Liverpool move nine points clear as Everton thrash Leicester

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The Premier League’s 3pm kick-offs on Saturday served up some dramatic action as leaders Liverpool travelled to the South Coast.

Everton welcomed relegation rivals Leicester to Goodison Park, while St James’ Park hosted a fiery affair between Newcastle and Fulham.

Another huge clash at the bottom was on the cards as Ipswich hosted Southampton.

And after Nottingham Forest’s 7-0 thrashing of Brighton in the early game, expectations were high across England’s top flight.

Read on to see how the action unfolded this afternoon.

Bournemouth 0-2 Liverpool

Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points with a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, ending the hosts’ 11-game unbeaten run.

Mohamed Salah was the star of the show, netting both goals to take his season tally to 21.

The Egyptian opened the scoring in the 30th minute from the penalty spot after Cody Gakpo was fouled by Lewis Cook. Salah’s strike into the bottom-right corner left Kepa with no chance.

Bournemouth thought they had equalised soon after when David Brooks fired home, but VAR ruled out the goal for an offside in the build-up involving Milos Kerkez.

The second half saw Bournemouth create opportunities to level the score. James Tavernier struck the post with a curling effort, and Justin Kluivert squandered the rebound with the goal gaping.#

Liverpool capitalised on this missed chance just five minutes later. A swift counter-attack, initiated by Curtis Jones’ interception and assist, found Salah on the right. Cutting inside onto his left foot, Salah curled a trademark finish beyond a helpless Kepa to double the lead.

Everton 4-0 Leicester

Everton delivered a commanding performance to secure a vital 4-0 victory over Leicester at Goodison Park, moving nine points clear of the relegation zone.

The Toffees wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Abdoulaye Doucoure opening the scoring just ten seconds after kick-off. Capitalising on Jordan Pickford’s long pass, Doucoure burst through Leicester’s shaky defence to slot home confidently.

Everton doubled their advantage inside six minutes when James Tarkowski’s precise pass found Beto, who coolly picked out the bottom corner.

Beto continued his fine form, netting his second just before half-time. A superb through ball from James Garner split Leicester’s defence, allowing the striker to convert with ease.

Leicester, under Ruud van Nistelrooy, offered little in response, managing just one shot on target and registering an xG of 0.39.

Their struggles were compounded in the second half when Iliman Ndiaye capitalised on poor defending to add Everton’s fourth, sealing a dominant win.

Ipswich 1-2 Southampton

Southampton secured a vital 2-1 victory over Ipswich at Portman Road, marking their first Premier League win since November.

The result broke a frustrating run of six consecutive defeats and 13 matches without a win.

The match started with Ipswich on the front foot. Despite creating several chances, including nine shots in the first half, they could not find the breakthrough.

In the 21st minute, Joe Aribo pounced on a deflected cross to fire Southampton into a 1-0 lead.

Ipswich responded strongly and equalised just after the half-hour mark. Liam Delap played a clever pass to strike partner Nathan Broadhead, whose delivery found Delap for a clinical finish past Aaron Ramsdale, making it 1-1.

Ipswich dominated the second half, but their efforts were thwarted by Southampton’s keeper, Ramsdale, who made key saves to deny the hosts.

Ipswich’s frustration grew as they couldn’t convert their 15 shots into goals. The visitors, despite being largely under pressure, found their match-winner in the 87th minute.

Paul Onuachu reacted quickest to a rebound after Sulemana’s shot was saved, tapping in to give Southampton the lead.

Newcastle 1-2 Fulham

Fulham pulled off a remarkable 2-1 win at St James’ Park, stunning Newcastle with a second-half comeback.

The Magpies had controlled the first half, taking a deserved lead through Jacob Murphy’s close-range finish in the 37th minute.

Newcastle could have extended their advantage, with Sandro Tonali hitting the crossbar and Tino Livramento seeing his shot saved by Bernd Leno.

Fulham, meanwhile, struggled to break through and had an xG of just 0.16 in the first half.

However, Marco Silva’s side emerged reinvigorated after the break. Raul Jimenez levelled the score in the 61st minute, latching onto a brilliant pass from Antonee Robinson.

Jimenez’s shot deflected off Murphy, wrong-footing keeper Martin Dubravka and making it 1-1. Fulham’s dominance continued, and in the 82nd minute, a teasing free-kick from Andreas Pereira was met by substitute Rodrigo Muniz, whose deft finish at the front post completed the turnaround.

Newcastle had their moments in the second half, with Alexander Isak hitting the crossbar and Joe Willock missing a gilt-edged opportunity, but they failed to capitalise.

Fulham’s second-half performance was enough to secure their first win at Tyneside in 16 years.




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