Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool all win in Premier League

WELBECK HEADER GIVES ARSENAL 1-0 WIN Danny Welbeck’s powerful header gave Arsenal a 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday as the London club rebounded after back-to-back Premier League losses. Welbeck scored in the 60th minute when Santi Cazorla ran toward the byline and chipped it back in front of goal. Welbeck soared above the West Brom defense and headed past Ben Foster despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the ball. “The clean sheet is very important and we always believed in ourselves to score goals so it was a vital three points for us,” Welbeck said. [caption id=“attachment_1828015” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] United is two points behind Manchester City, which plays at second-placed Southampton on Sunday. Hull is only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. AP[/caption] Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger praised Cazorla for setting up Welbeck and securing the win, which leaves the Gunners fighting for a place in the Premier League’s top four. Arsenal provisionally moved into sixth place with 20 points after 13 matches, while West Brom went into 14th place with 13 points. “Cazorla’s class got us that goal,” Wenger said. “He had a few opportunities in the first half. He cannot finish at the moment, but in providing he is still top class.” Saturday’s result was West Brom’s third successive loss, with the team failing to score in those defeats. RVP SCORES THUNDERBOLT AS UNITED BEAT HULL 3-0 Robin van Persie answered his critics with a first Premier League goal in a month as Manchester United cruised to a 3-0 victory over Hull to remain in the top four on Saturday. Defender Chris Smalling and striker Wayne Rooney also scored as United completed a hat trick of wins for the first time under Louis van Gaal. After a slow start to the season, United’s bid to return to the Champions League appears to be on track. United is two points behind Manchester City, which plays at second-placed Southampton on Sunday. Hull is only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. The only downside for United, in a season that has already been blighted by injuries, was the loss of record signing Angel di Maria early on with a hamstring problem, while Rooney limped off after taking a blow in stoppage time. The game began to resemble a training exercise at times, such was the ease with which United controlled possession. When Herrera headed down Juan Mata’s cross, Curtis Davies had chance to clear but hesitated and paid the price. Van Persie laid the ball off to Rooney and the captain hit a crisp low strike past McGregor from 20 yards (meters) in the 42nd. Van Persie’s goal came in the 66th, turning James Chester on the edge of the box and rifling a left-footed shot into the roof of the net. The Netherlands striker made way for fit-again Falcao moments later but had made a point after a week of heavy criticism. LIVERPOOL GET PRECIOUS WIN AGAINST STOKE Glen Johnson scored a late header to give Liverpool a 1-0 win over Stoke in the Premier League on Saturday, ending a three-match losing streak. Johnson’s goal came in the 85th minute after Paul Lambert’s looping header came off the crossbar. Johnson raced to the rebound and the right back headed it into goal, prompting ecstatic scenes at Anfield. Stoke forward Bojan nearly equalized with a volley in added time, but Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet’s fingertips came to the rescue and the ball was diverted out for a corner. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had been under pressure after the team slid down the table following league losses to Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Newcastle, and poor performances in the Champions League. The Merseyside club moved into 11th place in the league with 17 points, just ahead of Stoke, which has 15 points. After a poor first half with no shots on target, both teams hunted for a goal with a series of end-to-end chances in the second interval. AP