Fulham beat Premier League title chasers Chelsea 2-1 for their first win at Stamford Bridge since 1979, while Nottingham Forest downed Tottenham and Newcastle cruised past Aston Villa
Fulham snatched a dramatic late win over Chelsea
Fulham snatched a dramatic late win over Chelsea (AFP via Getty Images)
Harry Wilson and Rodrigo Muniz came off the bench to stun Chelsea and end Fulham’s 45-year Stamford Bridge hoodoo.
The Blues were leading through Cole Palmer’s classy early goal and looking on course for an eighth win in nine matches to keep the heat on Premier League leaders Liverpool.
But Wilson equalised with eight minutes remaining and Muniz struck deep into stoppage time to secure a 2-1 victory and Fulham’s first win at their west London rivals since 1979.
In fact it was 13 years to the day since Fulham last even scored at the Bridge, with Clint Dempsey on target in a 1-1 draw, making the result all the more remarkable.
Elsewehere, Alexander Isak struck for the 10th time in 10 Premier League games as Newcastle United ripped 10-man Aston Villa apart to climb into the top five.
Anthony Gordon had fired the hosts into a second-minute lead, but a tight game changed with Villa striker Jhon Duran’s first-half dismissal for stamping on defender Fabian Schar and Isak took full advantage with a second – 14 minutes after the break, his 12th goal of the season – before Joelinton cemented a 3-0 win at the death.
Joelinton rounded off the comfortable win for Newcastle
Joelinton rounded off the comfortable win for Newcastle (Getty Images)
It might have been more on a day when the Magpies saw three further goals ruled out, while goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was in fine form, but he could not prevent the visitors from extending their miserable run without a win on Tyneside to 17 games.
Nottingham Forest strengthened their European ambitions with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, whose miserable season took a turn for the worse.
Anthony Elanga’s first-half goal was enough for Forest to consolidate their position in the top four as the mist gathered at City Ground and the outlook keeps getting gloomier for under-pressure Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou. The embattled Australian watched his side lose for a fifth time in eight Premier League games and the pressure is growing as they languish in the bottom half of the table after a first Boxing Day defeat since 2003.
While Spurs, who had Djed Spence sent off at the death, ponder a season of mediocrity, Forest are daring to dream after posting a fourth successive Premier League win for the first time since 1995 and are looking like genuine contenders for European qualification.
Nottingham Forest celebrated a hard-fought win over Spurs
Nottingham Forest celebrated a hard-fought win over Spurs (PA Wire)
Jarrod Bowen scored a second-half winner for West Ham United in a 1-0 victory at Southampton as new Saints manager Ivan Juric suffered defeat in his first game in charge of the struggling club.
The visitors grabbed the only goal just before the hour-mark when Bowen poked the ball into the net from three yards after Niclas Fullkrug’s flick-on into the path of the forward as Southampton failed to clear from a needlessly conceded corner.
However, Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski was stretchered off with a nasty-looking injury in the first half to put a slight dampener on things for the visitors.
And high-flying Bournemouth stretched their unbeaten run to six Premier League games but had to settle for a point after being held to an uninspired goalless draw by Crystal Palace.