In this world, nothing is certain except death, taxes, Manchester United coming from behind and West Brom getting relegated from the Premier League.
It was not remotely surprising to see Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United bounce back from an early setback at Aston Villa, while West Brom’s relegation confirmation was similarly expected.
On a day without a single draw, there were also wins for Wolves and Everton, who got one over former manager – and rival for European football – David Moyes.
Take a look at the key stats from Sunday’s action.
Wolves 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion: Seagulls rue reds as Traore ends drought
It was a day to forget for Brighton, who became the latest club to fall victim to Wolves’ impressive bounce-back powers.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad have now claimed 51 points from losing positions since their return to the Premier League in 2018, a figure bettered by only Manchester United (57).
They were certainly given a helping hand, however, as Lewis Dunk – the scorer of Brighton’s opener – was dismissed for pulling back Fabio Silva as the last man, making him the third player to net and be dismissed in the same game this season.
Neal Maupay was then sent off as well after the full-time whistle, meaning Brighton are now level with Arsenal as the team with the most red cards this term, while Dunk is the only player in the division to receive two reds in 2020-21.
Adama Traore cancelled out Dunk’s opener as he ended a 25-game home league drought that stretched back to December 2019 against Manchester City.
Meanwhile Wolves’ match-winner, Morgan Gibbs-White (21 years, 102 days), became the youngest English player to score a 90th-minute winner in the Premier League since Marcus Rashford in November 2018 (21 years, 3 days).
Aston Villa 1-3 Manchester United: Red Devils enjoy customary comeback
When Aston Villa went into half-time 1-0 up on Sunday, there almost seemed to be an acceptance that their opponents were going to turn things around.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men certainly delivered in the second half, going on to win despite conceding first for the 10th time, a Premier League record.
They are now just three points behind the all-time record number of points recovered from losing positions, with Newcastle United having rescued 34 in 2001-02.
The victory also took Bruno Fernandes close to a Premier League record. He has not lost any of his first 25 away games in the division, one adrift of Gabriel Jesus’ benchmark of 26.
Fernandes played his part in the turnaround by scoring a penalty, which took him to 27 goals across all competitions this term, the most by a midfielder for a Premier League club in a single season since Frank Lampard (27) for Chelsea in 2009-10.
That penalty came as a result of Douglas Luiz fouling Paul Pogba, the exact same scenario that led to a spot-kick when the two teams played earlier this season. It is the first time since 2001-02 (Olof Mellberg on Jermain Defoe) that an individual has conceded a penalty against the same opposing player in one campaign.
West Ham 0-1 Everton: Toffees at home on the road
A top-four finish for West Ham and David Moyes now looks desperately unlikely after defeat at home to Everton leaves them five points adrift of fourth-placed Leicester City with three games to go.
The fact that this was West Ham’s first home league match without a shot on target since Moyes’ first spell in December 2017 highlighted their issues.
As for Everton, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have been impressive on the road and made it 14 away wins from 15 in which they have open the scoring under the Italian.
On top of that, this was Everton’s 11th away win in the league this term, a haul bettered only by Manchester City (13) and the Toffees’ best such record in a top-flight season since 1984-85 (12), when they won the title.
The winning goal came via Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 16th league strike of 2020-21, making it the joint-most by an English player for Everton in a single Premier League season.
Romelu Lukaku is the only Everton striker to score more across one season than Calvert-Lewin. The Belgian plundered 18 in 2015-16 and then 25 the following campaign.
Arsenal 3-1 West Brom: Big Sam’s Baggies equal relegation record
It had been a long time coming. West Brom have looked doomed for most of the season, and their relegation was finally confirmed with defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.
In a way, this match was a microcosm of their issues as they actually finished with an xG (expected goals) value nearly double that of Arsenal, yet the Gunners scored triple the amount of goals.
While it suggests Arsenal perhaps got a little lucky, it also highlights West Brom’s problem with scoring – pundits have claimed they would have had a better shot of survival with a more effective central striker, and this backs that up.
It’s their fifth relegation from the Premier League, equalling a record set by Norwich City last year, but the first from the competition for Sam Allardyce in his managerial career.
West Brom have only once had their relegation confirmed with more games remaining than this term (three), having had four fixtures to play in 2002-03 when their fate was sealed.
The focus for Arsenal, however, was on their young guns.
Bukayo Saka’s assist for Emile Smith Rowe’s opener was his 19th for Arsenal since his November 2018 debut, more than anyone else for the club in that time.
Similarly, Smith Rowe became the fourth player aged 21 or under to score for the Gunners in the Premier League this season (along with Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah), a record no team can better.
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