[Source: Reuters]

Manchester City threw away a two-goal lead as Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard scored late goals to earn the hosts a 2-2 draw in a Premier League thriller this morning.

After suffering six league defeats in November and December, City bounced back with a draw against Everton and wins over Leicester City and West Ham United, but Tuesday’s late collapse brought their short-lived revival to an abrupt halt.

The point leaves them sixth on 35, 12 adrift of leaders Liverpool, who drew 1-1 at second-placed Nottingham Forest, while the Bees are 10th on 28 following an unlikely comeback.

After struggling to create chances in the first half, City winger Savinho went close to breaking the deadlock in the 50th minute, marauding forward through the left channel before thumping a shot off the foot of the post.

Two minutes later City striker Erling Haaland headed straight at the keeper when he should have scored.

The breakthrough finally came for City in the 66th minute when a brilliant ball from the right by Kevin De Bruyne was met by Foden, who steered a deft volley in at the far post.

The game should have been over when Foden made it 2-0 12 minutes later by reacting quickest to rattle home the rebound, after Savinho’s shot was saved, to silence the home fans.

Four minutes later, however, Brentford’s Wissa ensured a nervy finish when he fired in from close range to reduce the deficit and, with City’s defenders having made several last-ditch interventions to protect the lead, they should have been aware of the threat posed by the hosts.

But Denmark international Norgaard was allowed to complete the comeback two minutes into added time, getting enough power on his glancing header to send it past Stefan Ortega, despite the City keeper getting a strong hand to it.

City manager Pep Guardiola was animated at the final whistle, both hugging and berating his goalkeeper after another underwhelming display by his side.

“We just looked tired at the end in the last 20 minutes, we looked leggy,” Foden said. “They put longer balls into the box and we didn’t deal with the physicality in the end.

In another match played this morning, Chelsea Chelsea captain Reece James rescued a point for his side with a 95th-minute free kick to snatch a 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth,

Second-half substitute James, who returned from a long spell out injured at the weekend, beat goalkeeper Mark Travers with a perfectly placed curling shot into the far corner of the net.

But it was two points dropped for the hosts who dominated much of the game, scoring through Cole Palmer in the first half before allowing Bournemouth to reply with a penalty from Justin Kluivert early in the second period.

Palmer scored his 14th Premier League goal of the season after receiving a neatly weighted ball from Nicolas Jackson who had squirmed free of three Bournemouth midfielders on the halfway line.

The Chelsea talisman then sent Travers to the floor with a little dummy and rolled the ball into his net.
Chelsea had several first-half chances, through Jackson, Palmer and Enzo Fernandez to double their lead.

But they let the visitors back into the game three minutes into the second half when Moises Caicedo brought down Antoine Semenyo in the penalty area and Kluivert sent Robert Sanchez the wrong way from the spot.

The Stamford Bridge faithful were stunned into silence in the 67th minute when Semenyo rounded 18-year-old defender Josh Acheampong and sent a near-post rocket past keeper Sanchez.

Travers kept Bournemouth ahead, keeping out shots from Jackson who was busy all night but could not get a ball past the goalkeeper and the visitors looked dangerous on the break.