Liverpool’s lead in the Premier League and Man City halt the decline. Chelsea and Arsenal win

MANCHESTER, England (AP) – Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League was cut to seven points after a thrilling 3-3 draw against Newcastle on Wednesday.

Chelsea moved up to second place by beating bottom-placed Southampton 5-1, while Arsenal are third after a 2-0 win over Manchester United.

Fourth place Manchester City ended its seven games without a win with a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

Liverpool’s result will give hope to its title rivals after Fabian Schar’s 90th-minute equalizer at St James’ Park.

Arne Slot’s side had twice come back from a goal down to take the lead in the 83rd through Mohamed Salah’s second goal of the game. But the Merseyside club were denied an eighth straight win in all competitions as Newcastle produced a fightback of their own.

“I have mixed feelings, we were excellent in the second half but we weren’t good enough in the first half,” Slot said. “Maybe 3-3 is what the game deserved.”

Chelsea and Arsenal took advantage of it. Chelsea’s third league win in a row puts them ahead of Arsenal on goal difference.

City also closed the gap and are nine points behind Liverpool after ending the worst run of results in Pep Guardiola’s managerial career.

“We needed it. The club, the players, everyone needed to win,” Guardiola said.

Exciting clash

After wins over Real Madrid and City last week, Liverpool’s title credentials were given a stern test by Newcastle, who led at half-time through Alexander Isak and again in the second half through Anthony Gordon.

Goals from Curtis Jones and Salah leveled the game twice before Salah looked to have sealed victory late on.

Schar equalized after Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher misjudged a late free-kick. It meant Liverpool dropped points for just the third time this season after drawing with Arsenal and losing to Forest.

Chelsea challenge

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said this week that his side were not in the title race, but the standings tell a different story.

The London club is Liverpool’s closest challenger after the latest victory against 10-man Southampton.

Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho were all on target in the match at St Mary’s Stadium.

Southampton had briefly equalized through Joe Aribo, but Chelsea were already 3-1 up and in control when Jack Stephens was sent off before the break.

Arteta vs. Amorim

Arsenal inflicted a first defeat on new United boss Ruben Amorim with a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium.

Two goals from second-half corners made the difference, with Jurrien Timber and William Saliba finding the back of the net, but Arsenal still dropped to third, despite edging closer to Liverpool.

Mikel Arteta’s side finished second in each of the last two seasons and look set to challenge again after making an unconvincing start to the campaign.

“You get written off but we stuck together as a group,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said. “You stick together and we’re starting to reap the rewards.”

De Bruyne is back

Making his first start since September, Kevin De Bruyne showed City exactly what it has been missing by scoring a goal and creating another as the four-time defending champions came back to win.

The Belgian playmaker delivered the cross for Bernardo Silva to give City an eighth-minute lead against Forest at the Etihad Stadium. He produced a trademark finish to sweep the ball past goalkeeper Matz Sels in the 31st to put City on course for a first win in eight games.

Jeremy Doku made it 3-0 in the 57th, but it was De Bruyne’s performance that stood out after seeing much of his season disrupted by a groin injury. He left the pitch in the 74th to an ovation from the home crowd.

“It’s been a tough time but you have to accept the challenge and I think we did well today,” De Bruyne said. “The Premier League is getting harder and harder. We have to improve as a team first and we will see in a few months where we are. Hopefully we would have improved a bit and are much closer.”

Urban damage

But the win could have come at a cost with concerns over the fitness of Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake, who both went off.

“Nathan doesn’t look good. We (will) see tomorrow,” Guardiola said. “Manu is making the last two months a lot of struggle.”

Winning again

A first win in six games for Everton moved Sean Dyche’s side further away from the relegation zone, while back-to-back losses to Wolverhampton left the club second from bottom of the table.

Ashley Young and Orel Mangala put Everton in control before two second-half own goals from Craig Dawson secured a 4-0 victory for the Merseyside club, who are five points clear of the bottom three.

Aston Villa ended an even longer winless run by beating Brentford 3-1 to secure a first win in nine games in all competitions. Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins from the penalty spot and Matty Cash were on target.

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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