Swansea shock Arsenal; Newcastle win

Swansea City beat Arsenal 3-2 to deny super-sub Thierry Henry a magical return to the Premier League and Mark Hughes made a losing start as manager of struggling Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.

Arsenal stayed fifth in the table, four points behind Chelsea and 12 adrift of leaders Manchester City who have a game in hand and play at Wigan Athletic on Monday. Swansea moved up to 10th.

The league's top scorer Robin van Persie put the Gunners ahead in the fifth minute but the Londoners' hopes of closing the gap at the top suffered a setback when Scott Sinclair equalised from the penalty spot 11 minutes later.

Nathan Dyer put the Welsh side in front on 57 minutes, Theo Walcott came good with an equaliser in the 69th but Danny Graham hit back with the winner straight from the re-start.

Henry, Arsenal's all-time top scorer who made a fairytale return last Monday with the winning goal in an FA Cup third-round tie against Leeds United, came on in the 63rd minute but was unable to conjure up more of his magic.

The 34-year-old Frenchman, on loan from the New York Red Bulls during the Major League Soccer close season, last played in the Premier League with Arsenal five years ago.

While part of the principality was celebrating a famous victory for Swansea's neat-passing promoted team, former Wales manager Hughes watched his relegation-threatened side lose 1-0 at Newcastle United.

Leon Best stroked home a fine winner in the 37th minute to send Newcastle up to sixth place. Third-bottom QPR have now gone nine games without a victory.

Former Manchester City and Fulham boss Hughes took over at the west London club on Tuesday after Neil Warnock was sacked.

“I've only been through the door a week but very clearly I saw things that we'd worked on, that the players on the field were trying to implement,” Hughes told Sky Sports television.  
“I was pleased with their application, giving me everything that they had.

“I thought we created a number of reasonable chances and on another day those will go in for us. It would have been ideal obviously if I could have got something out of the game because ... we deserved something,” added Hughes.

The visitors looked sharp and twice hit the woodwork in the first half, with Jay Bothroyd also having two good chances after the break.  Hughes also said he still hopes to sign Blackburn Rovers’ centre-half Chris Samba as he looks to strengthen his squad in January.

Manchester United, 3-0 winners at home to Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, are level on points with Manchester City but behind on goal difference and Tottenham Hotspur are third, two points adrift after being held 1-1 by Wolverhampton Wanderers.