Manchester City&#39;s relentless assault on English football&#39;s record books continued on Wednesday as a Raheem Sterling goal earned them a 1-0 win at Newcastle United to extend their extraordinary record of successive Premier League wins to 18.

Sterling&#39;s fine 31st-minute finish saw Guardiola&#39;s men improve their unbeaten league sequence this season to 20 games and stretch their yawning gap at the top of the league to 15 points on a night where they dominated but were very wasteful.

Rafa Benitez started with the most negative approach St James&#39; Park can ever have seen from a Newcastle side, allowing City to monopolise proceedings before Sterling finally broke their resistance with his 13th league goal of the season.

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City hit the woodwork three times in total -- twice from Sergio Aguero and once from Kevin De Bruyne -- and they nearly paid for their profligacy in front of goal when, in rare Newcastle attacks, Rolando Aarons had a first-half chip cleared off the line and Dwight Gayle headed wide late on.

Despite a slightly sloppy second-half performance, it would have been a travesty if Newcastle, just a point above the relegation zone after their fifth straight home defeat, had been rewarded for an ultra-cautious approach.

City moved on to 58 points out of a possible 60, with their Manchester United neighbours on 43 points and Chelsea on 42.

&quot;We did absolutely everything but it is difficult to play when the other team doesn&#39;t want to play,&quot; Guardiola told BBC Sport in what sounded a harsh but fair assessment of Newcastle&#39;s early passivity.

&quot;Any manager can decide what he wants. I prefer to try to play but I respect a lot what opponents do and we have to try to discover how to attack against them.&quot;

Such is City&#39;s aura now that Newcastle, almost as if Benitez was resigned to their fate from the start, invariably put 10 men behind the ball in the opening half an hour as the visitors sought an opening.

Argentine Aguero volleyed against the post after seven minutes and De Bruyne let Newcastle off with some slack finishing before the South American again struck the post on the half-hour with a right foot shot.

City even made light of the early departure of captain Vincent Kompany, who suffered yet another of his injury woes and had to limp off after 10 minutes.

Refusing to compromise their attacking approach, they simply pushed midfielder Fernandinho back into central defence and brought on striker Gabriel Jesus.

With Newcastle offering nothing, it felt just a matter of time before De Bruyne picked out Sterling brilliantly with a floated through ball which saw the England international ghost in and squeeze it left-footed past Rob Elliot from a narrow angle.

Forced to offer a response, Newcastle responded almost immediately when a fine Aarons&#39; chip brought an excellent headed goalline clearance from Nicolas Otamendi under his own bar but it was just a brief respite as City equalled the English top-flight record of 11 consecutive away league victories.

De Bruyne, with a strange mixture of commanding orchestration and wayward finishing, struck the post with one searing shot but City did appear to become a little complacent as substitute Gayle came close with an 89th minute header that went just wide.

Now, Guardiola is just one win away from equalling the record of 19 league victories in a row that he set with Bayern Munich in 2013-14, the longest winning streak achieved in any of Europe&#39;s top five leagues. 
&nbsp;

A Raheem Sterling goal earned the league leaders a 1-0 win at Newcastle United

Manchester City's relentless assault on English football's record books continued on Wednesday as a Raheem Sterling goal earned them a 1-0 win at Newcastle United to extend their extraordinary record of successive Premier League wins to 18. Sterling's fine 31st-minute finish saw Guardiola's men improve their unbeaten league sequence this season to 20 games and stretch their yawning gap at the top of the league to 15 points on a night where they dominated but were very wasteful. Rafa Benitez started with the most negative approach St James' Park can ever have seen from a Newcastle side, allowing City to monopolise proceedings before Sterling finally broke their resistance with his 13th league goal of the season. Rafa Benitez started with the most negative approach St James' Park can ever have seen from a Newcastle side, allowing City to monopolise proceedings before Sterling finally broke their resistance with his 13th league goal of the season × City hit the woodwork three times in total -- twice from Sergio Aguero and once from Kevin De Bruyne -- and they nearly paid for their profligacy in front of goal when, in rare Newcastle attacks, Rolando Aarons had a first-half chip cleared off the line and Dwight Gayle headed wide late on. Despite a slightly sloppy second-half performance, it would have been a travesty if Newcastle, just a point above the relegation zone after their fifth straight home defeat, had been rewarded for an ultra-cautious approach. City moved on to 58 points out of a possible 60, with their Manchester United neighbours on 43 points and Chelsea on 42. "We did absolutely everything but it is difficult to play when the other team doesn't want to play," Guardiola told BBC Sport in what sounded a harsh but fair assessment of Newcastle's early passivity. "Any manager can decide what he wants. I prefer to try to play but I respect a lot what opponents do and we have to try to discover how to attack against them." Such is City's aura now that Newcastle, almost as if Benitez was resigned to their fate from the start, invariably put 10 men behind the ball in the opening half an hour as the visitors sought an opening. Argentine Aguero volleyed against the post after seven minutes and De Bruyne let Newcastle off with some slack finishing before the South American again struck the post on the half-hour with a right foot shot. City even made light of the early departure of captain Vincent Kompany, who suffered yet another of his injury woes and had to limp off after 10 minutes. Refusing to compromise their attacking approach, they simply pushed midfielder Fernandinho back into central defence and brought on striker Gabriel Jesus. With Newcastle offering nothing, it felt just a matter of time before De Bruyne picked out Sterling brilliantly with a floated through ball which saw the England international ghost in and squeeze it left-footed past Rob Elliot from a narrow angle. Forced to offer a response, Newcastle responded almost immediately when a fine Aarons' chip brought an excellent headed goalline clearance from Nicolas Otamendi under his own bar but it was just a brief respite as City equalled the English top-flight record of 11 consecutive away league victories. De Bruyne, with a strange mixture of commanding orchestration and wayward finishing, struck the post with one searing shot but City did appear to become a little complacent as substitute Gayle came close with an 89th minute header that went just wide. Now, Guardiola is just one win away from equalling the record of 19 league victories in a row that he set with Bayern Munich in 2013-14, the longest winning streak achieved in any of Europe's top five leagues.

EPL: Man City march to 18th straight win

Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool to stay motivated to reach their target of a place in next season&#39;s Champions League by the end of the season.

Klopp has acknowledged ahead of Liverpool&#39;s clash with bottom side Swansea at Anfield on Tuesday that a Premier League title challenge is beyond them given they trail leaders Manchester City by 20 points.

But the German believes there is still plenty for the fourth-placed Reds to play for and they should not get complacent just because City are so far ahead.

&quot;We have to qualify for the Champions League. We have to finish as high as possible,&quot; Klopp said.

&quot;It looks like we could be second, third or fourth this year, that&#39;s a fantastic situation. Not the dream but a fantastic situation.&nbsp;

&quot;That&#39;s what we are working on and for this we have to improve in all departments.

&quot;This year, I don&#39;t think that anyone apart from Manchester City and maybe Manchester United are thinking too much about how they can win the league.

&quot;In a very difficult league, performance-wise we are really consistent so far. If we stay consistent and avoid our mistakes, mistakes like in the 3-3 draw with Arsenal, we will win much more games than we lose or draw.

&quot;As it was and so it will be against Swansea, we have to perform first of all and then we have to see how the other team can react.&quot;

Even though Swansea are at the foot of the table, Klopp does not want his players to assume the result will be a foregone conclusion.

&quot;They are under pressure and that&#39;s clear because they fight for the league, 100 per cent, and that will not change before Boxing Day,&quot; Klopp added.

&quot;But we will be ready and we will perform, if possible, like against Arsenal but avoid the mistakes we made.&nbsp;

&quot;I don&#39;t really remember the game from last year, to be honest. I remember that we lost it. But that&#39;s not the plan!&quot;

Step by step 
Klopp confirmed Liverpool will be without captain Jordan Henderson after he limped out of their 3-3 draw with Arsenal last Friday.

Defender Joel Matip could be fit enough to feature after he recently returning to training following a muscle injury while striker Daniel Sturridge has recovered from illness.

Alberto Moreno (ankle) and Nathanial Clyne (back) remain on the sidelines.

Swansea caretaker manager Leon Britton will take charge of his second game following the sacking of Paul Clement last week.

Britton is a modern-day Swansea great with more than 500 appearances to his name, and guided the club to a 1-1 draw in his first match against Crystal Palace.

A match against free-scoring Liverpool at Anfield, however, will present a somewhat more difficult prospect for the South Wales club.

Swansea striker Jordan Ayew admits the draw against Palace, in which he scored, has helped them take at least some confidence into the trip to Merseyside.

&quot;We all have a job to do. I think we responded well,&quot; Ayew said. &quot;We will take it day by day and see what happens in the future.

&quot;We will do our best to get something out of the game against Liverpool. We will build step by step and things will get better. It is important for us to get a good result.&quot;

Swansea will give a fitness test to striker Wilfried Bony (hamstring) and midfielder Leroy Fer (back), who both missed the game against Palace.

Liverpool are currently fourth in the league

Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool to stay motivated to reach their target of a place in next season's Champions League by the end of the season. Klopp has acknowledged ahead of Liverpool's clash with bottom side Swansea at Anfield on Tuesday that a Premier League title challenge is beyond them given they trail leaders Manchester City by 20 points. But the German believes there is still plenty for the fourth-placed Reds to play for and they should not get complacent just because City are so far ahead. "We have to qualify for the Champions League. We have to finish as high as possible," Klopp said. "It looks like we could be second, third or fourth this year, that's a fantastic situation. Not the dream but a fantastic situation. "That's what we are working on and for this we have to improve in all departments. "This year, I don't think that anyone apart from Manchester City and maybe Manchester United are thinking too much about how they can win the league. "In a very difficult league, performance-wise we are really consistent so far. If we stay consistent and avoid our mistakes, mistakes like in the 3-3 draw with Arsenal, we will win much more games than we lose or draw. "As it was and so it will be against Swansea, we have to perform first of all and then we have to see how the other team can react." Even though Swansea are at the foot of the table, Klopp does not want his players to assume the result will be a foregone conclusion. "They are under pressure and that's clear because they fight for the league, 100 per cent, and that will not change before Boxing Day," Klopp added. "But we will be ready and we will perform, if possible, like against Arsenal but avoid the mistakes we made. "I don't really remember the game from last year, to be honest. I remember that we lost it. But that's not the plan!" Step by step Klopp confirmed Liverpool will be without captain Jordan Henderson after he limped out of their 3-3 draw with Arsenal last Friday. Defender Joel Matip could be fit enough to feature after he recently returning to training following a muscle injury while striker Daniel Sturridge has recovered from illness. Alberto Moreno (ankle) and Nathanial Clyne (back) remain on the sidelines. Swansea caretaker manager Leon Britton will take charge of his second game following the sacking of Paul Clement last week. Britton is a modern-day Swansea great with more than 500 appearances to his name, and guided the club to a 1-1 draw in his first match against Crystal Palace. A match against free-scoring Liverpool at Anfield, however, will present a somewhat more difficult prospect for the South Wales club. Swansea striker Jordan Ayew admits the draw against Palace, in which he scored, has helped them take at least some confidence into the trip to Merseyside. "We all have a job to do. I think we responded well," Ayew said. "We will take it day by day and see what happens in the future. "We will do our best to get something out of the game against Liverpool. We will build step by step and things will get better. It is important for us to get a good result." Swansea will give a fitness test to striker Wilfried Bony (hamstring) and midfielder Leroy Fer (back), who both missed the game against Palace.

Klopp: Premier League title beyond us, play for Champions League place

Jose Mourinho slammed his Manchester United stars after they conceded a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw against 10-man Leicester that left them 13 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.&nbsp;United was already trailing in City&#39;s wake, but Harry Maguire&#39;s 94th-minute leveler at the King Power Stadium on Saturday was another hammer blow to their title hopes just hours after their rivals had beaten Bournemouth.

Mourinho&#39;s side had missed several superb chances to move 3-1 ahead and effectively kill off Leicester and the United boss was furious with his players&#39; finishing and the sloppy way they allowed Maguire to equalise.&nbsp;&quot;It is as bad as a defeat&quot;, said Mourinho. &quot;Sometimes you take a point and you say &#39;OK&#39; and you accept it as it was hard to get a positive result.&nbsp;

&quot;That is not the case. It is a game to win easily. It is a big frustration as they are easy goals to score and easy goals to kill the game but not just the goals we missed, also some easy way out to counter-attack where we lost the ball quite easily.&nbsp;&quot;On top of that, in the last couple of minutes, we allow the opposition to throw a few balls into the box, with Christian Fuchs&#39; hands and crosses.

&quot;We couldn&#39;t defend the last cross so I think we were punished by our mistakes in both penalty areas.&nbsp;&quot;There was a lack of maturity. I cannot stop the game and give a team talk&quot;, said Mourinho.&nbsp;

&quot;For the last two minutes, the players had to immediately adapt, to read the game, which they didn&#39;t so we had childish decisions in front of goal and bad decisions as it was not just about the goals we missed, or dribbling or hitting the post. &quot;It was not just about missing chances with an open goal, it was also about decisions. Easy decisions to make in easy transitions to counter-attack&quot;.

Childish decisions

Mourinho admitted he does not know whether all of his players will develop the maturity he needs.&nbsp;&quot;Some players they have childish decisions and time helps them to have the maturity and to decide better but some other players stay with childish decisions until the end of their career&quot;, he said.

&quot;You know it depends on what is inside and the way they learn or they don&#39;t learn&quot;.&nbsp;Leicester fought back despite having substitute Daniel Amartey sent off for two yellow cards in the space of five minutes.&nbsp;Foxes manager Claude Puel said: &quot;He took the second yellow card with naivety. Perhaps the first yellow card was a little harsh, but the second he needed to manage better.&nbsp;

&quot;He&#39;s a young player, he came into the game when there was a little pressure, there was intensity, rhythm, it was a difficult to come into the game.&nbsp;&quot;It was a good game for us against a great team. We started well. It was a fantastic first goal after regaining the possession&quot;, said Puel.

&quot;In the second half, we started well also, with quality. We made some fantastic opportunities to score, just after this, we conceded the free-kick. And just after it was a little harsh with the sending off of Amartey.&nbsp;&quot;It was a difficult scenario. We saw a fantastic spirit, the character of my players. They believed until the end&quot;.

'It is as bad as a defeat,' said Mourinho

Jose Mourinho slammed his Manchester United stars after they conceded a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw against 10-man Leicester that left them 13 points adrift of leaders Manchester City. United was already trailing in City's wake, but Harry Maguire's 94th-minute leveler at the King Power Stadium on Saturday was another hammer blow to their title hopes just hours after their rivals had beaten Bournemouth. Mourinho's side had missed several superb chances to move 3-1 ahead and effectively kill off Leicester and the United boss was furious with his players' finishing and the sloppy way they allowed Maguire to equalise. "It is as bad as a defeat", said Mourinho. "Sometimes you take a point and you say 'OK' and you accept it as it was hard to get a positive result. "That is not the case. It is a game to win easily. It is a big frustration as they are easy goals to score and easy goals to kill the game but not just the goals we missed, also some easy way out to counter-attack where we lost the ball quite easily. "On top of that, in the last couple of minutes, we allow the opposition to throw a few balls into the box, with Christian Fuchs' hands and crosses. "We couldn't defend the last cross so I think we were punished by our mistakes in both penalty areas. "There was a lack of maturity. I cannot stop the game and give a team talk", said Mourinho. "For the last two minutes, the players had to immediately adapt, to read the game, which they didn't so we had childish decisions in front of goal and bad decisions as it was not just about the goals we missed, or dribbling or hitting the post. "It was not just about missing chances with an open goal, it was also about decisions. Easy decisions to make in easy transitions to counter-attack". Childish decisions Mourinho admitted he does not know whether all of his players will develop the maturity he needs. "Some players they have childish decisions and time helps them to have the maturity and to decide better but some other players stay with childish decisions until the end of their career", he said. "You know it depends on what is inside and the way they learn or they don't learn". Leicester fought back despite having substitute Daniel Amartey sent off for two yellow cards in the space of five minutes. Foxes manager Claude Puel said: "He took the second yellow card with naivety. Perhaps the first yellow card was a little harsh, but the second he needed to manage better. "He's a young player, he came into the game when there was a little pressure, there was intensity, rhythm, it was a difficult to come into the game. "It was a good game for us against a great team. We started well. It was a fantastic first goal after regaining the possession", said Puel. "In the second half, we started well also, with quality. We made some fantastic opportunities to score, just after this, we conceded the free-kick. And just after it was a little harsh with the sending off of Amartey. "It was a difficult scenario. We saw a fantastic spirit, the character of my players. They believed until the end".

