Easter Sunday and the notion of a come-back go hand-in-hand. Keeping up with the custom, several teams came back from the dead to secure a point – or three – in the latest round of Premier League matches. Sunday featured the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham, playing relegation-threatened opponents.
Manchester United came from a goal down to beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1. The Red Devils strengthened their hold on the second spot in the league as a result and are now four points ahead of Leicester City. The Red Devils also have a game in hand over the league leaders Manchester City, albeit the Citizens have opened up a 14-point gap between themselves and their rivals.
Former Manchester United player, Danny Welbeck, put Brighton ahead in the 13th minute – heading in the rebound, after Dean Henderson had denied him initially. United had offered much of the attacking threat leading up to the opening goal and had even hit the post through Mason Greenwood. The teams went into the interval with the scoreline at 1-0.
As has become a custom throughout their history, Manchester United staged a comeback in the second half to secure maximum points from the match. Marcus Rashford scored the equalizer with a neat finish after being played through by Bruno Fernandes. Brighton then had a penalty shout waved off by VAR, before Greenwood scored the winner at the other end. The youngster’s diving header beat Robert Sanchez and Ben White on the line.
While United staged a comeback of their own, Tottenham were on the wrong end of one. Jose Mourinho’s team was in dire need of points after some inconsistent form of late and fell shockingly behind to Newcastle United. The Magpies’ record signing, Joelinton, scored the opener, tapping in a pass from close range. However, Spurs hit back almost instantaneously through none other than Harry Kane. The Englishman luckily received the ball in his feet after a defensive mix-up and had the entirety of an empty net to aim for from just a yard out.
Kane then overturned the deficit two minutes later. This particular opportunity wasn’t as easy as the previous one, but the Englishman finished it off in style to give his side the lead. Newcastle responded well and dominated much of the match. They were rewarded for their persistence late on, as substituted and on-loan Arsenal midfielder, Joe Willock, grabbed the equalizer. Spurs remained fifth in the league but Newcastle took a massive step towards safety.
Fulham had the chance to close the gap between themselves and 17th placed Newcastle in their match against Aston Villa. Scott Parker’s side has been playing well but has been unable to string together consistent results. They took the lead in their match against Villa – in-form Aleksandar Mitrovic with the goal. However, a three-minute blitz from the Villains turned the match on its head. Substitute David Trezeguet scored the equalizer in the 78th minute before netting his second three minutes later. Ollie Watkins sealed the win for Villa shortly before the full-time whistle.
Southampton had the biggest comeback in store for fans in their early match against Burnley. The Saints had been in poor form ahead of this match and looked to be heading towards another defeat when Matej Vydra put Burnley two goals up. Nevertheless, Ralph Hassenhuttl’s side hit back with Danny Ings playing a key role. The ex-Burnley forward first provided the assist to Stuart Armstrong to make it 2-1. He then scored himself before half-time to level the match.
Nathan Redmond completed the comeback for the Saints in the second half as he scored the winner in the 66th minute of the match. Southampton moved up to 36 points in the table – all but guaranteeing their stay in the Premier League for another season.
