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West Ham wins one Late Heskey strike earns Reds a 2-2 draw vs. ArsenalPosted: Wednesday January 29, 2003 5:29 PMUpdated: Wednesday January 29, 2003 6:52 PM LONDON (Reuters) -- Emile Heskey headed a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer as Liverpool held champions Arsenal 2-2 at Anfield in the English Premier League on Wednesday. Arsenal dominated the match and twice led through goals by Robert Pires and Dennis Bergkamp but Heskey's fine header at the death, following a controversially awarded corner, cost Arsene Wenger's side a valuable two points. The draw meant Arsenal remained five points clear at the top with 53 points from 25 games. Newcastle United moved into second place on 48 points after Jermaine Jenas' last-minute winner gave them a 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester United are third on 47 points, but with a game in hand, followed by Chelsea on 44. Liverpool are sixth on 39. At the other end, West Ham United eased the pressure on manager Glenn Roeder when Jermain Defoe's late goal gave them a precious 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers. It was West Ham's first home league win in 13 attempts this season. West Bromwich Albion slipped to the bottom of the table after losing 1-0 at home to Charlton Athletic, while Manchester City warmed up for the imminent signing of Robbie Fowler from Leeds United with a 4-1 home win over Fulham. Arsenal, and their elusive French striker Thierry Henry in particular, were awesome in the first half at Anfield. They went in front after only eight minutes when Pires stroked the ball into an empty net after Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek had saved an Henry shot following a superb Bergkamp through ball. The home side needed a strong start to the second period and got it as Norwegian John-Arne Riise drilled in a 20-metre equalizer after 52 minutes. Arsenal were rattled but then showed the resilience of true champions. Bergkamp cut in from the left and drove in a shot that deflected cruelly off Liverpool defender Stephane Henchoz and past a despairing Dudek into the back of the net. The champions could have added to their tally after that and were made to pay in time added on. Liverpool's Milan Baros and Arsenal's Oleg Luzhny challenged for the ball, the linesman awarded a corner and, when Salif Diao eventually crossed the ball into the area, Heskey beat goalkeeper David Seaman with an imperious header. Hammers relief Jenas decided a tight game at White Hart Lane with a belated intervention for Newcastle, who are now right in the title frame. The 19-year-old's fourth goal in five games, a scuffed effort in the final minute after Craig Bellamy's shot was saved, handed Spurs their first home defeat since September. West Ham, with Les Ferdinand and the inspirational Paolo Di Canio back in their attack, started brightly against Blackburn following their 6-0 FA Cup thrashing at Manchester United. But they could not force a breakthrough and seven minutes before the interval Dwight Yorke punished them, lashing the ball home at the second attempt from David Thompson's free kick. Di Canio earned and scored the penalty from which West Ham equalized after 58 minutes. But it was left to substitute Defoe, with an expert finish a minute from time, to provide Roeder with some home comfort at last. West Ham jumped two places to third-from-bottom on 20 points, one less than the team above them, Bolton Wanderers, and three above bottom club West Brom. Albion, with 17 points, were undone by South African striker Shaun Bartlett's goal on the hour mark for Charlton at The Hawthorns. Frenchman Steed Malbranque, scorer of a hat-trick in the FA Cup on Sunday, needed only two minutes to open the scoring for Fulham at Manchester City. But after that Kevin Keegan's side took over. French striker Nicolas Anelka equalized and second-half goals by Ali Benarbia, Marc-Vivien Foe and Shaun Wright-Phillips completed a fine turnaround. Victorious Roeder: West Ham's season starts hereLONDON (Reuters) -- West Ham United manager Glenn Roeder is urging his side to make Wednesday's 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers a turning point in the Londoners' season. Substitute Jermain Defoe grabbed an 89th minute winner to give West Ham their first home league win of the season, lifting the embattled club to third from bottom in the Premier League. "It's just fantastic for the club," said Roeder, whose men had been humiliated in Sunday's 6-0 thrashing by Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round. "It's been a long time coming that home win and to get it in the manner we did, there was great atmosphere in our dressing room after the game," he told Sky Sports. "Three days ago, it was a hideous atmosphere at Old Trafford -- very strong words had to be exchanged and rightly so. "We let everyone down -- ourselves and more importantly we let all our fans down. To bounce back tonight is just a wonderful feeling." Defending his team after so many games at Upton Park had finished badly this season, Roeder insisted: "We have played well enough to have won here before tonight. "We've had some very good performances at home and we've lost; better performances than last year when we were winning. "But we're not going to look back on that. This is the start of hopefully having a successful end to the season. New confidence "We certainly can go in to what is a very difficult game at home to Liverpool on Sunday with more confidence and hopefully that confidence will help us achieve another great result." Rovers manager Graeme Souness summed up his side's lackluster display by saying: "We had too many people who didn't turn up tonight...we didn't play." Newcastle United manager Bobby Robson praised his team's stamina after they won 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur to go second in the table. Midfielder Jermaine Jenas scrambled home their winner in the 90th minute at White Hart Lane to give United only their third away win of the season. "We finished the game very well -- full of running. It shows a lot of endurance," Robson told Sky Sports. "We had stamina and pace in the last 20 minutes which I think just tipped the scales. "We've never been short of resolve. Away from home, we've made mistakes...but we need to do what we've done tonight on Saturday at Middlesbrough." Newcastle have 48 points, one more than Manchester United, who have a game in hand, and five behind leaders Arsenal. As for being second in the table, Robson said: "It's just phenomenal. It's one game more than Manchester United but Manchester United have to come to Newcastle. It's looking decent." Keegan happy Robson doubted though his men could catch league leaders Arsenal, saying: "They've got the team to forge ahead and keep the distance. We will chase but they will just keep ahead of us." Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan was purring after his team came from a goal down to thrash Fulham 4-1 -- the day before England striker Robbie Fowler is expected to join the Maine Road club from Leeds United. As for Fulham's early goal, and another effort that hit the woodwork, Keegan said: "That woke us up a little bit. "Nicolas Anelka got a great goal to get us back in it...and I said at half time if we play anything like this we should go and win this game, and that's what happened." Delighted with the result and the individual performances, Keegan added: "Getting Robbie Fowler is just the icing on the cake." Corner decision frustrates ArsenalLIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -- Arsenal were left to rue missed chances and a controversial referee's decision after conceding a late equalizer in their 2-2 draw at Liverpool on Wednesday. Liverpool scored in stoppage time with an Emile Heskey header following a corner kick that the champions thought should not have been given. Television replays suggested the linesman was probably right to judge that the ball had come off Arsenal's Oleg Luzhny rather than Liverpool striker Milan Baros, but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said his players disagreed. "They said it was never a corner," Wenger told Sky Sports television. Arsenal defender Sol Campbell said: "I don't think it was a corner which led to the goal. We are disappointed. Their player had the last touch but the referee gave it. It was a bit of a sucker punch at the end." It was the second time in a month that a game between the two teams had ended in controversy. Their 1-1 draw at Highbury on December 29 featured a late Arsenal equalizer when striker Francis Jeffers earned a disputed penalty. The Frenchman admitted his side, who stay five points clear at the top of the table, should probably have converted more of their chances in a thrilling encounter played at break-neck speed. "We played well and in the end we dropped two points because we should have buried the game before," Wenger said. "It was a very good game with many chances on both sides." Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier felt his side deserved their point for twice battling back from a goal down, and he said he did not see the corner incident clearly. "The linesman was adamant it was a corner but from where we were we couldn't see," he said. "I don't know whether it was a corner or not." Furious pace Houllier remarked on the furious pace of the game and also paid tribute to the quality of Arsenal's football, which was breathtaking at times. "I have never seen such a fast start," he said. "Sometimes you have a very, very fast start and then it dips a bit but this game was a very high tempo game for practically 90 minutes. "It was good advert for football. "They are really a great team. The tempo of their passing and movement is wonderful. We have drawn with a great football team. This is why coming back twice into the game showed a lot of character." Liverpool are still 14 points adrift of Arsenal in the table and effectively out of the title race, but Heskey said the draw would help confidence at the club. "We kept at it and I think we got the result we deserved. They are a great side, you can see that. We've been through a bad spell and we've come through it strongly. It's a massive boost." Match reportsLONDON (Reuters) -- English Premier League match reports on Wednesday: LIVERPOOL 2 ARSENAL 2 Emile Heskey headed a late equalizer in a thrilling clash at Anfield to earn Liverpool a share of the points with reigning champions Arsenal. Arsenal's Robert Pires struck in the ninth minute, steering the loose ball into an empty net after Dutch playmaker Dennis Bergkamp had released France striker Thierry Henry and his shot was parried by keeper Jerzy Dudek. Arsenal skipper Patrick Vieira had a 20th minute header disallowed for pushing, team mate Pascal Cygan had a header cleared off the line by fellow Frenchman Bruno Cheyrou of Liverpool on the half-hour mark and Henry rounded Dudek but could only fine the side-netting with his narrow-angled finish. At the other end, Arsenal keeper David Seaman twice foiled England striker Michael Owen one-on-one, and then Norwegian midfielder John Arne Riise after the re-start. But Seaman could to nothing to stop Riise's booming drive from the edge of the area after Heskey laid the ball back. Bergkamp restored Arsenal's lead with a deflected shot but Heskey powered in a header in stoppage time to shatter Arsenal's hopes of extending their lead at the top. - - - - MANCHESTER CITY 4 FULHAM 1 With England striker Robbie Fowler due to sign on Thursday, City paved the way with a stirring comeback victory at Maine Road after a fine performance by his future strike partner Nicolas Anelka. Fulham's French midfielder Steed Malbranque opened the