toptop
Chelsea
maintained their seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League as Eden
Hazard scored twice in a 2-1 win over Man City on Wednesday.
A mistake by Willy Caballero allowed Hazard to open the scoring on 10 minutes
before Thibaut Coutrtois' error led to a swift equaliser for Sergio Aguero.
Chelsea went back ahead thanks to Hazard, who converted the rebound after
Caballero saved his spot-kick following Fernandinho's trip on Pedro.
Courtois denied Aguero and John Stones miscued over the crossbar in stoppage
time as City pushed for a leveller but ultimately came up short.
The victory sees Chelsea take a big step towards the Premier League title but
Tottenham's late comeback at Swansea ensures their lead at the summit remains
seven points.
Defeat for City means they miss the chance to move into third place and instead
stay four points clear of Arsenal and Manchester United in fifth and sixth
respectively.
It also means Chelsea become the first team to do the league double over Pep
Guardiola in a single season in his managerial career.
The City boss sprang two surprises as Vincent Kompany made his first appearance
since January and Fabian Delph was handed his first league start of the
campaign.
Antonio Conte made just one change from Chelsea's shock home defeat to Crystal
Palace, bringing in Kurt Zouma for Nemanja Matic, and the hosts made the perfect
start.
It came courtesy of poor goalkeeping from Caballero, who failed to react when
Hazard's low strike deflected off Kompany.
But the visitors responded well and Aguero levelled midway through the half.
A poor clearance by Courtois put Chelsea under pressure and when the goalkeeper
kept out David Silva's initial effort, Aguero was on hand to turn home.
It was a deserved equaliser for City, who also went close through Leroy Sane
before Hazard grabbed a second 10 minutes before half-time.
Fernandinho had no complaints when he tripped Pedro in the box, with Caballero's
save giving the fortunate Hazard a second chance to spare his blushes.
The second half followed a similar pattern as City enjoyed the majority of
possession but struggled to break down a stubborn Chelsea rear-guard, bolstered
by the half-time introduction of Matic.
Kompany struck the crossbar with a looping header and Fernandinho blazed over on
the volley but Chelsea looked comfortable until the final stages.
They could have wrapped up the win earlier had Hazard not squandered a golden
opportunity for his hat-trick with 15 minutes remaining.
Instead, Raheem Sterling and Nolito entered the fray and Guardiola's
reinforcements made a difference as City wasted two guilt-edged chances in added
time.
Courtois saved smartly from Aguero at the back post and Stones contrived to
slice over from the resulting corner as Stamford Bridge breathed a sigh of
relief.
They continue their quest for a second title in three years at Bournemouth on
Saturday, while Man City host Hull City.
Player ratings
Chelsea: Courtois (6), Zouma (6), Luiz (8), Cahill (8),
Azpilicueta (7), Kante (7), Fabregas (8), Alonso (7), Pedro (7), Costa (8),
Hazard (8)
Subs used: Matic (6), Willian (6), Loftus-Cheek (6)
Manchester City: Caballero (6), Clichy (6), Stones (7), Kompany
(7), Fernandinho (6), Delph (6), Sane (6), Silva (7), De Bruyne (6), Navas (6),
Aguero (7)
Subs used: Sterling (6), Nolito (6)
Man of the match: Eden Hazard
Click Here For Official Team Sheet
Teams
Chelsea Courtois, Zouma (Matic 45), Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill
(c), Kante, Alonso, Fabregas (Willian 81), Pedro, Hazard (Loftus-Cheek 90),
Costa
Subs Not Used Begovic, Terry, Ake, Batshuayi
Booked Kante
Goals Hazard 10, 35
Manchester City Caballero, Navas, Stones, Kompany (c), Clichy,
Fernandinho, Delph, De Bruyne (Sterling 79), Silva, Sane Nolito 85), Aguero
Subs Not Used Bravo, Zabaleta, Fernando, Kolarov, Toure
Booked Clichy, Delph, Kompany
Goals Aguero 26
Attendance 41,528
Referee Mike Dean