Chelsea’s hard-fought win allowed them extended their lead as their rivals stumbled, with only Arsenal managing to keep up the pace with the Blues. Swansea secured back-to-back victories for the first time this season which helped them move to 18th on the table.
There was no shortage of goals scored including some class finishing, as gameweek 15 of the Premier League concluded.
#1 Chelsea extend winning streak
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High-flying Chelsea only just managed to edge past a resilient West Bromwich Albion side at Stamford Bridge. Diego Costa’s 12th league goal of the season was enough to ensure that the Blues retained their top spot. Antonio Conte’s side looked to be heading for a frustrating draw at home before Costa scored a brilliant winner in the final 15 minutes of the game.
The Baggies defended well throughout the match and arguably made just the one error, for which they were punished.
The London club now have nine wins in a row and are at the head of the pack as they head into a busy fixture period. The Blues have a relatively comfortable fixture schedule for the remainder of the month but with four games to be played in the span of the next two weeks, fatigue might start becoming an issue for Conte.
#2 Teams falter at the top
Manchester City were left dismantled when they travelled to the home of the champions, Leicester City. Pep Guardiola was without Sergio Aguero, Fernandinho and Nicolas Otamendi as the trio were suspended.
All three players have been an integral part of the success that City tasted this season and their absence was quite evident as the Foxes ran riot. Jamie Vardy broke his goal drought to net a hat-trick against an extremely poor City defence.
Andy King also grabbed a goal in a 4-2 score line, making it the first time that the Sky Blues have conceded four goals in a league game this season.
Tottenham also dropped points away at Manchester United as Jose Mourinho’s side triumphed 1-0 over them. Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored the game’s only goal as his side held out for their first win at Old Trafford in the last five games. Spurs are now 10 points below leaders Chelsea and only three ahead of the Red Devils, who are breathing down their neck.
Liverpool also missed out on the opportunity to close the gap on Chelsea after they played out a disappointing, yet entertaining, draw against West Ham United. Considering the Hammers recent form, Jurgen Klopp’s side were expected to bag three easy points at home but they were once again let down by poor goalkeeping by Loris Karius. The 2-2 draw meant that Slaven Bilic’s team have now gone six games without a win.
#3 Confident Arsenal manage to keep pace
Arsenal cruised to a comfortable 3-1 victory against over Stoke City at The Emirates. Theo Walcott, Mesut Ozil and Alex Iwobi got on the scoresheet as the Gunners overturned Charlie Adam’s opener to grab all three points.
Arsene Wenger’s side are the only team to be consistently performing this season and have managed to keep within reach of London rivals Chelsea. Wenger will be hopeful that his team can keep up their good form into the busy Christmas period, as they remain only three points short of the top.
#4 No shortage of goals
Saturday’s fixtures produced an outstanding 29 goals in the six matches that were played, averaging nearly five goals a game. Hull City’s enthralling 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace undoubtedly provided the most entertainment with both teams also battling it out at the bottom of the table.
Burnley and Watford also scored three against Bournemouth and Everton respectively.
Apart from it being a high-scoring week, we were also treated to some fantastic strikes, featuring the likes of Jeff Hendrick, Adama Diomande, Wilfried Zaha and Andy King. Sunday’s fixtures might have lacked the volume of goals scored but they certainly weren’t lacking in quality.
Costa, Mkhitaryan and Sofiane Boufal all unleashed clinical strikes in their team’s 1-0 victories.
#5 Relegation scrap getting tighter
While there was barely any movement in the top half of the table, a battle seems to be brewing in the bottom half. Swansea City grabbed a vital victory against fellow relegation strugglers Sunderland but both teams still remain in the drop zone.
Despite a recent upturn in form, David Moyes’ Sunderland had no response as they went down 3-0 to the Swans. Hull City’s draw allowed them to move out of last position on the table, while Leicester City moved four points clear of the drop zone. Burnley also went further away from the bottom three with their win. Unpredictability and inconsistency have been the main problems for the bottom teams this season as the relegation battle begins to take shape.
As we head into the busiest part of the year, we can only hope that the level of intensity and entertainment in the Premier League carries on.
Results
Watford 3-2 EvertonArsenal 3-1 Stoke CityBurnley 3-2 BournemouthHull City 3-3 Crystal PalaceSwansea City 3-0 SunderlandLeicester City 4-2 Manchester CityChelsea 1-0 West BromManchester United 1-0 TottenhamSouthampton 1-0 MiddlesbroughLiverpool 2-2 West Ham United
