Premier League leaders Liverpool held on to their six point lead at the top of the table as Cody Gakpo put in a man-of-the-match performance in a 4-1 thumping of relegation threatened Ipswich Town.
The Dutch forward scored two and assisted one as the Reds dismantled the Tractor Boys, who had been hammered 6-0 by Manchester City last week. Midfield ace Dominic Szoboszlai opened the scoring with just 11 minutes on the clock before Mo Salah made it 19 for the campaign and scored his 100th home Premier League goal for the Reds before the break. Gakpo teed up the Egyptian and then he helped himself to a brace ether side of half time, the second when he nodded in a brilliant cross from Trent Alexander Arnold.
Jacob Greaves scored a late consolation for the visitors who remain deep in the relegation battle.
Arsenal stayed within six points of the league leaders thanks to a hard earned 1-0 win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers as both teams finished the game with ten men. Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly picked up a harsh straight red before half time and then Wolves’ Joao Gomes accumulated two yellow cards, before Riccardo Calafioiri scored the winner.
Sky Blues back in the top four
Manchester City and Chelsea are both clubs which have suffered poor form in mid season so there was a fair amount of tension around at the Etihad Stadium, particularly when new signing Abdukodir gifted the Blues an early goal. The 20 year old headed a back pass to Ederson but the keeper wasn’t expecting it and Chelsea striker Noni Madueke crept in the roll the ball home. The Sky Blues were rocking until centre back Josko Gvardiol settled their nerves with an equaliser just before half time.
City were a different team in the second half and the resurgent Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were both on target as Pep Guardiola’s team roared home. They have looked much better, apart form a mid-week nightmare against Paris Saint-Germain and the latest Premier League 2025 betting odds have brought the Sky Blues into third favourites for the title, still a way behind the top two but while City’s gradual revival continues Chelsea’s top four hopes have been dealt a serious blow.
Manchester City climbed from seventh to fourth place in the Premier League, and now just need to get their Champions League campaign back on track; while Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea dropped to sixth.
Cherries cut down Forest
My SBOTOP colleague says both Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest are dreaming big and Andoni Ariola’s Cherries were certainly in dreamland on Saturday as they gave Nuno Espirito Santo’s Forest a five goal spanking. Bournemouth have now stretched their unbeaten run in the Premier League to 11 games while inflicting a first defeat on Nottingham Forest since early December. The red hot Justin Kluivert scored again to make it 11 for the season and then Dango Ouattara scored a second half hat-trick as the Cherries cut Forest to pieces at will. He headed his first in the 55th minute and added another five minutes later before completing his hat-trick from close range on 87 minutes. Antoine Semenyo added a fifth deep into stoppage time as the Cherries climbed up to seventh, just one point behind fourth place and within four of a seriously damaged Forest. It will be interesting to see how Nuno’s team responds against another rival, Brighton and Hove Albion, next week.
Two from three to join the drowning Saints
In other Premier League 2025 news Alexander Isak scored twice as Newcastle United came from behind to beat sorry Southampton. His brace lifted the Swede into the thick of the race for the Golden Boot, on to 17 goals and within two of top scorer Salah and, while Newcastle stayed fifth, the defeat left the Saints rooted at the bottom of the table. Jan Bednarek gave Southampton an early lead but nobody really expected it to stay that way; and when Isak hammered home a penalty mid way through the first half the writing was on the wall. His second made it 14 in all competitions from his last 12 games and Isak had effectively won the game before another in-form Magpie, Sandro Tonali made it 3-1.
With six points from 23 games surely the Saints are doomed, ten points behind Wolves in 17th. But it’s increasingly looking like there is only one survival place up for grabs as, after losing to Arsenal, Wolves have been cut adrift from Everton in 16th. The Toffees are seven points ahead and have a game in hand, and the next team up is Tottenham Hotspur. I think Wolves have the best chance of survival, with Ipswich and the woeful Leicester City most likely to join Southampton in a quick return to the Championship.
There may well be twists and turns to come but I’m pretty sure it’s down to these three.
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