EPL Roundup | Chelsea and Spurs stay on course with comfortable wins

Chelsea, criticised following defeats to Manchester United and Crystal Palace, made sure they stayed at the top of the points table league with the win over Everton at Goodison Park. The home side stood their ground in the first half and did not allow the blue army to score. Pedro Rodriguez opened the three-goal fest with a 25 metre curler in the 66th minute. The away side doubled it in the 79th minute when captain Gary Cahill fired home after the ball was spilled by Maarten Stekelenburg from an Eden Hazard free-kick. Willian Borges da Silva scored the final goal in the 89th-minute goal from a Cesc Fabregas assist. The victory ensured a 7-point gap between Chelsea and Tottenham who were playing Arsenal later in the day

Tottenham Hotspur did not let the league title out of their sight and kept their hopes alive in the North London derby. The difference between the timing of the two goals was just 146 seconds. First to be on the scoresheet was Delle Alli, who struck a rebound shot to perfection. Harry Kane comfortably netted a 58th-minute penalty to keep his side right behind Chelsea.

Manchester City struggled to keep up with Middlesbrough who are struggling for survival. City badly needed to win to secure a Champions League berth by finishing in the top four but former City striker Alvaro Negredo it difficult for them when he put the home side ahead seven minutes before halftime with a brilliant shot from the center of the box. Sergio Aguero equalized for City through a penalty in the 69th minute which was hotly disputed by Middlesbrough. In the 77th-minute Calum Chambers shot high into the net after attempts from Negredo and Stewart Downing were kept out to once again put Boro in the lead. The Brazillian teenager Gabriel Jesus headed the equalizer in the 85th-minute to keep alive hopes of a top-4 finish.

Swansea came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Manchester United whose top-4 hopes suffered a major blow. Captain Wayne Rooney put United in front from a spot kick after Marcus Rashford was brought down by keeper Lukasz Fabianski. The relegation-prone Swansea, however, fought back with a Gylfi Sigurdsson curling equalizer in the 79th minute. Other than being held for a draw, United's defense took a major hit when Luke Shaw and Eric Bailly were taken off during the game.