Premier League wrap: Ogbene on target as Luton thrash Brighton

Luton Town 4 Brighton 0

Luton scored twice in the opening two minutes and 17 seconds en route to a stunning 4-0 win against Brighton at Kenilworth Road.

Aided by a superb hat-trick from striker Elijah Adebayo, this was comfortably the hosts’ biggest Premier League win and their most commanding performance.

It was earned in swashbuckling style as they dismissed an insipid Brighton to move out of the relegation zone for the first time in nearly two months.

Elijah Adebayo earns Luton valuable point against Everton with superb equaliser

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Ireland’s Chiedozie Ogbene also netted during a first half in which Roberto De Zerbi’s side simply could not cope with what came their way, a shadow of the team that won the corresponding fixture 4-1 on the opening weekend.

Aston Villa 1 Newcastle United 3

Newcastle United condemned Aston Villa to their first home defeat in the Premier League for almost a year with a stunning 3-1 win.

Two goals in four first-half minutes from Fabian Schar put the Magpies in control before Alex Moreno’s own goal after the break.

Ollie Watkins grabbed a consolation for the hosts, who lost in the league at Villa Park for the first time since last February.

They remain fourth but have played more games than leaders Liverpool and rivals Manchester City and will be caught by Tottenham if they beat Brentford on Wednesday.

Newcastle had lost six of their previous seven league games to slip away from the top four but victory lifted them to seventh, although still 11 points behind Villa.

Nottingham Forest 1 Arsenal 2

Arsenal overcame a sluggish first-half performance to cut the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to two points after a 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.

The Gunners looked toothless in the first half, but rallied to register three big points thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka.

Forest had no intention of going for the win in a pragmatic approach deployed by Nuno Espirito Santo, but they made a game of it late on as Taiwo Awoniyi slammed home in the 89th minute.

Arsenal saw it out to end a three-game losing streak at the City Ground and exorcise the ghosts of last season’s defeat, which saw their title challenge come to an end.

Forest’s situation at the foot of the Premier League is looking precarious, as they sit two points above the relegation zone with the threat of a points deduction for breaking financial rules hanging over them.

Crystal Palace 3 Sheffield United 2

Crisis, what crisis? Roy Hodgson has seen it all in his lengthy managerial career but even the former England manager must have feared the worst when Ben Brereton Díaz put Sheffield United in front inside the first 30 seconds.

Thankfully for him, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise came to Crystal Palace’s rescue with spectacular performances that eased the pressure on Hodgson after a disastrous run of results.

The chairman Steve Parish had made it clear that the 76-year-old’s future rested on their performance against Chris Wilder’s side and having twice battled back from a goal down through two goals from a rejuvenated Eze after James McAtee scored Sheffield United’s second, it was Olise who stole the headlines with a fabulous strike.

Fulham 0 Everton 0

Struggling duo Fulham and Everton fought out a 0-0 Premier League draw at Craven Cottage on Tuesday, with the visitors lucky to escape with a potentially precious point after being under sustained pressure in an all-action second half.

Both teams came into the match on the back of dire league runs, both also going out of the FA Cup at the weekend, and that lack of form showed in a cagey first half when the best chances came via deflections that were cleared off the line at either end.

It was far livelier after the break, with both teams hitting the woodwork and Everton keeper Jordan Pickford making a brilliant save to keep out a Tosin Adarabioyo header as Fulham produced a series of attacks, but without quite managing the killer final touch.

The result, combined with Luton’s big victory over Brighton, dragged Everton back into the relegation zone as their 10-point deduction begins to weigh heavily again after initially seeming to spur them into a hot streak before Christmas.

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