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Arsenal's Denilson (L) celebrates with team-mate Cesc Fabregas - Source: Reuters -
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Arsenal went top of the Premier League when they beat West Ham
United 2-0 with goals from Denilson and Cesc Fabregas on Sunday
despite playing for more than half the match at the Emirates with
10 men.
Arsenal moved on to 67 points with seven matches to play to lead
the standings for the first time since January and keep the
pressure on Manchester United and Chelsea, who play their weekend
matches on Monday.
United, who host Liverpool at Old Trafford, have 66 points from 30
games, followed by Chelsea who have 64 points from 29 and visit
Blackburn Rovers. If United or Chelsea pick up three points they
will move ahead of Arsenal again.
Tottenham Hotspur maintained their push for fourth place and a
possible Champions League berth when they won their fourth
successive league match with a 2-1 success at Stoke City and moved
on to 55 points from 30 games.
They are followed by Liverpool (51 points), Manchester City (50)
and Aston Villa (50), who were held to a 2-2 draw by Wolverhampton
Wanderers in Saturday's early kickoff.
First dismissal
Arsenal, who last lost in the league to Chelsea on February 7,
went ahead through Brazilian Denilson after only five
minutes.
They sealed the victory when Cesc Fabregas, returning from injury,
scored with an 82nd minute penalty for his 15th league goal of the
season after Matthew Upson handled.
However, the hosts had to play the whole of the second half with
10 men following the 44th minute dismissal of centre-back Thomas
Vermaelen who became the first Arsenal player to be sent off this
season.
But the decision was a harsh one after West Ham's Mexico striker
Guillermo Franco went down somewhat easily under the Belgian
international's challenge in the box.
Alessandro Diamanti then saw Manuel Almunia save his penalty,
although the goalkeeper escaped censure from officials after
clearly moving off his line before the kick was taken.
The defeat, West Ham's fourth straight league loss, left them in
17th place just three points above the relegation zone.
Fabregas told ESPN it was unfortunate Vermaelen would now be
banned but added: "We don't want to make any excuses, we want to go
all the way to the title and prove we can do it".
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola said: "In the first half we
played the best we've played all season and certainly deserved
something more but in the second half, although we had the extra
man we lost a bit of discipline.
"I'm disappointed because it was a big opportunity for
us."
Spurs advance
Earlier, Arsenal's north London rivals Spurs edged closer to a
possible Champions League place after their victory at Stoke.
Goals from substitute Eidur Gudjohnsen and Niko Kranjcar earned
the win against a home side reduced to 10 men early in the second
half when Dean Whitehead was dismissed.
Gudjohnsen replaced injured Russia striker Roman Pavlyuchenko
after 36 minutes and scored his first goal for Tottenham 10 minutes
later when he lashed the ball into the roof of the net.
Although Whitehead became Stoke's fourth player sent off in their
last six league games, they equalised when winger Matthew
Etherington scored against his former club with a 64th minute
penalty before Kranjcar got the winner 13 minutes from time.
