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Manchester United stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League to 10 points as Wayne Rooney scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory at Fulham yesterday. |
United, hoping to exert even more pressure on second-placed Manchester City who host Liverpool today, laboured at times but Rooney’s 79th-minute strike proved decisive.
Both sides struck the woodwork in the first half, Patrice Evra for United and Brian Ruiz for a lively Fulham side, and Rooney also thumped a shot against the post in the second half before capitalising on an error to make the breakthrough. Philippe Senderos, whose misjudgement allowed Rooney to race on to a long ball and score, nearly equalised in stoppage time with a header that was cleared off the line by Robin van Persie.
United have 62 points from 25 games with champions City on 52, having played one game less.
Elsewhere, New signing Moussa Sissoko claimed a second-half brace to give Newcastle United a 3-2 win at home to Chelsea that prevented the visitors from making ground on the Premier League’s top two.
Chelsea striker Demba Ba endured a torrid return to St James’ Park, getting jeered by the fans of his former club and taking a kick to the face from one-time teammate Fabricio Coloccini before being replaced by Fernando Torres. By then, Newcastle had taken a 41st-minute lead through a Jonas Gutierrez header, but Frank Lampard equalised 10 minutes into the second half with a thumping strike from 25 yards.
A curling effort from Juan Mata gave Chelsea the lead for the first time six minutes later, but Newcastle came back again and drew level when Sissoko finished after Petr Cech saved from Yoan Gouffran. To Chelsea’s cost, there was more to come from the former Toulouse man, who crashed home a low shot from Santon’s pass in the last minute to give Newcastle consecutive victories for the first time this season. Defeat left Chelsea six points behind second-place Manchester City and 13 points shy of leaders Manchester United, who could go 10 points clear with victory at Fulham.
A contentious goal from substitute Lukas Podolski allowed Arsenal to beat Stoke City 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium yesterday.
The Germany international’s 78th-minute free-kick was deflected into the Stoke net off defender Geoff Cameron at a time when an Arsenal player was in an offside position. But the goal was allowed to stand and the win moved the sixth-place Gunners to within a point of Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, the two clubs directly above them.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger made five changes to the side that had drawn 2-2 at home to Liverpool in mid-week and two of those were enforced by injuries suffered by defenders Thomas Vermaelen and Kieran Gibbs.
That enabled a recall for France centre-back Laurent Koscielny and an instant debut for transfer deadline day signing Nacho Monreal, the Spain left-back who reportedly cost £8.3 million ($13.2 million, 9.7 million euros) from Malaga. Stoke had also shared a 2-2 draw in mid-week, at home to Wigan Athletic, and manager Tony Pulis made two changes, restoring Ryan Shotton and Andy Wilkinson to his starting line-up. Arsenal made a lively start but Stoke made sure they always had plenty of men back and limited the home side to a series of long-range efforts that were either off-target or blocked by defenders.
Eventually the pressure was converted into clearer opportunities and Stoke had goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to thank on three occasions before half-time. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should have scored from the first one, however, as Stoke uncharacteristically made a mess of clearing Jack Wilshere’s corner. The ball fell to the teenager right in front of goal but his shot was right at the goalkeeper. Bosnia-Herzegovina international Begovic then made a smart stop at his back post to keep out Koscielny’s header, before palming away another shot from Oxlade-Chamberlain after Wilshere had set him up with a fine defence-splitting diagonal ball. Stoke’s Jon Walters was hurt in an aerial challenge with Monreal but played on following the application of a huge bandage. The second period mirrored the first as Arsenal dominated possession but could not convert it into clear chances and Wenger made a double change in the 68th minute when Podolski and Santi Cazorla replaced Oxlade-Chamberlain and Abou Diaby.
The change worked as Podolski finally broke the deadlock from a free-kick 12 minutes from full-time after Andy Wilkinson had been booked for fouling Walcott on the edge of the penalty area.
At Goodison Park, Marouane Fellaini netted an injury-time equaliser to earn Everton a 3-3 draw at home to Aston Villa, who once again failed to defend a lead and remain firmly ensconced in the bottom three.
Christian Benteke put the visitors ahead in the second minute after surging past Jonny Heitinga, with Victor Anichebe equalising in the 21st minute.