Soccer

Douglas Luiz’s late penalty moves Aston Villa level on points with Liverpool at the top

Premier League round-up: Chelsea survive late fightback to beat Luton in thriller; Palace and Wolves enjoy big home wins

Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz celebrates after scoring the winning goal from the penalty spot in the Premier League game against Burnley at Villa Park. Photograph: Jacob King/PA Wire

Sat Dec 30 2023 - 17:29
Aston Villa 3 Burnley 2

Aston Villa moved level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool as Douglas Luiz’s late penalty secured a 3-2 home win over 10-man Burnley.

Villa led at the break thanks to a Moussa Diaby finish after Leon Bailey’s 28th-minute opener for the hosts had been cancelled out three minutes later by Zeki Amdouni.

Burnley suffered a further setback with Sander Berge sent off early in the second half, but it looked as if it could prove a frustrating afternoon for Villa after Lyle Foster drew things level again in the 71st minute.

Luiz then had the final say, converting from the spot with a minute of normal time remaining, as Unai Emery’s side moved up a place to second in the table, joining Liverpool on 42 points ahead of the Reds hosting Newcastle on New Year’s Day.

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The 26th league win of their superb 2023 under Emery saw the midlands outfit bounce back from the 3-2 loss at Manchester United on St Stephen’s Day, with normal service resumed at Villa Park after the 1-1 draw with Sheffield United on December 22nd had ended a club-record run of 15 consecutive home league wins.

Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, meanwhile, remain second-bottom, five points adrift of safety.

Luton 2 Chelsea3

Chelsea survived a spirited late fightback by Luton to edge a dramatic match 3-2 at Kenilworth Road and end their four-game losing streak away from home.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side looked to be cruising to a first victory on the road since early November thanks to two goals from Cole Palmer – his second a sensational piece of individual skill – and one from Noni Madueke who scored for the second time in two games as the visitors took a 3-0 lead.

But that breathing room was sucked away by Luton during a frenetic final 10 minutes, when first Ross Barkley and then Elijah Adebayo struck to offer their supporters hope of a spectacular recovery.

Yet Chelsea held their nerve, claiming back-to-back league wins for just the second time under Pochettino.

[ Premier League table ]

Crystal Palace 3 Brentford 1

Michael Olise scored in each half as Crystal Palace ended their eight-game winless streak with a 3-1 comeback victory over Brentford at a soggy Selhurst Park.

Under-pressure Roy Hodgson’s hosts bounced back from a sorry start to an afternoon that began with Keane Lewis-Potter’s opener for the Bees inside two minutes.

Olise ensured it was all square before the 15-minute mark and Eberechi Eze added another before the break – the first time Palace have scored more than one before half-time this season.

Neal Maupay came closest to clawing one back for the visitors, rattling the crossbar as the Bees staged a late surge, but Brentford could not stop themselves from slipping to a club-record fifth straight Premier League defeat.

Wolves 3 Everton 1

Max Kilman’s first goal in two years inspired Wolves to a dominant win over struggling Everton.

The defender’s opener, Matheus Cunha’s tap in and Craig Dawson’s strike wrapped up an impressive 3-0 win at Molineux.

The squad celebrated with team-mate Mario Lemina’s shirt with the midfielder missing the game following the death of his father.

For the Toffees, their Christmas decline continued, four straight wins earlier in December have now been followed by three successive Premier League defeats and a Carabao Cup exit.

They remain a point above the relegation zone after an insipid and powder puff performance.

Wolves – with nine goals in their last three games – are now unbeaten in eight at home and earned a third straight Premier League win for the first time in almost two years to remain 11th in an increasingly impressive season.

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