LONDON: John Terry bundled in a stoppage-time winner as Chelsea beat Everton 1-0 to remain top of the Premier League. Victory kept Chelsea ahead of Arsenal and Manchester City, who also both won.
Chelsea looked set to drop points for the second successive league match before returning captain Terry lurched forward in pursuit of Frank Lampard’s cross and leave unlucky Everton empty-handed. Though Terry claimed the goal TV replays suggested in flew into the net off the hand of keeper Howard.
That late drama in the day’s early kick-off put Jose Mourinho’s men four points clear at the summit ahead of the 3pm fixtures, but Arsenal and City both responded with home wins of their own.
They did so in wildly contrasting fashion though, unlike in midweek when they suffered almost identical 2-0 home defeats in their Champions League ties.
Arsenal, fresh from being beaten by European champions Bayern Munich, cruised to a 4-1 victory over Sunderland that took them back to within a point of Chelsea.
The game was all but over by half-time with Olivier Giroud netting twice before Tomas Rosicky made it 3-0 in the 42nd minute. Laurent Koscielny added a fourth before third-bottom Sunderland pulled a late consolation back through Emanuele Giaccherini.
Manchester City, however, did not have it nearly as comfortable against their former manager Mark Hughes’s Stoke.
Looking to bounce back from their European loss to Barcelona, Manuel Pellegrini’s men were frustrated during a goalless first half and were indebted to a 70th-minute strike from Yaya Toure – his 13th league goal of the season – to snatch the 1-0 win.
City, who play Sunderland in the League Cup Final next weekend, remain two points behind Arsenal but have a game in hand.
Manchester United confront Olympiakos in the Champions League this week buoyed by a revival of confidence after confirmation of Wayne Rooney’s contract extension was followed by a return to fitness of Robin Van Persie and a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace.
United ended a three-match Premier League run without a win with second-half goals from Van Persie (penalty) and Rooney.
The England striker, who had signed his new five-and-a-half-year contract worth £300,000-per-week on Friday, had gone five games without a Premier League goal or an assist. This goal made him only the second Premier player to score 10 or more goals in 10 consecutive seasons, after Chelsea’s Frank Lampard.
Now the 28-year-old, who had a coin thrown at him by a Palace fan when taking a first-half corner, faces Olympiakos knowing that the Champions League is United’s last realistic chance of winning a trophy this season.
Also feeling happier will be midfielders Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick. This was the first time United have won a match in which the ex-Everton man started while Carrick celebrated his 400th league appearance by completing 135 passes – more than any other player in a single Premier game this season.
At the other end of the table, Fulham came within four minutes of a much-needed victory in new manager Felix Magath’s first game in charge, only to have to settle for a 1-1 draw at fellow strugglers West Brom.
The Cottagers looked set to climb off the foot of the table after taking a 28th-minute lead through Ashkan Dejagah but they were denied a first victory in eight league and cup games by an 86th-minute equaliser from Matej Vydra.
That goal kept Fulham in last place but they are now only a point behind Cardiff after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men were thrashed 4-0 at home by Hull.
Nikica Jelavic notched twice for Steve Bruce’s side, between goals from Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore, as Hull moved six points clear of 18th-placed Sunderland .
Visiting Southampton took an eighth-minute lead through Maya Yoshida but West Ham replied with goals from Matt Jarvis, Carlton Cole and Kevin Nolan to secure their fourth successive win.
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