Arsenal's draw with Everton hands Liverpool a helping hand

Reuters

05-04-2025

LIVERPOOL, England, April 5 (Reuters) - Everton gave neighbours and Premier League leaders Liverpool a helping hand by holding second-placed Arsenal to a 1-1 draw, while nine-man Crystal Palace held on to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1.
Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Ipswich Town 2-1 to boost their survival chances, and Bournemouth salvaged a 2-2 draw with West Ham United.
Arsenal have 62 points from 31 games, 11 behind leaders Liverpool, who travel to Fulham to play their game in hand on Sunday.
Everton salvaged a draw with Arsenal thanks to Iliman Ndiaye's penalty that cancelled out a Leandro Trossard goal.
The Gunners went ahead in the 34th minute when Raheem Sterling fed Trossard, who took a touch and drilled his shot low into the far right corner.
Everton were awarded a penalty two minutes after halftime when Myles Lewis-Skelly hauled down Jack Harrison in the box and Ndiaye scored from the penalty spot to leave Arsenal's flagging title hopes in tatters.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta disagreed with the penalty decision.
"For me, it is never a penalty," Arteta told TNT Sports without elaborating. "I'm very unhappy with the result. It is a very tough place to come, very physical and direct if you don't deal with (that) well, you never get any momentum."
It was another point towards safety for Everton, who will be moving to a new home next season.
At Portman Road, Jorgen Strand Larsen scored an 84th-minute winner as Wolves made it three league victories in a row to boost their survival chances.
Liam Delap fired Ipswich into the lead in the 16th minute when he struck the ball from close range through the legs of Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.
But Wolves responded brilliantly and Pablo Sarabia equalised in the 72nd minute from just inside the box, and Strand Larsen tapped home the winner 12 minutes later.
Wolves remain 17th with 32 points, 12 ahead of Ipswich, who are in the relegation zone.
Despite their winning run, Strand Larsen said the Wolves were still not safe.
"No not really," Strand Larsen said. "This league is brutal and you never know what will happen. We have a few tough games to play but we're not afraid of anyone."
Palace winger Daniel Munoz netted a second-half winner against Brighton before teammates Eddie Nketiah and Marc Guehi were sent off while Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke was also handed his marching orders late on.
Palace striker Jean-Phillppe Mateta needed a little over two minutes to find the net before Brighton equalised through Danny Welbeck's close-range effort in the 31st minute.
Munoz got what turned out to be the winner 10 minutes into the second half before the game descended into a flurry of red cards. Nketiah and Guehi were sent off for picking up their second yellows. Van Hecke picked up his second yellow and was sent off in stoppage time.
"It's a huge win for us," Palace boss Oliver Glasner said. "This win is for our fans. This derby had everything you love about football. It's not good for a manager. I'm pretty exhausted but it feels good."
The Eagles moved to 11th spot in the table on 43 points, four behind eighth-placed Brighton.
Bournemouth striker Evanilson struck twice against West Ham United to cancel out goals from West Ham's Niclas Fuellkrug and Jarrod Bowen.
"It's definitely frustrating. We came here with an objective to win," said Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo. "We're going through a sticky run, but a point is better than no point."
The draw lifted Bournemouth into ninth position, although they remain winless in six games. West Ham climbed a spot to 15th, well clear of the relegation zone.