Mourinho lashes United after Leicester draw

Goals by Sergio Aguero, who scored twice, Raheem Sterling and Danilo enabled leaders Manchester City to extend their record-breaking run to 17 successive Premier League wins as they thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 on Saturday.

The run had begun with victory in added time away to the same opposition in August. This one was much more comfortable and dropped Bournemouth into the bottom three.

Aguero set Pep Guardiola&#39;s team on their way in the 27th minute. Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic lost possession with a poor clearance and Aguero met Fernandinho&#39;s pass with a diving header.

Soon after halftime leading scorer Sterling finished a fine move involving David Silva and Aguero, who then headed his second of the afternoon from a cross by substitute Bernardo Silva.

Danilo, another substitute, scored the fourth within three minutes of coming on to leave manager Guardiola satisfied at having overcome defensive opposition again.

&quot;It was so tough because they play five at the back and 10 players behind (the ball),&quot; he said.

&quot;So space was almost impossible to find and we were lucky to score the first goal. The last 20 minutes they pushed up and after that we played a really good game.

&quot;A good performance and we were ready mentally again.

&quot;Now it&#39;s a merry Christmas and thinking about (playing) Newcastle.&quot;

Manchester City thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 on Saturday

Goals by Sergio Aguero, who scored twice, Raheem Sterling and Danilo enabled leaders Manchester City to extend their record-breaking run to 17 successive Premier League wins as they thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 on Saturday. The run had begun with victory in added time away to the same opposition in August. This one was much more comfortable and dropped Bournemouth into the bottom three. Aguero set Pep Guardiola's team on their way in the 27th minute. Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic lost possession with a poor clearance and Aguero met Fernandinho's pass with a diving header. Soon after halftime leading scorer Sterling finished a fine move involving David Silva and Aguero, who then headed his second of the afternoon from a cross by substitute Bernardo Silva. Danilo, another substitute, scored the fourth within three minutes of coming on to leave manager Guardiola satisfied at having overcome defensive opposition again. "It was so tough because they play five at the back and 10 players behind (the ball)," he said. "So space was almost impossible to find and we were lucky to score the first goal. The last 20 minutes they pushed up and after that we played a really good game. "A good performance and we were ready mentally again. "Now it's a merry Christmas and thinking about (playing) Newcastle."

EPL: City make it 17 in a row

Pep Guardiola said Kevin De Bruyne incarnated Manchester City&#39;s future after the Belgian&#39;s sublime display inspired his side to an emphatic 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

De Bruyne smashed in City&#39;s second goal on Saturday and had a hand in their third, scored by Raheem Sterling, who went on to complete a brace as City registered a record-extending 16th successive Premier League win.

De Bruyne&#39;s hurtful passing repeatedly tore holes in the Spurs defence and Guardiola said that ability on the ball, allied to his exemplary work-rate, made him a figurehead for the club&#39;s young players.

&quot;Kevin is one of the most talented players and you see how he runs without the ball,&quot; said the City manager.

&quot;You cannot imagine how good he plays with the ball, but he runs like a player in the Conference (semi-professional) league.

&quot;It&#39;s a good example for the young players, for our academy, for Phil Foden, for Brahim (Diaz). They know how good Kevin De Bruyne is. And when they see how he runs and he fights without the ball, that is the best example.

&quot;He helps us to be a better club, a better institution for the future. Because that is what we want to do. His performance today, I have no words.&quot;

The one-sided win at a misty Etihad Stadium gave City a provisional 14-point lead at the top of the table, ahead of second-place Manchester United&#39;s trip to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

Guardiola has matched his best winning run in&nbsp;Barcelona from their all-conquering 2010-11 season and stands three wins short of his own record for Europe&#39;s five major leagues, which he set at Bayern Munich in 2013-14.

&quot;Of course I&#39;m proud,&quot; said Guardiola.

&quot;I don&#39;t want to be humble right now. I&#39;m proud of my staff to achieve that with three teams, every day being there. We work a lot and the players know that.

&quot;And of course that&#39;s happened because I was with three amazing clubs: Barcelona, Bayern Munich and this one. All three clubs supported me, all the decisions we believe in and they provide me with outstanding players.

&quot;Without good players and the club supporting your ideas, it&#39;s impossible to achieve this kind of thing.&quot;

Ilkay Gundogan put City ahead in the 14th minute, ghosting in unmarked to head Leroy Sane&#39;s corner past Hugo Lloris.

After Spurs rallied in the second half, De Bruyne carried the game beyond them, rifling home a left-foot shot in the 70th minute and sparking the move that culminated in Sane teeing up Sterling for a tap-in. 
&nbsp;

"Kevin is one of the most talented players and you see how he runs without the ball," said the City manager.

Pep Guardiola said Kevin De Bruyne incarnated Manchester City's future after the Belgian's sublime display inspired his side to an emphatic 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. De Bruyne smashed in City's second goal on Saturday and had a hand in their third, scored by Raheem Sterling, who went on to complete a brace as City registered a record-extending 16th successive Premier League win. De Bruyne's hurtful passing repeatedly tore holes in the Spurs defence and Guardiola said that ability on the ball, allied to his exemplary work-rate, made him a figurehead for the club's young players. "Kevin is one of the most talented players and you see how he runs without the ball," said the City manager. "You cannot imagine how good he plays with the ball, but he runs like a player in the Conference (semi-professional) league. "It's a good example for the young players, for our academy, for Phil Foden, for Brahim (Diaz). They know how good Kevin De Bruyne is. And when they see how he runs and he fights without the ball, that is the best example. "He helps us to be a better club, a better institution for the future. Because that is what we want to do. His performance today, I have no words." The one-sided win at a misty Etihad Stadium gave City a provisional 14-point lead at the top of the table, ahead of second-place Manchester United's trip to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Guardiola has matched his best winning run in Barcelona from their all-conquering 2010-11 season and stands three wins short of his own record for Europe's five major leagues, which he set at Bayern Munich in 2013-14. "Of course I'm proud," said Guardiola. "I don't want to be humble right now. I'm proud of my staff to achieve that with three teams, every day being there. We work a lot and the players know that. "And of course that's happened because I was with three amazing clubs: Barcelona, Bayern Munich and this one. All three clubs supported me, all the decisions we believe in and they provide me with outstanding players. "Without good players and the club supporting your ideas, it's impossible to achieve this kind of thing." Ilkay Gundogan put City ahead in the 14th minute, ghosting in unmarked to head Leroy Sane's corner past Hugo Lloris. After Spurs rallied in the second half, De Bruyne carried the game beyond them, rifling home a left-foot shot in the 70th minute and sparking the move that culminated in Sane teeing up Sterling for a tap-in.

Football: De Bruyne is my Manchester City blueprint, says Guardiola

Premier League champions Chelsea will not underestimate Southampton on Saturday as they aim to keep up the pressure on the sides around them in the top four, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has said.

Chelsea are third in the league, 14 points adrift of leaders Manchester City and three behind second-placed Manchester United after 17 games, and Courtois says the London side must continue winning to either chase down City or at least finish second.

&quot;It`s a tough game, Southampton drew against Arsenal and it`s always difficult against them home or away,&quot; Courtois told the club`s website.

&quot;We have to be careful because these are the games we have to win if we want to stay near the top and try to close the gap on Man City. Obviously, we are far away but we want to keep on pushing and if we can`t catch them, we want to finish second.

&quot;It was very good that we showed from the start we wanted to win against Huddersfield and that`s the mentality we need in every game.&quot;

Chelsea beat promoted Huddersfield Town 3-1 on Tuesday to maintain a four-point gap above Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Burnley with seventh-placed Arsenal a further point behind.

Southampton are 11th in the standings and winless in their last four league games.

Chelsea beat promoted Huddersfield Town 3-1 on Tuesday to maintain a four-point gap

Premier League champions Chelsea will not underestimate Southampton on Saturday as they aim to keep up the pressure on the sides around them in the top four, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has said. Chelsea are third in the league, 14 points adrift of leaders Manchester City and three behind second-placed Manchester United after 17 games, and Courtois says the London side must continue winning to either chase down City or at least finish second. "It`s a tough game, Southampton drew against Arsenal and it`s always difficult against them home or away," Courtois told the club`s website. "We have to be careful because these are the games we have to win if we want to stay near the top and try to close the gap on Man City. Obviously, we are far away but we want to keep on pushing and if we can`t catch them, we want to finish second. "It was very good that we showed from the start we wanted to win against Huddersfield and that`s the mentality we need in every game." Chelsea beat promoted Huddersfield Town 3-1 on Tuesday to maintain a four-point gap above Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Burnley with seventh-placed Arsenal a further point behind. Southampton are 11th in the standings and winless in their last four league games.

Courtois says Chelsea expect tough challenge from Saints

Manchester City set a new top-flight record of 15 consecutive wins as their seemingly unstoppable march towards the Premier League title continued with a 4-0 romp at bottom club Swansea City on Wednesday.

David Silva struck twice for Pep Guardiola&#39;s side as they went past Arsenal&#39;s 14-match winning sequence, although unlike the London club&#39;s, City&#39;s streak has been in a single season.

Manchester United kept up a distant pursuit as they toiled to a 1-0 defeat of Bournemouth at Old Trafford to remain 11 points adrift in second place, Romelu Lukaku&#39;s ninth league goal of the season proving just enough.

Liverpool and Arsenal could only draw 0-0 with struggling West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United respectively, allowing Tottenham Hotspur to move into fourth spot behind Chelsea thanks top a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion as Serge Aurier scored his first goal for the club.

City have 49 points to United&#39;s 38 with champions Chelsea, who won at Huddersfield Town on Tuesday, on 35. Tottenham have 31, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference while Arsenal dropped to seventh with 30 points.

It was an enjoyable night for managers returning to former clubs as Sam Allardyce watched his Everton side win 1-0 at Newcastle United and Claude Puel&#39;s fast-improving Leicester City triumphed 4-1 at Southampton, the club who sacked him at the end of last season despite taking them to the League Cup final.

City hardly broke sweat as they turned their trip to south Wales into a training session despite making four changes to the side that won 2-1 at Manchester United on Sunday.

Silva opened the scoring from Bernardo Silva&#39;s cross and Kevin De Bruyne made it 2-0 with a free kick.

It was all over when the silky Silva played a one-two with Raheem Sterling to make it 3-0 early in the second half with his fourth goal in his last three games.

Sergio Aguero, back in the side with Gabriel Jesus rested, fired past Lukasz Fabianski to complete another masterclass from Guardiola&#39;s City slickers.

City form

While the purists are purring at City&#39;s form, you could only sympathise with Swansea boss Paul Clement who summed up what many of his peers might be feeling.

&quot;At times it was horrible to be on the sideline watching that, seeing my side trying but suffering for long periods,&quot; he said.

&quot;It was hard to watch at times because they were so dominant. One of the best sides I&#39;ve ever come across.&quot;

United looked flat after their chastening defeat against City and were indebted to Lukaku&#39;s powerful header and several good saves by David de Gea against a plucky Bournemouth.

Manager Jose Mourinho, distracted by reports of a fracas after the City defeat in which he was reported to have had milk thrown at him, admitted his side had been low on energy.

&quot;It was difficult match. They had one more day&#39;s rest than us, they were fresher than us, and mentally fresher because a big match takes more from our players,&quot; he said.

&quot;They were difficult opponents and difficult conditions. If we had scored the second it would have been a calm night.&quot;

Liverpool were left to rue a late disallowed goal for Dominic Solanke as they could find no way past West Brom, their second home draw in four days.

&quot;We can do better and we have to do better but on a night like this when you are not at your best you need a bit of luck,&quot; manager Juergen Klopp said.

Shinji Okazaki scored twice for Leicester as they racked up a fourth consecutive win, while Wayne Rooney earned Everton a 1-0 win at Newcastle United whose night ended in depressing fashion with a red card for Jonjo Shelvey.

United kept up a distant pursuit as they toiled to a 1-0 defeat of Bournemouth at Old Trafford to remain 11 points adrift in second place

Manchester City set a new top-flight record of 15 consecutive wins as their seemingly unstoppable march towards the Premier League title continued with a 4-0 romp at bottom club Swansea City on Wednesday. David Silva struck twice for Pep Guardiola's side as they went past Arsenal's 14-match winning sequence, although unlike the London club's, City's streak has been in a single season. Manchester United kept up a distant pursuit as they toiled to a 1-0 defeat of Bournemouth at Old Trafford to remain 11 points adrift in second place, Romelu Lukaku's ninth league goal of the season proving just enough. Liverpool and Arsenal could only draw 0-0 with struggling West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United respectively, allowing Tottenham Hotspur to move into fourth spot behind Chelsea thanks top a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion as Serge Aurier scored his first goal for the club. City have 49 points to United's 38 with champions Chelsea, who won at Huddersfield Town on Tuesday, on 35. Tottenham have 31, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference while Arsenal dropped to seventh with 30 points. It was an enjoyable night for managers returning to former clubs as Sam Allardyce watched his Everton side win 1-0 at Newcastle United and Claude Puel's fast-improving Leicester City triumphed 4-1 at Southampton, the club who sacked him at the end of last season despite taking them to the League Cup final. City hardly broke sweat as they turned their trip to south Wales into a training session despite making four changes to the side that won 2-1 at Manchester United on Sunday. Silva opened the scoring from Bernardo Silva's cross and Kevin De Bruyne made it 2-0 with a free kick. It was all over when the silky Silva played a one-two with Raheem Sterling to make it 3-0 early in the second half with his fourth goal in his last three games. Sergio Aguero, back in the side with Gabriel Jesus rested, fired past Lukasz Fabianski to complete another masterclass from Guardiola's City slickers. City form While the purists are purring at City's form, you could only sympathise with Swansea boss Paul Clement who summed up what many of his peers might be feeling. "At times it was horrible to be on the sideline watching that, seeing my side trying but suffering for long periods," he said. "It was hard to watch at times because they were so dominant. One of the best sides I've ever come across." United looked flat after their chastening defeat against City and were indebted to Lukaku's powerful header and several good saves by David de Gea against a plucky Bournemouth. Manager Jose Mourinho, distracted by reports of a fracas after the City defeat in which he was reported to have had milk thrown at him, admitted his side had been low on energy. "It was difficult match. They had one more day's rest than us, they were fresher than us, and mentally fresher because a big match takes more from our players," he said. "They were difficult opponents and difficult conditions. If we had scored the second it would have been a calm night." Liverpool were left to rue a late disallowed goal for Dominic Solanke as they could find no way past West Brom, their second home draw in four days. "We can do better and we have to do better but on a night like this when you are not at your best you need a bit of luck," manager Juergen Klopp said. Shinji Okazaki scored twice for Leicester as they racked up a fourth consecutive win, while Wayne Rooney earned Everton a 1-0 win at Newcastle United whose night ended in depressing fashion with a red card for Jonjo Shelvey.

Unstoppable City break record, United edge out Bournemouth

Antonio Conte says Chelsea are battling to secure their Champions League future and warned of a &quot;bad surprise&quot; after weekend results left them 14 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City.

After a fourth loss in 16 games against West Ham on Saturday, the Chelsea boss thinks a title challenge is now all but over and spoke of a revised target ahead of Tuesday&#39;s Premier League clash at Huddersfield.

&quot;I like to win,&quot; said Conte. &quot;When we lose I&#39;m not happy. In 16 games we lost four games. My experience tells (me) it&#39;s impossible to win the title.&quot;

&quot;Now we must be focused in the league to go game by game, to do our best. This league is not simple. We have to fight to find a place in the Champions League.&quot;

But securing a Champions League berth will not be easy, with six big Premier League clubs all chasing four spots.

Conte&#39;s focus is on the immediate future and not the Champions League last-16 tie with Barcelona.

He has continually bemoaned a lack of transfer activity last summer, when he watched rivals City and Manchester United strengthen their squads.

But the Italian is seeking an immediate response and is not relying on new recruits in January&#39;s winter transfer window to improve Chelsea&#39;s fortunes.

Midfielder Danny Drinkwater missed the West Ham loss through illness, while defender David Luiz is being monitored over his knee injury.

Conte is likely to make changes for the trip to Huddersfield. Midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko was substituted at half-time at the London Stadium and striker Alvaro Morata was replaced 10 minutes into the second half and both could be in need of a rest.

