Leeds United, Everton, Southampton and Leicester City all earned big results on Saturday in their efforts to beat the drop.

The Premier League's struggling sides were the big winners from the five matches to take place.

Leeds beat fellow relegation candidates Wolves 4-2, while Everton pegged back Chelsea twice at Stamford Bridge and Southampton came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Tottenham.

Leicester, meanwhile, snatched a draw at Brentford, though 19th-placed Bournemouth lost 3-0 at Aston Villa.

Wolves 2-4 Leeds United: Six-goal thriller and two reds at Molineux

Leeds came out on top in an enthralling encounter at Molineux, with Javi Gracia's side claiming what could be a vital three points in their bid to survive this season.

Jack Harrison put them ahead early on, and he has now been directly involved in four goals (two goals, two assists) in his four Premier League games under Gracia, just one fewer than in his previous 21 matches under Jesse Marsch and Michael Skubala this season (five).

Luke Ayling netted his first league goal since doing so against Wolves exactly a year ago (March 18, 2022) to make it 2-0, with Rasmus Kristensen putting Leeds three ahead.

Their hopes of a comfortable win were dashed when Illan Meslier, on the day he became the youngest goalkeeper in Premier League history to reach 100 appearances, made a mistake that Jonny pounced on, volleying in from 41 yards. That is the furthest distance a player has scored from in the top flight since Wayne Rooney's 58-yard strike for Everton against West Ham in November 2017.

A deflected Matheus Cunha strike gave Wolves hope, but Jonny became the first Wolves player to both score and be sent off in any league game since September 2008. 

Julen Lopetegui was fuming that Wolves were not awarded a first-half penalty and that a foul was not given in the build-up to Rodrigo's late effort for Leeds, with Matheus Nunes then sent off even though he was on the substitutes' bench.

"I'm not waiting for [further apologies]. I just want them [the officials] to do their job," Lopetegui said.

Southampton 3-3 Tottenham: Conte left seething after Ward-Prowse seals comeback

Southampton came from two goals down to avoid defeat for a second time in the Premier League this season, with only Manchester City (P3 W2 D1) avoiding defeat having fallen two goals behind on more occasions this term.

Tottenham, who took the lead through Pedro Porro but saw it cancelled out by Che Adams, restored their advantage through Harry Kane – he has now scored nine headers in the league this season, equalling Duncan Ferguson's single-season record in the competition from 1997-98.

Ivan Perisic took Spurs' tally of Premier League scorers to 162, with only West Ham (164) having more different scorers in the competition's history, yet Theo Walcott pulled one back for Saints. The former Arsenal winger has more top-flight goal involvements (12) and goals (seven) against Tottenham than he does against any other opponent.

Yet Spurs conceded a 14th goal since the season restarted when Pape Sarr was deemed to have fouled Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and James Ward-Prowse converted the penalty. He has been involved in more Premier League goals against Tottenham than he has any other opponent (nine – five goals, four assists).

Brentford 1-1 Leicester City: Barnes holds the Bees

Brentford remain without a win against Leicester in the Premier League (P4 D2 L2). The Bees have not beaten the Foxes in the league since March 1953 (P8 D3 L5 since).

Leicester ended a run of four consecutive defeats in the Premier League but this was just the eighth point they have picked up in 2023 (P10 W2 D2 L6). Only Crystal Palace (five) have picked up fewer points since the turn of the year, while only Everton and Bournemouth (20 and 18 respectively) have conceded more goals in the competition this calendar year than Leicester's 17.

Only Ivan Toney (eight) has scored more home goals for Brentford in the Premier League this season than Mathias Jensen (five), whose goal was the Bees' 19th from a set-piece this term – more than any other side in the division.

Leicester scored from their only shot on target of the game. Harvey Barnes' goal was his ninth of the season – his joint-most in a single Premier League campaign (also nine in 2020-21).

Chelsea 2-2 Everton: Simms snatches huge point

Substitute Ellis Simms scored his first goal for Everton as Sean Dyche's team drew 2-2 at Stamford Bridge, twice coming from behind.

Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 28 Premier League home games against Everton (W15 D13), but the Toffees can take plenty of confidence from this result.

Joao Felix put Chelsea ahead with his first home goal for the Blues, but Abdoulaye Doucoure equalised from a corner; four of Everton's seven goals under Dyche have come from set-pieces.

