MANCHESTER, Oct 16: Manchester United lost ground in the race for the top four of the Premier League after being held by Newcastle in a 0-0 draw on Sunday.
With fourth-place Chelsea winning 2-0 at Aston Villa, the London club moved three points clear of United in fifth, with Erik ten Hag drawing for the first time since taking charge at Old Trafford.
Substitute Marcus Rashford could have secured a late win for the home team but Newcastle held on for the point after the forward failed to convert Casemiro’s cross in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Newcastle looked dangerous in the first half, with Callum Wilson seeing an early penalty appeal ignored before Joelinton hit the crossbar and sent his follow-up onto the post.
In the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo saw two goals ruled out.
Sean Longstaff’s challenge on Jadon Sancho was among a string of dismissed penalty appeals.
Groans greeted the unsatisfactory conclusion of an afternoon that had started with cheers for former United manager Alex Ferguson as he made presentations to two of his finest signings.
Ronaldo was given an engraved plate after scoring his 700th club goal last weekend, with David De Gea receiving a plate to mark his 500th United appearance.
Chelsea beats Villa
Mason Mount and Kepa Arrizabalaga were Chelsea’s stars as they helped to maintain Graham Potter’s unbeaten start in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
Mount bagged a brace at Villa Park in front of England manager Gareth Southgate.
But the visitors needed goalkeeper Kepa to produce two stunning first-half stops to deny Jacob Ramsey and Danny Ings with Chelsea on the ropes.
West Ham draw
at Southampton
Declan Rice denied Ralph Hasenhuttl a vital win as West Ham drew 1-1 at Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday. The Saints manager had come under increasing pressure after a run of four straight defeats.
A first Premier League goal from Romain Perraud gave Southampton hope of a victory that would have lifted it out of the bottom three until Rice’s intervention.
Tottenham beat Everton
The Antonio Conte effect is truly taking hold at Tottenham.
A 2-0 win against Everton on Saturday secured Tottenham’s best start in the English Premier League era after 10 games. Their 23 points moved Spurs level with second-placed Manchester City and represented their highest tally at this stage since 1963.
Other results
Arsenal held on for a scrappy 1-0 win over Leeds in an eventful match brimming with controversy to guarantee it stays top of the Premier League. Bukayo Saka broke the deadlock in the 35th when he smashed the ball high into the net after receiving a pass from captain Martin Odegaard.
Mohamed Salah’s 76th goal made all the difference as Liverpool overcame Manchester City in a thrilling match. (AP)
