The information maintain coming for Erling Haaland at Manchester Metropolis. The losses are mounting for Frank Lampard at Chelsea. Metropolis’s 3-1 win over Leicester on Saturday, which moved the defending champions three factors behind Premier League chief Arsenal, was inevitably propelled by Haaland despite the fact that the prolific striker had simply 45 minutes on the sector.
By the point he was substituted at halftime, the Norway worldwide had scored twice — one from the penalty spot, one other a clipped end following Kevin De Bruyne’s by way of ball — to maneuver to 32 league targets for the season. That left Haaland tied with Liverpool ahead Mohamed Salah for essentially the most targets in a 38-game Premier League season. Salah’s haul got here within the 2017-18 marketing campaign.
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Haaland will certainly transcend that, and likewise is heading in the right direction to interrupt the report for a 42-game marketing campaign, which stands at 34 targets and is collectively held by Andy Cole (at Newcastle in 1993-94) and Alan Shearer (at Blackburn in ’94-95).
John Stones was the opposite scorer for Metropolis, which has gained 10 straight video games in all competitions and is piling the strain on Arsenal in a title race that appears destined to go to the ultimate weekend. Arsenal visits West Ham on Sunday.
Whereas there’s a lot nonetheless to play for on the high of the league, Chelsea’s woeful marketing campaign is ending with barely a whimper as Lampard, the interim supervisor, fails to get something out of a squad assembled at such nice expense.
A 2-1 house loss to Brighton was a 3rd straight defeat for Lampard since he got here in because the substitute for the fired Graham Potter till the top of the season. Chelsea is languishing in eleventh place with seven league video games remaining and a few followers had been seen displaying their fury towards the membership’s co-owner, Todd Boehly, who was within the administrators’ field.
“By way of efficiency, that was essentially the most disappointing one as a result of we had been effectively overwhelmed within the fundamentals of soccer,” Lampard stated. “Brighton are a improbable crew, they usually can carry out like that in opposition to anybody within the league. However we had been brief.
“A yard brief, a deal with brief, a fighting-duel second brief. When that is not proper, you are not going to win video games.”
The match at Stamford Bridge got here between video games in opposition to Actual Madrid within the Champions League quarterfinals. After a 2-0 loss in Spain on Wednesday, Chelsea hosts the defending champions on Tuesday.
TOP-FOUR RACE
The race for Champions League qualification might need two extra groups concerned. One in every of them is Brighton, which is now simply seven factors off the highest 4 with a recreation in hand, and one other is Aston Villa, which overwhelmed third-place Newcastle 3-0 after a double by Ollie Watkins. Villa, which has gained seven of its final eight video games, is in sixth place and solely six factors behind Newcastle and fourth-place Manchester United.
“We’re talking a few troublesome subsequent goal we are able to have, however not now. Not now,” Villa supervisor Unai Emery stated of a top-four end. “We are able to take into consideration being a candidate for a Europa (League) place however the high 4 could be very, very troublesome. After all if we maintain successful we are able to add for the subsequent weeks, however not now.”
Fifth-place Tottenham’s hopes had been damage after a 3-2 loss to relegation-threatened Bournemouth, which scored its winner in stoppage time. Spurs are three factors above Villa and three behind Newcastle and Man United.
Tottenham heart again Davinson Sanchez got here on instead however was booed off the sector as he was substituted himself by interim supervisor Cristian Stellini, having inadvertently arrange Bournemouth’s second purpose by Dominic Solanke.
RELEGATION FIGHT
On the different finish of the standings, last-place Southampton is operating out of time to protect its top-flight standing after a 2-0 house loss to Crystal Palace, which has gained three in a row beneath interim supervisor Roy Hodgson. Southampton is 4 factors from security and has seven video games remaining.
Everton is simply out of the underside three on purpose distinction after dropping at house to Fulham 3-1. Wolves moved seven factors away from hassle by beating Brentford 2-0 at house.