Arsenal go top after Stoke threaten shock
ARSENAL came from behind to put three past Stoke at the Emirates to go top of the table — overnight, at least.
Goals from Theo Walcott — his 100th club strike — Mesut Ozil and Alex Iwobi secured all three points.
The Gunners moved level on points with Chelsea — who play West Brom today — but above their London rivals on goals scored after Charlie Adam’s penalty had put Stoke ahead.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said: ‘We had a hesitant start but when you play every few days, sometimes it takes you time to get into a rhythm and that is what happened.
‘We got a very unlucky penalty against us because it is not even a foul in my opinion. Mentally, it was good for morale to get back to 1-1 before half-time.
‘We are there for the fight and we have been consistent after the first game. It is down to us to maintain the focus and the desire to improve. We have a chance to fight at the top.’
Visiting manager Mark Hughes added: ‘A lot of teams will struggle to come here and cope with the pace and power they have. You have to take it on the chin and go again.’
The sides could not be settled at the KCOM Stadium as Hull and Crystal Palace shared the spoils in a 3-3 draw.
Robert Snodgrass put Hull ahead with a controversial penalty after going down as Palace defender Scott Dann slid in. Replays showed, however, that Dann tried to pull his leg away and there was no contact whatsoever.
After the match, Snodgrass said: ‘I’ve not seen it. I thought the boy was going to come in so I tried to ride the tackle. The players weren’t happy but I’ve not seen it again.’ He later Tweeted: ‘Apologies from my end... it was never a penalty, but genuinely thought defender was going to slide, so tried to ride the tackle.’
Christian Benteke levelled the scores on 52 minutes and Wilfried Zaha put the visitors ahead.
The match was flipped on its head once more after quickfire goals from Adama Diomande and Jake Livermore inched Hull in front but Fraizer Campbell’s late strike secured a point for Palace.
Swansea moved out of the bottom three after a 3-0 victory over relegation rivals Sunderland.
Gylfi Sigurdson put the home side ahead from the spot in the second half and a Fernando Llorente double sealed the three points at the Liberty Stadium.
Elsewhere, there were 3-2 wins for Watford and Burnley over Everton and Bournemouth, respectively.
Romelu Lukaku may have rediscovered his scoring touch after netting a double, but it was not enough for Everton as Watford took all three points after goals from Stefano Okaka (2) and Sebastian Prodl.
At Turf Moor, Burnley raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to Jeff Hendrick and Stephen Ward. Benik Afobe struck on the stroke of half-time for Bournemouth but George Boyd all but wrapped the three points up 15 minutes from time. Charlie Daniels fired a late consolation.