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PHOTOS: Arsenal shocked by Swansea; Liverpool post easy win

January 31, 2018 09:52 IST

Images from the football matches played on Tuesday night.

Arsenal suffer 3-1 defeat at rejuvenated Swansea

IMAGE: Swansea City players celebrate after Samuel Clucas scored the third goal against Arsenal. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Arsenal suffered another painful Premier League defeat as Swansea City capitalised on some glaring errors to win 3-1 on Tuesday, boosting their survival hopes and denting the visitors' top four chances.

Swansea's Sam Clucas struck either side of Jordan Ayew's strike to give Swansea the points after Arsenal had taken the lead through full back Nacho Monreal.

The visitors scored after 33 minutes but their advantage lasted just seconds as Mesut Ozil gave the ball away and Clucas equalised for the Welsh side.

Worse was to come for Arsenal in the second half as keeper Petr Cech sliced an attempted clearance, leaving Ayew to fire home after 61 minutes before Clucas finished right-footed to grab his second of the night with four minutes remaining.

"I felt defensively we were very poor and made big mistakes," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. "It's better not to talk about the second or third goals."

IMAGE: The dejected Arsenal players after the match. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Reuters

The defeat leaves Arsenal in sixth place, eight points adrift of Liverpool in fourth after the Merseysiders won 3-0 at Huddersfield Town, and they were left licking their wounds after one win in their last five league games.

They have three wins and six defeats in their 13 league matches on the road this season and have gone five successive away games without a victory in all competitions.

Liverpool bounce back with easy win

Mohamed Salah

IMAGE: Mohamed Salah celebrates as he scores Liverpool's third goal from the penalty spot. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images

Liverpool bounced back from two successive defeats with a 3-0 Premier League win at Huddersfield Town on Tuesday to open up a five-point gap over their rivals for a top four finish.

Emre Can and Roberto Firmino put fourth-placed Liverpool ahead before a late Mohamed Salah penalty as they moved clear of Tottenham Hotspur, who host Manchester United on Wednesday.

Against a struggling Huddersfield side who lacked the fire and spirit of adventure they showed earlier in the season, Liverpool were in charge throughout as they condemned the Yorkshire side to their fourth straight league defeat.

It was a much-needed win for Liverpool, who lost to Swansea City and suffered an FA Cup exit at home to West Bromwich Albion last week, with record signing Virgil van Dijk on the bench.

"That was the reaction we needed to show," said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, "It was not our best performance ever but we were more mature and it was deserved. We had more moments than three goals, but Huddersfield defended well."

The home side had the first opportunity when Belgian striker Laurent Depoitre's side-foot effort was saved by Loris Karius in the 17th minute after Chris Loewe had broken down the left and delivered a fine cross.

Liverpool's German midfielder Can fired the visitors ahead in the 26th minute, meeting a Huddersfield clearance with a fine first-time effort from 25 metres which took a slight deflection to beat goalkeeper Jonas Lossl.

Can was Liverpool's outstanding playere, commanding in the central areas and providing energy and invention on the right.

Huddersfield did go close from Loewe's free-kick, which crept just wide of the right-hand post, but Liverpool doubled their lead on the stroke of halftime when Firmino fired past Lossl from a tight angle.

The Brazilian cut in from the left, spotted a gap at the near post and slotted the ball past the bemused keeper.

Salah made it 3-0 with a 78th minute penalty after Philip Billing pulled down Can to leave Huddersfield in 14th place on 24 points, just one point above the relegation zone.

West Ham fight back to draw 1-1 with Palace

IMAGE: West Ham United's Javier Hernandez, right, shoots at goal. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters

An injury-plagued West Ham United fought back to salvage a 1-1 home draw against Crystal Palace in a hard-fought Premier League encounter at the London Stadium on Tuesday.

With 10 first team players missing, including influential pair Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini, the situation looked grim for West Ham boss David Moyes when Palace took the lead through Belgian striker Christian Benteke in the 23rd minute.

Rising to meet Andros Townsend's teasing cross, it was only Benteke's second league goal of the season.

The hosts responded and were rewarded when referee Neil Swarbrick awarded them a penalty for a foul by former Hammers defender James Tomkins, with West Ham captain Mark Noble calmly dispatching the spot kick two minutes before halftime.

It was Noble's 50th goal in a West Ham shirt.

Inspired by the tenacious tackling of Noble and makeshift midfielder Pablo Zabaleta, West Ham pushed for a winner after the break.

Five minutes after halftime, Javier Hernandez had a glorious chance to give West Ham the lead, only to see his point-blank header parried away by Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

Source: REUTERS
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