Arsenal lead again as United crash
LONDON, England — Arsenal returned to the top of the English Premier League with a 4-1 victory away to Everton in Saturday’s late match as both sides finished the game with 10 men.
Previous leaders Manchester United earlier crashed to a 2-1 defeat at West Ham as top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo missed a second-half penalty.
Arsenal will begin 2008 two points clear at the top of the table after coming from behind in fine style at Goodison Park.
Striker Eduardo Da Silva netted twice after Tim Cahill put the home side ahead on 19 minutes, while substitutes Emmanuel Adebayor and Tomas Rosicky sealed the victory with goals in the last 12 minutes.
Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner and Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta were dismissed in separate incidents towards the end.
Cahill was credited with the opening goal after Bendtner failed to clear Arteta’s corner, and the Australia international stabbed home as he beat team-mate Yakubu to the ball.
Summer signing Eduardo leveled just after half-time with his first Premier League goal for Arsenal, controlling Gael Clichy’s long pass on his body and then beating goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Yakubu headed wide at the other end before the Brazil-born Croatia forward scored again on 57 with his ninth goal in 10 games in all competitions, gathering Bendtner’s flick-on and racing clear after Phil Jagielka slipped.
Bendtner picked up his second yellow card in the 74th minute for a foul on Everton substitute Andy Johnson, but Arsenal went further ahead with a farcical third goal.
Abebayor took advantage of a mix-up between Joseph Yobo and Howard after a long goalkick from Manuel Almunia, running the ball into the net after he stabbed the ball past the home side’s goalkeeper.
Everton were also reduced to 10 men when Arteta was shown a straight red on 84 after his arm arm caught Cesc Fabregas in the face and his fellow Spaniard hurled himself to the ground.
Fabregas was booked for a foul on Steven Pienaar before being replaced by Rosicky, with the Czech wrapping up victory from the edge of the box in injury-time.
United were in early trouble at Upton Park as Hayden Mullins hit the visitors’ crossbar and Mark Noble somehow sidefooted over from the rebound, but Ronaldo put Alex Ferguson’s side ahead in the 14th minute.
The Portugal winger headed in at the near post from Ryan Giggs’ cross following a fine counter-attack started by striker Carlos Tevez, whose goals last season helped West Ham avoid relegation.
Nolberto Solano was denied from 25 yards by United keeper Tomasz Kuszczak and Carlton Cole headed over before Ronaldo dragged a good chance wide.
West Ham lost Solano and fellow midfielder Scott Parker to injury in the second spell, then Ronaldo blazed wide from the spot in the 66th minute after American center-back Jonathan Spector handled his pass in the box.
The Hammers took heart from the escape, and equalized 11 minutes later when substitute Anton Ferdinand powerfully headed home Noble’s corner.
And fellow center-back Matthew Upson netted West Ham’s winner in the 82nd minute with a header from Noble’s free-kick.
Third-placed Chelsea closed the gap on United to five points with a controversial 2-1 victory at home to Newcastle.
Striker Salomon Kalou netted an 87th-minute winner despite appearing to be in an offside position as he pounced on a loose ball after Jon Obi Mikel’s shot hit Chelsea substitute Claudio Pizarro.
Michael Essien put the home side ahead in the 29th minute with only his third goal this season after Shaun Wright-Phillips’ effort dropped kindly for him.
Newcastle leveled when midfielder Nicky Butt bundled in Charles N’Zogbia’s cross while under pressure from Chelsea’s Wayne Bridge in the 56th minute.
Keeper Shay Given made a string of fine saves for the visitors, who were beaten at struggling Wigan on Wednesday.
Tottenham followed up the 5-1 Boxing Day victory against London rivals Fulham with an astonishing 6-4 win at home to Reading.
Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov netted four goals as Spurs came from behind three times to stun a battling Royals side who were beaten 7-4 at Reading earlier this season.
Berbatov put the home side ahead in the seventh minute from strike partner Robbie Keane’s cross, but Kalifa Cisse leveled nine minutes later.
Ivar Ingimarsson headed in Nicky Shorey’s corner on 53 but substitute Jermain Defoe set up Berbatov 10 minutes later.
Striker Paul Kitson put Reading ahead again from a Shorey set-piece before Berbatov’s hat-trick on 73, then scored his second just 60 seconds later to make it 4-3.
Midfielder Steed Malbranque leveled before Defoe capped a sequence of five goals in 10 minutes when he followed up after Marcus Hahnemann saved Keane’s penalty-kick, before Berbatov sealed victory seven minutes from time.
Aston Villa kept in touch with the top six with a first victory in six outings after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Wigan, who dropped into the bottom three.
Titus Bramble’s header from a Ryan Taylor corner put the home side ahead in the 28th minute, with the defender scoring for the first time since August 2006.
But Villa, who lost Norway forward John Carew to injury early on, hit back in the second half as center-back Curtis Davies — making his first Premier League start since joining from West Brom in the summer — nodded in Gareth Barry’s corner 10 minutes after half-time.
England Under-21 striker Gabriel Agbonlahor headed the winner off the underside of the crossbar in the 70th minute from Ashley Young’s cross.
Sunderland moved out of the relegation, a point above Wigan, after beating Bolton 3-1 at home.
Summer signing Kieran Richardson, starting his first match since August following injury problems, fired Sunderland’s opener in the 13th minute after being set up by striker Kenwyne Jones — who made it 2-0 with a near-post header from a corner on 32.
El-Hadji Diouf’s 30-yard free-kick evaded everyone in the penalty box to reduce the deficit five minutes before half-time, but Daryl Murphy settled Sunderland’s nerves in the 90th minute as Roy Keane’s side notched a first win in five games.
Fulham remained second from bottom despite earning a 1-1 draw at Birmingham in Ray Lewington’s last match as caretaker manager.
With new boss Roy Hodgson watching from the stands, American defender Carlos Bocanegra put the visitors ahead in the eighth minute with a header from a corner by Simon Davies.
But Sebastian Larsson equalized from 20 yards out in the 55th minute, and Fulham ended the match with 10 men after Hameur Bouazza was sent off with 11 minutes to play.
Middlesbrough moved away from the relegation zone with a 1-0 victory at UEFA Cup hopefuls Portsmouth, who have slipped down the table after taking just one point from the last four matches.
Turkish striker Tuncay Sanli scored the winner in the 20th minute with his fourth goal in six games after goalkeeper David James could only parry a cross-shot from former Portsmouth midfielder Gary O’Neil.
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