FOOTBALL – Arsenal remained top of the table as the Premier League resumed thanks to a gritty 1-0 win at Fulham but Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest nightmare ended in the sack after 39 days following a 3-0 home loss to Chelsea yesterday.
While Postecoglou’s brutal departure made him the shortest-serving permanent Premier League manager to be sacked mid-season, Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola marked his 3,397th day in charge with his team briefly reaching the summit.
Erling Haaland took his league tally this season to 11 in eight games with both goals in City’s 2-0 home win over Everton – a result that temporarily put City above Arsenal on goals scored.
But Arsenal responded in the late kickoff at Craven Cottage with Leandro Trossard kneeing in from close-range from a corner.
Arsenal, who kept a fifth league clean sheet of the season, have 19 points from eight games with City on 16. Champions Liverpool, who host Manchester United today, have 15 points.
Crystal Palace and Bournemouth produced a 3-3 thriller at Selhurst Park with Jean-Philippe Mateta bagging a hat-trick for the hosts who trailed 2-0 and 3-2.
Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade scored for the fifth game in succession for club and country but it was not enough for his side who went down 2-1 at Brighton and Hove Albion.
Promoted Sunderland’s impressive start continued as they beat bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 while Burnley moved out of the bottom three by beating Leeds United 2-0.
Arsenal were not at their best but did enough to beat Fulham with another set-piece routine proving decisive.
Bukayo Saka’s corner was flicked on by defender Gabriel in the 58th minute and Trossard bundled the ball into the net.
Postecoglou came out fighting in the build-up to yesterday’s lunchtime kickoff at the City Ground, saying the story always ended with him winning a trophy at his previous clubs.
But after a second-half capitulation against Chelsea that made him winless in eight games since replacing the popular Nuno Espirito Santo, his fate was sealed.
Nineteen minutes after the final whistle, and before he had even held a post-match news conference, he was sacked.
“After a series of disappointing results and performances, Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties as head coach with immediate effect,” the club said in a statement.
Forest, who ended the day in the relegation zone, dominated the first half with Morgan Gibbs-White having two big chances.
But when Pedro Neto’s cross was headed home by the unmarked 19-year-old defender Josh Acheampong after the break, the clock was ticking down on Postecoglou’s reign.
Neto made it 2-0 and Reece James made it 3-0 but by that time Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis had already left his seat.
“I feel very sorry, it’s always a shame,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca told TNT Sports. “Unfortunately it’s a business where you need to win games. Otherwise, for all of us, it’s the same consequences.”
Chelsea moved sixth in the table with 14 points although they blotted their copybook with Malo Gusto sent off late on, meaning Maresca’s side have ended with 10 men in four of their last six games in all competitions.
Man City were labouring against Everton but red-hot Haaland made the difference with two goals in five minutes taking his tally to 23 goals for the season for club and country.
He headed in Nico O’Reilly’s cross in the 58th minute and the Norwegian then latched onto Savinho’s cross and struck a deflected shot past Jordan Pickford.
Bournemouth were heading top as they led 2-0 at Selhurst Park with a brace from teenaged striker Eli Kroupi but Mateta scored twice in a five-minute spell to level.
Ryan Christie seemed to have won it for Bournemouth in the 89th minute but Mateta converted a penalty deep in stoppage time and then almost won it as he blazed a chance over.
Bournemouth are fourth with 15 points with Palace eighth.
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