West Ham 3-2 Everton
DIMITRI PAYET SCORED a dramatic last-gasp winner as West Ham produced a marvellous comeback against 10-man Everton to claim a 3-2 Premier League win on Saturday and stay within a point of the Champions League places.
Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring in the 13th minute — continuing his 100 per cent goalscoring record in his eight league games against West Ham.
Despite seeing Kevin Mirallas sent off for a second bookable offence in the 35th minute, Everton went 2-0 up as Aaron Lennon finished off a fine move and Lukaku had the chance to put the game to bed from the penalty spot.
But his failure to convert from 12 yards turned the tide completely as West Ham rallied to clinch a thrilling win.
Michail Antonio headed in his third goal in as many games to give Slaven Bilic’s side hope before Diafra Sakho’s first goal since September levelled matters nine minutes from time.
And there was one last twist in the tale in the 90th minute as Payet pounced on some sloppy Everton defending to cap an unbelievable fightback.
Everton had gone 15 Premier Leagues unbeaten against West Ham prior to Saturday’s game and Lukaku broke the deadlock with his 18th league goal of the season, gaining a yard on Reece Oxford before firing home via the post.
Adrian was called into action to prevent Ross Barkley from making it 2-0 in the 25th minute as the Spaniard produced a fine diving save to his left to keep out the midfielder’s left-footed volley.
The game seemed to take a big swing in West Ham’s favour when Mirallas, who had already been booked for simulation, received his second caution for a late and needless challenge on Aaron Cresswell.
West Ham would have capitalised on their numerical advantage three minutes before half-time if not for an excellent reaction save from Joel Robles to deny Emmanuel Emenike after the Nigeria forward had got on the end of an excellent left-wing cross from Cresswell.
Oxford was withdrawn in favour of Andy Carroll at the start of the second half and West Ham spurned another chance to level when Antonio headed wide from a Payet free-kick five minutes after the interval.
And the visitors were duly punished for their profligacy six minutes later courtesy of a brilliantly worked move between Lukaku and Lennon, who surged towards the box before collecting the Belgian’s sublime return pass and coolly slotting the ball underneath Adrian.
Lukaku could not make Alex Song pay for a clumsy challenge on Muhamed Besic as his tame 69th-minute spot-kick was kept out by Adrian, who made a one-on-one save from the former Chelsea man shortly after.
A huge swing in momentum followed as Antonio turned home Mark Noble’s cross in the 78th minute to give West Ham hope before Sakho equalised three minutes later, heading Payet’s wonderful delivery into the bottom-left corner.
Sakho was involved as West Ham completed an unlikely turnaround, flicking Carroll’s header into the path of Payet to roll the ball underneath the legs of Joel.
Chelsea 1-1 Stoke
Mame Biram Diouf secured Stoke City a deserved 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with an equalising header five minutes from full-time in the Premier League on Saturday.
Diouf, restored to the starting line-up by manager Mark Hughes, nodded home in the closing stages, cancelling out Bertrand Traore’s first-half strike to earn Stoke a first ever Premier League point on Chelsea’s home ground.
The defending Premier League champions were without Diego Costa — who has scored or assisted 12 goals in his last 10 Premier League appearances — due to a tendon injury, but Traore ensured his absence was not too sorely felt with a searing effort in the 39th minute.
Stoke played some impressive football in the second half as the game opened up, but Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois proved difficult to beat.
After Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri were denied by the Belgian, Diouf — who missed a pair of chances in the first half — finally breached the hosts’ backline in the 85th minute with his first strike for the Potters since September.
The draw leaves Stoke in seventh position, while Chelsea sit 10th following a seventh draw in 12 Premier League matches since Guus Hiddink’s return to the helm.
With one eye perhaps on the Champions League round-of-16 second leg at home to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, Hiddink opted to name Cesc Fabregas on the bench and deploy John Obi Mikel in midfield, while Baba Rahman returned and Willian was restored to the line-up due to Costa’s enforced absence.
