Liverpool were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday, as Spanish coach Andoni Iraola avoided defeat in his first home game in charge of the Reds. Meanwhile, Tottenham suffered a second consecutive loss, while Hull City continued their impressive start to the Premier League season.
اضافة اعلان
Forest looked on course to win at Anfield for a third straight season after Swiss forward Dan Ndoye put the visitors ahead in the 24th minute, before Morgan Gibbs-White restored their lead from the penalty spot in the 70th minute.
Swedish striker Alexander Isak briefly brought Liverpool back into the contest in the 60th minute, before fellow Spaniard Victor Munoz rescued a deserved point for the hosts with a late equalizer in the 82nd minute, after his effort took a deflection before finding the net.
“It is very clear that the first half was poor, and we were unable to control the game,” Iraola said. “We improved a lot in the second half and were much more aggressive and quicker with the ball, but it was not enough to win the match.”
Forest manager Oliver Glasner said his team had “two feelings,” expressing pride in the performance and their two goals, but disappointment with the result because they felt they “could and should” have won.
De Zerbi Under Pressure at Tottenham?
Newcastle United claimed their first league victory of the season with a 2-0 away win over Tottenham.
German manager Matthias Jaissle’s side secured the victory through Swedish forward Anthony Elanga in the 62nd minute and DR Congo international Yoane Wissa 10 minutes later.
“There is no panic. I know where we are going and what the plan is,” Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi said. “I apologize to the fans for the result. We have to improve. We have to work hard on the pitch and find harmony among the players.”
De Zerbi could face growing criticism after Tottenham suffered their second consecutive defeat, following a 3-0 loss to Brentford in the opening round. The latest setback came after the London club spent around €355 million during the summer transfer window.
According to Opta, Tottenham have lost their opening two league matches without scoring for the first time since the 1974-75 season.
De Zerbi handed new signing Omar Marmoush a starting role alongside Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali, who faced his former club. Another new arrival, Brazilian winger Savio, missed the match with muscular fatigue.
Elanga opened the scoring after Spanish newcomer Nicolas Gonzalez sent a long ball toward Bosnian new signing Amar Dedic, who headed it into the path of Elanga. The Swedish forward controlled the ball, turned and fired a low left-footed shot from inside the box into the bottom-right corner in the 62nd minute.
Elanga became the first Newcastle player to score in each of his first two Premier League appearances since club legend Alan Shearer at the beginning of the 2003-04 season, according to Opta.
Newcastle doubled their lead in the 72nd minute. Lewis Hall delivered a corner from the left, German substitute Nick Woltemade headed the ball toward Wissa, who finished with an acrobatic right-footed effort from close range.
Dream Start for Hull City
Substitute Liam Millar scored in the 82nd minute to give Hull City a 1-0 victory away to Coventry City.
Millar fired a low right-footed shot from the edge of the box into the bottom-right corner after a counterattack, following a pass from Algerian winger Mohamed Belloumi, son of Algerian football legend Lakhdar Belloumi.
The result extended Hull City’s perfect start under Bosnian manager Sergej Jakirovic, with two wins from two matches following a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the opening round.
For Frank Lampard’s Coventry, meanwhile, it was a second straight defeat after a 3-0 loss to defending champions Arsenal in their opening match.
Everton Escape with a Point
Liverpool neighbors Everton secured a valuable 1-1 draw away to Bournemouth.
Alex Scott gave the hosts the lead in the 41st minute with a low right-footed shot from inside the box that found the bottom-left corner, following a counterattack involving Brazilian winger Evanilson.
Everton captain James Tarkowski rescued a point for the visitors deep into stoppage time, scoring in the 90th minute plus one with a low right-footed effort from close range.
The draw was Everton’s first result after opening the season with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace. It was also Bournemouth’s first point under new German manager Marco Rose, following a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in their opening match.
Source: (AFP)