Kai Havertz converted a spot-kick to restore Chelsea's lead. He has scored in three consecutive games for the Blues for the second time, previously doing so in March 2022.

However, Simms came on from the bench to earn a point for Everton. The Toffees have now had 13 different goalscorers in the competition this season, with only Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds (14 each) having more.

A man who sent racist abuse to Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been banned from every stadium in the United Kingdom for three years.

Toney revealed in October he had received the abusive message on Instagram, posting screenshots and saying it made him feel "angry", as Brentford called for police to act.

It has led to 24-year-old Antonio Neill, from Blyth in Northumberland, being handed a four-month sentence suspended for two years, plus the football banning order.

Northumbria Police said the latter sanction, handed down on Monday, was the first such order of its kind issued under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

Neill pleaded guilty in January to sending an offensive message after officers pursued him over what they considered a hate crime, and he has now been banned from attending any regulated football game in the UK, and from travelling abroad to watch games.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for football policing, said: "This result makes it clear that there are real consequences for those people who think they can hide behind a keyboard to post hateful comments."

He added: "I would urge others who are victims of online hate to come forward and report it to police so it can be investigated and action can be taken."

Toney sits third on this season's list of Premier League top scorers, with 15 goals in a prolific campaign for the Bees.

Brentford said they were "pleased" to see the case conclude, adding: "Court appearances set a strong precedent for anyone else who commits hate crimes and it is our hope that sentences increase in severity until this sort of crime is eradicated.

"Ivan Toney has been subject to sickening racist abuse on a regular basis, and we want to see tough action taken against anyone found guilty of such abuse."

The club appealed at the time of Toney being sent the message for social media bosses to take action, repeating that message on Tuesday by stating: "All authorities have their role to play in this and we, again, call upon the social media companies to make their platforms safe for all participants and to remove all hateful content."

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper has dismissed links with Tottenham amid growing pressure on Antonio Conte.

Spurs' Champions League exit at the hands of AC Milan, along with poor Premier League form and bowing out of the FA Cup against Sheffield United, has led to speculation over Conte's future.

On Thursday, the Athletic reported chairman Daniel Levy has tasked director of football Fabio Paratici to produce a list of suitable replacements for the Italian.

Cooper has been linked with a potential vacancy, reportedly having admirers within the Spurs hierarchy, but he outlined his focus on Forest ahead of Saturday's trip to north London.

"The only thing that it is, is irrelevant. I said what I said last week, I don't want or need to say it again," he said at a press conference.

"The most important thing for me is the game, the guys I am working with every single day and I am trying to be at my best and do a good day's work and try and get them to do the same.

"Then we give ourselves a chance of trying to be a better team. We are embracing that challenge, we have had a lot of hurdles we have had to overcome this season, I am loving this journey with the players.

"It is a challenging one but one I am enjoying. But anything outside that bubble is irrelevant.

"The moment I am not thinking about Nottingham Forest or the players or the staff or how I can be at my best is the moment I am not getting it right, that's not what I want to be, I want to be all-in, that's what I am and I am not looking further than going to Tottenham on Saturday."

Cooper was not the only Premier League boss to dismiss questions about a move to Tottenham, with Brentford head coach Thomas Frank outlining his happiness with the Bees.

"First, they have a manager which is a manager I have studied for years and I admire massively. I think he has achieved some fantastic results so I hope he will do well and I hope Spurs do well," he said ahead of the game against Everton.

"Secondly, I am very, very happy here at Brentford."

Ivan Toney continued his impressive penalty-scoring record on Monday but the Brentford striker says his method is simple.

The 26-year-old stroked the ball into the bottom-right corner from 12 yards again as Thomas Frank's side claimed a 3-2 Premier League victory over fellow unlikely European hopefuls Fulham.

Toney has converted all 22 penalties he has taken for Brentford, with 10 of those coming in the Premier League.

Only Yaya Toure, who scored all 11 spot-kick attempts for Manchester City, boasts a better 100 per cent conversion rate in the competition – yet Toney explained his penalty procedure is all about being relaxed.

After being made to wait before putting Brentford 2-1 up in the 53rd minute at the Brentford Community Stadium, he told Sky Sports: "The wait doesn't matter, the longer the better really because I can get away and think of other things like being away on holiday and chilling.

"The goalkeeper didn't move but I have always got a spot where I put the ball."

