London rivals open the door for Manchester City

Fierce London rivals Arsenal and Spurs both dropped points Saturday, leaving Manchester City a chance of going top of the English Premier League.

Pep Guardiola’s side could open up a two-point lead over the Gunners if it can beat Southampton in one of the two Sunday fixtures.

Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United team faces his former club Chelsea in a mouth-watering fixture at Stamford Bridge.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Arsenal and Tottenham fans with both games finishing goalless.

Bournemouth held out against Mauricio Pochettino’s men while Arsene Wenger had little to cheer for his 67th birthday with the Gunners failing to score against league strugglers Middlesbrough despite having home advantage.

Spurs boss Pochettino said after the game he was pleased with his team’s effort.

“Our defensive record is very good but with the way we defend and don’t concede chances or goals, it’s important to score and to win. I’m disappointed because we created chances and had possibilities to score,” he said on the club’s website.

Arsenal dominated possession but the Middlesbrough goalkeeper Victor Valdes kept his team in the match with a number of crucial saves.

Saturday marked a return to form for the current champions Leicester. Defender Christian Fuchs fired in a thunderous half volley from 25 yards to seal a 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace.

It moves the Foxes up into 12th place Saturday evening, though the team faces a tricky fixture away at Spurs next weekend.

Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri told reporters: “I think it’s the best performance of the season. We won and played well and the only thing I don’t like is we conceded a goal.”

Burnley also had a good result, beating Everton 2-1 at home. It’s a disappointing result for Everton which had a great start to the season and is on the edge of the European places.

Stoke’s fortunes continue to revive after a shocking start for Mark Hughes’ men. They have climbed out of the relegation zone after a 2-0 win away at Hull, notching up back-to-back wins following last week’s win against Sunderland.

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