The quickest goal of the season. A six-goal thriller featuring a sprinkle of Brazilian magic. A stunning late comeback. (More Football News)
It was a wild night of action in the Premier League. Except, that is, at Manchester City, whose march to the defense 𝔉of its title couldn't be more serene.
City never lost control in a routine 2-0 win over Brentford that saw 𝔉the champions open up a 12-point lead in the title race.
Control was what Tottenham lacked in conceding two late goals in a chaotic 3-2 loss at h♎ome to Southampton that damaged its top-fouꦅr ambitions.
It was even more frantic and end-to-end in the 3-3 draw be❀tween Aston Villa and Leeds in which Philippe Coutinho took center stage. The Brazil playmaker scored one goal and set up two others to push Villa 3-1 ahead, only for Leeds to fight back for a draw to keep the team clear of relegation danger.
The other match of the night 🧔wasn't without incident, either, as Norwich scored inside 39 seconds — through Teemu Pukki — for the fastest goal scored this season in a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace, for whom Wilfried Za☂ha scored a superb solo equalizer before missing a penalty with a scuffed effort that went well wide.
CITY CRUISE
It's 14 games unbeaten for Man 🍌City, which will now see if second-place Liverpool can reduce the gap back down to ninꦦe points with a win over Leicester on Thursday. Liverpool has played two games fewer.
Riyad Mahrez, with his eighth goal in his last seven games for C▨ity, and Kevin De Bruyne, netting for the fourth straight home game in the league, were the scorers for the champions.
Mahrez converted a penalty in the 40th after Raheem Sterling was brought down, and De Bruyne stroked home a low finish into an unguarded net in♉ the 6🎀9th after Sterling had a shot saved.
TOTTENHAM STUMBLE
Southampton appeared ♉to be driven by a sense of injustice in its comeback at Spurs after Son Heung-min's goal in the 70th minute that put the hosts ahead. In the build-up, Emerson Royal looked to have fouled Armando Broja 🐻in the air and it led to some heated exchanges among players and coaches.
The visitors poured forward and after Mohamed Elyounoussi equalized in the 79th, Che Adams headed in an almost identica♏l goal for the winner in the 82nd.
Broja had earlier canceled out Tottenham's opening goal that was scored by𝔉 a Southampton player, as Jan Bednarek slid in deflect a cross into🌳 his own net under pressure from Son.
Tottenham stayed seventh, four points off the Champions League places. West Ham occupies fou𒉰rth pla෴ce but has played three more games than Tottenham.
COUTINHO'S CLINIC
Fresh off scoring a brilliant long-range goal for Brazil last week, Coutinho pulled the strings for Villa in 🔜a whirlwind first half against Leeds where he canceled out Dan James' ninth-minute opener by scoring off his own low finish in the 30th.
The playmaker then provided the passes for goals by fellow midfielder Jacob Ramseyꦚ in the 38th and 43rd minutes, one of them a stunning defense-splitting through-ball after spinning free in the middle of the 🙈field.
James made it 3-2 in first-half stoppage time and Diego Llorente ensured a pulsating game ended all square by scoring from close range after Villa defend💟⛎er Tyrone Mings failed to clear.
The draw edged Leeds six points clear of the relegation zone and den𓆉ied Vi🥂lla a place in the top half of the league.
ZAHA'S MISS
Wilfried Zaha went from the sublime to the ridic☂ulous at Carrow Road.
In his first appearance for the club since Boxing Day, having played for Ivory Coast at the African Cup of Nations, Zaha cut inside and curled home from the edge of the area to equalize🍨 on the hour mark.
That canceled out Pukki's goal — his first in more than 11 hours of play — but Norwich coul♌dn't hold on for a fourth straight win that w♎ould have lifted the team out of the relegation zone.
It could even have lost only for Zaha to scuf♏f a tame penal𓆏ty wide of the left post after Tyrick Mitchell had been fouled by Max Aarons.
Norwich is in the relegation zone in third-to-last place, one point f🐽rom safety.