And Conte, who repeated his Chelsea side are rebuilding after the departures of the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard in recent seasons, says it is important the summer arrivals are given time to bed in.

Chelsea are currently third in the league, 14 points behind leaders Manchester City

Antonio Conte says Chelsea are battling to secure their Champions League future and warned of a "bad surprise" after weekend results left them 14 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City. After a fourth loss in 16 games against West Ham on Saturday, the Chelsea boss thinks a title challenge is now all but over and spoke of a revised target ahead of Tuesday's Premier League clash at Huddersfield. "I like to win," said Conte. "When we lose I'm not happy. In 16 games we lost four games. My experience tells (me) it's impossible to win the title." "Now we must be focused in the league to go game by game, to do our best. This league is not simple. We have to fight to find a place in the Champions League." But securing a Champions League berth will not be easy, with six big Premier League clubs all chasing four spots. Conte's focus is on the immediate future and not the Champions League last-16 tie with Barcelona. He has continually bemoaned a lack of transfer activity last summer, when he watched rivals City and Manchester United strengthen their squads. But the Italian is seeking an immediate response and is not relying on new recruits in January's winter transfer window to improve Chelsea's fortunes. Midfielder Danny Drinkwater missed the West Ham loss through illness, while defender David Luiz is being monitored over his knee injury. Conte is likely to make changes for the trip to Huddersfield. Midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko was substituted at half-time at the London Stadium and striker Alvaro Morata was replaced 10 minutes into the second half and both could be in need of a rest. And Conte, who repeated his Chelsea side are rebuilding after the departures of the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard in recent seasons, says it is important the summer arrivals are given time to bed in.

Chelsea battling for Champions League future: Conte

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola&#39;s commitment to possession football is well established but ahead of Sunday&#39;s derby clash with Manchester United, the former Barcelona coach revealed he had once doubted his philosophy - but only for 48 hours.

The Spaniard&#39;s zeal for passing and possession with intelligent use of space is almost ideological but he said that early in his career he had questioned if it was the right way.

Guardiola began his coaching career in 2007 with Barcelona&#39;s B team, who played in the lower divisions of the Spanish league and it was there that his commitment to &#39;total football&#39; was tested.

&quot;Yes I had doubts a little bit in the beginning,&quot; he told reporters.

&quot;I remember the first three games, I won, I draw and I lost, we played in the fourth division on artificial pitches, and they were so small. On the Monday I thought I have to change it because we cannot play (on those pitches),&quot; he said.

&quot;Arrived Tuesday and I said we have to change because the pitch is so small. But arrived Wednesday and I said &lsquo;no, I am not going to change&rsquo; because the alternative to playing the way I believe didn&rsquo;t convince me,&quot; said Guardiola.

The decision to stick by his principles paid off for the Spaniard.

&quot;It was so good because at the end of the season, we were champions and promoted and at that moment I said - if we were able to win quite good and play quite good football, if you can do that on small pitch, artificial pitch, then I can do that at a higher level with better pitches, better players,&quot; he said with a grin.

Guardiola&#39;s almost dogmatic belief in the &quot;right way&quot; of playing was questioned last season as City struggled to adjust to the former Barca and Bayern Munich coach&#39;s demands.

Early days

But with City heading into the derby unbeaten in the Premier League and with an eight-point lead over United, Guardiola was comfortable looking back on his early coaching days.

&quot;That was an important moment...I was 37 years old, never trained big players and I had to prove myself. That showed me. But at the end it depends on results.

&quot;I said many times &ndash; the manager has to do what they believe, that is the most important thing. If someone comes to me for advice or comments, always I say, do what you believe. That is the only thing that works,&quot; he said.

The Catalan said sticking to his guns was not just a wise move in terms of tactics but is an honest and authentic approach.

&quot;People who have success in many other aspects in life it is because they believe 100 percent what they do. When it doesn&rsquo;t work &ndash; of course you have to change, but always with something from inside,&quot; he said, while conceding there are multiple tactical approaches that can work in football.

&quot;Teams (have) success when the manager is convinced to do (things) 100 percent. In all the history, the 1940&rsquo;s, 50&rsquo;s, 60&rsquo;s 70&rsquo;s, (teams won) titles in many, many different ways, there is not one (pattern). That is why football is magnificent because you face teams with long balls, more defensive, more attacking, different ways and that is why it is top.&quot;

The doubt did not last very long -- only 48 hours

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola's commitment to possession football is well established but ahead of Sunday's derby clash with Manchester United, the former Barcelona coach revealed he had once doubted his philosophy - but only for 48 hours. The Spaniard's zeal for passing and possession with intelligent use of space is almost ideological but he said that early in his career he had questioned if it was the right way. Guardiola began his coaching career in 2007 with Barcelona's B team, who played in the lower divisions of the Spanish league and it was there that his commitment to 'total football' was tested. "Yes I had doubts a little bit in the beginning," he told reporters. "I remember the first three games, I won, I draw and I lost, we played in the fourth division on artificial pitches, and they were so small. On the Monday I thought I have to change it because we cannot play (on those pitches)," he said. "Arrived Tuesday and I said we have to change because the pitch is so small. But arrived Wednesday and I said ‘no, I am not going to change’ because the alternative to playing the way I believe didn’t convince me," said Guardiola. The decision to stick by his principles paid off for the Spaniard. "It was so good because at the end of the season, we were champions and promoted and at that moment I said - if we were able to win quite good and play quite good football, if you can do that on small pitch, artificial pitch, then I can do that at a higher level with better pitches, better players," he said with a grin. Guardiola's almost dogmatic belief in the "right way" of playing was questioned last season as City struggled to adjust to the former Barca and Bayern Munich coach's demands. Early days But with City heading into the derby unbeaten in the Premier League and with an eight-point lead over United, Guardiola was comfortable looking back on his early coaching days. "That was an important moment...I was 37 years old, never trained big players and I had to prove myself. That showed me. But at the end it depends on results. "I said many times – the manager has to do what they believe, that is the most important thing. If someone comes to me for advice or comments, always I say, do what you believe. That is the only thing that works," he said. The Catalan said sticking to his guns was not just a wise move in terms of tactics but is an honest and authentic approach. "People who have success in many other aspects in life it is because they believe 100 percent what they do. When it doesn’t work – of course you have to change, but always with something from inside," he said, while conceding there are multiple tactical approaches that can work in football. "Teams (have) success when the manager is convinced to do (things) 100 percent. In all the history, the 1940’s, 50’s, 60’s 70’s, (teams won) titles in many, many different ways, there is not one (pattern). That is why football is magnificent because you face teams with long balls, more defensive, more attacking, different ways and that is why it is top."

Before Manchester derby, Guardiola says he once doubted his philosophy

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday continued his tirade against suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar while questioning his meeting with the Pakistan High Commissioner.

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Sri Lanka beat India by seven wickets in the first ODI.&nbsp;

The Sri Lankans took just 20.4 overs to get to 114, trotting past the Indian total of 112.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/hyderabad-student-shot-in-chicago-26371">Indian student from Hyderabad shot in Chicago</a>

An Indian student from Hyderabad was shot in Chicago in the United States on Saturday.

The student, who is being treated in hospital, is gravely injured.

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An actress has alleged molestation by a man sitting behind her on a Delhi-Mumbai flight. The man allegedly touched her neck and her back repeatedly with his feet.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/before-manchester-derby-guardiola-says-he-once-doubted-his-philosophy-26376">Before Manchester derby, Guardiola says he once doubted his philosophy</a>

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola&#39;s commitment to possession football is well established but ahead of Sunday&#39;s derby clash with Manchester United, the former Barcelona coach revealed he had once doubted his philosophy - but only for 48 hours.

Why did Congress leaders meet in secret with Pakistanis? PM Modi in Gujarat Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday continued his tirade against suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar while questioning his meeting with the Pakistan High Commissioner. 1st ODI: Sri Lanka beat India by 7 wickets Sri Lanka beat India by seven wickets in the first ODI. The Sri Lankans took just 20.4 overs to get to 114, trotting past the Indian total of 112. Indian student from Hyderabad shot in Chicago An Indian student from Hyderabad was shot in Chicago in the United States on Saturday. The student, who is being treated in hospital, is gravely injured. Actress alleges molestation on Delhi-Mumbai flight An actress has alleged molestation by a man sitting behind her on a Delhi-Mumbai flight. The man allegedly touched her neck and her back repeatedly with his feet. Before Manchester derby, Guardiola says he once doubted his philosophy Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola's commitment to possession football is well established but ahead of Sunday's derby clash with Manchester United, the former Barcelona coach revealed he had once doubted his philosophy - but only for 48 hours.

WION evening news brief, December 10, 2017

Chelsea must beat West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday to capitalise on points dropped by rivals in Sunday&#39;s Manchester derby, defender Cesar Azpilicueta said.

Champions Chelsea, who are 11 points behind leaders Manchester City, could go level with second-placed Manchester United with a win at West Ham&#39;s London Stadium in the lunchtime kickoff.

&quot;The two (Manchester) teams can&#39;t both take three points, so every time you get an opportunity to get close, you have to take it,&quot; Azpilicueta told Sky Sports.

&quot;We have to be intelligent to look at ourselves and then we&#39;ll see how the opponents will react.&quot;

After a sloppy start to the season, Antonio Conte&#39;s Chelsea have collected six wins in last seven league games, with their only dropped points coming against Liverpool in a 1-1 draw at Anfield last month.

The festive fixture list looks a good chance for Chelsea to collect a healthy points haul as they are set to face opponents outside the top six in their next six league matches.

West Ham are second from bottom and have not won in their last eight league games.

&quot;We have to go game by game in this busy period in December - every three days you are fighting for a big three points. We have to look at ourselves,&quot; Azpilicueta added.

&quot;We will then see where we are in the final weeks of the season, where we could fight for it.&quot;

Chelsea must beat West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday to capitalise on points dropped by rivals in Sunday's Manchester derby, defender Cesar Azpilicueta said. Champions Chelsea, who are 11 points behind leaders Manchester City, could go level with second-placed Manchester United with a win at West Ham's London Stadium in the lunchtime kickoff. "The two (Manchester) teams can't both take three points, so every time you get an opportunity to get close, you have to take it," Azpilicueta told Sky Sports. "We have to be intelligent to look at ourselves and then we'll see how the opponents will react." After a sloppy start to the season, Antonio Conte's Chelsea have collected six wins in last seven league games, with their only dropped points coming against Liverpool in a 1-1 draw at Anfield last month. The festive fixture list looks a good chance for Chelsea to collect a healthy points haul as they are set to face opponents outside the top six in their next six league matches. West Ham are second from bottom and have not won in their last eight league games. "We have to go game by game in this busy period in December - every three days you are fighting for a big three points. We have to look at ourselves," Azpilicueta added. "We will then see where we are in the final weeks of the season, where we could fight for it."

EPL: Chelsea ready to exploit dropped points in Manchester derby, says Azpilicueta

Chelsea coach Antonio Conte said his side were no longer in the Premier League title race after they lost 1-0 to West Ham United on Saturday, leaving the champions 11 points adrift of runaway leaders Manchester City who play on Sunday.

Marko Arnautovic scored his first goal since he joined West Ham in July after swapping passes with Manuel Lanzini on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area and curling a low shot beyond Thibaut Courtois in the sixth minute of the London derby.

Conte brought on the attack-minded Pedro, Victor Moses and Willian as second-half substitutes but Chelsea failed to break down a West Ham defence that looks much sturdier under new manager David Moyes.

&quot;To lose four games in 16 games, it means you are not in the title race,&quot; Conte said. &quot;My experience of this is if you want to stay in the race for the title, in the first part of the season you can lose once or twice.&quot;

Particularly galling for Conte was the fact that three of the four defeats have come against clubs which would normally be considered relatively easy opposition for Chelsea -- Burnley on the opening day of the season, Crystal Palace and now West Ham.

Chelsea also lost at home to Manchester City, who visit Manchester United on Sunday.

The champions were left to rue some poor finishing against West Ham in the closing stages as Alvaro Morata blazed wide when he finally found some space and Eden Hazard wasted a chance moments later.

Chelsea struggled for much of the match to find a way through a West Ham defence that did not concede a goal for the first time since September.

West Ham manager Moyes praised his side for a &quot;completely disciplined, organised performance&quot; which had revolved around giving Chelsea little room on the ball and catching them on the break through Arnautovic and Michail Antonio.

&quot;The game plan we set up worked, everything we went about we knew how to engage, and we were very close at Manchester City as well,&quot; he said, referring to last Sunday&#39;s 2-1 defeat to the leaders.

Despite the improvement since Moyes replaced Slaven Bilic as coach in November, West Ham remains in the relegation zone.

Chelsea&#39;s Conte said his players looked tired after a mid-week draw in the Champions League with Atletico Madrid and he again hinted at his frustration that his squad of players were not strong enough to challenge for domestic and European honours this season.

The Italian reportedly disagreed with the club&#39;s top officials in the close season about signings for this campaign.

&quot;I think it is better to talk to people in the club and then give my opinion,&quot; he said when asked if he wanted to sign more players in the January transfer window.

Conte added: &quot;The last decision was with the club. I can give my opinion but the decision is of the club.&quot;

Chelsea coach Antonio Conte said his side were no longer in the Premier League title race after they lost 1-0 to West Ham United on Saturday, leaving the champions 11 points adrift of runaway leaders Manchester City who play on Sunday. Marko Arnautovic scored his first goal since he joined West Ham in July after swapping passes with Manuel Lanzini on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area and curling a low shot beyond Thibaut Courtois in the sixth minute of the London derby. Conte brought on the attack-minded Pedro, Victor Moses and Willian as second-half substitutes but Chelsea failed to break down a West Ham defence that looks much sturdier under new manager David Moyes. "To lose four games in 16 games, it means you are not in the title race," Conte said. "My experience of this is if you want to stay in the race for the title, in the first part of the season you can lose once or twice." Particularly galling for Conte was the fact that three of the four defeats have come against clubs which would normally be considered relatively easy opposition for Chelsea -- Burnley on the opening day of the season, Crystal Palace and now West Ham. Chelsea also lost at home to Manchester City, who visit Manchester United on Sunday. The champions were left to rue some poor finishing against West Ham in the closing stages as Alvaro Morata blazed wide when he finally found some space and Eden Hazard wasted a chance moments later. Chelsea struggled for much of the match to find a way through a West Ham defence that did not concede a goal for the first time since September. West Ham manager Moyes praised his side for a "completely disciplined, organised performance" which had revolved around giving Chelsea little room on the ball and catching them on the break through Arnautovic and Michail Antonio. "The game plan we set up worked, everything we went about we knew how to engage, and we were very close at Manchester City as well," he said, referring to last Sunday's 2-1 defeat to the leaders. Despite the improvement since Moyes replaced Slaven Bilic as coach in November, West Ham remains in the relegation zone. Chelsea's Conte said his players looked tired after a mid-week draw in the Champions League with Atletico Madrid and he again hinted at his frustration that his squad of players were not strong enough to challenge for domestic and European honours this season. The Italian reportedly disagreed with the club's top officials in the close season about signings for this campaign. "I think it is better to talk to people in the club and then give my opinion," he said when asked if he wanted to sign more players in the January transfer window. Conte added: "The last decision was with the club. I can give my opinion but the decision is of the club."

EPL: Conte says Chelsea no longer in title race after West Ham defeat

The 175th Manchester derby pits a United side unbeaten in 40 home games in all competitions against a City side who have not lost this season in the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola&#39;s City currently lead by eight points from United in the standings, giving the game much more significance than just local pride.

Here are five big issues that will go a long way to determining the outcome of Sunday&#39;s clash at Old Trafford:

Will Mourinho &#39;park the bus&#39; at home?&nbsp;

United manager Jose Mourinho received plenty of criticism for the negative way his team approached rivals Liverpool at Anfield in October&#39;s goalless draw.

But defending in numbers and attacking on the break is also an approach that can work well for United. Relying on the counter-attack certainly paid off handsomely in the 3-1 win at Arsenal last Saturday, even if United keeper David de Gea had to make a string of saves to keep his side in front.

United are at home, but given City&#39;s ability to dominate possession, the game may, tactically at least, be more like an away match for Mourinho&#39;s team.

City have produced more passes than any other team in the league this season while United are ranked seventh in that area and it would be no surprise if Guardiola&#39;s side enjoy most of the ball.

