Arsenal loses to West Ham to dent Premier League challenge
Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge was dented by an unexpected 1-0 home loss to West Ham on Saturday that featured a fifth red card of the season for Mikel Arteta’s team.
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Second-place Arsenal squandered a chance to trim the gap to Liverpool to five points as Jarrod Bowen’s first-half header secured a win for West Ham, which arrived at Emirates Stadium with just one victory in its last eight games.
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There was worse to come for Arsenal, with left back Myles Lewis-Skelly handed a red card following a video review for his foul as the last man. The team’s disciplinary record under Arteta has come under scrutiny this season โ and might yet cost the Gunners the title, along with key injuries to their attack.
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With the likes of Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus out injured, Arsenal had only two shots on target against West Ham.
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It leaves Liverpool with an eight-point cushion, having played the same number of games as Arsenal, and that advantage could grow when the leaders play Manchester City away on Sunday.
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United rallies for draw at Everton
Manchester United came from two goals down before benefiting from a last-gasp video-review call to draw 2-2 at Everton.
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Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte grabbed the 80th-minute equalizer for United with his first goal at club level in four years, eight minutes after Bruno
Fernandes started the visitors’ fightback at Goodison Park by curling in a free kick.
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United had been on course to slip to a third straight loss โ and ninth defeat in 15 league matches since Ruben Amorim took charge in November โ after first-half goals by Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure for resurgent Everton.
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There was a late scare for United when Everton was awarded a penalty for what appeared to be a foul by Harry Maguire on Ashley Young, who fell to the ground dramatically under pressure from Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt in the third minute of stoppage time.
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Following a video review, on-field referee Andrew Madley was advised to view the incident again on the pitchside monitor and he changed his initial decision.
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“I think it was a soft penalty, it was clear,โ Amorim said.