PREMIER LEAGUE THE STAR
Foxes lick wounds as Cats strike
CLAUDIO RANIERI admitted LEICESTER CITY are in a relegation fight after yet more away-day misery.
The reigning champions slipped to a 2-1 defeat as David Moyes’ SUNDERLAND moved to within striking distance of the Foxes who have taken just one point on their travels.
The Black Cats leapt off the bottom of the Premier League table with an own goal from Robert Huth and typicallypredatory strike from Jermain Defoe after the break bringing them victory.
Ranieri, asked if Leicester were involved in that survival scrap, said: “I think now there are a lot of teams involved in the battle at the bottom.
“If you win twice then you are out. But we are one of those teams, I know we are.”
Alan Pardew has thanked CRYSTAL PALACE chairman Steve Parish for believing in him after the Eagles beat SOUTHAMPTON 3-0 to effectively save his job.
Pardew admits he was feeling the pressure after six Premier League defeats in a row.
But a vital victory over the Saints, including two goals from big-money signing Christian Benteke, means the Palace boss is off the hook – for now.
Pardew said: “The chairman got a little bit edgy this week as you would expect. But he’s been brilliant for me and I just wanted to say thank you to him so I gave him the thumbs-up at the end.
“We have a lot of serious investors at the club who perhaps don’t know a lot about football so the chairman has been defending me this week. It’s hard to dress up six defeats when you are the owner of a club where you have investors.”
Dele Alli was the outstanding player as TOTTENHAM won 5-0 against SWANSEA at White Hart Lane with Harry Kane scoring twice.
Alli has struggled to reproduce his stellar form of last season but he excelled yesterday with a hand in the first four goals. Now Mauricio Pochettino wants to see it on a more regular basis.
“He is young and he to be more consistent,” said the Spurs boss. And of Kane – with seven goals in six games after his injury – Pochettino said: “It is good for him to be scoring again.” MOST times when it kicks off David Luiz can claim an assist. Sneaky and cute Luiz stretches gamesmanship to the absolute limit, inviting trouble from opponents and referees alike. But as Christmas approaches he’s Chelsea’s unsung star – and the man underpinning everything Antonio Conte’s men are achieving right now. Diego Costa and Eden Hazard may grab the goal glory, the herograms and the headlines. But make no mistake, Luiz stands alongside them as the heartbeat of this Chelsea team. And at the Etihad Stadium yesterday the brilliant Brazilian was at the centre of the drama again. He ended up the victim of a truly shocking tackle by Sergio Aguero which sparked a melee that produced red cards for the Argentinian and Luiz’s compatriot Fernandinho. But he was also deemed a villain by City fans for a first- half barge on Aguero – when the game was goalless – that might have produced his own red card. Supporters howled whenever he touched the ball after that but you just know they wish they had a defender who can do just that – defend. Once again Pep Guardiola’s side showed it is their Achilles heel, and the area of their game that’s most likely to cost them the title.
Clever
Chelsea fans may have wondered how they’d cope without the imperious organisational skills of John Terry. But Luiz is proving a master at all the defensive arts – some turnaround from the star once labelled a “PlayStation” footballer by ex-Sky pundit Gary Neville. The Brazilian’s return from Paris Saint-German in a £34million deal in the summer was laughed at by some critics – but they’re not sniggering now. Not when Luiz produces such an outstanding display of defensive acumen and leadership as he did against City. His barge to knock Aguero off the ball as he tried to run in behind Chelsea’s defence and score the opener after 29 minutes was very clever and very South American. Referee Anthony Taylor reckoned it was on the very edge of legality and let play go. And Luiz’s bloody-minded defending helped provide the platform for all three of Chelsea’s breakaway goals by Costa, Willian and Hazard. But more than that