The Hindu : Sport : Arsenal returns to the top

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Monday, Oct 08, 2007
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Arsenal returns to the top

Chelsea, Newcastle score wins; Liverpool, Tottenham play draw

— Photo: Ian Walton/ Getty Images

NETTING THE WINNER: Arsenal’s Robin van Persie sealed Sunderland’s fate with a late goal.

LONDON: Robin van Persie scored the late winner for Arsenal in a 3-2 win over Sunderland in the English Premier League that returned the Gunners to the top of the table.

In a busy Sunday programme, Avram Grant finally won his first Premier League game as coach of Chelsea in a 1-0 win over Bolton.

Fernando Torres scored in the 90th minute to salvage a 2-2 draw for Liverpool against Tottenham and Michael Owen marked his return from a minor surgery with a goal in Newcastle’s 3-2 win over Everton.

Arsenal was up 2-0 after 14 minutes thanks to van Persie’s first goal and another from Philippe Senderos, before Sunderland replied through Ross Wallace and Kenwyne Jones.

“After 15 minutes, the game looked to be easy and maybe we convinced ourselves of that as well,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “Part of our mental focus went — when you do that at this level, you pay for it.”

Easy for Man City

Also Sunday, it was: Blackburn 2, Birmingham 1; Manchester City 3, Middlesbrough 1; and Reading 1, Derby 0.

Arsenal leads the Premier League standings with 22 points, followed by Manchester United in second with 20. The Red Devils had moved into the top spot on Saturday for the first time this season with a 4-0 win over Wigan.

Manchester City is third with 19 points, with Liverpool in fourth with 16.

Van Persie scored the winner in the 80th minute, after taking a cross from substitute Theo Walcott. He had put Arsenal ahead in the seventh minute with a shot that went in off the underside of the crossbar.

Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon then pushed away a header from Emmanuel Adebayor, but could not stop Senderos from scoring with a low shot in the 14th.

Sunderland pulled a goal back in the 25th, with Wallace scoring from the rebound after Jones had a shot saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

Jones headed into goal in the 48th minute to draw the Black Cats level. Sunderland defender Paul McShane was sent off in the 90th minute for a tackle on midfielder Alexander Hleb.

Tottenham was seconds away from winning its first away match this season. But Torres rose to meet a cross from Steve Finnan at the far post to head past Robinson and draw the match.

Andriy Voronin put Liverpool ahead in the 12th after a blunder by Paul Robinson. England’s first-choice goalkeeper fumbled the save from Steven Gerrard’s free-kick and the ball fell to the feet of Voronin to hit home.

Tottenham equalised through Robbie Keane in the 45th, who took a header from Dimitar Berbatov to score past Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina.

Keane scored his second goal to put Spurs in the lead in the 47th. Robinson’s deep kick was headed on by Berbatov into the path of Keane, who beat Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher to score.

Chelsea won its first Premier League game since Grant took over from Jose Mourinho on September 19.

The results: Fulham 0 Portsmouth 2 (Benjamin Mwaruwari 50, Hermann Hreidarsson 52) bt Fulham 0 ; Blackburn Rovers 2 (David Bentley 15, Benny McCarthy 56) bt Birmingham City 1 (Cameron Jerome 68); Chelsea 1 (Salomon Kalou 41) bt Bolton Wanderers 0; Liverpool 2 (Andriy Voronin 12, Fernando Torres 92) drew with Tottenham Hotspur 2 (Robbie Keane 45, 47); Manchester City 3 (Chris Riggott (10og, Elano 33,63) bt Middlesbrough 1 (Benjamin Hutchinson 89); Newcastle United 3 (Nicky Butt 42, Emre Belozoglu 86, Michael Owen 90) bt Everton 2 (Andy Johnson 53, Shay Given (93og)); Reading 1 (Kevin Doyle 63) bt Derby County 0; Arsenal 3 (Robin van Persie 7, 80, Philippe Senderos 14) bt Sunderland 2 (Ross Wallace 25, Kenwyne Jones 48). — AP

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