Plus: Relentless Arsenal kept their Premier League title challenge on track with a superb comeback against Bournemouth; Brighton's charge towards the European places continues; Crystal Palace are still relying on Wilfried Zaha; Finally, Spurs Champions League hopes take a dent at Wolves
Sunday 5 March 2023 09:27, UK
In the latest Premier League hits and misses, Sky Sports' football writers take a closer look at the key talking points from Saturday's action...
A late Leeds equaliser seemed inevitable to pile the misery on Graham Potter and Chelsea. Goalkeeper Ilian Meslier almost provided it with the final kick of the match. It would have been the cruellest of endings.
Potter breathed a sigh of relief as his side held on to earn a much-needed victory, but there is still plenty of work to be done. Deep into the second half the home supporters groaned and encouraged their side to play forwards as Chelsea slowed the tempo down in midfield.
Potter's changes with more than 20 minutes to play, removing wingers Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix for Conor Gallagher and Denis Zakaria to strengthen the midfield, indicated they were battening down the hatches. Mykhaylo Mudryk remained an unused substitute.
They missed the influence of Reece James at right-wing back although Ruben Loftus-Cheek worked diligently while the back three went largely untroubled against a flimsy Leeds attack.
Wesley Fofana, apart from chopping down Crysencio Summerville for a yellow card, looked worth his £70m transfer fee in just his seventh appearance for the club. His header ended Chelsea's drought but the lack of goals in forward areas remains. Kai Havertz has just one in his last 12.
Potter needed to clear this first hurdle before his big test on Tuesday against Dortmund which will go some way to solving his long list of issues.
David Richardson
Newcastle are four points off a Champions League qualifying spot with two games in hand. They've just been to a major Wembley final for the first time since 1999. They've lost three in a row but to Liverpool, Man Utd and Man City.
The overall picture is of course positive for their supporters, beyond what they could have imagined at the start of the season.
But their continued struggles in front of goal are now a concern - and undermining their good play in other areas of the pitch.
They only had two shots on target at the Etihad but that doesn't tell the story. It doesn't reflect Sean Longstaff's blocked shot, when he waited a moment too long to unleash, or Callum Wilson's bad miscue in front of goal. It doesn't note the cross from sub Joe Willock which whizzed through the six-yard box and just needed a touch from Joelinton or the block Ruben Dias got on Alexander Isak's strike.
Newcastle created more than enough moments to take points off City. But with just two goals in their last five league games the confidence just isn't there. And it could damage the finale to this so-far impressive season Newcastle have worked so hard to build.
"The confidence of the team is dependent on it," Eddie Howe said when asked about the need for the goals to start flowing. He won't want this season to drift to a conclusion
Peter Smith
What I liked about Arsenal against Bournemouth is they keep on going, they pen you in.
When the ball goes in the box, there aren't too many players in the box, they're more all out of the box to keep them pressed in, then the ball comes out and they go again. It was relentless.
I think they win the league. They just keep on going and don't know when they're beaten. It's four on the trot and you've got to remember the roll they were on before they started winning those games.
They went 1-0 down at Villa after 10 minutes when they lost three in a row, just been well beaten by Man City and they bounced back.
They've been brilliant and the next three games will be defining for me. If they win them, I don't see how they don't win it.
Paul Merson
Nine seconds - blink and you'll miss it. Those who cut it a little fine to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday certainly did.
Bournemouth stunned the Emirates with an astonishing kick-off routine devised by Gary O'Neil and his staff just two days earlier on the training ground.
It's not the first time we've seen a kick-off routine from the Cherries. Dominic Solanke scored from a similar type of routine against Fulham in December 2021.
It just goes to show the lengths teams at the bottom will go to get an edge - and it could be what Bournemouth need to boost their survival hopes.
Southampton have James Ward-Prowse's free-kick prowess, Everton have the Sean Dyche aura, Leeds have the cauldron of Elland Road.
The teams around them have something quirky about them - why can't Bournemouth let this be theirs?
Sam Blitz
"We're all going on a European tour" sang the Brighton faithful after ripping apart West Ham.
Keep playing like this and that may just happen. This victory takes the Seagulls onto 38 points, just three points off Newcastle in fifth with a game in hand. They have the momentum at just the right time in this chase for the European spots.
People see Brighton as a hotspot destination but they aren't travelling there for the sea air, bustling nightlife or ice cream anymore. They are flocking to watch the football team. It's the hottest ticket in town with Roberto De Zerbi's side playing some scintillating stuff that is taking Brighton to the next level.
Declan Rice's head was left spinning having been given the run-around by a possession-with-a-purpose style of football. He called it "demoralising" to be chasing shadows as Brighton popped the ball around the pitch with such verve and substance.
The second goal was a case in point.
Joel Veltman's goal was scored via a corner that was won after a magnificently brave passing move that started with goalkeeper Jason Steele playing out under pressure broke the four-man West Ham press inside Brighton's own penalty area. It was a joy to behold.
Newcastle, and even Tottenham, need to watch their backs. De Zerbi's boys are coming.
Lewis Jones
A return to Premier League action was supposed to banish thoughts of that miserable FA Cup exit to Championship side Sheffield United in midweek, but Tottenham served up more of the same against Wolves at Molineux, beaten 1-0 once again. Luck was against them but it was worrying too.
Tottenham had 21 shots in this match, their most in a single Premier League game without scoring since a defeat to Manchester United more than four years ago. The similarities with the loss in Sheffield were there - 17 shots without a goal in that one. Not nasty enough, says Cristian Stellini.
