a two-point lead over Napoli.
Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino did not attend the match after his mother passed away, leaving assistant coach Stefano Citterio in charge.
Genoa spoils anniversary night at Milan
Facing a combative Genoa team, Milan’s wasteful forward could not break the deadlock in a 0-0 draw.
Alvaro Morata came close in the 79th minute when he hit the crossbar. It was not enough to please a frustrated crowd and players were jeered at the final whistle.
With one match in hand, Milan are lagging 14 points behind Atalanta.
The game was preceded by a ceremony marking the club’s 125th anniversary that brought together former Milan greats, including Franco Baresi, Marco van Basten and Filippo Inzaghi.
Genoa are in 13th place and remains unbeaten under new coach Patrick Vieira.
First win for Como since September
Substitute Alessandro Gabrielloni and Nicolas Paz Martinez both scored in added time as Como beat AS Roma 2-0 in a lively contest.
Gabrielloni, who came in with 10 minutes left to play, scored his first Serie A goal three minutes into stoppage time. Gabrielloni then turned provider for Paz, who sealed the win four minutes later.
It was Como’s first league victory since Sept. 29. With its third win this season, it moved to 16th place with 15 points.
Verona secures much-needed win
Hellas Verona players gave coach Paolo Zanetti some respite with a 3-2 win at Parma.
The result, with goals from Diego Coppola, Amin Sarr and Daniel Mosquera, snapped a four-match losing streak for the injury-hit team.
Simon Sohm scored a brace but it was not enough for Parma. Verona moved one point away from the relegation zone.
Also, Lecce defeated Monza 2-1.
UCLA duo Knapp and Tavatanakit deliver late birdies and win Grant Thornton Invitational
- Knapp and Tavatanakit each collected $500,000 from the $4 million purse
- Jeeno Thitikul, who won the LPGA finale at Tiburon last month for the $4 million prize, holed an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole as she and Tom Kim shot 64 to finish alone in second
NAPLES, Florida: Patty Tavatanakit holed a 25-foot birdie putt and Jake Knapp gave them the lead on the next hole with a tough pitch to set up birdie as the UCLA duo combined for a 7-under 65 on Sunday for a one-shot victory in the Grant Thornton Invitational.
They won on their respective tours on the same day this year — Knapp at the Mexico Open, Tavatanakit at the Honda LPGA Thailand — and were equally impressive as a team, especially down the stretch at Tiburon Golf Club.
Jeeno Thitikul, who won the LPGA finale at Tiburon last month for the $4 million prize, holed an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole as she and Tom Kim shot 64 to finish alone in second.
Akshay Bhatia and Jennifer Kupcho made a mess of the 18th hole for their lone bogey in the modified fourballs format and finished third.
The final hour could have gone to any four teams — the Canadian tandem of Corey Conners and Brooke Henderson shot 62 and were briefly tied for the lead, though running out of holes.
Knapp and Tavatanakit, who started with a two-shot lead, fell behind for the first time all day when Bhatia holed a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th.
The format had each player hit tee shots, switch balls for the next shot and then complete the hole. Knapp’s tee shot on the par-3 16th climbed onto the green, and Tavatanakit poured in the left-to-right breaking putt for birdie to tie the lead.
“I putted well this week,” Tavatanakit said. “Everything has been fun. The chemistry has been really good.”
Both were out of position off the tee at the easy 17th, with Knapp in the water. Taking the tee shot of Tavatanakit, he hit from the native area to short of the green into a slight swale. His pitch settled 3 feet away for birdie and a one-shot lead over Bhatia and Kupcho.
Ahead on the 18th, Bhatia’s approach came up woefully short and into the water. Kupcho missed her approach to the right, and her putt ran down a slope about 10 feet by. Bhatia tried to play twice from the water. Kupcho badly missed her par putt.
That gave the UCLA tandem a two-shot lead, and a simple par — both missed birdie putts they didn’t need from about 10 feet — put them at 27-under 189. Each collected $500,000 from the $4 million purse.
Kim and Thitikul finished birdie-birdie for second place, worth $280,000 to each.
Three talking points from the Premier League
- Wolves sacked Gary O’Neil after a fourth straight defeat
LONDON: Manchester City slumped to a scarcely credible eighth defeat in 11 games on Sunday — this time against Manchester United — leaving Pep Guardiola flummoxed but handing Ruben Amorim a huge boost.
With the spotlight off them, Chelsea moved just two points behind long-time Premier League leaders Liverpool, with a 2-1 win against Brentford.
Wolves sacked Gary O’Neil after a fourth straight defeat while Southampton axed Russell Martin following a 5-0 hammering by Tottenham.
AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend.
It is difficult to argue that City are now experiencing a full-blown crisis.
Guardiola signed a new two-year contract last month at a point when City had lost four in a row, saying he did not feel he could leave the club at a difficult time.
Now he is facing questions as to how — and when — he can stop the rot after a painful 2-1 defeat to United, who had won just one of their first four league games under Amorim.
Guardiola provided a harsh self-assessment after the defeat, which came courtesy of a Bruno Fernandes penalty in the 88th minute and an Amad Diallo winner two minutes later.
“I’m the manager and I’m not good enough, simple as that,” he said.
Midfielder Bernardo Silva was even harsher, comparing City’s collapse in the final minutes to an under-15s team.
