Manchester City showed their champions’ mettle as they came from behind to beat Luton 2-1 – and register their first Premier League win in a month.
The treble winners came to Kenilworth Road on a run of four league games without a win and were without striker Erling Haaland due to a bone injury – and Luton then threatened to pull off the shock of all top-flight shocks when Elijah Adebayo headed home on the stroke of half-time.
But City, who missed 10 first-half chances without top scorer Haaland, found their clinical edge after half-time as Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish struck twice in three second-half minutes to turn the game on its head.
And City held on to move themselves within four points of Premier League leaders Liverpool, after their title hopes took a minor dent in recent weeks.
City manager Pep Guardiola revealed what he said to his team at half-time to turn it around – and said he used critics doubting his team to help them to a comeback win.
“Do we have to feel sorry for ourselves? It’s football, life, it happens,” he said when revealing what his half-time team talk.
“Strikers, be more aggressive and score goals. Defend better the crosses and be more positive.
Meanwhile, Richarlison scored twice as Spurs ended their five-game winless run with a scintillating 4-1 thrashing of top-four rivals Newcastle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Making his first start since October, Richarlison converted a Heung-Min Son cross from close range for his first goal then added his second from a looping Pedro Porro pass in the second half.
Earlier, defender Destiny Udogie had given Spurs the lead when he powered home another left-wing delivery from Son, who later added their fourth from the penalty spot having been brought down by Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
Tottenham came into the game having surrendered the lead in five consecutive games but the victory never looked in doubt on this occasion, despite Joelinton’s stoppage-time consolation goal, with the injury-hit visitors slumping to a second heavy defeat in three days following their 3-0 reverse against Everton.
The win keeps Spurs within three points of the top four and puts them three clear of sixth-placed Manchester United. Newcastle, meanwhile, now sit seven points off fourth place in seventh.
Everton claimed three consecutive Premier League victories for the first time since 2021 after seeing off Chelsea at Goodison Park.
Abdoulaye Doucoure and substitute Lewis Dobbin both fired home first-time efforts in the second half as Sean Dyche’s side moved four points clear of the relegation zone.
It was a tight and tense first half with Jordan Pickford making decent saves to deny Enzo Fernandez’s rasping shot and Cole Palmer’s dipping drive from range.
Jack Harrison’s acrobatic volley which flew narrowly wide was Everton’s most presentable opportunity in the opening period and Dwight McNeil forced visiting goalkeeper Robert Sanchez into an excellent stop at the start of the second half.
Chelsea’s attacks were breaking down in the final third and they were punished on the break as Doucoure smashed in and Dobbin smacked home in stoppage time for the in-form Toffees.
The loss is Chelsea’s seventh in the league under Mauricio Pochettino this season, dropping them two places to 12th in the table.
