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EPL PIX: Champions Man City fight back for draw at Wolves

Last updated on: August 25, 2018 22:06 IST

EPL

IMAGE: Willy Boly gave Wolves the lead against Manchester City. Photograph: Wolves/Twitter

Manchester City had to battle back from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Premier League newcomers Wolverhampton Wanderers who ruined the champions' 100 percent record and gave them a real test at Molineux on Saturday.

Last season's Championship winners showed no inferiority complex as defender Willy Boly put them ahead with a controversial 57th-minute diving header which TV replays showed may have been offside and actually went in off his arm.

 

City, who had largely controlled proceedings but were vulnerable to Wolves' bold counter-attacks, equalised with Aymeric Laporte's first goal for the club, a header from Ilkay Gundogan's free kick, 12 minutes later.

In a high-quality game, City, who have seven points from three matches, hit the post twice in the first half, through Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling, and the in-form Argentine Aguero also struck the bar with a superb free kick in the dying seconds.

Though the champions, who had won their first two games of the season in handsome fashion, will be frustrated at their dominance not being rewarded, Wolves deserved their second league point and never stopped striving for a late winner.

"It was a good game. We created enough chances to win the game but it is a good point," City manager Pep Guardiola told Sky Sports.

Emery off the mark as Arsenal beat West Ham 3-1

EPL

IMAGE: Arsenal's Hector Bellerin in action with West Ham's Michail Antonio. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Reuters

Arsenal celebrated their first Premier League win of the season under new manager Unai Emery after coming from behind to beat London rivals West Ham United 3-1 in an action-packed match on Saturday.

A Nacho Monreal strike, Issa Diop's own goal and Danny Welbeck's stoppage-time effort enabled the Gunners to bounce back from their opening two defeats after Marko Arnautovic had fired West Ham into a 25th-minute lead.

It was the third successive defeat for the Hammers and their new manager Manuel Pellegrini, whose side made a promising start at the Emirates stadium when Austria striker Arnautovic rifled in a fine low shot from 20 metres.

West Ham's defensive weaknesses, however, continued to haunt them as Monreal equalised with a fierce shot from eight metres past two defenders on the line after goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski had parried Hector Bellerin's cross into the defender's path.

Fabianski and his Arsenal counterpart made a series of good saves before more slack defending by the visitors allowed Arsenal to turn the match on its head, with Issa Diop committing a costly double error.

The centre-back's poorly lofted clearance rebounded to halftime substitute Alexandre Lacazette and his vicious cut-back from a tight angle cannoned off Diop, past Fabianski.

Welbeck, a late substitute for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, sealed Arsenal's win in stoppage time after Bellerin's fine run and cross gave him time and space to score from close range.

Spaniard Emery, who took over at Arsenal in the summer from long-serving manager Arsene Wenger after a two-year stint at French champions Paris Saint-Germain, was happy with the outcome but acknowledged there was plenty of room for improvement.

Late Maguire strike gives Leicester 2-1 win over Southampton

Defender Harry Maguire's stoppage-time goal gave Leicester City a hard-fought 2-1 Premier League victory over 10-man Southampton on Saturday.

Southampton had failed to score at home in four of their last six games, but after a goalless first half, full back Ryan Bertrand broke the deadlock with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box.

The lead proved short-lived as Leicester winger Demarai Gray punished slack Southampton defending to rifle home the equaliser and the sending-off of Saints midfielder Pierre Hojbjerg in the 77th minute proved pivotal.

Hojbjerg's foolish dive and subsequent dismissal for his second yellow card handed the initiative to the visitors and Maguire sent a low shot into the bottom corner for the winning goal in stoppage time.

Bournemouth fight back for 2-2 draw with Everton

Bournemouth fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw with Everton in a dramatic Premier League match on Saturday as both teams ended with 10 men but with their unbeaten records intact.

Everton recovered from the first-half sending-off of their new forward Richarlison, who aimed a head-butt at Adam Smith just before the break, to take a 56th-minute lead through Theo Walcott.

The home side, though, were also reduced to 10 on the hour when Smith was sent off for bringing down Walcott in full cry, and Michael Keane's header put the visitors two up.

But Bournemouth, looking for a third consecutive win this season, battled back with Josh King converting a 75th-minute penalty before Nathan Ake prodded home the equaliser four minutes later.

Keane had to be taken off on a stretcher after a late collision left him with what looked a serious injury and 13 minutes of stoppage-time failed to separate the teams.

Huddersfield claim first point with goalless Cardiff draw

Huddersfield Town survived Jonathan Hogg's sending off to claim their first Premier League point of the season after a goalless draw against newly promoted Cardiff City on Saturday.

A relatively uneventful contest was brought to life shortly after the hour mark when a scuffle led to midfielder Hogg's dismissal for an apparent headbutt on Cardiff's Harry Arter.

Cardiff used their numerical advantage to dominate the remaining 27 minutes but could not find a way past Huddersfield's substitute goalkeeper, Jonas Lossl, who had earlier replaced the injured Ben Hamer.

Bobby Reid went tantalisingly close for Cardiff just minutes before the final whistle but the Welsh side have now yet to score in three matches since being promoted to the Premier League.

Source: REUTERS
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