A total of 28 goals were scored in the Premier League so far this weekend as Everton's Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku scored four goals to become the top scorer of the league with 16 goals. Liverpool continued their miserable form in 2017 suffering another defeat at the hands of Hull City.
Also read: Eden Hazard stars as Chelsea defeat Arsenal 3-1
Sunderland managed a rare win against Crystal Palace to win their first game in 7 matches while Tottenham closed the gap on league leaders and title favourites Chelsea to 9 points.
Sunderland intensified the relegation battle after they defeated fellow strugglers Crystal Palace 4-0 in an away match to pick up three vital points. Now, just two points separate the teams in the 20th place and the 17th place. Lamine Kone and Didier Ndong, who were out on international duty for AFCON, made a memorable comeback by scoring the first two goals for Sunderland. Jermaine Defoe scored a brace at the end of the first half to take the tally to 4.
Everton are now two points shy of 6th place Manchester United after they defeated Bournemouth 6-3. The former is in contention for a fifth place finish with eyes set on Europe next season. Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring for Everton in the first minute before James McCarthy made it 2-0 and then Lukaku made it 3-0, thanks to some horrible defending from Bournemouth.
Bournemouth started the second half on a better note and made it 3-2 with 20 minutes left. But Lukaku put the game to bed with two quick goals in the 83rd and 84th minute. Harry Arter scored one for the Cherries in the 90th minute but Ross Barkley signed off the match with an injury time goal.
The biggest upset of the weekend was Hull City's 2-0 win over Liverpool which in turn also ended the latter's title race. Simon Mignolet was once again under the lens after he failed to clear Maguire's header allowing Alfred N'Diaye to score an easy goal before the half time.
Though Liverpool continued to dominate possession, the team failed to beat Eldin Jakupovic who made a lot of crucial saves for Hull. Oumar Niasse sealed the game for Hull in the 84th minute.
Marco Silva has really shaken things up for Hull City since he took over the mantle. The Hull City can make the cut for the next season if they carry on their winning streak.
West Ham had a strong response to their 4-0 hammering against Manchester City last week as they trounced Southampton 3-1 away from home. Southampton's new signing Manolo Gabbiadini opened the scoring in the 12th minute but West Ham responded in 2 minutes with a goal from Andy Carroll.
Pedro Obiang made it 2-1 just before the break with a long range shot that found the bottom corner of the net. Mark Noble scored a third in the 52nd minute. West Ham have now climbed to 9th place and looks more like the team they were last season.
Watford continued to build on their 2-1 win over Arsenal in mid week with another 2-1 win over Burnley. Burnley suffered an early blow in the match as they were down to 10 men in the 6th minute after Jeff Hendrick was sent off for a tackle on Jose Holebas.
Troy Deeney opened the scoring for Watford in the 10th minute with a header and then loan signing from AC Milan Mbaye Niang made it 2-0 just before the break with another beautifully executed header. Burnley did get a goal back in the 78th minute from the penalty spot as Ashley Barnes made it 2-1. But that was it.
Toni Pulis got one over his former club Stoke City as his West Brom side managed to edge out the former with a 1-0 win. The only goal of match came in the 6th minute from James Morrison. West Brom are now 8th in league table with the hopes of qualifying for the Europa League still alive.
Tottenham also just managed a 1-0 win over struggling Middlesbrough. Tottenham are the only team in a position to realistically challenge Chelsea for the title. Harry Kane scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot early in the second half. With the win, Tottenham are now 3 points clear of rivals Arsenal and 4 points clear of Liverpool and Manchester City.
