Aston Villa returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 victory over West Ham United. Ollie Watkins was bang on target for Villa.
With Liverpool, Chelsea and Brentford all dropping points in the race for the UEFA Champions League places this weekend, Villa ended their three-game losing streak to boost their own chances.
John McGinn finished off a clever free-kick routine early in the first half, with his curling effort giving Mads Hermansen no chance. And Watkins netted his first league goal since late January with an emphatic finish into the roof of the net after pouncing on the rebound of Morgan Rogers’ saved shot, with West Ham failing to take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur’s loss to Nottingham Forest.
The win moved Villa five points clear of Liverpool in fifth, while West Ham remain 18th, having missed the chance to move out of the relegation zone with a victory.
Sunderland score a comeback win over Newcastle
Brian Brobbey helped Sunderland snatch a stunning 2-1 comeback win against Newcastle United to earn the Tyne-Wear derby bragging rights at St James’ Park.
Brobbey secured all three points in the 90th minute, taking advantage after Malick Thiaw had seen a potential winner disallowed at the other end.
Anthony Gordon capitalised on Luke O’Nien’s loose pass early in the first half and coolly slotted across goal to score for the third Premier League game in a row to put Newcastle ahead.
Chemsdine Talbi cancelled that out after the break on the rebound, before Thiaw’s header was ruled out after Jacob Murphy interfered from an offside position with 15 minutes remaining.
And Brobbey prodded in from close range after his initial effort was saved, sending Sunderland up to 11th, leapfrogging Newcastle, who are now 12th, in the process.
Forest boost hopes of avoiding relegation
Nottingham Forest boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League and left Tottenham Hotspur in huge trouble with a crucial 3-0 away win.
Spurs fans lined the streets to welcome Igor Tudor’s under-fire side to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of Sunday’s game, but another poor display saw their winless run stretch to 13 matches.
The hosts spent much of the first half on the front foot and hit the woodwork twice, but they fell behind to Igor Jesus’ header just before the interval.
Another error from Guglielmo Vicario allowed Morgan Gibbs-White to make it 2-0 just after the hour mark, then substitute Taiwo Awoniyi added a late third as Forest earned their first Premier League win under Vitor Pereira.
They climb to 16th in the table, three points above West Ham United in 18th, while Spurs are only one clear of the relegation zone.
Pic: FotMob
