EPL round-up: Manchester City Arsenal held, Liverpool shocked at home
Liverpool suffered his first defeat as Liverpool manager as Crystal Palace shocked them 2-1 at Anfield. Goals from Bolasie and Scott Dan was enough for Palace to take all three points from Merseyside.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs shared the spoils of a hard fought North London derby as Harry Kane’s first-half strike was cancelled out by substitute Kieron Gibbs in a 1-1 draw.
Manchester City would be disappointed to come away from Villa Park with just a point as Aston Villa held them to a 0-0 draw in Remi Garde's first game as the manager.
Aston Villa vs Manchester City
Aston Villa began the Remi Garde era in encouraging fashion as they hold league leaders Manchester City to a 0-0 draw. It was Frenchman Remi Garde’s first game in charge at Villa Park since his appointment as Aston Villa manager after the sacking of Tim Sherwood. He made as many as six changes to the squad which lost to Tottenham Hotspur last week.
There were no surprises in the City squad with the exception of captain Vincent Kompany making a start. Villa started the match in great fashion as they matched the visitors in possession and build up play. The Villa players looked like they had a point to prove to their new manager and their fans.
But catastrophe struck the visitors when striker Wilfried Bony pulled his hamstring and had to be taken off in the 23rd minute. It was a severe blow for the Citizens who already have Sergio Aguero on the treatment table and have no recognised strikers fit in the squad. It was a rather uneventful first half as both sides went into the break scoreless.
The best chance of the second-half fell to Fernando from a corner as in header crashed the bar right at the end of second-half. Aston Villa held on to give Garde his first point as Aston Villa manager.
Liverpool vs Crystal Palace
Liverpool welcomed Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace to Anfield. The match started with both teams trying to gain the upper hand in midfield. The visitors main attacking outlet was from the flanks with the pace of Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie. And not surprisingly, it was Palace who took the lead after 21 minutes.
Winger Bolasie struck a fierce shot past Mignolet after Emre Can and Lucas failed to clear a loose ball in the box. The home side were stunned with the opener but they immediately started their quest for an equaliser. The home side were dealt a blow on 35 minutes as the defender injured himself as he landed awkwardly on his feet.
Liverpool drew level on 42 minutes through the impressive Coutinho. He finished off a clever Lallana flick from a cross from Jordan Ibe. The game remained tied at 1-1 at halftime.
The home side started brightly after the interval with Benteke guilty of missing two great chances inside 15 minutes. However, Palace made Liverpool pay for their ineffective finishing as they scored in the 81st minute through Scott Dann as he powered a header past Mignolet. Crystal Palace held on to register a famous victory and hand Jurgen Klopp his first loss as Liverpool boss.
Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur visited the Emirates for the North London derby against Arsenal. Surprisingly Costa Rican International Joel Campbell was handed a start by Arsene Wenger. The match, as expected, started briskly as both sides wanted to take the early initiative. Arsenal had the first chance of the match as his shot was deflected away for a corner.
But it was the visiting side who took the lead in the 32 minute. Harry Kane cleverly beat the offside trap and curled his shot beautifully into the far bottom corner. The away fans erupted with joy as Kane scored again for Spurs. They weathered the home side’s search for an equaliser as they went into the break with the lead.
The game was nicely poised until the 77th when second half substitute Kieron Gibbs scored past Hugo Lloris. Mesut Ozil found the onrushing defender at the far past with an inch-perfect cross as he finished past the French goalkeeper to send the home fans into a frenzy. There were not many clear chances anymore as the teams shared the points and neither side would feel aggrieved.
Spurs will be disappointed at conceding a goal relatively late on, but they are now unbeaten in 11 league games.