Chelsea respond to Spurs, Reds win
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Marcos Alonso netted a
picture-perfect freekick as Chelsea triumphed 3-1 at Bournemouth on
Saturday to restore their seven-point advantage at the top of the
Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur had cut Chelsea's lead to four
points by crushing Watford 4-0, but Antonio Conte's men responded to
take another step towards the title.
Liverpool remain third after Brazilian substitutes
Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino inspired a 2-1 comeback win at
Stoke
City, while fourth-place Manchester City beat Hull City 3-1.
Chelsea went 2-0 up inside the first 20 minutes at
Bournemouth, Diego Costa's mis-hit shot ballooning in off Adam Smith
for an own goal before Eden Hazard added a second.
Freed by N'Golo Kante's pass, the Belgian sprinted
in on goal, rounded goalkeeper Artur Boruc and slipped in his 14th goal
of the campaign.
Benik Afobe volleyed against the post for
Bournemouth before Josh King reduced the arrears in the 42nd minute with
an effort that fizzed past Thibaut Courtois via a deflection off David
Luiz.
But Alonso settled the visitors' nerves with 22
minutes to go, the Spanish wingback arcing a sumptuous free-kick over
the wall and into the top-right corner, leaving Boruc rooted to the
spot.
Earlier, South Korean forward Son Heung-Min scored
twice as Tottenham overpowered Watford at a sun-soaked White Hart
Lane, with Dele Alli and Eric Dier also on target.
"The message for us is to keep pushing, winning
games," said Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino, who also welcomed back
top scorer Harry Kane after an ankle injury.
"The team deserve full credit because the energy and the way they played was fantastic."
Alli opened the deadlock with a sublime effort in
the 33rd minute, arcing a shot into the top-right corner from 25 yards,
before his England teammate Dier battered in Spurs' second.
Son struck either side of half time a left-foot
curler followed by an adroit rightfoot volley to seal Spurs' 11th
consecutive home win in the league.
Liverpool sit five points below Spurs, having played a game more, after Firmino's stunning strike secured victory at Stoke.
Jonathan Walters's header his seventh league goal against Liverpool put Stoke ahead shortly before half time.
GURDIOLA FRUSTRATED
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made a double change
at the break, sending on Coutinho and Firmino for teenagers Trent
Alexander-Arnold and Ben Woodburn, and it proved a winning move.
Coutinho, a prematch doubt due to illness,
levelled in the 70th minute and two minutes later Georginio Wijnaldum
freed Firmino to thump in a glorious, dipping winner from 20 yards.
"Second half was really good, but we played a big gamble on a low battery bringing on Firmino and Coutinho," said Klopp.
"No team in the world wins only the very, very good games. You need to win games like this."
Manchester City trail Liverpool by two points, but
have a game in hand, after seeing off Hull at the Etihad Stadium to end a
run of four league games without victory.
City manager Pep Guardiola, who recalled goalkeeper
Claudio Bravo, saw his side take a 31st-minute lead when Ahmed
Elmohamady turned in Jesus Navas's cross for an own goal.
Sergio Aguero made it 2-0 early in the second
half, polishing off Raheem Sterling's cross after a sweeping team move,
and Fabian Delph lashed in the hosts' third.
Andrea Ranocchia replied for Hull, who remain two points above the bottom three in 17th place.
City now have a seven-point cushion in the fourth
and final Champions League qualifying spot, although fifth-place
Arsenal and sixth-place Manchester United each have two games in hand.
"It was important for us to win after many days
without a win," said Guardiola, whose side lost 21 at Chelsea in
midweek after three successive draws.
"We could have scored many more goals. It is frustrating not to get a clean sheet, but we defended poorly at setpieces."
West Ham United eased their relegation fears as
Cheikhou Kouyate's low drive secured a 1-0 home win over third-bottom
Swansea City, who trail Hull by two points.
Second-bottom Middlesbrough squandered an opportunity to claim a precious win in a 0-0 draw at home to Burnley.
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