In recent weeks, United have switched to playing with a three-man defence which allows Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young to attack down the flanks - an attacking formation which matches that of City.

But the loss to suspension of central midfielder Paul Pogba may tempt Mourinho into a more defensive line-up in the centre of the field as he looks to counter the influence of City&#39;s key creative midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.

Who will dominate the flanks?

City are great at keeping the ball in the tight spaces in midfield and United, with Serbian enforcer Nemanja Matic expected to be fit, will look to crowd the centre of the park and give De Bruyne and David Silva little room to exploit.

But the key areas are likely to be out wide where City have the speed and skill of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling allied with the threat from their wing-backs - Kyle Walker on the right and Fabian Delph on the left.

United match-up well in that area - Valencia was brilliant going forward against Arsenal and can work up and down the right tirelessly, while Young on the left has been one of the biggest positive surprises of the campaign so far for Mourinho.

Anthony Martial, or if preferred Marcus Rashford, have a tendency to play much wider than the typical support striker and that might limit Walker&#39;s desire to push forward, lest he leave space behind for United to exploit. If Juan Mata is chosen to replace Pogba, he could offer another wide threat on the right.

Whichever wingers and wing-backs come out on top is going to have a huge impact on the outcome.

Can United stop De Bruyne?

The stats tell the story. No-one has had more touches of the ball this season in the Premier League than the Belgian. De Bruyne also shares, with team mate David Silva, the most assists with eight so far.

Brilliant with both feet and capable of running at a defence from deep and also delivering the killer pass to City&#39;s deadly strike force, De Bruyne has been fundamental to the success of Guardiola&#39;s team.

United have in Matic, however, a player who could certainly do a close-marking job but that would rob Mourinho of the Serb&#39;s overall role of marshalling the midfield and protecting the defence. It could be a job for Ander Herrera or Marouane Fellaini.

Will Lukaku deliver when it matters most?

The former Everton forward scored 11 goals in his first 10 appearances for United but has managed just two in his last 12 and while Zlatan Ibrahimovic is fit, Mourinho is unlikely to drop his main striker for the derby.

The big trouble with Romelu Lukaku is that he has struggled throughout his career when facing the top teams. He failed to score against Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool this year and since 2014/15 he has only scored five goals in 39 games against the &#39;big six&#39;.

The Belgian could put all those doubts to bed with a winner against City. But if he misses chances, Mourinho may well turn to the fit-again Swedish great on his bench.

Pep Guardiola's City currently lead by eight points from United in the standings, giving the game much more significance than just local pride.

The 175th Manchester derby pits a United side unbeaten in 40 home games in all competitions against a City side who have not lost this season in the Premier League. Pep Guardiola's City currently lead by eight points from United in the standings, giving the game much more significance than just local pride. Here are five big issues that will go a long way to determining the outcome of Sunday's clash at Old Trafford: Will Mourinho 'park the bus' at home? United manager Jose Mourinho received plenty of criticism for the negative way his team approached rivals Liverpool at Anfield in October's goalless draw. But defending in numbers and attacking on the break is also an approach that can work well for United. Relying on the counter-attack certainly paid off handsomely in the 3-1 win at Arsenal last Saturday, even if United keeper David de Gea had to make a string of saves to keep his side in front. United are at home, but given City's ability to dominate possession, the game may, tactically at least, be more like an away match for Mourinho's team. City have produced more passes than any other team in the league this season while United are ranked seventh in that area and it would be no surprise if Guardiola's side enjoy most of the ball. In recent weeks, United have switched to playing with a three-man defence which allows Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young to attack down the flanks - an attacking formation which matches that of City. But the loss to suspension of central midfielder Paul Pogba may tempt Mourinho into a more defensive line-up in the centre of the field as he looks to counter the influence of City's key creative midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. Who will dominate the flanks? City are great at keeping the ball in the tight spaces in midfield and United, with Serbian enforcer Nemanja Matic expected to be fit, will look to crowd the centre of the park and give De Bruyne and David Silva little room to exploit. But the key areas are likely to be out wide where City have the speed and skill of Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling allied with the threat from their wing-backs - Kyle Walker on the right and Fabian Delph on the left. United match-up well in that area - Valencia was brilliant going forward against Arsenal and can work up and down the right tirelessly, while Young on the left has been one of the biggest positive surprises of the campaign so far for Mourinho. Anthony Martial, or if preferred Marcus Rashford, have a tendency to play much wider than the typical support striker and that might limit Walker's desire to push forward, lest he leave space behind for United to exploit. If Juan Mata is chosen to replace Pogba, he could offer another wide threat on the right. Whichever wingers and wing-backs come out on top is going to have a huge impact on the outcome. Can United stop De Bruyne? The stats tell the story. No-one has had more touches of the ball this season in the Premier League than the Belgian. De Bruyne also shares, with team mate David Silva, the most assists with eight so far. Brilliant with both feet and capable of running at a defence from deep and also delivering the killer pass to City's deadly strike force, De Bruyne has been fundamental to the success of Guardiola's team. United have in Matic, however, a player who could certainly do a close-marking job but that would rob Mourinho of the Serb's overall role of marshalling the midfield and protecting the defence. It could be a job for Ander Herrera or Marouane Fellaini. Will Lukaku deliver when it matters most? The former Everton forward scored 11 goals in his first 10 appearances for United but has managed just two in his last 12 and while Zlatan Ibrahimovic is fit, Mourinho is unlikely to drop his main striker for the derby. The big trouble with Romelu Lukaku is that he has struggled throughout his career when facing the top teams. He failed to score against Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool this year and since 2014/15 he has only scored five goals in 39 games against the 'big six'. The Belgian could put all those doubts to bed with a winner against City. But if he misses chances, Mourinho may well turn to the fit-again Swedish great on his bench.

Football: Four big questions ahead of the Manchester derby

There have been few Manchester derbies with as much on the line as Sunday&#39;s meeting at Old Trafford of the top two teams in the Premier League -- the most anticipated clash of the campaign so far.

Pep Guardiola&#39;s City have built an eight-point lead following an unbeaten start to the season that has included 13 straight victories - equalling the record for the longest winning run in a single Premier League campaign.

Not to be completely outdone, however, Jose Mourinho&rsquo;s Manchester United have equalled a historic club record by remaining unbeaten at Old Trafford for 40 matches in all competitions.

And with former Barcelona boss Guardiola and ex-Real Madrid manager Mourinho having developed a fierce rivalry during their time together in Spain, Sunday&#39;s meeting promises to be one to savour.

The last team to beat United at home were City in September, 2016 and a repeat performance would leave the club, once derided as &quot;noisy neighbours&quot; by former United boss Alex Ferguson, 11 points clear at the summit.

City have been playing some exhilarating football this campaign with coach Guardiola&#39;s style of play, which served him so well at his previous clubs, bringing the expected rewards after a disappointing lack of consistency last season.

Yet while United have suffered two defeats on the road - to Huddersfield Town and Chelsea - they too have looked like champions at home.

The 40 games unbeaten have included 29 wins and 11 draws with 85 goals scored and just 17 conceded.

This season&#39;s Premier League record at Old Trafford is played seven, won seven - 20 goals for and just one against.

Mourinho, however, will be without his key French midfielder Paul Pogba, who starts a three-match ban following his red card in Saturday&#39;s crucial 3-1 win at Arsenal.

United have produced their best football when they have had Pogba and Serbian anchorman Nemanja Matic on the field together and the former Juventus midfielder will be sorely missed.

Given the gap between the two clubs in the table, it will be intriguing to see if Mourinho maintains his habit of playing defensively against title rivals, a tactic which has been much criticised following the goalless draw at Liverpool in October.

Pogba, however, says United will approach the game in a positive fashion.

&quot;We want to win. We need to win as well. They need to win because they know that we are behind and we are closing and closing,&quot; he said.

&quot;If I didn&#39;t believe that (we can win it), I&#39;d stop playing football now,&quot; he added.

United&#39;s Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be fit to feature at some stage in the game but defender Eric Bailly remains sidelined.

Pep Guardiola's City have built an eight-point lead following an unbeaten start to the season that has included 13 straight victories - equalling the record for the longest winning run in a single Premier League campaign.

There have been few Manchester derbies with as much on the line as Sunday's meeting at Old Trafford of the top two teams in the Premier League -- the most anticipated clash of the campaign so far. Pep Guardiola's City have built an eight-point lead following an unbeaten start to the season that has included 13 straight victories - equalling the record for the longest winning run in a single Premier League campaign. Not to be completely outdone, however, Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United have equalled a historic club record by remaining unbeaten at Old Trafford for 40 matches in all competitions. And with former Barcelona boss Guardiola and ex-Real Madrid manager Mourinho having developed a fierce rivalry during their time together in Spain, Sunday's meeting promises to be one to savour. The last team to beat United at home were City in September, 2016 and a repeat performance would leave the club, once derided as "noisy neighbours" by former United boss Alex Ferguson, 11 points clear at the summit. City have been playing some exhilarating football this campaign with coach Guardiola's style of play, which served him so well at his previous clubs, bringing the expected rewards after a disappointing lack of consistency last season. Yet while United have suffered two defeats on the road - to Huddersfield Town and Chelsea - they too have looked like champions at home. The 40 games unbeaten have included 29 wins and 11 draws with 85 goals scored and just 17 conceded. This season's Premier League record at Old Trafford is played seven, won seven - 20 goals for and just one against. Mourinho, however, will be without his key French midfielder Paul Pogba, who starts a three-match ban following his red card in Saturday's crucial 3-1 win at Arsenal. United have produced their best football when they have had Pogba and Serbian anchorman Nemanja Matic on the field together and the former Juventus midfielder will be sorely missed. Given the gap between the two clubs in the table, it will be intriguing to see if Mourinho maintains his habit of playing defensively against title rivals, a tactic which has been much criticised following the goalless draw at Liverpool in October. Pogba, however, says United will approach the game in a positive fashion. "We want to win. We need to win as well. They need to win because they know that we are behind and we are closing and closing," he said. "If I didn't believe that (we can win it), I'd stop playing football now," he added. United's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be fit to feature at some stage in the game but defender Eric Bailly remains sidelined.

Football: Stakes are high in Manchester derby

David Silva scored a late goal as runaway leaders Manchester City won their 13th successive Premier League game and restored their eight-point lead with a 2-1 victory against West Ham United on Sunday.

Silva converted Kevin de Bruyne&#39;s brilliant pass from close range in the 83rd minute as City maintained their blistering form this season.

Nicolas Otamendi had converted substitute Gabriel Jesus&#39;s cross in the 57th minute to equalise after defender Angelo Ogbonna had headed West Ham into the most unlikely lead at the end of a first half in which the hosts dominated.

In winning their 13th successive Premier League match, City equalled the record held by both Arsenal and Chelsea.

&quot;It was difficult, teams seem to come here and get every man behind the ball, not interested in anything but parking the bus,&quot; City midfielder Fabian Delph told Sky Sports.

&quot;But we have players like David Silva in the team, so we knew if we kept going we&#39;d get our chances. We knew we had to be patient, we came out flying in the second half, we tried to explain to the boys we still had time and then we started to relax a bit more and found those spaces.

&quot;We want to win the derby but we are taking it each game at a time.&quot;

After rivals United beat Arsenal 3-1 on Saturday to cut their lead to five points, City needed to win against relegation-threatened West Ham to restore their comfortable lead ahead of next weekend&#39;s trip to Old Trafford.

As expected, City dominated possession but the mass ranks of West Ham defenders frustrated their array of attacking players and disrupted the rhythm of their intricate, threaded passes.

Surprisingly, it was West Ham who came closest to opening the scoring when Michail Antonio stretched to fire a close-range volley over the top.

Not until the 26th minute did goalkeeper Adrian make his first meaningful save, pushing Silva&#39;s deflected shot over the crossbar.

Manuel Lanzini drew a save from Ederson 10 minutes later before out-of-sorts City failed to deal with a corner -- as they did in last weekend&#39;s victory at Huddersfield Town -- with Ogbonna&#39;s downward header evading Ederson.

Otamendi restored parity shortly after the break but, until Silva&#39;s late intervention, it appeared that City&#39;s search for a winner would prove fruitless.

Jesus, Leroy Sane, de Bruyne, Silva and Raheem Sterling all went close as the Hammers defended superbly in their most impressive performance under manager David Moyes.

City have not lost a game since April, and face second-place United next Sunday. West Ham, who have won only twice all season, sit 19th -- three points behind West Bromwich Albion in 17th.

Manchester City beat West Ham 2-1 on Sunday

David Silva scored a late goal as runaway leaders Manchester City won their 13th successive Premier League game and restored their eight-point lead with a 2-1 victory against West Ham United on Sunday. Silva converted Kevin de Bruyne's brilliant pass from close range in the 83rd minute as City maintained their blistering form this season. Nicolas Otamendi had converted substitute Gabriel Jesus's cross in the 57th minute to equalise after defender Angelo Ogbonna had headed West Ham into the most unlikely lead at the end of a first half in which the hosts dominated. In winning their 13th successive Premier League match, City equalled the record held by both Arsenal and Chelsea. "It was difficult, teams seem to come here and get every man behind the ball, not interested in anything but parking the bus," City midfielder Fabian Delph told Sky Sports. "But we have players like David Silva in the team, so we knew if we kept going we'd get our chances. We knew we had to be patient, we came out flying in the second half, we tried to explain to the boys we still had time and then we started to relax a bit more and found those spaces. "We want to win the derby but we are taking it each game at a time." After rivals United beat Arsenal 3-1 on Saturday to cut their lead to five points, City needed to win against relegation-threatened West Ham to restore their comfortable lead ahead of next weekend's trip to Old Trafford. As expected, City dominated possession but the mass ranks of West Ham defenders frustrated their array of attacking players and disrupted the rhythm of their intricate, threaded passes. Surprisingly, it was West Ham who came closest to opening the scoring when Michail Antonio stretched to fire a close-range volley over the top. Not until the 26th minute did goalkeeper Adrian make his first meaningful save, pushing Silva's deflected shot over the crossbar. Manuel Lanzini drew a save from Ederson 10 minutes later before out-of-sorts City failed to deal with a corner -- as they did in last weekend's victory at Huddersfield Town -- with Ogbonna's downward header evading Ederson. Otamendi restored parity shortly after the break but, until Silva's late intervention, it appeared that City's search for a winner would prove fruitless. Jesus, Leroy Sane, de Bruyne, Silva and Raheem Sterling all went close as the Hammers defended superbly in their most impressive performance under manager David Moyes. City have not lost a game since April, and face second-place United next Sunday. West Ham, who have won only twice all season, sit 19th -- three points behind West Bromwich Albion in 17th.

EPL: Late Silva goal extends City's winning run to 13 games

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<a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/epl-league-leaders-manchester-city-win-chasers-keep-chasing-25474" target="_blank">EPL: League leaders Manchester City win, chasers keep chasing</a>

With Manchester United having cut the gap with league leaders Manchester City to five points and Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool winning, any City stutter would have been cause for celebration. But Pep Guardiola&#39;s side thundered on with a club record 12th successive league victory.

US warns North Korean leadership will be 'utterly destroyed' if war breaks out The United States warned the North Korean leadership that it would be "utterly destroyed" if war were to break out, after Pyongyang test-fired its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, putting the US mainland within range. Now, Assam's Brahmaputra river also turns black: Report After reports that the colour of the water of the river Siang in Arunachal Pradesh turned black, comes a report that the water downstream of the river Brahmaputra in Assam has changed to black as well. Trump attacks British PM May after she criticises his retweeting of anti-Islam videos Donald Trump hit back publicly at British Prime Minister Theresa May after she criticised his retweeting of anti-Islam videos. Bosnian-Croat war crimes convict dies after taking 'poison' in court: Report A Bosnian Croat wartime commander died after swallowing what he said was poison in a UN war crimes courtroom on Wednesday after losing an appeal against a 20-year prison sentence, Croatian state TV said. EPL: League leaders Manchester City win, chasers keep chasing With Manchester United having cut the gap with league leaders Manchester City to five points and Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool winning, any City stutter would have been cause for celebration. But Pep Guardiola's side thundered on with a club record 12th successive league victory.

WION morning news brief, November 30, 2017

Just when the chasing pack thought the Manchester City juggernaut was suffering a misfire Raheem Sterling scored a stunning stoppage-time winner to give the Premier League leaders a 2-1 victory over Southampton on Wednesday.

With Manchester United having cut the gap to five points and Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool winning, any City stutter would have been cause for celebration. But Pep Guardiola&#39;s side thundered on with a club record 12th successive league victory.