Toney has scored 27 of his 28 penalties in his professional career, with the only blemish a saved attempt for Peterborough United in a 4-0 defeat against Barnsley back in October 2018.

That miss was the catalyst for a technique alteration.

When asked when he changed his approach, he replied: "When I missed... I thought of different techniques to make sure I had a better chance of scoring and it's working out alright at the moment, so touch wood, it continues."

Another strike against Fulham took Toney's Premier League tally to 15 this season despite off-field issues.

He has been charged with 262 alleged betting violations by the Football Association, which took place over a four-year period, but hit out at English football's governing body last weeks after reported media leaks.

Reports suggested Toney, who missed out on England's World Cup squad in Qatar, would be banned for six months after pleading guilty to some charges – claims the forward strongly denied on social media.

Brentford head coach Frank previously defended his star attacker and reiterated his backing for Toney after the Fulham win.

"I take all the praise, it is solely me," Frank initially joked to Sky Sports. "No it is Ivan, that is the technique he had when he arrived at Brentford.

"He is the best penalty taker in the world for a few reasons, his strategy, he practices it and he is very cool. He keeps doing it all the same.

"It is a unique skill with him. This situation with the [betting] case going on, he has a unique ability to focus on games and training and he has kept doing that so that doesn't surprise me.

"He doesn't like the situation but he has top focus. He is a special footballer, I think his character is unique in terms of leadership and driving his team.

"His link-up play and the way he sees his team-mates around in terms of combinations and then his ability to score goals. He is an all-round football player."

Thomas Frank has backed Ivan Toney after leaked speculation over the Football Association's (FA) intended ban for his alleged breaches of betting rules, as well as suggestions he had trained badly while on England duty.

The Brentford striker has been charged with 262 alleged violations by English football's governing body, which took place over a four-year period.

There has been no official FA update on the matter but reports, initially by The Daily Mail on Tuesday, claimed Toney had pleaded guilty to the majority of charges and could face a six-month ban.

Those reports suggested the 26-year-old also denied some of the violations, though Toney was left bewildered by reported leaks within the FA, posting on Instagram that he was "shocked and disappointed" by them.

Toney earned a first England call-up in September but was left out of Gareth Southgate's squad for the World Cup.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Bees head coach Frank said: "The most important [thing] is Ivan. He is amazing in many aspects, the way he copes with pressure, or distraction, and this is of course a bigger one.

"This has been ongoing since November, and yet he just carried on scoring goals, performing for the team, driving the team. It is so remarkable.

"We are 11 games unbeaten [in the Premier League], so I guess that is a decent response."

Only Erling Haaland (27) and Harry Kane (18) have scored more than Toney's 14 goals in 21 Premier League appearances this season, and Frank praised his forward's ability to maintain his form despite the outside noise.

"It is like life, sometimes things get thrown at you and you need to deal with it," he said.

"I would say that we share the disappointment of Ivan in terms of the leaks, that is for a confidential case. It surprised us massively.

"The timing of the leaks, just before the World Cup and the March international [England] team [announcement].

"The talk about that there is a potential ban as long as up to six months, that disappoints us.

"Then we share the disappointment that the talk about Ivan trained badly with the England squad. What is that?

"It is his first time with the England squad and I never met a player who did not want to do everything they can out on the training pitch, that wants to do well to impress the gaffer.

"I can only talk about Ivan what I see out here [in training] and around the place, he is a fantastic person around the group.

"He has that unique emotional intelligence to be aware of the lowest player to the top players and staff members.

"He has trained well and to me he is clearly number two in England as a striker. He has proven that with the goals and the performances."

Ivan Toney hit out at "disturbing" speculation over the Football Association's (FA) intended ban for his alleged breaches of betting rules.

The Brentford striker has been charged with 262 alleged violations by English football's governing body, which took place over a four-year period.

There has been no official FA update on the matter but reports, initially by The Daily Mail on Tuesday, claimed Toney has pleaded guilty to the majority of charges and could face a six-month ban.

Those reports suggested the 26-year-old has also denied some of the violations, though Toney was left bewildered by reported leaks within the FA.

He posted on Instagram on Wednesday: "I was shocked and disappointed to see press speculation yesterday and today about the FA investigation process concerning me after I have been told by the FA that it is a confidential process until any decision has been made.

"It is especially disturbing for me to read that the FA is saying I shall be banned from football for six months before there has even been a hearing and it does make me worried about the process."

