Southampton erase two-goal deficit for vital point vs Tottenham
Southampton erased a two-goal deficit with less than 15 minutes to play to snatch a vital point and a 3-3 draw with Tottenham at St. Mary’s Stadium on Saturday.
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The result leaves Tottenham (49 points) 4th in the Premier League table, having needlessly missed their chance to leapfrog Manchester United (50 points) for 3rd. The point moves Southampton (23 points) to within a point of West Ham and Bournemouth in 18th and 19th, respectively, but now three points away from safety following results elsewhere on Saturday.
Both sides were forced into a pair of first-half substitutions with players dropping like flies all over the field. Richarlison went off after five minutes, followed by Armel Bella-Kotchap in the 8th minute, then came Jan Bednarek in the 34th and Ben Davies three minutes after him.
Southampton looked like they would make it to halftime with the game still scoreless, until Son Heung-min found Pedro Porro with a brilliant through ball and the Spanish right back lashed the ball over the head of Gavin Bazunu, off the underside of the crossbar and in.
WATCH SOUTHAMPTON vs TOTTENHAM FULL MATCH REPLAY
The lead lasted all of 44 seconds into the second half, as Che Adams raced in behind to touch home Theo Walcott’s cross just after the restart.
Harry Kane headed Tottenham back in front in the 65th minute, when Dejan Kulusevski lofted a fantastic left-footed cross to the back post. Spurs’ all-time record goal-scorer rose highest and snuck it just under the crossbar to make it 2-1. It was 3-1 after 74 minutes, as Ivan Perisic hit a bouncing ball through traffic to score his first Premier League goal.
Southampton refused to go down without a fight, though, with Sekou Mara heading the ball down to Walcott atop the six-yard box to sweep it home and give St. Mary’s hope once more.
Hope is a dangerous thing, as they say, especially against a side fighting and scrapping for its survival in the top flight of English football. There were real questions over the minimal contact that Pape Matar Sarr made with Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the 90th minute, but video review upheld the on-field penalty decision and James Ward-Prowse put it where Fraser Forster simply could not get it to snatch an unlikely point for Saints.
Latest Premier League news Chelsea vs Everton, live! Score, updates, video highlights, stream link Premier League title race: Current form, key fixtures, injuries, odds, predictions Manchester United vs Fulham, FA Cup: How to watch live, stream link, team…
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte speaking to our partners in the UK at Sky Sports. Safe to say he is far from happy.
“I don’t see a team” 😬
Antonio Conte hits out at his Tottenham players after a 3-3 draw with Southampton 🔊pic.twitter.com/hlBoXKZEeI
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 18, 2023
Southampton will continue their fight to stay in the Premier League on Sunday, April 2 (9 am ET) when they visit another side currently in the bottom-four, West Ham (24 points – 18th place). Tottenham will head to Goodison Park to face another relegation battler in Everton on Monday, April 3.
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Kick off: 11am ET, Saturday TV Channel: USA Network Online: Stream via NBCSports.com
Saints are scrapping away and recent wins against Chelsea and Leicester, plus a draw at Manchester United, has given them hope of staying up. They have been terrible at home this season though, winning just twice and they have the worst home record in the Premier League. They have also scored just twice in their five league games under Ruben Selles and although they are improving defensively, there is a real lack of quality in the final third.
Tottenham are relying on Harry Kane to once again propel them to a top four finish and even Heung-min Son was on the scoresheet last week as they beat Nottingham Forest comfortably. Conte has shown signs he is willing to take more risks in attack and Richarlison took his chance to start last weekend. It will be intriguing to see how Conte sets Spurs up as they are heavy favorites against Southampton.
OUT: Valentino Livramento (knee), Juan Larios (adductor) | QUESTIONABLE: Kyle Walker-Peters (hamstring), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (undisclosed)
Our team to face Tottenham 😇
Three changes for #SaintsFC this afternoon 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/DeyxSPvoS1
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) March 18, 2023
OUT: Rodrigo Bentancur (torn ACL – out for season), Hugo Lloris (knee), Yves Bissouma (foot), Ryan Sessegnon (thigh)
Your unchanged Spurs starting XI 🔢 pic.twitter.com/U9tNtsab8a
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 18, 2023
Latest USMNT news Christian Pulisic Watch, live: USMNT star starts for Chelsea vs Everton Christian Pulisic: Reyna-Berhalter incident ‘extremely childish,’… USMNT roster for Nations League features Gio Reyna, no Tyler Adams
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Can Chelsea continue its upward momentum when ornery Everton visits Stamford Bridge for Week 28 of the Premier League season (watch live, 11am ET Saturday on USA Network and online via NBCSports.com)?