Former Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu had cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne&#39;s opener in the 75th minute but six minutes into stoppage time Sterling, for the third match running, snatched City&#39;s winner, this time with a sublime curling shot.

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Manager Antonio Conte was sent to the stands after a verbal meltdown at Stamford Bridge as his Chelsea side laboured to a 1-0 defeat of struggling Swansea City at Stamford Bridge. Antonio Rudiger&#39;s first Premier League goal sealed victory.

&quot;I have apologised because I did the wrong thing,&quot; Conte said of his angry reaction to a fourth official when his side were denied a corner in the first half.

&quot;I have been in to see them after the game. It&#39;s right to speak and apologise with them.&quot;

Arsenal struck three goals in four second-half minutes as they thrashed Huddersfield Town 5-0 with Mesut Ozil scoring one and supplying assists for Olivier Giroud, who scored a brace, and Alexis Sanchez.

Alexandre Lacazette&#39;s early goal had separated the sides before the interval although the French striker went off with a suspected groin injury and will probably miss Saturday&#39;s home clash against Manchester United. Arsenal have won 12 consecutive home matches.

Liverpool moved into fifth place with Mohamed Salah taking his tally for the season to a chart-topping 12 thanks to a double in a 3-0 victory at Stoke City.

After 14 games City have 40 points, with United on 32, Chelsea 29, Arsenal 28 and Liverpool 26.

Heady sixth

Burnley rose to a heady sixth, ahead of a sliding Tottenham Hotspur, as Chris Wood and Robbie Brady scored in a 2-1 victory at Bournemouth - their fourth win in five league games.

&quot;Where we are in the league, everyone will be surprised by that,&quot; Burnley boss Sean Dyche said.

Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick, the third with a wonder goal from inside his own half, as Everton thrashed West Ham United 4-0 on a horrible return to Goodison Park for David Moyes whose West Ham side remained in the bottom three.

Sam Allardyce, who will be named shortly as Everton&#39;s new manager, watched on from the stands as caretaker boss David Unsworth signed off with a victory that lifted Everton to 13th.

Whatever happens below them, City are looking unstoppable and with 40 points from 14 games and a goal difference of 35 they have recorded the best start in Premier League history.

They were not at their fluent best and Southampton came closest to scoring before the break with Wesley Hoedt striking the woodwork for the visitors.

But Sterling&#39;s effort sparked wild celebrations at the Etihad as the former Liverpool player struck yet another late goal to take his tally for the season to 13.

He has now earned City nine extra points this season with his timely interventions and his latest effort was arguably his best, picking out the top corner with an unstoppable effort.

&quot;Raheem is a match-winner, I am so happy for him. He is special, it was an amazing goal. It is more than important, it is beautiful,&quot; Guardiola, whose side have dropped only two points this season, said.

City are now two wins away from matching Arsenal&#39;s record 14-match winning run in the Premier League.

City beat Southampton 2-1. This was City's 12th successive league victory

Just when the chasing pack thought the Manchester City juggernaut was suffering a misfire Raheem Sterling scored a stunning stoppage-time winner to give the Premier League leaders a 2-1 victory over Southampton on Wednesday. With Manchester United having cut the gap to five points and Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool winning, any City stutter would have been cause for celebration. But Pep Guardiola's side thundered on with a club record 12th successive league victory. Former Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu had cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne's opener in the 75th minute but six minutes into stoppage time Sterling, for the third match running, snatched City's winner, this time with a sublime curling shot. Manager Antonio Conte was sent to the stands after a verbal meltdown at Stamford Bridge as his Chelsea side laboured to a 1-0 defeat of struggling Swansea City × Manager Antonio Conte was sent to the stands after a verbal meltdown at Stamford Bridge as his Chelsea side laboured to a 1-0 defeat of struggling Swansea City at Stamford Bridge. Antonio Rudiger's first Premier League goal sealed victory. "I have apologised because I did the wrong thing," Conte said of his angry reaction to a fourth official when his side were denied a corner in the first half. "I have been in to see them after the game. It's right to speak and apologise with them." Arsenal struck three goals in four second-half minutes as they thrashed Huddersfield Town 5-0 with Mesut Ozil scoring one and supplying assists for Olivier Giroud, who scored a brace, and Alexis Sanchez. Alexandre Lacazette's early goal had separated the sides before the interval although the French striker went off with a suspected groin injury and will probably miss Saturday's home clash against Manchester United. Arsenal have won 12 consecutive home matches. Liverpool moved into fifth place with Mohamed Salah taking his tally for the season to a chart-topping 12 thanks to a double in a 3-0 victory at Stoke City. After 14 games City have 40 points, with United on 32, Chelsea 29, Arsenal 28 and Liverpool 26. Heady sixth Burnley rose to a heady sixth, ahead of a sliding Tottenham Hotspur, as Chris Wood and Robbie Brady scored in a 2-1 victory at Bournemouth - their fourth win in five league games. "Where we are in the league, everyone will be surprised by that," Burnley boss Sean Dyche said. Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick, the third with a wonder goal from inside his own half, as Everton thrashed West Ham United 4-0 on a horrible return to Goodison Park for David Moyes whose West Ham side remained in the bottom three. Sam Allardyce, who will be named shortly as Everton's new manager, watched on from the stands as caretaker boss David Unsworth signed off with a victory that lifted Everton to 13th. Whatever happens below them, City are looking unstoppable and with 40 points from 14 games and a goal difference of 35 they have recorded the best start in Premier League history. They were not at their fluent best and Southampton came closest to scoring before the break with Wesley Hoedt striking the woodwork for the visitors. But Sterling's effort sparked wild celebrations at the Etihad as the former Liverpool player struck yet another late goal to take his tally for the season to 13. He has now earned City nine extra points this season with his timely interventions and his latest effort was arguably his best, picking out the top corner with an unstoppable effort. "Raheem is a match-winner, I am so happy for him. He is special, it was an amazing goal. It is more than important, it is beautiful," Guardiola, whose side have dropped only two points this season, said. City are now two wins away from matching Arsenal's record 14-match winning run in the Premier League.

EPL: League leaders Manchester City win, chasers keep chasing

Premier League leaders Manchester City brushed aside Leicester City 2-0 for their 16th successive win in all competitions as Manchester United welcomed back long-term absentees Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a 4-1 rout of Newcastle United.

With Tottenham Hotspur losing ground after a 2-0 derby defeat at neighbours Arsenal, the league continues to look an argument between Manchester&#39;s big two who are separated by eight points.

A tap-in by Gabriel Jesus and a stunning strike from Kevin De Bruyne provided the City goals against a Leicester team who have often troubled them in the past.

The home side went close to equalising when Harry McGuire hit the post after the break, but City went straight up the other end and put the result beyond doubt with a stunning counter-attack that De Bruyne rounded off with an unstoppable 20-yard shot in the 49th minute.

The only concern for City manager Pep Guardiola was an injury to John Stones, who hobbled off before the break and may not play again this year.

&quot;We are going to miss (John Stones) for a long time, maybe six weeks off,&quot; said Guardiola after the game.

&quot;It is tough because the calendar is so demanding. We don&#39;t have many central defenders and they will suffer but we will find a solution.&quot;

The successful return of Vincent Kompany from injury will provide compensation although the Belgian was fortunate to escape with a booking for a foul on Jamie Vardy in the third minute.

United&#39;s Pogba and Ibrahimovic were also back in action at Old Trafford. The Frenchman contributed an assist and scored United&#39;s third in an impressive 70-minute appearance before Ibrahimovic made an unexpected return from the bench after seven months out with a knee injury.

&quot;It&#39;s my head that is playing; my knee just needs to follow,&quot; he said after his 15-minute cameo.

Anthony Martial, Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku scored the other goals as United hit four in the league for the seventh time this season after Dwight Gayle had given Newcastle the lead.

At Arsenal, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said he was &quot;disappointed in the performance and the way we conceded the goals&quot; after the derby defeat scuppered suggestions of a permanent shift in the north London balance of power.

Arsenal went ahead through a controversial goal from Shkodran Mustafi, which Pochettino thought should not have stood.

&quot;The goal was offside. But we lose,&quot; he said. &quot;I&#39;m not blaming the referee. It&#39;s a strange situation. It changed the dynamic of the game. We need to accept that. We can&#39;t control that.&quot;

At Anfield, Mohamed Salah scored twice as Liverpool beat Southampton 3-0 to record three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time in 2017.

The Egyptian&#39;s brace on 31 and 41 minutes made it 14 goals in 18 games for Liverpool with Philippe Coutinho rounding off the afternoon with their third to put them one point off the Champions League places.

Chelsea had an equally untroubled afternoon after beating West Bromwich Albion 4-0, a result that piled more pressure on Baggies manager Tony Pulis whose side are without a win in 11 games.

&quot;The defending was very poor,&quot; said Pulis after the defeat in which Eden Hazard scored twice. &quot;It leaves me in the position I was in before the game. The board of directors will decide what they have to do.&quot;

The Premier League&#39;s two worst defences, Crystal Palace and Everton, predictably leaked goals as honours were shared in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park.

Palace were pegged back after twice taking the lead though James McCarthur and Wilfried Zaha although Christian Benteke should have sealed it with an easy chance for Roy Hodgson&#39;s side in the second half.

Callum Wilson scored a hat-trick to earn 10-man Bournemouth victory over Huddersfield Town.

&quot;We had to dig deep,&quot; said the striker, whose goals were his first since he fought back from serious injury.

Burnley continued their impressive start to the season with a 2-0 win over Swansea City. Jack Cork and Ashley Barnes scored the goals to leave seventh-placed Burnley level on points with Liverpool and Arsenal.

Anthony Martial, Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku scored the other goals as United hit four in the league for the seventh time this season after Dwight Gayle had given Newcastle the lead.

Premier League leaders Manchester City brushed aside Leicester City 2-0 for their 16th successive win in all competitions as Manchester United welcomed back long-term absentees Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a 4-1 rout of Newcastle United. With Tottenham Hotspur losing ground after a 2-0 derby defeat at neighbours Arsenal, the league continues to look an argument between Manchester's big two who are separated by eight points. A tap-in by Gabriel Jesus and a stunning strike from Kevin De Bruyne provided the City goals against a Leicester team who have often troubled them in the past. The home side went close to equalising when Harry McGuire hit the post after the break, but City went straight up the other end and put the result beyond doubt with a stunning counter-attack that De Bruyne rounded off with an unstoppable 20-yard shot in the 49th minute. The only concern for City manager Pep Guardiola was an injury to John Stones, who hobbled off before the break and may not play again this year. "We are going to miss (John Stones) for a long time, maybe six weeks off," said Guardiola after the game. "It is tough because the calendar is so demanding. We don't have many central defenders and they will suffer but we will find a solution." The successful return of Vincent Kompany from injury will provide compensation although the Belgian was fortunate to escape with a booking for a foul on Jamie Vardy in the third minute. United's Pogba and Ibrahimovic were also back in action at Old Trafford. The Frenchman contributed an assist and scored United's third in an impressive 70-minute appearance before Ibrahimovic made an unexpected return from the bench after seven months out with a knee injury. "It's my head that is playing; my knee just needs to follow," he said after his 15-minute cameo. Anthony Martial, Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku scored the other goals as United hit four in the league for the seventh time this season after Dwight Gayle had given Newcastle the lead. At Arsenal, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said he was "disappointed in the performance and the way we conceded the goals" after the derby defeat scuppered suggestions of a permanent shift in the north London balance of power. Arsenal went ahead through a controversial goal from Shkodran Mustafi, which Pochettino thought should not have stood. "The goal was offside. But we lose," he said. "I'm not blaming the referee. It's a strange situation. It changed the dynamic of the game. We need to accept that. We can't control that." At Anfield, Mohamed Salah scored twice as Liverpool beat Southampton 3-0 to record three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time in 2017. The Egyptian's brace on 31 and 41 minutes made it 14 goals in 18 games for Liverpool with Philippe Coutinho rounding off the afternoon with their third to put them one point off the Champions League places. Chelsea had an equally untroubled afternoon after beating West Bromwich Albion 4-0, a result that piled more pressure on Baggies manager Tony Pulis whose side are without a win in 11 games. "The defending was very poor," said Pulis after the defeat in which Eden Hazard scored twice. "It leaves me in the position I was in before the game. The board of directors will decide what they have to do." The Premier League's two worst defences, Crystal Palace and Everton, predictably leaked goals as honours were shared in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park. Palace were pegged back after twice taking the lead though James McCarthur and Wilfried Zaha although Christian Benteke should have sealed it with an easy chance for Roy Hodgson's side in the second half. Callum Wilson scored a hat-trick to earn 10-man Bournemouth victory over Huddersfield Town. "We had to dig deep," said the striker, whose goals were his first since he fought back from serious injury. Burnley continued their impressive start to the season with a 2-0 win over Swansea City. Jack Cork and Ashley Barnes scored the goals to leave seventh-placed Burnley level on points with Liverpool and Arsenal.

Premier League: Manchester clubs win again as United stars return

Arsene Wenger says it will be &quot;difficult&quot; for any team to stop Manchester City from winning the Premier League after his Arsenal side lost 3-1 at the Etihad on Sunday - a result which left him fuming at referee Michael Oliver.

Wenger said City&#39;s quality, shown in their club record 15 straight wins in all competitions, makes it hard to imagine any team overtaking them but he also took aim at the officials after his team suffered a disputed penalty and a goal which appeared offside.

The win gave City an eight-point lead over Manchester United ahead of their game at Chelsea later on Sunday and left them 12 points clear of the Gunners.

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<h5>Can anyone stop them? It will be difficult this season, the way they have started the quality they have, but you never know. If, on top of that, they have decisions at home like that, they will be unstoppable,&#39; Wenger told reporters</h5>
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&quot;Can anyone stop them? It will be difficult this season, the way they have started the quality they have, but you never know. If, on top of that, they have decisions at home like that, they will be unstoppable,&quot; Wenger told reporters.

City went 2-0 up five minutes into the second half after referee Oliver ruled that Nacho Monreal had bundled over Raheem Sterling inside the area and Sergio Aguero converted from the spot.

Arsenal players disputed that decision and were also upset that City&#39;s third goal came after a pass from David Silva whom television replays showed was narrowly in an offside position.

&quot;I don&rsquo;t want to take anything away from the quality but it happened at a moment when we were really in the game at 2-1 and it killed the game. It is the second year. We got two offside goals here last year and one this year,&quot; Wenger added.

The Frenchman felt his team had created opportunities and were in the contest until the controversial third goal.

&quot;I felt it was an intense game of quality of both sides. Man City are on a high but I felt we had plenty of dangerous situations and chances,&quot; he said.

&quot;Overall, once again, the referee made the decision again, with a penalty and an offside goal. We are used to it when we come here,&quot; he said.

&quot;I feel they (referees) don&rsquo;t work enough, because it happens every season. It is unacceptable&quot;.

Arsenal lost 3-1 to City at the Etihad on Sunday

Arsene Wenger says it will be "difficult" for any team to stop Manchester City from winning the Premier League after his Arsenal side lost 3-1 at the Etihad on Sunday - a result which left him fuming at referee Michael Oliver. Wenger said City's quality, shown in their club record 15 straight wins in all competitions, makes it hard to imagine any team overtaking them but he also took aim at the officials after his team suffered a disputed penalty and a goal which appeared offside. The win gave City an eight-point lead over Manchester United ahead of their game at Chelsea later on Sunday and left them 12 points clear of the Gunners. Can anyone stop them? It will be difficult this season, the way they have started the quality they have, but you never know. If, on top of that, they have decisions at home like that, they will be unstoppable,' Wenger told reporters × "Can anyone stop them? It will be difficult this season, the way they have started the quality they have, but you never know. If, on top of that, they have decisions at home like that, they will be unstoppable," Wenger told reporters. City went 2-0 up five minutes into the second half after referee Oliver ruled that Nacho Monreal had bundled over Raheem Sterling inside the area and Sergio Aguero converted from the spot. Arsenal players disputed that decision and were also upset that City's third goal came after a pass from David Silva whom television replays showed was narrowly in an offside position. "I don’t want to take anything away from the quality but it happened at a moment when we were really in the game at 2-1 and it killed the game. It is the second year. We got two offside goals here last year and one this year," Wenger added. The Frenchman felt his team had created opportunities and were in the contest until the controversial third goal. "I felt it was an intense game of quality of both sides. Man City are on a high but I felt we had plenty of dangerous situations and chances," he said. "Overall, once again, the referee made the decision again, with a penalty and an offside goal. We are used to it when we come here," he said. "I feel they (referees) don’t work enough, because it happens every season. It is unacceptable".