Toney earned a first England call-up in September but was left out of Gareth Southgate's squad for the World Cup.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham stated that the forward's omission from the squad in Qatar was decided on "footballing grounds".

Toney plans to challenge the FA after a second instance of reported leaks.

He added: "My lawyers will be writing to the FA to request that they conduct a leak inquiry, as this is the second time stories have appeared in the newspapers – the last time was just before the selection for the England World Cup squad.

"As I continue to be told the investigation is meant to be confidential, I am unable to provide any further comment and shall continue to concentrate on my football."

Marcus Thuram will leave Borussia Moenchengladbach at the end of this season when his contract expires.

As a result, the 25-year-old French forward is garnering plenty of interest from top European clubs.

Thuram has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season for Gladbach, having been part of France's 2022 World Cup squad.

TOP STORY – THURAM OFFERED TO BARCELONA

Marcus Thuram's agent has offered the French forward to Barcelona as an off-season signing, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Thuram has interest from Chelsea, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and Inter.

Barcelona's economic challenges mean they have prioritised signing players on free transfers in recent times with Thuram offering that plus flexibility in attack.

ROUND-UP

– Fichajes claims Cristiano Ronaldo wants Sergio Ramos to join him at Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, with the defender's contract with PSG to expire at the end of this season. Ramos will leave it late to make a decision, holding out hope for a PSG extension.

– Liverpool will battle Bayern Munich in the off-season for the signature of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, reports Calciomercatoweb.

– Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea are all interested in Inter's Marcelo Brozovic, with the Serie A club open to selling him, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

– Manchester United are weighing up a move for Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong, reports Football Insider. Fabrizio Romano claims numerous top clubs are interested in the Dutch defender.

– La Gazzetta dello Sport claims Liverpool are tracking Inter's Nicolo Barella as they look to bolster their midfield options.

– West Ham, Fulham, Crystal Palace and Brentford are all circling for Milan forward Olivier Giroud,  who is open to a return to England, claims The Sun.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) Lee Mason has left his role "by mutual consent" after his blunder cost Arsenal a win against Brentford last weekend.

The Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw in a London derby last Saturday, though Ivan Toney's equaliser should have been disallowed.

Toney headed in from close range after Christian Norgaard nudged the ball across the face of goal, but the latter had been offside in the build-up.

The goal went to a VAR check for a separate incident instead, with Mason – in charge of the technology for the game – not spotting Norgaard strayed just offside.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body responsible for referees in England, subsequently acknowledged it was a "significant error" and Mason was not assigned to a match for the coming weekend.

PGMOL then revealed on Friday that Mason has left his position with immediate effect.

A statement read: "PGMOL can confirm that Video Assistant Referee Lee Mason has departed the organisation by mutual consent.

"Lee was a Premier League referee for 15 years and oversaw 287 top-flight matches during that time, with his last coming during the closing stages of the 2021-22 season.

"His full career in the professional game saw the 51-year-old officiate in over 500 fixtures after he progressed to the Football League in 1998.

"We would like to thank Lee for his dedicated service to the professional game and wish him all the best for the future."

It was not Mason's first high-profile error of the season, having denied Newcastle United a winner against Crystal Palace in September when ruling out Tyrick Mitchell's own goal for what he deemed to be a foul by Joe Willock on Vicente Guaita in the build-up.

Kevin De Bruyne served up a reminder of his match-winning brilliance as Manchester City usurped Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, so Nottingham Forest will be on high alert.

City go to Forest on Saturday, looking to stay at the summit, and their Belgian playmaker is set to be a key figure once more, and potentially a big points winner when it comes to fantasy leagues.

In an unlikely top-seven battle, Brighton and Hove Albion will look to in-form left-back Pervis Estupinan to contribute at both ends of the pitch against Fulham, while Wolves and Brentford will be hoping for big contributions from Ruben Neves and Ivan Toney as they tackle Bournemouth and Crystal Palace respectively.

Stats Perform, using Opta data, has chosen these four players for your selection consideration ahead of the weekend games.

Pervis Estupinan (Brighton v Fulham)

With three assists in his last three Premier League appearances, including last time out against Palace, Ecuadorian Estupinan is making a huge impact for the Seagulls.

Only three defenders have provided more assists than him in the competition this season, while Estupinan is one of only four such players to create at least 20 chances from open play (21).

