Chelsea drop first points as West Ham battle to hard-earned draw
LONDON: Chelsea dropped their first points of the season on Sunday as West Ham held Maurizio Sarri’s team to a 0-0 draw to leave Liverpool out on their own at the top of the Premier League.
Chelsea had won all five of their league matches before the weekend, going toe to toe with Liverpool, who beat Southampton on Saturday to make it six wins out of six.
The visitors had 72 percent possession at the London Stadium but failed to create many clear-cut chances and had to deal with West Ham’s constant threat on the break.
Sarri bemoaned his side’s failure to kill the game off and said West Ham -- who lost their first four matches of the season -- were tough opponents.
“In my statistics we had seven opportunities against three,” he said. “I knew that West Ham is a very good team. I don’t know why they lost their first four matches in the Premier League.”
“It’s impossible to win every match. It’s OK, one point.”
ARSENAL VICTORIOUS
LONDON: Alexandre Lacazette fired Arsenal to a fourth successive Premier League win as the French forward’s superb strike inspired a hard-fought 2-0 success against Everton.
Unai Emery’s side rode their luck in the first half at the Emirates Stadium as Everton wasted a host of chances to punish a sloppy opening from the Gunners.
But Lacazette ensured that lethargic spell wouldn’t prove costly when he smashed a sublime opener in the second half.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doubled Arsenal’s lead moments later when the Gabon forward was allowed to slot home despite being clearly offside.
That controversial effort shattered Everton’s resolve as Arsenal celebrated a flattering victory that lifted them to sixth place.
The north Londoners have now won their last five games in all competitions, yet, not for the first time, this was a far from convincing display.
A first clean sheet of the Emery era was a welcome sight for the Arsenal manager, but he will know there is still plenty of room for improvement in all areas.