EPL: Wenger says 'difficult' to see anyone stopping City

&nbsp;Jose Mourinho returns to his old club Chelsea on Sunday with his Manchester United trailing leaders Manchester City by five points and the challenge against the champions will be a major indicator of his team&#39;s ability to close the gap.

When City visited Stamford Bridge at the end of September they delivered a statement performance in their 1-0 win, answering many of the doubts about whether they had the defensive soundness to go with their undoubted attacking flair.

It was a win - and performance - which suggested that City are capable of playing the kind of tight, disciplined tactical performance that had been lacking at times during Pep Guardiola&#39;s first season at the club.

United face some different questions in what is their toughest test yet away from home.

Mourinho&#39;s side were given a gentle start to the season by the fixtures computer with modest opposition for their opening seven games and they took advantage with 21 goals and six wins along with plenty of entertaining football.

But in their first challenge against one of the &#39;big six&#39;, at Liverpool, United went into their shell - clearly under instructions to not allow Juergen Klopp&#39;s side space and to limit their own forward movement.

Debate has raged about whether or not that was an appropriate approach to take at Anfield or whether United should have been more adventurous and tried to exploit the vulnerabilities in Liverpool&#39;s back line.

Mourinho typically dismissed such talk, viewing the draw as a point gained. But a defeat at Huddersfield in his team&#39;s next game added to the sense that United&#39;s early season momentum had been lost.

Last week, though, United came through another test - beating Tottenham 1-0 at Old Trafford and a 2-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League in midweek has helped to dispel any talk of United losing their way.

But the challenge against the champions on Sunday is for United to show that they can replicate the confident and businesslike win that City showed a month ago.

Fragile Chelsea

United won&#39;t want to let City, who host Arsenal on Sunday, open up a seven or eight-point lead and a defeat would allow Chelsea to move within a point of Mourinho&#39;s men.

To get three points from their trip to West London, United need to combine the defensive solidity they showed on Merseyside with the ability to carve open Antonio Conte&#39;s back line.

Judging by Chelsea&#39;s woeful 3-0 loss to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday, United can have some confidence that it will be fruitful to take the game to Conte&#39;s team.

A repeat of last season&#39;s 4-0 mauling in this fixture certainly looks unlikely and Chelsea&#39;s defence, so solid last season, looks far more fragile.

United will need Romelu Lukaku, who Chelsea wanted to re-sign before his move to Old Trafford in the close-season, to get back to the form he showed before his six-game barren streak.

They will also need his support striker, whether that be Frenchman Anthony Martial or Marcus Rashford, to work closer to him than in the draw with Liverpool where Martial wandered in deep positions leaving the Belgian isolated.

At Anfield, United&#39;s midfield sat deep and rarely advanced in numbers. Whatever permutation Mourinho sends out to do battle on Sunday will need to be braver in committing to forward positions or countering in numbers.

It is a balancing act, of course, as Chelsea possess in Eden Hazard in particular, the means to punish opponents who over-commit.

But City showed that perfect balance and if United want to replicate their rivals, they too will need to show a willingness to do more than just frustrate.

When City visited Stamford Bridge at the end of September they delivered a statement performance in their 1-0 win, answering many of the doubts about whether they had the defensive soundness to go with their undoubted attacking flair.

Jose Mourinho returns to his old club Chelsea on Sunday with his Manchester United trailing leaders Manchester City by five points and the challenge against the champions will be a major indicator of his team's ability to close the gap. When City visited Stamford Bridge at the end of September they delivered a statement performance in their 1-0 win, answering many of the doubts about whether they had the defensive soundness to go with their undoubted attacking flair. It was a win - and performance - which suggested that City are capable of playing the kind of tight, disciplined tactical performance that had been lacking at times during Pep Guardiola's first season at the club. United face some different questions in what is their toughest test yet away from home. Mourinho's side were given a gentle start to the season by the fixtures computer with modest opposition for their opening seven games and they took advantage with 21 goals and six wins along with plenty of entertaining football. But in their first challenge against one of the 'big six', at Liverpool, United went into their shell - clearly under instructions to not allow Juergen Klopp's side space and to limit their own forward movement. Debate has raged about whether or not that was an appropriate approach to take at Anfield or whether United should have been more adventurous and tried to exploit the vulnerabilities in Liverpool's back line. Mourinho typically dismissed such talk, viewing the draw as a point gained. But a defeat at Huddersfield in his team's next game added to the sense that United's early season momentum had been lost. Last week, though, United came through another test - beating Tottenham 1-0 at Old Trafford and a 2-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League in midweek has helped to dispel any talk of United losing their way. But the challenge against the champions on Sunday is for United to show that they can replicate the confident and businesslike win that City showed a month ago. Fragile Chelsea United won't want to let City, who host Arsenal on Sunday, open up a seven or eight-point lead and a defeat would allow Chelsea to move within a point of Mourinho's men. To get three points from their trip to West London, United need to combine the defensive solidity they showed on Merseyside with the ability to carve open Antonio Conte's back line. Judging by Chelsea's woeful 3-0 loss to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday, United can have some confidence that it will be fruitful to take the game to Conte's team. A repeat of last season's 4-0 mauling in this fixture certainly looks unlikely and Chelsea's defence, so solid last season, looks far more fragile. United will need Romelu Lukaku, who Chelsea wanted to re-sign before his move to Old Trafford in the close-season, to get back to the form he showed before his six-game barren streak. They will also need his support striker, whether that be Frenchman Anthony Martial or Marcus Rashford, to work closer to him than in the draw with Liverpool where Martial wandered in deep positions leaving the Belgian isolated. At Anfield, United's midfield sat deep and rarely advanced in numbers. Whatever permutation Mourinho sends out to do battle on Sunday will need to be braver in committing to forward positions or countering in numbers. It is a balancing act, of course, as Chelsea possess in Eden Hazard in particular, the means to punish opponents who over-commit. But City showed that perfect balance and if United want to replicate their rivals, they too will need to show a willingness to do more than just frustrate.

Manchester City set the standard for United at Chelsea

Sergio Aguero became Manchester City&#39;s all-time record scorer and was described as &quot;a legend&quot; by coach Pep Guardiola whose side booked their place in the Champions League last 16 with a 4-2 win at Napoli.

The 29-year-old Argentine beat the old mark of 177 set by Eric Brook in the 1930s when he hit City&#39;s third goal in Naples, then promised to give his shirt to his eight-year-old son Benjamin -- the grandson of Argentina and Napoli legend Diego Maradona.

&quot;This shirt is for my son, he texted me to say: &quot;As soon as you score, bring me the shirt&#39;,&quot; said Aguero.

&quot;I am bringing the shirt back to my son. My family called from Argentina, they were watching me.&quot;

Aguero&#39;s son was born from his marriage to Giannina Maradona, the daughter of Diego.

And Aguero achieved his new landmark at the San Paolo Stadium where Maradona made himself a Neapolitan icon between 1984 and 1991, winning two Serie A titles and the UEFA Cup.

&quot;What he (Aguero) has achieved has made him a legend, he&#39;s gone down in history, so I would tell him to enjoy,&quot; said Guardiola.

Aguero paid tribute to his team-mates for his record 178 goals.

&quot;I&#39;m very happy for this moment and happy because the team help support me and the fans.

&quot;I&#39;ll enjoy this moment because it only happens once.

&quot;Napoli are a good team and away always in the Champions League is difficult.&quot;

The Premier League leaders had needed just a point to seal their berth in the knockout rounds for the fifth consecutive year, with two games to go.&nbsp;

But City&#39;s fourth victory out of four in Group F confirmed their progress with 12 points.

Napoli are third, six points behind Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk who beat Dutch outfit Feyenoord 3-1, and are close to elimination from the elite European competition.

Record man&nbsp;

The new benchmark is just another for the man from Buenos Aires who joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2011 for &pound;38 million, scoring two goals and assisting one on his debut against Swansea.

He currently has the best goals-to-minutes ratio in Premier League history -- scoring 107 in 154 Premier League matches at a rate of a goal every 106 minutes.&nbsp;

The 29-year-old Argentine beat the old mark of 177 set by Eric Brook in the 1930s when he hit City's third goal in Naples, then promised to give his shirt to his eight-year-old son Benjamin -- the grandson of Argentina and Napoli legend Diego Maradona.

Sergio Aguero became Manchester City's all-time record scorer and was described as "a legend" by coach Pep Guardiola whose side booked their place in the Champions League last 16 with a 4-2 win at Napoli. The 29-year-old Argentine beat the old mark of 177 set by Eric Brook in the 1930s when he hit City's third goal in Naples, then promised to give his shirt to his eight-year-old son Benjamin -- the grandson of Argentina and Napoli legend Diego Maradona. "This shirt is for my son, he texted me to say: "As soon as you score, bring me the shirt'," said Aguero. "I am bringing the shirt back to my son. My family called from Argentina, they were watching me." Aguero's son was born from his marriage to Giannina Maradona, the daughter of Diego. And Aguero achieved his new landmark at the San Paolo Stadium where Maradona made himself a Neapolitan icon between 1984 and 1991, winning two Serie A titles and the UEFA Cup. "What he (Aguero) has achieved has made him a legend, he's gone down in history, so I would tell him to enjoy," said Guardiola. Aguero paid tribute to his team-mates for his record 178 goals. "I'm very happy for this moment and happy because the team help support me and the fans. "I'll enjoy this moment because it only happens once. "Napoli are a good team and away always in the Champions League is difficult." The Premier League leaders had needed just a point to seal their berth in the knockout rounds for the fifth consecutive year, with two games to go. But City's fourth victory out of four in Group F confirmed their progress with 12 points. Napoli are third, six points behind Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk who beat Dutch outfit Feyenoord 3-1, and are close to elimination from the elite European competition. Record man The new benchmark is just another for the man from Buenos Aires who joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2011 for £38 million, scoring two goals and assisting one on his debut against Swansea. He currently has the best goals-to-minutes ratio in Premier League history -- scoring 107 in 154 Premier League matches at a rate of a goal every 106 minutes.

Football: Aguero's son, Maradona's grandson, proud owner of record shirt

&nbsp;It would appear to be difficult for any team to find a more daunting examination in European football at present than a visit to the Etihad Stadium where Pep Guardiola&#39;s Manchester City have come into full bloom.

City&#39;s kaleidoscopic movement and rare skill executed at breakneck speed have made Guardiola&#39;s latest creation a familiar delight to behold but a nightmare to play against as Burnley may become the latest Premier League side to discover this weekend.

City&#39;s 7-2 demolition of Stoke City last Saturday to move them two points clear of neighbours Manchester United was followed by Guardiola&#39;s delight at seeing off &quot;one of Europe&#39;s best teams&quot; Napoli in the Champions League in midweek.

That was City&#39;s 10th successive win in all competitions and now to complete their perfect week at the Etihad on Saturday, they are out to add to the 22 goals they have scored there in six matches in all competitions this term.

Burnley themselves have progressed admirably under manager Sean Dyche, having gone six league matches unbeaten, but he recognises that visiting a stadium where City have won their last three league games by five-goal margins is the acid test.

Guardiola was lavished with praise for his side&#39;s brilliance last weekend as his old rival Jose Mourinho, in contrast, suffered some equally familiar criticism for his safety-first approach in Manchester United&#39;s goalless draw at Liverpool.

Not that Mourinho ever appears to worry about such barbs but on Saturday he will expect his men to get back to being flat-track bullies against a struggling Huddersfield Town who are without a win in six matches.

WEMBLEY WOBBLES

The match of the weekend sees Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool meet at Wembley on Sunday with both sides buoyed by superb away-days in the Champions League -- Spurs earning a draw at champions Real Madrid while the Reds put seven past Maribor.

There feels a lot riding on the match with Spurs yet to convince their fans they are over their Wembley wobbles while Juergen Klopp knows his eighth-placed Liverpool cannot afford to drift further behind in the title race.

Neither can champions Chelsea, currently nine points adrift of Man City, as they seek to bring Watford down to earth after the unfashionable Hornets surged into the top four last weekend with a win over Arsenal.

Stung by their loss to rock-bottom Crystal Palace, Chelsea will be grateful for the return of their striking ace Alvaro Morata.

Watford, whose own totemic striker Troy Deeney had taken delight in pointing out how Arsenal seemed to lack fight, can expect Chelsea to be more combative on Saturday, especially as they are smarting at losing consecutive Premier League games for only the second time under Antonio Conte.

Arsenal, also nine behind City, need to rebound quickly at Everton, who are in even more urgent need of a win as manager Ronald Koeman, languishing in 16th, is now having to assert warily: &quot;Until now it&#39;s full, total support from the board.&quot;

Palace will hope to continue their baby steps under Roy Hodgson at Newcastle United, who could be under new ownership by Christmas if Mike Ashley can find a buyer.

It is a time of flux at Leicester City, too. They are managerless for the visit to Swansea City with Craig Shakespeare&#39;s dismissal meaning assistant Michael Appleton takes charge of the side temporarily.

City's kaleidoscopic movement and rare skill executed at breakneck speed have made Guardiola's latest creation a familiar delight to behold but a nightmare to play against as Burnley may become the latest Premier League side to discover this weekend.

It would appear to be difficult for any team to find a more daunting examination in European football at present than a visit to the Etihad Stadium where Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have come into full bloom. City's kaleidoscopic movement and rare skill executed at breakneck speed have made Guardiola's latest creation a familiar delight to behold but a nightmare to play against as Burnley may become the latest Premier League side to discover this weekend. City's 7-2 demolition of Stoke City last Saturday to move them two points clear of neighbours Manchester United was followed by Guardiola's delight at seeing off "one of Europe's best teams" Napoli in the Champions League in midweek. That was City's 10th successive win in all competitions and now to complete their perfect week at the Etihad on Saturday, they are out to add to the 22 goals they have scored there in six matches in all competitions this term. Burnley themselves have progressed admirably under manager Sean Dyche, having gone six league matches unbeaten, but he recognises that visiting a stadium where City have won their last three league games by five-goal margins is the acid test. Guardiola was lavished with praise for his side's brilliance last weekend as his old rival Jose Mourinho, in contrast, suffered some equally familiar criticism for his safety-first approach in Manchester United's goalless draw at Liverpool. Not that Mourinho ever appears to worry about such barbs but on Saturday he will expect his men to get back to being flat-track bullies against a struggling Huddersfield Town who are without a win in six matches. WEMBLEY WOBBLES The match of the weekend sees Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool meet at Wembley on Sunday with both sides buoyed by superb away-days in the Champions League -- Spurs earning a draw at champions Real Madrid while the Reds put seven past Maribor. There feels a lot riding on the match with Spurs yet to convince their fans they are over their Wembley wobbles while Juergen Klopp knows his eighth-placed Liverpool cannot afford to drift further behind in the title race. Neither can champions Chelsea, currently nine points adrift of Man City, as they seek to bring Watford down to earth after the unfashionable Hornets surged into the top four last weekend with a win over Arsenal. Stung by their loss to rock-bottom Crystal Palace, Chelsea will be grateful for the return of their striking ace Alvaro Morata. Watford, whose own totemic striker Troy Deeney had taken delight in pointing out how Arsenal seemed to lack fight, can expect Chelsea to be more combative on Saturday, especially as they are smarting at losing consecutive Premier League games for only the second time under Antonio Conte. Arsenal, also nine behind City, need to rebound quickly at Everton, who are in even more urgent need of a win as manager Ronald Koeman, languishing in 16th, is now having to assert warily: "Until now it's full, total support from the board." Palace will hope to continue their baby steps under Roy Hodgson at Newcastle United, who could be under new ownership by Christmas if Mike Ashley can find a buyer. It is a time of flux at Leicester City, too. They are managerless for the visit to Swansea City with Craig Shakespeare's dismissal meaning assistant Michael Appleton takes charge of the side temporarily.

Guardiola's Manchester City eye Burnley demolition

Manchester City beat Napoli 2-1 in their Champions League Group F match on Tuesday, maintaining their 100 percent record after three games, but Pep Guardiola&#39;s side were forced to hang on despite going 2-0 up inside 13 minutes.

City started as they left off in their 7-2 crushing of Stoke City in the Premier League on Saturday, attacking with a speed and fluency which the Serie A leaders struggled to cope with.

