A round-up of the reports and results from this weekend’s Premier League action. All kick-off times UAE.
SUNDAY
Middlesbrough 1 Manchester United 3
Middlesbrough: Gestede (77')
Man United: Fellaini (30'), Lingard (62'), A Valencia (90'+3)
• Manchester United moved into fifth place in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory away to struggling Middlesbrough, who sacked manager Aitor Karanka on Thursday.
Jose Mourinho had said his team would “probably lose” because their current fixture congestion would lead to fatigue, but despite missing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Wayne Rooney and Ander Herrera, they counter-attacked well.
Belgium international Marouane Fellaini headed them in front after almost half an hour’s play for his first league goal of the season and Jesse Lingard scored the second just after the hour mark from 20 metres.
Middlesbrough substitute Rudy Gestede pulled a goal back with 12 minutes left, but in added time goalkeeper Victor Valdes slipped, allowing Antonio Valencia to score a third United goal.
Middlesbrough, by far the lowest scoring team in the league, have still not won a league game in 2017.
* Reuters
Tottenham Hotspur 2 Southampton 1
Tottenham: Eriksen (14'), Alli (33' pen)
Southampton: Ward-Prowse (52')
• Tottenham Hotspur overcame the absence of leading scorer Harry Kane to beat Southampton 2-1 and close the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea.
First half goals from Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli at White Hart Lane gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side the cushion they needed to hold onto victory after James Ward-Prowse halved the deficit early in the second half.
With 10 games remaining, the chances of overhauling Chelsea’s 10-point lead are slim, but victory strengthened Spurs’ position in the race to guarantee a top four finish by extending the gap to fifth place to seven points.
Southampton are well clear of the relegation places and their remaining aim this season is to maintain their top 10 standing.
* Agence France-Presse
Greg Lea provides his analysis from White Hart Lane
Manchester City 1 Liverpool 1
Man City: Aguero (69')
Liverpool: Milner (51' pen)
• Sergio Aguero netted a 69th-minute equaliser in a gripping 1-1 draw with Liverpool to prevent Manchester City losing ground in the battle for a top-four finish.
Liverpool looked poised to leapfrog City into third place after James Milner silenced the boos from fans of his former club to give the visitors the lead with a penalty early in the second half.
But Aguero’s strike kept City a point above their rivals, who have played a game more, and provided a moment of solace after their midweek Champions League elimination at Monaco’s hands.
Both sides had chances to win the game in a breathless finale, Kevin De Bruyne hitting a post for City and Adam Lallana horribly miscuing with only the goalkeeper to beat.
* Agence France-Presse
SATURDAY
West Bromwich Albion 3 Arsenal 1
West Brom: Dawson (12', 75'), Robson-Kanu (55')
Arsenal: Sanchez (15')
• Two headers by Craig Dawson and a Hal Robson-Kanu strike lifted West Bromwich Albion to a 3-1 win over Arsenal and piled more misery on their manager Arsene Wenger after a pulsating Premier League clash.
The result left Arsenal, still reeling from a 10-2 aggregate defeat by Bayern Munich in the Uefa Champions League last 16, in fifth place, five points behind fourth-placed Liverpool. West Brom stayed eighth.
Dawson fired the home side ahead in the 12th minute after a Nacer Chadli corner before Alexis Sanchez levelled three minutes later with a composed finish from a delightfully weighed pass by Granit Xhaka.
Robson-Kanu restored West Brom’s lead in the 55th minute with an opportunist finish 75 seconds after replacing Salomon Rondon and Dawson sealed the win with a thumping close-range header from a James McLean corner.
* Reuters
Crystal Palace 1 Watford 0
Crystal Palace: Deeney (68' og)
• An own goal from Watford captain Troy Deeney handed Crystal Palace a vital 1-0 win in the Premier League at Selhurst Park.
A big penalty shout from Palace within the opening 10 minutes of a scrappy first half was turned down by referee Martin Atkinson after winger Wilfried Zaha appeared to have been pushed down by Craig Cathcart in Watford’s penalty area.
Deeney’s horror moment came in the 68th minute after Yohan Cabaye swung a free-kick into the Watford box, which should have been easily dealt with by their captain, but the striker diverted the ball into the bottom corner.
