EXTRA MINUTES STRUJIK EQUALISER MOVES LEEDS OUT OF BOTTOM THREE AS VILLA DRAWS WITH PALACE.
There was late drama in the Premier League when Leeds United looked to have missed a chance to gain ground on Burnley, who lost in the day’s early game against Tottenham. However, Pascal Strujik scored after 92 minutes to earn a point at Elland Road, and moved the Yorkshire side out of the btoom three.
Leeds received a boost to their Premier League survival hopes after an injury-time Pascal Struijk goal secured a 1-1 draw at home to Brighton.
At least a point was needed for Jesse Marsch would have lifted his side out of the bottom three after Burnley lost in the early kick-off away to Tottenham, but Danny Welbeck struck in the 21st minute to give the home side a scare.
However with 92 minutes on the clock Strujik levelled allowing Leeds to leapfrog Burnley, a point clear – though their cross-Pennines rivals have a game in hand. Brighton sit in 10th.
Aston Villa were set to celebrate the permanent signing of playmaker Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona with a victory over Crystal Palace at Villa Park but were denied three points by Jeffrey Schlupp’s late equaliser. Ollie Watkins had opened the scoring for Villa on 69 minutes.
With neither side able to secure European football and well clear of the relegation zone, there was less at stake than for some teams lower down the table. Villa remain 12th, with Palace a point and place above them.
Watford however are already relegated and their performance at home to Leicester City demonstrated why they were unable to stay up, going down 5-1 at Vicarage Road.
It was Watford who went ahead through Joao Pedro but their hopes of a rare win were quickly dashed as James Maddison swiftly levelled, Jamie Vardy put Brendan Rodgers’ men ahead, before Harvey Barnes made it three at the restart, and Vardy then grabbed his brace on 70 minutes before Barnes wrapped up the scoring with five minutes to go. Watford sit in 19th and Leicester are now ninth after Brighton’s draw.
Norwich also blew their chances of survival last week, but managed to hold Wolves to a 1-1 draw at Molineux. Teemu Pukki opened the scoring towards the end of the first half, but early in the second period Bruno Lage’s side equalised through Rayan Ait-Nouri. Norwich sit bottom of the league while Wolves are eighth.
Manchester City came back from 2-0 to draw 2-2 with West Ham after a Jarrod Bowen double was cancelled out with goals from Jack Grealish and a Vladimir Coufal own goal in the 69th minute. A late Riyad Mahrez penalty was saved as City missed the chance to go six points clear, with Liverpool in second with a game in hand to play after winning the FA Cup on Saturday.
Everton will host Brentford in the day’s last kick-off.
