Chelsea win feisty clash at Man City; Tottenham and Arsenal hit five
Chelsea made it eight consecutive wins in the Premier League as they came from behind to keep their place at the top of the table with a 3-1 victory over title rivals Manchester City, who were reduced to nine men in the dying moments at the Etihad Stadium.
An own goal from Gary Cahill in the first half had put City in the lead and on course to go top, with the defender diverting Jesus Navas’ cross from the right into the far corner, but Diego Costa found an equaliser after the break, latching onto a Cesc Fabregas pass before turning Nicolas Otamendi and firing past Claudio Bravo for his 11th Premier League goal of the season.
Chelsea found the lead on 70 minutes when substitute Willian rifled the ball into the bottom corner past a stranded Bravo, before Eden Hazard made sure of the result at the death, finding the back of the net following a Blues counterattack to send them four points clear at the summit.
Things went from bad to worse for City deep into stoppage time when Sergio Aguero was sent off for a wild lunge on David Luiz, with Fernandinho then also shown a red card for grabbing Fabregas round the neck and shoving him over an advertising board.
Alexis Sanchez scored a hat trick as Arsenal thrashed West Ham 5-1 at the London Stadium to move up to second in the Premier League table.
Sanchez hit all three goals in the second half, with Mesut Ozil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also getting on the score sheet.
West Ham managed to pull one back in the 83rd minute through substitute Andy Carroll, who was on hand to head home the rebound after Dimitri Payet’s free kick had come back off the bar.
But the Gunners climbed to within three points of leaders Chelsea, while the Hammers remain just a point above the drop zone after a sixth game without a win.
Tottenham Hotspur boosted their top-four hopes with a 5-0 victory at home to Swansea City, who remain rooted in the relegation zone.
Spurs, seeking to get their Premier League campaign back on track after just one win from their last six games, spent much of the first half on the front foot.
They got their reward on 40 minutes when former Spurs full-back Kyle Naughton was deemed to have fouled Dele Alli in the area, allowing Harry Kane to fire home from the penalty…