Liverpool beat Burnley to top table, Forest win at Newcastle

Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League as Darwin Nunez’s first league goal for almost two months helped them to a 2-0 victory at struggling Burnley on Tuesday.

Nunez’s precision finish after six minutes gave Liverpool a flying start at Turf Moor but Juergen Klopp’s side were unable to kill off the hosts as the second goal would not come.

Mohamed Salah was denied by the crossbar and both Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott had goals disallowed as Burnley hung on but Diogo Jota’s 90th-minute effort sealed the points.

Nineteenth-placed Burnley had chances of their own in the second half and almost snatched an equaliser when Jacob Bruun Larsen’s shot went agonisingly wide of the post.

Liverpool’s first win in three league games moved them above Arsenal as they reached the halfway point of the season on 42 points. Arsenal, who have 40, host West Ham United on Thursday.

Wood nets hat-trick as Forest beat Newcastle 3-1
Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood scored a superb hat-trick against his former club Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Tuesday to give his struggling side a much-needed 3-1 victory in the Premier League.

Forest’s first win under new coach Nuno Espirito Santo lifted them to 16th in the table on 17 points, five above the relegation zone, while Newcastle’s fourth defeat in their last five league games left them seventh on 29 points.

Newcastle took the lead in the 23rd minute when Alexander Isak won a penalty as he tried to spin away from Forest full back Ola Aina, and the Swedish striker stepped up to stroke home the spot-kick low to left of keeper Matt Turner.

Wood, who was loaned to Forest by Newcastle in January before making the move permanent, brought his side level just before the break with a close-range tap-in, and he netted again in the 53rd and 60th minutes to earn his side a deserved victory.

Luton force two late own goals to win at Sheffield United
Jack Robinson and Ben Slimani scored own goals in the final 13 minutes as Sheffield United let a late lead slip and lost 3-2 to fellow Premier League strugglers Luton Town at Bramall Lane on Tuesday.

Luton took the lead in the first half through Alfie Doughty, but a strong second-half showing from the home side turned the game on its head as Oli McBurnie netted and Anel Ahmedhodzic scored his first Premier League goal.

Having worked so hard to get in front, however, United surrendered their lead in cruel fashion as Robinson flicked a cross into his own net and Slimani deflected a shot into his own goal.

Luton stayed in 18th position but moved to 15 points from 18 games, one point from safety, while United remained rooted to the bottom of the table with nine points from 19 matches, their survival hopes having taken a massive blow.

Bournemouth overpower Fulham to move into top half
A resurgent Bournemouth moved into the top half of the Premier League table with a 3-0 home win over Fulham on Tuesday thanks to a goals by Justin Kluivert, Dominic Solanke and Luis Sinisterra.

Bouremouth’s opener came just before halftime when Alex Scott took the ball on the halfway line and sprinted through the Fulham defence to set up Kluivert to shoot past keeper Bernd Leno.

Joao Palhinha’s foul on Antonie Semenyo earned Bournemouth a spot-kick which Solanke converted and substitute Sinisterra scored in added time to take Bournemouth to 25 points from 18 matches, three above 11th-placed Chelsea.

Bournemouth, winless in their first nine league games of the season, have put together a seven-match unbeaten run including six wins and next visit Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Fulham host Arsenal.