Chelsea on the way back, Canaries shock Man U

CHELSEA’S new interim manager Guus Hiddink saw his team beat Sunderland 3-1 yesterday, while Norwich City won at Manchester United to imperil their manager Louis van Gaal.

Appointed prior to kick-off in place of the sacked Jose Mourinho, Hiddink was in the stands at a discontented Stamford Bridge as Chelsea prevailed through goals from Branislav Ivanovic, Pedro Rodriguez and Oscar.

The match unfurled amid tension, as Chelsea’s fans took out their anger over Mourinho’s dismissal on their own players. There was also a bilious atmosphere at Old Trafford, where Norwich won 2-1.

It was United’s third straight defeat in all competitions, sending them out of the top four, and saw Van Gaal assailed with boos from the home supporters and chants of “Jose Mourinho, he’s taking your job!” from the away end.

United’s next home fixture is against Chelsea on December 28 and social media was quickly abuzz with speculation that Mourinho could find himself sitting in Van Gaal’s seat by then.

A world away from the managerial intrigue, Claudio Ranieri, the former Chelsea manager, saw his Leicester City side win 3-2 at Everton to guarantee that they will top the table on Christmas Day.

Tottenham Hotspur moved into fourth place by winning 2-0 at Southampton. Harry Kane, after a neat run, and Dele Alli scored within three minutes of each other late in the first half.

Riyad Mahrez scored twice from the penalty spot, with Shinji Okazaki also on target, as Leicester won 3-2 at Everton, who netted through Romelu Lukaku, scorer for the seventh league game running, and Kevin Mirallas.

Bottom of the table this time last year, Leicester provisionally moved five points above Arsenal and six clear of Manchester City, who face off at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow.

Lee Chung-Yong’s 89thminute goal saw sixth-placed Crystal Palace win 2-1 at Stoke City, while Charlie Daniels’s penalty gave Bournemouth a 2-1 victory at West Bromwich Albion, who had James McClean and Salomon Rondon sent off.

Bottom club Aston Villa drew 1-1 at fourth-bottom Newcastle United in the late game.