LONDON: In a dramatic turn of events in the Premier League, Chelsea missed an opportunity to climb to second place after succumbing to a 2-0 defeat against relegation-threatened Ipswich Town on Monday night. Meanwhile, Newcastle United deepened Manchester United’s crisis with a decisive victory at Old Trafford, as the Red Devils suffered their fourth consecutive loss across all competitions.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Ipswich Town, making its return to the top flight, delivered one of the season’s most unexpected results. Rory Delap opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 12th minute, capitalizing on a foul by Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen. Despite Jorgensen’s efforts to thwart Delap twice, Joao Felix’s potential equalizer was disallowed due to a tight offside call. Omari Hutchinson then doubled Ipswich’s lead early in the second half, courtesy of a pass from Delap. This outcome sees Chelsea drop to fourth place, trailing Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, with Forest maintaining second position after a 2-0 victory over Everton on Sunday.
Newcastle United continued its winning streak, securing a third consecutive triumph by defeating Manchester United 2-0. Goals from Alexander Isak and Joelinton within the first 20 minutes left the hosts with an uphill battle. Despite Harry Maguire hitting the post in the second half, Manchester United offered little resistance, leaving new manager Ruben Amorim under mounting pressure with the team’s fifth defeat in six Premier League matches.
In another fixture on Monday, Aston Villa and Brighton shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw. Brighton’s Simon Adingra initially put the visitors ahead, but Ollie Watkins equalized with a penalty. Morgan Rogers gave Aston Villa the lead early in the second half, only for Tariq Lamptey to salvage a point for Brighton with an equalizer eight minutes from time.
On Sunday, Liverpool extended its lead at the top of the table with a commanding 5-0 victory over West Ham, while Manchester City secured a 2-0 win against Leicester City, leaving the latter second from bottom in the standings.
