Chelsea stay top with victory over Spurs
‘Secret payments’ for abuse victims
Chelsea consolidated their position at the top of the EPL table by inflicting a first Premier League defeat of the season on Tottenham with a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge.
First Manchester City and then Liverpool had taken over first place during yesterday’s matches.
However, it was the Blues who finished the evening one point ahead again after coming from behind to record their seventh successive win as Spurs lost in the league for the first time in 13 games.
Christian Eriksen fired Tottenham into the lead 10 minutes in with a fierce strike from the edge of the penalty area but that moment was to be Spurs’ best.
Despite plenty of possession, the visitors could not find a second and Chelsea levelled just before halftime when Pedro cut inside from the left to curl a sublime finish past Hugo Lloris into the far left corner.
Chelsea went ahead early in the second half when, on 51 minutes, Victor Moses knocked the ball home after Diego Costa had pulled it back across the face of goal following Leading football clubs made secret payments to buy the silence of young players sexually abused by coaches, The Daily Telegraph can disclose, as the growing scandal threatened to engulf the sport.
A well-placed source said a number of clubs, including at least one English Premier League team, had paid compensation to footballers but only after victims had signed confidentiality agreements so strict that along with their families and lawyers they are banned from saying publicly if the cases even existed.
The disclosure will add to concern that the national game has covered up historic sexual abuse for years.
The crisis intensified last night
a powerful run down the left.
There was a dramatic finish at the Liberty Stadium where Fernando Llorente struck twice in stoppage time as Swansea completed a remarkable 5-4 win over Crystal Palace to further increase when the Metropolitan Police, Britain’s biggest force, announced it was investigating abuse at several London clubs after receiving a number of complaints.
That followed an announcement earlier in the day by Hampshire Police that it had opened a criminal inquiry into sexual abuse at football clubs in its area. On Friday, Cheshire Police, which had already started an inquiry, said that ‘‘a growing number of disclosures’’ had been made to the force about more than one alleged offender, while Northumbria Police said it was investigating an allegation by an unnamed former Newcastle United player that he was abused in the club’s youth system.
A number of former footballers have come forward since Andy
the pressure on Eagles boss Alan Pardew.
Palace, hovering just outside the relegation zone, were in front after 19 minutes through Wilfried Zaha, before Gylfi Sigurdsson’s freekick made it 1-1 on 36 minutes.
Zaha saw his header come back Woodward took the courageous step of speaking out publicly last week about abuse he suffered at the hands of Barry Bennell, a former Crewe Alexandra coach, who was jailed three times for sex offences against boys.
A senior source familiar with the legal cases told The Daily Telegraph that a number of clubs had settled abuse claims in recent years.
Jason Dunford, a former Manchester City player, alleged yesterday that a paedophile ring was operating in professional football and was covered up as part of a conspiracy.
Paul Stewart, the former England footballer, also came forward last week to reveal he was abused by a youth coach.
off the crossbar just before halftime and the Eagles were behind on 66 minutes when Leroy Fer scored.
The Dutchman quickly grabbed a second from close range in the 68th minute as Swansea led 3-1.
However, James Tomkins set up a grandstand finale when he reduced the deficit with 15 minutes left before Zaha’s cross looped in off Swansea midfielder Jack Cork to equalise at 3-3 on 82 minutes.
Christian Benteke looked to have given the Eagles all three points when he put them 4-3 up on 84 minutes.
Llorente, though, equalised in stoppage time, before then stabbing the ball home from close range to hand new Swansea manager Bob Bradley a first win and lift his side off the bottom.
Liverpool had to work hard to secure a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Anfield.
Sunderland’s resistance was finally broken with 15 minutes left when his replacement Divock Origi cut inside from the left and curled a low drive into the far corner, then James Milner added a late second from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
In the lunchtime kickoff, Sergio Aguero scored twice as Manchester City secured a 2-1 win at Burnley.
Premier League champions Leicester snatched a 2-2 draw at home to Middlesbrough with a stoppage-time penalty from Islam Slimani, while Hull and West Brom played out a dull 1-1 draw.