‘The black cat ran more!’ - Everton forward hammered by fans in Wolves defeat

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It was another eventful afternoon of 3pm kick-offs in the Premier League with some pivotal results.

Chelsea put their midweek blues behind them with a thumping victory over bottom of the table Huddersfield Town, while Wolves dispatched Everton 3-1 in a midtable clash.

At the foot of the table, Crystal Palace edge past Fulham, while Southampton fail to pick up a crucial three points against relegation rivals Burnley, who equalised in the last minute, and Brighton v Watford ended a goalless stalemate.

So with the 3pms concluded for another week, what did you miss?

1. Double digits for Neves

Ruben Neves has finally netted 10 goals across all competitions for Wolves since relocating to the midlands in 2017 from boyhood club Porto.

It will come as no surprise that this was only the midfield metronome’s second goal from inside the box – both coming from the penalty spot- such is his reputation for scoring outrageous long-range strikes.

The 21-year-old has been in imperious form this season, and has rightfully gained plaudits from all quarters of the football community; he is the key cog in Nuno Espirito Santo’s well-oiled machine, and exploits on Merseyside have taken the club seventh in the table.

2. Captain fantastic

Since making his Premier League debut against Stoke City two years ago, no Crystal Palace player has scored more goals than Luka Milivojevic, who netted his 19th goal for the club this afternoon.

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The Serb’s 25th minute penalty was the decisive moment in what was a hugely important game for Roy Hodgson, with his side languishing dangerously outside the relegation zone, and without talisman Wilfried Zaha for the match against Fulham.

The Eagles ultimately netted a second in the dying embers through Jeffrey Schlupp, but Milivojevic put the south London club in the ascendency and forced Fulham into attack mode.

3. Black cat works his socks off

Bad luck for Everton? Well it certainly looked that way as a random black cat entered the field in the second half at Goodison Park and halted play while it desperately tried to make for the exit – must have been a Toffees fan.

The black cat only completed two minutes of play, but fans were encouraged by his performance: energetic, balance, and commitment to the cause, covering a lot of ground for his brief stint.

Everton fans would even be in favour of a straight swap deal for Theo Walcott, who believe the England international was outrun by his feline counterpart.

4. Crouch is back with a bang

The legend that is Peter Crouch has made his return to the Premier League much to the delight of, not only Burnley fans, but also, the whole of the Premier League.

Crouch came on as a late second-half substitute in the Clarets’ last-gasp draw against strugglers Southampton, and he played the important role as he aerial dual with Jack Stephens resulted in the Saints man handling the ball.

This was Burnley’s first penalty since April 2017, but what an important penalty it was, and what an immediate impact the mountainous forward has made on his debut for the club.   

5. Redmond resurgence

It is a damning indictment for Mark Hughes that all five of Nathan Redmond’s Premier League goal involvements this term have come under the guidance of Ralph Hasenhuttl and not his former boss.

The incisive winger has now scored scored three goals and registered twos assists in 10 appearances, whereas he was not directly involved in a goal for 15 matches prior to today.

Redmond is Southampton’s main attacking threat and his contributions will be the difference between safety and relegation for the Hampshire club. Hasenhuttl couldn’t see the game out, but in Redmond, he has a prodigiously talented player.

6. Higuain debut delight

Gonzalo Higuain has become the first Chelsea player to score a brace on his home debut for nearly two decades, with the previous scorer of two at Stamford Bridge coming in the form of Mario Stanic against West Ham in August 2000.

The Argentine marksman is expected to transform Sarrismo, and hence, Chelsea’s season, and after the capitulation against Bournemouth midweek, Maurizio Sarri’s side made light work of Huddersfield.

Higuain broke the deadlock in west London and fire home the fourth, with both assists coming from N’Golo Kante – Chelsea fans will be hoping that this is the start of a devastating goalscoring streak for their on-loan seasoned marksman.

7. London’s whipping boys

After defeat against Crystal Palace Fulham have now become the first side in top-flight history to lose eight consecutive London derby matches, compiling further misery on the relegation candidates.

This was a vital match for Claudio Ranieri with his side lurking dangerously in the Premier Leaguer’s nether reaches, but the Cottagers just couldn’t take advantage of a Zaha-less Palace, who were in slight danger themselves.

Schlupp put the club to the sword in the closing stages, and the club remain second from bottom, but are now seven points adrift after Burnley clinched a draw from the jaws of defeat against Southampton.

The post Walcott outdone by black cat: the 3pm Premier League action you might have missed appeared first on Squawka News.



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