Liverpool stayed top of the Premier League despite only managing a 0-0 draw against Southampton at St. Mary's Stadium on Saturday. The Reds being blanked gave Manchester City the chance to go level on points thanks to an unlikely hero.
Forgotten man Yaya Toure returned to score twice and beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. City now only trail the leaders on goal difference.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are just two points off the top after substitute Olivier Giroud rescued a point late on to frustrate Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Red Devils are now eight points off the pace in sixth.
By contrast, Tottenham Hotspur are only three points behind the leaders thanks to Harry Kane's heroics against West Ham United. His late brace gave Spurs a 3-2 win to maintain their place as the league's only unbeaten team.
At the other end, Sunderland got a second win a row after beating fellow relegation candidates Hull City in convincing fashion. Swansea City are bottom, but earned a valuable point away to Everton.
Here are the final scores from Saturday's matches:
EPL Week 12 Results:
Saturday Scores
Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal
Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester City
Everton 1-1 Swansea City
Southampton 0-0 Liverpool
Stoke City 0-1 Bournemouth
Sunderland 3-0 Hull City
Watford 2-1 Leicester City
Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 West Ham United
Liverpool aren't held scoreless often. Yet there's something about playing at 3 p.m. that doesn't seem to bring out the best in the Reds' forward line, per Squawka Football:
In truth, the leaders were frustrated by a stubborn and disciplined Saints defence. In particular, centre-back Virgil van Dijk was outstanding.
It didn't help that Liverpool's finishing was wayward, according to BBC Sport:
Ultimately, an away point is no bad thing for Liverpool. Yet in a race this tight, any points dropped could prove costly.
These did when Toure emerged from the doldrums to fire past Palace twice. He opened the scoring, but was pegged back by Connor Wickham's goal.
The equaliser continued City's defensive woes on the road under manager Pep Guardiola:
Unfortunately for Wickham and Palace, Toure was in a ruthless mood, per WhoScored.com:
Toure has spent most of this season at odds with City and Guardiola. But even at 33, the Ivory Coast powerhouse proved he can still be a match-winner.
He's been frozen out at times, but Toure hasn't lost his keen eye for goal:
It's a quality City will find invaluable in this title race.
United would surely welcome such efficiency in front of goal after failing to win another game they dominated for long periods. The home side comfortably controlled Arsenal's forward threat and moved the ball quickly and smartly when in possession.
However, Juan Mata's 68th-minute goal was all United had to show for their superiority. It gave them a slender and dangerous lead, one Giroud cancelled out a minute before time.
The Frenchman rose high to decisively meet a nicely weighted cross from another substitute, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. In the process, Giroud made some history for Arsenal, per Sky Sports Statto:
The same source noted how Giroud is now the Gunners' most prolific off-the-bench specialist:
This is a fixture Arsenal still haven't won in the league since 2006. Yet escaping with a point shows there's a little more resilience to this season's squad.
It also means manager Arsene Wenger got a rare one over on his United counterpart, Jose Mourinho. Wenger's still never beaten the Portuguese in a league match, with Arsenal usually finding goals hard to come by against Mourinho-coached teams, according to BBC Match of the Day:
As for Mourinho, his United side still appears disjointed and continues to struggle in front of goal. Although they didn't lose, the Red Devils' record against members of this season's top nine is less than ideal:
In fact, United's tally of 19 points is their second-lowest at this stage for 12 years:
Spurs closed out the day with a thrilling 3-2 win over West Ham United in a London derby. Harry Kane scored twice in the final minutes maintain Tottenham's unbeaten start.
The Hammers appeared in firm control after Manuel Lanzini scored from the spot to give them a 2-1 lead. But a late equaliser from Kane, was followed by the same player also scoring the winner from the spot.
As OptaJoe detailed, Kane just loves a derby:
At the bottom, Sunderland stuck three past free-falling Hull City. Jermain Defoe found the net, before a Victor Anichebe brace sealed the points.
It's Sunderland's second win in a row, as manager David Moyes appears to be steadying their season. Sunderland remain second from bottom, but are now just three points from safety.
Swansea are the club propping up England's top flight, despite earning a creditable point at Everton. Gylfi Sigurdsson struck from the spot in the first half, but the Swans were denied all three points when Toffees right-back Seamus Coleman headed in a minute from time.
Things have shifted at both ends of the table after Saturday's results. City have reminded everyone they're still a force in the title race, while Liverpool still have some vulnerabilities.
Meanwhile, a resilient Arsenal squad is quietly hanging around the mix. By contrast, Mourinho's United are so far struggling to stay relevant.
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