Head coach Roberto De Zerbi has welcomed the efforts of the former Villarreal player, saying: "He's very important in build-up, but he's becoming a complete player now."

Kevin De Bruyne (Nottingham Forest v Manchester City)

Dropped to the bench at Tottenham recently, De Bruyne has responded by showing his value to City.

After scoring the opener, De Bruyne assisted for Erling Haaland's clincher in the 3-1 win at Arsenal, meaning the Belgian has been involved in 16 Premier League goals this season (4 goals, 12 assists), bettered by only three players.

Since the start of the 2019-20 season, only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (14) has both scored and assisted in more games in the competition than De Bruyne (13).

Forest beware: De Bruyne has assisted Haaland six times in the Premier League this season, more than any other player has assisted another.

Ruben Neves (Wolves v Bournemouth)

Wolves midfielder Neves has scored five goals in this Premier League season, equalling his best tally from the 2020-21 campaign.

Four of those five goals have come at Molineux, including in his last such appearance against Liverpool, so he will fancy his prospects of adding to that haul and setting an outright personal best for goals when second-bottom Bournemouth visit.

He is Wolves' joint top scorer in the league, matching Daniel Podence's total, and Neves brings abundant creativity too.

Ivan Toney (Brentford v Crystal Palace)

The visit of Palace should bring the best out of Toney, given he has scored in his last three London derby appearances (against Arsenal, West Ham and Tottenham), helping Brentford to a healthy five points.

Only Haaland (30) and Harry Kane (18) have been involved in more Premier League goals this season than Toney (17 – 14 goals, 3 assists).

Another factor in his favour is that among players with 30-plus shots this term, only Haaland (33.3 per cent) has a better shot conversion rate than him (23.7 per cent).

Mikel Arteta has not accepted the VAR blunder that cost Arsenal two points against Brentford was simply "human error", even if he appreciated a "really genuine, sincere and open" apology.

Arsenal drew 1-1 with Brentford at Emirates Stadium on Saturday after Ivan Toney's equalising goal was allowed to stand.

The goal was teed up by Christian Norgaard, who had been offside in the build-up.

Lee Mason, the VAR official working on that game, had checked for a separate offence but did not spot the offside in what the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body responsible for referees in English football, described as a "significant" error.

Mason has not been allocated a fixture for the coming weekend as a result.

Although Arteta said it was important not to "crucify" the official, he suggested Mason had not merely made an error and instead did not know how to do his job.

Having described the "huge anger and disappointment" Arsenal felt upon reviewing the footage, Arteta added: "That was not a human error. That was a big, big, big [case of] not understanding your job.

"That's not acceptable, I'm sorry. That cost Arsenal two points, and that's not going to be restored, so we're going to have to find those two points somewhere else in the league."

Arsenal face Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Wednesday, but the pre-match news conference was dominated by discussion of the Toney goal.

Again suggesting Mason had not simply made a mistake, Arteta said: "That was something else. I wasn't having it; the club wasn't having it."

Still, Arteta welcomed the dialogue Arsenal had received around the incident, even if he was not "satisfied".

"I will be only satisfied if they give me the two points back, which is not going to be the case," he said.

"I appreciate and think they were really genuine, sincere and open apologies and explanations, which is really good, but it doesn't change the fact we have two less points than we should have in the table."

Indeed, City can now overtake Arsenal in the table with victory at Emirates Stadium, so Arteta knows how important it is to leave a frustrating episode behind them.

"That's it. We have to move on. It's certainly made our players, our staff and our fans even stronger and with more desire," he said. "We are ready."

Arteta added: "We cannot do anything about it. Don't use it as an excuse. Try to move on and face it."

The Premier League has not appointed VAR official Lee Mason for a game this weekend after he made a "significant error" in Arsenal's draw with Brentford.

Leaders Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw in a London derby on Saturday, but Ivan Toney's equaliser should not have been allowed to stand.

Toney headed in from close range after Christian Norgaard nudged the ball across the face of goal, but the latter had been offside in the build-up.

The goal went to a VAR check for a separate incident instead, with Mason – in charge of the technology for the game – not spotting Norgaard strayed just offside.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body responsible for referees in English football, subsequently acknowledged Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion were both victims of "significant" errors on Saturday.

Mason was not named on the Premier League's list of match officials for the weekend.

The incident that impacted Brighton on the same day involved a would-be winning goal against Crystal Palace being disallowed incorrectly by VAR John Brooks.

