Arsenal keep up with leaders; Mourinho sent off at home
TWO goals from Alexis Sanchez and another from Theo Walcott ended Bournemouth’s brave resistance at the Emirates stadium as Arsenal won 3-1 to stay in touch with the Premier League leaders yesterday.
The visitors, for whom Jack Wilshere was ineligible against his parent club, endured a horrific start with two players booked inside seven minutes and a goal conceded after 12 when Steve Cook botched a back-pass to his keeper to let in Sanchez for the easiest of openers.
Thoughts of an Arsenal procession were soon ended, however, with Callum Wilson equalising from the penalty spot after being bundled over by Nacho Monreal for Bournemouth’s first-ever goal against Arsenal.
Arsenal regained the ascendancy after the break when Monreal made amends by returning Sanchez’s pass across goal for Walcott to head his sixth league goal of the season. Sanchez completed the victory with a close-range shot in injury time.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was sent off for the second time in a month at Old Trafford yesterday and was left more frustrated by a 1-1 draw with West Ham United that left his side further off the Premier League pace.
Mourinho, who had been sent to the stands against Burnley last month for abuse towards referee Mark Clattenburg, this time received his matching orders from Jon Moss in the 27th minute after petulantly kicking a drinks bottle down the touchline.
Mourinho was angry at Paul Pogba’s booking with the score at 1-1, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s third goal in two league games having cancelled out Diafra Sakho’s header after 90 seconds, the second fastest Premier League goal conceded by United at Old Trafford.
United largely dominated the match but were thwarted by fine goalkeeping from Darren Randolph and had to settle for a fourth consecutive home draw which left them in sixth place, 11 points off the top of the table.
Stoke City capitalised on an unlucky own goal by Heurelho Gomes to beat Watford 1-0 with an assured display that moved them clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
Watford were disrupted by an early injury to Younes Kaboul, who limped off injured halfway through the first half, and seldom threatened before conceding what turned out to be the decisive goal when Charlie Adam’s header from a corner bounced off the post on to the unwitting Gomes and into the net.
With Marko Arnautovic impressing, Stoke looked comfortable in midfield despite the absence of suspended Joe Allen and almost increased their lead after the break when Jon Walters just failed to get on the end of the Austrian’s weighted pass.
Watford brought on last season’s top scorer Odion Ighalo in search of the equaliser and went close when Daryl Janmaat blazed over the bar. Their frustration was obvious and a bad day was made worse by the late sending off of Miguel Britos for a second bookable offence.
A dream debut for Southampton’s latest teenage talent Josh Sims ensured a nightmare return to St Mary’s for former manager Ronald Koeman whose lacklustre Everton side were beaten 1-0 yesterday.
The 19-year-old winger is the latest youngster off the club’s academy production line and took just 43 seconds to justify his starting place, scooping the ball on to Charlie Austin who headed Southampton into the lead from close range.
It was a spectacular start for a side who failed to muster a single shot on target against Liverpool the previous week and Sims almost doubled the score with a header when unmarked close to the goal before the break.
Koeman has had to give Everton several half-time gee-ups this season but the visitors were little better in the second half when Austin was denied a second goal by a sprawling save from Maarten Stekelenburg and James Ward-Prowse put one effort wide and had another cleared off the line. – Reuters