scoring after just two minutes, but Anelka equalized soon afterwards having just edged the offside trap. Anelka helped set up City's second by flicking the ball out to Djamel Belmadi, whose pass found fellow midfielder Ali Benarbia for a scuffed shot past keeper Maik Taylor. Marc-Vivien Foe made it 3-1 in the 61st minute and Shaun Wright-Phillips tucked home the fourth just after coming on as a substitute. - - - - TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0 NEWCASTLE UNITED 1 Jermaine Jenas grabbed a 90th minute winner for Newcastle as Bobby Robson's men got only their third away league win of the season. The Spurs rearguard kept Newcastle striker Craig Bellamy under wraps in the first half and Uruguayan midfielder Gus Poyet twice came close in the second -- his lob being tipped away after a bad clearance by keeper Shay Given and then having an effort which hit the back of the net but was ruled offside. Jenas made the miss of the match, failing to beat Kasey Keller with the American keeper at his mercy after parrying a shot from Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer. But he made amends in the last minute, his clumsy shot beating Keller after a fine run by Bellamy. - - - - WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0 CHARLTON ATHLETIC 1 West Brom's relegation worries increased after the newly-promoted club's latest defeat, inflicted with South African striker Shaun Bartlett's strike. West Brom provided plenty of fight but were caught out by Bartlett's header on the hour mark as Charlton improved on their previous away form, which had earned them just two points from their last four trips. - - - - WEST HAM UNITED 2 BLACKBURN ROVERS 1 Glenn Roeder's trials as West Ham manager were put to one side as his embattled team fought back from a goal down to earn their first home win of the season at Upton Park after substitute Jermain Defoe hit a late winner. Poor defending by West Ham's Steve Lomas allowed Rovers striker Dwight Yorke to hammer the ball past David James in the 38th minute. But skipper Paolo Di Canio won and converted a penalty for West Ham's equalizer after a poor challenge by defender Andy Todd. Defoe sealed West Ham's first league win since October with a fine solo goal which lifted his side to third from bottom. - - - - Played on Tuesday: BOLTON WANDERERS 1 EVERTON 2 Everton clocked their second consecutive league win thanks to an unlikely match-winner, defender Steve Watson, playing in a more midfield role. Bolton made a bright start, with a Michael Ricketts header and an Ivan Campo volley both flying wide of the mark as Sam Allardyce's men looked for points to avoid the drop. But they were rocked by Watson's two goals before the break -- a superb overhead kick that caught Jussi Jaaskelainen stranded and a tap-in after the Finnish goalkeeper had done well to parry Gary Naysmith's shot. Delroy Facey got Bolton's consolation goal in the 90th minute, but the defeat kept struggling Wanderers at the wrong end of the table. - - - - CHELSEA 3 LEEDS UNITED 2 Chelsea showed some poor defending but real fighting spirit as they twice came from behind to earn a precious victory thanks to midfielder Frank Lampard. Leeds were ahead after 18 minutes when a long upfield ball was headed on by Mark Viduka for fellow Australian Harry Kewell, who got behind his marker John Terry and chested the ball down for a tip-of-the-boot volley past Carlo Cudicini. Chelsea piled on the pressure and were rewarded when Iceland striker Eidur Gudjohnsen met Lampard's cross from the right with a stunning overhead kick in the 57th minute, which rocketed into the corner past goalkeeper Paul Robinson. Defender Teddy Lucic scored his first goal for Leeds in the 66th minute, prodding the ball home in a goalmouth melee after the Chelsea defence failed to clear Alan Smith's corner but Lampard levelled 10 minutes from time with a rasping shot after Boudewijn Zenden's cross into the box. Lampard finished off with a close-range shot that Leeds defender Dominic Matteo turned into his own net in the 83rd minute. - - - - MIDDLESBROUGH 2 ASTON VILLA 5 A night for Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer to forget as Boro suffered their first home defeat of the season and Villa claimed their first away win. Schwarzer lost a one-on-one with England striker Darius Vassell after 24 minutes and seven minutes later allowed a long-range free kick from Iceland midfielder Joey Gudjonsson, making his debut on loan from Spanish club Real Betis, to slip past him. Boro hit back with two quick goals, a header from Italian striker Massimo Maccarone and a cool finish from Jonathan Greening, to go in all square at the break. But Villa were back in front just three minutes after the re-start when a wild shot from German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger found defender Gareth Barry, who easily beat Schwarzer. Vassell put the result beyond doubt in the 81st minute with a searing shot and Dion Dublin turned it into a rout, nodding home a Barry cross in the 90th minute. - - - - SUNDERLAND 0 SOUTHAMPTON 1 Southampton striker James Beattie stepped up his bid for an England call-up for next month's friendly against Australia, scoring his 17th goal of the season to secure a morale-boosting victory for Gordon Strachan's side. The visitors had already threatened in the first half when French midfielder Fabrice Fernandes hit the post with a free-kick but Beattie made no mistake in the 50th minute, collecting a long ball upfield before rounding Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and slotting home. The win followed Southampton's last-minute equalizer in their 1-1 FA Cup fourth round draw last weekend with first division Millwall after losing their unbeaten home record to Liverpool in the league. Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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