CESC FABREGAS SCORED the only goal as Chelsea won at Sunderland to secure a 10th successive top-flight victory and a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Antonio Conte’s side took full advantage of Arsenal’s 2-1 loss at Everton last night to secure a firm grip on pole position, Fabregas netting the decisive goal after 40 minutes against a largely toothless Sunderland, although Thibaut Courtois was called upon to make a stunning injury-time save from Patrick van Aanholt to preserve the visitors’ advantage.
Chelsea’s position contrasts starkly to that which they held exactly one year ago, when a 2-1 defeat away at Leicester City left them one point clear of the relegation zone after 16 matches and proved to be the final game in Jose Mourinho’s second stint in charge.
Sunderland were guilty of sitting deep and letting the Blues dictate terms, Fabregas finally making the breakthrough in a tepid first half when he steered a pass from Willian – making his first Premier League start since 1 October with Eden Hazard absent through injury – past Jordan Pickford.
David Moyes’ team lacked coherency in attack and, after Adnan Januzaj was denied by Courtois, only the crossbar stopped them slipping further behind to Willian’s deflected shot in the 51st minute.
Pickford kept the in-form Diego Costa at bay but Chelsea had done enough to continue their exemplary run of form, while Sunderland remain rooted to the bottom.
Pablo Zabaleta scored his first Premier League goal in more than two years to help Manchester City to a 2-0 victory over Watford.
Pep Guardiola made five changes to his team as he looked to halt a run of two straight defeats and was rewarded with a comfortable win at the Etihad Stadium.
Captain Zabaleta struck in the first half, converting Kevin De Bruyne’s cross. Raheem Sterling hit the crossbar after the break as City controlled proceedings and David Silva’s late strike sealed the win.
Watford produced a lacklustre display but will rue a late miss from Odion Ighalo, a rare opportunity that could have changed the match when the deficit was just one.
City’s first win in three keeps them in fourth place and within seven points of leaders Chelsea ahead of Sunday’s crunch clash at home to title rivals Arsenal. Watford drop down to 11th in the table and have now lost four of their last six top-flight matches.
Christian Eriksen scored twice and played a major role in another goal as Tottenham put Sunday’s defeat to Manchester United behind them by beating Hull City 3-0 at White Hart Lane.
The in-form Dane made it five goals in his last four Premier League matches, netting in each half to assuage some of the growing frustration at Spurs, whose season had started to tail off amid a Champions League exit and worsening top-flight form.
Eriksen came agonisingly close to a hat-trick, but saw his curling free-kick tipped onto the post by David Marshall before Victor Wanyama pounced to poke in the rebound.
West Ham ended a run of six Premier League matches without a win in their 1-0 triumph over Burnley to ease the pressure on manager Slaven Bilic.
The Croatian has come under significant pressure and was reportedly in danger of losing his job before the new year due to their poor form, but West Ham battled to their first league win since 22 October in spite of a rocky second-half display at the London Stadium.
West Ham dominated a one-sided first period, hitting the post twice and having claims for a clear penalty ignored, but their frustrations were put to rest before the break.
Although Mark Noble saw his spot-kick saved, he turned in the rebound to give the hosts a deserved lead at the interval.
Proceedings were far more open after half-time, however, and Burnley crafted the better opportunities, with Sam Vokes particularly prominent for the visitors.
But in the end Burnley’s profligacy coupled with West Ham’s stubborn defending saw the home side scrape victory, taking them to within a point of their visitors, who remain winless away from home in the league this term.
Salomon Rondon became only the second player in Premier League history to net a hat-trick of headers as his 13-minute haul inspired a comprehensive 3-1 victory for West Brom over Swansea City.
The striker had endured a barren run heading into Wednesday’s encounter at The Hawthorns, with just one goal in his previous nine appearances, but he returned to form in style with a stunning second-half hat-trick.
Swansea had applied themselves well in a tightly contested first half, although only a fine save from Lukasz Fabianski from Rondon’s strike kept them from going behind before the interval.
But Rondon made no mistake early in the second half, heading in three superb goals to put Tony Pulis’ side into a commanding lead, becoming the first Premier League player to net a trio of headers in one match since Duncan Ferguson did so for Everton against Bolton Wanderers in 1997.
Wayne Routledge did pull one back for Bob Bradley’s side late on, but it proved nothing more than a consolation as they slumped to another heavy defeat, while West Brom moved back into the top seven.
Ten-man Stoke City held on for a 0-0 Premier League draw against Southampton at the bet365 Stadium thanks to an outstanding defensive effort.
Mark Hughes’ side played for over an hour on Wednesday without Marko Arnautovic, who was sent off for a reckless challenge on Sofiane Boufal in the 23rd minute.
Southampton’s Shane Long could also have received a red card in a frantic first half, as he tangled with Bruno Martins Indi, but the visitors retained a numerical advantage heading into the break.
The second period was predictably one-sided, with Stoke camped inside their own box for long periods, but the hard work of goalkeeper Lee Grant and his back four kept Claude Puel’s side out.
Grant’s best stop came from a ferocious Ryan Bertrand effort, but Southampton really should have tested the hosts further as they failed to take advantage of their territorial domination.
It was a historic day for Hughes, who became the fifth individual to both play and manage 400 English top-flight games, and while he could not celebrate with three points, he will have been buoyed by a spirited display.
