Chelsea held at Sunderland, United and Arsenal win

Monday, 1 December 2014 01:35 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Chelsea’s seemingly irresistible march towards the title hit an unlikely roadblock at Sunderland on Saturday as they were held to a 0-0 draw having failed to score for the first time in their unbeaten Premier League season. Jose Mourinho’s side stretched their lead at the top to seven points but Sunderland’s splendid resistance at the Stadium of Light at least scattered a few crumbs of hope for nearest pursuers Southampton and Manchester City, who meet on Sunday. Chelsea’s other floundering heavyweight rivals - Manchester United, who beat Hull City 3-0, Arsenal, who won at West Bromwich Albion with a Danny Welbeck goal, and Liverpool, who beat Stoke City 1-0 despite dropping captain Steven Gerrard - were also grateful for Sunderland’s dogged effort. Gus Poyet’s Sunderland team, who have become rare pests for Mourinho as Chelsea’s conquerors in last season’s League Cup and the side which ended his 78-match unbeaten league record at Stamford Bridge, could even have pinched another win if Adam Johnson had not spurned two late chances.

Chelsea, nowhere near as sharp as in their midweek Champions League dismantling of Schalke 04, dominated proceedings but were held for the third time this term as they moved clear of second-placed Southampton and nine points ahead of champions City. Mourinho, far from disappointed, felt it was a “a good point” against a Sunderland side which Poyet, a former Stamford Bridge favourite, reckoned had “defended for their lives”. “Only one team tried to win from the beginning, the other team didn’t. They defended a lot and they defended well,” said Mourinho. “Defending a lot and well is not a crime. They were successful in their approach.” Gerrard axed

Record-equalling Bayern storm 10 points clear

Reuters: Bayern Munich scraped past Hertha Berlin 1-0 courtesy of an Arjen Robben goal to stretch their lead at the top of the table to 10 points and equal a Bundesliga record for goals conceded after 13 games. The champions never hit top form but hardly needed to because they were up against a toothless Hertha who rarely ventured out of their half. Bayern’s clean sheet meant they matched VfB Stuttgart’s 2003-04 record of letting in only three goals in the opening 13 matches. Dutchman Robben fired the ball in from 18 metres after a first-half flick from Thomas Mueller as the Bavarians cruised to their 10th win in 13 league matches to bounce back from the midweek Champions League defeat at Manchester City. But there was little else of note from the club that on Friday posted a turnover of 528.7 million euros ($ 658.44 million) for 2013/14, with the 76,000 in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin getting only brief glimpses of Bayern’s attacking power. “I am satisfied with the first half but not with the second,” Bayern coach Pep Guardiola told reporters. “Maybe my players were a bit tired after playing 70 minutes in Manchester with 10 men. We seemed to forget our playing culture in the second half.” Hertha keeper Thomas Kraft frustrated striker Robert Lewandowski, twice denying him from point-blank range late in the game. Bayern are on 33 points, 10 ahead of VfL Wolfsburg who take on Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday. Fellow Champions League combatants Bayer Leverkusen are also on 23 points after crushing Cologne 5-1 in the Rhine derby. Swiss international Josip Drmic and Germany’s Karim Bellarabi scored twice apiece for Leverkusen and Hakan Calhanoglu converted a stunning free kick. Schalke 04 bounced back from their 5-0 Champions League demolition by Chelsea on Tuesday, winning 4-1 against Mainz 05 with a hat-trick from Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The win lifted Roberto Di Matteo’s team to sixth place on 20 points. Hoffenheim, in eighth, let slip a two-goal lead against Hanover 96 but rallied to win 4-3 in a rollercoaster contest. Werder Bremen continued their climb under coach Viktor Skripnik with a 4-0 victory over promoted Paderborn, their third win in four games under the Ukrainian. The 2004 champions are now 14th. Northern rivals Hamburg SV wasted several chances as they lost 3-1 at Augsburg to remain second from bottom on 12 points. Bottom club Borussia Dortmund, last season’s runners-up, have 11 points and are in action on Sunday at Eintracht Frankfurt.

At Anfield, the inspirational Gerrard was axed on the 16th anniversary of his Liverpool debut but Brendan Rodgers’ surprise decision was vindicated as they arrested their slump. There have been plenty of questions over the form and effectiveness of Gerrard, 34, during 11th-placed Liverpool’s recent travails but even dropping him to the bench did not seem to alter their sluggish form as they laboured for 75 minutes. The captain came on with a quarter of an hour left, amid deafening cheers, and Liverpool finally broke through with Glen Johnson’s 85th-minute header. Arsenal also gained welcome relief amid their worst start to a season for 32 years thanks to Welbeck’s header. The victory, reflecting Arsenal’s domination, did not stop manager Arsene Wenger having to field questions about a fan banner which said, “Thanks for the memories but it’s time to say goodbye”. “I don’t want to comment on that. I try to do my best for this club that I love,” responded Wenger. The win moved Arsenal up to sixth on 20 points as Manchester United consolidated fourth with 22 after first-half goals by Chris Smalling and Wayne Rooney and a brilliant strike from Robin van Persie after the break sealed their win over Hull. Goalline technology Smalling’s 16th-minute opener was only awarded after goalline technology showed his shot had sneaked over the line. “It was our best match when you see the full 90 minutes. We have dominated. I think now we are on the right way,” added the Dutch manager, who felt Van Persie had scored a “beautiful” goal after recent criticism of his performances. Once again an injury clouded United’s joy with record signing Angel Di Maria limping off in the first half with a suspected hamstring problem. At the other end of the table, Queens Park Rangers came through an entertaining clash at Loftus Road, beating Leicester City 3-2 to move above both their opponents and Burnley, Charlie Austin finally snatching the points with a 73rd-minute winner. Former England forward Joe Cole, 33, flitted back into the limelight with the opener for Aston Villa in a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor, while Newcastle United’s charge up the table was halted at West Ham United where Aaron Cresswell got the winner.

Gerrard dropped but Liverpool prevail

Reuters: Liverpool’s inspirational captain Steven Gerrard was dropped on the 16th anniversary of his club debut but manager Brendan Rodgers’ surprise decision was vindicated as they arrested their slump with a 1-0 win over Stoke City at Anfield on Saturday. Even though there have been questions over his form and effectiveness at 34 during Liverpool’s struggles this term, Gerrard’s sidelining felt like a shock symbol of their struggles. Yet when the captain was sent on to save the day with quarter of an hour left, amid deafening cheers from the home faithful, Liverpool, still labouring for the breakthrough, soon prevailed through Glen Johnson’s 85th-minute headed winner. The triumph ended a dismal November for Rodgers on a positive note, with his side earning a Premier League victory after three consecutive defeats.