Aguero to Man City’s rescue, Reds frustrated

SERGIO AGUERO came off the bench to score as Manchester City made light of playing for an hour with 10 men to beat Burnley 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Monday.

City, needing a quick response after defeat at title rivals Liverpool on Saturday, suffered a blow when Fernandinho was redcarded just past the half hour mark for a wild-looking tackle on Burnley's Iceland midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson.

The hosts dominated after the break, however, and took the lead after 58 minutes when Gael Clichy's low shot crept past Burnley keeper Tom Heaton and into the far corner. Aguero, introduced as a second-half substitute, doubled City's lead with a fine finish from a tight angle four minutes later but Ben Mee halved the deficit to set up a tense finale. City moved above Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal into third spot in the Premier League with 42 points, seven behind leaders Chelsea who play away at Spurs

Sunderland fight back

Jermain Defoe kept up Sunderland's fight to avoid relegation as he converted two penalties to give the Black Cats a 2-2 home draw with Liverpool after the visitors led twice in a rip-roaring Premier League clash on Monday.

Defoe took his league tally to 11 goals, cancelling out a 19th minute opener by Daniel Sturridge and then a 72nd minute Sadio Mane tap-in, with both Liverpool goals coming after poor Sunderland defending at corner kicks.

However, Liverpool returned the favour with a clumsy Ragnar Klavan challenge on Didier Ndong for Defoe's first spot kick and then with a dreadful Mane error for the second when a free kick hit the Senegal winger's outstretched arm.

The result left second-placed Liverpool five points behind leaders Chelsea, who visit London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, while Sunderland stay in the relegation zone although the draw took some of the pressure off manager David Moyes.

Foxes caged

Troubled champions Leicester City were held to a turgid 0-0 draw at Middlesbrough Coming off the bench, Aguero scored the winner against Burnley. on Monday to edge further clear of the Premier League relegation zone.

Leonardo Ulloa missed the visitors' best chance when he headed a Christian Fuchs corner straight at Brad Guzan in the 69th minute, although the Foxes were largely toothless without strikers Islam Slimani and Jamie Vardy, who was serving the final match of his three-game suspension.

Middlesbrough, now 16th on 19 points, threatened through Adama Traore, the game's outstanding individual, but he struggled to find an end product to accompany his scintillating work out wide.

Boro's Gaston Ramirez fired an 83rdminute effort into the side netting. Leicester kept consecutive clean sheets for the first time since April .