The Blues’ top-end defending — fourth-fewest goals allowed — is finally getting some offensive help with five goals scored in back-to-back wins over Borussia Dortmund and Leicester City.
STREAM LIVE CHELSEA vs EVERTON
And that has Chelsea eyeing a return to the Europa League places and maybe, just maybe, a surprising surge into the top four discussion by season’s end. The Blues have 37 points through 26 games, good for 10th place, and that’s 11th points off fourth-place Tottenham with a match-in-hand on Spurs.
Everton’s now 15th on the Premier League table but that’s just one point off 18th and three points off the PL cellar. Taking seven of the last 15 points available has helped, but Sean Dyche will know that consistent performances are the key to belief.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Chelsea vs Everton.
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Premier League news Southampton erase two-goal deficit for vital point vs Tottenham Premier League title race: Current form, key fixtures, injuries, odds, predictions Manchester United vs Fulham, FA Cup: How to watch live, stream link, team…
Kick off: 11am ET Saturday TV Channel: USA Network Online: Stream via NBCSports.com
Might we see more of Christian Pulisic? The American playmaker looked bright in a cameo against old club Borussia Dortmund following a long spell out but did not play against Leicester City. Kai Havertz has scored in consecutive games and is rewarding Graham Potter for faith as the Chelsea boss continued to start the ex-Bayer Leverkusen man despite a run of ineffective play.
Everton has wins over Leeds and Brentford in recent weeks but has had trouble with Big Six teams including shutouts at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal. Dyche won’t have to look too far back to see a 1-0 win over Arsenal, a day which saw Jordan Pickford star between the sticks. Pickford has been instrumental in Everton’s last three wins but has also allowed multiple goals in the other four matches since the start of December. He must show up at Stamford.
OUT: Thiago Silva (knee), Cesar Azpilicueta (head), Armando Broja (knee), Raheem Sterling (hamstring), Mason Mount (abdominal), Edouard Mendy (shoulder), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (back)
Your Chelsea side today! 🔵#CheEve pic.twitter.com/ALcbzDwcly
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 18, 2023
OUT: Andros Townsend (knee), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (thigh), Nathan Patterson (fitness)
⚠️ Team news is in! ⚠️
Sean Dyche names an unchanged XI from the win against Brentford.#CHEEVE pic.twitter.com/Ut3C9C4Y5r
— Everton (@Everton) March 18, 2023
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Christian Pulisic, now healthy, drew his first Premier League start since New Year’s Day when he joined the Chelsea XI for Saturday’s match with pink-clad Everton.
A knee injury kept him out of a Premier League lineup from Jan. 12 to March 11, when he made a cameo off the bench against Leicester City.
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Those 17 minutes came after six against old club Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of a UEFA Champions League tie.
Pulisic made some waves this week when he seemed to endorse the USMNT return of head coach Gregg Berhalter, calling actions taken against the former boss by Giovanni Reyna’s family “extremely childish” and “youth soccer.”
Below is our minute-by-minute analysis of Christian Pulisic after his display for Chelsea against Everton at Stamford Bridge.
3rd minute: Pulisic fizzes a cross toward goal but Kai Havertz can’t get his head on it as Chelsea has almost immediately claimed territory in the Everton end.
10th minute: A Reece James cross is just a bit too high for the Pulisic, as the diminutive leaper finds himself looking to make the most of dangerous service.
16th minute: Pulisic drops deep to get an incisive pass from Mateo Kovacic, turning and dribbling through the center to lay off to Ben Chilwell, but the move dies soon afterward.
26th minute: The American is cut down by Idrissa Gana Gueye in a nasty sliding challenge, and stays down for a minute as he helped Chelsea keep possession. Gana Gueye will get booked at the next whistle.
28th minute: Pulisic has the ball in a half-space and gets it to Joao Felix in the same spot, but the Atleti loanee’s bright dart into the box is cut out by the Toffees.
31st minute: The USMNT winger scoops a little pass into traffic that Havertz does well to get his foot to, but the flag is up.
35th minute: Pulisic is part of a tic-tac-toe break right to left that ends up with a Ben Chilwell cross over the field and without receiver.
36th minute: The American takes a Demarai Gray in the face (Rob Riggle voice) and needs some care from the trainers. It’s very surprising that he’s given the all-clear and how he looks the rest of the way will be under scrutiny.
45’+3: Pulisic lofts a cross toward the back post but it arrives a bit too quickly for two men screaming toward the target.
HALFTIME: The oft-fouled Pulisic is credited with a created chance, 27 touches, two passes into the final third, a block, and two recoveries. The stat sheet doesn’t show a full-merit Gray free kick to the Puli-face. The match is 0-0.
