Premier League Roundup | Chelsea beat Manchester City to close in on fifth EPL title

Premier League Roundup | Chelsea beat Manchester City to close in on fifth EPL title

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An Eden Hazard brace was enough for Chelsea to see off Manchester City at Stamford Bridge as Conte became the first manager to do a double over Pep Guardiola in a season. Meanwhile, Arsenal's win, helped by their rivals inability to succeed this week, boosted Gunners chances of a top-4 finish.

Chelsea got off to the perfect start through Hazard who handed the London side the lead as early as the 10th-minute lead when his shot hit the back of the net after taking a deflection off City captain Vincent Kompany. City, however, responded with a goal of their own when Thibaut Courtois' poor clearance resulted in a shot by David Silva. The Spaniard's low shot was saved by the Belgian keeper, but Sergio Aguero was on hand to level things up on the night. 

But Chelsea were not to be denied as they regained the lead through Hazard from the penalty spot after Fernandinho had brought down Pedro inside the box. There was an element of luck involved as Willy Caballero saved the initial penalty but the rebound fell kindly for Hazard who didn't miss on his second attempt. This was the first time that a rival team did the double over a Pep Guardiola team in the Spaniard's managerial career.

Meanwhile, Arsenal's chances of finishing in the top-4 received a big boost after the Londoners picked up their first league win since early February.  After a slow first half, Mesut Ozil put Arsenal on the scoresheet on his 150th appearance for the club after being given the ball by Jose Fonte. The German was at it again as he setup Theo Walcott for a goal to double Arsenal's advantage.

Olivier Giroud, too, got his name on the scoresheet with a fantastic curling effort after cutting in from the right wing to place the ball past a diving Darren Randolph. City, United, and Liverpool's inability to pick up the points in the gameweek has given Arsenal fans some hope for Champions League football next season as they leapfrogged United to fifth place where they are just four points behind Manchester City.

Liverpool's troubles against teams from the lower half of the table continued as they failed to pick up maximum points against Bournemouth at Anfield. The Reds looked to be on their way to extending their lead over City after coming from a goal down to take the lead through Philippe Coutinho and Divock Origi, but a late Josh King goal ensured that points were shared. 

Tottenham proved their top-four credentials with a brilliant comeback late in the day against Swansea City. After conceding a goal as early as the 11th minute, Spurs trailed the game for another 75, before Dele Alli levelled the score with two minutes left in regulation time before Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen scored in injury time to give Spurs three points on the night.

Results

Arsenal 3 - 0 West Ham United

Hull City 4 - 2 Middlesbrough

Southampton 3 - 1 Crystal Palace

Swansea City 1 - 3 Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea 2 - 1 Manchester City

Liverpool 2 - 2 AFC Bournemouth

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