SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2014 SPORTS EPL results/standings Arsenal 4 (Giroud 15, 58, Cazorla 54, 88-pen) Newcastle 1 (Perez 63); Burnley 1 (Barnes 73) Southampton 0; Chelsea 2 (Hazard 7, Costa 68) Hull 0; Crystal Palace 1 (McArthur 11) Stoke 1 (Crouch 13); Leicester 0 Manchester City 1 (Lampard 40); Sunderland 1 (Gomez 22-pen) West Ham 1 (Downing 29); West Brom 1 (Gardner 72) Aston Villa 0. Playing today Manchester Utd v Liverpool, Swansea v Tottenham Playing tomorrow Everton v QPR English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Chelsea 16 12 3 1 36 13 39 Stoke 16 5 4 7 18 21 19 Man City 16 11 3 2 33 14 36 Aston Villa 16 5 4 7 10 20 19 Man Utd 15 8 4 3 26 17 28 Everton 15 4 6 5 24 23 18 West Ham 16 8 4 4 27 19 28 West Brom 16 4 5 7 15 20 17 Southampton 16 8 2 6 25 13 26 Sunderland 16 2 10 4 14 24 16 Arsenal 16 7 5 4 28 19 26 Crystal Palace 16 3 6 7 19 24 15 Newcastle 16 6 5 5 18 22 23 Burnley 16 3 6 7 11 24 15 Swansea 15 6 4 5 20 17 22 QPR 15 4 2 9 16 27 14 Liverpool 15 6 3 6 19 19 21 Hull 16 2 7 7 15 23 13 Tottenham 15 6 3 6 18 21 21 Leicester 16 2 4 10 15 27 10 Crouch earns Stoke a point for an uninspiring contest. Palace took an 11th minute lead when Crystal Palace 1 Yannick Bolasia sent in a cross from the left to the centre of the box for James McArthur to head over the keeper and into the top right corner. Stoke 1 Seconds later Crouch had Stoke back on level terms. Bojan Krkic charged down the right before knocking the ball back for Jon BIRMINGHAM: Leicester City’s Ghanaian striker Jeff Schlupp vies with AstonVilla’s Scottish defender Alan Hutton (right) during het English Walters. Premier League football match. —AFP He was unsuccessful with his attempt, LONDON: Peter Crouch scored a quick but Crouch, who like Bojan was on the equaliser for Stoke in a forgettable 1-1 scoresheet last weekend, struck home on Premier League draw at Crystal Palace yes- his 600th league appearance. Gardner returns to terday. Towards the end of the first half Palace The stalemate at Selhurst Park main- had appeals for a penalty turned down tained Stoke’s unbeaten run against after Wilfried Zaha’s shot appeared to hit London clubs this season after wins against Erik Pieters’ arm. Arsenal, Tottenham and draws with Queens Hughes was forced into an unscripted haunt Aston Villa Park Rangers and West Ham. change of personnel shortly after the For Stoke, the only switch from their 3-2 restart with Marko Arnautovic coming on His strike gave West Brom only their second and crossed. defeat of Arsenal last weekend was forced for the injured Bojan. home win over Villa in 13 attempts and lifted Visiting manager Lambert stiffened his mid- on boss Mark Hughes with injured Marc Only smart work from Stoke keeper West Brom 1 Alan Irvine’s side two places in the table to 14th; field at half-time by sending on the fit-again Muniesa replaced by Marc Wilson in Asmir Begovic denied McArthur his sec- three points above the relegation places. Fabian Delph for Charles N’Zogbia, but West defence. ond.Palace then had injury problems of Paul Lambert’s Villa, who had won their previ- Brom continued to dominate. Palace manager Neil Warnock fielded their own, with Jason Puncheon coming on ous two matches and were unbeaten in five, Silvestre Varela saw a well-struck volley the same side that held Spurs to a goalless for Zaha, and with 10 minutes left, Dwight Aston Villa 0 slipped one place to 12th. West Brom, who again blocked, while the recalled Brown Ideye squan- draw last weekend. The frosty handshake Gayle coming on for Marouane Chamakh. left top scorer Saido Berahino on the bench, dered two good chances, fluffing his lines from between the two managers-Warnock The game petered out to leave Palace one were first to threaten, with visiting goalkeeper James Morrison’s cross and then blazing a centre admitted this week they “don’t send point off the relegation zone, with Stoke in Brad Guzan obliged to palm away a shot from from Varela over the bar. Irvine introduced Christmas cards”-at the start set the tone mid-table. —AFP WEST BROMWICH: Craig Gardner scored left-back Sebastien Pocognoli. Ashley Berahino with 20 minutes left and the recent against his former club as West Bromwich Westwood’s knee injury saw Richardson drafted England call-up made an immediate impact. Albion ended a run of five winless Premier into Villa’s starting XI, but his return to The His cross from the right was not gathered