Manchester
United's calamitous week hit rock bottom as Bournemouth famously consigned them
to a 2-1 defeat on Saturday and, to rub salt into the wounds, neighbours
Manchester City moved back to the top of the Premier League.
After City
clambered above Leicester City on goal difference with a lucky last-gasp strike
in a dramatic 2-1 win over Swansea City, Bournemouth wrote another astonishing
fairytale by beating United a week after taking the scalp of champions Chelsea.
United's
defeat multiplies the pressure on manager Louis van Gaal, already under
pressure for their prosaic playing style and midweek exit from the Champions
League.
Yet the
Dutchman, happy with his team's efforts, said he was not worried about the
growing discontent with his reign. "It's always like that. It's not
new," he told Sky Sports.
United's
setback leaves them fourth in the table, three points behind a City side who
are level on 32 with Leicester before the latter host Chelsea on Monday.
Third-placed Arsenal, who have 30 points, visit bottom side Aston Villa on
Sunday.
After
United's loss at Vfl Wolfsburg in the Champions League on Tuesday, goals from
Junior Stanislas and former United player Josh King consigned them to another
wounding defeat.
Stanislas
scored direct from a wind-assisted corner that bamboozled keeper David de Gea
in the second minute and although Marouane Fellaini levelled in the 24th, King
struck with a low shot from a well-worked 54th minute corner to earn the
points.
It meant
more unbridled joy for Bournemouth, the Premier League newcomers who have an
annual turnover 40 times smaller than United's.
Last
Saturday they had won 1-0 at Chelsea, a result that manager Eddie Howe felt was
the greatest in the club's history.
With
Bournemouth now in 14th place - one point and one place ahead of Chelsea - Howe
was reduced to laughter on Sky Sports when asked how this win compared to last
week's, saying: "That's a difficult one to answer!"
King, the
Norwegian who once played for United, was ecstatic about his winner, shooting
home after finding space from a well-directed, low corner.
"That
meant a lot to me. I spent five years there (at Old Trafford)," King said.
"I'd practised it (the corner routine) a bit and missed it every time.
Today, it worked."
Manchester
City snatched victory amid late drama at the Etihad Stadium, a Yaya Toure shot
deflecting off team mate Kelechi Iheanacho for the stoppage-time winner.
Managerless
Swansea, playing above themselves after the midweek sacking of Garry Monk, had
equalised deservedly in the last minute through Bafetimbi Gomis after Wilfried
Bony's first half headed goal against his old side had put City ahead.
Yet, when it
seemed City had blown the chance to go back to the top, a 92nd-minute
left-footed strike from Toure struck Iheanacho's back and ballooned into the
net.
Manager
Manuel Pellegrini sounded only partially satisfied with the victory. "I
think the three points were very important, more than the way we played,"
he told the BBC. "Swansea played very well and it's not the way we want to
win."
Crystal
Palace continued their best start to a Premier League season with Yohan
Cabaye's goal earning a 1-0 home win over Southampton and elevating them to
sixth, six points off the lead.
Odion
Ighalo's 10th goal of the campaign for Watford consigned Sunderland to another
defeat and pushed the 1-0 winners up to seventh, still a point behind Palace.
The home
loss, though, leaves Sam Allardyce's north-east club languishing in penultimate
place on 12 points.
Romelu
Lukaku is another marksman in rampant form, Everton's Belgian striker scoring
for a sixth successive league game to give the Merseysiders an early lead in a
1-1 draw at Norwich City. Wes Hoolahan equalised for the struggling Canaries.
West Ham
United, who are eighth, and Stoke City, in 11th, missed the chance to close on
the leaders as they fought out a dull goalless draw at Upton Park.
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