United top after win, blues for Chelsea

Posted Sunday, February 12, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

Manchester United went top of the Premier League on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Liverpool, during which the Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra racism row reignited, while Chelsea dropped out of the top four.

Arsenal made the most of another Chelsea slip-up to climb to fourth after coming from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1 thanks to Thierry Henry’s stoppage-time winner.

Chelsea lost 2-0 at Everton to pile more pressure on manager Andre Villas-Boas whose training sessions have been closely monitored by Russian owner Roman Abramovich this week.

United’s victory over their arch rivals at Old Trafford, courtesy of two Wayne Rooney goals, was marred by Liverpool striker Suarez’s refusal to shake hands with United defender Evra before the match.

It was the first time the two players had met since Suarez, who scored a consolation goal for the visitors, was banned for eight matches for racially abusing the United defender in October’s reverse fixture at Anfield.

The snub had United manager Alex Ferguson branding Suarez a “disgrace to Liverpool”. The win lifted the champions a point above Manchester City before Roberto Mancini’s men travel to Aston Villa on Sunday.

While United celebrate life at the top for at least 24 hours, last season’s runners-up Chelsea lost for the sixth time to slide out of the Champions League spots.

A goal in each half from Everton pair Steven Pienaar and Denis Stracqualursi means Chelsea have now won only two of their last 10 league games.

“Today was our worst game of the season, the worst in every sense of the word,” Villas-Boas told the club’s website.

“Full responsibility for myself as the manager for what happened, maybe the preparation for the game wasn’t up to the level that could have helped the players in a different way.”

LAST-GASP WINNER

Waiting to capitalise on Chelsea’s misfortune were Arsenal, whose day looked to be heading the same way when they went behind to a 70th-minute James McClean goal at Sunderland.

The visitors pulled level five minutes later when Aaron Ramsey, who came on for Per Mertesacker when the German sustained ankle ligament damage, picked up the ball on the edge of the box and shot home.

Henry also came off the bench and he volleyed the last-gasp winner in his final league game before the club’s record goalscorer returns to the New York Red Bulls at the end of his short-term loan back at the north London team.

Victory lifted Arsenal above Chelsea on goal difference with 43 points from 25 matches. United lead with 58 points, one more than City and eight above third-placed Tottenham Hotspur who were hosting Newcastle United later on Saturday.

At the other end of the table, Blackburn Rovers stayed in the relegation zone on goal difference despite a 3-2 win at home to Queens Park Rangers.

In another game between two struggling sides, Wigan Athletic got the better of local rivals Bolton Wanderers with a 2-1 victory at the Reebok stadium.

Wigan stay bottom with 19 points but made up some ground on the other relegation battlers with second-from-bottom Bolton on 20 and Blackburn, QPR and Wolverhampton Wanderers on 21.

Norwich City rose to eighth after two goals from Grant Holt helped them to a 3-2 win at fellow promoted side Swansea City while Fulham beat Stoke City 2-1 in a mid-table meeting.