Manchester City failed to secure a win for the eighth time in nine matches as they were held to a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday, while high winds caused the postponement of the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool.
City had the opportunity to move up to second in the Premier League but were unable to build on their 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in midweek, which had seemingly ended a poor run of form for the reigning champions.
Pep Guardiola’s side endured a dreadful start at Selhurst Park when Daniel Muñoz latched onto Will Hughes’ pass to fire Crystal Palace ahead within just four minutes.
Erling Haaland restored parity with a towering header from Matheus Nunes’ cross, bringing the Norwegian level with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah on 13 Premier League goals in the race for the Golden Boot.
The visitors began the second half strongly but were stunned by a powerful header from Maxence Lacroix, who converted Hughes’ corner to put Palace back in front.
Rico Lewis equalised with a stunning strike into the top corner, but his evening turned sour as he was sent off six minutes from time.
City remain fourth, eight points adrift of league leaders Liverpool, with more dropped points denting their bid for a fifth consecutive Premier League title.
The final league derby at Goodison Park between Everton and Liverpool will need to be rescheduled after Storm Darragh brought high winds and heavy rain to western England.
A decision to postpone the lunchtime kick-off was made just after 08:00 GMT due to safety concerns.
“Whilst we appreciate this will be deeply disappointing for supporters, the safety of fans, staff, and players is of paramount importance,” Everton said in a statement.
Brentford’s Home Fortress
Brentford continued their formidable home form, securing their seventh win in eight matches at the Gtech Community Stadium with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Newcastle.
Bryan Mbeumo, linked with a move to Newcastle, opened the scoring with a stunning solo effort.
Newcastle twice responded quickly in the first half, with goals from Alexander Isak and Harvey Barnes coming either side of Yoane Wissa’s strike for Brentford.
However, poor defending cost Newcastle in the second half, as Nathan Collins capitalised on a long ball from goalkeeper Mark Flekken to restore Brentford’s lead.
Kevin Schade sealed the win for the Bees with a stoppage-time goal, lifting Brentford to seventh, while Newcastle dropped to 12th.
Villa Climb as Southampton Sink
Aston Villa moved up to fifth with a 1-0 win over bottom-placed Southampton.
Jhon Durán made the most of his first Premier League start this season, netting the only goal of the match. The Colombian capitalised on another defensive lapse from the Saints to score his ninth goal of the campaign in the 24th minute.
Evening Fixtures
Manchester United host Nottingham Forest in the 17:30 GMT kick-off as the Red Devils aim to recover from their midweek defeat to Arsenal under Ruben Amorim.
Liverpool’s postponed match offers Arsenal and Chelsea the chance to narrow the gap at the top to four points when they face Fulham and Tottenham, respectively, on Sunday.