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Manchester City v Chelsea - Premier League - Etihad Stadium - 3/12/16 Chelsea's Eden Hazard scores their third goal - Reuters
Reuters: Chelsea made the most emphatic statement yet about their Premier League title credentials as they forged clear at the top of the table with a dramatic, chaotic and emotional 3-1 win at Manchester City on Saturday.
The comeback victory gave Chelsea 34 points from 14 matches, three clear of second-placed Arsenal who romped to a 5-1 victory at West Ham United thanks to Chile forward Alexis Sanchez’s 15-minute hat-trick in the second half.
Chelsea are four points clear of Liverpool, who visit Bournemouth on Sunday, and Manchester City. Tottenham Hotspur stayed fifth after a 5-0 thrashing of Swansea City featured another Harry Kane double.
The drama in the day’s big match came with Antonio Conte’s leaders coming from one down at halftime to reply through the league’s top marksman Diego Costa - he now has 11 - Willian and Eden Hazard as they claimed a remarkable eighth straight win.
The chaos emerged deep into stoppage time with City duo Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho sent off amid ugly scenes as the 22 players and the coaching staff got involved in a melee following the Argentina striker’s knee-high lunge on David Luiz.
The emotion was on view even before the game at the Etihad Stadium when the crowd immaculately observed a minute’s silence for the victims of Monday’s air crash involving Brazilian team Chapecoense, a tribute that was mirrored at matches throughout the league.
Chelsea’s Brazilian pair Willian and defender Luiz also held their black armbands aloft when the midfielder put his side 2-1 up.
“I give this victory to the people who died,” said Luiz whose former Vitoria team mate Arthur Maia was one of the victims. “It was a difficult week for us especially emotionally.”
Manchester City were left reeling after dominating for most of the first hour.
Reuters: Manchester United might have left themselves too much ground to make up in the Premier League title race as they trail leaders Chelsea by 11 points after 13 games, according to their Manager Jose Mourinho.
United have won only two of their last 10 league matches, a lack of killer instinct in front of goal leaving them sixth in the table.“In the league we have not been getting the goals our performances deserve. There is no doubt we are improving, though. We know where we want to go and our destination is to be champions,” Mourinho told British media.
“Maybe we cannot do it this year. You can never tell in football but the gap might be already too large.”
