LONDON — Interim manager Rafael Benitez was given a hostile welcome by Chelsea fans angry at Roberto Di Matteo's sacking when the Spaniard, serenaded with jeers, began his Stamford Bridge reign with a 0-0 draw against Manchester City Sunday. Chelsea axed the popular Di Matteo Wednesday - hours after its Champions League defeat by Juventus which continued its poor run of results, and appointed the former Liverpool man for the rest of the season. Benitez's arrival in the dugout shortly before kickoff was greeted by boos with home fans continuing to chant Di Matteo's name throughout the first half. Chelsea, now without a Premier League win in five games, improved after a sluggish opening period but created few openings to test City keeper Joe Hart. City, knocked off top spot by Manchester United's 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers Saturday, closed to within one point in second, while Chelsea is fourth, five points behind the leader. Jermain Defoe's double, including a superb first-half strike, and Gareth Bale's goal just before the hour jolted Tottenham Hotspur out of the doldrums with a 3-1 London derby victory over West Ham United at White Hart Lane. Earlier in the day, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers endured a frustrating return to Swansea with the teams drawing 0-0. Liverpool had Jose Enrique's first-half strike ruled out for off-side and teammate Raheem Sterling hit the crossbar in south Wales. Pablo Hernandez had Swansea's best chances, with the Spain winger curling narrowly wide before having a low free kick pushed wide by goalkeeper Pepe Reina. The draw extended Liverpool's unbeaten run to eight league matches, but Michael Laudrup's Swansea still has one point more than its 11th-place opponents. “We're doing well. At the start of the season we got new players and management and it takes a bit of time to settle down,” midfielder Leon Britton said. “It was great to see Brendan Rodgers — I owe him a lot for bringing me back here.” Southampton kept a clean sheet in the Premier League for the first time this season in beating Newcastle 2-0 at St. Mary's Stadium. Midfielder Adam Lallana opened the scoring for the home side in the 34th minute when he turned a pass from Gaston Ramirez into the bottom left corner of the goal. Ramirez doubled the advantage in the 60th from close range to secure the win over former Southampton manager Alan Pardew's side. The victory lifts Southampton out of the relegation zone and into 17th place with 11 points. Newcastle, which has now lost three consecutive league games for the first time since 2008, remains 14th with 14 points. On Saturday, Arsenal was left to rue poor finishing after its encounter with Aston Villa ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw. Arsene Wenger's side created plenty of chances at Villa Park, but was unable to strike the decisive blow, with Wales international Aaron Ramsey particularly guilty of wastefulness in front of goal. Villa substitute Brett Holman went closest for the home side with a shot that rattled the crossbar from distance, but the point was still enough for Paul Lambert's side to climb out of the relegation zone. Arsenal, meanwhile, remains sixth, a point below fifth-place Everton and four points outside the Champions League qualifying places. Former manager Sexton dies Former Manchester United and Chelsea manager Dave Sexton has died aged 82, the English Football Association said in a statement Sunday. Sexton lifted the FA Cup as Chelsea boss in 1970 and went on to win the European Cup Winners' Cup the following season. He made his name as a player with West Ham United and went on to manage Manchester United between 1977 and 1981 after leaving Queens Park Rangers. The Londoner later had two stints as England Under-21 manager. — Agencies
