Igor Thiago scored twice to keep the European push of Keith Andrews’ Brentford on track and become the top-scoring Brazilian in a Premier League season in a 3-0 win over Sunderland.
The 24-year-old striker notched his 15th and 16th goals of a sparkling campaign, taking Thiago past the season’s-best tallies of countrymen Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Martinelli and Matheus Cunha.
He has spearheaded an impressive first managerial season in charge for ex-Republic of Ireland midfielder and assistant Andrews
Yehor Yarmoliuk added a third to sink fellow surprise packages Sunderland, who were left to rue Enzo Le Fee making a mess of a Panenka penalty when he could have made it 1-1, leaving Caoimhin Kelleher with the simple task of catching the ball.
Moments later Thiago, Sunday’s hat-trick hero against Everton, grabbed his second to put the Bees on the way to a fourth win in five matches.
Aston Villa’s aim of making a significant dent on Arsenal’s lead at the Premier League summit was thwarted by a goalless draw with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
A tight match tilted dramatically in the Eagles’ favour midway through the second half but they were unable to convert a number of chances, before Villa finished with a flourish.
Oliver Glasner’s side at least collected a point as they look to halt their slide down the table in the wake of losing four of their last five matches.
Antoine Semenyo bid a potential farewell to Bournemouth in style by piling pressure on Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank with a stunning late winner in a 3-2 success at the Vitality Stadium.
The Cherries’ top scorer, who is on the verge of a £65 million (€74.9m) move to Manchester City, had largely been a peripheral figure before smashing home his 10th goal of the season in the fifth minute of added time.
Antoine Semenyo finished his Bournemouth spell with a flourish ahead of an expected move to Manchester City
Joao Palhinha’s bicycle kick looked set to earn Spurs head coach Frank a reprieve after first-half goals from Cherries pair Evanilson and Junior Kroupi overturned Mathys Tel’s early opener.
But the under-fire Danish manager is likely to face further scrutiny after Semenyo’s dramatic intervention left his side with just two wins from 12 top-flight fixtures amid Tottenham’s fanbase rapidly losing patience.
Bournemouth, who ended an 11-match winless run thanks to the late twist, remain 15th but moved a point and a place behind their opponents.
Harvey Barnes snatched a 4-3 victory over Leeds as Newcastle served up a seven-goal thriller of which Kevin Keegan would be proud.
On a night when it was announced that the man known on Tyneside simply as ‘King Kev’ is undergoing treatment for cancer, the team for which he played and then managed twice laid on a madcap 90 minutes during which the visitors led three times.
The excellent Brenden Aaronson twice and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, from the penalty spot, put Leeds ahead, but Barnes, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes levelled to set up a grandstand finish in which Barnes won it front of a mesmerised crowd of 52,176.
Everton shot themselves in the foot as they had Michael Keane and Jack Grealish sent off in a 1-1 draw which maintained Wolves’ recent momentum.
Keane, the Toffees’ goalscorer, was shown a red card for grabbing the hair of Tolu Arokodare in an aerial challenge.
But if manager David Moyes and the majority of Hill Dickinson stadium were furious with that decision, Grealish’s second yellow card – his first Premier League dismissal – for sarcastically applauding referee Tom Kirk in only his second top-flight game made them apoplectic.
Keane’s third goal of the season made him the club’s joint-second highest scorer in the Premier League this season, highlighting the issues Moyes is having to deal with.
But the team had been in control after his 17th-minute poacher’s finish, only to fail to capitalise and get picked apart far too easily as 18-year-old Matheus Mane scored for the second successive game.