Christian Pulisic was a first half casualty to Manchester City and defender John Stones as Chelsea dropped more points, but Auston Trusty and Daryl Dike put numbers on the board in the Championship.
Chelsea 0 – 1 Manchester City
Christian Pulisic was chosen to start once again by Chelsea head coach Graham Potter in one of the most anticipated games on the schedule, but the fairytale wasn’t meant to continue as Pulisic was an early casualty to a John Stones tackle.
The American’s withdrawal from the game came in the 22nd minute, but was Chelsea’s already second injury substitution on the night, with Raheem Sterling having to come out after just four minutes played.
The winning goal came finally for Manchester City in the 63rd minute from Riyad Mahrez, assisted by Jack Grealish, just three minutes after being subbed in as a pair in the 60th minute. It was a textbook play with the ball moving from right to left, with Grealish putting the final ball across the back line for a Mahrez tap in.
Chelsea now find themselves in tenth place after 17 games played, ten points off of fourth place. They face off against City again in the FA Cup this weekend.
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Leicester City 0 – 1 Fulham
Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream went the distance for Fulham in their away win to Leicester City.
None other than scoring machine Aleksander Mitrovic fired Fulham to the narrow win, a 17th-minute goal proving to be the only difference maker.
Willian, who looked lively throughout the game, provided the assist. The Brazilian was able to pick his head up and thread a beautiful cross field pass to Mitrovic, who brought the ball down well to tuck away home with a thumping half volley.
Fulham are now in seventh place, take on Hull City on Saturday in the FA Cup.
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Leeds 2 – 2 West Ham
Jesse Marsch earned a valuable point for Leeds against mid-table rivals West Ham United, with both Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams both starting for the hosts.
The scoring started in the 27th minute, with Leeds striking first through Wilfried Gnoto through a thumping finish for his first Leeds United goal. VAR had to intervene to award West Ham a penalty, and Lucas Paqueta was able to drag West Ham back in the game through a good finish.
The halftime reset worked best for West Ham, who scored within 60 seconds through Gianluca Scamacca to take the lead.
Aaronson was at fault with a bad pass, and the goal scorer smashed a shot from distance. However, Rodrigo would spare Aaronson’s blushes, getting the 70th minute equalizer, a rocket from the top of the box.
The point may have been more valuable for the visitors, but Leeds sit in 14th place with a game in hand to leapfrog Leicester City with a win. Up next is a trip to Cardiff in the FA Cup.
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Birmingham City 1 – 3 Middlesbrough
Auston Trusty got the start and an assist for Birmingham City, but was unable to keep out Zack Steffen’s Middlesbrough. Matthew Hoppe did not feature for the visitors.
Matt Crooks scored a back to back brace, striking first in the 57th minute. The goal was a solid header at the back post. However, the second came in the 59th minute and was a calm finish after getting in behind the defenders.
Trusty notched an assist for Birmingham in the 74th minute to halve the deficit, the goal scored by Tahith Chong. The American got up at the back post to put his body on the line, heading it back to the path of Chong for a goal line header in.
Chuba Akpom was able to provide the insurance goal in the 85th minute, a quick counter attack ending at his feet. He still had a lot to do, rounding the goalkeeper and shielding a defender to score.
Birmingham are down to 17th place, while Boro are in fifth. Birmingham take on Forest Green in the FA Cup, while Boro face off against Brighton in the same competition.
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Norwich 0 – 1 Watford
Josh Sargent started and went the distance for Norwich, who fell late to Watford. Norwich dominated most of the game, but were unable to get over the hump.
Ismaila Sarr provided the 86th minute assist to Vakoun Bayo, which proved to be enough. The goal came late and on a counter attack, for a back post tap in.
Norwich will feel aggrieved to not have at least scored one, with multiple offside calls going against them, costing them valuable goals. Sargent had one chance straight down the middle, but he lifted it over the bar.
Norwich are in 11th, three places away from the playoff hunt. The Canaries play host to Blackburn in the FA Cup.
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West Brom 1 – 0 Reading
Daryl Dike scored in the 60th minute, the American proving to be the difference maker, his second goal after coming back from injury.
Dike was lively throughout the match, having a ton of opportunities to be involved in the game. However, six minutes before being substituted, the American provided the diving header to Jayson Molumby’s cross for an emphatic game winner.
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Northampton Town 1 – 0 Leyton Orient
Charlie Kelman started and went the distance for Leyton Orient, a narrow defeat on the road to Northampton Town at the top of the table.
To add insult to injury, Omar Beckles was shown a straight red card in the dying moments of the game. The lone goal came from substitute Ben Fox, being assisted by Josh Felix-Eppiah. The ball fell to Fox in the box and a bit of skill saw him get enough time and space to slot home the game winner.
Leyton stay in first place but their lead now reduced to two points, but still seven points ahead of Northampton. Leyton face Doncaster at home on Saturday.
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Notes
Matt Turner was an unused substitute for Arsenal in their 0-0 home draw to Newcastle.
Chris Richards was an unused substitute for Crystal Palace as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham.
Matthew Olosunde did not make the bench for Preston North End in their 1-0 win over Stoke City.
Vaughn Covil did not feature for Hull City in their 4-1 win over Wigan Athletic.
Alex Mighten was an unused substitute in Sheffield Wednesday 5-0 win over Cambridge United.