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IN-FORM MATETA SCORES AS PALACE OVERCOME BRENTFORD IN LONDON DERBY

Crystal Palace returned to winning ways in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Brentford at Selhurst Park. Jean-Philippe Mateta's header and a Nathan Collins own goal sealed the three points for the Eagles.

In-form Mateta scores as Palace overcome Brentford in London derby
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s header set Crystal Palace on their way to three points - COURTESY/PHOTO

Crystal Palace defeated Brentford 2-0 at Selhurst Park thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta's eighth goal of the season, which put them back on track to winning ways in the Premier League.

The Eagles backed up their triumph at Liverpool in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday with their first win in four league games, with Mateta's halftime goal and an own goal from Bees captain Nathan Collins early in the second half.

Brentford's once successful week came to a halt when they hardly made a threat in response.

When Ismaila Sarr of Palace escaped Kristoffer Ajer down the right, it appeared as though he had created an opportunity for himself. However, he decided to square the ball instead of shooting, and Brentford's Sepp van den Berg intercepted.

Mateta's deflected header from a Yeremy Pino cross fell sweetly into the arms of Bees goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, creating a rare opening in what was otherwise a cagey start.

After half an hour, however, the home team took the lead when Jefferson Lerma nodded a deep free-kick from Daichi Kamada over for Mateta to head a beautiful header that looped into the top corner, leaving Kelleher standing.

Five minutes later, Daniel Munoz's ball into the box was cleared as far as Sarr, whose low effort was just missed, giving the Eagles a chance for a second goal.

Mikkel Damsgaard's free-kick right before halftime gave Brentford their best chance to score, but they failed to score as an attacking force in the first half.

Additionally, they set themselves up for failure when Lerma's throw in the 52nd minute went off Collins' head and into his own net, giving Palace a second goal.

A minute later, Collins gifted Sarr the ball within his own half, and the Senegal international raced clear before shooting against the post, giving him another moment to forget.

In an attempt to address the visitors' continued inability to pose much of a threat up front, manager Keith Andrews substituted Mathias Jensen, Keane Lewis-Potter, and Vitaly Janelt in a triple substitution.

After 74 minutes, Jensen's low cross into the box found Janelt, who missed his shot with a wide angle, giving Brentford their greatest opportunity thanks to two of those.

Reiss Nelson, another Bees substitute, then put Dean Henderson to the test from outside the box after the Palace goalkeeper had to push away his curling attempt.

But the Eagles easily won the rest of the game, so that was the only time he was called upon.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

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Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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