London (AFP)

Beaten at Everton (1-0), Chelsea missed the opportunity to temporarily take the lead in the Premier League on Saturday on a 12th day also marked by the goalless and tasteless draw between Manchester United and Manchester City.

.

Chelsea weakens

Stumbled upon an invigorated Everton, despite many absences, Chelsea fell for the second time this season and risk seeing Tottenham and Liverpool, who play on Sunday, take off.

With 22 points, the Blues are 2 points behind the duo.

Everton, who started the season with a bang with 4 wins in the first 4 days, remembers everyone by moving up to 7th place with 20 units.

Without Lucas Digne or James Rodriguez, Carlo Ancelotti had opted for a fairly defensive approach, establishing four central defenders at the back, with instructions not to venture on the attack.

This allowed the Toffees, undoubtedly also boosted by the return of 2000 supporters to their stadium, never to find themselves outnumbered on the attacks of the Londoners, who struggled to unbalance the opposing defense.

Frank Lampard's men have nevertheless touched the amounts twice, on a strike, touched by Jordan Pickford, Reece James (26th) and a free kick from Mason Mount (81st).

But it was ultimately Everton who won the bet thanks to a penalty conceded on a completely failed exit from Edouard Mendy and transformed by Gylfi Sigurdsson (1-0, 22nd).

Chelsea will now follow the results of not only Spurs and Reds, but Southampton and Leicester who could overtake him if successful on Sunday.

.

The two Manchesters leave each other as good friends

It is a very sad derby (0-0) that Manchester United and Manchester City proposed on Saturday, without passion and without determination.

The result in itself does not suit anyone, but it does not really hurt anyone either, even if the two teams, doubled by Everton, are only 8th and 9th with 20 and 19 points, and one game late.

United owed their fans revenge after their pitiful elimination from the Champions League in Leipzig on Tuesday, but the contract was only half filled.

Positioned in 4-4-2 with Paul Pogba holder and slightly shifted to the left, while Bruno Fernandes on the right, with a Fred-Scott McTominay duo between the two, the Red Devils had chosen to be part of the heart of the game.

Faced with a very predictable City, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, on the sides, did not have much difficulty in controlling Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez.

In their offensive expression, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men were extremely poor, even if they almost got a penalty for a foul by Kyle Walker on Marcus Rashford finally out of side at the start of the action.

City, who had rested eight of their eleven holders in midweek against Marseille (3-0), could have scored by Mahrez, served by an uncontrolled pass and in full sublime race from Kevin De Bruyne, but he was too patient and his shot was finally blocked (35th).

De Bruyne also saw his attempt countered in the box by Harry Maguire while he was in a very good position (68th).

Pep Guardiola can still be satisfied to see his team not concede a goal for a sixth game in a row, in all competitions, a sign of the great progress made in this area which had cost them so dearly last year.

.

Aston Villa is hanging on

Earlier in the afternoon, Newcastle beat West Bromwich Albion (2-1), with the fastest goal of the season, after 20 seconds, by Paraguayan Miguel Almiron.

But it is especially the victory in extremis of the players of Aston Villa in Wolverhampton, with a penalty in added time (1-0), while they were outnumbered that must be remembered.

A victory that brings the Villans' savings in points to 18, six less than the leading duo, while they are two games behind.

© 2020 AFP