United pulls away, Toffees tie City
Source: Agencies |
December 3, 2012, Monday
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Manchester United moved three points clear at the top of the English Premier League after an extraordinary 4-3 victory at Reading on Saturday in which all seven goals arrived in the opening half.
Defensive manuals were ripped up as United trailed 0-1 but once again showed its trademark resilience as two goals from Wayne Rooney, one from Anderson, and Robin van Persie's 10th league strike of the season sealed the points.
Champion Manchester City needed a Carlos Tevez penalty to draw 1-1 at home to Everton - its 37th home league match without defeat - but it lost ground to its rival in what is already looking like a two-horse title race.
Third-placed Chelsea surrendered a halftime lead to lose 3-1 at West Ham United to leave under-fire interim manager Rafael Benitez still without a win while Arsene Wenger was the target of jeers as his Arsenal side was humbled 0-2 by Swansea City.
Chelsea, now without a win in seven league matches having topped the table, is joined on 26 points by Tottenham Hostpur, which won 3-0 at Fulham with Jermain Defoe scoring twice.
West Bromwich Albion slipped to fifth, also on 26 points, after a 1-0 home defeat to Stoke City.
United has now conceded 21 league goals this season, managing just three clean sheets.
Its defensive fragility was exposed again by Reading, which took the lead after eight minutes through Hal Robson-Kanu.
Anderson equalized five minutes later after combining with Ashley Young before Jay Tabb bundled over Jonny Evans in the box and Wayne Rooney fired United ahead from the spot.
Two goals in four minutes from Adam Le Fondre and Sean Morrison put Reading 3-2 ahead after 23 minutes but Rooney turned in Patrice Evra's cross to make it 3-3 before van Persie kept his head to slot home what turned out to be the winner.
"It was agony. The worst defending of this season and we needed to do something about it," United manager Alex Ferguson, who hauled off defender Rafael in the first half, said. "We're needing to rescue the situation all the time. Fortunately we have players who can do that."
Looking ahead to this week's derby with City, Ferguson quipped: "If we defend like that against Manchester City, I might need to play myself."
Arsenal were booed off at the Emirates as it slipped to 10th following Michu's late double for Michael Laudrup's impressive Swansea side.
"Of course you can understand the fans when we lose a match the way we did today," Wenger told Sky Sports. "We were maybe lacking a bit of maturity to keep it 0-0. It's a big blow because the games are coming very quickly."
Liverpool beat Southampton 1-0 at home and bottom club Queens Park Rangers drew 1-1 at home to Aston Villa.
Defensive manuals were ripped up as United trailed 0-1 but once again showed its trademark resilience as two goals from Wayne Rooney, one from Anderson, and Robin van Persie's 10th league strike of the season sealed the points.
Champion Manchester City needed a Carlos Tevez penalty to draw 1-1 at home to Everton - its 37th home league match without defeat - but it lost ground to its rival in what is already looking like a two-horse title race.
Third-placed Chelsea surrendered a halftime lead to lose 3-1 at West Ham United to leave under-fire interim manager Rafael Benitez still without a win while Arsene Wenger was the target of jeers as his Arsenal side was humbled 0-2 by Swansea City.
Chelsea, now without a win in seven league matches having topped the table, is joined on 26 points by Tottenham Hostpur, which won 3-0 at Fulham with Jermain Defoe scoring twice.
West Bromwich Albion slipped to fifth, also on 26 points, after a 1-0 home defeat to Stoke City.
United has now conceded 21 league goals this season, managing just three clean sheets.
Its defensive fragility was exposed again by Reading, which took the lead after eight minutes through Hal Robson-Kanu.
Anderson equalized five minutes later after combining with Ashley Young before Jay Tabb bundled over Jonny Evans in the box and Wayne Rooney fired United ahead from the spot.
Two goals in four minutes from Adam Le Fondre and Sean Morrison put Reading 3-2 ahead after 23 minutes but Rooney turned in Patrice Evra's cross to make it 3-3 before van Persie kept his head to slot home what turned out to be the winner.
"It was agony. The worst defending of this season and we needed to do something about it," United manager Alex Ferguson, who hauled off defender Rafael in the first half, said. "We're needing to rescue the situation all the time. Fortunately we have players who can do that."
Looking ahead to this week's derby with City, Ferguson quipped: "If we defend like that against Manchester City, I might need to play myself."
Arsenal were booed off at the Emirates as it slipped to 10th following Michu's late double for Michael Laudrup's impressive Swansea side.
"Of course you can understand the fans when we lose a match the way we did today," Wenger told Sky Sports. "We were maybe lacking a bit of maturity to keep it 0-0. It's a big blow because the games are coming very quickly."
Liverpool beat Southampton 1-0 at home and bottom club Queens Park Rangers drew 1-1 at home to Aston Villa.
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