The 26th round of the English Premier League saw Manchester United draw with West Ham and Chelsea with Leeds, with Tottenham's crisis continuing with a new loss to Newcastle and Bournemouth's success in turning the tables on its host Everton and winning a valuable 2-1 win.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 03:26

West Ham United and Leeds United stopped the streak of consecutive victories between Manchester United and Chelsea under the leadership of their new coaches, Michael Carrick and Liam Rossior, at four, after they forced them to draw 1-1 and 2-2, respectively, on Tuesday in the 26th round of the English Football League.

In the first match in London, West Ham seemed on its way to getting the three points after taking the lead through a goal by Czech international midfielder Tomas Soucek from the 50th minute. However, substitute Slovenian international striker Benjamin Shishko saved the “Red Devils” from loss by equalizing in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

With this draw, Manchester United raised its score to 45 points in fourth place, one point ahead of Chelsea in fifth place, while West Ham's score became 24 points in eighteenth place, while continuing its good performances recently under the leadership of its Portuguese coach Nuno Espírito Santo, where it achieved three victories and a draw in the last five matches, compared to one loss.

Soucek's first goal came when he followed up with his left hand from close range a cross ball from the right side sent by Jarrod Bowen (50th minute).

The goal scored by Brazilian Casemiro in the 63rd minute was not counted, after referee Simon Cooper decided to cancel it after using the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology due to offside.

In order to activate the offensive side and turn the result around, Carrick resorted to introducing strikers Shishko and Dutchman Joshua Zirkse instead of Brazilian Matheus Cunha and Portuguese Diogo Dalo in the 69th and 82nd minutes, respectively.

Shishko tried his luck with a shot from outside the penalty area, which was brilliantly cleared by Danish goalkeeper Mads Hermansen (76th minute), then Zirksey's header from close range passed near the left post after a cross by Portuguese Bruno Fernandes (90+4).

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The continuous pressure resulted in the equalizer, which was scored by Shishko, as he followed Cameroonian Brian Mbomo's cross into the net from a short distance with his left hand (90 + 4).

In the second match, Chelsea wasted a valuable opportunity to achieve a comfortable victory and rise to fourth place, and settled for a disappointing 2-2 draw with its guest, Leeds United.

The London team took the lead first through Brazilian Joao Pedro (24th minute), then Cole Palmer added the second goal from a penalty kick (58th minute), before the visitors came back in the lead with goals from German Lukas Micha from a penalty kick (67th) and Swiss substitute Noah Okafor (73rd).

This result prevented Chelsea from achieving its fifth successive victory in the league under Rossior’s leadership, so it settled for a point that raised its score to 44 points in fifth place.

On the other hand, Leeds United raised its lead to 30 points, settling in fifteenth place.

Joao Pedro began the goal festival by scoring the first goal after a period of Chelsea control, when he was alone and lifted the ball with his left hand from inside the area over Welsh goalkeeper Karl Darlow following a perfect through pass from Palmer (24).

In the course of the second half, Spanish goalkeeper Robert Sanchez contributed to Chelsea's second goal with a long pass that put Pedro in front of the goal. Slovenian defender Jaka Puyol from Leeds pushed him into the area, so referee Robert Jones awarded a penalty kick that Palmer successfully executed to the left of Darlow (58).

This is the eighth goal for the English international winger in the 15 matches he played with Chelsea in the league this season.

From another penalty kick, Lucas Micha reduced the gap after a foul committed by Ecuadorian Moises Caicedo on Jayden Bogle, so the German shot the ball past Sanchez on his right (67).

Noah Okafor returned after coming on as a substitute in the 55th minute to give Leeds a draw, taking advantage of a ball that was prepared in front of him after confusion inside the penalty area, and he easily deposited it into the empty goal (73).

Referee Jones insisted on counting the goal despite the protests of the Chelsea players, who demanded that there was a handball on Bogle during the attack that resulted in the equalizer.

Palmer missed the opportunity to give his team full points in stoppage time, as he shot the ball over the open goal from inside the six-yard area after a perfect cross from the right side sent by Caicedo (90+4).

The Tottenham crisis continues

As for Tottenham, their crisis continued this season as they suffered their eleventh defeat in the league, reaching the eighth match in a row without achieving any victory, after losing to their guest Newcastle 1-2.

German Malik Thiao (45+5) and Jacob Ramsey (68) contributed to Newcastle's points in the match, while young full-back Archie Gray (19 years old) scored Tottenham's only goal (64).

Tottenham, which is burdened with problems under the leadership of its Danish coach Thomas Frank, stopped at 29 points in sixteenth place, while Newcastle raised its score to 36 points, placing it in tenth place.

On the other hand, Bournemouth succeeded in turning the tables on its host Everton and won a valuable victory with a score of 2-1.

Senegalese Iliman Ndiaye scored for the hosts from a penalty kick in the 42nd minute, before the visitors responded with goals from Brazilian Rayne (61) and Moroccan Amine Adly (64), knowing that Everton played with ten players after Irishman Jake O'Brien was sent off in the 69th minute.

With this victory, Bournemouth rose to 37 points in ninth place, equal to Everton in the score and lagging behind them on goal difference, so the struggle between them intensified in the mid-table region.

France 24/AFP

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