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The Premier League title race is going down to the wire in the 2022-23 season and there are some huge games coming up between now and the final day on May 28.
Can Arsenal win the first Premier League title since 2003-04? Will Manchester City win three in a row to make it five titles in the last six seasons under Pep Guardiola? Or will Manchester United come from nowhere to stun everyone and secure their first title in a decade?
Below is a look at the key fixtures, current form, odds and predictions for the contenders to be crowned Premier League champions.
Arsenal (66 points through 27 games): Crystal Palace (H), Leeds (H), Liverpool (A), West Ham (A), Southampton (H), Man City (A), Chelsea (H), Newcastle (A), Brighton (H), Nottingham Forest (A), Wolves (H)
Manchester City (61 points through 27 games): Liverpool (H), Southampton (A), Leicester City (H), Brighton (A), Arsenal (H), Fulham (A), Leeds (H), Everton (A), Chelsea (H), West Ham (H), Brentford (A)
Manchester United (50 points through 26 games): Newcastle (A), Everton (H), Nottingham Forest (A), Chelsea (H), Tottenham (A), Aston Villa (H), West Ham (A), Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A), Brighton (A), Fulham (H)
Saturday, April 1: Manchester City vs Liverpool – 7:30am ET Sunday, April 2: Newcastle vs Manchester United – 11:30am ET Sunday, April 9: Arsenal vs Liverpool – 11:30am ET Wednesday, April 26: Manchester City vs Arsenal – 3pm ET Thursday, April 27: Tottenham vs Manchester United – 3:15pm ET Saturday, April 29: Arsenal vs Chelsea – 12:30pm ET Saturday, May 6: Newcastle vs Arsenal – 10am ET Saturday, May 20: Manchester City vs Chelsea – 10am ET
Arsenal’s last 5 results: WWWWW Manchester City’s last 5 results: WWWDW Manchester United’s last 5 results: DLWWD
Head to NBC Sports’s soccer standings home page
Arsenal: Mohamed Elneny (no return date)
Manchester City: None
Manchester United: Donny van de Beek (knee – out for season), Christian Eriksen (ankle – out until late April), Anthony Martial (hip injury)
(Betting odds provided by our partner, BetMGM ) BetMGM is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on BetMGM for the first time after clicking our links.
Arsenal: -110 Manchester City: -110 Manchester United: +3300 Liverpool: +50000 Tottenham: +50000 Newcastle United: +50000
1. Manchester City – 87 points (Win the title on goal difference) 2. Arsenal – 87 points 3. Manchester United – 78 points
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It’s back to the Premier League title fight for Arsenal after midweek Europa League action saw them crash out of the competition on penalty kicks, with Crystal Palace next on the agenda.
They thought an old friend was coming into the visitors entrance at the Emirates Stadium (watch live, 10am ET Sunday on USA Network and online via NBCSports.com) but Patrick Vieira was fired by struggling Palace in a surprise move.
Arsenal is planning on another three points in pursuit of an unpredictable Premier League crown, while Palace are badly out of form and now without a manager.
WATCH ARSENAL v CRYSTAL PALACE LIVE
Arsenal has 66 points and can grow its table lead over Man City to eight points with a win as Man City deals with FA Cup commitments.
Palace hasn’t won in the league this year and sits 12th with 27 points following a midweek loss to Brighton and Hove Albion in the M23 derby.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Arsenal vs Crystal Palace.
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Premier League news Chelsea vs Everton, live! Score, updates, video highlights, stream link Southampton erase two-goal deficit for vital point vs Tottenham Premier League title race: Current form, key fixtures, injuries, odds, predictions
Kick off: 10am ET, Sunday TV Channel: USA Network Online: Stream via NBCSports.com
Gabriel Jesus started Thursday in the Europa League, so it’s easy to predict a depth flex from the Gunners on Sunday rather than another start for their just-fit star. Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard, Ben White, Thomas Partey, and Bukayo Saka were kept on the bench at the start versus Sporting Lisbon, but the Gunners going 120 minutes and then losing on penalty kicks will certainly challenge them.
Palace is going to hope to get something out of Wilfried Zaha here. He’s looked more like a red card candidate lately but we all know an in-form Zaha is electric. Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze will look like even better playmakers once Zaha starts punching home some goals.
OUT: Eddie Nketiah (ankle), Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee), Mohamed Elneny (knock) | QUESTIONABLE: William Saliba (back)
OUT: Albert Sambi Lokonga (loan – parent club), Sam Johnstone (calf), Nathan Ferguson (undisclosed) | QUESTIONABLE: Will Hughes (illness), James McArthur (illness), Vicente Guaita (hamstring),
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