By ADAM TROXTELL
In a congested fixture list, Everton could have done without missing its number one goalkeeper.
Despite opening the scoring, the Toffees couldn’t hold on and fell 3-2 on the road at Newcastle in the late Sunday kickoff. Goals from Papiss Cisse, Ayoze Perez and Jack Colback handed Newcastle the perfect rebound from Boxing Day defeat.
For Everton, it was their third straight loss in what has so far been a terrible holiday period. Without Tim Howard in goal due to an injury he suffered against Stoke on Friday, backup Joel Robles saw Newcastle score three times with six shots on target.
The result sees them slip to 12th in the Premier League and 12 points away from fourth place.
Sitting fourth heading into the new year is Southampton who forced Chelsea to fight back in a 1-1 draw. Arsenal are even on points with the Saints after a 2-1 win away to West Ham, while both Manchester United and Manchester City dropped points.
Here’s a complete look at Sunday’s action:
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Ashley Barnes’ thunderous strike in the 81st minute sealed a famous point at the Etihad for 19th placed Burnley.
Manchester City had taken a two-goal lead through David Silva and a perfectly-placed strike from Fernandinho. Three minutes into halftime, however, George Boyd got one back for the visitors.
City took its foot off the gas too much, allowing Burnley to get too much from just 37 percent possession. They made a chance count when a long ball forward was headed down in the box and dispatched by Barnes. It is the first time in 10 matches that City have dropped points.
Fortunately for them, it didn’t mean a wider gap between them and the top of the table. Eden Hazard struck on the stroke of halftime to preserve a point for Chelsea in a 1-1 draw against Southampton. They had taken the lead through Sadio Mane in the 17th minute.
Manchester United failed to succeed on any of its eight shots on target in a 0-0 draw against Tottenham. Hugo Lloris showed his athleticism with an acrobatic fingertip save on Ashley Young’s curling effort in the 45th minute. Juan Mata could have won it ten minutes after halftime, but his short-range effort was blasted over the bar.
Here’s all the results from England on Sunday:
Manchester United 0, Tottenham 0
Southampton 1, Chelsea 1
Aston Villa 0, Sunderland 0
Hull City 0, Leicester City 1
Manchester City 2, Burnley 2
QPR 0, Crystal Palace 0
Stoke 2, West Brom 0
West Ham 1, Arsenal 2
Newcastle 3, Everton 2
“Everton could have done without missing its number one keeper ”
“For Everton, it was their third straight loss”
What?
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