Alexis Sanchez scored twice as Arsenal reeled off a stunning 3-0 defeat of Manchester United that sent Arsene Wenger’s side up to second.
Sanchez scored with a sixth-minute back-heel and Mesut Ozil slotted home from Theo Walcott’s cut-back a minute later before Sanchez’s thunderbolt from the edge of the box completed the scoring in the 19th minute at a giddy Emirates Stadium.
Sanchez has now scored six goals in three games.
Photo: Reuters
“From Petr Cech to Theo Walcott, we only had superb performances,” Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger said.
Victory took Arsenal into second in the English Premier League, above United on goal-difference and two points below leaders Manchester City.
United would have gone top with victory, but instead they were left to nurse their wounds following the joint-heaviest league defeat of Louis van Gaal’s tenure as manager.
Photo: Reuters
“I did not expect that,” Van Gaal said. “I was surprised — not performing our game plan, not the will to win. I did not see that.”
“When you give a team like Arsenal so much space to play football, then you know that you shall lose... It was amazing for me and I am very disappointed,” he added.
Liverpool sacked coach Brendan Rodgers following a 1-1 draw away at Everton.
Rodgers’ three-year Anfield tenure came to an end when Liverpool released a statement announcing his dismissal hours after a Merseyside derby draw that left his team 10th in the table.
“We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Brendan Rodgers for the significant contribution he has made to the club and express our gratitude for his hard work and commitment,” Liverpool’s American owners Fenway Sports Group said in a statement.
“Although this has been a difficult decision, we believe it provides us with the best opportunity for success on the pitch.”
Rodgers, 42, ultimately paid the price for failing to successfully rebuild a team that had come within three games of winning the Premier League title in the 2013-2014 season.
Liverpool finished sixth last season and despite a second consecutive close-season splurge on new players, they have made a slow start, winning only one of their last nine games inside 90 minutes.
In Rodgers’ final game, Liverpool shared the spoils with Everton after an occasionally ill-tempered 225th Merseyside derby finished 1-1 at Goodison Park — the sixth draw in seven meetings between the teams.
Danny Ings put Liverpool ahead in the 41st minute when he was left unmarked inside the Everton box, nodding home James Milner’s corner.
However, untidy defending by Liverpool allowed Everton to level in first-half stoppage-time, with Romelu Lukaku slamming home after Emre Can’s attempted clearance had cannoned against his teammate Martin Skrtel.
Rodgers was the second Premier League manager to part company with his club on Sunday after experienced Dutch coach Dick Advocaat stepped down at Sunderland following a return of three points from eight games that left the club second from bottom.
In Sunday’s other game, Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen scored with two fine long-range free-kicks as Tottenham Hotspur twice hit back to secure a 2-2 draw at Swansea City.
Swansea were twice in front, courtesy of a 16th-minute Andre Ayew header and a 31st-minute own-goal by Harry Kane, but Eriksen replied on each occasion to extend Spurs’ unbeaten run to seven league games.
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 36 points from Tyrese Maxey and a triple-double from Joel Embiid, on Thursday beat the Houston Rockets 128-122 in an NBA overtime thriller. Cameroonian big man Embiid scored 32 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 10 assists, posting the ninth triple-double of his career to help the Sixers end the Rockets’ three-game winning streak. Rockets star Kevin Durant scored 36 points and Amen Thompson added 17, but Thompson was scoreless in the fourth quarter. Even so, the Rockets led by nine midway through the final frame, Maxey tying it at 115-115 with 40.1 seconds left. Durant missed a
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
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