Blues strike to head off United’s charge
CHELSEA held on to its place in the Premier League’s top four by bouncing back to beat Watford 3-0 on Sunday, after Manchester United had briefly powered past with a 5-2 rout of struggling Bournemouth.
Third-placed Leicester also got back on track, with Jamie Vardy reaching 100 top-flight goals in a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace, while Arsenal dealt a blow to Wolves’ Champions League chase by winning 2-0 at Molineux.
United’s fearsome front four of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood, who netted twice, were all on the scoresheet as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men hit five goals in a home Premier League game for the first time since 2011.
“Confidence is sky high,” said Solskjaer, who is feeling the benefits of a 16-match unbeaten run. “You get energy and confidence by performances and results and we are getting that at the minute. I have enjoyed the last few games, to be honest, and it is healthy. “You don’t age as quickly!” Bournemouth remains second bottom, and the Cherries’ defensive woes were quickly exposed after they took a shock 16th-minute lead through Junior Stanislas.
Greenwood started the comeback, smashing home from Fernandes’s pass before Rashford, from the penalty spot, and Martial, with a stunner into the top corner, scored.
Bournemouth was given hope when Josh King scored from the spot after Eric Bailly handled inside his own box, four minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute.
But there was no stopping Solskjaer’s men and Greenwood restored a two-goal cushion with another powerful drive, this time on his weaker right foot, before Fernandes capped another influential display with a fine free-kick.
Chelsea shrugged off a shock 3-2 midweek defeat at West Ham with a routine win at Stamford Bridge.
Recalled Olivier Giroud was recalled up front and repaid Frank Lampard with a smart finish to break the deadlock, before Willian’s penalty made it 2-0 before half-time.
Ross Barkley added a third in stoppage time to move Chelsea two points ahead of United.
Arsenal kept its hopes of European football next season alive by ending Wolves’ eightgame unbeaten run to move up to seventh.
Bukayo Saka hooked in the opener just before half-time and Alexandre Lacazette came off the bench to seal all three points four minutes from time.
Leicester has struggled to score goals of late, but was helped back to winning ways as calamitous Palace defending allowed Kelechi Iheanacho to open the scoring and Vardy to tap into an empty net. Vardy struck again in stoppage time, sprinting in behind before dinking the ball over the advancing Vicente Guaita.