Soccer

Premier League wrap: Brentford hit back from two down to take point against Manchester City

Reece James scores stoppage-time free-kick to rescue Chelsea a point; Potter gets first win at West Ham

Brentford's Christian Norgaard scores. Photograph: John Walton/PA
Brentford's Christian Norgaard scores. Photograph: John Walton/PA
Tue Jan 14 2025 - 22:06

Premier League: Brentford 2 (Wissa 82, Norgaard 90+2) Manchester City 2 (Foden 66, 78)

Christian Norgaard scored an added-time equaliser as Brentford fought from two goals down to salvage a point from a 2-2 draw against Manchester City at Gtech Community Stadium.

Phil Foden scored a second-half brace to give the champions control but – typical of their patchy season – they shipped goals to Yoane Wissa and Norgaard and had to settle for a Premier League point in west London.

The draw will dampen City’s spirits as they failed to fully take advantage of top-four rivals Chelsea’s draw to Bournemouth.

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After Wissa fired a warning shot wide of Stefan Ortega’s post in the opening minutes, the hosts’ reluctance to press City gave Josko Gvardiol plenty of time on the ball.

The defender almost added to his tally of four goals this season with a drilled right-footed attempt which was kept out by Mark Flekken.

The attacking partnership of Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo, absent from the Bees’ starting XI in Saturday’s FA Cup third round loss to Plymouth on Saturday, were showing just how important they are to the west Londoners.

Both players were aggressive off the ball in their own half and, after Wissa hunted a loose ball to play Mbeumo down the right flank, the winger tested Ortega with a powerful effort.

Despite City being second best for much of the first half, Kevin De Bruyne showed his creativity when he forged a big chance for Erling Haaland. The Belgian playmaker used his weaker left foot to whip an outswinging cross to Haaland, whose header from six yards sailed wide.

The action-packed clash continued after the break with both sides edging closer to opening the scoring.

After Brentford’s Nathan Collins’ free header from a corner was nodded wide, Savinho almost continued his recent scoring run but saw his shot across goal cannon off the post.

Seconds after Mikkel Damsgaard’s goal was ruled out for offside, Pep Guardiola’s men took a 66th-minute lead. De Bruyne produced another curling ball and Foden turned it home.

When the England international completed his brace 12 minutes later, the visitors were seemingly on course for three points.

However, Wissa gave the hosts hope when he pulled one back with eight minutes remaining.

And, after a valiant midfield display all match, skipper Norgaard’s efforts were rewarded in the second minute of added time when he equalised, heading an effort goalwards which Ortega got a hand to but could not keep out.

Chelsea 2 (Palmer 13, James 90+5) Bournemouth 2 (Kluivert 50, Semenyo 68)

Reece James scored a free-kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time to rescue a 2-2 draw for Chelsea at home to Bournemouth in the Premier League.

The home side looked beaten and could have had few complaints had Antoine Semenyo’s sensational strike midway through the second half turned out to have been the winner.

Chelsea had scored early through Cole Palmer but then true to recent form wasted enough chances to finish Bournemouth before half-time, with Nicolas Jackson striking the post at 1-0 and spurning two further golden opportunities.

Bournemouth levelled through Justin Kluivert’s penalty – Moises Caicedo at fault with a needless foul – then Semenyo crashed in the goal of his life to make it 2-1.

But up stepped James, on as substitute following yet another injury nightmare, to put the pain behind him and steal a point.

Chelsea led in the 13th minute when Jackson produced a conjuring trick in midfield to spirit his way free from a three-man Bournemouth trap and slip a pass through the middle for Palmer, who sent goalkeeper Mark Travers to ground with a devilish feint before stroking into the net.

Chelsea were playing with a creative spirit not seen enough during their recent barren run. Jadon Sancho drew a roar of admiration from home fans for an impudent nutmeg on Lewis Cook then Enzo Fernandez danced through Bournemouth’s defence before dragging inches wide.

Yet poor finishing is still an issue for Enzo Maresca’s young side. Jackson skied a simple chance over the bar from six yards, a bizarre, uncontrolled action that seemed to involve all four of the strikers limbs.

