EPL Roundup: Arsenal and Manchester City win, Manchester United held at Crystal Palace

Swansea 0-3 Arsenal

Neither side were able to open the scoring in the first half with the biggest highlight being Hector Bellerin making a quick sprint back to deny Bafetimbi Gomis from scoring after he beat Petr Cech in a one-on-one situation. At the other end, it was Joel Campbell who came close with a curling effort from outside the box which left Lukasz Fabianski rooted but the shot went wide of the post. It was one of Arsenal’s most disappointing halves of the season.

But the Gunners started the second half brightly with Olivier Giroud scoring in the 49th minute from a corner kick sent in by Mesut Ozil. It was the 2000th goal scored by an Arsenal player during Arsene Wenger's reign in the French striker's 150th game.

Arsenal were able to catch Swansea offside a number of times with Andre Ayew almost getting on the scoresheet if not for the linesman’s flag and a sliding Bellerin who blocked the shot and collided painfully with the post. 

Laurent Koscielny then doubled Arsenal’s lead when Fabianski failed to collect a cross after colliding with the French defender in the box. Giroud had also leapt to get to the cross but the referee allowed play to go on after the Polish goalkeeper spilt it, allowing Koscielny to slot it into an empty net. 

Arsenal then made it 3-0 in the 73rd minute when Mesut Ozil’s cross from the left flank was sent into the box and Joel Campbell arrived to slot it into the opposite corner. That was how the match ended as the Gunners claimed a famous victory against the Swans.

Crystal Palace 0-0 Manchester United

The Red Devils had the majority of the possession at Selhurst Park. Anthony Martial had a decent half creating chances and drawing fouls but in spite of the United fans pleading for their side to attack, it was Palace who had more shots on target in the first half. But both sides went into the break with no goals on the score sheet.

Manchester United failed to get past Crystal Palace

The second half started on a bad note for United as both Matteo Darmian and Chris Smalling were booked within seven minutes. Louis van Gaal then brought on Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini for Darmian and Schweinsteiger but it was still Palace making more use of the ball. Attempts by Scott Dann, Dwight Gayle and Jason Puncheon were either saved or missed the target. Juan Mata was then replaced by Jesse Lingard in the 78th minute to give United more attacking impetus. 

But in spite of having more possession, United only came away with a point, with only one shot on target against Alan Pardew’s side.

Manchester City 2-1 Norwich City

Manuel Pellegrini Kelechi Iheanacho his first Premier League start alongside Wilfried Bony as the table-toppers took on Norwich City. Although fans expected a goal fest with the Canaries having one of the worst defences in the league. But they managed to keep the Sky Blues at bay for the good part of an hour. But they finally broke through in the 67th minute when Kevin De Bruyne’s cross from a corner kick was powerfully headed in by Nicolas Otamendi near the penalty spot.

Joe Hart then made a mistake leading to the Norwich equaliser. The English goalkeeper failed to collect a cross from the right flank and dropped the ball right in front of Cameron Jerome who was literally on the goal line when he tapped it in. But City restored the lead in the 89th minute after Russell Martin was sent off for a handball in the box and Yaya Toure scored from the spot.

Yaya Toure scored from the penalty spot for Manchester City against Crystal Palace

Aleksandar Kolarov had a chance to extend the lead in injury time when City got a penalty but the full-back shot wide. But the score stayed 2-1 to ensure City stayed at the top of the table. 

Watford 2-0 West Ham

The home side took the lead when Odion Ighalo scored from a tap-in in the 39th minute after some good work from Nathan Ake on the left flank. The Nigerian striker scored again two minutes into the second half with a shot from the centre of the box that flew into the top left corner. The match ended 2-0 in Watford’s favour, giving them all three points. 

West Brom 2-3 Leicester City 

The first goal was scored in the 30th minute when Salomon Rondon got on the scoresheet with a header from a tight angle near the edge of the six-yard box. The Venezuelan was the first to a cross from the corner kick sent in by Stephane Sessegnon to give the Baggies the lead.

But Riyad Mahrez equalised in the 57th minute with a left-footed volley at the edge of the six-yard box after Marc Albrighton sent in a cross from the left flank. The Algerian midfielder then gave the Foxes the lead minutes later but it looked like he was offside. 

Jamie Vardy continued his goalscoring run in the Premier League

Jamie Vardy then extended his goalscoring run by grabbing his 11th goal in the league – his eighth in a eight consecutive matches. But West Brom scored a second in the 84th minute with Rickie Lambert converting from the penalty spot after Nathan Dyer fouled Callum McManaman in the box. 

