Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said that the Chile international could be involved if the deal had not been completed, but he was again omitted.

Unlike last week, however, when Arsenal lost 2-1 at Bournemouth without the forward, his team-mates made light work of his absence here against a poor Palace side.

The hosts were four goals up inside the opening quarter of the game, with Nacho Monreal, Alex Iwobi, Laurent Koscielny and Alexandre Lacazette all hitting the target.

Luka Milivojevic struck a consolation for the visitors as Wenger’s side won their first match of 2018 to move within five points of the Premier League top four.

Burnley 0-1 Manchester United

Anthony Martial’s third goal in as many Premier League matches earned second-placed Manchester United victory at Burnley as they kept up the pressure on leaders Manchester City.

Having failed to register a shot on target in the first half, Martial fired the winner in off the crossbar nine minutes after the break as United picked up their second win since City’s first top-flight loss of the campaign at Liverpool last Sunday.

It was United’s fourth successive victory to start 2018 while Burnley, who had earned a point at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, slipped to their fourth consecutive loss of the new calendar year.

Though City’s lead remains significant, United fans looking for omens will note this game came 22 years to the day since they trailed Newcastle by 12 points after 23 games, a deficit they eventually overturned en route to the title.

Everton 1-1 West Brom

Oumar Niasse scored the fastest goal by a Premier League substitute this season to rescue a point for Everton against West Brom at Goodison Park.

Just 56 seconds after replacing £28million signing Cenk Tosun in the second half, Niasse volleyed in from debutant Theo Walcott’s assist to cancel out Jay Rodriguez’s seventh-minute opener.

However, Toffees boss Sam Allardyce’s 1,000th game as a manager was marred by an horrific-looking suspected broken leg sustained by midfielder James McCarthy.

It secured Everton’s first point since their dreary goalless draw at The Hawthorns on Boxing Day and prevented the Baggies moving out of the relegation zone.

Leicester 2-0 Watford

Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez fired Leicester to a routine win over Watford as Claude Puel’s powers of recovery continued.

Winger Mahrez – linked with a January move – maintained his fine form with a third goal in six games after Vardy’s first-half penalty put the Foxes ahead.

Leicester move up to seventh in the Premier League while Watford’s struggles continue with Marco Silva’s side having won just once in 11 games.

No such problems for Leicester boss Puel, though, who has now lost just four of his 18 games in charge.

Stoke 2-0 Huddersfield

Paul Lambert made a winning start as Stoke manager as a comfortable home victory against Huddersfield saw them climb out of the relegation zone.

Lambert had only had this week to work with his players but he had visibly lifted them and on Saturday the Potters did not look like a team who had been beaten in eight of their last 11 Premier League outings.

Roared on by a crowd fuelled with optimism, Stoke started brightly but they had to wait until the second half for the goals to come as Joe Allen and then Mame Diouf got their names on the score sheet.

The opener came on 53 minutes, when Charlie Adam set Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting free down the left and his cut back was steered into the bottom corner of the net by Allen.

Xherdan Shaqiri’s lovely flick then set up Diouf for the second goal in the 69th minute, with the Senegalese sliding a shot into the net off the inside of a post.

West Ham 1-1 Bournemouth

Javier Hernandez scored his first goal since October as West Ham and Bournemouth shared the spoils at the London Stadium.

Asmir Begovic denied Marko Arnautovic from point-blank range after 14 minutes and Bournemouth took the lead against the run of play through Ryan Fraser after 71 minutes.

The Hammers equalised immediately, as substitute Hernandez pounced to extend their unbeaten run to seven games. Bournemouth are now unbeaten in five in the league.

However, worryingly for David Moyes’ men, playmaker Manuel Lanzini went off with a knock in the second half and it is a year since West Ham last won successive Premier League games.

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Source: Talksport

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City conceded an injury-time penalty at Selhurst Park but goalkeeper Ederson saved the spot-kick from Luka Milivojevic, prompting Match of the Day host Gary Lineker to claim Guardiola’s side have an “air of invincibility about them”.

The draw preserves their unbeaten league status this season and takes them 14 points clear at the top of the table – the biggest gap between the leaders and the chasing pack at this stage of the season in top-flight history.

“I am not thinking to be unbeaten,” said Guardiola afterwards. “That is not going to happen.”

Despite the result, it could still prove a costly afternoon for City with Gabriel Jesus leaving the field injured and in tears in the first half, and the league’s top assist-maker Kevin de Bruyne stretchered off after a heavy tackle from Jason Puncheon in the final minute.

