Frank Lampard got off to a losing start on his return as interim Chelsea manager on Saturday with the Blues beaten 1-0 at Wolverhampton Wanderers and still looking toothless in the Premier League.
Matheus Nunes scored a 31st minute screamer at Molineux, the Portugal midfielder hitting the ball on the volley from the edge of the box on the right and past Kepa Arrizabalaga into the far corner.
Chelsea great Lampard’s appointment was announced on Thursday after Graham Potter paid the price for a string of poor results which left the team 11th and with a Champions league quarter-final away leg at Real Madrid looming next Wednesday.
The club’s record goalscorer, himself dismissed as manager in January 2021, was given a clear picture of the task he faces over the eight remaining games, with Chelsea on 29 goals from 30 matches.
Chelsea had only one shot on target in the first half and, while looking much livelier after the break, were unable to make their passing and possession count.
Julen Lopetegui’s Wolves moved up to 12th and four points clear of the drop zone.
Own goal gives strugglers West Ham 1-0 win at Fulham
A first-half own goal gave West Ham United three vital points in the battle against relegation as they beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage in their Premier League clash on Saturday.
Having started the day among four clubs on 27 points, including third-bottom Bournemouth, the Hammers overcame Fulham’s dominance in possession to secure a win that lifts them to 13th spot on 30 points.
West Ham and manager David Moyes, under pressure since a humiliating 5-1 home defeat by Newcastle United on Wednesday, took the lead when Jarrod Bowen’s pull-back was steered into his own net by Fulham midfielder Harrison Reed in the 23rd minute.
Mid-table Fulham created five efforts on goal, but only two on target as they failed to convert their possession into decent scoring opportunities, often settling for aimless crosses into the box that were easily dealt with.
Fulham’s best chance came in the 83rd minute as Andreas Pereira attempted to go around West Ham’s Lukasz Fabianski, but the goalkeeper got a touch on the ball to avert the danger.
Substitute Maxwel Cornet wasted a great chance to make it 2-0 in stoppage time for West Ham, firing straight at keeper Bernd Leno, but it made no difference as Moyes’s side hung for their first away win since August.
Traore and Watkins on target as Villa sink Forest
Bertrand Traore and Ollie Watkins earned Aston Villa a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday to keep Unai Emery’s side on track for a place in Europe next season and send their opponents into the relegation zone.
After a cagey first half in which neither side created much of note, Traore broke the deadlock three minutes after the interval with his second goal for Villa in as many games.
The Burkina Faso international, who Emery recalled from a loan spell in Turkey, was brought on as a first-half substitute and capitalised on a mistake by Jonjo Shelvey to send a curling shot in at the far post and break the deadlock.
The goal forced Forest to attack and Villa took advantage of the resulting space in behind, with Watkins dinking over Forest keeper Keylor Navas deep in injury time to double the home side’s lead.
Forest’s best chance to get on the scoresheet came in the 76th minute, when Danilo played in Taiwo Awoniyi clean through the middle, but Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez was quick off his line to clear away the danger.
Villa’s fourth league win in a row moved them up to sixth in the table, while Forest dropped one place to 18th on 27 points after their ninth game without victory.
Leicester slump to defeat by Bournemouth after Maddison error
Leicester City’s relegation plight worsened as they suffered a 1-0 home defeat by fellow strugglers Bournemouth on Saturday, their eighth defeat in nine Premier League games.
England midfielder James Maddison’s terrible back pass which allowed Philip Billing to score in the 40th minute gifted Bournemouth three crucial points in their bid to stay up.
Leicester created little and were indebted to keeper Daniel Iversen for keeping them in the game.
They were booed off at the end of a dismal display which left them second-from-bottom with 25 points.
Bournemouth moved up to 15th place with 30 points.
Newcastle back up to third with 2-1 win at Brentford after Toney misses penalty
Newcastle United moved back up to third in the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Brentford on Saturday after Ivan Toney missed a penalty for the London side for the first time in his career.
Brentford won a penalty when Sven Botman clumsily brought down Kevin Schade, but Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope guessed correctly to deny Toney who missed from the spot for the first time since 2018 having converted his previous 24 attempts.
But Brentford were given another lifeline when Alexander Isak fouled Rico Henry and the referee awarded another penalty after watching the replay. This time, Toney made no mistake and beat Pope to score his 18th league goal of the season.
The tide turned in the second half, however, as Newcastle came out firing and equalised nine minutes after the restart when Joelinton’s attempted cross went in off goalkeeper David Raya’s foot.
An unmarked Isak then made amends with an emphatic finish after he was set up by his strike partner and second half substitute Callum Wilson, with the Swedish striker guiding his effort past Raya to make it 2-1.
Newcastle’s fifth consecutive win moved them up to 56 points from 29 games — the same as Manchester United who beat Everton 2-0 earlier on Saturday — but Eddie Howe’s side have a superior goal difference.
Kane keeps Spurs top-four hopes ticking with winner against Brighton
Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane struck a late winner in a fiery 2-1 home victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday to boost his side’s hopes of a top-four finish.
Son Heung-min’s 100th Premier League goal, a superb curler in the 10th minute, had given Spurs the lead against the run of play but Brighton levelled through Lewis Dunk in the 34th.
Brighton were by far the better side and had two goals ruled out although the biggest talking point until Kane’s 79th-minute winner was an altercation between Tottenham caretaker manager Cristian Stellini and Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi.
Both men were red-carded in the second half following a melee which had been brewing since the Italian pair exchanged angry words before the game kicked off.
England striker Kane at least sent the Spurs fane home happy as his deflected shot from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg beat Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele.
Victory kept Tottenham in fifth place with 53 points but they have played a game more than Manchester United in fourth and Newcastle United who both have 56 after wins on Saturday.
Brighton’s hopes of gate-crashing the top-four battle took a big knock and they dropped to seventh with 46 points.
