Sunday was one of Premier League derbies with the north London derby and Merseyside derby taking centre stage. The matches certainly delivered on drama, with enthralling encounters both games. Here is what happened in a drama-filled day of action:
Gunners fire against Spurs
Arsenal came back from 2-1 down to record a 4-2 win over arch-rivals Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium in a pulsating north London derby.
The Gunners kicked-off the goal-fest one ten minutes. Jan Vertonghen handled the ball from a corner kick and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made no mistake from the penalty spot.
Aubameyang and Alex Iwobi then missed good chances for the home side before the visitors worked their way into the game. Spurs equalised on the half-hour mark, as Eric Dier headed home a Christian Eriksen free-kick at the near post.
The visitors were ahead four minutes later, as Rob Holding fouled Heung-Min Son in the penalty area, with Harry Kane scoring from the resulting penalty kick.
Arsenal came out much brighter in the second half after the half-time introduction of Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette. The Gunners equalised ten minutes into the second period, as Aubameyang curled home his second of the game from the edge of the Spurs area superbly.
The home side took the lead on 74 minutes, as substitute Lacazette created some space and fired in a shot that took a deflection off Eric Dier to beat Hugo Lloris in the visitor’s goal.
Arsenal sealed the game soon afterwards, as Lucas Torreira was left completely unmarked at an acute angle on the right and the Uruguayan drove an effort past Lloris. Things got even worse for the visitors with five minutes left on the clock, as centre-back Jan Vertonghen received a second yellow card.
The victory moved Arsenal above their rivals on goal difference and into fourth spot, one point behind third-place Chelsea.
Bizarre Pickford gaffe gives Reds late win
The Merseyside derby produced one of the evenest contests between the two teams in recent years. In the end, Liverpool defeated Everton 1-0 at Anfield courtesy of a bizarre gaffe by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Both sides had chances, as Andre Gomes came agonisingly close to scoring, only for Joe Gomez to produce an incredible last-ditch intervention on the goalline. The effort came after Yerry Mina had also headed wide from a corner kick.
Liverpool also had chances at the other end, as Sadio Mane fired over and Pickford denied Xherdan Shaqiri. The big drama was yet to come. Belgian striker Divock Origi came off the bench to make his first Liverpool appearance in over a year.
The striker hit the woodwork before finding the net in the 96th minute. In truth, it was a bizarre winning goal. The Reds had a late free-kick that Mina headed away towards, Virgil van Dijk, who miss-hit an effort towards goal.
The Dutchman turned his back thinking that the chance had gone. However, the ball spun up into the air, Pickford put a hand on it only for it to hit the bar twice and Origi to head home to the disbelief of everybody watching.
It was a cruel blow for Everton, who had matched their opponents and deserved a point from an absorbing derby.
The victory means that Liverpool are once again two points behind leaders Manchester City in the table. Everton remain sixth place in the table and looking good to remain in their current position, as the Toffees odds of finishing in top six have now shorten.
Sunday’s other Premier League result
Chelsea 2-0 Fulham
Did the defeated teams on Sunday in the Premier League deserve anything from the games?
