Premier League roundup: Arsenal and Manchester City enjoy easy 4-0 wins, Liverpool and Spurs draw
Arsenal turn on the style in a 4-0 victory against Watford at the Emirates
Arsenal clawed back some points over leaders Leicester to keep alive their faint title hopes. The Gunners were at their intricate best on a sunny Emirates afternoon as goals from Alexis Sanchez, Alex Iwobi, Hector Bellerin and Theo Walcott resulted in a comfortable win for Arsenal.
Sanchez opened the scoring for Arsenal after Iwobi lofted in a cross from the left, and as the Chilean hung in the air to make a downward header, Gomes made a save. However, Alexis attacked the rebound and looped the ball into the net with his left foot to give Arsenal an early lead.
The Chilean winger returned the favour as he was set free by an exquisite touch from Ozil down the right, charged down the wing and sent in a low cross for an onrushing Iwobi to calmly slot home from the penalty spot, thus giving the Gunners a two goal lead going into the second half.
Hector Bellerin made the game safe early in the second half, as a headed Watford clearance fell to the Spaniard on the edge of the box. Bellerin’s left-footed volley was deflected by Ben Watson, leaving Gomes no chance.
Arsenal completed the rout in the final minute of normal time, as Ozil played in Joel Campbell on the counter with a lovely long ball, and the Costa Rican got past his marker and sent in a low cross for Theo Walcott to tap home and thus earn Arsenal a convincing win over the Hornets.
Manchester City thrash hapless Bournemouth 4-0 away from home
Kevin De Bruyne netted on his Premier League return as Manchester City eased past Bournemouth. The Citizens started off the game in dominant fashion as they went 3-0 up within 19 minutes thanks to goals from Fernando, De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero.
The visitors were immediately on the front foot as Fernando turned home a wonderful cushioned header from Jesus Navas' corner, before De Bruyne finished off a slick move involving Sergio Aguero and David Silva after Bournemouth gave the ball away.
Manchester City went into the break leading 3-0 and the game was all but over in the first half.
The second half did not have the same intensity as the first half for Manchester City as they seemed satisfied with a 3 goal lead. However, City did add a fourth goal thanks to a late goal from Aleksandar Kolarov. It was a traditional left-footed pile driver from the City full-back.
The win saw Manchester City gain some vital points in the race for a Champions League spot while Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth will be looking to bounce back from this poor result in their next game against bottom placed club Aston Villa who suffered a 4-0 thrashing against Chelsea.
In the other important result of the day West Ham were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Crystal Palace denting their chances of a top 4 finish.
Also, the relegation battle had some twists and turns today as Newcastle lost 3-2 to Nowich thanks to a dramatic late goal from Martin Olsson while Sunderland were held to a 0-0 draw against West Brom.
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur share the spoils
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur played out an exciting 1-1 draw at Anfield as the two sides failed to earn a crucial three points that were needed for different reasons. Tottenham were looking to close the gap on Premier League leaders Leicester City, while Liverpool were looking to earn a place in Europe.
The game was a rather sloppy affair in the opening 30 minutes, with both sides absolutlely calamitous in possession as the high-tempo coupled with the high pressing resulting in few chances being created, apart from Christian Eriksen’s shot on goal early on.
The big moment of the first half was Daniel Sturridge’s miss, as the striker was sent clear on goal by a through ball from Coutinho, but could only shoot straight at Lloris, when it looked easier to score. Adam Lallana drew a couple of saves from Lloris as well, as Liverpool were unhappy to go into the break without opening the scoring.
The hosts were cheering minutes into the second half as Coutinho and Sturridge played an exquisite one-two on the edge of the box, allowing the Brazilian a yard of space. Countinho calmy slotted the ball into the bottom right corner, thus giving Liverpool the lead in the 51st minute.
Liverpool’s joy was short-lived as as Tottenham equalized soon after. Christian Eriksen did extremely well to keep the ball alive on the left wing, and was rewarded for his efforts when he passed to Kane on the edge of the box. The Englishman fooled Lovren with a deft turn, before rifling the ball into the opposite bottom corner and restore parity in the 63rd minute.
Tottenham and Liverpool traded chances as the half wore on, but were unable to apply a finishing touch, with Sturridge missing a header. Christian Eriksen went close with a late free-kick, but Liverpool and Tottenham shared the spoils as the final whistle blew, which meant Leicester were the ultimate winners.
Results and Scores
Aston Villa 0-4 Chelsea
Arsenal 4-0 Watford
Bournemouth 0-4 Manchester City
Norwich City 3-2 Newcastle United
Stoke City 2-2 Swansea City
Sunderland 0-0 West Bromwich Albion
West Ham United 2-2 Crystal Palace
Liverpool 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur