Paris--Congolese Youssouf Mulumbu was red-carded in the English Premier League and the defensive frailties of Ivorian Kolo Toure brutally exposed during an unhappy weekend for African stars.
Substitute Mulumbu got sent off as West Bromwich Albion slumped 4-1 at home to lowly Queens Park Rangers and Toure was in a Liverpool team beaten by the same score at Arsenal.
Senegalese Cheikhou Kouyate and Nigerian Victor Anichebe scored for West Ham and West Bromwich respectively, but both goals were in losing causes.
ENGLAND
CHEIKHOU KOUYATE (West Ham United)
Midfielder Kouyate scored his fourth West Ham goal, but it came in a losing cause as his side lost 2-1 at bottom club Leicester City. Kouyate struck in the 32nd minute, cancelling out Esteban Cambiasso's opener by chesting down a lofted pass from Cameroonian team-mate Alex Song and firing home. He then hit the post in the second half, before an 86th-minute strike by Andy King gave Leicester victory.
VICTOR ANICHEBE (West Bromwich Albion)
Anichebe came off the bench to score as West Brom went down 4-1 at home to relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers. He headed in a cross from Saido Berahino in the 58th minute after coming on at half-time, but West Brom had already conceded three times by then and would fall further behind when Joey Barton scored in stoppage time.
YOUSSOUF MULUMBU (West Bromwich Albion)
West Brom's efforts to haul themselves back into the game were not helped by Mulumbu, who was sent off just 13 minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute. The Democratic Republic of Congo midfielder led with his arm in an aerial challenge on Barton and was shown a straight red card by referee Lee Probert.
KOLO TOURE (Liverpool)
Former Ivory Coast defender Toure endured a torrid afternoon against his old club Arsenal as Liverpool were routed 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium, which left their Champions League qualification hopes hanging by a thread. Drafted in for the suspended Martin Skrtel, the 34-year-old centre-back struggled throughout and was left floundering as Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud scored Arsenal's third and fourth goals.
SPAIN
MANUCHO (Rayo Vallecano)
The Angolan striker scored the winner as Rayo moved into the top half of the table by defeating Eibar 2-1 for a third consecutive win. The former Manchester United man headed home from close range just before half-time to register just his third goal of an inconsistent campaign.
AFP
