Everton 0
Wolves 1
BOYHOOD LIVERPOOL FAN Conor Coady headed a second-half winner for Wolves at Goodison Park to push 10-man Everton closer to their first relegation in 71 years.
The England international expertly glanced home Ruben Neves’ cross early in the second half and Jonjoe Kenny’s dismissal following two yellow cards in the space of three minutes saw the visitors coast to a 1-0 victory to move up to seventh in the Premier League table.
Wolves’ captain has now scored more league goals this season (three) than he had in his previous six combined.
Everton, by contrast, have not scored in their last three league games and that, coupled with Watford’s win at Southampton, leaves them outside the bottom three on goal difference alone.
Frank Lampard’s side do have three matches in hand on most of their rivals but a run of just nine points from the last 60 available and only two league wins since September has left a squad drained of confidence in danger of dropping out of the top flight for only the third time in their history and first since 1951.
Lampard had dropped defender Michael Keane and midfielder Allan after Monday’s humiliating 5-0 defeat at Tottenham but striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s illness was an absence he really could not afford.
It resulted in another change of system but Everton, with defender Ben Godfrey making his first appearance since a hamstring injury in Lampard’s debut game in early February, struggled with their new 5-2-2-1 formation.
Only Anthony Gordon, dropping into the pockets between Wolves’ defence and midfield seemed to thrive and was the hosts’ best – and probably only – real attacking threat in the first half.
Richarlison had an early shot saved by Jose Sa from Vitalii Mykoleno’s ball over the top, with the Wolves goalkeeper also blocking Demarai Gray’s close-range effort after Gordon had released Seamus Coleman down the right.
Gordon also whipped in a cross which Richarlison could not reach before Sa but the visitors, who were content to play a waiting game after back-to-back away defeats, were barely troubled.
In keeping a first-half clean sheet Wolves, who lost Hwang Hee-Chan to a dead leg after only 16 minutes, equalled Arsenal’s 1999 record of 14 Premier League away games without conceding before the interval.
That they had only one shot on target will have been of little concern, especially with the way they restarted.
A free-kick was half-cleared to Neves, who skipped past a couple of tackles to swing over a brilliant cross for Coady to glance inside the far post.
Raul Jimenez flicked a snap-shot wide and Daniel Podence, who came on for Hwang, also narrowly missed the target after a driving run as the Toffees struggled to even get a touch on the ball.
Dele Alli was brought on as the home team switched to 4-2-3-1 and, although another body in midfield helped slow the Wolves tide, it had little effect from an attacking point of view.
Even when Richarlison did break clear, to be denied by Sa diving at his feet, it was all in vain as the offside flag went up.
The Brazil international was closer with his next effort – although that was still into the side-netting – and things got a whole lot worse when Kenny was sent off after another caution for a foul on Jimenez.
Lampard had been relying on the Goodison effect to provide his side with the boost they needed for their survival bid but the atmosphere turned increasingly toxic and there were hundreds of empty seats before the final whistle.
It means Thursday’s visit of Newcastle, ahead of an April which includes matches against top-six sides Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and West Ham, is now a match they have to win at all costs.
Leeds United 2
Norwich 1
Joe Gelhardt stepped off the bench to fire a stoppage-time winner as Leeds beat Premier League relegation rivals Norwich 2-1.
The 19-year-old striker replaced Mateusz Klich in the second minute of added time and salvaged his side’s survival bid two minutes later – after Kenny McLean’s stoppage-time goal appeared to have snatched Norwich a point.
In a breathless finish, Leeds had let slip a slender lead after Rodrigo’s early opener only to end up snapping a club record equalling six-game winless run and secure head coach Jesse Marsch’s first win in charge at the third attempt.
In truth, Leeds should have been out of sight against Dean Smith’s basement side as Raphinha twice struck the crossbar and Patrick Bamford fired wide with just Norwich goalkeeper Tim Krul to beat.
But with just a one-goal deficit Norwich never gave up and looked to have snaffled a point when McLean turned home an equaliser at the death before Gelhardt struck.
Rodrigo fired Leeds into a 14th-minute lead, lashing the ball home via a slight deflection from just inside the penalty area following Diego Llorente’s long ball over the top.
Raphinha will be disappointed not to have made it 2-0. He missed the ball completely while attempting to convert Stuart Dallas’ cut-back after a sweeping Leeds counter-attack.
Leeds defender Luke Ayling was lucky to escape with a caution following a VAR check for his high challenge on Milot Rashica before Raphinha almost made amends for his earlier air-shot in spectacular fashion.
Leeds swept forward again and the Brazilian volleyed Bamford’s deep cross from the left against the underside of the crossbar.
The home side went close again as Krul saved Pascal Struijk’s header from a corner, with the Leeds centre-half blazing his follow-up off target.
