London: Arsenal threw away a four-goal lead on Saturday to draw 4-4 at Newcastle in the highest scoring day in Premier League history.
The second-place Gunners were 4-0 up at halftime but had Abou Diaby sent off in the 50th minute for pushing over Joey Barton's in reaction to the Newcastle midfielder's tough challenge. Barton scored a penalty to spark the comeback before a goal by Leon Best, another penalty by Barton and Cheik Tiote's 87th-minute equalizer.
The unprecedented comeback meant that the day's first seven games featured a record 38 goals even before leader Manchester United played bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the late match.
Carlos Tevez scored all Manchester City's goals in a 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion, and Louis Saha hit four as Everton beat Blackpool 5-3.
Niko Kranjcar's injury-time winner gave Tottenham a 2-1 win over Bolton, Clint Dempsey hit his 10th goal of the season to earn Fulham's 2-2 draw at Aston Villa, Stoke beat Sunderland 3-2, and Wigan beat Blackburn 4-3 to climb out of the relegation zone.
But Arsenal garnered most attention, becoming the first team in the Premier League's 19-year history to surrender a 4-0 lead.
The Gunners beat Newcastle 4-0 in the League Cup in October and led by the same margin after just 26 minutes on Saturday.
Theo Walcott gave them a first-minute lead and Johan Djourou headed in Andrey Arshavin's free kick for 2-0 just two minutes later. Robin van Persie made it 3-0 in the 10th and the Netherlands striker headed in his second goal from Bacary Sagna's cross.
But Diaby's red card left Arsenal with 40 minutes to play with 10 men.
"I think Diaby was too nervous in his reaction," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "But I think Joey Barton should have been sent off in the same tackle."
Laurent Koscielny brought down Best inside the area for Barton to score his first penalty in the 68th and Best scored himself from close range with 15 minutes remaining.
Barton hit the day's seventh penalty — another Premier League record — in the 83rd and Ivory Coast international Tiote volleyed left-footed into the bottom left corner to complete the comeback.
"We dropped two points, that's all," Wenger said.
Third-place City moved to within a point of Arsenal, albeit having played one game more, following Tevez's first-half hat trick.
Tevez hit the post after only three minutes before scoring a 17th-minute penalty for Steven Reid's trip on Aleksandar Kolarov.
The Argentina striker scored again minutes later following an exchange of passes with David Silva and, after Kolarov had struck the bar from long range, Tevez took his season tally to 20 goals with another penalty — awarded when Jerome Thomas handled the ball.
Tottenham moved level on points with fourth-place Chelsea, which hosts Liverpool in one of two matches Sunday.
Rafael van der Vaart put Spurs ahead with a sixth-minute penalty and converted another a minute later, only for it to be ruled out because of encroachment by other players. Jussi Jaaskelainen saved the retaken kick.
On-loan Chelsea striker Dean Sturridge equalized in the 55th but Tottenham substitute Niko Kranjcar scored in injury time with a 25-meter (yard) shot.
Dempsey's 78th-minute header from a corner was Fulham's second equalizer at Villa, while Louis Saha — who had never even scored a Premier League hat trick — struck four of Everton's goals against visiting Blackpool. Jermaine Beckford hit Everton's other goal.
Robert Huth scored twice in the last seven minutes to give Stoke victory against a visiting Sunderland side that had led for more than an hour, while James McCarthy scored twice to help lift relegation-threatened Wigan to 17th place.
Birmingham and West Ham each could move above Wigan with victory when they meet Sunday.
Comments
0 comment