Ruthless Chelsea fight back to sink Man City
Diego Costa scored his 11th of the season on the hour to equalise, Willian notched on the counter-attack 10 minutes later and Eden Hazard sealed Chelsea’s eighth straight win in the 90th minute
LONDON: Chelsea came from behind to secure a dramatic 3-1 win at Manchester City and forge clear at the top of the Premier League as their top-of-thetable clash ended in a mass brawl and two City players were sent off on Saturday. Diego Costa, the league’s leading marksman, scored his 11th of the season on the hour to equalise, substitute Willian notched on the counterattack 10 minutes later and Eden Hazard sealed Chelsea’s eighth straight win in the 90th minute.
Gary Cahill had given City a deserved lead just before halftime, slicing the ball into his own net with a clumsy attempted clearance, and the home side had chances to wrap up the points af- Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shaharyar Khan has refused to follow in the footsteps of Pakistan Hockey Federation which announced this week that it would boycott future international events in India.. ter the break as Kevin De Bruyne missed from three metres when it seemed easier to score.
In stoppage time, with Chelsea already guaranteed a four-point lead at the top, mayhem broke out following a terrible tackle by Sergio Aguero on David Luiz.
The Argentine was shown a red card and, as players piled in, Fernandinho was also dismissed for pushing Cesc Fabregas over the advertising hoardings.
It was the first time a team had finished a game with nine men in the Premier League for eight years yet, for large parts, it had looked as if it could be the end of Chelsea’s purple patch with City largely dominating until Pep Guardiola’s men were again found out defensively.
Several times, Aguero came close, thwarted by a brilliant Cesar Azpilicueta block and heading DECEMBER ER 4 4, , 2 20160 1 6 wide from De Bruyne’s pinpoint cross. Yet City’s goal was a soft one with Cahill displaying technical deficiency, trying to clear Jesus Navas’s cross with his right foot when he needed to use his left.
City piled on the pressure after the break with De Bruyne forcing a fine save from Courtois and more comedy defending almost gifting a goal for Aguero before De Bruyne’s open-goal miss from Navas’s cross.
It was a costly error as Fabregas found Costa with a lovely, long ball which he controlled on his chest before outsmuscling Nicolas Otamendi and firing the equaliser.
Costa then put Willian clean through, the Brazilian firing across Claudio Bravo into the corner before he marked his goal with an emotional raising of his black armband to honour those who died in the Chapecoense air crash.
After Hazard had latched on to a long ball from Marcos Alonso to sprint clear of Aleksandar Kolarov and net the third, City’s frustration got the better of them as Aguero’s wild knee-high lunge on Luiz resulted in furious scenes with all 22 players and staff being involved in a melee.
Stoke move up
Earlier, Stoke City’s early-season problems were firmly consigned to history as they raced into the top half of the with two cracking goals earning them a 2-0 win over poor travellers Burnley. Jon Walters put the hosts ahead with a fine 20th minute goal, steering his volley into the net from Xherdan Shaqiri’s pinpoint cross.
Fifteen minutes later Stoke celebrated an equally good finish from Marc Muniesa who delivered his first Premier League goal, making the best of excellent approach work from Marko Arnautovic with another volley.
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew was relieved to see his side end their six-match losing streak and clamber clear of the relegation zone with a 3-0 victory over Southampton at Selhurst Park.
West Bromwich Albion climbed to the heady heights of sixth, above Manchester United, as they repelled a Watford fightback to claim a third victory in four games in a 3-1 verdict.
A trademark West Brom setpiece goal saw West Brom take a 16th minute lead through Jonny Evans. Brunt doubled the lead in the 33rd minute. Christian Kabasele pulled a goal back. Watford’s revival was stopped in its tracks six minutes from time.