Second-half pens steer Man City, Chelsea to EPL wins

Manchester City have come from behind to beat Everton 3-1 and close the gap on the Premier League leaders.

Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez - controversially from the spot - and Bernardo Silva scored in the second half as City hit back.

Jack Harrison gave Everton, a point above the relegation zone in 17th, a first-half lead when he converted Dwight McNeil's low cross.

It was only City's second win in seven league matches and moved Pep Guardiola's side, crowned Club World Cup champions this month, into fourth and five points behind leaders Liverpool, with a game in hand.

"That's why we're the world champions. The best team in the world," Guardiola said with a smile in a post-game interview on Amazon Prime.

"Now I'm going to remind them every day. We have a standard to keep."

After Foden cancelled out Harrison's opener, Alvarez put the defending champions ahead when Nathan Ake's shot hit Amadou Onana's arm as he slid in to block.

Referee John Brooks awarded a corner before changing his mind and pointing to the spot, with Argentine Alvarez' blast down the middle sneaking underneath the diving Jordan Pickford.

"I don't have a clue. No-one does. Is that deliberate? Of course not. I don't know where you are supposed to put your hands," Toffees manager Sean Dyche said.

"If he (Onana) deliberately did that he must be some keeper. His reactions were cat-like. I've never seen anything like it.

"The lawmakers are making all these mad rules. I don't know why they don't leave the game alone. All the managers are frustrated with it. Maybe the referees are. The players definitely are."

In London, substitute Noni Madueke bailed out a misfiring Chelsea side with a late penalty to secure a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace for just a sixth home league win of 2023.

Just as it looked like the Blues' inefficiency up front would cost them again at Stamford Bridge, Madueke was tripped by Eberechi Eze inside the area and stepped up to send goalkeeper Dean Henderson the wrong way in the 89th minute.

The hosts took the lead through Mykhailo Mudryk in the 13th, but Michael Olise equalised just before the break.

Referee Michael Salisbury initially waved play on after Eze's challenge on Madueke but was eventually called to the pitchside monitor by his VAR assistant to review the incident, and then pointed to the spot.

Chelsea are in 10th place with Palace now just three points above the relegation zone in 15th.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' recent good form has continued with Hwang Hee-chan scoring twice in a 4-1 win at Brentford.

The South Korean took his season tally to 11 as Wolves followed up their Christmas Eve win over Chelsea by collecting another festive three points.

It was their first victory in the capital in 15 attempts, their last coming in a 2-0 win at Tottenham in February last year, and moves them up to 11th and drops the Bees to 14th after their fourth straight defeat, and sixth in seven matches.

Australian Associated Press