MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Aston Villas premier league A 1-1 home draw with relegation battlers Leeds on Saturday left their title challenge in doubt.
The equalizing goal in the 88th minute was scored by Substitute Tammy Abraham Although aimed at salvaging Villa’s one point, the draw could see Unai Emery’s side move further away from leaders Arsenal and Manchester City in the table.
Villa manager Unai Emery said: “There are two aspects. One is we lost two points or we gained one point.” “We have 51 points. Today we lost two or won one. At the moment, we hope we can understand this better and go into the next game.”
Second-placed City will play Newcastle in the second-half kick-off on Saturday, while first-placed Arsenal face Tottenham on Sunday.
Chelsea also ended up in a 1-1 draw with Burnley, another team in contention for retention.
Villa’s draw leaves them seven points behind Arsenal, continuing their unstable recent form with just one win in four league games.
It could have been worse after Ayton Stack put Leeds ahead with a free-kick in the 31st.
Abraham, who joined from Besiktas in January, came on in the 75th minute and equalized from close range, his first Premier League goal since joining Villa Park.
Leeds are seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Chelsea score a late goal
At Stamford Bridge, Jeanne Fleming scored in the 93rd minute to force Burnley, second from bottom, into a draw.
João Pedro’s goal in the fourth seemed to be enough for the home side, who were down to 10 men after Wesley Fofana was sent off in the 72nd minute.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior said: “You have to be ruthless in this league because if you don’t defend your set-pieces well, you get punished.” “I felt very happy and it’s not the way I want to play, but I want to try to score more, just to maintain possession.”
With this point, Chelsea have played more games and moved up to fourth place on goal difference, ahead of Manchester United. However, the battle for Champions League qualification could intensify further by the weekend, with Liverpool having a chance to level on points with Chelsea if they beat Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
United face Everton on Monday.
Milner sets new Premier League record
James Milner has played 654 games in the Premier League. set a new attendance record For competition.
Milner, 40, has surpassed the previous standard set by Gareth Barry from 2018. And he doesn’t seem ready to end it just yet.
“I’ll keep pushing and we’ll see where it takes us,” Milner said after Brighton’s 2-0 win, which derailed Brentford’s Champions League challenge.
Goals from Diego Gomez and Danny Welbeck put Brighton in the lead before the break at the G Tech Community Stadium.
Brentford are five points clear of Champions League qualification.
Adams returns from injury
USA international Tyler Adams returned to the field at Bournemouth, making his first appearance since tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament on December 15th.
Adams started in the 0-0 draw against West Ham and played 66 minutes before being replaced by Ryan Christie.
West Ham have lost just one of their six games, and their fight to avoid a drop in the standings continues to gain momentum.
West Ham, 17th, are two points from safety but have played more games than their nearest rivals Forest.
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