FOOTBALL – Arsenal missed a chance to tighten their grip on the Premier League title race with a 1-1 draw at 10-man Chelsea yesterday, while Liverpool’s Alexander Isak scored his first league goal in a 2-0 win over West Ham United that halted their worst run in more than 70 years.
Manchester United ended Crystal Palace’s nine-month unbeaten home run with a 2-1 comeback victory, Aston Villa climbed to fourth with a 1-0 victory over lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Brighton & Hove Albion won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest to go fifth.
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea held the Gunners to a draw in a highly charged top-of-the-table London derby, with Mikel Merino cancelling out Trevoh Chalobah’s Chelsea opener.
Chelsea were already a man down when defender Chalobah flicked a header into the net from a pinpoint corner by captain Reece James three minutes after the break.
Moises Caicedo had been sent off in the 38th minute after a VAR check for landing a crunching tackle on Merino’s ankle.
Arsenal replied when Merino rose to meet a Bukayo Saka cross in the 59th minute.
Arsenal sit five points clear at the top of the table on 30 points ahead of Manchester City, who beat Leeds United 3-2 on Saturday, with Chelsea third on 24.
Champions Liverpool had lost nine of their last 12 games in all competitions, and manager Arne Slot took drastic measures, leaving Mohamed Salah out of his starting lineup for the first time in a league game.
Isak, who had looked short of form and fitness, spurned two opportunities before the break before slotting home a Cody Gakpo pull-back on the hour mark.
Liverpool’s cause was helped by Lucas Paqueta’s double booking for dissent with less than 10 minutes to play, before Gakpo added a second in the 92nd minute.
Liverpool’s victory, only their second in eight league games, moved them up to eighth with 21 points, while West Ham, whose players and fans paid tribute to former captain and manager Billy Bonds who died aged 79 yesterday, are 17th with 11.
At Selhurst Park, Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount struck in the second half as Manchester United battled back for only their second away league victory in 12 games.
United climbed above Palace into seventh on 21 points, while Oliver Glasner’s team are ninth on 20.
Jean-Philippe Mateta struck from the penalty spot in the 36th minute after Leny Yoro’s reckless tackle.
Zirkzee levelled in the 54th minute when he chested down a free kick before firing into the far corner and Mount struck the winner when a free kick was touched into his path and he unleashed a low shot through a sea of Palace legs.
A superb strike from Boubacar Kamara earned Aston Villa a victory over bottom side Wolves.
Kamara gave the home crowd something to shout about, arrowing a thunderous shot into the top corner in the 67th minute as Villa climbed to fourth on 24 points. Wolves remained bottom on two points.
Maxim De Cuyper and Stefano Tzimas scored to lift Brighton to victory at Forest and the visitors climbed to fifth in the table on 22 points. Forest are 16th on 12.
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