The victory lifted Palace to 16th in the table, four points above the relegation zone, while Watford remain 13th.
* Reuters
Everton 4 Hull City 0
Everton: Calvert-Lewin (9'), E Valencia (78'), R Lukaku (90'+1, 90'+4)
• Dominic Calvert-Lewin notched his first Premier League goal and unsettled striker Romelu Lukaku bagged a double in Everton’s 4-0 thrashing of 10-man Hull City.
With Kevin Mirallas in Belgium for the birth of his child, Calvert-Lewin made his second league start this season and the 20-year-old forward took full advantage with the opening goal in the first half at Goodison Park.
Hull midfielder Tom Huddlestone was controversially sent off for a foul on Idrissa Gueye in the second half and Everton ran riot in the closing stages.
Enner Valencia got the second and Lukaku struck twice in stoppage-time to lift the Toffees above Manchester United into sixth place.
* Agence France-Presse
Stoke City 1 Chelsea 2
Stoke: Walters (38' pen)
Chelsea: Willian (13'), Cahill (87')
• Runaway Premier League leaders Chelsea continued their relentless progress, moving 13 points clear at the top of the table as Gary Cahill scored a late winner in a hard-earned 2-1 win at Stoke City.
Even without the injured Eden Hazard, Antonio Conte’s men, who have lost just one game in 2017, triumphed again when Cahill struck three minutes from time to make amends for giving away a first-half penalty.
Chelsea had looked set for a comfortable afternoon when Willian scored a 13th-minute free kick, his shot squeezing into the net after a blunder from Stoke keeper Lee Grant, who could only fumble the ball over his own line.
Yet Stoke hit back when Jon Walters, having been fouled by Cahill, picked himself up to score from the penalty spot seven minutes before the break.
After Cahill had given Chelsea deserved lead, ultimately sealing their 19th win in their last 22 league games, Stoke’s misery was completed when Phil Bardsley received his marching orders in the dying seconds after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Cesc Fabregas.
* Reuters
Sunderland 0 Burnley 0
• Sunderland’s hopes of avoiding relegation suffered another blow in a goalless stalemate with Burnley, who picked up only their third away point in the Premier League this season.
A poor game was short on chances for either side although Sunderland will rue missing the best two.
Sebastian Larsson blazed over with the Burnley goal gaping just after halftime and Fabio Borini was then denied in stoppage time by a great save from Tom Heaton.
Burnley held on for a point and remain in 12th spot, while bottom club Sunderland are now seven points from the safety zone having not won at home since December.
* Reuters
West Ham United 2 Leicester City 3
West Ham: Lanzini (20'), Ayew (63')
Leicester: Mahrez (5'), Huth (7'), Vardy (38')
• Leicester City continued their revival under new manager Craig Shakespeare as a 3-2 win at West Ham United gave the English champions their first away league win of the season.
Shakespeare’s fourth successive victory in all competitions since he took over from Italian Claudio Ranieri last month left Leicester in 14th position on 30 points from 28 games, six above the relegation zone.
The visitors produced a superb first half as early goals by Riyad Mahrez and centre-back Robert Huth gave them a 2-0 lead and Jamie Vardy made it 3-1 after Manuel Lanzini had pulled one back with a brilliant free kick.
Leicester were on the back foot after Andrew Ayew headed in West Ham’s second and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel producing two stunning saves to deny Andy Carroll while Ayew blasted over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
* Reuters
Bournemouth 2 Swansea City 0
Bournemouth: Mawson (31' og), Afobe (72')
• Bournemouth bolstered their bid for Premier League survival and pushed Swansea City deeper into the relegation mire as Benik Afobe inspired a 2-0 home win.
Eddie Howe’s side took the lead at Dean Court thanks to a first-half own goal from Alfie Mawson, who deflected in Afobe’s shot.
Afobe struck after the interval to ensure Bournemouth enjoyed consecutive league wins for the first time since March 2016.
Bournemouth are now nine points above the relegation zone, while Swansea sit just one place and three points clear of the bottom three following a fourth defeat in their last six games.
Dragged deeper into trouble by a loss at relegation rivals Hull City in their previous match, Swansea arrived on the south coast having conceded 61 goals this season.
* Agence France-Presse
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