10-man Arsenal see off Swansea with Walcott double

Nolito eases Manchester City’s double penalty pain

AFP, LONDON: Manchester City twice missed penalties in a 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday as 10-man Arsenal went level with them on points at the top of the Premier League table after seeing off Swansea 3-2.
Arsenal leapfrogged Tottenham Hotspur into second place after their arch north London rivals also dropped points in a 1-1 draw away to West Bromwich Albion.
Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg saved penalties from Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero—his second spot-kick failure this week after he was off target in Argentina’s World Cup qualifying defeat by Paraguay. Romelu Lukaku then fired the visitors ahead in the 64th minute at Eastlands before substitute Aguero’s miss.
But City, who’ve now gone three games without a win in all competitions, equalised in the 72nd minute when Nolito headed in Silva’s cross as former Barcelona team-mates turned managers Pep Guardiola (City) and Ronald Koeman (Everton) had to settle for a point apiece.
“We did absolutely everything—Everton create just one chance which was a goal,” said Guardiola.
“The players have all the qualities to score penalties but we miss a lot. Hopefully we will score more of them in future.”
At the Emirates, Theo Walcott scored twice in seven first-half minutes as Arsenal defeated Swansea for a sixth straight win in all competitions.
Swansea, in former United States manager Bob Bradley’s first game in charge, saw Gylfi Sigurdsson score in his 100th appearance for the Welsh club with a 38th-minute curling shot 
But Mesut Ozil marked his 28th birthday by restoring Arsenal’s two-goal advantage with a 57th minute-volley.
Borja Baston pulled a goal back for Swansea and Arsenal had to play the final 20 minutes a man down after Granit Xhaka received a straight red card for a challenge on Modou Barrow.
“We could never capitalise on the two-goal cushion but at least we got the three points,” said Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager.
Liverpool will go level with the top two if they beat bitter rivals Manchester United on Monday. 
Tottenham dominated possession at The Hawthorns only for former Spurs star Nacer Chadli to put the Baggies ahead eight minutes from time.
But Dele Alli’s 89th-minute equaliser preserved Spurs’ unbeaten league record. 
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “We missed the opportunity to achieve three points but in the same way it was a difficult game.”
Chelsea hammered champions Leicester City 3-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Victor Moses.
Defeat meant the Foxes had won just two of their eight league games this season and manager Claudio Ranieri, a former Chelsea boss, said: “Our approach to the match was not good.”
The result gave Antonio Conte, Ranieri’s fellow Italian, a much-needed win after speculation he was about to be sacked as Chelsea manager.
“From the start I asked them to play well with intensity and to try to do what we are doing in training,” said Conte. “This is the best game for us.”
Stoke won in the league for the first time this season as Wales international Joe Allen made it four goals in his last three games by scoring twice in a 2-0 win at home to basement club Sunderland.
Meanwhile West Ham climbed out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win away to London rivals Crystal Palace.
Manuel Lanzini’s 19th-minute goal proved decisive in a match where Palace’s Christian Benteke missed a penalty on the stroke of half-time.
The Hammers won despite being reduced to 10 men for the final 15 minutes after Aaron Cresswell was sent off for two bookable offences.

10-man Arsenal see off Swansea with Walcott double

Nolito eases Manchester Citys double penalty pain

AFP, LONDON: Manchester City twice missed penalties in a 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday as 10-man Arsenal went level with them on points at the top of the Premier League table after seeing off Swansea 3-2. Arsenal leapfrogged Tottenham Hotspur into second place after their arch north London rivals also dropped points in a 1-1 draw away to West Bromwich Albion. Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg saved penalties from Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguerohis second spot-kick failure this week after he was off target in Argentinas World Cup qualifying defeat by Paraguay. Romelu Lukaku then fired the visitors ahead in the 64th minute at Eastlands before substitute Agueros miss. But City, whove now gone three games without a win in all competitions, equalised in the 72nd minute when Nolito headed in Silvas cross as former Barcelona team-mates turned managers Pep Guardiola (City) and Ronald Koeman (Everton) had to settle for a point apiece. We did absolutely everythingEverton create just one chance which was a goal, said Guardiola. The players have all the qualities to score penalties but we miss a lot. Hopefully we will score more of them in future. At the Emirates, Theo Walcott scored twice in seven first-half minutes as Arsenal defeated Swansea for a sixth straight win in all competitions. Swansea, in former United States manager Bob Bradleys first game in charge, saw Gylfi Sigurdsson score in his 100th appearance for the Welsh club with a 38th-minute curling shot But Mesut Ozil marked his 28th birthday by restoring Arsenals two-goal advantage with a 57th minute-volley. Borja Baston pulled a goal back for Swansea and Arsenal had to play the final 20 minutes a man down after Granit Xhaka received a straight red card for a challenge on Modou Barrow. We could never capitalise on the two-goal cushion but at least we got the three points, said Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager. Liverpool will go level with the top two if they beat bitter rivals Manchester United on Monday. Tottenham dominated possession at The Hawthorns only for former Spurs star Nacer Chadli to put the Baggies ahead eight minutes from time. But Dele Allis 89th-minute equaliser preserved Spurs unbeaten league record. Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said: We missed the opportunity to achieve three points but in the same way it was a difficult game. Chelsea hammered champions Leicester City 3-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Victor Moses. Defeat meant the Foxes had won just two of their eight league games this season and manager Claudio Ranieri, a former Chelsea boss, said: Our approach to the match was not good. The result gave Antonio Conte, Ranieris fellow Italian, a much-needed win after speculation he was about to be sacked as Chelsea manager. From the start I asked them to play well with intensity and to try to do what we are doing in training, said Conte. This is the best game for us. Stoke won in the league for the first time this season as Wales international Joe Allen made it four goals in his last three games by scoring twice in a 2-0 win at home to basement club Sunderland. Meanwhile West Ham climbed out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win away to London rivals Crystal Palace. Manuel Lanzinis 19th-minute goal proved decisive in a match where Palaces Christian Benteke missed a penalty on the stroke of half-time. The Hammers won despite being reduced to 10 men for the final 15 minutes after Aaron Cresswell was sent off for two bookable offences.