Palace show fight in QPR stalemate

Managerless Crystal Palace responded to the sacking of boss Neil Warnock with a gritty display in a 0-0 draw against fellow strugglers QPR on Sunday.

Palace chairman Steve Parish ended Warnock's five-month reign on Saturday after the south London club slumped into the Premier League relegation zone, but caretaker manager Keith Millen convinced his players to ignore the turmoil and they delivered an improved performance at Loftus Road.

The Eagles, linked with moves for former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood and ex-Porto chief Vitor Pereira, remain in the bottom three on goal difference, while QPR are two points above the drop zone.

Millen, in his third spell as caretaker, made one change to the Palace team beaten by Southampton on Boxing Day, with Wilfried Zaha replacing Fraizer Campbell up front as the Eagles looked to register a first win in seven matches.

Both teams looked short of confidence and composure in a scrappy opening and QPR striker Charlie Austin should have done better than shoot straight at Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni.

Yannick Bolasie produced Palace's first real moment of quality when he unleashed a powerful strike which Robert Green was at full stretch to keep out.

The visitors went even closer in the 21st minute when Joe Ledley picked out Jason Puncheon and the Palace winger curled in a first-time effort that beat Green but rebounded to safety off the post.

After failing to build any momentum in a drab first half, QPR went close to breaking the deadlock soon after the interval when Leroy Fer's volley flew just wide.

Fer forced Speroni to show his athleticism to get a hand to a powerful strike from the Dutch midfielder as QPR finally found some rhythm.

Austin had a goalbound header blocked from a corner soon after and Puncheon's shot was tipped over by Green at the other end.

Millen responded to his side's struggles by sending on Campbell for Zaha midway through the half.

But Harry Redknapp's side went agonisingly close to taking the lead in the 75th minute when Steven Caulker nodded goalwards from Joey Barton's corner, only for James McArthur to alertly head clear from under the crossbar.

And QPR spurned one last chance when Junior Hoilett failed to hit the target with a clear sight of goal.

Beckham MLS group quietly optimistic

David Beckham's group seeking a stadium deal to finalize a Miami football team is optimistic after quiet progress, the English star's top negotiator said on Sunday in a Miami Herald story.

The newspaper reported that the Miami Beckham United group trying to bring a Major League Soccer squad to South Florida remains confident despite a year of denials by area officials in bids to locate a tract of land for a new stadium.

"We have made very meaningful strides in the last couple of months," John Alschuler, Beckham's real estate adviser and lead negotiator, told the Miami Herald in an e-mail.

"While nothing in this complex equation can be taken for granted, I am optimistic that there will be several positive announcements in the first quarter of the next year."

The retired English football star took advantage of a clause in the MLS contract he signed when joining the Los Angeles Galaxy to purchase an MLS team at a bargain rate and identified Miami as the market where he wants the team to play, but has been thwarted in getting permission to build on his desired downtown stadium sites.

The group has been quiet since a June rejection of a waterfront bid even as local leaders try to lure interest from Beckham in their locations.

MLS officials and Beckham have been unified in saying the team is contingent upon a new stadium deal, Miami's hopes having yet to be finalized even as New York and Orlando prepare to welcome new MLS clubs next year, while Atlanta and a new Los Angeles club to replace defunct Chivas USA are set for 2017 starts.

Other cities have made expansion pitches to MLS and some in Miami fear they will miss out if they cannot reach a deal soon.

Juan Zapata, a Dade County commissioner, told the Herald he wants Beckham's group to consider playing at Florida International University's stadium while a deal is completed, saying that an active team will be harder to refuse even though MLS wants the stadium before awarding a team.

"I think it's obvious that MLS isn't going to get what they want," Zapata told the Herald.

"Until we figure out a stadium plan, I think we've got to get a team on the field."

MLS has not publically embraced a stadium site near the Miami Marlins' new Major League Baseball stadium, although the Herald reported that politicians privately call it the best hope Beckham's group has for discounted land upon which it could build a stadium.

"That's the only place we have that they might be able to use," Miami city manager Daniel Alfonso told the newspaper, adding that they have not heard from Beckham's group since a bayside site was rejected by the city six months ago.

Arsenal boost top-four bid with win

Arsenal withstood a second-half onslaught from West Ham to boost their Champions League charge with a 2-1 victory at Upton Park on Sunday.

Arsene Wenger's side secured their second successive win over the festive period to move up to fifth in the Premier League, behind fourth placed Southampton only on goal difference.

West Ham, surprise contenders for the coveted European places, had been punching above their weight all season but back-to-back defeats have dented their challenge heading into 2015.

