Odion Ighalo moved ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Arabia goals race after scoring a brace in Al Hilal’s 4‑0 victory over Al Taawon on Saturday. The Nigerian striker opened the scoring in the 32nd minute and doubled the lead just before halftime in the 45th minute. He now has 11 goals in 15 games, surpassing Al Nassr’s Ronaldo, who has eight. However, the Brazilian duo of Anderson Conceição Talisca and Carlos Alberto lead the chart with 13 goals each. Ighalo, who was the Saudi Arabian Goal King last season with 20 goals, dedicated his latest strikes to his mother as a birthday gift, writing on Instagram, “That was for you MAMA. Happy birthday to my sweet mother.”
In England, Chuba Akpom netted his 22nd goal of the season for Middlesbrough, helping the team come from behind to beat Swansea 3‑1 and keep their promotion hopes alive. After a 1‑0 halftime lead for Swansea, thanks to Joel Piroe’s 14th goal, Aaron Ramsey and Cameron Archer turned the game around in the second half. Akpom sealed the comeback from the penalty spot, leaving Michael Carrick’s side just four points behind second‑placed Sheffield United, who were themselves beaten by Luton.
Alex Iwobi made his 155th Premier League start, his 201st appearance for Everton, as the club edged Brentford by a single goal on Saturday. Fellow Nigerian Frank Onyeka entered for Norgaard in the 74th minute, marking his 13th league game of the season. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Dennis substituted for Jesse Lingard as Nottingham Forest suffered a 3‑1 defeat away at Tottenham Hotspur. Harry Kane scored twice in a comfortable win for Spurs, consolidating their place in the Premier League’s top four and easing pressure on manager Antonio Conte. Liverpool’s surprise loss to Bournemouth earlier that day left Spurs six points clear of Jurgen Klopp’s side in fourth place and seven points ahead of Newcastle, who have played three games fewer.
At the King Power Stadium, Kelechi Iheanacho failed to add to his tally in 11 games as Chelsea romped to a 3‑1 victory over Leicester City. The Nigerian forward, rated 4.71 by the BBC, was replaced in the 76th minute by Jamie Vardy. The match marked Iheanacho’s 142nd Premier League appearance for Leicester since joining from Manchester City in August 2017 and his 189th overall since his debut in August 2015. His countryman Wilfred Ndidi was an unused substitute.
Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell opened the scoring with a volley from a tight angle against his former club. Patson Daka equalised with a superb strike after Ricardo Pereira won the ball from a wandering Felix outside the box. Kai Havertz then pounced six minutes into first‑half injury time, finishing a clever aerial pass from Enzo Fernández, and Mateo Kovačić sealed the win with a volley from Mudryk’s header. The sliding Foxes, reduced to ten men after Wout Faes received a second booking and was sent off, now sit just one point outside the relegation zone.
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