Round 21 of the English Premier League was successfully concluded on Sunday night with a host of upsets dominating headlines. Leader Manchester City made it 12-straight wins in all competitions, seeing off bottom-dweller Sheffield United via a 1-0 scoreline one Saturday. The Blades had stunned former table-toppers Manchester United in a midweek clash but the Red Devils could not bounce back with a win in their subsequent fixture, with Arsenal holding them to a stalemate at the Emirates.
A brilliant performance by Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds condemned Leicester City to a 3-1 loss before Mohamed Salah fired Liverpool back into the top three with a brace in a 3-1 win over West Ham United. The weekend's action concluded with Tottenham Hotspur suffering a surprise 1-0 defeat to Brighton at the Amex.
Top five teams in the Premier League
Things are gradually shaping up at the top half of the Premier League table despite the ins and outs with each passing game week. At the moment, it looks like Manchester City could finally tear away from the pack as a win in their outstanding game will put them six points clear. The Etihad outfit remains the ninth different leader of the Premier League this season.
Top 3 scorers in the Premier League
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah added to his haul in the competition this season with a double in Sunday's win over West Ham. The Egyptian, having had a rather quiet first half, showed his quality by breaking the deadlock, before finishing off a brilliant counter attacking move for the Red's second of the night.
His goal tally now stands at 15 in 20 appearances. Having set the league ablaze since arriving from AS Roma in 2017, the Liverpool attacker is now 19 goals away from being the highest scoring winger in PL history, surpassing Ryan Giggs' tally of 109. He has played 491 less games.
Meanwhile, second-placed Harry Kane could not add to his tally as he was not in the squad for Sunday's trip to Brighton. The 27-year-old striker, who has scored 12 times in 19 outings, is currently out of contention for weeks after picking up an ankle injury in the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool last week.
The Englishman's teammate Heung-min Son completes the top three with 12 goals to his name. The South Korean could not add to his tally this weekend with his side firing blanks in the frustrating defeat at the Amex.
Premier League – Top headlines
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Chelsea picks up first win under Thomas Tuchel: The Blues, following a disappointing 0-0 draw with Wolves in Thomas Tuchel's first game in charge, picked up a comfortable 2-0 win over Burnley on Sunday. Goals by Spanish duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso did the trick for the Stamford Bridge outfit who had won just one of five games prior to the German manager's appointment.
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Brighton condemn Mourinho to an unwanted feat with Spurs win: Brighton & Hove Albion staged a top-class performance at the Amex Stadium to secure what was their first win at the venue in over five months. The Seagulls, with Sunday's result, became the first side to register three successive away wins over any team managed by Jose Mourinho.
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Solskjær reacts to incorrect decisions identified in loss to Sheffield United: Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has expressed his frustration over incorrect decisions that marred his side's performance in last week's loss to Sheffield United. The Norwegian manager, following his side's goalless draw with Arsenal, revealed that the officiating report from Wednesday's defeat to the Blades admitted to two wrong decisions being made.
Top matches to watch in the Premier League, Feb.2 - Feb 4, 2021
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Wolves vs Arsenal: Both Arsenal and Wolves will aim to return to winning ways in Tuesday's clash at the Molineux. The two sides who often rank in the top half of the Premier League table have somewhat underperformed with the host occupying 14th position while the visitors rest in 10th place. The significance of the clash cannot be understated as a defeat for the Gunners would hand a massive blow to their top four aspirations. For Nuno's men, losing to Mikel Arteta's side will put them just six points above the relegation zone.
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Manchester United vs Southampton: Manchester United returns to Old Trafford on Tuesday with the hope of returning to winning ways. The Red Devils have dropped points in their last two games against Sheffield United and Arsenal and will hope to make amends swiftly as the title race heats up. With Manchester City taking a three points lead while having a game in hand, only a win will be an acceptable outcome for Solskjaer when his men take on Southampton. Meanwhile, the Saints will fancy the idea of ruining the party when they visit Old Trafford. However, this time, they will require more resilience having given up a two-goal advantage to fall to a 3-2 defeat when the two sides met in the first round.
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Burnley vs Manchester City: The Citizens will hope to keep the momentum going when they travel to Turf Moor for the midweek's fixture. With 12 wins in all competitions under their belt, Pep Guardiola's men are odds on favorites to run away with the maximum points against the Clarets. Nevertheless, it will not be a walk in the park as with the host looking to evade any relegation battle. They are currently two places above the drop and a defeat to City has the potential to complicate things.
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Liverpool vs Brighton: Despite their season being hampered by persistent injuries, Liverpool have done well to keep their title charge alive and will look to add another win to their haul. However, that will require them getting the better of a Brighton side that approach the game off the back of a famous win over Tottenham Hotspur. With Burnley ending the Reds 68-game unbeaten Premier League home record, the Seagulls will be optimistic about orchestrating another upset.
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Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea: The best has invariably been saved for the last. Jose Mourinho will welcome his former club to the Tottenham Stadium as his side searches for its first win in three outings. On the other hand, Chelsea will look to grab a second victory under Thomas Tuchel and potentially close in on the top four. It should be a crunchy affair with the two clubs entering the clash tied on 33 points apiece.
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