They were undone by two goals in three minutes late in the first half by Santi Cazorla and Danny Welbeck.

Senegal midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate scored his first West Ham goal to give the hosts renewed hope in the second half but, despite mounting pressure, the Gunners held on for a hard-fought win.

West Ham midfielder Alex Song thought he had opened the scoring against his old club in the sixth minute.

Song's 25-yard shot through a crowd left Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny stranded, but his view was obstructed by two West Ham players standing in an offside position.

Replays suggested the assistant referee had made the right call but Song protested angrily following the decision.

Wenger had opted to call up French centre-back Laurent Koscielny to help combat the aerial power of burly West Ham striker Andy Carroll.

But Carroll shrugged off the attentions of Koscielny before the former Liverpool player saw his low shot scrambled clear.

Arsenal had barely got out of their own half but Alexis Sanchez sparked them into life when he was afforded too much room before driving a deflected shot just wide of Adrian's left-hand post.

West Ham were still in control with James Tomkins wasting a glorious chance when he blazed over from a good position.

But the Hammers would regret not taking their chances as Arsenal opened the scoring through Cazorla in the 41st minute.

Cazorla was tripped up by Winston Reid's trailing leg for a clear penalty which the Spanish midfielder calmly converted.

And it went from bad to worse for the hosts as Welbeck struck two minutes later.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's cross saw the England striker have the simple task of slotting in at the far post in the 44th minute.

Stewart Downing should have done better than shoot wide just before the break as West Ham tried to respond.

But just eight minutes into the second-half, Kouyate gave Allardyce's men a lifeline.

Tomkins found room to deliver a cross and Kouyate rose above Arsenal right-back Mathieu Debuchy to scramble his header home.

The hosts dominated possession as they pressed for an equaliser, but West Ham's Adrian was the busier goalkeeper.

He kept out Cazorla's shot and then denied Oxlade-Chamberlain's 74th minute header.

Sanchez and Welbeck wasted chances to give Arsenal some precious breathing space but, despite a surviving a scare when Enner Valencia headed over in the final attack of the game, the visitors held on.

Barnes thunderbolt keeps City trailing

Ashley Barnes's dramatic 81st-minute equaliser earned struggling Burnley a 2-2 draw at Manchester City on Sunday, preventing the defending champions from closing on Premier League leaders Chelsea.

First-half goals from David Silva and Fernandinho had apparently put Manuel Pellegrini's side well in control as they attempted to close the gap behind Chelsea to a solitary point.

But with influential City midfielder Yaya Toure absent, presumably rested, goals from George Boyd and Barnes earned Burnley an improbable draw and denied Pellegrini's side a club-record 10th consecutive win.

The supposed gulf in class between the sides was highlighted by the manner of City's opening goal in the 23rd minute, as Silva finished clinically to register his fourth goal in the last three games.

It came from a darting run down the right by the energetic Jesus Navas, who reached the dead-ball line and pulled the ball back for Silva.

The former Valencia player switched feet neatly, swivelled and sent an unstoppable finish past Tom Heaton in the Burnley goal.

Yet the goal followed a promising flurry of attacking activity from the visitors.

Kieran Trippier's cross into the box was just missed by Danny Ings, Dean Marney shot straight at Joe Hart and Ings was guilty of a wasteful 22-yard attempt when there were better options available.

It was not difficult to see why Burnley had scored just 12 goals in their previous 18 league games and the contest looked likely to follow the form book despite City starting without an orthodox forward.

The stand-in 'false nine' James Milner shot over from six yards, Martin Demichelis had an effort blocked by Jason Shackell from similar distance and Navas's angled drive rose over the bar before the opening goal.

Once again without the predatory Sergio Aguero in their side, City turned to an unlikely source for their second goal in the 33rd minute.

The visiting defence stood off the hosts on the edge of their own area, allowing Samir Nasri to move the ball along to Fernandinho.

With time and space, the Brazil midfielder switched the ball to his right foot and deposited a magnificent shot in off the underside of the crossbar from a step outside the 18-yard box.

With leaders Chelsea having earlier drawn 1-1 at Southampton, this appeared a perfect opportunity for City to close the gap and improve their goal difference.

But City were hugely disappointing, and Burnley much improved almost immediately from kick-off in the second half.

Pablo Zabaleta failed to tackle Ings and the forward's low, driven shot was glanced into the goal by Boyd, despite replays suggesting the Scotland international did so from an offside position.

Had Ings's first touch not let him down moments later as he attempted to carry Barnes's through ball towards goal, Burnley might have claimed an equaliser even earlier.

Instead, Heaton was required to keep his team in the contest with a one-handed save at the foot of his right-hand post from Nasri.