Raheem Sterling put the home side ahead in the ninth minute, finishing with his left foot after Kyle Walker&#39;s attempt to convert a David Silva pull-back was blocked.

Four minutes later, the in-form Kevin De Bruyne created the second, powering down the right flank and delivering a pinpoint low cross to Gabriel Jesus who made no mistake.

The Premier League leaders were producing wave after wave of attacks and the appreciative crowd sensed that this could be another massacre.

Belgian midfielder De Bruyne fired a long-range shot against the bar in the 25th minute after a swift City counter-attack, and then Jesus had a goalbound effort cleared off the line by Kalidou Koulibaly.

But then City began to lose focus, sloppily giving the ball away in dangerous positions, slowing down their breaks, and Napoli sensed that the game might not be just about damage limitation.

The Italians had an opportunity to narrow the deficit in the 38th minute after Kyle Walker gave away a penalty but City&#39;s Brazilian keeper Ederson produced a fine save to keep out Dries Mertens&#39; spot-kick.

After the break, Napoli grew into the game, with some clever touches and smart movement troubling the City defence and John Stones needed to use his midriff to stop a Marek Hamsik shot that was heading for an open goal.

Napoli&#39;s reward came when they got a second chance from the spot in the 73rd minute, this time Amadou Diawara firing home after Faouzi Ghoujlam was tripped by Fernandinho.

Despite some late pressure from Maurizio Sarri&#39;s side, City showed some grit as they held on to secure their third straight win which leaves them on top of the group with nine points.

&quot;We knew they played patient football and had attacking threat. We knew it would be tough but we wanted to play our football,&quot; said City defender John Stones.

&quot;At times it was great to watch. I am upset to concede the goal we did but overall ... a great team performance. We have put ourselves in a good position (in the group). There are a lot of games to play still. This was a good test to see where we are at,&quot; he added.

Napoli are third on three points, trailing second-placed Shakhtar Donetsk who are on six.

Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri said City are now at par with Barca and Real

Manchester City beat Napoli 2-1 in their Champions League Group F match on Tuesday, maintaining their 100 percent record after three games, but Pep Guardiola's side were forced to hang on despite going 2-0 up inside 13 minutes. City started as they left off in their 7-2 crushing of Stoke City in the Premier League on Saturday, attacking with a speed and fluency which the Serie A leaders struggled to cope with. Raheem Sterling put the home side ahead in the ninth minute, finishing with his left foot after Kyle Walker's attempt to convert a David Silva pull-back was blocked. Four minutes later, the in-form Kevin De Bruyne created the second, powering down the right flank and delivering a pinpoint low cross to Gabriel Jesus who made no mistake. The Premier League leaders were producing wave after wave of attacks and the appreciative crowd sensed that this could be another massacre. Belgian midfielder De Bruyne fired a long-range shot against the bar in the 25th minute after a swift City counter-attack, and then Jesus had a goalbound effort cleared off the line by Kalidou Koulibaly. But then City began to lose focus, sloppily giving the ball away in dangerous positions, slowing down their breaks, and Napoli sensed that the game might not be just about damage limitation. The Italians had an opportunity to narrow the deficit in the 38th minute after Kyle Walker gave away a penalty but City's Brazilian keeper Ederson produced a fine save to keep out Dries Mertens' spot-kick. After the break, Napoli grew into the game, with some clever touches and smart movement troubling the City defence and John Stones needed to use his midriff to stop a Marek Hamsik shot that was heading for an open goal. Napoli's reward came when they got a second chance from the spot in the 73rd minute, this time Amadou Diawara firing home after Faouzi Ghoujlam was tripped by Fernandinho. Despite some late pressure from Maurizio Sarri's side, City showed some grit as they held on to secure their third straight win which leaves them on top of the group with nine points. "We knew they played patient football and had attacking threat. We knew it would be tough but we wanted to play our football," said City defender John Stones. "At times it was great to watch. I am upset to concede the goal we did but overall ... a great team performance. We have put ourselves in a good position (in the group). There are a lot of games to play still. This was a good test to see where we are at," he added. Napoli are third on three points, trailing second-placed Shakhtar Donetsk who are on six.

Champions League: City make it three out of three with win over Napoli

Manchester City stayed ahead of age-old local rivals Manchester United at the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a deserved 1-0 win away to champions Chelsea.

After Jose Mourinho&#39;s United romped to a 4-0 victory over bottom club Crystal Palace, City had much the better of the late game at Stamford Bridge.

&quot;We are so happy,&quot; City manager Pep Guardiola said. &quot;The way we played, especially in the second half, was pleasing.&quot;

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<h5>The way we played, especially in the second half, was pleasing,&#39; said Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola</h5>
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A second-half goal by former Chelsea forward Kevin de Bruyne won it and left City just ahead of United on goal difference.

Chelsea, starting the day three points behind the Manchester pair in third place, dropped to fourth after two more goals from Harry Kane helped Tottenham Hotspur to a comfortable 4-0 win away to Huddersfield Town.

Manager Antonio Conte blamed Champions League exertions from midweek for his team&#39;s subdued performance. &quot;It is logical when you play three games in seven (sic) days you risk something,&quot; he said.

United&#39;s win left Palace rooted to the bottom of the table after a record seventh successive defeat without a goal to start the season.

Beaten 5-0 away by City in their last game, Palace avoided a repetition but became only the second team since the Premier League began to lose their first seven games. Unlike Portsmouth in 2009-10, though, they have not scored a single goal.

Romelu Lukaku&#39;s late strike meant that free-scoring United have hit four goals in a game six times this season.

Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini scored before halftime and when Fellaini headed in his second just after the interval, the points were made even more secure.

&quot;We started strong and we finished strong,&quot; said Mourinho.

England striker Kane continued his astonishing run by following up a Champions League hat-trick in midweek with two more goals as Spurs went 3-0 up by halftime at promoted Huddersfield. Ben Davies scored the other first-half goal and Moussa Sissoko added a fourth just before the final whistle.

Kane, having failed to score at all in August once again, made it 13 for club and country during September.

&quot;Goals to games it is probably the best month I have had, especially after August,&quot; he said.

Watford recovered from two goals down at West Bromwich Albion to go fifth after the home team scored twice in three minutes in the first half through Salomon Rondon and Jonny Evans.

Abdoulaye Doucoure kept Watford in contention and Brazilian Richarlison headed an equaliser in the final minute of added time.

Substitute Peter Crouch earned Stoke City a 2-1 win at home to Southampton after Maya Yoshida had equalised Mame Biram Diouf&#39;s opener. Earlier Saido Berahino, who has not scored for 30 games, missed a penalty conceded by Southampton&#39;s Virgil van Dijk, playing his first game of the season.

In two key games at the wrong end of the table, West Ham United had a late 1-0 win over Swansea City to move above them but Bournemouth were held at home by Leicester City.

West Ham relieved some of the pressure on manager Slaven Bilic when two of his substitutes combined for a dramatic winning goal.

Arthur Masuaku crossed for Diafra Sakho to score, taking the London side out of the bottom three and putting Swansea there instead.

&quot;It was a difficult atmosphere in some ways,&quot; West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart said of a home crowd who grew increasingly restless.

&quot;I&#39;m never going to criticise the fans, they pay their money and have a right to their opinion.&quot;

Bournemouth stay bottom but one after dominating against Leicester but failing to score. Jermain Defoe came closest in the second minute, hitting the bar.

In Sunday&#39;s three matches, sixth-placed Liverpool meet up with their former manager Rafa Benitez, now in charge of Newcastle United; Arsenal host Brighton and Everton are at home to Burnley.

City beat Chelsea away 1-0, United romped 4-0 over Crystal Palace

Manchester City stayed ahead of age-old local rivals Manchester United at the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a deserved 1-0 win away to champions Chelsea. After Jose Mourinho's United romped to a 4-0 victory over bottom club Crystal Palace, City had much the better of the late game at Stamford Bridge. "We are so happy," City manager Pep Guardiola said. "The way we played, especially in the second half, was pleasing." The way we played, especially in the second half, was pleasing,' said Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola × A second-half goal by former Chelsea forward Kevin de Bruyne won it and left City just ahead of United on goal difference. Chelsea, starting the day three points behind the Manchester pair in third place, dropped to fourth after two more goals from Harry Kane helped Tottenham Hotspur to a comfortable 4-0 win away to Huddersfield Town. Manager Antonio Conte blamed Champions League exertions from midweek for his team's subdued performance. "It is logical when you play three games in seven (sic) days you risk something," he said. United's win left Palace rooted to the bottom of the table after a record seventh successive defeat without a goal to start the season. Beaten 5-0 away by City in their last game, Palace avoided a repetition but became only the second team since the Premier League began to lose their first seven games. Unlike Portsmouth in 2009-10, though, they have not scored a single goal. Romelu Lukaku's late strike meant that free-scoring United have hit four goals in a game six times this season. Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini scored before halftime and when Fellaini headed in his second just after the interval, the points were made even more secure. "We started strong and we finished strong," said Mourinho. England striker Kane continued his astonishing run by following up a Champions League hat-trick in midweek with two more goals as Spurs went 3-0 up by halftime at promoted Huddersfield. Ben Davies scored the other first-half goal and Moussa Sissoko added a fourth just before the final whistle. Kane, having failed to score at all in August once again, made it 13 for club and country during September. "Goals to games it is probably the best month I have had, especially after August," he said. Watford recovered from two goals down at West Bromwich Albion to go fifth after the home team scored twice in three minutes in the first half through Salomon Rondon and Jonny Evans. Abdoulaye Doucoure kept Watford in contention and Brazilian Richarlison headed an equaliser in the final minute of added time. Substitute Peter Crouch earned Stoke City a 2-1 win at home to Southampton after Maya Yoshida had equalised Mame Biram Diouf's opener. Earlier Saido Berahino, who has not scored for 30 games, missed a penalty conceded by Southampton's Virgil van Dijk, playing his first game of the season. In two key games at the wrong end of the table, West Ham United had a late 1-0 win over Swansea City to move above them but Bournemouth were held at home by Leicester City. West Ham relieved some of the pressure on manager Slaven Bilic when two of his substitutes combined for a dramatic winning goal. Arthur Masuaku crossed for Diafra Sakho to score, taking the London side out of the bottom three and putting Swansea there instead. "It was a difficult atmosphere in some ways," West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart said of a home crowd who grew increasingly restless. "I'm never going to criticise the fans, they pay their money and have a right to their opinion." Bournemouth stay bottom but one after dominating against Leicester but failing to score. Jermain Defoe came closest in the second minute, hitting the bar. In Sunday's three matches, sixth-placed Liverpool meet up with their former manager Rafa Benitez, now in charge of Newcastle United; Arsenal host Brighton and Everton are at home to Burnley.

Manchester City stay ahead of United with win over champions Chelsea

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/wenger-left-frustrated-as-arsenal-held-by-manchester-city-14093">Manchester City&#39;s Samir Nasri</a> is set to move to Antalyaspor after signing a two-year deal with the Turkish club.

30-year-old French national team player Nasri was loaned to La Liga team Sevilla but he returned to City for pre-season training.

The former Arsenal star was one of the main players during Manchester City&#39;s 2014 campaign scroring eleven goals as the club won the second league title.

Meanwhile, Burnley signed New Zealand national Chris Woods from Leeds United&nbsp;for a record $19.3 million four-year contract.&nbsp;

&quot;My ambition has been to play in the Premier League for years,&quot; Wood said.

&quot;I&rsquo;ve had tastes of being in there but I&rsquo;ve never had the chance to give it a proper bash.&quot;

&quot;Coming here I feel I&rsquo;ve got a proper opportunity to do that. I&rsquo;ve never started a Premier League game and this what I want to do,&quot; the Leeds player said. 
&nbsp;

Burnley signed New Zealand national Chris Woods from Leeds for a record $19.3 million four-year contract

Manchester City's Samir Nasri is set to move to Antalyaspor after signing a two-year deal with the Turkish club. 30-year-old French national team player Nasri was loaned to La Liga team Sevilla but he returned to City for pre-season training. The former Arsenal star was one of the main players during Manchester City's 2014 campaign scroring eleven goals as the club won the second league title. Meanwhile, Burnley signed New Zealand national Chris Woods from Leeds United for a record $19.3 million four-year contract. "My ambition has been to play in the Premier League for years," Wood said. "I’ve had tastes of being in there but I’ve never had the chance to give it a proper bash." "Coming here I feel I’ve got a proper opportunity to do that. I’ve never started a Premier League game and this what I want to do," the Leeds player said.

Nasri moves to Antalyaspor, Burnley in record deal for Chris Woods

With <a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/real-madrid-beat-juventus-to-win-champions-league-16396">Real Madrid defeating Juventus</a>&nbsp;in the Champions League final last week, we turn our attention to next season&#39;s European club competitions. Who&#39;s qualified so far from the major football leagues?

<a href="https://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/seedcl2017.html">22&nbsp;teams</a> have qualified directly for the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League. 57 teams in total will be fighting to qualify for the remaining 10 places in the group stages.&nbsp;Five teams, including Liverpool and Napoli,&nbsp;will be going into the 4th round of qualifiers for the competition.

The first round of qualifying for the Champions League <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=2435148.html">starts on</a> June 27, 2017.&nbsp;The final line-up for the group stages will be determined on August 23, 2017, with the draw to take place on August 24, 2017.

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/rEJVsV2.png" style="margin:0 auto;width: 350px;height:auto;" />

<a href="https://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/seedel2017.html">16 teams</a> have qualified directly for the 2017-18 UEFA Europa League, including big names such as Arsenal and AC Milan. A&nbsp;total of 141 teams will be in qualifiers, fighting&nbsp;for the remaining 32&nbsp;places in the group stages. The first round of qualifying <a href="http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/newsid=2435180.html">starts on</a> June 19, 2017.&nbsp;The final line-up for the group stages will be determined on August 24, 2017.

<img src="http://i.imgur.com/uGFpuJa.png" style="margin:0 auto;width: 350px;height:auto;" />

With the Champions League over, we turn our attention to next season's European competitions and who'll be playing in them

With Real Madrid defeating Juventus in the Champions League final last week, we turn our attention to next season's European club competitions. Who's qualified so far from the major football leagues? 22 teams have qualified directly for the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League. 57 teams in total will be fighting to qualify for the remaining 10 places in the group stages. Five teams, including Liverpool and Napoli, will be going into the 4th round of qualifiers for the competition. The first round of qualifying for the Champions League starts on June 27, 2017. The final line-up for the group stages will be determined on August 23, 2017, with the draw to take place on August 24, 2017. 16 teams have qualified directly for the 2017-18 UEFA Europa League, including big names such as Arsenal and AC Milan. A total of 141 teams will be in qualifiers, fighting for the remaining 32 places in the group stages. The first round of qualifying starts on June 19, 2017. The final line-up for the group stages will be determined on August 24, 2017.

Football: Who's qualified for Europe next season?

Chelsea took a significant step towards the Premier League title on Sunday with victory at Everton but Tottenham ensured the champagne will stay on ice for a bit longer with an impressive 2-0 win over Arsenal.

As well as the engrossing fight for the title the battle for the two remaining Champions League places has become a real dogfight -- Arsenal missing a chance to make up ground on the two Manchester clubs, who both stumbled on Sunday against relegation candidates.

Second-half goals by Dele Alli and Harry Kane, from the penalty spot, sealed the three points and ensured that Spurs will finish above their North London rivals Arsenal for the first time in 22 years.

But whether Spurs will ever hunt down relentless Chelsea is another matter, with just four games left and Chelsea still four points clear, and with an easier run-in.

&quot;I am so pleased. It was a very important game and it was a complete performance,&quot; Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino told the BBC.

&quot;The race for the title is down to four points and we will see what will happen.

&quot;To be above Arsenal for the first time in 22 years is fantastic for our fans. it is fantastic for us too, but we want to win the title.&quot;

A superb second-half strike by Pedro and late goals from Gary Cahill and Willian ended Everton&#39;s run of eight successive home wins and had piled the pressure on Spurs, who were playing afterwards.

Chelsea took time to settle but once Pedro scored their opener -- his first goal in nine matches -- the floodgates opened and they ran out 3-0 winners.

&quot;This gives us lots of confidence,&quot; manager Antonio Conte told Sky Sports. &quot;Now it is important to prepare the final rush.

&quot;If in the next game against Middlesbrough you don&#39;t win, you lose this victory. We must look step by step.&quot;Cahill&#39;s eighth goal of the season and Willian&#39;s beautifully worked third inflicted only Everton&#39;s second home defeat of the season.

