Chelsea sitting pretty
CHELSEA extended their lead at the top of the English Premier League to eight points yesterday when recalled striker Diego Costa set them on their way to a 2-0 home win over struggling Hull City.
Costa scored shortly before halftime after wing back Victor Moses ran at the Hull defence and found the Spain striker in a crowded penalty area with his cross.
Costa missed last weekend’s win at Leicester City with what Chelsea officials said was a back strain. British media reported that a row with backroom staff and a possible lucrative transfer to China were the real reasons behind his absence.
Chelsea captain Gary Cahill made sure of the victory when he headed home unchallenged from a Cesc Fabregas free kick in the 82nd minute.
The win against Hull allowed Chelsea to capitalise on the failure of their closest title rivals to win at the weekend, except for Arsenal who beat Burnley 2-1 earlier yesterday. Hull remain one place above bottom-placed Sunderland.
Hull midfielder Ryan Mason was taken to hospital after a clash of heads with Cahill in the first half which halted play for almost 10 minutes. Mason left the field on a stretcher holding an oxygen mask and was taken to hospital for checks.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could face an FA charge after he was sent off and then clashed with fourth official Anthony Taylor in an astonishing finale to the Gunners’ win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Wenger, who became infuriated after the award of a 93rd minute penalty to Burnley, later apologised for his actions amid a frantic period of stoppage time.
Arsenal, reduced to 10 men following the 65th-minute sending off of Granit Xhaka, saw Andre Gray equalise from the spot kick only to be awarded a penalty of their own that Alexis Sanchez converted for a 98th-minute winner.
Wenger had reacted furiously to the first penalty, awarded after Francis Coquelin challenged Ashley Barnes in the box, leaving referee Jon Moss to send Arsenal’s manager down the tunnel where he appeared to clash with the fourth official.
Afterwards Wenger told the BBC: “I didn’t see any penalty from outside but I should have shut up and I apologise, even if I was frustrated.”
Yet Wenger denied there was any physical altercation with Taylor. “It was not physical. I just thought I could stand in the tunnel,” he said.
“Every week and every game is an unbelievable fight for everybody.”
Burnley manager Sean Dyche, in charge for the 200th time, was equally unhappy at the award of Arsenal’s decisive penalty when Ben Mee raised a foot at the advancing Laurent Koscielny.
Dyche claimed the Frenchman was offside.
“It’s a tough day for us in the end,” he said. “To lose a game in that fashion, with an offside not given, is tough, particularly when you come to tough places like this.
“We have never taken anything for granted. We know how tough this division is but you need officials to make the right decisions and that is the shame today.”
Champions Leicester City’s alarming slump continued with a 3-0 Premier League defeat at Southampton yesterday that left them just five points off the drop zone and firmly embroiled in a relegation fight. First-half goals for James WardProwse and Jay Rodriguez plus a late penalty by Dusan Tadic led the Saints to a comfortable win that came at the cost of an injury to key defender Virgil van Dyke, who hobbled off in the second half.
Ward-Prowse opened the scoring after 26 minutes following good approach play from Cedric Soares, before Rodriguez doubled the lead in the 39th after reacting quickest to a bouncing ball in the box to fire a left-foot shot past the keeper.
After the break, Wes Morgan was fortunate when his own goal was ruled out for offside but Leicester’s captain then held back Shane Long for a penalty that Tadic thumped home as Southampton ended a run of four successive defeats.