Unmoved, Shackell headed just over and Ings shot narrowly wide for the visitors, prompting Pellegrini to bring on Stevan Jovetic and Frank Lampard.

Neither move improved matters greatly and Scott Arfield wasted a glorious chance to equalise after 78 minutes when his shot was blocked by Demichelis from only six yards.

No matter for Burnley. Within two minutes, Shackell's long free-kick into the City area was poorly defended and the ball rebounded kindly for Barnes to lash a deadly 12-yard shot into the top-left corner.

Diouf double keeps West Brom in trouble

Senegal's Mame Biram Diouf scored twice as Stoke City sharpened the focus on West Bromwich Albion manager Alan Irvine with a 2-0 win in the Premier League on Sunday.

Former Manchester United striker Diouf struck twice in 15 second-half minutes at the Britannia Stadium to give Stoke back-to-back wins for the first time this season after Friday's 1-0 success at Everton.

It was a third defeat in a row for West Brom, who have won only once in nine games, and follows Irvine's admission that he feared for his job at the Hawthorns.

The defeat saw Irvine's side fall one place to 16th and left them just a point above the relegation zone ahead of a trip to high-flying West Ham United on New Year's Day.

While Stoke manager Mark Hughes made only one change, replacing Jonathan Walters with Peter Crouch, Irvine drafted Brown Ideye, Chris Brunt, Graham Dorrans and Chris Baird into his starting XI.

The visitors enjoyed the best of the first half but it was Stoke who went closest to breaking the deadlock, with Bojan Krkic fizzing a shot narrowly wide in the 14th minute.

Bojan has been one of Stoke's most impressive performers in recent weeks and he was the catalyst for the home side's opening goal in the 51st minute.

The former Barcelona forward sprayed a pass wide to Erik Pieters on the Stoke left and the Dutch full-back's low cross was in turned in by Diouf via a slight deflection off Joleon Lescott.

Irvine responded with a double change, sending on Saido Berahino and Silvestre Varela, and saw his side hit the woodwork when Gareth McAuley stabbed a shot against the post following a goal-mouth scramble.

But in the 66th minute Diouf claimed his second goal when he fortuitously deflected a shot from Marko Arnautovic past Ben Foster to leave Irvine cursing his luck once again.

Cisse compounds Everton's woes

Senegalese striker Papiss Cisse kept up his impressive scoring record to inspire Newcastle United as they came from behind to beat Everton 3-2 in the Premier League on Sunday.

Cisse's fifth goal in six games sparked the recovery after Arouna Kone had found the net on his full Premier League debut for Roberto Martinez's Everton, an injury-ravaged 18 months after joining from Wigan Athletic.

Cisse levelled before the interval and second-half goals from Ayoze Perez and Jack Colback enabled Alan Pardew's men to end a four-game losing streak.

Substitute Kevin Mirallas gave Everton hope by reducing the arrears in the 84th minute from Leighton Baines's through-ball, but it was not enough to prevent Everton sliding to a third straight defeat.

The Merseyside club have won just once in their last seven league games, losing five.

Martinez made seven changes to the team beaten 1-0 by Stoke City on Boxing Day, notably handing a top-flight debut to England youth defender Luke Garbutt, and saw Everton take a fifth-minute lead.

Aiden McGeady's channel ball cut out Yoan Gouffran and found Seamus Coleman making progress down the right. The Irishman sent over an inviting low cross and Kone swept home confidently from six yards.

It was the Ivory Coast international's first goal since May 2013, his Goodison Park career having stalled after he suffered a serious knee injury that ruled him out for most of last season.

Moussa Sissoko spurned a clear opening to draw Newcastle level, a heavy first touch allowing keeper Joel Robles to block as the midfielder bore down on goal from a Cisse flick.

But the hosts drew level 11 minutes before the break, as their increasing pressure finally told.

Cheick Tiote swapped passes with Colback and sent over a deep cross that Mike Williamson hooked back to Cisse, who made no mistake from close range.

Cisse was perhaps fortunate to still be on the field at that point, having earlier caught Coleman in the throat with a flailing arm in an off-the-ball incident that went unseen by the match officials.

Pardew's side ended the half in the ascendency, and it took a fine block from Sylvain Distin to deny Daryl Janmaat as the Dutch international latched onto Paul Dummett's knock-down from a Perez centre.

Robles produced a fine save low to his left to keep out a Gouffran effort early in the second half, but Newcastle did not have to wait long before taking a 51st-minute lead.

As with the first goal, Tiote was prominent in the build-up, finding Perez on the edge of the Everton area.

The Spaniard turned and threaded a low shot through the legs of his marker Coleman and into the bottom-left corner past a rooted Robles.

