Friday 26 / April / 2024
London: Chelsea came from behind to secure a dramatic 3-1 win at Manchester City and forge clear at the top of the Premier League as their top-of-the-table clash ended in a mass brawl and two City players were sent off on Saturday.
Diego Costa, the league's leading marksman, scored his 11th of the season on the hour to equalise, substitute Willian notched on the counter-attack 10 minutes later and Eden Hazard sealed Chelsea's eighth straight win in the 90th minute.
Gary Cahill had given City a deserved lead just before halftime, slicing the ball into his own net with a clumsy attempted clearance, and the home side had chances to wrap up the points after the break as Kevin De Bruyne missed from three metres when it seemed easier to score.
In stoppage time, with Chelsea already guaranteed a four-point lead at the top, mayhem broke out following a terrible tackle by Sergio Aguero on David Luiz.
The Argentine was shown a red card and, as players piled in, Fernandinho was also dismissed for pushing Cesc Fabregas over the advertising hoardings.
It was the first time a team had finished a game with nine men in the Premier League for eight years yet, for large parts, it had looked as if it could be the end of Chelsea's purple patch with City largely dominating until Pep Guardiola's men were again found out defensively.
Several times, Aguero came close, thwarted by a brilliant Cesar Azpilicueta block and heading wide from De Bruyne's pinpoint cross.
Yet City's goal was a soft one with Cahill displaying technical deficiency, trying to clear Jesus Navas's cross with his right foot when he needed to use his left.
City piled on the pressure after the break with De Bruyne forcing a fine save from Courtois and more comedy defending almost gifting a goal for Aguero before De Bruyne's open-goal miss from Navas's cross.
It was a costly error as Fabregas found Costa with a lovely, long ball which he controlled on his chest before outsmuscling Nicolas Otamendi and firing the equaliser.
Costa then put Willian clean through, the Brazilian firing across Claudio Bravo into the corner before he marked his goal with an emotional raising of his black armband to honour those who died in the Chapecoense air crash.
After Hazard had latched on to a long ball from Marcos Alonso to sprint clear of Aleksandar Kolarov and net the third, City's frustration got the better of them as Aguero's wild knee-high lunge on Luiz resulted in furious scenes with all 22 players and staff being involved in a melee.
Luiz, with his knee bandaged afterwards, refused to be drawn on Aguero's challenge.
"I don't like to speak about these type of things. Aguero is an amazing player who does a lot for football," he told Sky Sports.
"I want to dedicate this win to the people who died in Brazil. It was difficult to get my head together as I had some friends there. We just need to pray for the victim's families."
Stoke move up
Earlier, Stoke City’s early-season problems were firmly consigned to history as they raced into the top half of the with two cracking goals earning them a 2-0 win over poor travellers Burnley.
Jon Walters put the hosts ahead with a fine 20th minute goal, steering his volley into the net from Xherdan Shaqiri’s pinpoint cross.
Fifteen minutes later Stoke celebrated an equally good finish from Marc Muniesa who delivered his first Premier League goal, making the best of excellent approach work from Marko Arnautovic with another volley.
Burnley came close through Andre Gray late on but Stoke are up to ninth having lost once in their last nine games.
Under-pressure Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew was relieved to see his side end their six-match losing streak and clamber clear of the relegation zone with a 3-0 victory over Southampton at Selhurst Park.
In a match which Pardew really had to win amid suggestions that his job may be on the line, the Eagles’ boss was helped by a 33rd-minute howler from Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster, made in front of new England manager Gareth Southgate.
Forster’s embarrassing attempt to clear a gentle back pass from Jose Fonte when he booted fresh air allowed Christian Benteke to pop in the easiest of goals.
Southampton’s defensive woes continued when James Tomkins was left unmarked to prod home Joe Ledley’s flick-on from a corner and though Southampton applied the pressure, Benteke enjoyed his second tap-in six minutes from time.
West Bromwich Albion climbed to the heady heights of sixth, above Manchester United, as they repelled a Watford fightback to claim a third victory in four games in a 3-1 verdict.
A trademark West Brom set-piece goal saw West Brom take a 16th minute lead, Jonny Evans hanging in the air to head in powerfully from a Chris Brunt corner.
Brunt doubled the lead in the 33rd minute, skimming a free kick just inside the post via a slight deflection.
Watford were a different proposition after the break and Christian Kabasele pulled a goal back after being teed up by Troy Deeney. Watford’s revival was stopped in its tracks six minutes from time, though, when Roberto Pereyra was sent off after a clash with James McClean.
Matt Phillips curled in West Brom’s third to lift them above Manchester United on goal difference.
Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen both scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur ran riot against a sorry Swansea side for a 5-0 win and to keep in touch with the top four.
After losing their unbeaten league record the previous week at Chelsea, Tottenham hit back in emphatic fashion although they were frustrated for 40 minutes and needed a fortunate penalty to open the floodgates against the struggling Welsh club.
Kane set the ball rolling after Swansea’s former Tottenham defender Kyle Naughton was adjudged to have tripped Dele Alli, although there appeared to be no contact.
There was no debate about the second on the stroke of halftime when Son Heung-min connected with a volley while horizontal to the ground and smashed the ball past Lukasz Fabianksi. Four minutes after the break Kane finished off a fine move from close range, taking his Premier League tally to 21 in 28 games this year, second only to Sergio Aguero.
Christian Eriksen bundled in the fourth before completing Swansea’s misery with a superb stoppage-time strike -- the 31st goal Swansea have conceded in the league.