Newcastle 0-0 Stoke City

TEAM NEWS: Rooney keeps place in Man Utd team

The England striker has had a dismal start to the season, having scored just twice in nine Premier League appearances, but he remains at the spearhead of his side's attack

Wayne Rooney has kept his place in the Manchester United starting XI for Saturday's game against Crystal Palace.

There have been increasing calls for Rooney to be dropped from the first-team as his poor form continues, with the striker having scored just two goals in nine Premier League appearances this season.

However, he remains the spearhead of Louis van Gaal's attack heading into the game at Selhurst Park.

Ander Herrera, Anthony Martial and Juan Mata are in support of the England attacker, with Memphis Depay absent through injury.

Daley Blind starts in the centre of defence alongside Chris Smalling, while Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin sit deep in midfield.

Meanwhile, 17-year-old Axel Tuanzebe has been included in the squad for the first time, with the central defender taking a place on the bench.

Manchester United starting XI: De Gea; Darmian, Smalling, Blind, Rojo; Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger; Mata, Herrera, Martial; Rooney. Subs: Romero, Tuanzebe, Young, Carrick, Lingard, Pereira, Fellaini.

Crystal Palace starting XI: Hennessey; Kelly, Dann, Delaney (c), Ward; McArthur, Cabaye; Zaha, Puncheon, Bolasie; Gayle. Subs: Speroni, Hangeland, Jedinak, Ledley, Lee, Sako, Bamford.

Manchester United’s limitations on show again in Palace draw

Louis van Gaal’s side were lucky to avoid defeat at Selhurst Park

Crystal Palace’s Damien Delaney exchanges words with Manchester United’s Ander Herrera during the Premier League match at Selhurst Park. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA

Crystal Palace 0 Manchester United 0

Manchester United lost ground in the race for the Premier League title with a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace that could easily have ended in defeat.

Against their improving opponents, United again struggled to convince with a predictable, sluggish display that leaves them at risk of falling outside of the division’s top four.

The starting line-ups of each team suggested that this fixture’s outcome would be decided by whether Palace’s pace, via Jason Puncheon, Dwight Gayle, Yannick Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha, or the intelligence and composure of the visiting Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind and Wayne Rooney would prevail.

In the game’s opening stages, it was unquestionably Palace who provided the greater threat. Gayle forced a reasonable, second-minute save from David de Gea when shooting from close range after Matteo Darmian had clumsily conceded possession, and soon after the goalkeeper reacted even more impressively when tipping Bolasie’s powerful, goal-bound shot from the right on to the bar.

Within a minute those present witnessed another fine save from De Gea, this time when Scott Dann’s header from Yohan Cabaye’s corner was tipped over, though thereafter the expensively assembled visitors began to recover some control.

Palace had lost their previous three fixtures, conceding a total of eight times, and perhaps expectedly their early confidence began to dwindle.

Rooney watched his 25th-minute curling free-kick comfortably palmed away by Palace’s Wayne Hennessey and then hesitated when – with both time and space to score following Anthony Martial’s classy through-ball – struggling to control possession and allowing Hennessey to collect the loose ball.

Palace’s one dimension had been exposed, yet for all of United’s superior quality it became apparent why they had failed to score during their past two games, the second a Capital One Cup defeat by Middlesbrough that also went to extra-time.

Again they played with such caution, as was the case throughout almost all of last season and as has also been for much of this. Angel di Maria has already been one expensive casualty of Louis van Gaal’s reign, and on this evidence there are several who could be the next.

Such unremarkable performances could previously be excused, owing to the players adjusting to their manager’s methods – and Van Gaal working with a largely-inherited squad – but as he has since spent heavily their lack of direction is no longer acceptable.

It almost felt an admission of guilt when, with Palace again improving – albeit without testing De Gea – and United seemingly bereft of ideas, the manager substituted two of his summer signings, Darmian and Bastian Schweinsteiger, for two of those signed before his 2014 appointment, Marouane Fellaini and Ashley Young.

Palace resiliently defended in the game’s closing stages with United targeting Fellaini with repeated long balls, but without the injured Connor Wickham and Marouane Chamakh they lacked their own focal point in attack.

After Dann and Cabaye had again threatened, Bolasie sent another late close-range header over the crossbar when well placed to score, but despite his failure to do so a point and a clean sheet – given Palace’s recent run and the ambitions of their opposition – represented a positive result.

Watford 2 West Ham 0

High-flying West Ham crashed back to earth with a bump as Odion Ighalo inspired Watford to a 2-0 win at Vicarage Road.

