In a surprising turn of events at the Stadium of Light, Chelsea suffered a 1-0 defeat to Premier League bottom-dwellers Sunderland on Sunday, while Liverpool secured a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Chelsea's Top-Four Hopes Dealt a Blow
Xabi Alonso's Chelsea arrived on Wearside hoping to strengthen their push for a Champions League spot via a top-four finish. Instead, they left empty-handed after a disappointing loss to a Sunderland side that had previously won just once in the league this season. The result leaves Chelsea fifth in the table and already with four defeats in ten league matches under the former Real Madrid boss.
The decisive moment came in the 36th minute when Enzo Le Fee converted a penalty after Brian Brobbey was brought down by Levi Colwill. Alonso was visibly frustrated that no foul was given on Cole Palmer in the build-up to the spot-kick, but his protests fell on deaf ears.
Liverpool Back on Track
Liverpool, meanwhile, put an end to a two-game losing streak with a convincing win at Crystal Palace. The Reds had been beaten by Arsenal in the Premier League and Fenerbahce in the Champions League, raising questions about manager Andoni Iraola in his first season at Anfield. However, they responded emphatically in south London.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring with a header from Dominik Szoboszlai's cross in the 40th minute. Florian Wirtz doubled the lead in the 54th minute with a composed finish from Bradley Barcola's cross, marking his first league goal of the season. Alexander Isak sealed the win in the 89th minute, finishing off a pass from Wirtz. The victory keeps Liverpool fourth and extends their impressive away league winning streak to four matches.
Eddie Nketiah's stoppage-time penalty for Palace, after a foul by Milos Kerkez, was merely a consolation. Palace manager Pierre Sage, who replaced Oliver Glasner in the close season, is now under immense pressure with his side bottom of the table after their seventh defeat in ten league games.
Brighton Continue Strong Start
Brighton's excellent form continued as they climbed to second place with a 2-0 win over Brentford at the Amex Stadium. Diego Gomez gave the Seagulls the lead with a stunning 25-yard strike in the 15th minute. Brentford's Igor Thiago was sent off for a reckless challenge on Chema Andres midway through the first half, and Pascal Gross doubled the advantage from the penalty spot in the 42nd minute after Keane Lewis-Potter fouled Luka Vuskovic.
The win, Brighton's sixth in their last seven league games, lifted them above Manchester City and within five points of leaders Arsenal, who beat Hull on Saturday.
Bournemouth Edge Ipswich
In other action, Bournemouth's Brazilian forward Evanilson continued his hot streak with a clinical finish in the fifth minute, his seventh goal in eight games, as the Cherries won 2-1 at Ipswich. An own goal from Leif Davis in the 46th minute doubled Bournemouth's lead, and although Jack Clarke pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute, it was not enough to rescue a point for the hosts.
The results leave Chelsea with work to do in the race for Champions League qualification, while Liverpool and Brighton strengthen their positions in the top four.
