Mahrez fires City to top; Lloris saves Tottenham
london — Riyad Mahrez fired Manchester City back to the top of the Premier League as the champions won 1-0 against Bournemouth, while Hugo Lloris saved Tottenham in their draw with north Lon- don rivals Arsenal on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s side sit two points above Liverpool thanks to Mahrez’s second-half winner at Dean Court.
The only frustration for City in a hard-fought victory were injuries to Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones, which could significantly impact their bid to win an unprecedented quadruple.
De Bruyne hobbled off after the Belgian midfielder suffered a noncontact injury in the first half.
He has already been absent for long spells this season because of two different knee injuries.
Mahrez claimed his first league goal since December, the Algeria winger driving his shot under Bournemouth ‘keeper Artur Boruc.
Liverpool can regain pole position if they win the Merseyside derby at Everton on Sunday.
At Wembley, Lloris saved a 90thminute penalty as Tottenham salvaged a 1-1 draw in a pulsating derby. Mauricio Pochettino’s side fell behind in the 16th minute when Aaron Ramsey slotted home from Alexandre Lacazette’s pass.
But Harry Kane won a controversial 74th-minute penalty to equalise for Tottenham.
Kane was offside when Christian Eriksen sent over a free-kick, but the flag stayed down and the England striker was bundled over by Shkodran Mustafi.
Kane calmly notched his 22nd goal of the season and his ninth in nine Premier League games against the Gunners.
Arsenal had a golden opportunity to take the points when Davinson Sanchez was penalised for a soft challenge on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Arsenal finished a bruising contest with 10 men after Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira was sent off for a studs-up foul on Danny Rose.
The dramatic finale ensured Pochettino, celebrating his 47th birthday, avoided a third successive defeat as Tottenham’s record run of 33 league games without a draw came to an end.
Third-placed Tottenham remain four points ahead of Arsenal as the fight for Champions League qualification heats up. Arsenal dropped to fifth place after Manchester United moved one point above them into fourth with a dramatic 3-2 win against struggling Southampton at Old Trafford. Romelu Lukaku, back in form after a long barren spell, put United in front six minutes later with a composed finish. James Ward-Prowse drew fourth-bottom Southampton level with a superb 75th-minute free-kick.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace pushed Burnley back into relegation danger with a 3-1 win at Turf Moor. Palace went ahead in the 15th minute when Jeffrey Schlupp’s cross was turned into his own net by Burnley defender Phil Bardsley.
Michy Batshuayi, on loan from Chelsea, doubled Palace’s lead in the 48th minute. Wilfried Zaha made it three in the 76th minute and Ashley Barnes’s last-minute effort was no consolation for Burnley, who are five points above the bottom three. —