David Moyes recorded his first win as West Ham boss at Chelsea’s expense,
Marko Arnautovic’s first Hammers goal was enough to give Moyes a victory in his fifth game since taking over at London Stadium.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte said his side’s fourth loss of the season, which left them 11 points behind leaders Manchester City, ruled them out of the title race.
Tottenham ended a four-game run without a league win by putting five past Stoke at Wembley, including two goals from Harry Kane.
Spurs are fifth and 15 points behind Manchester City, who face second-placed Manchester United in a derby match on Sunday (16:30 GMT).
Swansea lifted themselves off the bottom with Wilfried Bony’s late goal the difference in a 1-0 win over West Brom.
Paul Clement’s side moved above Crystal Palace, who saw Christian Benteke miss an injury-time penalty in a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth – both Cherries goals coming from 35-year-old Jermain Defoe.
A Steve Mounie double gave Huddersfield a 2-0 win over Brighton and moved them five points clear of the relegation zone but Newcastle lost 3-2 at home to Leicester in Saturday’s late kick-off.
Burnley moved level on points with fifth-placed Spurs and sixth-placed Arsenal – who face Southampton on Sunday (12:00) – by overcoming Watford with a Scott Arfield goal.
Results of Saturday Premier League Games
West Ham 1-0 Chelsea
Tottenham 5-1 Stoke
Crystal Palace 2-2 Bournemouth
Huddersfield 2-0 Brighton
Swansea 1-0 West Brom
Burnley 1-0 Watford
Newcastle 2-3 Leicester
Southampton 1-1 Arsenal
Liverpool 1-1 Everton
Manchester United 1-2 Manchester City
In the games played on Sunday, goalless first half looked inevitable at Old Trafford until David Silva scored two minutes before the break. The leaders had owned the ball and bossed the tempo, but they often lacked a focal point with striker Sergio Aguero left on the bench.
United hadn’t had a shot in anger until first-half stoppage time, when Marcus Rashford slotted in after a defensive mix-up between Otamendi and Fabian Delph.
Otamendi restored City’s lead eight minutes after the break, following United’s own defensive gaffe when Romelu Lukaku smashed a clearance off the back of Chris Smalling.
It proved enough to see off a United side without much ambition going forward.
Everton found themselves overrun early on at Anfield, despite Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp leaving Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino on the bench. Even without their two flair players in the final third, the Reds pressed Everton back and always had the threat of Mane and Salah’s pace.
Not surprisingly, it was the latter who opened the scoring two minutes before the break. The goal was a superb example of strength, trickery and shooting power, as Salah brushed aside Cuco Martina before curling a shot into the top corner.
Liverpool didn’t do enough to put the game away in the second half and were punished when Dejan Lovren’s foul on Dominic Calvert-Lewin resulted in a penalty. Rooney scored from the spot to draw the Toffees level.
He may not have scored in a Merseyside derby before, but OptaJoe pointed out how much the former Manchester United captain loves playing against Everton’s local.
Rooney had Everton primed for a point but was soon sacrificed for centre-back Phil Jagielka, as manager Sam Allardyce sought to roll down the shutters defensively.
His tactic paid off as the Toffees preserved their point and continued their revival on Allardyce’s watch. The club has hauled itself out of the bottom three and merits its place in the top 10.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will rue not taking advantage of a weekend when both Arsenal and Chelsea dropped points in the close race to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
A sluggish Arsenal went behind in three minutes at St Mary’s Stadium to Charlie Austin’s smartly taken opener. The game then quickly settled into a pattern of the Gunners trying—and failing—to pass through the Saints’ well-disciplined defensive block.
It took several tweaks by manager Arsene Wenger to help Arsenal earn a point his side barely deserved. First, the Frenchman switched his team from three at the back to a back four. He then introduced strikers Giroud and Danny Welbeck up top, while Jack Wilshere came off the bench and into midfield.
The Gunners still laboured despite the changes, until two minutes from time when Giroud glanced a cross from Alexis Sanchez just beyond Fraser Forster. It was a deft header, one which drew Arsenal’s super-sub level with another frequent scorer from the bench.
Giroud now only trails one player for goals as a substitute in England’s top flight.
Another late show from Giroud spared some of Arsenal’s blushes, but there was no hiding the general lack of quality and assurance in their performance. Top players such as Sanchez struggled to impose themselves, while there were always mistakes in a shaky defence.
Inconsistency at both ends of the pitch is why the Gunners’ title hopes are over before Christmas. Even so, Arsenal merit some plaudits for another late comeback.
Scoring late goals isn’t enough to keep Arsenal in a title race now looking increasingly like a stroll, rather than a sprint to the finish, for City.
Credit: BBC and BleachReport
