By Victor Kanayo
Chelsea fluffed an opportunity to recover from many past disappointments and go up the table radar, after they suffered another defeat against bottom-placed Southampton in the Premier League at Stamford bridge on Saturday.
It was James Ward-Prowse free kick that earned managerless Southampton a precious three points at Chelsea in a scrappy 1-0 win to pile more pressure on manager Graham Potter.
Chelsea had 17 attempts at goal, five on target, their highest shot tally without scoring at home in the Premier League since May 2021.
Despite spending nearly 300 million pounds ($360 million) in the January transfer window, Chelsea are languishing in 10th place on 31 points from 23 games and are 10 points adrift of the top four.
It was a day of joy for Everton as defender Seamus Coleman’s goal from the tightest of angles secured a 1-0 victory over fellow strugglers Leeds United at Goodison Park.
The crucial win moved the Merseyside club out of the relegation zone.
Everton have won each of their first two league games at Goodison Park under new coach Sean Dyche, having lost four in a row before he took over.
They last won consecutive home games last April.
Bournemouth also moved out of the relegation zone to sit level on 21 points with Everton thanks to a second-half strike from Marcus Tavernier that gave them a 1-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The south-coast club jumped from 19th to 17th, a point above the drop zone, after their first win since the World Cup break.
Elsewhere, Fulham continued their fine season with a 1-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion moving them up to sixth, while Brentford and Crystal Palace drew 1-1.
Meanwhile, Liverpool reignited their top-four hopes with an impressive 2-0 victory as 10-man Newcastle saw goalkeeper Nick Pope sent off.
The Reds snatched the lead on 10 minutes when Darwin Nunez struck his first league goal since November 12 with a thumping effort that finished off Trent Alexander-Arnold’s sumptuous pass.
Cody Gakpo then stunned the St James’ Park faithfuls just seven minutes later when he made it two in two matches to polish off Mohamed Salah’s wonderful first-time pass.
The result means Liverpool climb to seventh and within six points of Newcastle in fourth spot, with the Merseysiders still to play a game in hand. The Magpies, who see their 17-match unbeaten league run come to an end, are just two points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham.
The Reds will now host Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday before visiting Crystal Palace in the league next Saturday.
Newcastle will need to regroup and turn their full focus to the League Cup final against Manchester United next Sunday.
Earlier same day, Manchester City couldn’t close in on fellow Premier League title challengers Arsenal after they were held to a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest.
It Forest man Chris Wood’s late goal that cancelled out Bernardo Silva’s sublime opener for City.
For Arsenal, their title dream remained alive after they beat a resilient Aston Villa 4-2.
But that was after they were forced to come from behind to usurp City in the race for the title.
The Gunners now hold a two-point advantage at the top with a game in hand.
