• Premier League round-up

Zamora sinks Arsenal as Lampard snatches Chelsea win

ESPN staff
January 2, 2012
Bobby Zamora netted his side's winner against Arsenal © PA Photos
Enlarge

This season ESPN Goals is completely free. It's the first place to see every goal from every Premier League game, all season long

Plays of the Day: Bobby Dazzler
What They Said
Premier League Gallery

Arsenal failed to hang on to fourth place as they were beaten 2-1 by Fulham after Chelsea returned to winning ways with victory at Wolves. Elsewhere, QPR lost 2-1 to Norwich with Joey Barton sent off. Swansea won at Aston Villa while Blackburn lost to Stoke.

Chelsea moved up to fourth place at the expense of Arsenal, who were sunk 2-1 by Fulham after a late winner by Bobby Zamora. Laurent Koscielny looked to have secured all three points for the Gunners, but Johan Djourou's red card proved costly as Fulham snatched a late win at Craven Cottage.

With Arsene Wenger keen to see his side kick on from their 1-0 win at home to QPR on New Year's Eve, the Arsenal manager avoided the temptation to rest star striker Robin van Persie. But despite his rich vein of goalscoring form, the Dutchman failed to find the net, and it was defender Koscielny who opened the scoring for Arsenal.

The Frenchman directed a well-placed header beyond David Stockdale after Aaron Ramsey's cross from the left was deflected into his path by Stephen Kelly. It could have been two moments later, but Stockdale pulled off a superb save to deny Ramsey, before scrambling to tip Alex Song's rebound onto the post before his defence managed to divert the danger.

Arsenal were dominant in the middle of the park, but they were left to rue their failure to add to Koscielny's opener as former Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos, Clint Dempsey and Bryan Ruiz all squandered chances to level.

Arsenal were living dangerously, and Djourou was given his marching orders after hauling down Zamora on the edge of the penalty area. Referee Lee Probert showed the Swiss his second yellow card, and although Fulham claimed the foul was inside the area, they were forced to settle for a free-kick, which Kelly failed to make the most of, much to the irritation of dead ball specialist John Arne Riise.

The Cottagers claimed a deserved equaliser through Steve Sidwell, and when Szczesny failed to claim a deep cross, Senderos found Sidwell to nod in from close range five minutes from time.

Arsenal had their backs firmly against the wall, and sensing victory, Fulham were not content to settle for a point, and Zamora grabbed a dramatic win, sending a superb volley sailing past Szczesny in the 92nd minute.

Chelsea snapped a four-match winless streak at Molineux © PA Photos
Enlarge

Frank Lampard saved Chelsea's blushes as they scraped to a 2-1 win over Wolves at Molineux.

Still reeling from their defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, manager Andre Villas-Boas restored Lampard and Fernando Torres to the starting line-up, and Lampard justified his selection with a late winner, after Stephen Ward looked to have snatched a point for Wolves, cancelling out Ramires' second-half strike.

Lampard was perhaps lucky to avoid a red card in the first half after a clumsy challenge on Adam Hammill. Hamill and Karl Henry swiftly followed Lampard into Peter Walton's book, as well as Kevin Doyle and Oriol Romeu as the game threatened to boil over.

Despite Chelsea's early dominance, Wolves nearly took the lead as the clock passed the half-hour mark, as Hammill's free-kick found Roger Johnson, whose header at the far post beat Petr Cech, only to clatter the post. Moments later another Hamill free-kick from the right saw Ward head wide from six yards out.

After a goalless first half, it was Chelsea who took the lead after 54 minutes, John Terry failing to make decisive contact with Juan Mata's corner-kick, but after Wolves failed to clear their lines, Ramires pounced to lash the ball high into Wayne Hennessey's net.

But Wolves, who took a point off Arsenal at Emirates Stadium last week, refused to lie down, and Ward grabbed the equaliser six minutes from time - lashing home from close range after substitute Steven Fletcher knocked back from Matt Jarvis' chipped ball to the far post.

But in the final minute, Lampard slotted home after Torres found Ashley Cole on the left, and the defender delivered an inch-perfect cross to his England team-mate. Wolves almost snatched point at the death, with Petr Cech pulling off a fine save from Doyle's header, but the Blues hung on for the victory.

Peter Crouch scored both goals for Stoke © Getty Images
Enlarge

Blackburn came crashing back down to earth with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Stoke.

Buoyed by their morale-boosting win at Old Trafford on Sunday, Blackburn started brightly, and were unlucky not to take an early lead. Just moments after rattling the crossbar with a header, Chris Samba found the net, only for the goal to be disallowed for a foul by Yakubu on Tomas Sorensen.

But it was Stoke who claimed the lead at Ewood Park, Peter Crouch firing the Potters into the lead after 17 minutes. Dean Whitehead chipped the ball into the box, and Crouch controlled the ball before lashing in at the near post for his 100th league goal of his career.

And Crouch doubled Stoke's lead on the stroke of half-time, sending a left-footed strike high into the centre of the net after a fast break from the Potters, shaking off his marker to receive Matthew Etherington's cross from the left.

David Goodwillie gave Rovers hope of a comeback, lashing home from close range after Yakubu's initial effort was blocked after Stoke failed to clear a corner, but they were unable to find a way back.

Joey Barton went from hero to zero as Norwich won the battle of the battle of the Premier League newboys with a 2-1 win over QPR at Loftus Road.

Rangers captain Barton opened the scoring for QPR, firing a low strike past John Ruddy from Clint Hill's cross from the left. But the former Newcastle midfielder was given his marching orders in the 36th minute after a confrontation with Bradley Johnson.

Norwich made their advantage count just six minutes later, Johnson feeding Anthony Pilkington after a good spell of possession by the visitors before Pilkington evaded the attentions of the QPR defence before firing in a 20-yard strike low to Paddy Kenny's left.

However, QPR began to settle in the second half, and were an adequate match for the 11-man Canaries, and Adel Taarabt nearly regained the lead for Rangers, Ruddy diving to steer a free-kick onto the post.

But despite enjoying much of the possession in the second half, QPR were left to rue Barton's indiscipline, as Steve Morison grabbed all three points for the visitors, sweeping home from Elliott Bennett's cross.

Aston Villa failed to build on their win at Stamford Bridge as they fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Swansea. Solid at home, Swansea had not won on the road all season, but Brendan Rodgers' men got off to a blistering start, Nathan Dyer giving the Swans an early lead.

Dyer dispossessed Stephen Warnock in the box before coolly slotting past Brad Guzan in the fourth minute. Villa failed to recover from a shaky start, and Guzan was called upon to keep his side in the contest, saving from Danny Graham after Dyer had left Warnock trailing in his wake.

Swansea started the second half in a similar vein as they began the first; Danny Graham's effort hit the post, and Wayne Routledge was on hand to put away the rebound from an acute angle.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices