City remain on top, Arsenal beat Swansea

Sport360 staff 21:43 31/10/2015
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  • Saves the day: Yaya Toure (l).

    A late Yaya Toure penalty kept Manchester City top of the Premier League table as Chelsea suffered their sixth defeat of a woeful title defence to increase the pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.

    Title favourites City were expected to ease past Norwich but Manuel Pellegrini’s side were made to work for the three points, Toure converting a late penalty after Russell Martin was sent off for handball as City recorded a 2-1 victory.

    Nicolas Otamendi headed the hosts ahead with his first goal for the club before Joe Hart dropped a cross at the feet of Cameron Jerome, who equalised from barely a yard out.

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    It looked like Alex Neil’s side were set for an unlikely point only for Martin to handle Raheem Sterling’s shot inside the box, picking up a red card and seeing Toure slam home the spot-kick with two minutes remaining.

    Things could have got worse for the visitors as Robbie Brady brought down Sterling in the box, but with Toure having been substitute Aleksandar Kolarov took over penalty duties and shot wide.

    Arsenal thought they had taken over at the summit having secured an impressive 3-0 victory at Swansea.

    After a close first half, Olivier Giroud glanced home Alexis Sanchez’s corner to score the Gunners 2,000th goal under Arsene Wenger.

    Laurent Koscielny then doubled the visitors’ advantage, with Swansea claiming goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski was fouled by the France defender.

    Joel Campbell then made sure of the points by topping off his first Premier League start with a curling finish from inside the box.

    City and Arsenal are now separated on goal difference while Leicester are third after again coming from behind to win 3-2 at West Brom – with Jamie Vardy on the scoresheet once more.

    The Foxes went behind as Salomon Rondon scored for the second game in succession but Claudio Ranieri’s men have shown plenty of fight this season and a Riyad Mahrez brace put them in front before Vardy scored for the eighth Premier League game running – with only Daniel Sturridge and Ruud van Nistelrooy having done so in the past.

    The visitors hung on for the win to remain unbeaten on the road despite Rickie Lambert’s late penalty after Nathan Dyer had felled Callum McManaman.

    Leicester replace Manchester United in third as Louis van Gaal’s side were held to a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace.

    The Red Devils have not scored in over five hours and a Wayne Rooney free-kick was their only effort on target as they were lucky to leave Selhurst Park with a point.

    Yannick Bolasie hit the bar for Alan Pardew’s Eagles, with Yohan Cabaye arguably missing their best chance to record a famous win.

    West Ham also lost ground on the leaders after losing on the road for the first time under Slaven Bilic – going down 2-0 at Watford and finishing with 10 men.

    The Hammers have won at Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool before beating Chelsea at Upton Park last weekend but they were the architects of their own downfall.

    The recalled Andy Carroll lost possession in his own box, with Nathan Ake crossing for Odion Ighalo to bundle home, and the Nigeria international helped himself to a seventh goal of the campaign as he collected an Ikechi Anya cross after James Tomkins miscued his clearance.

    West Ham’s Enner Valencia hit the woodwork but, when James Collins was sent off late on, the points were wrapped up for Quique Sanchez Flores’ side.

    If Hart had dropped a clanger in City’s win over Norwich, fellow England goalkeeper Jack Butland again showed he can provide stiff competition for Roy Hodgson’s number one with a superb display in Stoke’s 0-0 draw at Newcastle.

    Steve McLaren’s side created the better chances but Aleksandar Mitrovic hit the post in the first half before Butland twice saved well from Moussa Sissoko and kept out Jamaal Lascelles’ late header with a superb stop.

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