Slaven Bilic’s side may have beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City on the road this season, but they came a cropper against the Hornets.

Ighalo claimed he had opened the scoring in the 38th minute by converting Nathan Ake’s cross, but Hammers defender Aaron Cresswell had actually turned the ball into his own net.

But their was no doubting the scorer when Ighalo doubled their lead just after the interval with a clinical strike.

West Ham, meanwhile, had James Collins sent off as their unbeaten record away from home came to a sorry end.

West Brom 2 Leicester 3

Jamie Vardy continued his stunning form with another goal as Leicester edged past West Brom. The England striker has now scored in eight straight Premier League games as he sealed the Foxes’ 3-2 win at The Hawthorns.

He is now just two games away from equalling Ruud van Nistelrooy’s all-time record set in 2003 and is the league’s top scorer with 11 goals in as many matches.

Riyad Mahrez had already scored twice – although his second should have been disallowed for offside – as the visitors remain unbeaten on the road.

Salomon Rondon’s second goal in two games put the Baggies ahead but they missed the chance to record three successive wins for the first time since 2012.

Rickie Lambert scored his first goal for Albion from the penalty spot late on but it could not rescue the hosts.

Newcastle 0 Stoke 0

Goalkeeper Jack Butland was the hero as Stoke left Newcastle with a hard-earned point as the Magpies once again failed to make the most of their chances.

Butland made two second-half saves from Moussa Sissoko, including a stunning effort with seven minutes remaining, and others from Ayoze Perez and substitute Jamaal Lascelles having needed the help of a post to deny Aleksandar Mitrovic before the break in front of a crowd of 47,139.

He more than anyone prevented Steve McClaren’s men from securing the win they needed to ease the pain of their derby defeat at Sunderland, and they remain deep in trouble with only one Premier League win to their name so far this season.

Manchester United held to scoreless draw by Crystal Palace

Manchester United drew 0-0 for the second consecutive English Premier League game as Louis van Gaal's men failed to find a route through a stern Crystal Palace defence at Selhurst Park.

United, beaten at Old Trafford in the League Cup by Middlesbrough on Thursday (AEDT), played out a goalless stalemate with Manchester City last weekend and failed to find the net once again as Alan Pardew's side held firm on Sunday (AEDT).

Palace welcomed former United winger Wilfried Zaha back into their starting line-up, but he was outshone by Yannick Bolasie on the opposite flank.

The Democratic Republic of Congo international rattled the crossbar inside 10 minutes as Palace applied the early pressure.

United soon found their feet, but were bereft of ingenuity despite their dominance of possession - a Wayne Rooney free-kick that forced a routine save from Wayne Hennessey was their best effort of the first half.

Yohan Cabaye, recovering from a knock sustained in the 5-1 League Cup thrashing at City in midweek to retain his place in the starting line-up, Scott Dann and Dwight Gayle were all unable to take second-half chances, leaving Palace winless in 13 Premier League clashes with United.

United made two changes in defence with Matteo Darmian replacing the injured Antonio Valencia and Daley Blind coming in for Phil Jones at centre-back.

But Van Gaal's side looked shaky at the back in the opening stages and would have fallen behind in the 10th minute had David de Gea not got the slightest of touches on Bolasie's effort to turn it onto the bar.

De Gea came to United's rescue once more two minutes later, leaping up to palm over a header from Dann after Cabaye's corner.

The visitors eventually took control of possession, but struggled to build anything positive against a robust Palace team.

Hennessey was not tested until the 25th minute, when Rooney fired a 25-yard free-kick over the wall that the Palace goalkeeper was able to get across to and save.

Hennessey thwarted Rooney again six minutes later, exposing the striker's lack of pace by rushing out to stop him from latching onto an incisive pass from Anthony Martial.

There were chances for Gayle and Ander Herrera before the interval, but neither player made strong enough contact with the ball to trouble the opposing.

Goal-scoring opportunities remained at a premium for the two sides during a scrappy start to the second half, with De Gea and Hennessey acting as spectators.

Although Palace grew into the game and controlled the ball, it took them until the 71st minute to carve out a decent opening.

Joel Ward's delivery from the right found Cabaye unmarked 10 yards out, but he was unable to steer his volley on target. Dann looped a header wide before Gayle had a shot saved by De Gea in the 76th minute.

There were chances for both sides to steal all three points late on, but Damien Delaney got a crucial block on a Martial shot before Bolasie headed over from a corner in stoppage time.

Crystal Palace 0-0 Manchester United and Swansea 0-3 Arsenal RESULTS: Plus the rest of the Barclays Premier League action