Manchester City too good for cautious Chelsea side

MANCHESTER City’s relentless run towards the Premier League title continued as they opened up an 18-point lead by inflicting more damage on Chelsea’s chances of a top-four finish with a 1-0 home win yesterday.

Bernardo Silva scored the only goal of the match 35 seconds into the second half at the Etihad Stadium when he prodded home at the back post from David Silva’s low cross.

Chelsea’s fourth defeat in five league games left Antonio Conte’s reigning English title-holders five points adrift of the Champions League places.

And the Italian’s negative approach will come under scrutiny after he again opted to start without a recognised centre-forward by leaving Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud on the bench.

City now need a maximum of four wins from their last nine league games to seal the title.

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger’s problems deepened as Arsenal lost 2-1 away to Brighton yesterday -- the Gunners’ fourth successive loss in all competitions.

Arsenal’s eighth loss since the turn of the year and one that leaves them 13 points adrift of fourth place will do nothing to strengthen the position of the veteran manager, who has reigned largely unchallenged since taking over in 1996.

First-half goals from Lewis Dunk and Glenn Murray secured the win that moved Brighton seven points clear of the bottom three, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s strike immediately before the break the visitors’ only reply.

On Saturday, Liverpool moved into second place in the league as Egyptian international Mohamed Salah continued his remarkable scoring run in a 2-0 victory at home to Newcastle United.

Salah scored for the seventh match running, taking his Liverpool total for the season to 32, when he put the home side ahead after 40 minutes.

Sadio Mane’s goal in the second half ensured there was no joy for Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez, whose Liverpool team won the Champions League in 2005.

Manchester United will start next Saturday’s game at home to the Merseysiders back in second place if they win at Crystal Palace today.

Tottenham Hotspur, apparently affected early in the season by playing home games at Wembley, achieved a sixth straight win there by beating Huddersfield Town 2-0 with a double by Son Heung-min.

Defeat pushed Huddersfield right back into the relegation mix, only three points above the bottom three, after winning their two previous games.

Swansea City were the big winners at the bottom, moving above five teams to 13th, including West Ham United, whom they beat 4-1.