United way off the pace as Morata’s glorious header wins it for Chelsea

r ge rd d e t. d r o t x s y t d e g ” e f s e n e . h g d e

SCOTT SINCLAIR Scotland full-back he drove at the byeline before dinking a perfectly weighted cross for Dembele to wrap it up.

Three minutes later Saints centre-back Steven Anderson stuck out a leg to try to cut out a Dembele cross but sent it past his own keeper, and in the 88th minute substitute Olivier Ntcham rounded things off, driving home a low drive to conclude another delightful passing move and allow them to mark the occasion in style.

“We haven’t thought about [breaking the record] too much although I’m sure in the weeks to come we will realise it and evaluate the situation,” added Sinclair. “Right now, I don’t 2 Celtic players celebrate with the travelling fans after notching up their 63rd consecutive domestic game without defeat, breaking the club’s own 100-year-old record. think we really understand what we have achieved.

“I haven’t been looking back at the team from the past, it’s only really what people have been telling me. For us, it has been about not thinking too much about it and just focusing on the goals we have set, which is to keep winning.

“We want to raise the bar, keep winning and make sure it doesn’t stop now. You saw against Bayern that everyone gave it one hundred per cent but then we went to St Johnstone and gave it the same amount of effort because the confidence and mentality is there to make sure our standards don’t drop.

“It is a collective thing, I have never been at a better, wellgelled team where everyone is so together on and off the pitch.

“Winning mentality is the biggest thing, every game we go into we want to win and if we can break more records along the way then great. We don’t want to stop now, sit back and say ‘well we beat the record’. We have to keep working hard.

“The manager never lets us drop our standards, no matter whether it’s training or whoever we are playing against. He always wants us to give 100 per cent and to do the right things.” Another miserable away day in the top-six for Manchester United. No parking of the bus this time. They were simply not good enough, which is perhapsevenmoredamning.

Yes they gave it the lash late on, United’s go-to firefighter Marouane Fellaini forcing Thibaut Courtois into a save, no less. Only his second of the match. It shouldn’t have mattered. Chelsea might have beenlonggonebythen,david De Gea once again giving the goals-against column a more decent look than United’s performance deserved.

There was zip De Gea could have done to keep out Alvaro Morata’s stonking header early in the second half, which is more than can be said for the United centre-backs, all three of whom contrived to be nowhere near the Chelsea marksman, who smeared the ball in hair gel such was the force with which he met Cesar Azpilicueta’s excellent cross.

By increments the Premier League table is shaking out, the teams finding their level. For now United remain

MANCHESTER CITY

ARSENAL

Lacazette 65

3

De Bruyne 19,Aguero pen 50, Gabriel Jesus 74

1

Arsene Wenger claimed Raheem Sterling “dives well” after Manchester City benefited from a controversial penalty decision in their 3-1 win over Arsenal.

Wenger also felt the offside flag should have been raised in the build-up to the Premier League leaders’ third goal at the Etihad. The spot-kick, awarded after Sterling was adjudged to have been bundled over by Nacho Monreal, allowed Sergio Aguero best of the rest on goal difference from Spurs but after 11 games they are closer to Burnley than the imperious Manchester City.

When Chelsea cranked the handle after the break United fell away. Henrikh Mkhitaryan symbolises the soft centre and failed vision, a talented player utterly incapable of engaging with anything like the necessary intent.

Compare United’s notional No 10 to the real thing. Eden Hazard demanded the ball and drove at the United defence all game. His shot in the first half, cutting in from the right and letting fly with his left, brought the absolute best out of De Gea.

This is the very turf where City showed what they were about, bullying Chelsea into submission. If that was the day City told us how very good they are, this was the afternoon United showed how far off they remain.

Chelsea did not have to be outstanding to win, just better. And this was a team supposedly in crisis after defeat by Roma in the Champions League. The return of N’golo Kante stiffened the Chelsea proposition no end, allowing Cesc Fabregas and Haz- to put City 2-0 ahead early in the second half.

Alexandre Lacazette reduced the deficit but David Silva played in Gabriel Jesus – after both players were ruled onside – to settle the game.

“I believe it was no penalty,” Arsenal manager Wenger said. “It was a provoked penalty by Sterling. We know that he dives well – he does that very well. And the third goal was offside. I am very upset because at 2-1 we were in the game and looked like we could score. The third goal was the killer.

“It is unfortunate that the game finished the way it finished. I am disappointed. You can accept it if City win in a normal way, they are a good side, but the way it happened is unacceptable.”

Opposite number Pep Guardiola rebuffed Wenger’s complaints by referring to Arsenal’s contentious win at Burnley last season. “We ard freedom to roam. Hazard fired straight at De Gea and Morata fell over his own feet when it was easier to score. Had they, it would not have flattered Chelsea. Mourinho, with some justification, singled out Fellaini for special praise, though he was way off with his estimation that a point would have been just.

Though in the last half hour United had Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku on the field, the truth is, without Paul Pogba, their midfield is a finesse free zone.

Only the excellent Nemanja Matic is of the required standard. Ander Herrera was unable to assist in any meaningful way, despite running about a lot and conveying a sense of being busy.

United’s best moment came on15minuteswhiletheteams were still playing chess. Courtois was equal to it, diving to his right to beat away a powerful Lukaku strike.

Mourinho admitted to concern at the gap to City but hoped the concentration of games after the international break might help. “We are worried about the gap but there are 18 teams more worried than us,” he said.

“Eight points is not same as in La Liga or the Bundesliga. In the Premier League there is still a lot to play for. I hope, I think that in the busy period in late November, December and January we are going to be at maximum strength with Pogba, Ibra, Rojo back so we can be in a fight.”

“Ihaveneverbeenata better,well-gelledteam whereeveryoneisso togetheronandoffthe pitch.everygamewego intowewanttowinand ifwebreakmorerecords alongthewaythengreat”

won in the best way and we deserved [it] by far,” Guardiola said. “The chances we created and the few chances we conceded.

“They tell me it was offside and I don’t like to win in that way but sometimes Arsenal win in Burnley, 0-1, 96th minute, with a hand, so sometimes it is like this.”

Despite Arsenal’s gripes, City were dominant as they extended their club recordwinning run to 15 games. They opened the scoring through Kevin De Bruyne and created numerous other openings. With 31 points from a possible 33, Guardiola’s men are title favourites.

“Can anyone stop them? It will be difficult,” Wenger conceded. “The way they have started, the way they are on a run, the quality they have. But you never know. If on top of that at home they have decisions like that, they will be unstoppable.”