After two 1-0 defeats against Manchester City in the league and Juventus in the Champions League, Chelsea found their way back to victory to tackle the lead.
With 16 points, the Blues take two points ahead of Manchester United and Everton who could not decide, Brighton who did not find the fault against the Gunners and Liverpool who receives City (6th with 13 pts) , for the shock of the day, Sunday.
The Londoners had to whip to snatch this success after having however quickly opened the scoring by Trevoh Chalobah with the head (1-0, 9th).
They thought they had made the break by Timo Werner just before the break, but his goal was canceled by the VAR for a foul in the previous seconds (43rd), before seeing the Saints equalize on a penalty from James Ward-Prowse (1 -1, 61st).
The direct expulsion, decided after resorting to the VAR, of the same Ward-Prowse (77th) for a foul on Jorginho, changed the match, Werner taking his revenge from close (2-1, 84th) before Ben Chilwell, foul on the penalty, can not be redeemed (3-1, 89th).
After his snatch victory against Villarreal (2-1) on Wednesday in the Champions League, Manchester United continues to skate nationally, being neutralized by Everton.
Forced to replay on Saturday noon after the big expenditure of energy in the middle of the week, the Red Devils had started the match without Cristiano Ronaldo or Paul Pogba, who entered the second half, to no avail.
“We have to make choices throughout the season and we have to manage the efforts of the players”, argued after the match Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who considered that his starting XI was “the right one today”.
He had opted for an attack with Edinson Cavani, for his first start of the season, and Anthony Martial, aligned on the left, while Mason Greenwood started on the right.
The Uruguayan stood out with a delicate header pushed back by Jordan Pickford (21st), before Martial, well offset by Bruno Fernandes, opened the scoring with a slightly deflected strike (1-0, 43rd).
But Everton’s good offensive recruitment this summer allowed him to come back despite the absences of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison in attack.
Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend battered the Mancunian defense, the first shaking Old Trafford with a breakthrough and a nice low strike (33rd).
On a block after a corner, Gray was then stronger than Fred on a shoulder duel to keep the ball and give Abdoulaye Doucouré who served Townsend with a lot of composure whose cross strike left no luck to De Gea (1-1, 65th).
“We have to become better to know when to take risks and how not to concede a counter-attack (…), we made some bad decisions which cost us dearly in those 10 seconds,” lamented Solskjaer.
While the Seagulls may be frustrated at taking just one point after a game they clearly dominated, they interrupted Arsenal’s three-game winning streak.
In the rain and the wind which swept the south of England, Brighton a little reconnected with its failings which almost cost him dearly last season with a great awkwardness in front of the goal.
On 21 shots, Graham Potter’s men only scored two and Arsenal did not go far from a small hold-up when Robert Sanchez had to repel a strike from Emile Smith-Rowe who left against (76th).
A point that allows them all the same to stay in the leading car (5th), while Arsenal remains in the middle of the classification (9th with 10 points).
.
