Spurs grab late draw as City wins
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, April 28, 2013
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Nasri sets up Aguero's first goal. |
A late Emmerson Boyce own goal gave Champions League-chasing Tottenham Hotspur a 2-2 draw at lowly Wigan Athletic which did little to help either side at opposite ends of the English Premier league table yesterday.
Spurs fans were left fretting that they will miss Europe's premier competition yet again as they stayed fifth, nine points adrift of second-placed Manchester City which beat West Ham United 2-1, and lost the chance to move third with four games left.
Perennial struggler Wigan stayed third-bottom having thought it was jumping out of the drop zone after Callum McManaman scored from 25 meters with a searing effort.
Spurs had opened the scoring in comical fashion on nine minutes when Wigan goalkeeper Joel Robles fired the ball against the onrushing Gareth Bale and watched it fly into the goal, but Boyce soon equalized.
Stoke City is all but secure in the top flight after Charlie Adam's goal secured a 1-0 home win over Norwich City which is still looking nervously over the shoulders.
Also, Everton beat visiting Fulham 1-0 while Southampton crashed 0-3 at home to West Bromwich Albion.
In Manchester, Sergio Aguero put City ahead in the 28th minute after being set up by Samir Nasri, who cut through the West Ham defense by playing a one-two with David Silva. Yaya Toure curled in what turned out to be the winner in the 83rd after also being teed up by Nasri.
City goalkeeper Joe Hart made a mistake in stoppage time while appearing to struggle with a back injury, letting Andy Carroll's shot squirm through his legs.
"We had the control of the game, we dominated for 90 minutes -- we were unlucky to concede that goal at the end," City defender Pablo Zabaleta said. "We should defend better but it's three points. We need to keep going."
City has an eight-point cushion over Arsenal, with the focus now on winning the FA Cup next month against Wigan.
"We have probably been a bit inconsistent this year, not like last season, and probably that has cost us the title," Zabaleta said. "But we are working to improve, keep winning trophies and we have the cup final at Wembley.
"It is always special to win that competition as well, so we'll try to come back stronger next year and try to win the title back."
West Ham remained 10th and is assured of staying up.
"I was just concerned about the players over respecting the opposition in the first half and having plenty of possession but just giving it straight back and sitting in," West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said. "We had to improve on that from the very start of that second half, and we got in their final third and we persisted to do that throughout the whole of the game.
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