Brooks was removed as the VAR for Monday's Merseyside derby and Wednesday's game between Arsenal and Manchester City, though he will be back as the fourth official for the Gunners' trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.

Real Madrid are eager to bolster their forward options, with a quality striker wanted to deputise for Karim Benzema.

Benzema, who is now 35-years-old, has battled injuries this season and played in 12 of their 20 LaLiga games.

Los Blancos have been regularly linked with Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe, while there have been reports of a big-money bid for Eintracht Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muani in recent days.

Instead of signing another French forward though, there is a report that Madrid are eyeing up a Brazilian.

TOP STORY – ANCELOTTI WANTS FIRMINO

Real Madrid want to sign Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino on a free transfer at the end of this season, claims Gazzetta dello Sport.

Liverpool are bullish on re-signing Firmino but no extension has yet been agreed, with his contract due to expire in June.

According to the report, Atletico Madrid and Inter are also interested in the 31-year-old, who has been battling a calf injury in recent months.

ROUND-UP

- Barcelona president Joan Laporta is determined to sign Julian Alvarez from Manchester City, reports Fichajes. The report claims "Laporta will do everything in his power" to land the Argentinean World Cup winner.

- Manchester City are monitoring Southampton full-back Tino Livramento, claims the Evening Standard. The English 20-year-old is viewed as a long-term successor to Joao Cancelo, who is currently on loan at Bayern Munich.

- Tuttomercatoweb reports that Bayer Leverkusen will compete with Juventus to sign Alex Grimaldo from Benfica. The Bianconeri want the left-back as a replacement for the departing Alex Sandro.

- Chelsea have joined the contenders to sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, writes Football.London. Raya's contract expires in 2024, with interest also from Tottenham and Manchester United too.

- West Ham United are circling for Brazil international striker Pedro, who plays for Flamengo, according to Fichajes.

- Former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch is being considered for the vacant Southampton job following Nathan Jones' dismissal, claims The Athletic. Football Insider reports Southampton and Leeds both want Marcelo Gallardo, while the Mail adds that Saints are also interested in Torino boss Ivan Juric.

Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion were victims of "significant" human errors during Saturday's Premier League action, according to the body responsible for match officials in English football.

Ivan Toney equalised against the Gunners at Emirates Stadium to ultimately secure Brentford a 1-1 draw, but the goal should not have stood due to Christian Norgaard – who nudged the ball across goal for the assist – having previously been in an offside position.

VAR Lee Mason failed to spot it despite the goal going to a review to check if Ethan Pinnock had been offside.

Also on Saturday, Brighton were denied a winning goal when Pervis Estupinan had his strike ruled out for offside – the VAR seemingly deemed the wrong Crystal Palace defender to be the deepest player.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) admitted there were mistakes.

A statement read: "PGMOL can confirm its chief refereeing officer Howard Webb has contacted both Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion to acknowledge and explain the significant errors in the VAR process in their respective Premier League fixtures on Saturday.

"Both incidents, which were due to human error and related to the analysis of offside situations, are being thoroughly reviewed by PGMOL."

PGMOL did not comment on the controversy that occurred at London Stadium, however, where Chelsea were denied a late penalty when West Ham's Tomas Soucek handled the ball in the box.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter sarcastically praised Soucek for a "good save" after the game.

Brentford have condemned racist abuse aimed at striker Ivan Toney following their 1-1 draw at Arsenal on Saturday.

Toney scored the equaliser that sealed a point for Brentford against the Premier League leaders, though replays appeared to show that the goal should have been ruled out for Christian Norgaard straying offside in the build-up.

In a statement released by Brentford on Sunday, the club claimed that Toney was subjected to racist abuse on Instagram, and pleaded with all football fans to "celebrate diversity".

"Immediately after Brentford’s game against Arsenal, Ivan Toney received a barrage of abusive, racist direct messages via his Instagram account," the statement read.

"We are disgusted and saddened that Ivan has had to deal with this yet again.

"We will not tolerate it and we will do everything we can to pursue the individuals involved. 

"Ivan was subject to similar abuse in October last year, and the perpetrator is now facing the consequences in court. 

"How many times does this need to happen?

"We call on football fans everywhere to relish the competition and rivalry that exists between us, but to respect and embrace our differences and celebrate the diversity that exists throughout the Premier League.

