Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, right, vies with Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon during the English Premier League match at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne,December 4, 2024. Photo: AFP
Premier League leaders Liverpool had their advantage cut to seven points as Fabian Schar's late equaliser earned Newcastle United a thrilling 3-3 draw at St James' Park.
Chelsea stay second after a 5-1 win over Southampton, ahead by way of goal difference on Arsenal, who beat Manchester United 2-1, while Manchester City are fourth after a 3-nil win over Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle twice led but Mohamed Salah's brace looked like sealing victory for Arne Slot's side, only for a sliding Schar to punish a rare mistake by Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher in the 90th minute.
Until Schar's late intervention the night was once again all about the unstoppable Salah who has now scored and assisted in 37 Premier League games in his career -- a new record.
The Egyptian guided in substitute Trent Alexander-Arnold's pass in the 68th minute after Anthony Gordon had restored Newcastle's lead from Alexander Isak's pass.
Salah then struck the crossbar with a wonderfully improvised effort but was not to be denied as he produced a silky turn in the area to fire a shot past Nick Pope in the 83rd minute.
The 32-year-old has now scored in seven successive Premier League games and moved ahead of Manchester City's Erling Haaland at the top of this season's chart with 13 goals.
Liverpool have 35 points from 14 games.
Chelsea beat Southamption
Southampton defender Jack Stephens leaves the pitch after being shown a red card by referee Tony Harrington for pulling Chelsea's Marc Cucurella's hair, Dec 4, 2024. Photo: AFP
Chelsea were impressive in their 5-1 win at bottom club Southampton, with the home side having Jack Stephens sent off before half time for a hair-pull on Marc Cucurella.
Chelsea took the lead in the seventh minute through Axel Disasi's header but Joe Aribo drew Southampton level four minutes later before a goalkeeping howler allowed Christopher Nkunku in to put the visitors back ahead.
Noni Madueke extended Chelsea's lead 11 minutes from the break and despite the red card for Stephens, the visitors had to wait until the 76th minute before Cole Palmer added a fourth and three minutes from time Jadon Sancho rounded off the win.
Southampton's struggles were compounded by Stephens' moment of madness when he pulled Cucurella's hair at a corner kick, with the defender shown the red card six minutes from the break.
Arsenal beat Manchester United
Jurrien Timber and William Saliba both scored from corners to give Arsenal a 2-0 victory over Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, ending Ruben Amorim's unbeaten start.
The Gunners threatened from set pieces but little else in a strangely subdued first half, with Thomas Partey unable to direct a dangerous Declan Rice corner that missing defender Gabriel would surely have converted.
But the hosts took the lead from another Rice corner in the 54th minute, Timber heading in from a tight angle, before Partey's header from a Bukayo Saka delivery bounced off Saliba and in after 73 minutes.
Arsenal's victory puts them third behind Chelsea on goal difference, with 28 points from 14 games -- but with the gap to Liverpool now seven points.
Amorim's first loss as United manager left them 11th on 19 points.
Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne bagged one goal and set up another in his first start in more than two months as City outclassed Nottingham Forest 3-0 to end their four-game losing run in the Premier League.
Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku also scored to help end City's seven-match winless streak across all competitions, and lift Pep Guardiola's men fourth in the table with Forest sixth.
"We needed it, the club, the players, everyone needed to win," Guardiola said. "The most important thing, of course, was to break this routine of don't win games, and finally we won."
De Bruyne had not started since suffering an abdominal injury in September and his presence was immediately felt as he helped put City on the scoresheet in the eighth minute when Ilkay Gundogan lifted in a cross which the Belgian headed towards goal and Silva poked the ball home from close range.
De Bruyne scored himself in the 31st minute when he latched on to a pass from Doku and fired home from just inside the 18-yard box. Doku all but put the game away in the 57th minute when he met a pinpoint long ball from Erling Haaland, cut inside his man and lashed it into the far corner.
In other matches, Everton beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 at Goodison Park, and Aston Villa won at home, 3-1 over Brentford.
- Reuters