It leaves City with only one fit senior striker in Sergio Aguero, who replaced Jesus at Selhurst Park.

While Chelsea and Manchester United trail City by some distance, they may see a small light at the end of the tunnel in a title race that appeared to be all but over before the turn of the year.

The last team to go unbeaten throughout a Premier League season were Arsenal in 2003-04 but Guardiola still feels it is unlikely City will match them.

“Maybe Arsene [Wenger] is worried about that but I tell him many times that 2004 run is for him,” he said. “Today is completely different to 2004.

“Here are now more strong teams, a lot of competitions, a lot of games. That is not going to happen. I try to win the game, and especially focus on Watford.”

Palace were rewarded after their defensive grit and off-the-ball energy shone through in an enthralling contest.

The question, after they pressed so ferociously in the first half, was whether they were fit enough in the midst of the congested Christmas fixture-list to keep it up.

But the hosts did just that, with midfielder Luka Milivojevic covering more ground than anyone on the pitch (12.69 km), even if his late spot-kick was struck too close to City goalkeeper Ederson after Raheem Sterling fouled Wilfried Zaha in the box in the 92nd minute.

The point means the Eagles start the new year outside of the bottom three, a point above West Ham in 18th – symbolic for a club that suffered seven straight defeats without scoring during their miserable start to the season.

They also secured only their second home clean sheet in the league all season against a team which have scored 102 goals in 2017.

The downside to playing their energetic part in such an eventful contest was the first-half injury to centre-back Scott Dann, with Hodgson already light on defenders in Mamadou Sakho’s injury absence because of a calf problem.

But they can take heart from creating other opportunities to win aside from the penalty; with full-back Patrick van Aanholt testing Ederson in the first half and Andros Townsend wasting a gilt-edged chance to convert on 78 minutes.

With Yohan Cabaye, who drew applause for closing down City defender Nicolas Otamendi in the first half, playing further forward than he did in their previous defeat by Arsenal, Palace had a courage with the ball to match their resilience off it.

“I’m very proud of the team’s performance,” said Hodgson. “I know how difficult it is to play a team of Manchester City’s quality.

“Before the game we would have been jumping through hoops at having claimed a point, then you get a penalty late in the game, so there is an element of sadness at a chance missed.

“But I’ve said to the players: ‘continue that level of performance week after week and we’ve got a good chance of staying in the league’.”

No crisis for City but wear and tear mounts

Not winning their 19th consecutive game is hardly evidence of the wheels coming off City’s remarkable title bid, but there were signs that could be problematic in south London.

Their ninth game in December saw more onus on the considerable creativity of Kevin de Bruyne in playmaker David Silva’s continued absence.

But the previously sensational Belgian’s set-pieces were off colour – only one of six deliveries was dangerous, and his passing accuracy (80%) was less than any other starting City player.

Now Guardiola may have to cope without him after that late withdrawal, although he appeared able to walk alongside club physios after being carried off.

Leroy Sane could step up to fill the gap in the coming weeks but he struggled too. The 21-year-old won only half of his 14 individual duels, and was often second best to Palace defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

He was meekly dispossessed by the on-loan Manchester United man in the first half, and berated by De Bruyne over the timing of another run. Then he was booked for kicking the ball away in frustration.

It remains to be seen if Guardiola moves to bolster his attack by prising Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January, however the City boss said in his post-match news conference that he expects the forward to stay with the Gunners.

“He is a player for Arsenal and I think he is going to stay there,” he said. “In two days we have another game after that we have meetings. My feeling now is Alexis is an Arsenal player.”

Man of the match – Kyle Walker (Manchester City)

Rare away blank for City – the stats

• This was City’s first away goalless draw in the Premier League since March 2016 against Norwich City, ending a run of 34 matches in which at least one goal was scored.
• Manchester City failed to win a Premier League game for the first time since August, bringing an end to their 18-game winning run.
• Only two teams have won more Premier League points in a calendar year than Man City in 2017 (98) – Man Utd in 1993 (102) and Chelsea in 2005 (101).
• Crystal Palace have only lost one of their last 10 Premier League games (W3 D6), having lost 13 of their 16 before this run.
• Roy Hodgson has now failed to see his side score in his past five Premier League matches against Man City (D2 L3), a goalless run that stands at 465 minutes.
• This was Palace’s fourth clean sheet in their past eight Premier League games, as many as they’d managed in their 25 matches prior to this.
• Manchester City goalkeepers have saved 10 of the past 17 penalties they’ve faced in all competitions, with four different goalkeepers saving those 10 (Joe Hart, Claudio Bravo, Willy Caballero and Ederson).
• Wayne Hennessey was the first Crystal Palace goalkeeper since Nigel Martyn in May 1993 to keep a Premier League clean sheet against Man City.
• Crystal Palace have missed five penalties since the start of last season, two more than any other Premier League side.
• Raheem Sterling is the only Premier League player to have both won and conceded a penalty this season.

