Arsenal earn 3 points vs Crystal Palace
LONDON: A schoolboy howler by defender Kolo Toure cost Liverpool victory when he gifted West Bromwich Albion the equaliser in a 1-1 Premier League draw at The Hawthorns, West Bromich, on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in the late match, Arsenal took down Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium here 2-0.
Arsenal dominated possession, but still had to battle to get past a dogged Palace.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored both second half goals, his first of the season.
His first, in the 47th minute, was a left-footed shot from close range. He was assisted by Santi Cazorla with a through ball.
In the 73rd minute, Oxlade-Chamberlain gave his team some more breathing space with a right-footed effort after being assisted by Olivier Giroud.
“It was a tough game but we knew that in the second half if we kept the tempo up we would get more opportunities and thankfully we did,” the goal-scorer said.
“It was nice to get the win today, it is always an amazing feeling to score a goal. I’ve been off the pitch for a while so it was nice to come back and help the team.”
Toure’s mistake came after 67 minutes when, under no pressure, he played a loose ball straight across his own 18-yard line to substitute Victor Anichebe standing unmarked on the edge of the box, allowing the former Everton man to fire past Simon Mignolet.
Toure could only hold his head in his hands after his dreadful defending which enabled Albion to grab a point from the match Liverpool largely dominated.
Liverpool had gone ahead in the 24th minute after Raheem Sterling and Luis Suarez linked up on the right of the penalty area with the Uruguayan crossing to the far post where Daniel Sturridge tapped home.
Sturridge has now scored seven goals in his last six successive Liverpool appearances either side of a nine-match injury absence and Sunday’s strike was his 50th in the Premier League.
Liverpool stayed fourth in the standings with 47 points from 24 games, giving fifth-placed Everton some joy, as they are now only two points behind the Reds.
The Gunners have now gone back on top in the standings, with 55 points from 24 games, but may lose that spot if Manchester City can defeat Chelsea on Monday.
West Brom have climbed to 16th place with their draw and Palace follow in 17th. Both teams have 23 points, but Albion possess a better goal difference.
In the danger zone are West Ham, Cardiff and Fulham, although only five points separate the bottom nine clubs.
City vs Chelsea today
Meanwhile, Monday will see the mouthwatering clash between table-toppers Man City and Chelsea, who are in third, at 8:00pm local time (1:30am IST).
The London club will have their work cut out, however, as City have won 17 of 18 games at the Etihad Stadium in all competitions this season, including all 11 of their EPL fixtures at home.
City have 53 points from 23 outings, with Chelsea on 50 from the same number of games. (Agencies)