A round-up of results and reports from this weekend’s Premier League action.
SATURDAY
Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1
Man United: Mata (68’)
Arsenal: Giroud (89’)
• Substitute Olivier Giroud converted Arsenal’s first effort on target in the 89th minute to rescue a smash-and-grab 1-1 draw for Arsene Wenger’s side at Manchester United on Saturday.
Juan Mata’s 69th-minute strike looked to have earned Jose Mourinho’s United a much-needed win, only for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to tee up his fellow substitute Giroud for a last-gasp leveller.
The result preserved Arsenal’s six-point lead over sixth-place United, but left United falling even further behind the table leaders.
Arsenal remain without a league win at Old Trafford in 10 years and Wenger has still not beaten Mourinho in the league in 12 attempts.
* Agence France-Presse
Crystal Palace 1 Manchester City 2
Palace: Wickham (66’)
Man City: Toure (39’, 83’)
• Yaya Toure made a sensational return to the Manchester City fold, scoring twice on his comeback to inspire the title contenders to a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.
The Ivorian midfielder was in the City line-up for his first league appearance of the season, back after recently making a public apology following comments his agent had made about manager Pep Guardiola.
Injury-prone City captain Vincent Kompany had to go off with injury after a collision with his own keeper Claudio Bravo but Toure was soon back in business when his 39th minute shot, via a deflection, flew past Wayne Hennessey.
After Palace equalised in the 66th minute with a Connor Wickham strike, Toure struck seven minutes from time to consign the home side to their fifth consecutive defeat, slotting home from a low corner delivered expertly by Kevin de Bruyne.
* Reuters
Everton 1 Swansea City 1
Everton: Coleman (89’)
Swansea: Sigurdsson (41’ pen)
• Just when Bob Bradley thought Swansea had secured their first win under his management, Seamus Coleman produced an 89th-minute header to give Everton a deserved 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.
Bradley made eight changes in a bid to kick-start his side’s spluttering season and when Gylfi Sigurdsson scored from the penalty spot, after having been brought down by Phil Jagielka in the 41st minute, it was the first time they had even led under the American.
The goal stunned Everton, still smarting from their 5-0 drubbing by Chelsea before the international break, and Yannick Bolasie went close after the interval as Everton went all out for the equaliser.
After spending almost the entire second period in their own half, Swansea eventually buckled when Coleman headed home in the 89th minute, although the draw means Everton have only won one of their past seven league games.
* Reuters
Southampton 0 Liverpool 0
• Liverpool missed a chance to go clear at the top of the Premier League after squandering a string of chances in a dull 0-0 draw against Southampton in driving rain at St Mary’s Stadium.
Liverpool have 27 points from 12 games, ahead of Manchester City on goal difference. Third-placed Chelsea, on 25, can leapfrog both of them when they visit struggling Middlesbrough on Sunday.
The visitors dominated the first half and came close when former Southampton forward Sadio Mane, who moved to Liverpool in the close season, forced a good save from goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
Georginio Wijnaldum drove a long-range effort over the bar for Liverpool before the leaders wasted their best chance when Roberto Firmino shot wide with the goal at his mercy after a defence-splitting pass by fellow Brazilian Philippe Coutinho.
* Reuters
Stoke City 0 Bournemouth 1
Bournemouth: (Ake 26’)
• Bournemouth won their first Premier League match on the road this season thanks to Nathan Ake’s second league goal and a penalty miss from Stoke’s Bojan Krkic.
Dutchman Ake proved Bournemouth’s courageous first-half hero, picking himself off the ground after a tough challenge from Wilfried Bony and heading home straight away from a Junior Stanislas cross.
Bournemouth were denied an obvious first-half penalty when Ryan Shawcross upended Callum Wilson but Stoke missed their chance to strike back after the interval when Bojan, fouled in the area by Simon Francis, struck the resulting spot kick against the bar.
Stoke could hardly credit that their six-match unbeaten record was ended as they squandered numerous chances for a late equaliser and Bournemouth celebrated their first away league win since April.
* Reuters
Sunderland 3 Hull City 0
Sunderland: Defoe (34’), Anichebe (62’, 84’)
• Sunderland maintained their recent revival with a 3-0 victory over fellow strugglers Hull in a match interrupted by floodlight failure.
David Moyes’ relegation-threatened side had lost four of their five home league games this season, but they went in front through Jermain Defoe’s 150th Premier League goal in the 34th minute.
At the Stadium of Light, of all venues, floodlight problems early in the second half forced a 10-minute halt in play.
When the light was restored, Victor Anichebe illuminated the afternoon for Sunderland with their second goal in the 62nd minute and another in the 84th minute to seal a second consecutive win for the Black Cats, who had Papy Djilobodji sent off in the closing moments.
* Agence France-Presse
Watford 2 Leicester City 1
Watford: Capoue (1’), Pereyra (12’)
Leicester: Mahrez (15’ pen)
• Roberto Pereyra scored a spectacular goal after setting up Watford’s first-minute opener to secure a 2-1 win over champions Leicester City in an entertaining clash.
The outcome left Leicester in 14th position on 12 points from as many games, only two above the relegation zone, as their poor away form continued with a fifth defeat in six games.
Fans had barely settled in their seats at Vicarage Road when Argentine forward Pereyra delivered an inch-perfect cross for Troy Deeney to head into path of Etienne Capoue, who scored with a bouncing volley.
Watford continued to press forward relentlessly and livewire Pereyra doubled the lead in the 12th minute when he curled a delightful shot from the edge of the penalty area into the far corner. Riyad Mahrez pulled one back for the visitors with a penalty three minutes later.
* Reuters
Tottenham Hotspur 3 West Ham United 2
Spurs: Winks (51’), Kane (89’, 90+1’ pen)
West Ham: Antonio (24’), Lanzini (68’ pen)
• Two quickfire late goals from Harry Kane sealed an astonishing Tottenham Hotspur comeback in a pulsating 3-2 Premier League victory over West Ham United at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
With Spurs trailing 2-1 and their unbeaten league record in danger, Kane struck from close range two minutes from time and kept his cool to put away a stoppage-time penalty after Son Heung-min was fouled.
It was the second time referee Mike Dean pointed to the spot on Saturday and the ninth penalty he has awarded in 10 games. Manuel Lanzini also scored for West Ham on 68 minutes after Winston Reid, who was later sent off, was grappled to the floor.
Michail Antonio gave West Ham the lead with a header after 24 minutes before Harry Winks equalised on 51 minutes with his first Premier League goal on his first league start.
* Reuters
SUNDAY
Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 1
Chelsea: Costa (41’)
• Chelsea replaced Liverpool at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 victory at Middlesbrough.
It was the London side’s sixth successive win without conceding a goal and put them a point ahead of the Merseyside club and Manchester City.
The league’s leading scorer, Diego Costa, hit his 10th goal of the season to put them in front four minutes before halftime.
Middlesbrough, promoted last season, found it hard to make any clear chances. They remain in the bottom six, one point clear of the relegation places.
* Reuters
MONDAY
West Bromwich Albion v Burnley
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