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December 18, 2017

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Lukaku leads United past Baggies

Source: Agencies | 00:49 UTC+8 December 18, 2017 | Print Edition

ROMELU Lukaku scored for the second straight English Premier League match to set Manchester United on its way to a 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion yesterday.

Jesse Lingard added the second for second-place United, which conceded to Gareth Barry in the 79th minute and was forced to hold on for a victory that trimmed the gap to Manchester City to 11 points.

Lukaku, who spent the 2012-13 season on loan at West Brom, didn’t celebrate after heading in Marcus Rashford’s inswinging cross in the 27th minute. The striker reacted the same way after scoring a near-identical header in United’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Wednesday, suggesting there is an underlying reason for his unhappiness.

The Belgium international has been criticized in recent weeks, having scored just one goal in 2 1/2 months before the goal against Bournemouth. Lukaku had started the season with seven goals in his first seven league games.

It was an efficient, unspectacular display from United, which lost captain Antonio Valencia to an apparent hamstring injury midway through the second half and then lost its way as West Brom finished strongly at The Hawthorns.

There was a worrying moment for United in the last few minutes when James McClean’s corner to the far post was nearly bundled into his own net by Nemanja Matic.

United reclaimed outright possession of second place after Chelsea moved level on points on Saturday.

Barry’s close-range strike is West Brom’s only goal in four matches under new manager Alan Pardew that have ended in two draws and two losses, keeping the team in the relegation zone heading into the busy festive period.

The result extended West Brom’s club-record winless run in all competitions to 17 games, the longest in its 139-year history.

Pardew’s side had managed to keep Liverpool’s prolific strikeforce at bay in a 0-0 draw at Anfield but conceded the opener against United in the simplest of ways, a cross by Rashford from the left wing met by a glancing header from Lukaku into the top corner for his 15th goal in all competitions this season.

Lukaku showed more delight after Lingard scored the second goal in the 36th, the winger sending in a low shot from 25 meters that deflected off the outstretched foot of West Brom defender Ahmed Hegazi and past goalkeeper Ben Foster.

On Saturday, City soared above the fog swirling round the Etihad Stadium to demolish Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 and leave the rest of the EPL peering into the distance in search of Pep Guardiola’s record-breaking team.

Tottenham, which began the day fourth, was supposed to provide a proper test but, just like City’s previous 15 opponents, was outclassed as goals by Ilkay Gundogan before halftime and Kevin de Bruyne and two from Raheem Sterling after it put City 14 points clear for the day.

City’s 16th successive win took it to 52 points, one game short of the halfway point of the season.

Champion Chelsea, which beat Southampton 1-0 thanks to Marcos Alonso’s free kick, is now third on 38 points.

Arsenal sent Newcastle United into the drop zone with a 1-0 win that lifted the Gunners to fourth with 33 points while Burnley is fifth, a further point back, after a 0-0 draw at Brighton and Hove Albion for whom Glenn Murray missed a penalty.

Tottenham tumbled down to seventh behind Liverpool, which was at Bournemouth yesterday, on goal difference.

There were two big movers at the bottom with Crystal Palace winning 3-0 at Leicester City and West Ham United doing the same at Stoke City to move out of the relegation zone into 14th and 15th places, respectively. Stoke is now 17th.

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