The Hindu : Sport / Football : Arsenal back on top; Manchester United downs Liverpool

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Monday, Dec 17, 2007
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Arsenal back on top; Manchester United downs Liverpool

LONDON: Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 to go back on top of the Premier League on Sunday with William Gallas condemning his former club to its first defeat in 17 matches with the only goal of the game.

Gallas scored in injury time at the end of the first-half at the Emirates Stadium when he powered in unmarked to head home a corner from the fit-again Cesc Fabregas after Chelsea ’keeper Petr Cech failed to clear.

The result took Arsenal to 40 points from 17 games, one ahead of Manchester United which briefly went top earlier in the day after winning 1-0 at Liverpool. Arsenal, which played the better football throughout, was denied a second when a Robin van Persie strike was disallowed for offside four minutes from time and Emmanuel Adebayor had one disallowed for a foul shortly afterwards.

Major setback

Earlier, Liverpool’s hopes of wresting the Premier League title away from Manchester United suffered a major setback when it allowed the champion to get away from Anfield with a 1-0 win.

Carlos Tevez’s goal just before half-time settled a contest that Liverpool dominated for most of the 90 minutes and could, with better finishing, have had wrapped up by the time the Argentinean claimed his ninth goal of the season.

With the half-time whistle approaching, United suddenly found another gear and, after Hargreaves had won a corner on the right, took the lead . With Liverpool’s defence anticipating an in-swinging delivery from Ryan Giggs, the Welshman instead drilled a low ball to Wayne Rooney, who was, inexplicably, completely unmarked on the edge of the area.

The England forward made the most of his freedom, unleashing a first-time shot was bound for the bottom corner to the right of Jose Reina before Tevez stuck out a boot to send the ball into the opposite corner of the net.

The results: Liverpool 0 lost to Manchester United 1 (Carlos Tevez 43); Arsenal 1 (William Gallas 45+2) bt Chelsea 0. — Agencies

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