There was a flurry of stoppage-time goals in the Premier League on Saturday — and one of them ended Liverpool’s 100% start to its title defense.
Eddie Nketiah’s strike in the seventh minute of added-on time secured Crystal Palace a 2-1 victory over the champions and extended the London team’s unbeaten run to 18 games stretching back to April.
Liverpool, which won its first five games of the campaign, saw its lead trimmed to three points — with second-place Palace now its unlikely closest challenger.
The Reds have mad a habit of scoring late goals themselves this season and Federico Chiesa’s 87th-minute effort looked like securing a draw — or even giving them a chance of grabbing a sixth straight win.
Chelsea played almost the whole second half with 10 men against Brighton and paid the price, conceding two goals in stoppage time to lose 3-1 for a second straight defeat.
Erling Haaland scored in the 90th minute and again even in injury time to wrap up Manchester City’s 51 win over Burnley.
And Manchester United’s latest loss was sealed by a stoppage-time goal for Brentford, which won 3-1. It could have been so different had Bruno Fernandes’ penalty not been saved by Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher in the 76th minute, denying United an equalizer for 2-2.
Bournemouth also scored in stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw at Leeds and Sunderland won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest, whose recently hired manager Ange Postecoglou has yet to win a game in five matches at his new club.
Later Saturday, Tottenham is at home to Wolverhampton.
First dropped points
Liverpool had not been entirely convincing in gaining a maximum 15 points and Arne Slot’s team was undone again by Palace, which beat the Reds in a penalty shootout to win the Community Shield before the English season began.
Palace took the lead in the ninth minute through Ismaila Sarr and wasted a string of chances to move further ahead — with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta the biggest culprit.
Nketiah’s goal was scrappy but maintained Palace’s long undefeated run under Oliver Glasner, who has kept the team playing well despite losing star midfielder Eberechi Eze to Arsenal late in the transfer window.
Fernandes misses again
United has now lost three of its six matches in the league and is already out of the English League Cup — at the hands of fourth-tier Grimsby Town — in what has been a tough start to the season for coach Ruben Amorim and his star midfielder Fernandes.
The Portugal midfielder missed a penalty at Fulham last month and on Saturday saw his low spot kick kept out by Kelleher to keep Brentford on track for victory.
United fell behind to an early double by Brazilian striker Igor Thiago by the 20th minute before Benjamin Sesko reduced the deficit for United in the 26th with his first goal in English soccer.
Mathias Jensen powered in a shot from the edge of the area for Brentford’s third goal in stoppage time.
United failed to build on a win at Chelsea last week and still hasn’t recorded back-to-back victories under Amorim since his first match in charge in November last year.
Haaland double
Haaland is already well clear in the league’s scoring chart, with his double moving him onto eight goals — four more than anyone else.
Before Haaland’s brace, City’s goals came from unusual sources.
There was an own-goal in each half by Burnley center back Maxime Esteve, either side of a rare strike by right back Matheus Nunes.
City has won three of its six games and moved five points behind Liverpool.
Burnley’s goal came from Jaidon Anthony, who has four already this campaign.
Another Chelsea sending-off
Last weekend, Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was sent off in the fifth minute of its loss at Man United.
A week later, Chelsea was leading 1-0, thanks to Enzo Fernandez’s first-half header, when centerback Trevoh Chalobah was shown a straight red card in the 53rd for denying Brighton a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Brighton dominated after that, with Danny Welbeck equalizing in the 77th and both Maxim De Cuyper and Welbeck scoring in stoppage time.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
