Soccer

Premier League wrap: Evan Ferguson nets for Brighton against Wolves

Republic of Ireland winger Chiedozie Ogbene forced off in opening half of Ipswich’s trip to Community Stadium

Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson celebrates after scoring in Brighton's Premier League draw against Wolves. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images
Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson celebrates after scoring in Brighton's Premier League draw against Wolves. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images
Sat Oct 26 2024 - 20:20
Premier League: Brighton 2 Wolves 2

Wolves’ Matheus Cunha struck a superb stoppage-time equaliser to snatch a 2-2 draw at Brighton on Saturday as they came back from two goals down to grab a point that lifts them off the bottom of the Premier League table.

Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson netted for Brighton in the 86th minute, adding to Danny Welbeck’s first-half score to give the home side a comfortable lead. Tariq Lamptey led the counter-attack down the right, allowing fellow substitute Ferguson to swivel and fire into the bottom left corner. It was Ferguson’s first goal for Brighton in the Premier League in 2024, and his first goal for the club since a serious ankle injury in April.

However, Rayan Ait-Nouri lashed home a loose ball after a corner to make it 2-1 in the 88th to set up a grandstand finish.

Searching for a third goal Brighton somehow butchered a four-on-one situation and allowed Wolves to break up the other end where Cunha advanced and rattled the ball into the net in the third minute of stoppage time for a most unlikely draw.

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The point – only the second of the season for Wolves – lifts them to 19th spot on two points, one ahead of Southampton and one behind Crystal Palace, while Brighton are fifth on 16.

Brentford 4 Ipswich Town 3

Two goals from Bryan Mbeumo saw Brentford fight back from a two-goal deficit to edge 10-man Ipswich Town 4-3 in an action-packed that kept up the hosts’ red-hot home form.

Newly promoted Ipswich would have been confident of their first victory of the league season after going 2-0 up in the first 31 minutes through Republic of Ireland midfielder Sam Szmodics and George Hirst.

But Brentford had other ideas as they struck back through Yoane Wissa and an own goal to level matters at halftime and then led though Mbeumo’s second half penalty.

Medical staff attend to Chiedozie Ogbene during Ipswich Town's Premier League fixture against Brentford at Community Stadium. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Medical staff attend to Chiedozie Ogbene during Ipswich Town's Premier League fixture against Brentford at Community Stadium. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Ipswich were then reduced to 10 men with the sending off of defender Harry Clarke, who had earlier scored the own goal and given away a penalty, but defied the odds to level through substitute Liam Delap’s 86th minute goal, only for Mbeumo to win the game in time added on with a long range effort.

Ireland winger Chiedozie Ogbene was stretchered off with an injury late in the opening half.

Manchester City 1 Southampton 0

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scored an early goal to take the champions provisionally top of the league table with a 1-0 victory over lowly Southampton at Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola’s team have 23 points after nine games, two ahead of Liverpool, who visit Arsenal on Sunday. Southampton are still without a win in their first season back in the top flight after a season away and sit second-bottom on one point.

While Haaland scored a stunner in Wednesday’s 5-0 Champions League thrashing of Sparta Prague, he had gone three Premier League games without a goal but ended that drought in the fifth minute on Saturday.

Wrestling with defender Jan Bednarek, the 24-year-old Norwegian stabbed the ball into the roof of the net with a toe while falling on to his backside.

Southampton had a terrific chance to level right before the break but Cameron Archer smashed his shot against the bar.

Haaland, whose 11 goals top the league scoring chart, had a flurry of near-misses in the second half, including a sitter from close range that he poked just wide and then buried his head in his hands in disbelief

Aston Villa 1 Bournemouth 1

High-flying Aston Villa were held 1-1 by Bournemouth as a last-gasp glancing header from Evanilson cancelled out Ross Barkley’s goal for the hosts.

Though devastated to throw it away at the death, Unai Emery’s team nevertheless moved to third in the league with 18 points and extended their unbeaten run to 11 games in all competitions.

Buoyed up by another Champions League win midweek, Villa peppered Bournemouth’s goal from the off, squandering a host of chances before second-half substitute Barkley hooked in from close range in the 76th minute from a Leon Bailey knock back.

Evanilson’s 96th-minute header gave his side a barely-deserved point that left them 10th in the league on 12 points.

Everton 1 Fulham 1

Substitute striker Beto headed a stoppage-time equaliser to earn Everton a 1-1 home Premier League draw with Fulham on Saturday after the Londoners had been seemingly cruising to a deserved victory courtesy of a goal by Goodison Park old boy Alex Iwobi.

Despite coming into the game on a four-game unbeaten run, Everton barely threatened, other than when Idrissa Gana Gueye hit the bar in the first half and Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted the rebound, but was offside.

Fulham had made most of the running from the start and deservedly went ahead after 61 minutes when Emile Smith-Rowe carried the ball past three defenders and fed Iwobi, who made space and neatly slotted past Pickford to cap an impressive all-round individual display.

Beto, however, salvaged a point in the fourth minute of stoppage time, leaping to power in a header after a neatly cushioned cross on the volley by Ashley Young.