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City hammers Arsenal

FOOTBALL / Chelsea and Liverpool held

LONDON: Arsenal crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, deepening the crisis enveloping the club after captain William Gallas was dropped for revealing infighting and bemoaning the squad’s lack of fight.

While the Gunners’ fifth defeat of the Premier League season — and the second in a row — derails their fading title ambitions, pacesetters Chelsea and Liverpool were both held to 0-0 draws by Newcastle United and Fulham respectively.

Arsene Wenger’s call to his young Arsenal stars to show its strength went unheeded, the team looking uneasy after Gallas’s explosive outbursts in an interview earlier in the week.

Grabbing the chance

Stephen Ireland put City ahead on the stroke of halftime, exploiting confusion in an Arsenal defence stripped of Gallas, whose future with the club now seems in jeopardy.

Gael Clichy and Mikael Silvestre collided as City striker Benjani Mwaruwari released Ireland to clip the ball over Manuel Almunia, who was made Arsenal captain for the afternoon.

Arsenal fell further behind in the 56th minute when Brazil forward Robinho lobbed Almunia after latching onto Shaun Wright-Phillips’s throughball to clinch his ninth goal since joining City from Real Madrid.

Daniel Sturridge compounded a miserable afternoon for Wenger in the 90th minute by sending Almunia the wrong way with a penalty after the 19-year-old striker had been fouled by Johan Djourou.

The defeat leaves Arsenal 10 points behind Chelsea and Liverpool.

Joe Cole did find the net for Chelsea after Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given parried a shot from Florent Malouda, but his effort was ruled offside.

Hull City came from behind twice to draw 2-2 at Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers won 3-1 at Middlesbrough and Stoke City edged bottom-placed West Bromwich Albion 1-0.

The results: Chelsea 0 drew with Newcastle United 0; Liverpool 0 drew with Fulham 0; Manchester City 3 (Ireland 45, Robinho 56, Sturridge 90-pen) bt Arsenal 0; Middlesbrough 1 (Pogatetz 77) lost to Bolton Wanderers 3 (Steinsson 8, Taylor 10, Elmander 78); Portsmouth 2 (Crouch 20, Johnson 63) drew with Hull City 2 (Turner 54, Pamarot 89-og); Stoke City 1 (Sidibe 84) bt West Bromwich Albion 0. — Agencies

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