Here’s what happened in the Premier League this weekend, in case you missed it…
READ ALL ABOUT IT
• Analysis: Spurs, Liverpool keep spinning their wheels
• Saturday: Man City drops points, Arsenal runs riot and more
• Sunday: Palace draws Newcastle, and Spurs leave it late at Anfield
WATCH MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Burnley 1, Manchester City 1 || Bournemouth 2, Stoke City 1 || Brighton & Hove Albion 3, West Ham United 1 || Leicester City 1, Swansea City 1 || West Bromwich Albion 2, Southampton 3 || Arsenal 5, Everton 1 || Crystal Palace 1, Newcastle United 1 || Liverpool 2, Tottenham 2
WHAT STOOD OUT
Kane’s moment of redemption
Mild-mannered Harry Kane showed on Sunday he does have a flare for the dramatics, as evidenced by his display at Anfield in which he scored the 100th Premier League goal of his career.
The Tottenham striker saw his spot kick saved after a tame effort in the 87th minute, and then looked skyward in exasperation when Mohamed Salah scored just moments later to give Liverpool a 2-1 lead.
Only Kane knows if he asked for a little divine intervention as he peered towards the heavens. Regardless, he received a shot at redemption when Spurs were awarded a penalty kick – after the assistant referee intervened – in the fifth minute of injury time. This time, Kane made no mistake, firing home in front of the Kop to allow the London club to escape Anfield with a share of the points.
It was massive goal, as it allowed Kane to reach a special plateau, but also kept Tottenham within reach of Liverpool. Had the Reds held on, they would have built up a five-point lead over fifth-place Spurs and dealt a serious blow to their Champions League hopes for next season.
BEST MOMENT
A minute of silence to honour those who perished in the Munich air disaster was impeccably observed at Old Trafford ahead of kickoff.
BEST GOAL
Watch as Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jose Izquierdo picks out the top corner, and then celebrates by running the length of the field.
BEST QUOTE
“The whole team played crap.” – Everton manager Sam Allardyce after the Toffees’ loss to Arsenal.
BEST MATCH
Controversy. Highlight reel goals. Late dramatics. There can only be one choice.
CRISIS CLUB OF THE WEEK: BOTTOM HALF OF TABLE
James Sharman, Craig Forrest and Danny Dichio discuss how all of the teams in the bottom half of the standings are candidates for relegation.
BEST TWEET
THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME
Aaron Ramsey stole the headlines with his hat trick in Arsenal’s rampaging win over Everton. But it was Henrikh Mkhitaryan who effectively ran the show – the Armenian was involved at both ends of the pitch, and played a pivotal attacking and creative role. It’ll be interesting to see going forward if he’ll be given a similar license by manager Arsene Wenger.
THE BIG QUESTION
Every week, Sportsnet’s soccer panel will debate The Big Question. Have your say by voting in the poll below:
SIX PACK OF STATS
• Saturday marked the first time Manchester City failed to win a Premier League match in which they scored first since a 2-2 draw at Arsenal in April 2017, ending a run of 25 straight wins.
• Swansea City’s Alfie Mawson started his 50th consecutive Premier League game on Saturday, the longest current run of any player.
• Since his Premier League debut in August 2008, West Bromwich Albion’s Chris Brunt has recorded more assists (30) from set pieces than any other player.
• Gabon became the 50th nation to have a player represented in a Premier League game by Arsenal when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang debuted on Saturday.
• Crystal Palace have been awarded six penalties in the Premier League this season, with five of those coming at Selhurst Park.
• Mohamed Salah has scored 21 goals in just 25 games in the Premier League, and became the quickest Liverpool player to hit the 20-goal mark in a single Premier League season.
Stats courtesy of Opta
THREE STARS
1) Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal: The Welsh star was absolutely brilliant in recording the first hat trick of his career.
2) Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Arsenal: A trio of assists for the Armenian is the Gunners’ destruction of Everton.
3) Pascal Gross, Brighton & Hove Albion: Scored one goal and set up another in a man-of-the-match effort.
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