London/Newcastle: On a day uncertainty reigned in England as the nation prepared to go back into lockdown, the Premier League returned to something resembling normality.
Three of the teams expected to contend for the title — Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool — all picked up wins in back-to-back fixtures on Saturday.
There was also the familiar sight of Liverpool, the defending champion, back atop the standings thanks to a late goal that is becoming its trademark.
Diogo Jota came off the bench and scored in the 85th minute to earn Liverpool a hard-fought 2-1 victory over West Ham, extending the team’s unbeaten record in league play at Anfield to 63 games — tied for the longest streak in the club’s history. That’s a goal in three straight games for Jota, an offseason signing who is giving an extra edge to Liverpool’s attack. It is needed given the team’s troubles in defense.
Somewhat bizarrely, the defending champions lead the league — by three points from Everton, having played one game extra — despite having the worst defense in the division after conceding 15 goals so far.
The Premier League will be allowed to carry on — matches are already being played without fans, and with players undergoing regular testing — so the much-anticipated meeting between Manchester City and Liverpool will go ahead as scheduled next weekend.
Chelsea followed with a 3-0 win at Burnley — secured through goals by Hakim Ziyech, Kurt Zouma and Timo Werner — and moved into the top four.
The opening six rounds of the Premier League were marked by lots of goals, and even more bizarre score lines — including Liverpool’s 7-2 loss at Aston Villa and City’s 5-2 home defeat to Leicester.
Things might be starting to normalise, though.
Newcastle upset Everton
Callum Wilson scored twice as Newcastle beat Everton 2-1 in the English Premier League to extend Everton’s dip in form following a strong start to the season. Everton went into the game second only to Liverpool in the standings but has now lost three league games in a row. Wilson won a penalty when he was fouled at a corner by Andre Gomes and stepped up to convert the 56th-minute spot-kick. Gomes appeared to injure himself while giving away the penalty with a clumsy attempted clearance and was soon substituted.
Wilson then combined with his former Bournemouth teammate Ryan Fraser to score the second as Fraser sped down the left flank on a counter before crossing to tap in. (AP)
