EPL Scores & Highlights 2014: Manchester United's Robin van Persie Forces 1-1 Draw Against League Leader Chelsea
Manchester United and Chelsea played to a draw Sunday afternoon with Didier Drogba earning his first English Premier League (EPL) goal since 2012.
Drogba, who was starting in place of injured EPL top scorer Diego Costa -- nine goals for the year -- who is out for the third game in a row, put Chelsea up 1-0 in the 53rd minute after heading in Cesc Fàbregas's corner kick to put his team up 1-0. But Robin van Persie salvaged the day for Man U, tying the match in stoppage time after rebounding Marouane Fellaini's dead-to-rights shot that was blocked by Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois four minutes into stoppage time in the second half to end the day 1-1.
The draw keeps Chelsea atop the EPL standings, four points of ahead Southampton, who defeated Stoke City 1-1 over the weekend, six points ahead of defending champion Manchester City.
"Old Trafford is one of the most dangerous fixtures we have. The result is not the result we want, but the way we performed means we don't need to look to others," said Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. "Don't forget we have also played away at Manchester United and Manchester City. We are going in a good direction."
EPL champions Manchester City was stunned by West Ham United on Saturday. Ecuadoran forward Enner Valencia outran the defense on a breakaway drawing the defense towards him, finding Morgan Amalfitano wide open in the box, scoring the first goal of the match in the 21st minute to take the early 1-0 lead.
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Man City's Sergio Agüero, who has eight goals in last five games and tied with Diego Costa with EPL scoring lead with nine goals, would almost tie the game but missed the wide-open shot hitting the post in the 65th minute while teammate Yaya Touré's follow-up shot would be saved by West Ham keeper Adrián.
Diafra Sakho would extend the Hammers' lead in the 75th minute after heading in Aaron Cresswell's cross past Man City keeper Joe Hart 2-0. Manchester City's David Silva would cut down the lead to 2-1 in the 77th minute but it would not be enough to prevent West Ham from upsetting the EPL champions and ending the day in fourth place in the standings.
"In the first half we did not play with enough intensity. I thought they would be more tired in the second half and we would be able to move the ball easier, which we did -- but in the end we couldn't take our chances," said Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini. "I don't think it was a fault of our team for the performance in the first half, it was more about the intensity of West Ham and you must credit them for that."
Last place Queens Park Rangers will face Aston Villa on Monday to round out the week's action in England, which can been seen on NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. or online on NBCSports.com.
Results from the rest of Saturday's EPL games:
Sunderland 0 - Arsenal 2
Southampton 1 - Stoke City 0
Liverpool 0 - Hull City 0
Swansea City 2 - Leicester City 0
West Brom 2 - Cyrstal Palace 2
Burnley FC - Everton 3
Tottenham 1 - Newcastle 2
West Ham United Fan Russell Brand Hijacks Coach's Sam Allardyce
Post-Match Interview After Upsetting Manchester City
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