Soccer

Christian Benteke and Palace leave Sunderland still searching for win

Son Heung-min scores two in Spurs win; Bournemouth hand Everton first defeat

Christian Benteke heads home Crystal Palace’s late winner in the Premier League game against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Action Images via Reuters/Livepic
Christian Benteke heads home Crystal Palace’s late winner in the Premier League game against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Action Images via Reuters/Livepic
Sat Sept 24 2016 - 17:21

Sunderland 2 Crystal Palace 3

Christian Benteke’s injury-time header left Sunderland still waiting for a first Premier League win of the season as Crystal Palace came back from 2-0 down to snatch victory.

Jermain Defoe's double – just his second and third goals at the Stadium of Light since January 2nd – had put Black Cats boss David Moyes within 30 minutes of a much-needed victory in front of a crowd of 38,941.

But Patrick van Aanholt's eventful week took a further turn for the worse when he deflected Joe Ledley's 61st-minute shot past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and was then beaten to the ball by James McArthur as he made it 2-2 before Benteke struck at the death

READ MORE

Middlesbrough 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2

Son Heung-min struck his second double in the space of a fortnight as Tottenham shrugged off the absence of Harry Kane to make it three Premier League wins in a row with a 2-1 triumph at Middlesbrough.

The South Korean hit two superb solo goals in the opening 23 minutes to add to the brace he netted at Stoke earlier this month and set up Mauricio Pochettino’s men for three more points.

But despite their early domination, Spurs were forced to work hard for their win after Boro defender Ben Gibson gave his side hope by outmuscling Victor Wanyama to head his side back into the game just past the hour-mark.

Bournemouth 1 Everton 0

Junior Stanislas’s 20-yard drive condemned Everton to their first Premier League defeat of the season as Bournemouth held out for a 1-0 victory at Dean Court.

Stanislas proved Everton’s tormentor-in-chief for the second season running, firing the only goal on the south coast to add to his late brace that stole a 3-3 draw last term.

The 26-year-old’s second goal eight minutes into stoppage time had wrestled Bournemouth that dramatic draw in the November 21st corresponding fixture last season.

This time the Cherries needed no last-gasp heroics however, as Stainslas’s 23rd-minute strike proved sufficient to secure a second win of the campaign for Eddie Howe’s men.

Stoke 1 West Brom 1

Salomon Rondon’s stoppage-time header denied Stoke their first Premier League win of the season as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by West Brom in ex-Potters boss Tony Pulis’s 1,000th game as a manager.

Mark Hughes's side had looked set to end their four-match losing streak in the league by claiming all three points when Joe Allen opened the scoring by bundling the ball home in the 73rd minute.

But in the end they had to settle for one, and a total of two from six games this term, after Rondon converted late on from a corner.

It made for a satisfying conclusion to his return to the stadium for Pulis, who is still yet to lose against his former employers in five meetings, while the pressure continues to mount on his successor Hughes. His men are, at least, up a place and off the bottom of the table.