City have matches coming up that look winnable on paper — against Aston Villa, Everton and Leicester — but with every defeat the scale of Guardiola’s task looks more daunting.
Earlier this month Liverpool had a nine-point lead at the top of the Premier League — now it is down to just two.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea have won their past five games to close the gap on the Reds, who still have a match in hand.
Liverpool showed impressive strength of character to twice come from behind for a 2-2 draw against Fulham on Saturday despite playing the bulk of the game with 10 men.
But their momentum has slowed, with the Fulham result following a 3-3 draw last week against Newcastle.
Free-scoring Chelsea have taken full advantage, climbing above London rivals Arsenal, runners-up in the past two campaigns, to stake their claim as Liverpool’s main challengers.
The Blues finished last season strongly under former manager Mauricio Pochettino but few expected Maresca to master his brief so quickly.
The Chelsea boss is eager to say they are not in the title race but the table suggests otherwise.
Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin paid the price for their clubs’ Premier League struggles.
Martin’s sacking was announced shortly after a sobering defeat to Spurs, who scored all five goals at St. Mary’s in the first half on Sunday.
Wolves suffered a damaging 2-1 loss to relegation rivals Ipswich at Molineux on Saturday, after which O’Neil said he was struggling to help his team cope with the “real basic stuff.”
Wolves, second from bottom of the table, are five points from safety.
But their plight is not as perilous as that of Southampton, who are staring at an immediate return to the Championship.
Martin departs having taken just five points from 16 games, leaving Southampton nine points adrift of safety.
Leganes stun faltering La Liga leaders Barcelona
- Hansi Flick’s side are level on points with Atletico Madrid, second, and lead third-place Real Madrid by a single point, having played one extra game than both their title rivals
BARCELONA: La Liga leaders Barcelona stumbled 1-0 at home against Leganes on Sunday as they suffered another blow in the Spanish title race.
Sergio Gonzalez headed home from a corner after four minutes for the visiting minnows and the Catalans missed a host of presentable chances as they failed to mount a comeback.
After a superb start to the season, Barcelona have lost three of their last six league games and won just one of those, with their lead whittled away.
Hansi Flick’s side are level on points with Atletico Madrid, second, and lead third-place Real Madrid by a single point, having played one extra game than both their title rivals.
Barcelona started in the worst possible way as their former youth player Munir El Haddadi broke in down the right and forced a fine save from Inaki Pena at his near post.
From the resulting corner Leganes took the lead, with Sergio Gonzalez powering a header home to stun the Olympic stadium into silence.
From there Barcelona dominated against the visitors, 15th, and created several chances but found an inspired Marko Dmitrovic in their way.
The Serbian goalkeeper twice denied La Liga’s top goalscorer Robert Lewandowski, who also headed over the bar from Jules Kounde’s cross.
Dmitrovic produced a superb save to thwart Brazilian winger Raphinha, tipping his powerful effort against the crossbar.
Barcelona’s teenage wing wizard Lamine Yamal hurt his ankle in a challenge in the first half but despite the pain affecting him, continued to play and was his team’s most potent threat as usual.
The 17-year-old lashed narrowly over after gliding past Javi Hernandez as Barcelona turned the screw.
Despite his ankle issue and Ferran Torres warming up, Yamal emerged for the second half.
Kounde screwed a shot narrowly wide after Dani Olmo nudged the ball through for him.
Neither Lewandowski nor Olmo were on song and Flick replaced the pair with Torres and Fermin Lopez for the final 25 minutes.
Leganes held firm with Barcelona only able to create half-chances, until Raphinha and Torres combined to tee up Kounde, but he pulled his shot across the face of goal and wide.
In stoppage time, Barcelona won a free-kick on the edge of Leganes’ area but Raphinha whipped it over the crossbar to end a thoroughly frustrating night.
Barcelona host Atletico in their final match of the year next weekend.
Maresca remains ‘realistic’ as Chelsea close in on Liverpool
- The Blues closed to within two points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand, thanks to a fifth consecutive league win on Sunday
LONDON: Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said the chaotic end to his side’s 2-1 win over Brentford exemplified why they are not yet ready to compete for the Premier League title.
The Blues closed to within two points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand, thanks to a fifth consecutive league win on Sunday.
Marc Cucurella and Nicolas Jackson struck for the home side at Stamford Bridge before Bryan Mbeumo’s 90th-minute goal sparked a nervy finale.
Cucurella was sent off in stoppage time but the 10 men held on for victory.
“For me no matter how many games we win, there are things (that show) we’re not ready to compete for the title in this moment. A team who knows how to win wouldn’t concede that goal,” said Maresca, who has repeatedly shot down the idea of challenging for the title.
“The fans, they can dream and think. But us inside as a club, as a squad, as players, as coaching staff, we need to be realistic.
“I said we have many things we can do better and this (the red card) is one of them.”
Maresca was frustrated by Chelsea’s inability to kill the game off earlier as they dominated the west London derby for long spells.
But it was an ideal weekend for his side as Liverpool and third-placed Arsenal both drew at home on Saturday, while defending champions Manchester City fell further off the pace with a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.
“We were in control of the game except the last 10 minutes where we concede,” added Maresca.
“We created chances. We could have scored more. We deserved to win the game.”
