PREMIER LEAGUE

PREMIER League leaders Chelsea suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace as Tottenham trimmed the Blues’ advantage to seven points.

Spurs’ hard-earned 2-0 win at Burnley narrowed the deficit at the top thanks to Chelsea’s unexpected slip-up against in-form Palace.

A manic start at Stamford Bridge saw Sam Allardyce’s visitors recover from conceding the opener to Cesc Fabregas in the fifth minute to be in front by the 11th, Christian Benteke chipping goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after a fine move also involving Wilfried Zaha, who had already just equalised.

Palace were indebted to Wales’ Wayne Hennessey with a string of important saves, and then they lost Scott Dann to a second-half injury as he scrambled another attack clear. But they held on grimly as Chelsea’s 10-match run of home victories came to an end, despite seven minutes of added time as they tried in vain to find an equaliser.

Tottenham were rocked by firsthalf injuries to Victor Wanyama and Harry Winks at Turf Moor, the latter taken to hospital for emergency treatment after sliding off the pitch and damaging his ankle.

But Eric Dier’s first league goal of the season arrived on the hour, and Son Heung-min added his 15th of the campaign 13 minutes from time as Burnley suffered a rare home defeat.

Manchester United were unable to make any significant ground up from fifth place as they were held to a stalemate at home to determined West Brom.

Andy Carroll’s 50th Premier League goal put West Ham in front, but it failed to halt relegation-threatened Hull’s recent resurgence.

Carroll was on target in the 18th minute at the KCOM Stadium only for the hosts to hit back first through Andy Robertson (53) and then Andrea Ranocchia (85) to earn three more precious points and go level on 27 with Swansea.

Leicester, meanwhile, were indebted to Wilfried Ndidi’s first Premier League goal - an outstanding long-range strike in the 25th minute - as the champions won 2-0 at home to Stoke, extending new manager Craig Shakespeare’s 100 per cent record to four matches.

Jamie Vardy volleyed in the second for the Foxes, and his fifth in six matches, early in the second half.

There was no respite for bottom-of-the-table Sunderland at Watford, where Miguel Britos supplied the winning goal with a header just before the hour as the hosts prevailed 1-0.

David Moyes’ strugglers therefore remain two points adrift of north-east neighbours Middlesbrough.

In the late game, a missed penalty from Harry Arter cost Bournemouth victory in the south coast derby as they drew 0-0 at Southampton. Arter struck well over the crossbar when he could have secured all three points.