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Source: BBC

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Christian Benteke cost Palace victory when he missed an injury-time penalty he was not supposed to take last weekend, but the striker redeemed himself with a first-half header from Andros Townsend’s cross – his first goal of the campaign.

Palace had failed to score in their past 10 league away games, but Roy Hodgson’s organised and adventurous team added a second before the break when Benteke’s strong run and pass set up Wilfried Zaha for a brilliant individual finish.

Leicester only tested goalkeeper Julian Speroni when they rallied in the second half – the Argentine reacting superbly to reach Riyad Mahrez’s angled low drive with a strong palm.

And any potential comeback was hamstrung when Wilfred Ndidi was sent off on his birthday less than a minute after Vicente Iborra’s header was correctly disallowed for a foul.

Ndidi – who turns 21 today – was shown a second yellow card for simulation in the penalty box with just under half an hour to play.

Palace had a much more legitimate penalty shout when Benteke was crumpled in the area by Marc Albrighton’s sliding tackle from behind, but the referee waved away appeals for a chance to add extra gloss on an impressive away performance.

Bakary Sako eventually provided it – tucking away Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s pass across goal to round off a 94th-minute counter-attack.

The Foxes, who so impressively dismantled Puel’s former club Southampton in midweek, remain eighth in the table, while Palace rise four places to 14th – though the teams below them are yet to play this weekend.

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Source: BBC Sport

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The Eagles paid for slack defending in just the sixth minute when a Dusan Tadic cross-shot was parried to the feet of Steven Davis, who side-footed home from 10 yards.

Palace’s direct approach was contained for the most part, though Saints keeper Fraser Forster did have to make point-blank saves to deny Christian Benteke and Jason Puncheon either side of half-time.

His resistance meant the hosts set a new top-flight record as they surpassed the 438 minutes Newcastle went without a goal at the start of the 2005-06 season.

Palace did not offer enough and allowed the away side to keep possession too easily as they secured a first win since 19 August.

Saints introduced Virgil van Dijk from the bench late on, the defender making his first appearance since declaring he wanted to leave in the summer.

His impact was minimal as his side easily saw out the closing stages with Palace resorting to hopeful crosses and long balls, as they had for much of the afternoon.

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Source: BBC

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Former England boss Roy Hodgson will replace him, BBC Sport understands.

The Eagles are 19th in the Premier League after losing 1-0 at Burnley on Sunday – and failed to score in their four league matches under De Boer.

His is the shortest Premier League managerial tenure in terms of games, and the 47-year-old’s past two jobs have lasted a combined 162 days.

Announcing the Dutchman’s departure on the club website, Palace said: “We would like to thank Frank for his dedication and hard work.”

Former Ajax boss De Boer only took over this summer, succeeding Sam Allardyce, who left after helping Palace avoid relegation last season.

He was sacked by Inter Milan in November 2016 after 85 days.

Prior to that he had won the Eredivisie four years in a row, between 2011 and 2015.

His only win as Palace manager came in the EFL Cup against Ipswich Town.

Should Hodgson take the job on a permanent basis, he will be the club’s seventh permanent manager in six years.

Palace chairman Steve Parish was at Turf Moor on Sunday, and said afterwards: “It’s a terrible start but we have to stick together.

“People are frustrated, I’m frustrated, so are the management and players. We know we are better than this.

“I’m defending everyone at the club who is working their backside off to turn this around. Football teams lose games. It happens.

“Who has the better squad, us or Burnley? We had a much weaker squad when we finished 11th. The buck stops with me; I’ve never run away from that.”

Speaking earlier this month, Parish had said De Boer’s start had “not been great” and football was a “results-based business”.

De Boer made two major signings at Palace, paying £26m for Liverpool centre-half Mamadou Sakho and signing Ajax defender Jairo Riedewald for £7.9m.

