Arsenal capped a “perfect week’ with a 2-0 victory at Aston Villa on Sunday to overtake Manchester City at the summit of the Barclays’ Premier League.
The Arsene Wenger-led team had on Wednesday produced a master class football to beat Olympiakos 3-0 in Greece to reach the UEFA Champions League last (UCL) 16 and followed it up with another classic away win against the bottom table Aston Villa.
The in-form striker, Olivier Giroud, whose hat trick propelled Arsenal to UCL knock out stage on Wednesday, opened the score sheet from the spot-kick to set the Emirate club to crucial victory at the Villa Park.
Giroud sent Brad Guzan the wrong way from the penalty spot in the eighth minute after Alan Hutton was penalised for holding back Theo Walcott.
Aaron Ramsey doubled Arsenal’s lead before halftime, starting and finishing a swift counter-attack, as Wenger’s men leapfrogged both City and former leaders Leicester City, who host champions Chelsea on Monday, while fourth-place Manchester United, lost 2-1 at Bournemouth on Saturday.
“It was a perfect week for us,” Wenger told the BBC after the game. “We spent a lot of energy away in the Champions League on Wednesday, but found the resources to win again here today (Sunday), in another away match.
“This season is so unpredictable that you just focus on yourself and try to play well in the next game. You know if you are consistent then you have a chance. This is an opportunity for us to find that consistency.”
Arsenal’s fans’ were ecstatic seeing their side go top when hours later their arch rival, Tottenham Hotspur’s 14-game unbeaten run was ended by a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Newcastle United.
Tottenham’s blistering run of form in the EPL this season were ended by struggling Magpies, courtesy of late goals from substitutes Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ayoze Perez.
Eric Dier’s glancing header from Christian Eriksen’s corner gave Spurs a 39th-minute lead, but Mitrovic poked home an equaliser two minutes after coming on as a substitute in the 72nd minute before Perez squeezed a winner beneath Hugo Lloris in the third minute of added time.
Newcastle had started to turn a corner by beating Liverpool last weekend and Klopp’s men needed a last-gasp intervention from Origi to avoid a second consecutive defeat against West Brom.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson marked his first start since August with a 21st-minute opener, but Craig Dawson punished an error by goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to equalise on the half hour before Jonas Olsson headed the visitors in front in the 73rd minute from Chris Brunt’s corner.
Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren had to be stretchered off with a nasty knee injury, but the eight minutes of injury time that ensued enabled Origi to rescue the hosts with a deflected equaliser.
Liverpool rise one place to ninth, five points off the top four, with Tony Pulis’s West Brom four points further back in 13th.
Chelsea’s run of poor form would further come under scrutiny on Monday night when they square up against surprise table toppers, Leicester City. The Jose Mourinho led team occupies 16 spot on the EPL table and a defeat could further trigger relegation alarm and possible sack of the ‘Special One’.
By Olisemeka Obeche