LONDON: Mikel Merino rescued Arsenal as the Premier League leaders battled to a 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea, while Alexander Isak ended his scoring drought to fire Liverpool to a 2-0 win at West Ham on Sunday.
Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute for a foul on Merino, but Trevoh Chalobah headed Chelsea ahead from Reece James’ corner in the 48th minute.
Merino’s close-range header from Bukayo Saka’s cross in the 59th minute earned Arsenal a share of the points. The Gunners remain five points clear of second-placed Manchester City and six ahead of Chelsea.
Liverpool forward Isak, who had failed to score in his first five Premier League appearances since a £125 million (about RM683 million) move from Newcastle, struck his second goal in 11 games.
Cody Gakpo added a stoppage-time strike to secure Liverpool’s first win in four matches. “It was very important for us as a team, but also for him,” said manager Arne Slot.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa moved into fourth with a 1-0 win over Wolves thanks to Boubacar Kamara, while Brighton avenged a 7-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest by winning 2-0, with goals from Maxim De Cuyper and Stefanos Tzimas. – AFP
