Leicester, Sunderland secure away wins as Liverpool draw Arsenal

Leicester City and Sunderland secure away wins Wednesday night with Liverpool stealing a late equalizer against Arsenal as the battle of the English Premier League hots upon Wednesday.

Robert Huth rose above the Tottenham Hotspur defence, and there is still no sign of Leicester City dropping down this table.

Claudio Ranieri’s side went back level with Arsenal on points at the top of the table, after the defender scored a brilliant 82nd-minute header to claim a hugely credible 1-0 win at White Hart Lane.

Also, Jermain Defoe scored a hat trick as Sunderland swept to a 4-2 victory over 10-man Swansea in a Premier League relegation scrap on Wednesday.

Sunderland made an ideal start, with striker Defoe scoring after just three minutes.

Swansea equalized in the 21st minute when Gylfi Sigurdsson converted a penalty, but was reduced to 10 men in the 37th after a red card for Kyle Naughton.

The setback didn’t prevent Andre Ayew from putting the host ahead just three minutes later.

However, Sunderland needed only four minutes after the restart to level, with defender Patrick van Aanholt cutting inside before smacking a shot into the top corner.

Adam Johnson put Defoe through for his second goal just after the hour mark and the forward rounded off the scoring in the 85th.

Similarly, substitute Joe Allen was Liverpool’s unexpected saviour with an added-time equaliser — just when Arsenal appeared to have sent a significant message in the title race.

With Manchester City held to a goalless draw at home to Everton, Arsene Wenger’s side seemed to be underlining their title credentials having twice come from behind to lead 3-2.

But Allen, on the pitch for just eight minutes, denied them victory by volleying home at the far post.

Olivier Giroud looked to have won it for the visitors with two goals to take his tally to 12 in the league — after Ramsey had scored their first equaliser — to match a brace from Roberto Firmino.

Read also: Newcastle draw Man Utd as West Ham, Aston Villa secure wins

Liverpool’s starting lineup had managed just four league goals between them and that was synonymous with their difficulties this season with just 22 in their opening 20 league matches — so there was no suggestion this would be a goal-fest.

But Jurgen Klopp’s preference of Firmino over Christian Benteke, his side’s top goalscorer with seven, was justified as the Brazil international revelled in his false nine role.

His 10th-minute opener, turning to fire home a rebound after Petr Cech parried Emre Can’s shot, for his first Anfield goal since arriving from Hoffenheim in the summer, was the signal for a manic 16 minutes in which four goals of varying quality were scored.

Liverpool’s lead lasted just four minutes as Joel Campbell’s through-ball allowed Ramsey to beat Simon Mignolet at his near post after Mamadou Sakho had lost his position after a clash of heads with Giroud.

The Belgium goalkeeper is on the verge of signing a new five-year contract, but his near-post fallibility — allied to a weakness at set-pieces — was his undoing again for Arsenal’s second equaliser. Giroud deflected in Ramsey’s corner, conceded by Sakho heading out from under his own crossbar after Ramsey’s lob had beaten Mignolet.

That was after Firmino had put the hosts ahead again with a brilliant strike, shifting the ball onto his right foot from a pass from Jordan Henderson — making his first appearance of 2016 having been sidelined with a recurrence of his chronic heel problem — before curling it into the top corner.

Both sides could have scored more before the interval — Mignolet redeemed himself slightly with a bizarre scorpion-type kick while laid on the floor to deny Giroud’s bungled effort when faced with an open goal, before Ramsey failed to connect with a far-post corner and Firmino clipped the bar with a volley.

Giroud’s second, in the 55th minute, came after more flat-footed defending allowed the France international the time to spin and fire inside the far post.

Per Mertesacker blocked one dangerous Adam Lallana shot but Benteke’s introduction did not give Arsenal too many problems — to the extent Klopp sent on newly-signed centre-back Steven Caulker for a debut up front alongside the Belgian for the final five minutes.

However, if the intention was to go long ball it escaped Allen, one of the smallest men in Liverpool’s side, as he popped up at the far post to convert Henderson’s cross.

In other matches, Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw at home by West Brom, Manchester City played a goalless draw with Everton while

Southampton secured a 2-0 win over Watford as Stoke City defeated Norwich City 3-1.

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