Reuters
London, Dec 13: Manchester United’s calamitous week hit rock bottom as Bournemouth famously consigned them to a 2-1 defeat here Saturday and, to rub salt into the wounds, neighbours Manchester City moved back to the top of the Premier League.
After City clambered above Leicester City on goal difference with a lucky last-gasp strike in a dramatic 2-1 win over Swansea City, Bournemouth wrote another astonishing fairytale by beating United a week after taking the scalp of champions Chelsea.
United’s defeat multiplies the pressure on manager Louis van Gaal, already under fire for their prosaic playing style and midweek exit from the Champions League.
United’s setback leaves them fourth in the table, three points behind a City side who are level on 32 with Leicester before the latter host Chelsea Monday.
After United’s loss at Vfl Wolfsburg in the Champions League Tuesday, goals from Junior Stanislas and former United player Josh King consigned them to another wounding defeat.
Stanislas scored direct from a wind-assisted corner that bamboozled keeper David de Gea in the second minute and although Marouane Fellaini levelled in the 24th, King struck with a low shot from a well-worked 54th minute corner to earn the points. It meant more unbridled joy for Bournemouth, the Premier League newcomers. Last Saturday they had won 1-0 at Chelsea, a result that manager Eddie Howe felt was the greatest in the club’s history. Bournemouth are now in 14th place — one point and one place ahead of Chelsea.
Manchester City snatched victory amid late drama at the Etihad Stadium, a Yaya Toure shot deflecting off team mate Kelechi Iheanacho for the stoppage-time winner. Managerless Swansea, playing above themselves after the midweek sacking of Garry Monk, had equalised deservedly in the last minute through Bafetimbi Gomis after Wilfried Bony’s first half headed goal against his old side had put City ahead.
Yet, when it seemed City had blown the chance to go back to the top, a 92nd-minute left-footed strike from Toure struck Iheanacho’s back and ballooned into the net.
Crystal Palace continued their best start to a Premier League season with Yohan Cabaye’s goal earning a 1-0 home win over Southampton and elevating them to sixth, six points off the lead.
Odion Ighalo’s 10th goal of the campaign for Watford consigned Sunderland to another defeat and pushed the 1-0 winners up to seventh, still a point behind Palace.
The home loss, though, leaves Sam Allardyce’s north-east club languishing in penultimate place on 12 points. Romelu Lukaku is another marksman in rampant form, Everton’s Belgian striker scoring for a sixth successive league game to give the Merseysiders an early lead in a 1-1 draw at Norwich City. Wes Hoolahan equalised for the struggling Canaries.
West Ham United, who are eighth, and Stoke City, in 11th, missed the chance to close on the leaders as they fought out a dull goalless draw at Upton Park.
