Izuchukwu Okosi
Iwobi’s Fulham, Awoniyi’s Nottingham Forest Lose; Salah scores 200th League goal
Former Manchester City player Cole Palmer scored a late penalty Sunday evening at Stamford Bridge to salvage a pulsating 4-4 draw for Chelsea against his old side and English champions in the Premier League standout game of the weekend.
Palmer drew level for the West Londoners in the fifth minute of stoppage time moments after Rodri’s deflected goal which came off the foot of the impressive Thiago Silva.
Palmer had left City for Chelsea in September just before the transfer window was shut.
Chelsea had dented Tottenham’s title ambitions with a wild 4-1 win against Ange Postecoglou’s team on Monday and proved a challenge for City, too, by coming back from behind three times.
Erling Haaland put City ahead from the penalty spot in the 25th after VAR adjudged Marc Cucurella to have fouled the Norwegian.
Thiago Silva restored parity for the Blues four minutes later with a header from Conor Gallagher’s corner.
Another former City player, Raheem Sterling, put Chelsea 2-1 up in the 37th by tapping in Reece James’ cross after a sweeping attack,
The score was even again in first-half stoppage time when Bernardo Silva crossed for Swiss international of Nigerian descent Manuel Akanji to head in.
City went ahead again two minutes after the break, with Haaland grabbing his brace — sliding in to convert from close range with a VAR check ruling that he had not touched the ball before the ball crossed the line.
Chelsea’s third goal eventually came from a well positioned Nicolas Jackson in the 67th minute, the striker firing in the rebound after Gallagher’s fierce shot from distance was parried by Ederson.
Spain international Rodri claimed City’s next goal as his powerful effort from the edge of the box took a big deflection off Thiago Silva to send Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez the wrong way.
While Tottenham are now fourth, two points adrift, City are just a point clear of second-placed Liverpool, who beat Brentford 3-0 with Mohamed Salah continuing his remarkable Anfield scoring record with two more goals to bring up his 200th in English football.
Only Haaland – 13 – has scored more in the Premier League this season than the Egypt international, who took his tally to 10 by scoring for the sixth successive home game to write another entry in club’s history books.
Diogo Jota’s late strike then put a quick end to questions over Liverpool’s mini-stumble after the draw at Luton and Europa League defeat in Toulouse.
Aston Villa moved to fifth, three points off the top, with their 3-1 win over Fulham at Villa Park, courtsey of an own goal from Antonee Robinson before strikes from John McGinn and Ollie Watkins.
Sheffield United clawed their way off the bottom of the table with their 1-1 draw at Brighton, while Tomas Soucek grabbed a late winner as West Ham came from behind at the London Stadium to beat Nottingham Forest 3-2.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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