LONDON: Robin van Persie’s goal deep into stoppage-time snatched a 1-1 draw for Manchester United against Premier League leaders Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Chelsea were on the brink of going six points clear at the top of the table when defender Branislav Ivanovic was sent-off late on for a second bookable offence.

From the ensuing Angel di Maria free-kick, Marouane Fellaini’s header was well-saved by impressive Chelsea goalkeeper Thibault Courtois but van Persie followed up to score.

It had seemed Didier Drogba, making his first start in the Premier League this season, had struck the decisive blow when, in the absence of injured forwards Diego Costa and Loic Remy, he powered in a 53rd minute header which went in off van Persie to give the veteran Ivory Coast forward his first English top-flight goal since March 2012.

This result left Chelsea four points clear of second-placed Southampton and ensured honours were even between Jose Mourinho and Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, under whom the Blues boss worked when the Dutchman was in charge of Barcelona.

Earlier, Sammy Ameobi scored within eight seconds of coming on as a half-time substitute for Newcastle United in a 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur.

In the other early kick-off in the Premier League, Cameroonian veteran Samuel Eto’o scored twice as Everton won 3-1 at struggling Burnley, who are still without a win.

Newcastle’s first away win was another boost for manager Alan Pardew, whose job was reportedly under threat after failing to win any of his first seven League games of the season.

Since then they have beaten Leicester City and Tottenham to ease the pressure, moving out of the bottom three and leaving their north east rivals Sunderland there instead.

“It was good to get on — I actually told Jack Colback to get the ball into the corner from the kickoff. To get out of the relegation zone gives us a great lift,” Ameobi said.

Emmanuel Adebayor gave Tottenham the lead after 18 minutes with a header from Ryan Mason’s cross as the home side controlled the first half of the game.

Spurs, who paid tribute to their former manager Bill Nicholson before the game on the 10th anniversary of his death with a minute’s applause, created several chances but were unable to add to their lead.

They were pegged back right at the start of the second period when Ameobi equalised with his first touch after replacing Gabriel Obertan at the interval.

Ayoze Perez, a 21-year-old from Tenerife, then scored on his full debut for Newcastle, glancing a header into the top corner from a precise left-wing cross by Remy Cabella, the other half-time substitute.

Burnley went behind after only three minutes against Everton, the 33 year-old Eto’o powerfully heading in a cross from Leighton Baines.

Everton’s Belgian international Romelu Lukaku was guilty of a loose pass just over quarter of an hour later that allowed Lukas Jutkiewicz to send striker Danny Ings through to go round Tim Howard and score his first Premier League goal.

Lukaku soon made amends, however, restoring the visitors’ lead in the 28th minute.

His first shot after taking a pass from Steven Naismith was blocked, but he was able to scoop the rebound past Tom Heaton.

Five minutes from the end Eto’s scored his second, curling a fine shot into the top corner of the net from 20 metres, and in added time he was denied a hat-trick when his effort from an acute angle hit the inside of the far post.

Victory took Everton into the top half of the table.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2014