Foxes conquer Palace for first win
London, Oct. 22: North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur were both held to goalless draws on Saturday, handing Manchester City the initiative in the nascent Premier League title race.
Spurs drew 0-0 at Bournemouth, before Arsenal were held at home by promoted Middlesbrough, nudging Arsene Wenger’s side a point above previous leaders City, who host Southampton on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Ahmed Musa, Shinji Okazaki and Christian Fuchs were all on target as champions Leicester City ended a three-game winless run by crushing Crystal Palace 31. Arsenal, 6-0 winners over Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League in mid-week, were seeking an eighth successive win in all competitions.
Despite the hosts dominating the first half at the Emirates Stadium, Middlesbrough came closest to breaking the deadlock when Gaston Ramirez curled a 21st-minute freekick against the post.
The pattern of play did not change in the second period, but still Boro resisted, with goalkeeper Victor Valdes producing a full-stretch save to thwart Alexis Sanchez.
Tottenham extended their unbeaten start to the season to nine games — something they last achieved in 1990 — but squandered a chance to go top in a 0-0 draw at Bournemouth.
Both teams hit the woodwork in the early stages, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris diverting Charlie Daniels’s shot onto the bar and Erik Lamela clipping the post from distance.
“We had control, but we didn’t create enough chances to score,” Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino told Sky Sports. — AFP