THE Bournemouth v Luton game was abandoned after 60-plus minutes with a score of 1-1 after Luton skipper Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch from a cardiac arrest. After receiving lengthy treatment on the pitch, it has been reported that the player is “conscious and responsive”.
These are the rest of the results of games played on Saturday (Dec 16).
Nottingham Forest 0 v Tottenham Hotspurs 2
Forest is sliding dangerously towards the drop zone and Steve Cooper may soon be shown the door with just one win in nine. The hugely popular manager still retains the backing of the Forest faithful but the board may feel it has to do something to stop the rot.
Spurs meanwhile continue their recovery after a wretched run that saw them lose the top spot. This was comfortable and Ange Postecoglou will feel the Spurs have turned the corner. Talk of a title tilt may have faded but the fight for a top-four finish remains a viable target.
Manchester City 2 v Crystal Palace 2
First-half goals by Jack Grealish and Rico Lewis seemed to signal a routine home win for the reigning champions. But Crystal Palace had other ideas as they stubbornly repelled waves of city attacks. Perhaps thinking that Palace weren’t good enough to hurt them, City ultimately paid the price for squandering numerous chances to kill off the game and conceding a late equaliser.
Jean-Philippe Mateta had pulled one back for the Eagles in the 76th minute before Michael Olise stepped up to bury a penalty deep into stoppage time to earn Roy Hodgson’s side a surprising draw.
Chelsea 2 v Sheffield United 0
This was simply a must-win game for Chelsea as they seek to claw their way up the table. After a demoralising defeat to Everton last time out, Sheffield United were perhaps the perfect opponent for Mauricio Pochettino’s men to bounce back. And so it proved as Chelsea eased past the Blades with goals from Cole Palmer and Nicholas Jackson giving the beleaguered Poch some much-needed breathing space.
Sheffield United remain rooted at the bottom of the league and look dead certain for a swift return to the championship.
Newcastle 3 v Fulham 0
Eddie Howe couldn’t hide his disappointment when his Newcastle side were dumped out of the Champions League in midweek. It was of little consolation that the Magpies were in a ‘Group of Death’ featuring Dortmund, PSG and AC Milan.
Newcastle have struggled domestically with injuries stretching the squad and leading to a string of disappointing defeats. However, thanks to Raul Jimenez’s wild lunge that saw him sent off early in the first half, Newcastle managed to make their numerical superiority count against an in-form Fulham side. St James park also witnessed the first goal by a local lad, 17-year-old Lewis Miley.
Burnley 0 v Everton 2
Sean Dyche returned to his old stomping ground for this relegation six-pointer. Everton have continued their fine run since being handed a ten-point penalty for financial misconduct and this win sees them put daylight between them and the bottom three. Two goals inside the first half hour made sure of all three points as Everton managed the game out with clever possession.
Burnley just didn’t have the tools or wherewithal to trouble the visitors and looked set for a very difficult battle to get out of the bottom three. – Dec 17, 2023
Main photo credit: The Guardian
