Premier League giants, Manchester City, clung on for a tense 3-2 win over Leeds United after nearly throwing away a two-goal cushion, with Phil Foden’s double proving decisive in a frantic afternoon at the Etihad.
The win lifts City to second place, four points behind Arsenal, and offers a timely boost in the Premier League title chase. Leeds, meanwhile, slipped to a sixth defeat in seven Premier League matches.
City were off to a blistering start. Foden struck with just 59 seconds played, settling any early nerves and seemingly setting up what many expected to be a straightforward afternoon.
His second came before the half-hour mark, yet Leeds refused to fold and dragged themselves back into the contest. Despite a late scare, City held firm to take all three points.
Over in West London, Igor Thiago’s late show ensured Brentford earned a much-needed 3-1 win over Burnley. The Brazilian forward struck twice in the final stages to take his season tally to 11 goals in 13 matches, helping the Bees end a spell of frustration after dominating much of the game without reward.
The match remained goalless until the 81st minute when Thiago converted from the penalty spot after Axel Tuanzebe brought down Dango Ouattara. Burnley replied almost instantly with a penalty of their own, Zian Flemming calmly slotting home his fourth goal in five games.
But Brentford hit back barely a minute later as Thiago reacted quickest to smash in from close range after Jordan Henderson’s delivery caused chaos in the Burnley area. Ouattara wrapped up the points in stoppage time.
Brentford had been the sharper side from the outset, with Thiago missing a couple of early chances and Mikkel Damsgaard threatening.
Burnley, by contrast, managed just one shot on target in the first half when Flemming forced a superb save from Caoimhin Kelleher. Thiago even had a goal chalked off for offside shortly after the break, while Michael Kayode went close with a header, but the hosts kept their composure and pulled clear late on. The win lifts Brentford to eighth with 19 points from 13 games, while Burnley remain second from bottom on 10 points.
Sunderland produced the comeback of the day, overturning a two-goal deficit to beat Bournemouth 3-2 in a downpour at the Stadium of Light. The result sends them up to fourth and ends a run of three matches without a win.
Bournemouth struck first when Amine Adli tucked in from close range in the seventh minute after Evanilson had diverted Antoine Semenyo’s cross onto the post. Tyler Adams then stunned the home crowd with an audacious lob from inside the centre circle to put the visitors firmly in control.
But the tide began to turn half an hour in when Alex Scott was deemed to have caught Reinildo in the area, allowing Enzo Le Fee to pull one back from the spot. Seconds into the second half, Sunderland were level as Bertrand Traore squeezed a low drive inside Djordje Petrovic’s near post.
Bournemouth thought they had regained the lead shortly after, only for Evanilson’s tap-in to be ruled out for offside. That proved costly. Sunderland completed their turnaround in the 69th minute when substitute Brian Brobbey headed in from a Le Fee corner.
The Cherries struck the crossbar late on through Marcus Tavernier, but their hopes faded in stoppage time when Lewis Cook was sent off for catching Noah Sadiki with his elbow. Sunderland held on to secure a stirring victory and tighten their grip on a top-four place.