Chelsea may have been ruing the loss of the Spain international when Traore failed to take advantage of a fourth-minute cross from Cesar Azpilicueta, and the defending Premier League champions’ early momentum ebbed away.
Ibrahim Afellay forced Courtois into a diving save with a powerful 20-yard strike, before his brilliant cross with the outside of his right boot following a rapid break was steered narrowly over by Diouf in the 21st minute.
The Senegalese striker was unable to hit the target when presented with his next opportunity, scuffing wide after another counter-attacking move, and the deadlock was broken six minutes before the interval.
Traore was afforded space 20 yards from goal by the Stoke defence and he used it to drill a brilliant effort inside the far post.
There were chances at both ends within five minutes of the restart. Arnautovic’s swinging drive was palmed away by Courtois, before Eden Hazard’s cross-goal strike arrowed wide.
Stoke continued to threaten and came close to a 59th-minute equaliser when Courtois got down to his left to parry Shaqiri’s effort behind.
Chelsea responded well as the game opened up, but Jack Butland was equal to efforts from Willian and Gary Cahill.
Traore made way for Loic Remy with 22 minutes remaining, and Stoke took control of possession as they stepped up their attempt to find an equaliser.
Referee Mark Clattenberg gave Erik Pieters a reprieve by not showing him a second yellow card for a foul on Oscar, and Stoke pulled level with five minutes remaining.
Diouf headed the ball into the back of the net after Courtois failed to adequately clear Shaqiri’s cross, but the Belgian produced a stoppage-time save to deny substitute Bojan a last-gasp winner.
Swansea 1-0 Norwich
Swansea City continued to edge away from the Premier League relegation zone with a 1-0 victory over Norwich City at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
Gylfi Sigurdsson put Swansea ahead after an hour as he applied the finish to a smart Leroy Fer pass after terrific defensive play by Wayne Routledge had launched a counter-attack.
Norwich threw men forward in a desperate attempt to salvage a point but the visitors created little — a Patrick Bamford shot that was blocked by Lukasz Fabianski as close as they came to a goal.
Nathan Redmond almost snatched a draw in the closing stages, but the winger directed his effort just wide.
Swansea’s win was their second in a row following a 2-1 victory at Arsenal on Wednesday and means they are now nine points clear of the relegation places, while Norwich remain deep in the mire after their winless run stretched to nine matches.
Swansea – managed by Alan Curtis in the absence of Francesco Guidolin, who remains in hospital with a chest infection — made six changes from their midweek win, while Alex Neil recalled Steven Naismith and Gary O’Neil.
In front of the on-looking new FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Swansea had the first chance after five minutes when Alberto Paloschi miskicked a shot, before Fabianski saved comfortably from Redmond.
Robbie Brady’s set-pieces were causing problems for Swansea but the hosts almost took the lead after 23 minutes, as Andre Ayew’s header drifted over the crossbar.
Cameron Jerome forced a good save from Fabianski two minutes before half-time but, with both sides struggling for form, the first period lacked quality.
Half-time substitute Modou Barrow had the first opening of the second half, turning a looping ball over the crossbar from close range.
And Swansea took the lead in the 61st minute. Substitute Fer slipped a superb pass across the box and Sigurdsson controlled before placing his shot into the bottom right-hand corner.
Routledge then forced a good stop from John Ruddy by cutting along the byline and firing an effort from a narrow angle, before Fabianski saved from substitute striker Bamford after 67 minutes as Neil’s side committed more men forward in search of an equaliser.
With 10 minutes to go, Dieumerci Mbokani headed a deep cross over the crossbar, before Ruddy kept out Sigurdsson’s goalbound free-kick.
Redmond had a glorious late chance to rescue a point after a goalmouth scramble but dragged wide from 14 yards, before Fabianski kept out Bamford’s shot as Swansea moved a step closer to Premier League survival.
