Tottenham Hotspur’s status as Premier League title chasers was seriously harmed on Saturday as they fell to a first defeat in seven league games, losing the lead to go down 3-1 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Harry Kane fired a largely unimpressive Spurs side in front midway through the first half, picking the ball up from deep out wide, cutting inside and finding the top corner from outside the area with a sumptuous strike on his weaker left foot.
The goal was Kane’s fourth in three league games but was not enough to see off the dogged visitors, who have taken points off some of the biggest teams such as Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United in their return to the top flight.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side levelled in the 72nd minute with a towering header from a corner from French defender Willy Boly after a period of sustained pressure around Tottenham’s area.
Mexican forward Raul Jimenez then gave them the lead in the 83rd minute and Helder Costa sealed the win with a counter-attack goal in the 87th.
A first home defeat since late October leaves second-placed Tottenham six points adrift of Liverpool, who can widen that gap when they host Arsenal later on Saturday. Manchester City could reclaim second spot if they win at Southampton on Sunday.
FULHAM 1 HUDDERSFIELD 0
Fulham boosted their Premier League survival hopes after Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a stoppage time winner to give them a 1-0 win over bottom team Huddersfield Town at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The result lifted Fulham one place up to 18th on 14 points from 20 games, two more than Burnley who are at home to West Ham United in one of Sunday’s four fixtures. Huddersfield have 10 points after suffering their seventh successive defeat.
Having had a bullet of a header saved by Jonas Lossl, who also kept out an Aboubakar Kamara penalty, Mitrovic delighted the home fans after taking a Ryan Sessegnon pass in his stride and firing it past the visiting keeper.
Kamara will have been particularly relieved with the outcome as he snatched the ball away from Mitrovic to take the spot kick he earned after Chris Lowe handled the French forward’s attempt to control the ball.
Kamara was booed by the home fans every time he touched the ball in the closing stages and just when it seemed he would be left to rue his ill-judged perseverance, Mitrovic spared his blushes with a superb finish.
Huddersfield launched a dangerous raid at the other end and after Fulham cleared the danger, they launched a quick breakaway move with Sessegnon feeding Mitrovic to rifle the ball past Lossl from just inside the penalty box.
LEICESTER 0 CARDIFF 1
A 92nd-minute goal from midfielder Victor Camarasa and a penalty save from goalkeeper Neil Etheridge ensured Cardiff City beat Leicester City 1-0 for their first away victory of the Premier League season on Saturday.
Claude Puel’s Leicester, carrying momentum from consecutive wins against Chelsea and Manchester City, dominated the early exchanges at the King Power Stadium and came close with long-range efforts from James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira.
Leicester had their best chance of the first half in the closing stages when Jamie Vardy was slipped through by Maddison, only for the striker to shoot straight at Etheridge.
The hosts looked certain to claim consecutive home wins for the first time this season when Maddison was clipped inside the box by defender Sean Morrison but they were denied thanks to Etheridge’s heroics.
With Leicester supporters heading towards the exit, Camarasa curled the ball past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel from the edge of the box to secure a dramatic win for the Welsh side.
The victory takes Neil Warnock’s Cardiff up to 16th place in the league standings, four points clear of the relegation zone.
BRIGHTON 1 EVERTON 0
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Dutch striker Juergen Locadia pounced just before the hour as they carved out a 1-0 home win against an unlucky Everton side who hit the woodwork twice in their Premier League clash on Saturday.
After a pedestrian opening 45 minutes, tempers flared in the second half of Everton’s 4,500th game in the English top flight when their forward Richarlison went down injured and Brighton declined to put the ball out of play after winning it back.
The home side took the lead in bizarre fashion as a Pascal Gross corner struck Everton midfielder Andre Gomes, with the ball dropping to Locadia who swivelled before smashing it home.
The goal was initially disallowed as Locadia was in an offside position, but referee Andrew Madley reversed his decision after consulting his assistant, ruling that no Brighton player had touched the ball before Locadia struck.
Despite having a tough afternoon against Brighton centre-backs Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk, Brazilian Richarlison almost hit back immediately for the visitors, but his wicked shot was deflected onto a post by keeper David Button.
Kurt Zouma also hit the woodwork for Everton, sending his header from Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free kick onto the crossbar in the dying minutes as the Blues slumped to their fourth defeat in seven league games in December.
WATFORD 1 NEWCASTLE 1
Abdoulaye Doucoure came off the bench to bundle home the equaliser and then almost grab a winner as Watford secured a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at Vicarage Road in the Premier League on Saturday.
The French midfielder was brought on at the start of the second half as Watford went all out to avoid a sixth home league defeat this season.
Doucoure met Gerard Deulofeu’s cross with a superb header in the 82nd minute to set up a frantic final few minutes.
Newcastle had led for much of the game after Salomon Rondon, who had been left out of their 4-0 defeat at Liverpool on Wednesday, headed home Matt Ritchie’s centre cross.
The goal was Rondon’s fifth in eight league games and the Venezuelan almost had another soon after but this time his effort was disallowed for a fractional offside.
Fifteenth-placed Newcastle looked on course to secure the league double over Javi Gracia’s inconsistent side before Doucoure, who has been heavily linked with a move away in January, struck the equaliser and then headed wide from four metres in injury time.