"There is no room for racism."

This weekend's Premier League games saw a return of the taking of the knee prior to kick-off as part of the No Room for Racism campaign.

Last year, Toney said that members of his family had been racially abused in the stands at Goodison Park, during a 3-2 win for Brentford over Everton.

Arsenal dropped points in the title race on a busy Saturday in the Premier League, denied by an Ivan Toney equaliser as Brentford drew 1-1 at Emirates Stadium.

Mikel Arteta's had a better day of it than north London rivals Tottenham, though, as Spurs were thrashed 4-1 at Leicester City, despite taking an early lead.

Elsewhere, Chelsea were denied a win at West Ham after Emerson Palmieri equalised Joao Felix's first goal of his loan spell from Atletico Madrid.

Southampton's woes continued as they were beaten 2-1 at home against Wolves, despite taking the lead and having a man advantage for over an hour after Mario Lemina was sent off for the visitors.

Newcastle United's run of draws continued as they were held 1-1 at Bournemouth, while Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion also could not be separated, and Fulham beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 at Craven Cottage.

Here, Stats Perform looks at Saturday's biggest games, with the guidance of Opta data.

West Ham 1-1 Chelsea: Blues struggle to handle Hammers

Graham Potter's Chelsea were left frustrated after a late claim for handball was denied at London Stadium, and this draw was the first in nine Premier League encounters between West Ham and Chelsea since a 0-0 in September 2018.

The Blues have drawn three consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since February 2012, and remarkably, there were no shots on target in the second half from either side, being just the second Premier League match where that has occurred this season after Southampton v Nottingham Forest in January.

Emerson became the first former Chelsea player to score his first Premier League goal for a club against the Blues since Frank Lampard for Manchester City in September 2014.

On his return from suspension, Joao Felix became the 12th different player to score for Chelsea in the Premier League this season, with no side having had more in 2022-23 (excluding own goals), which perhaps is not a surprise when you consider the number of players they now have.

Arsenal 1-1 Brentford: Toney time dents Gunners' title push

It seemed like business as usual when Leandro Trossard gave the hosts the lead, but this ended up being the first time Arsenal had failed to win a Premier League home game in which they scored first since January 2022. They had won 10 in a row at Emirates Stadium when opening the scoring before this game.

Brentford showed great resilience and have now scored 15 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season, with no side netting more (including penalties).

That could also be something for Arsenal to work on, as each of the last three Premier League goals the league leaders have conceded have come from headers, despite not conceding any beforehand this season.

Only Harry Kane (nine) has found the net away from home more often in the Premier League this season than Brentford striker Toney (seven), whose equaliser broke Gunners hearts.

Leicester City 4-1 Tottenham: Lloris-less Spurs hammered by Foxes

A high-scoring game was hardly a shock at King Power Stadium. There have been 128 goals scored in 34 Premier League matches between Leicester and Tottenham, with the average of 3.8 per game the highest such ratio among fixtures to be played more than 20 times in the competition.

Spurs, who were without injured goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, have lost two of their last three away games in the Premier League (W1), conceding four goals in each defeat, having only lost two of their previous 14 such games beforehand (W7 D5). The other recent heavy loss was 4-2 at Manchester City.

Despite having a disappointing campaign so far, Leicester here became the first team in Premier League history to score three first-half goals in back-to-back matches when conceding first in each game, having also done so at Aston Villa last time out.

Leicester's James Maddison, who was linked with a move to Antonio Conte's Spurs this week, scored and had an assist. Maddison has been directly involved in 11 goals in his last 10 Premier League starts (seven goals, four assists), scoring in each of his last three league appearances against Spurs.

Southampton 1-2 Wolves: Jones under pressure as Saints lose to 10 men

Head coach Nathan Jones is not the first Jones to struggle at Southampton. Saints have lost five consecutive Premier League home games for the first time since April-August 1998, when they were under the leadership of Dave Jones.

Wolves fought from a goal and a man down to win against their favourite Premier League opposition, having won each of their last five meetings, the first time they have ever been victorious in five consecutive games against a specific opponent in the competition.

It is clear where a big problem lies for Saints, having only kept one clean sheet in their last 28 Premier League matches (1-0 v Bournemouth in October).

Jan Bednarek found his own net, again, and has now scored four own goals as a Southampton player in the Premier League; the joint-most of any player for the club in the competition, along with Jos Hooiveld.