It heralded the start of a wild two-minute spell in which first Kluivert struck a post for Bournemouth following a careless pass by Robert Sanchez, then as Chelsea broke Jackson again came within inches, hitting the woodwork as the game threatened to turn, though it was impossible to say in which direction.

Travers parried a close-range header from Jackson who snatched at the rebound and found only the side-netting. That Chelsea were not further ahead will have been a matter of personal regret for the Senegal international as the teams departed for half-time.

Whatever fears Jackson might have nursed were realised five minutes after the restart. Semenyo was not in a prime position to shoot as the ball reached him inside the box, but Caicedo blundered into the challenge with unwarranted urgency and too little care. From the resulting penalty, Kluivert equalised with aplomb.

Bournemouth endured a nervous wait while referee Robert Jones reviewed pitchside what looked a clear pull of Marc Cucurella’s hair by David Brooks, who could count himself fortunate he was only shown a yellow card.

Chelsea might have pointed fingers for the goal that gave Bournemouth the lead. Young defender Josh Acheampong allowed Semenyo to beat him on the outside, Sanchez left room at his near post, but in truth neither player could have predicted what was to come as Semenyo’s hit slamming into the top corner as though shot from a cannon.

It looked like being decisive, until James’s intervention at the death.

West Ham 2 (Soler 31, Soucek 33) Fulham 1 (Iwobi 51)

Graham Potter worked his magic as West Ham beat Fulham 3-2 in his first home game in charge.

Goals from Carlos Soler, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta secured a first Premier League victory for Potter, who took over from the sacked Julen Lopetegui last week.

The former Brighton and Chelsea boss has had just three training sessions, and Friday’s FA Cup defeat at Aston Villa, to get his ideas across to his new players.

Yet the Hammers, at times shambolic under Lopetegui, already look like something approaching a functioning, well-drilled football team.

Yes, they were helped by some horrendous Fulham defending, with goalkeeper Bernd Leno in particular having a night to forget.

They also let Alex Iwobi score twice with crosses which flew straight in, to maintain their average of conceding two goals a game this season.

Fulham hit the crossbar twice as well, but West Ham rode their luck and withstood a late barrage to pick up a first home win since December 9.

Potter had promised to be “creative” in picking his line-up, with his attacking options depleted through the absence of Jarrod Bowen, Niclas Fullkrug, Michail Antonio and Crysencio Summerville.

He was true to his word, putting Brazilian playmaker Paqueta in the central striking role, with Czech midfielder Soucek an unlikely number 10.

But his new side were almost caught out in the sixth minute by a quick throw-in, with Iwobi able to swing in a cross which Harry Wilson volleyed against the crossbar.

West Ham did have the ball in the net midway through the first half, but Max Kilman was flagged offside as he headed in Soler’s free-kick.

However, West Ham’s fortunes changed on the half-hour mark thanks to an ill-judged pass across his own penalty area by Andreas Pereira.

With Leno out of position, Soler calmly placed his first-time shot into the back of an empty net.

Two minutes later West Ham doubled their lead when Soucek swept Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross home from eight yards.

The crossbar came to West Ham’s rescue again before half-time with Raul Jimenez’s header brushing the top of Lukasz Fabianski’s goal.

However, six minutes into the second half Fulham did get on the scoresheet. Jimenez went to prod in Iwobi’s cross, and although he did not get a touch it was enough to put off Fabianski as the ball drifted into the net.

Yet Fulham gifted a two-goal cushion back to West Ham when Leno, under pressure from substitute Danny Ings, played the ball straight to Paqueta who rolled it into an empty net.

Nothing is ever simple with West Ham, though, and Potter had an anxious final 15 minutes after another Iwobi cross, this time towards Wilson, flew straight inside Fabianski’s far post.

But in stoppage time young substitute Ollie Scarles blocked on the line from Sasa Lukic and Adama Traore skied the rebound to ensure Potter got off to a winning start in east London.