London, England – Arsenal fell behind early but stormed back to take all three points in an enthralling North London derby as the Gunners thrashed 10-man Tottenham 5-2 at the Emirates on Saturday.
Emmanuel Adebayor went from hero to villain after opening the scoring in the 10th minute of play. The former Arsenal striker was sent off seven minutes later to leave the visiting Spurs in a precarious position.
The Gunners wasted no time taking advantage of the extra man as Per Mertesacker equalized in the 24th minute with a header from a corner kick.
Arsenal jumped out to a two-goal lead before the halftime interval as Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud scored in quick succession, while Santi Cazorla got in on the act at the hour-mark with his fourth goal of the campaign.
Gareth Bale pulled one back in the 71st minute to help Tottenham save some face, but Theo Walcott completed the rout in second-half stoppage time to lift Arsenal to an impressive win.
The scoreline mirrors the result from the corresponding fixture last season. Tottenham jumped out to a two-goal lead on that occasion, but the Gunners responded with five unanswered goals to cruise to an emphatic victory.
Saturday's clash at the Emirates sees Arsenal move two points ahead of Tottenham, rising to sixth place with 19 points. Spurs drop to eighth place with 17 points.
Norwich City 1, Manchester United 0
Norwich, England - Norwich City earned a shock result at Carrow Road on Saturday, defeating Manchester United 1-0 to drop the Red Devils out of first place.
Anthony Pilkington scored the lone goal of the affair, heading home in the 60th minute for his first goal of the campaign.
The Canaries, unbeaten in five, improve to 14 points, while United remain on 27 points as their five-game winning run comes to an end.
West Bromwich 2, Chelsea 1
West Bromwich, England - West Bromwich climbed into fourth place on Saturday by earning an impressive 2-1 victory over Chelsea at the Hawthorns.
Shane Long nodded West Brom in front in the 10th minute, but Eden Hazard pulled Chelsea level before the break. The Baggies clinched the win five minutes into the second half when Long provided a teasing cross for Peter Odemwingie to head past Petr Cech.
West Brom has won three straight to improve to 23 points through 12 games, while Chelsea, without a win in its last four league games, clings to third place with 24 points.
Manchester City 5, Aston Villa 0
Manchester, England - Manchester City reached its highest gear of the season thus far, earning a resounding 5-0 win over Aston Villa at the Etihad on Saturday.
David Silva gave City the lead in the 42nd minute before the home side exploded for four goals in the second half. Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez bagged braces, including a penalty kick for both, to complete a miserable afternoon for the Villans.
The Citizens remain unbeaten through games, improving to 28 points on the season to go top after Manchester United's loss at Norwich City. Villa, on nine points, falls into the relegation zone with its second straight defeat.
Swansea City 2, Newcastle 1
Newcastle, England - Swansea City went unbeaten in its last three Premier League games by claiming a 2-1 win over Newcastle at Sports Direct Arena on Saturday.
Michu handed visiting Swansea the lead in the 58th minute before Jonathan De Guzman doubled the advantage three minutes from time. Demba Ba pulled one back for the Magpies deep into stoppage time, but it proved to be nothing more than consolation strike.
The result moves Swansea two points clear of Newcastle as Michael Laudrup's men improve to 16 points on the season.
Southampton 3, QPR 1
London, England - QPR's woes continued on Saturday as the club was knocked off at Loftus Road in a 3-1 loss to struggling Southampton.
Rickie Lambert and Jason Puncheon handed the Saints a two-goal lead by the break. David Hoilett cut the deficit in half four minutes after the restart, but an own goal from Anton Ferdinand sealed QPR's fate and doomed the club to a second straight loss.
Southampton improves to eight points, twice as many as QPR, which is still without a win this term.
Reading 2, Everton 1
Reading, England - Reading picked up its first win in the top flight this season, coming from behind at the Madejski to earn a 2-1 win over Everton.
Steven Naismith had given the visiting Toffees the lead in the 10th minute, but a second-half brace from Adam Le Fondre lifted Reading out of the relegation zone.
Reading, unbeaten in its last four league contests, improves to nine points, 11 points behind fifth-place Everton.
Liverpool 3, Wigan 0
Liverpool, England - Luis Suarez bagged a brace to extend Liverpool's unbeaten run in league play to seven games with a 3-0 defeat of Wigan at Anfield on Saturday.
The Uruguayan bagged his Premier League-leading ninth and 10th goals of the season by scoring 11 minutes apart in the second half, while Jose Enrique added a third in the 64th minute to help the Reds cruise to a comfortable victory.
Liverpool has not lost since September 23, taking 13 points over its unbeaten streak to improve to 15 points on the season. Wigan has lost two straight to remain stuck on 11 points.
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