Leeds fans were furious when VAR failed to intervene after Dan James appeared to have been shoved to the floor in the area by Brandon Williams.
Bamford was next to pass up a golden chance, skewing his side-footed effort wide with just Krul to beat after being slid in by Raphinha.
It was a much-improved first half from Leeds, but they just had a 1-0 lead to show for their dominance at the interval.
Bamford’s return to action lasted 45 minutes as he was replaced by Jack Harrison during the break.
Leeds thought they had forced the crucial second goal in the 52nd minute, but James had strayed offside before turning in Raphinha’s blocked shot.
Rodrigo was withdrawn to a standing ovation on the hour-mark and replaced by defensive midfielder Robin Koch, but Leeds continued to press for that second goal.
James’ curling effort was well saved by Krul and despite forcing Norwich into retreat, Leeds’ final pass was found wanting.
Norwich served warning as substitute Jonathan Rowe curled a shot against the crossbar, but the linesman flagged for offside.
Leeds were given another reprieve when VAR asked referee Stuart Atwell to check the monitor after he had initially awarded a penalty for Ayling’s challenge on Rashica.
Replays clearly showed Rashica had gone down after standing on Ayling’s leg.
Raphinha struck the crossbar again in the 82nd minute with a sweetly-struck free-kick and Norwich appeared to have punished Leeds in the dying moments when McLean latched on to Teemu Pukki’s cross.
But Leeds poured forward from the restart and with the clock ticking down Raphinha burst clear to round the goalkeeper and tee-up Gelhardt, who sparked delirium at Elland Road when drove home the winner from six yards.
There was still time for Pukki to threaten another goal, but Illan Meslier produced a fine reaction save just before the final whistle.
Southampton 1
Watford 2
A brace from Cucho Hernandez kickstarted Watford’s survival bid with a 2-1 win at Southampton.
The Colombia attacker struck twice in the first half and although Mohamed Elyounoussi pulled one back for the hosts before half-time, the Hornets held on to register only their sixth Premier League win of the season.
Roy Hodgson’s side stay in the relegation zone but have moved up one position and are level on points with 17th-placed Everton.
Both sides had lost on Thursday night and Saints reacted by leaving top goalscorer Armando Broja on the bench while the visitors made three changes from the 4-0 loss at Wolves.
The midweek thrashing had further dented the survival hopes of the Hertfordshire outfit and they could have trailed inside two minutes.
Stuart Armstrong crossed in for Elyounoussi on the opposite flank but the Norway international saw his header cleared off the line by the recalled Christian Kabasele.
It had been a torrid season for the Hornets and with only one win from their last 17 games, the away fans were intent on enjoying their afternoon on the south coast with “ole” chants followed by more gallows humour early on.
Joao Pedro almost gave the visiting faithful a goal to celebrate when Mohammed Salisu’s clearance went straight to the Brazilian but Jan Bednarek bailed out his centre-back partner with a fine block.
Salisu and Saints did not learn their lesson, with the opener arriving in the 14th minute after another error.
First Fraser Forster’s ball out from the back was nearly intercepted and when Salisu tried to play back to him seconds later, his pass was underhit and Hernandez rounded Southampton’s goalkeeper and rifled impressively into the empty net.
Hasenhuttl’s men eventually regrouped and Kyle Walker-Peters saw a cross cleared behind before Salisu wasted the chance to atone for his mistake when he headed over from six yards after a James Ward-Prowse corner.
It was a false dawn, however, with the Hornets able to increase their advantage in the 34th minute.
A neat move down the left saw Juraj Kucka teed up and he produced a wonderful whipped cross to the back post, where Hernandez volleyed home to double his and Watford’s tally.
Walker-Peters went close again before the break and Kucka could have put the game to bed but Forster denied the midfielder after he was sent through by Moussa Sissoko.
It felt pivotal when Elyounoussi reduced the deficit minutes later on the stroke of half-time by directing a Ward-Prowse free-kick beyond Ben Foster.
Saints’ leading marksman Broja was introduced during the interval but the Chelsea loanee was well-marshalled by Kabasele, with the home side’s best threat coming through set-pieces.
Salisu headed another Ward-Prowse free-kick wide just past the hour mark and Hasenhuttl went to three at the back in an attempt to force a leveller.
Kucka had another opportunity to seal the points with 19 minutes left but his curled strike was saved by Forster and Hernandez squandered a hat-trick chance when he curled over following a counter-attack.
Free-kicks continued to be Southampton’s biggest threat and St Mary’s held its breath when Ward-Prowse lined one up late on.
The Saints captain curled the set-piece onto the roof of the net, though, and Foster saved Che Adams’ header before VAR rejected calls for Kabasele’s handball to be penalised with Watford securing a vital win.