It is a curious problem for a team that includes not only Harry Kane but reigning Premier League golden boot winner Heung-Min Son, but ruthlessness was the difference at Wolves. Fine margins, too. Both Pedro Porro and Son struck the frame of the goal. Adama Traore's goal went in off it.
Despite the shot count, Spurs could still have done with creating more. A more open match against one of the lower scorers in the Premier League would surely have favoured them. An expected-goals total of 0.44 versus 1.34 meant that the margins could go against them. That is what happened.
Stellini claims that the return of Antonio Conte on Monday will give the players a massive boost. "The team showed Antonio that it is alive. This is important," he said. They remain fourth, on course for Champions League qualification. But much more will be needed if they are to stay there.
Adam Bate
Wolves were desperately poor in the first half against Tottenham, not only failing to register a single shot on goal but not even having a touch inside the opposition penalty area. They could easily have found themselves behind and the mood at Molineux would have been very different.
But Julen Lopetegui helped to turn the game around by switching to a new formation - the old formation for Wolves. They finished the game in a back three with Jonny at wing-back and Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho in midfield. Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore combined for the goal.
Maybe the muscle memory kicked in for players who had enjoyed better days here under Nuno Espirito Santo. It was the brightest performance that Jimenez has put in at Molineux this season, with the anniversary of the last Premier League goal by a Wolves striker falling next week.
"Raul played a fantastic match," said Lopetegui. "Sometimes we analyse forwards only on goals, but they have a lot of things to offer." That scoring problem is still there for Wolves. But thanks to their enterprising manager, they appear capable of finding ways around it to stay in the Premier League.
Adam Bate
"The dressing room is good enough to stay in the Premier League. There's no doubt about it."
Ruben Selles gave a confident answer when asked about Southampton's chances of avoiding relegation ahead of Saturday's game against Leicester at St Mary's.
The 39-year-old Spaniard, who was taking charge of his fourth match since the departure of Nathan Jones, wanted a response to Wednesday's humiliating home defeat by Grimsby in the fifth round of the FA Cup. He got one.
It wasn't pretty, but Southampton dug deep and earned a vital three points to lift them off the bottom of the Premier League table. They also put an end to a dismal run of form at St Mary's, picking up their first home win in the league since August.
In Selles, Southampton appear to have a promising young manager who clearly has faith in his ability to turn the club's fortunes around. His intelligence and demeanour suggest he could be an astute appointment on the south coast.
His players are certainly responding to him so given he has been at the club all season, should he have been made manager earlier? Just 13 games remain and Southampton need more points quickly. This victory will give them huge belief but it doesn't get any easier. Up next, a trip to Manchester United.
Dan Sansom
Leicester's hopes of staying clear of the relegation zone and enjoying a comfortable end to the season rest on James Maddison.
The 26-year-old's influence on the Foxes cannot be underestimated. They have taken just one point from a possible 18 without Maddison since the World Cup, so to see him return to the starting line-up against Southampton after recovering from illness was a huge boost for Brendan Rodgers.
Maddison could not prevent his side from suffering defeat on the south coast, but Rodgers described the midfielder's performance as "outstanding". The England international was a constant threat throughout and had his team-mates been able to finish one of the four chances he created, it could have been a very different story.
Maddison has been hampered by knee injuries since November, but Leicester will hope he is now primed to help lead them away from danger in the final few months of the season. Their top-flight status could depend on it.
Dan Sansom
Javi Gracia has the tools to solve Leeds' goal-scoring woes, but his problem is working out which ones to use and to how get the best out of them.
They have scored just three times in their last seven games although only Leicester have scored more than their 29 in the bottom eight of the Premier League.
Injuries to Rodrigo, Patrick Bamford and Luis Sinisterra have not helped their cause but in Georginio Rutter, Jack Harrison, Brenden Aaronson, Crysencio Summerville and youngster Mateo Joseph, Leeds have more options than most.
Club-record signing Rutter needs to step up to his price tag in the absence of Rodrigo and Bamford. He made just five accurate passes from 14, lost possession 21 times and snatched at his only significant chance in the second half.
Leeds' formation made it difficult for him as a lone striker against the three Chelsea centre-backs, but he would have hoped to have more of an impact on his first Premier League start.
David Richardson
Wilfried Zaha returned from a hamstring injury for Crystal Palace at Aston Villa after missing Patrick Vieira's side's last four games with Palace failing to get a win in his absence. His return would have been a big boost for the Palace boss, even if there was probably a chance of a lack of match sharpness from the Ivory Coast international.
However, it took just five minutes at Villa Park for Zaha to show his worth as he raced in behind the Villa defence to latch onto Eberechi Eze's pass before rounding goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to give what he thought was the lead for Palace. VAR ruled the goal out for a tight offside call, but Zaha showed his worth to Palace and the threat he carries.
But where's his support?
Former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison said on Soccer Saturday: "Zaha looked the most likely to do something for Palace, but he should be a bit ring rusty. He's been out for weeks but he's the one making the runs over the top. He got a goal early on which was disallowed for a tight offside, but I did think he went slightly too early.
"You cannot keep relying on Zaha season after season. He has continually delivered for Palace and I'm sure he will be the difference again for them this season because he does have that X-factor. But other players do have to start contributing."
Palace have scored just four goals in their last nine games. They are winless in those nine games and winless in 2023.
They sit just six points above the relegation places and while Vieira has maintained his belief in his side and said he does not fear relegation, if their poor form continues and others fail to support the returning Zaha, the concern will deepen at Selhurst Park.
Oliver Yew