He also recruited full-back Timothy Fosu-Mensah and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek on loan from Manchester United and Chelsea respectively.

Hodgson ‘can’t wait to get started’

Hodgson has not managed in the Premier League since leaving West Brom to become England manager in 2012. It is said he ‘can’t wait to get started’.

This will be his first job since quitting as manager of the national side after Euro 2016, when England were knocked out by Iceland.

The 70-year-old started his playing career at Palace and has previously managed Blackburn, Fulham and Liverpool in the Premier League.

What lies ahead for Palace?

This is Palace’s fifth successive season in the top flight. They finished 11th in 2013-14, 10th in 2014-15, 15th in 2015-16 and 14th last season.

Palace host Southampton on Saturday before Huddersfield visit for an EFL Cup third-round tie on Tuesday, 19 September.

The Eagles will then face the current top three in the Premier League.

They visit Manchester City on 23 September and Manchester United on 30 September before hosting Chelsea on 14 October.

Palace are the first top-flight team since Preston in 1924-25 to lose their opening four league matches without scoring a goal.

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Chris Wood scored the only goal of the game in Burnley’s 1-0 win over Palace after he latched on to Lee Chung-Yong’s aimless back-pass to fire past Wayne Hennessey inside the opening five minutes, but Palace had more than enough chances to secure the share of the spoils were it not for some fine goalkeeping from Nick Pope, who replaced the injured Tom Heaton midway through the first-half, and a series of ridiculous misses.

Scott Dann fluffed a close-range header in injury time, having already seen two volleys cleared off the line, and Pope denied Christian Benteke the finishing touch on a well-worked team move.

The result sends the Clarets up to 7th in the Premier League table, and keeps Palace in the bottom three, without a win – or even a goal scored – to their name this season.

It took just three minutes for Wood – making his first start for Burnley following his summer move from Leeds – to open the scoring, with the goal put on a plate for the New Zealand international.

Lee played a back-pass to no one in particular, and Wood raced onto possession before curling a fine early finish past Hennessey to hand under pressure De Boer the worst start possible.

Palace could have pulled level almost instantly, but Dann’s excellent volley on the turn was cleared off the line by Lowton, with Benteke later sending a header toward goal that left Heaton scrambling – but the ball dropped just wide of the post.

Vokes also headed just wide as the action continued in an end-to-end manner during the opening 10 minutes.

Palace had reacted well to going behind so soon after kick-off, winning a number of corners with play largely focused in Burnley’s half.

Schlupp expertly created space for himself in the area but failed with his shot, McArthur went close with a header, and Heaton had to claim a cross from Lee – hurting himself in the process and leaving the field to be replaced by Nick Pope.

The substitution took much of the pace out the game, with Burnley taking control again and coming close through a fine Gudmunsson cross that Fosu-Mensah had to clear.

Townsend was the first to test Pope, but the keeper dealt well with his 20-yard strike, and Palace left the pitch at half-time behind, but certainly not embarrassed.

The visitors dominated after the restart, but for all the play they had in Burnley’s half there were few clear chances created.

The Clarets’ back line was dealing easily with various deliveries into the area, as Benteke became increasingly frustrated in the box by the lack of quality aimed towards him.

Schlupp should have levelled the scores with just under 20 minutes remaining, finding himself with space inside the penalty area, but he got everything wrong, leaning back and firing wildly over the crossbar.

Hennessey was called upon to push away Barnes’ curling strike to ensure Palace remained just one goal behind, but that was a rare attack from Burnley in a half during which the visitors saw much of the ball.

They pushed and pushed for an equaliser, and Pope made a fine save from Benteke after he had broken into the penalty area for what was Palace’s best chance of the match.

Another corner led to another Dann volley that was cleared off the line, before the centre-back headed wide from two yards out with the goal gaping as the match headed into injury time.

He fell to the turf in despair, but this is a performance that promises much more than the scoreline suggests, and could see De Boer remain in his job for one week more.

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Source: TalkSPort

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Jordan hit the back of the net in the 48^th minute, 4 minutes after his teammate Tammy Abraham scored Swansea’s opening goal.

Crystal Palace who featured two Ghanaians Jeffrey Schlupp and Timothy Fosu-Mensah have been unimpressive in their previous games under their new manager, new boss Frank de Boer.

They have lost all their three matches without scoring a single goal.

Swansea City currently 9th with 4 points on the Premiership table with Crystal Palace 19th on the table with no point.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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