Man United wins 2-1; Arsenal beats Man City 3-0
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Javier Hernandez filled in for the injured Wayne Rooney in style yesterday, scoring twice to lift Manchester United into a three-way tie for second place in the Premier League with a 2-1 win at Stoke.
Hernandez's spectacular backward header and late winner took United to 17 points, the same as Arsenal and Manchester City.
Samir Nasri, Alex Song and Nicklas Bendtner scored to give Arsenal a 3-0 win at 10-man Manchester City to join its opponent five points behind leader Chelsea.
Liverpool beat Blackburn 2-1 in yesterday's other game but remains in the relegation zone.
Hernandez won the match for United in the 86th minute with a close-range tap in but his opening goal was far more memorable. The Mexico striker leaped to flick the ball with the back of his head past Thomas Sorensen before the goalkeeper could move.
"I jumped and saw the ball behind me and tried to head it towards the goal," Hernandez said. "I don't remember doing it in training. It's a good goal but the most important thing is the result."
It was United's second victory in a week dominated by wrangles over Rooney's future.
The England striker, who missed yesterday's match and Wednesday's 1-0 Champions League win over Bursaspor because of an ankle injury, signed a new five-year contract Friday just days after stating publicly that he wanted to leave because United was no longer signing high-profile players.
But Hernandez showed United is not yet short of world-class talent.
"Here there are no heroes," Hernandez said. "It is about the team."
United had looked set to fall seven points behind defending champion Chelsea, which beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 on Saturday, when substitute Tuncay Sanli curled in a 81st-minute equalizer from just inside the area - Stoke's first Premier League goal against the Red Devils.
But Hernandez tapped in Patrice Evra's deflected cross, after Dimitar Berbatov had set up the fullback with a neat pass, to take his tally to five goals since joining for this season.
Arsenal leads United and Manchester City on goal difference after its first win in four meetings with City, although the home side still had chances despite Dedrcyk Boyata's fifth-minute red card for bringing down Marouane Chamakh when he was through on goal.
Nasri put Arsenal ahead in the 20th, exchanging passes slickly with Andrey Arshavin and lifting the ball over goalkeeper Joe Hart from about 10 meters (yards) for his fourth Premier League goal this season.
Hart saved a 40th-minute penalty by Cesc Fabregas, who earned the kick when he was fouled by Vincent Kompany just inside the area, but Song doubled the Gunners' lead in the 66th.
After probing by Fabregas on the edge of the area, the ball fell to Song and the Cameroon international hit a first-time shot into the top corner.
Bendtner came on as a late substitute for just his second appearance of the season and rounded off an 88th-minute counterattack with a low shot to the far post.
"We played some outstanding football at times and it's very difficult to stop when we attack at tempo," Arsenal captain Fabregas said. "It was a good win against a good team.
But City had almost scored in the opening minute when David Silva flicked Carlos Tevez's right-wing cross toward the back post, only for Fabregas to smother the ball. Moments later, Fabregas played the pass that released Chamakh when Boyata scythed him down just outside the area.
City dropped behind United and Tottenham fell from third place to fifth, ahead of West Bromwich Albion on goal difference.
Tottenham drew 1-1 with Everton on Saturday, when West Brom beat Fulham 2-1. Also Saturday, Sunderland beat Aston Villa 1-0, Newcastle won 2-1 at bottom-place West Ham, Birmingham beat Blackpool 2-0 and Bolton drew 1-1 with Wigan.
