LONDON: Bottom club Aston Villa finally stopped the rot by holding Premier League leaders Manchester City to a 0-0 draw in new manager Remi Garde’s first match in charge on Sunday.

After seven consecutive league defeats, and one point from the last 30 on offer, had plunged Villa into crisis and cost Tim Sherwood his job, the former European champions produced a gritty display to frustrate City.

Villa keeper Brad Guzan made a remarkable save with his head after halftime to keep out Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne missed a sitter for the visitors who dominated possession without being able to find a way through.

The closest City came to taking the points was in stoppage time when Fernando’s thumping header shook the crossbar but Villa hung on for a well-earned draw.

“Of course we tried to score, but we couldn’t,” City manager Manuel Pellegrini said. “Villa didn’t shoot once to our goalkeeper but these things happen, we were unlucky with three or four opportunities.

“That happens in football, we didn’t score, but I was very happy with the way we played, especially in the second half.”

City have 26 points from 12 matches, provisionally a point ahead of Arsenal, who were hosting Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby later on Sunday, and Leicester City for whom Jamie Vardy scored for the ninth straight league match in a 2-1 victory against Watford on Saturday.

Vardy’s 65th-minute penalty at the King Power Stadium means he needs to find the target in his next game at Newcastle United to equal the record of Manchester United’s Ruud van Nistelrooy who netted in 10 successive matches in 2003.

Riyad Mahrez, the usual Leicester penalty taker, handed the ball over when Vardy was brought down by keeper Heurelho Gomes and the home crowd bayed for the striker to be given the chance.

“It’s great for Jamie Vardy to score again,” said Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri. “I don’t know if it’s another record, but he continues in a good moment.”

The Italian manager’s surprise packages, who spent last season struggling for survival, had gone ahead when midfielder N’Golo Kante was amazed to see his weak 52nd-minute effort roll under accident-prone Gomes’ hands.

Troy Deeney’s 75th-minute penalty for Watford proved in vain.

LINGARD LIFTS UNITED

Also on Saturday, Manchester United ended their Premier League scoring drought with a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion with Jesse Lingard’s first goal for the club leaving Louis van Gaal’s team a point behind Leicester.

United had ended a 404-minute goal drought against CSKA Moscow in mid-week, but they laboured again until Lingard broke the deadlock by coolly curling an effort beyond West Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill in the 52nd minute at Old Trafford.

“I give every player a chance — always. When you are in my squad I will give you a chance. He grabbed it with both hands,” Van Gaal said of Lingard.

Juan Mata sealed the deal with a stoppage-time penalty after Gareth McAuley was sent off for hauling down Anthony Martial.

West Ham United (21 points) missed the chance to close on the leaders after Romelu Lukaku scored against the Hammers at Upton Park to earn Everton a 1-1 draw after on-loan Argentine Manuel Lanzini had put the home side ahead.

Lukaku has now netted in all seven games he has played against the London outfit.

There were narrow 1-0 victories for Southampton and Norwich City.

Dusan Tadic’s 69th-minute penalty at the Stadium of Light lifted Southampton into seventh while keeping Sunderland in the bottom three.

Midfielder Jonny Howson scored his first goal of the season as the Norwich beat Swansea City to end a miserable run at home that had seen them win just once and lose six of their last eight home games and pull clear of the danger zone, climbing above Chelsea and Newcastle United.

CHELSEA CRISIS

Defending champions Chelsea and absent manager Jose Mourinho returned to unwanted crisis after the troubled giants lost 1-0 at Stoke City.

Chelsea’s third straight league defeat — their seventh in 12 matches — placed the pre-season favourites 16th in the standings, just three points above the previously unthinkable relegation zone and placing further question marks over Mourinho’s future at the club he led to championship glory just six months ago.

Mourinho missed the away game after receiving a stadium ban for his behaviour toward match officials in a 2-1 defeat at West Ham in October and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic said he remained the “right man” for Chelsea.

“We are behind the manager, you can see that from our performances,” said Begovic. “His spirit and his presence is always there. We wanted to get a result for him.”

After a fiercely fought first half, Mark Hughes’ Stoke broke the deadlock when Marko Arnautovic scored with an acrobatic effort in the 53rd minute.

Chelsea poured forward in search of an equaliser, and Pedro was denied when his left-footed shot cannoned back off the post with goalkeeper Jack Butland beaten.

Ultimately, Chelsea failed to build on renewed optimism following the Champions League 2-1 win against Dynamo Kiev midweek, despite Mourinho’s name being frequently chanted by loyal Blues fans at Britannia Stadium.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2015

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