EPL round-up: Leicester build on lead while Tottenham and Arsenal share points in London derby

Alexis Sanchez earned Arsenal a point in a pulsating north London derby at White Hart Lane after Tottenham Hotspur had looked set to join Leicester City at the top of the Premier League table on Saturday.

Harry Kane, left, scored the goal of the game to give Tottenham a 2-1 lead before Alexis Sanchez equalised for Arsenal. Dylan Martinez / Reuters

Tottenham Hotspur 2 Arsenal 2

Alexis Sanchez's late goal rescued a point for 10-man Arsenal in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Saturday after Francis Coquelin's sending-off sparked a turnaround in a thrilling Premier League game between the title-chasing north London rivals.

Coquelin was shown a second yellow card in the 55th minute for a reckless foul when Arsenal was 1-0 ahead thanks to Aaron Ramsey’s first-half goal. Within seven minutes, Spurs had gone in front on goals by Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane at White Hart Lane.

However, Sanchez scored in the 76th minute from a shot that Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris arguably should have saved, sealing a draw that will be celebrated by league-leader Leicester.

Ahead of its game at Watford later Saturday, Leicester is two points in front of second-place Tottenham and five clear of third-place Arsenal.

Coquelin’s sending-off was a turning point, coming when Arsenal looked composed and in charge after taking the lead.

The Frenchman didn’t need to make the tackle on Kane – the striker was near the sideline and Arsenal’s defense was in decent shape behind him. Coquelin hung his head immediately after giving away the foul. Sure enough, the referee came over and brandished the second yellow card.

Suddenly, Spurs were on the front foot. Stand-in Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina saved Kane’s shot when standing behind the goalline, with technology indicating the ball hadn’t completely crossed the line.

Then came the two quickfire goals as Alderweireld stroked in a volley from close range in the 60th minute before Kane curled in a stunning effort from a tough angle at the edge of the area in the 62nd.

But there was still time for another twist as Hector Bellerin fed Sanchez, who raced through and swept in a low finish that Lloris couldn’t keep out despite getting a hand on it.

Spurs had more of the ball in the final stages though Arsenal could have won it, with Ramsey delaying on his shot after running through on goal to allow Kevin Wimmer to perform a last-ditch tackle.

“I am proud of the spirit we showed, and the response,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “I never questioned the character of this team. You have to respond on the pitch.”

Leicester City 1 Watford 0

A wonder goal from Riyad Mahrez saw Leicester took another step closer to completing the unthinkable and winning the Premier League.

After Tottenham and Arsenal played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane earlier on Saturday, Claudio Ranieri’s side knew a victory at Watford would move them five points clear with nine games remaining.

And the fearless Foxes made no mistake with Mahrez, a £400,000 signing from French second division side Le Havre, scoring the only goal of the game with a spectacular strike after 56 minutes.

Leicester, who were able to recall N’Golo Kante, started the game with the confidence of a team flying high at the top of the table.

After just two minutes Jamie Vardy was already causing problems for the home side’s makeshift defence with Nathan Ake operating as an emergency centre back after Miguel Britos sustained an injury in the warm-up.

Stoke City 1 Chelsea 1

A late goal from Stoke striker Mame Biram Diouf denied Chelsea a win in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday.

Chelsea took the lead in the 39th minute, when Bertrand Traore’s shot from the edge of the area nestled in the bottom corner.

Stoke persisted and drew level in the 85th as Diouf headed past an out-of-position Thibaut Courtois.

Chelsea, which plays French champion PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday, remains 10th with 40 points.

Stoke remains in contention for European football next season, sitting 7th on 43 points.

Everton 2 West Ham United 3

Dimitri Payet’s winner seconds before the end of normal time kept alive the dreams of Champions League-chasing West Ham against 10-man Everton.

Despite the 35th-minute dismissal of Kevin Mirallas the hosts, remarkably, were 2-0 up with three-quarters of the match gone thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku and Aaron Lennon.

But in a huge swing of momentum Michail Antonio and substitute Diafra Sakho struck within four minutes of each other allowing Payet to nick three points in the 90th minute.

Lukaku may have matched the feat of the great Dixie Dean in scoring against the same opponent for the eighth successive match - Dean did similarly versus Bury between 1926 and 1933 - but he missed a penalty at 2-0 and that was pivotal.

The Belgium international will never come close to matching the club’s all-time leading scorer’s astounding record of 383 goals in 433 appearances for the club - he has 60 in 117 - but an 18th of the season represented some personal success as it confirmed this as his best Premier League scoring campaign - with almost three months still to go.

Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 0

Sergio Aguero scored twice as Manchester City ended a run of three successive Premier League defeats with a 4-0 demolition of bottom club Aston Villa at Eastlands on Saturday.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side made heavy weather of the opening 45 minutes, but struck twice early in the second half to maintain their place in the top four and keep alive their slender hopes of winning the title.

Yaya Toure side-footed in the opener before Aguero added a second as an attempted clearance by former City defender Micah Richards rebounded in off him.

Aguero made it three with a sublime finish, but then hit the post with a penalty after Raheem Sterling tapped in a fourth.

Villa are now nine points from safety after a fourth successive defeat and appear certain to play in the second tier next season for the first time since 1988.

Newcastle 1 Bournemouth 3

Steve McClaren’s fight to save his job suffered another major blow as crisis-torn Newcastle crashed to a dismal 3-1 home defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday.

McClaren had endured a miserable week featuring reports that he had lost the backing of Newcastle’s players, who were expecting the embattled former England coach to be sacked if they lost this weekend.

Angered by that story, Magpies boss McClaren showed signs of cracking under the strain of Newcastle’s relegation battle when he unwisely became embroiled in a spat with a journalist during his weekly press conference.

Against that dispiriting backdrop, Newcastle desperately needed an uplifting victory against Bournemouth, but instead they capitulated once again and remain second bottom of the Premier League and one point from safety with 10 games left to save themselves.

Steven Taylor’s first half own goal started the collapse and Josh King made it two before Ayoze Perez gave Newcastle hope.

Southampton 1 Sunderland 1

Virgil van Dijk grabbed a stoppage-time equaliser as ten-man Southampton rescued a 1-1 draw against struggling Sunderland on Saturday.

Ronald Koeman’s hosts played the final stages a man down after Jose Fonte saw red, and it proved costly as Jermain Defoe pounced in trademark style.

But there was another twist in the tale, centre-back Van Dijk prodding past Vito Mannone in the third minute of injury time.

With all of the bottom three losing elsewhere, Sunderland still moved a point clear of 18th-placed Norwich City.

Last season the Black Cats were thrashed 8-0 at Saint Mary’s, but they were much tighter in defence under Sam Allardyce this time around.

Swansea City 1 Norwich City 0

Swansea City pulled further away from relegation trouble in the Premier League on Saturday with a 1-0 victory at home to struggling Norwich City.

Gylfi Sigurdsson struck just past the hour mark at the Liberty Stadium to hand Swansea only their third home win in 13 matches and consign Norwich to an eighth defeat in their last nine.

Swansea moved nine points clear of the bottom three after a second win in four days, but Norwich remain mired in the drop zone, one point adrift of 17th-place Sunderland.

Swansea were without head coach Francesco Guidolin again, with the Italian still recovering in hospital from a chest infection, as the hosts made six changes to the side that beat Arsenal 2-1 in midweek.

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