by League games by beating 10-man Aston Villa Hawthorns proved short-lived. Guzan and following a scramble, the ball 1-0 yesterday. After over-running the ball, the former popped up for Gardner-who began his career at Kieran Richardson, who was also playing Manchester United midfielder slid in on Villa-to slam home the winner. against his old team, was sent off mid-way Sessegnon with his studs showing and was Christian Benteke had two chances to through the first half for a foul on Stephane shown a straight red card by referee Mike Dean. equalise, but he flicked the ball narrowly wide Sessegnon and Gardner made West Brom’s West Brom finished the first half strongly, from a Ciaran Clark header and then sliced off- numerical advantage count with a 72nd-minute with Sessegnon forcing Guzan to save with his target from Gabriel Agbonlahor’s chested lay-off winner. feet after Pocognoli beat Alan Hutton on the left in injury time. —AFP Barnes condemns Saints to fourth straight loss they remain in fifth place in the table, while in the first half, curling an early shot just wide Burnley climb out of the relegation zone for now and then seeing an effort blocked when a pass Burnley 1 after bouncing back from last weekend’s defeat to George Boyd may have been the preferable at Queens Park Rangers, their only loss in six option. games. A largely scrappy first period gave way to a Home manager Sean Dyche named an more dramatic second half under driving rain in Southampton 0 unchanged line-up despite the defeat at QPR, deepest Lancashire, with the visitors being while Koeman welcomed back Toby handed the chance to open the scoring on the Alderweireld in defence and, with Morgan hour mark when Ryan Bertrand was brought Schneiderlin still missing, handed a first Premier down inside the box. BURNLEY: Southampton slumped to their League start to 18-year-old midfielder Jake Southampton had scored their previous 29 LONDON: West Ham United’s captain Alex Song (left) vies for the ball with fourth consecutive Premier League defeat yes- Hesketh. penalties in the Premier League, but this time Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole (right) during their English Premier League soccer terday, missing a penalty in a 1-0 loss to strug- Hesketh’s day soon unravelled, however, as Heaton dived the right way to deny Tadic. match at the Stadium of Light. —AP gling Burnley at Turf Moor. he was booked for a late challenge on Burnley Graziano Pelle then fired wide but the penal- Dusan Tadic saw his second-half penalty ‘keeper Heaton before taking a knock and com- ty proved to be the decisive moment of the day, saved by Tom Heaton before Ashley Barnes capi- ing off injured after just 32 minutes. and Burnley went on to claim only their third talised on uncharacteristically sloppy Saints The youngster was left in floods of tears on win of the season when England international Hammers hold defending to net the only goal of the game in the bench after being replaced by James Ward- Nathaniel Clyne lost the ball, allowing Barnes to the 73rd minute. Prowse, and without him Saints were unable to collect and beat goalkeeper Fraser Forster with a After a magnificent start to the campaign, get back on track after successive losses against shot that deflected off Alderweireld. Sunderland Ronald Koeman’s Southampton have now lost Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester Heaton then denied Jose Fonte and Victor four games on the bounce for the first time since United. Wanyama missed the target with a stoppage- the opening four matches of their return to the Making his 100th league appearance for time header as Southampton were left with just was worthy of a penalty. Premier League last season. Despite the reverse, Burnley, Danny Ings was a threat for the Clarets one point from the last 15 available. —AFP Allardyce was furious and launched a Sunderland 1 touchline tirade at Dowd before Gomez added to West Ham’s frustration by calmly converting the spot-kick. But Allardyce’s anger was eased seven minutes later as West Ham 1 Downing equalised for the visitors. The former Sunderland loanee was giv- en too much space on the edge of the area and he took advantage with a low left-foot SUNDERLAND: West Ham consolidated shot that deflected past the wrong-footed their surprise position in the Premier Pantilimon. League’s top four as Stewart Downing sal- Jozy Altidore should have put vaged a 1-1 draw at Sunderland yesterday.