Late shows and injury-time drama steal the spotlight

WEEK nine of the English Premier League ended with plenty of late goals leading to dramatic finishes.

The old saying, “it ain’t over till the fat lady sings,” proved true, and the fat lady was definitely present at Villa Park, the Gtech Community Stadium, and Goodison Park.

Unai Emery seemed poised to claim all three points as the game clock ticked into the 96th minute.

Aston Villa were clinging to a one-goal lead in a very entertaining match, and it appeared Emery would emerge victorious against his Basque counterpart, Andoni Iraola. But Evanilson had other intentions.

This game highlighted the work both coaches had done and how Spain continued to produce top-level managers in the football world. It’s a model the English FA could learn from if they find themselves short of options for English managers.

The best game on Saturday unfolded at the Gtech Community Stadium, where Brentford emerged as 4-3 winners thanks to Bryan Mbeumo’s 96th-minute goal.

Brentford had clawed their way back after being two goals down, and Harry Clarke had a debut to forget as he conceded a penalty and got sent off for two bookable offences.

Ipswich thought they could leave with a point, but came the late drama as Mbeumo whipped in the winner.

At the London Stadium, West Ham secured a win against Manchester United, lifting the pressure off Julen Lopetegui and placing it back on Erik ten Hag. The VAR review awarded the penalty late in stoppage time.

United fans may claim there is a conspiracy against them, but if they had taken their chances, especially the one presented to Diogo Dalot, they wouldn’t be pushing this narrative.

This marks United’s third consecutive defeat at the London Stadium against West Ham, and as expected, Ten Hag was sacked last night.

Crystal Palace ended a nine-game winless streak this season with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Talk about Spurs doing what Spurs do best! Right now, they are consistently inconsistent.

Ange Postecoglou needs to address this quickly if he wants to maintain his reputation for winning a trophy in the second season with every team he manages.

It was a blockbuster game at the Emirates as Arsenal looked to bounce back from last week’s defeat, while Liverpool aimed to extend their winning run. Mikel Arteta won the psychological battle by claiming all week that Bukayo Saka wouldn’t be available, only for Saka to start.

Andy Robertson struggled to cope with Saka throughout the match.

The real Declan Rice always shows up in big games, and once again, he delivered an outstanding performance in midfield.

The game ended in a draw as Mohamed Salah equalised following a brilliant move involving Darwin Nunez and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

With Arsenal players dropping like flies because of injuries, youth players had to step up, including Myles Lewis-Skelly.

It’s tough for an 18-year-old to defend against a world-class player like Salah.

With this draw, Manchester City now sit at the top of the league despite not playing superbly at the moment.

City climbed to the top with a 1-0 victory over Southampton, and Erling Haaland was back on the scoresheet.

Many expected a rout at the Etihad, but Southampton put on a decent performance.

City lead the league by just one point, and for the second year in a row, we could see a three-horse title race.

Liverpool fans hope the race goes down to the wire this season and doesn’t end prematurely in March.

There are 29 more games to go, and we can expect plenty of twists and turns as the season heats up.

Managers need to remind their players that in the Premier League, the game isn’t just 90 minutes – it can also go beyond and it is best to stay on their toes until the final whistle.