Samuel Eto'o should have equalised just after the hour, but the former Cameroon striker wasted some determined approach play from Baines by firing the defender's low cross wastefully over.

They were made to pay with 23 minutes left as Newcastle stretched their advantage through Colback's first goal for the club.

Janmaat's ball into the Everton area should have easily been cut out by Ross Barkley.

But the substitute allowed the pass to reach Colback, a close-season signing from neighbours Sunderland, who rolled a left-foot shot past Robles.

Cisse almost made it four soon after, only to be denied by Robles, but despite Mirallas giving the visitors hope, it was to prove immaterial.

Lloris shines as Spurs, United draw

Leaders Chelsea and second-place Manchester City both succumbed to post-Christmas hangovers on Sunday as the two pace-setters dropped points in the Premier League title race.

Chelsea drew 1-1 at Southampton, which presented City with a chance to close to within a point of the summit, but the champions fluffed their lines by blowing a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at home to second-bottom Burnley.

The results preserved the status quo at the top, where Chelsea lead City by three points ahead of the New Year's Day programme.

Chelsea fell behind in the 17th minute at fourth-place Southampton when Dusan Tadic freed Sadio Mane, who coolly headed the ball away from John Terry before lobbing Thibaut Courtois.

Eden Hazard equalised in first-half injury time, scampering onto Cesc Fabregas's pass down the left wing and cutting inside two defenders before firing home with his right foot.

But despite Southampton losing Morgan Schneiderlin for two bookable offences in the closing stages, Jose Mourinho's side were unable to find a winner, two days on from their classy 2-0 win over West Ham United.

The closest they came was a shot from Hazard that flashed wide, while Fabregas was contentiously booked for diving when he went down in the Southampton box after apparently being caught by 19-year-old Matthew Targett.

Chelsea manager Mourinho complained that his players were being unfairly treated by referees following a recent spate of diving accusations.

"The reality is there are penalties and penalties – this one was a huge one," he told Sky Sports.

"Match after match, coaches are saying Chelsea players are diving. I will go to the referee and wish him a good year and tell him he will be ashamed."

At the Etihad Stadium, David Silva put City ahead in the 23rd minute and Samir Nasri teed up Fernandinho to crash home a stunning second goal from the edge of the box 10 minutes later.

But Burnley replied through George Boyd early in the second half, the Scottish forward tapping in a cross from Danny Ings, before Ashley Barnes slammed in an equaliser from 15 yards with nine minutes to play.

"It was a big opportunity to get two more points. Everybody would think the game was over, but I always say it is never over until the last minute," said City manager Manuel Pellegrini.

"We have 43 points. We have the second half of the season to decide who is the best team."

Burnley are now in the bottom three on goal difference alone.

Third-place Manchester United had earlier squandered an opportunity to put pressure on the top two after being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at Tottenham Hotspur.

Louis van Gaal's side created a string of chances, with Juan Mata hitting the post and Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris producing a number of excellent saves, but had to settle for a point.

The draw extended United's unbeaten run to nine games, but left them 10 points below Chelsea and seven behind City, while Tottenham finished the day five points further back in seventh place.

"We lost two points I think," United manager Van Gaal told BT Sport.

"We had the best performance of Manchester United this season in the first half. We could have scored four or five goals and we didn't reward ourselves."

With the teams above them dropping points, Arsenal capitalised by leapfrogging West Ham into fifth place with a 2-1 victory at Upton Park.

Santi Cazorla put Arsenal in front with a 41st-minute penalty and three minutes later Danny Welbeck prodded in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's low cross to make it 2-0.

Cheikhou Kouyate headed in for West Ham early in the second half, but Arsene Wenger's side survived a late onslaught to record a win that took them level on points with Southampton.

Liverpool now trail the top four by eight points ahead of their home game with Swansea City on Monday.

Elsewhere, Everton slumped to a third straight defeat, losing 3-2 at Newcastle United, who prevailed through goals from Papiss Cisse, Ayoze Perez and Jack Colback.

Crystal Palace began life without sacked manager Neil Warnock by drawing 0-0 at Queens Park Rangers, which kept the Selhurst Park club in the bottom three.

Bottom team Leicester City gave their chances of avoiding relegation a shot in the arm by winning 1-0 at Hull City, with Riyad Mahrez's 32nd-minute strike leaving his side three points from safety.

Late red cards for Leicester's Paul Konchesky and Hull's Stephen Quinn meant that both sides finished the game with 10 men.

Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf scored twice as Stoke City beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0, while Fabian Delph was sent off for a foul on Jordi Gomez as Aston Villa drew 0-0 at home to Sunderland.