Welbeck scores in Arsenal win

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Danny Welbeck of Arsenal scores his team's second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park on September 20, 2014 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Danny Welbeck of Arsenal scores his team's second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Villa Park on September 20, 2014 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Published Sep 20, 2014

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Arsenal stopped Aston Villa going top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win on Saturday.

Villa had conceded just one league goal in their previous four league matches but all that changed as Arsenal fired in three inside four minutes at Villa Park.

The much-criticised Mesut Ozil put the Gunners in front in the 32nd minute and former Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck scored his first Arsenal goal two minutes later before Villa's Aly Cissokho turned the ball into his own net.

Meanwhile Newcastle moved off the bottom of the table and eased the pressure on under-fire manager Alan Pardew by coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at home to Hull, with substitute Papiss Cisse scoring both the Magpies' goals.

Southampton won 1-0 away to a Swansea side who had to play more than half the match a man down after Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony was sent off.

QPR and Stoke shared the points in a 2-2 draw at Loftus Road while honours were also even in the goalless draw between Burnley and Sunderland.

West Ham play Liverpool in Saturday's late kick-off match.

Sunday sees leaders Chelsea looking to maintain their perfect league record this season away to champions Manchester City.

Elsewhere, Manchester United will go in search of their first away league win under manager Louis van Gaal, at Leicester, while Tottenham Hotspur take on West Bromwich Albion and Everton face Crystal Palace.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had been forced to defend Germany World Cup-winner Ozil, a club record £42 million ($76 million) signing from Real Madrid last term, after the playmaker came under fire again following another uninspiring display in the Gunners' 2-0 Champions League defeat at Borussia Dortmund in midweek.

But, played in by Welbeck, he made no mistake with a side-foot chance to put Arsenal ahead against Villa.

Minutes later, the roles were reversed when Ozil's cross found Welbeck, who fired the ball into the roof of the net.

A stunned Villa then saw Kieran Gibbs's cross-shot turned into their net by Cissokho, with Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain waiting to pounce.

Arsenal moved to within a point of second-placed Villa and three adrift of Chelsea.

Newcastle, without a win in the league this season, fell behind three minutes after half-time when Nikica Jelavic put visitors Hull ahead with an acrobatic effort from 15 yards out.

Senegal midfielder Mohamed Diame doubled Hull's lead in the 68th minute with a brilliant 25-yard shot.

However, Newcastle gave home fans something to cheer when, with 15 minutes remaining, Cisse powered in a shot at the near post following a fine pass from Cheick Tiote.

And three minutes from time, the Senegal striker made it 2-2 after Moussa Sissoko's ball into the box was nodded down by Yoan Gouffran, Cisse smashed the ball in from six yards out.

At the Liberty Stadium, Bony was shown a red card in the 39th minute when he took away the legs of Maya Yoshida, his second bookable offence.

But it took until 10 minutes before time for Southampton to make their numerical advantage count thanks to a goal from substitute Victor Wanyama -- the Kenyan's first goal for the Saints.

In Saturday's early match, QPR narrowly avoided their fourth Premier League defeat of the season as a fine late equaliser from Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar rescued a 2-2 draw with Stoke at Loftus Road.

Mame Biram Diouf opened the scoring for visitors Stoke and, following Steven Caulker's equaliser, it was Peter Crouch who restored Stoke's lead against his former club.

But with just two minutes remaining, former Tottenham midfielder Kranjcar scored his first goal since January.– AFP

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