Premier League Week 15: Manchester City, Liverpool Leapfrogs Chelsea; Pep Guardiola Back on Top : SOCCER : Sports World News

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Liverpool’s Belgium striker Divock Origi celebrates after he scores his team’s opening goal during their English Premier League football match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on December 4, 2021. (Photo : JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Manchester City and Liverpool are setting the pace again in the Premier League following their wins against Watford and Wolves, respectively, on Saturday. They took full advantage of Chelsea’s slip-up against West Ham, with the Blues dropping to third place as a result.

Manchester City back on top thanks to Bernardo Silva

Manchester City moved up to first place after beating Watford, 3-1, at Vicarage Road. Raheem Sterling gave City a dream start, scoring the opener after just four minutes off Phil Foden’s terrific cross from the left.

Bernardo Silva then sealed the win for City, scoring a brace to give the reigning champions a commanding 3-0 lead. He doubled City’s lead in the 31st minute, converting the rebound from a tight angle after Ilkay Gundogan’s initial effort was saved. He then made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute, curling a superb finish past Daniel Bachmann after cutting in from the right side of the penalty box.

Silva has been unstoppable for City of late, scoring six goals in his last eight Premier League matches. Silva has already equaled his best goalscoring season in the Premier League with seven. City has benefited from Silva’s fine form, winning each of their last five matches in the Premier League. This season, they now have 35 points, one point ahead of Liverpool and two points clear of Chelsea.

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Origi rescues Liverpool with late winner

On Saturday, Liverpool topped the Premier League briefly after the Reds pulled off a dramatic 1-0 win over Wolves. Divock Origi was the hero for the Reds, with the Liverpool substitute scoring a last-minute winner to break Wolves’ hearts. He latched on to Mohamed Salah’s pass before shooting past Jose Sa to give Liverpool all three points.

After the match, manager Jurgen Klopp paid tribute to Origi, telling reporters that the Belgian forward is a legend. Liverpool has now scored 39 winning goals in or after the 90th minute in the Premier League. That is at least 13 more than any other side.

It was a disappointing defeat for the Wolves, who came close to becoming the first team to prevent the Reds from scoring this season. Holding Liverpool to a solitary goal is still an impressive feat given that the Reds have scored at least twice in each of their past 18 games.

Chelsea falls to third after loss to West Ham

Chelsea’s reign at the top of the Premier League table ended on Saturday after a cruel 3-2 loss to West Ham United. Arthur Masuaku scored a fluke goal in the 87th minute, with his supposed cross from the left flank finding the back of the net. Masuaku was surprised with his bizarre effort, which was his first Premier League goal.

That sealed a rare away loss for Thomas Tuchel’s men, who remained at 33 points following Matchday 15. This defeat was such a bitter pill to swallow for the Blues because they held the lead twice in this match. West Ham managed to equalize twice before Masuaku delivered the final blow in the closing minutes.