Premier League Table: Week 29 Standings, Full Weekend Recap After Sunday's Score
Manchester United lost ground on Manchester City and West Ham United in the race for the top four on Sunday as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat away at West Bromwich Albion, while Liverpool came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Selhurst Park despite having James Milner sent off.
On Saturday, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in the north London derby, while Leicester City extended their lead over the pair at the top of the Premier League table with a 1-0 win over Watford.
At the bottom, Swansea City's victory over Norwich City lifted them nine points clear of the drop, with Newcastle United and Aston Villa both suffering defeat.
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Here are all the results from Week 29:
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2-2 | Arsenal |
| Chelsea | 1-1 | Stoke City |
| Everton | 2-3 | West Ham United |
| Swansea City | 1-0 | Norwich City |
| Southampton | 1-1 | Sunderland |
| Manchester City | 4-0 | Aston Villa |
| Newcastle United | 1-3 | Bournemouth |
| Watford | 0-1 | Leicester City |
| Crystal Palace | 1-2 | Liverpool |
| West Bromwich Albion | 1-0 | Manchester United |
Here is how those results affected the standings, per Squawka Football:
Week 29 Recap
After beating Shrewsbury Town, FC Midtjylland and, most importantly, Arsenal in their last three run-outs, there was a feeling United had begun to turn a corner under Louis van Gaal.
The Red Devils reverted to type on Sunday, though, and produced an uninspiring and often tedious performance—even before Juan Mata saw red for two bookable offences in the first half. The midfielder was given a yellow for encroaching on a free-kick, and two minutes later, he tripped Darren Fletcher with a reckless swing of his leg.
Match of the Day host Gary Lineker noted the rash foul was uncharacteristic of the Spaniard:
"I think Mata must have put someone else's head on this morning.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 6, 2016"
Per Match of the Day 2's Mark Chapman, Van Gaal believed that Mike Dean should have taken that into account:
The game could have easily finished goalless, with both teams defending resolutely and creating little, but the Baggies found a goal thanks to a brief moment of quality from Salomon Rondon, who expertly trapped a cross and fired past David De Gea.
Football writer Liam Canning summed up United's worrying situation:
Earlier, Liverpool came back in dramatic fashion after Joe Ledley put the Eagles ahead at Selhurst Park. Things went from bad to worse for the Reds when Milner was given his marching orders for two yellow cards, but Palace 'keeper Alex McCarthy disastrously gifted Roberto Firmino a goal when he slipped.
In the sixth minute of injury time, Damien Delaney brought down Christian Benteke and the Reds were somewhat controversially awarded a penalty, with contact between the players appearing to be fairly minimal. The Belgian stepped up and coolly converted the spot-kick to give his side three consecutive league wins for the first time this season.
Per Sky Sports Football, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believed it was a "clear" penalty:
Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring for Arsenal at White Hart Lane with a cute backheel flick courtesy of Hector Bellerin's pass. The Gunners were in a strong position until, 10 minutes into the second half, Francis Coquelin needlessly picked up a second booking.
His ill discipline proved costly, as Spurs were 2-1 up within five minutes. Toby Alderweireld fired home from a narrow angle to level the score, before Harry Kane, picking up the ball on the left, cut inside and curled a stunning strike into the far corner, per Henry Winter of the Times:
The hosts were fortunate to keep 11 men on the field, though, as Eric Dier somehow escaped sanction for pulling Olivier Giroud's shirt, per BBC Sport's Phil McNulty:
Arsenal rescued a point thanks to Alexis Sanchez, whose shot across goal found the bottom corner. Nevertheless, the Mail on Sunday's Oliver Holt believes they have little to celebrate:
Indeed, Leicester are now even further ahead after dispatching Watford 1-0 thanks to Riyad Mahrez's excellent strike. The Algerian picked up the ball 18 yards out and curled it beautifully into the goal.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher believes he should be given the Player of the Year award:
The strike was his 15th of the campaign, and he also has 11 assists to his name, so it's hard to argue.
Chelsea maintained their unbeaten Premier League run under interim manager Guus Hiddink as they drew 1-1 at home to Stoke City, with Mame Biram Diouf's late goal cancelling out Bertrand Traore's excellent strike.
Romelu Lukaku bagged his 18th goal of the season against West Ham, but once again a careless sending-off proved costly this weekend. This time, it was Kevin Mirallas who showed little awareness, after having already been booked for diving, by fouling Aaron Cresswell.
The Toffees were still able to extend their lead through Aaron Lennon, and Lukaku missed the chance to double his tally from the penalty spot. That proved equally crucial, as Michail Antonio and Diafra Sakho both headed home and Dimitri Payet tucked in a last-minute winner.
Squawka Football hailed his incredible form:
Man City heaped further misery on Villa with four goals in 18 second-half minutes.
Yaya Toure opened the scoring, before Sergio Aguero netted a brace—the first courtesy of an unfortunate mistake from Micah Richards to divert the ball into his path—and Raheem Sterling bagged a goal of his own. Aguero should have had a hat-trick but missed a penalty in the closing stages.
Newcastle had another day to forget as they sank to a 3-1 defeat at home to Bournemouth. Steven Taylor diverted into his own net in the first half, and Josh King added a second after 70 minutes. Ayoze Perez sparked brief hopes of a comeback when he finished one-on-one, but Charlie Daniels sealed the win in injury time.
The defeat is their fifth in six matches, which firmly puts the pressure on beleaguered manager Steve McClaren. Per Sky Sports News HQ, the former England boss is determined to turn things around at St. James' Park:
Fortunately for the Magpies, their relegation rivals fared little better, as Gylfi Sigurdsson gave Swansea a 1-0 win over Norwich and Virgil van Dijk's 93rd-minute equaliser snatched two points from Sunderland, who took the lead through Jermain Defoe after Jose Fonte saw red.
Swansea's win effectively ensures only one of Sunderland, Norwich, Newcastle and Villa will survive.
On paper, Newcastle should be most well-equipped thanks to their superior squad, but given the standard of football they've displayed for most of the season, they're in serious trouble. Their Tyne-Wear derby with Sunderland on March 20 could well have a huge impact in the relegation dogfight.
