This season, Chelsea’s “Special One” might well be Eden Hazard, after the Belgium international produced another superb display on Saturday, scoring a hat-trick to move Jose Mourinho’s team top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win over Newcastle United, as their main title rivals struggled.
Liverpool exposed previous leaders Arsenal’s frailties in a 5-1 drubbing at Anfield, while third-placed Manchester City was held to a goalless draw at Norwich City.
Hazard, coming off an excellent performance in Chelsea’s surprise win at Man City on Monday last week, scored twice within seven minutes in the first half before adding another from the penalty spot after the interval.
Photo: Reuters
Liverpool went on a scoring rampage at lunchtime, netting four in the first 20 minutes to end Arsenal’s eight-match unbeaten streak.
Hazard’s first goal came in the 27th minute when he slotted home a Branislav Ivanovic pass.
Chelsea struck again on the counterattack as Hazard played a beautiful one-two with Samuel Eto’o.
“It was a very poor day. We were poor defensively, offensively,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
The loss will again raise questions about Arsenal’s ability to win their first title since 2004, with the Gunners having lost 6-3 to Manchester City earlier this season.
Man City’s goal drought continued as Manuel Pellegrini’s team missed the chance to move top of the standings to stay third on 54 points, two behind Chelsea.
Man City had 68 goals from 23 league matches before losing 1-0 to Chelsea and again struggled at Carrow Road against lowly Norwich, who earned a crucial point in the relegation fight.
Aside from Man City’s Alvaro Negredo hitting the crossbar in the first half with a header, it was a quite afternoon for Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy.
The Canaries had a chance to snatch victory in stoppage-time, but Nathan Redmond’s cross failed to find Ricky van Wolfswinkel.
At Anfield, the Reds reignited their title challenge with a win that boosted their hopes of finishing in the top four and booking a Champions League berth next season.
Liverpool were irrepressible in the early stages, swarming all over Arsenal’s defenders and tearing the Gunners apart with every attack.
Martin Skrtel scored in the first minute and doubled his team’s lead nine minutes later. Raheem Sterling then made it 3-0, before Daniel Sturridge beat Wojciech Szczesny with a left-footed shot in the bottom corner. Sterling then completed a brace after halftime.
Mikel Arteta pulled one back for Arsenal from the penalty spot.
Elsewhere in the league, Crystal Palace leapfrogged West Bromwich Albion to send the Baggies into the relegation zone with a 3-1 victory, while Swansea City manager Garry Monk enjoyed a perfect start as his team beat Cardiff City 3-0 to move away from the relegation zone and Hull City moved a point above Palace after winning 2-0 at Sunderland.
Also on Saturday, West Ham United moved two points clear of relegation with a 2-0 win at Aston Villa, as Southampton drew 2-2 with Stoke City.
When Paddy Dwyer arrived in China in 1976, crowds jostled to catch a glimpse of him and his companions — the first Western soccer team to play in the country. China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and on the brink of market reforms that would take the country from economic stagnation to explosive growth. “All we could see was lines of people running beside our bus, trying to look in the windows, to see their first visual of a white person,” he said. “It was all bicycles,” he said. “There were very few cars to be seen.” Dwyer,
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
Some of Clearlake Capital Group’s largest investors are growing increasingly concerned about how much time the company’s co-founders are spending on sports investments as they have struggled to complete the fundraising for the private equity firm’s latest flagship fund. One of Clearlake’s co-founders, Behdad Eghbali, has been spending what some investors described as a disproportionate amount of time on the firm’s investment in Chelsea Football Club in recent months. Now, co-founder Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, are nearing a record US$3.9 billion deal to acquire the San Diego Padres. That personal investment by Feliciano has set off the latest
RSS