&quot;It was convincing but we had to work hard for it,&quot; Cahill told Sky Sports, sensing this might be the win that delivers the title in Conte&#39;s first season at Chelsea.

&quot;Pedro&#39;s goal was special, at times you need a bit of class to open up a team, that&#39;s what he did today. I&#39;m buzzing with that, it&#39;s a huge result for us.&quot;

City had to come from behind twice to draw 2-2 at Middlesbrough and United drew 1-1 at home to Swansea on a bad day for the Manchester giants.

City relied on 20-year-old striker Gabriel Jesus to secure them a point in the final five minutes of their game against a Boro side scenting back-to-back wins in the Premier League for the first time since May 2008.

&quot;We controlled the game and missed so many chances,&quot; Jesus told Premier League Productions.

&quot;Today&#39;s result is disappointing but at least we have a point.&quot;

Arsenal&#39;s defeat in the last North London derby at White Hart Lane leaves manager Arsene Wenger&#39;s proud record of qualifying for the Champions League in real trouble.

They are sixth, five points behind United and six behind City in fourth, although the Londoners have a game in hand on both.

Only the top four get into the Champions League.

Liverpool, the other team in the mix, travel to Watford on Monday looking to cement third spot.Wenger -- whose future at Arsenal is mired in doubt -- gave credit to Spurs for deserving to beat them but was unimpressed by the fact that the Gunners would finish below their rivals for the first time in his long tenure.

&quot;Mathematically it has to happen once,&quot; Wenger told Sky Sports.

&quot;We are not happy with it but we don&#39;t compare ourselves to Spurs, we compare ourselves to where we want to be.&quot; 
&nbsp; 
A sublime free-kick by Icelandic international Gylfi Sigurdsson gained Swansea a deserved point against United at Old Trafford and dented Jose Mourinho`s hopes of breaking into the top four.

Sigurdsson&#39;s 10th goal of the season, but first in 11 matches, cancelled out veteran Wayne Rooney&#39;s contentious penalty in time added on in the first half when Marcus Rashford made the most out of minimal contact with Swans goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The engrossing fight for the title the battle for the two remaining Champions League places has become a real dogfight

Chelsea took a significant step towards the Premier League title on Sunday with victory at Everton but Tottenham ensured the champagne will stay on ice for a bit longer with an impressive 2-0 win over Arsenal. As well as the engrossing fight for the title the battle for the two remaining Champions League places has become a real dogfight -- Arsenal missing a chance to make up ground on the two Manchester clubs, who both stumbled on Sunday against relegation candidates. Second-half goals by Dele Alli and Harry Kane, from the penalty spot, sealed the three points and ensured that Spurs will finish above their North London rivals Arsenal for the first time in 22 years. But whether Spurs will ever hunt down relentless Chelsea is another matter, with just four games left and Chelsea still four points clear, and with an easier run-in. "I am so pleased. It was a very important game and it was a complete performance," Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino told the BBC. "The race for the title is down to four points and we will see what will happen. "To be above Arsenal for the first time in 22 years is fantastic for our fans. it is fantastic for us too, but we want to win the title." A superb second-half strike by Pedro and late goals from Gary Cahill and Willian ended Everton's run of eight successive home wins and had piled the pressure on Spurs, who were playing afterwards. Chelsea took time to settle but once Pedro scored their opener -- his first goal in nine matches -- the floodgates opened and they ran out 3-0 winners. "This gives us lots of confidence," manager Antonio Conte told Sky Sports. "Now it is important to prepare the final rush. "If in the next game against Middlesbrough you don't win, you lose this victory. We must look step by step."Cahill's eighth goal of the season and Willian's beautifully worked third inflicted only Everton's second home defeat of the season. "It was convincing but we had to work hard for it," Cahill told Sky Sports, sensing this might be the win that delivers the title in Conte's first season at Chelsea. "Pedro's goal was special, at times you need a bit of class to open up a team, that's what he did today. I'm buzzing with that, it's a huge result for us." City had to come from behind twice to draw 2-2 at Middlesbrough and United drew 1-1 at home to Swansea on a bad day for the Manchester giants. City relied on 20-year-old striker Gabriel Jesus to secure them a point in the final five minutes of their game against a Boro side scenting back-to-back wins in the Premier League for the first time since May 2008. "We controlled the game and missed so many chances," Jesus told Premier League Productions. "Today's result is disappointing but at least we have a point." Arsenal's defeat in the last North London derby at White Hart Lane leaves manager Arsene Wenger's proud record of qualifying for the Champions League in real trouble. They are sixth, five points behind United and six behind City in fourth, although the Londoners have a game in hand on both. Only the top four get into the Champions League. Liverpool, the other team in the mix, travel to Watford on Monday looking to cement third spot.Wenger -- whose future at Arsenal is mired in doubt -- gave credit to Spurs for deserving to beat them but was unimpressed by the fact that the Gunners would finish below their rivals for the first time in his long tenure. "Mathematically it has to happen once," Wenger told Sky Sports. "We are not happy with it but we don't compare ourselves to Spurs, we compare ourselves to where we want to be." A sublime free-kick by Icelandic international Gylfi Sigurdsson gained Swansea a deserved point against United at Old Trafford and dented Jose Mourinho`s hopes of breaking into the top four. Sigurdsson's 10th goal of the season, but first in 11 matches, cancelled out veteran Wayne Rooney's contentious penalty in time added on in the first half when Marcus Rashford made the most out of minimal contact with Swans goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski. (AFP)

Premier League round-up: Spurs keep pressure on Chelsea, Manchester misery

Marouane Fellaini was sent off for brainlessly headbutting Sergio Aguero in an otherwise forgettable 0-0 draw between Champions League qualification rivals Manchester United and Manchester City on Thursday.

Booked for tripping Aguero in the 84th minute, Fellaini fouled him again seconds later and then blatantly butted the Argentinian, leaving referee Martin Atkinson no option but to send the Belgian off.

City remain fourth, a point behind third-place Liverpool with a game in hand, with United -- who also have a game in hand on Jurgen Klopp&#39;s side -- a point further back in fifth place.

&quot;We were the better team in the first half, they were the better team in the second half,&quot; said United manager Jose Mourinho.

&quot;They had more of the ball, more chances, but my players were amazing the way they fought.

&quot;Marouane Fellaini is frustrated. He says that with another player, it would probably not be a red card.&quot;

While United are now unbeaten in 24 Premier League games, equalling the club record, the Etihad Stadium stalemate means City retain the upper hand in the push for a top-four finish.

But despite controlling the game, City came no closer to scoring than an early Aguero effort that hit the post, while substitute Gabriel Jesus had an injury-time header disallowed for offside.

City also lost goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to an apparent calf injury, sustained as he caught a high ball, with Willy Caballero taking his place for the last 14 minutes after Bravo was stretchered off.

&quot;They created two clear chances and I am satisfied,&quot; City manager Pep Guardiola told BBC Sport.

&quot;We all have tough games coming up now and we know it&#39;s not an option to not win these games.&quot;

City remain on course for a top-four finish, their last remaining objective after last weekend&#39;s FA Cup semi-final loss to Arsenal consigned Guardiola to his first trophy-less season as a coach.

United could yet qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League.

But in the main, Thursday&#39;s drab derby served to illustrate why the Manchester rivals are squabbling over fourth place rather than fighting for the title.

Etihad erupts&nbsp;

With Paul Pogba injured, Mourinho aligned a conservative midfield trio of Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera and Fellaini, setting the tone for a tetchy, attritional contest.

Marcus Rashford returned in one of four changes and while his lightning pace enabled him to leave Nicolas Otamendi for dead repeatedly, the teenager cut an isolated figure.

The football that managed to emerge above the midfield melee was almost all City&#39;s.

The hosts hit the woodwork in the ninth minute, Aguero cushioning a volley against the base of the right-hand post from Kevin De Bruyne&#39;s right-wing cross.

United goalkeeper David de Gea fielded curlers from De Bruyne and Aguero and saved at his near post from Aleksandar Kolarov, while Aguero and Raheem Sterling arrowed shots over the bar.

But there were two moments of unease in the hosts&#39; box, the first when Bravo clawed Anthony Martial&#39;s cross into the path of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whose shot he was then obliged to block.

Shortly before half-time, Rashford&#39;s free-kick from the left found Herrera unmarked at the back post, but the Spaniard headed wide.

City continued to force the issue after the break, but United, expertly marshalled by Eric Bailly and Daley Blind, kept them at bay.

De Gea comfortably saved from Sterling, twice, and Aguero, while De Bruyne ruffled the side-netting with a low drive after cutting in from the left.

Otamendi looked poised to break the deadlock when he rose to meet Kolarov&#39;s corner, but Bailly diverted his header over the bar.

Fellaini&#39;s dismissal gave City the edge and Guardiola immediately introduced Jesus, back from a broken foot sustained in February.

The Etihad erupted when the Brazilian headed in Aguero&#39;s cross, but an offside flag silenced the home fans and a stretching Aguero could only volley wide from De Bruyne&#39;s cross moments later.

(AFP)

A depleted Manchester United dug their trenches while the blue half of Manchester attacked relentlessly only to draw blank in final third

Marouane Fellaini was sent off for brainlessly headbutting Sergio Aguero in an otherwise forgettable 0-0 draw between Champions League qualification rivals Manchester United and Manchester City on Thursday. Booked for tripping Aguero in the 84th minute, Fellaini fouled him again seconds later and then blatantly butted the Argentinian, leaving referee Martin Atkinson no option but to send the Belgian off. City remain fourth, a point behind third-place Liverpool with a game in hand, with United -- who also have a game in hand on Jurgen Klopp's side -- a point further back in fifth place. "We were the better team in the first half, they were the better team in the second half," said United manager Jose Mourinho. "They had more of the ball, more chances, but my players were amazing the way they fought. "Marouane Fellaini is frustrated. He says that with another player, it would probably not be a red card." While United are now unbeaten in 24 Premier League games, equalling the club record, the Etihad Stadium stalemate means City retain the upper hand in the push for a top-four finish. But despite controlling the game, City came no closer to scoring than an early Aguero effort that hit the post, while substitute Gabriel Jesus had an injury-time header disallowed for offside. City also lost goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to an apparent calf injury, sustained as he caught a high ball, with Willy Caballero taking his place for the last 14 minutes after Bravo was stretchered off. "They created two clear chances and I am satisfied," City manager Pep Guardiola told BBC Sport. "We all have tough games coming up now and we know it's not an option to not win these games." City remain on course for a top-four finish, their last remaining objective after last weekend's FA Cup semi-final loss to Arsenal consigned Guardiola to his first trophy-less season as a coach. United could yet qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League. But in the main, Thursday's drab derby served to illustrate why the Manchester rivals are squabbling over fourth place rather than fighting for the title. Etihad erupts With Paul Pogba injured, Mourinho aligned a conservative midfield trio of Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera and Fellaini, setting the tone for a tetchy, attritional contest. Marcus Rashford returned in one of four changes and while his lightning pace enabled him to leave Nicolas Otamendi for dead repeatedly, the teenager cut an isolated figure. The football that managed to emerge above the midfield melee was almost all City's. The hosts hit the woodwork in the ninth minute, Aguero cushioning a volley against the base of the right-hand post from Kevin De Bruyne's right-wing cross. United goalkeeper David de Gea fielded curlers from De Bruyne and Aguero and saved at his near post from Aleksandar Kolarov, while Aguero and Raheem Sterling arrowed shots over the bar. But there were two moments of unease in the hosts' box, the first when Bravo clawed Anthony Martial's cross into the path of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whose shot he was then obliged to block. Shortly before half-time, Rashford's free-kick from the left found Herrera unmarked at the back post, but the Spaniard headed wide. City continued to force the issue after the break, but United, expertly marshalled by Eric Bailly and Daley Blind, kept them at bay. De Gea comfortably saved from Sterling, twice, and Aguero, while De Bruyne ruffled the side-netting with a low drive after cutting in from the left. Otamendi looked poised to break the deadlock when he rose to meet Kolarov's corner, but Bailly diverted his header over the bar. Fellaini's dismissal gave City the edge and Guardiola immediately introduced Jesus, back from a broken foot sustained in February. The Etihad erupted when the Brazilian headed in Aguero's cross, but an offside flag silenced the home fans and a stretching Aguero could only volley wide from De Bruyne's cross moments later. (AFP)

Fellaini flashpoint sole spark as Man United, City play out drab draw

Alexis Sanchez earned Arsenal an FA Cup final showdown with Chelsea and gave Arsene Wenger renewed hope of salvaging a troubled campaign as the gritty Gunners fought back to beat Manchester City 2-1 on Sunday.

When Sergio Aguero put City ahead in the second half of a bruising semi-final, Wenger&#39;s side were on the verge of another dispiriting defeat in arguably the worst season of the Frenchman&#39;s 21-year reign.

But, despite being out-played for long periods, Arsenal summoned a spirit and desire too often missing from their performances this term.

Nacho Monreal&#39;s equaliser forced extra-time and Sanchez&#39;s predatory finish in the additional period secured a final date with Premier League leaders Chelsea back at Wembley on May 27.

Arsenal&#39;s third FA Cup final in the last four years -- they won it in 2014 and 2015 -- gives them a record 20 appearances in the showpiece match of the famous old competition.

Crucially, it presents Wenger with a chance to mute the mounting criticism from his club&#39;s supporters who want him to resign.

The Gunners&#39; failure to challenge for the Premier League title has been compounded by their slide out of the top four.

But those close to Wenger believe he is still leaning towards staying.

With fourth placed City well adrift of leaders Chelsea, boss Pep Guardiola is destined to finish his first season empty-handed.

He now faces the difficult task of lifting his players before a vital derby against Manchester United as the top four battles heats up on Thursday.

City came close to striking first when the diminutive David Silva rose to meet Aguero&#39;s cross with a header that Petr Cech pushed over.

Silva departed due to injury soon after, but City monopolised possession and Arsenal were often reduced to kicking their opponents out of their rhythm.&nbsp;

Aguero and Raheem Sterling combined to bundle the ball into the net just before half-time, but the goal was controversially ruled out because Leroy Sane&#39;s cross was adjudged to have gone out as it looped over the bar before curling back into play.

Off the canvas&nbsp;

To City&#39;s frustration, television replays suggested a tiny part of the ball was still in play before it reached Aguero.

Yet Arsenal&#39;s play still lacked conviction and by the 62nd minute the scoreline finally reflected City&#39;s dominance.

When Yaya Toure seized the ball after Aaron Ramsey&#39;s mistake deep in City&#39;s half, the Ivorian spotted Aguero and sent a long pass towards the striker.

Aguero surged away from Monreal and, although his first touch almost ruined the chance, he recovered to lift a deft finish over Cech for his 30th goal this season.

If that felt like the knockout blow, Monreal had other ideas and he hauled the Gunners off the canvas in the 71st minute.

Having laboured for so long, Arsenal suddenly sprang to life and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain swung over a superb cross to the far post, where Monreal timed his run perfectly to slot home from close-range for his first Arsenal goal in over two years.

City almost hit back immediately, with Toure&#39;s 25-yard volley pushed onto a post by Cech before Fernandinho headed against the crossbar from Kevin de Bruyne&#39;s corner.

Danny Welbeck couldn&#39;t win it for Arsenal with a fine curling strike before extra-time, but Sanchez came to Wenger&#39;s rescue with a far more prosaic effort in the 101st minute.

Sanchez has been a problem for Wenger with his mood swings this season and he was well below his best for long periods once again.

But he was in the right place at the right time when a goalmouth melee ended with the Chilean beating Gael Clichy to the loose ball and firing in from close-range.

(AFP)

The Gunners entered the final for a record 20th time after an Alexis Sanchez winner capped off a spirited comeback

Alexis Sanchez earned Arsenal an FA Cup final showdown with Chelsea and gave Arsene Wenger renewed hope of salvaging a troubled campaign as the gritty Gunners fought back to beat Manchester City 2-1 on Sunday. When Sergio Aguero put City ahead in the second half of a bruising semi-final, Wenger's side were on the verge of another dispiriting defeat in arguably the worst season of the Frenchman's 21-year reign. But, despite being out-played for long periods, Arsenal summoned a spirit and desire too often missing from their performances this term. Nacho Monreal's equaliser forced extra-time and Sanchez's predatory finish in the additional period secured a final date with Premier League leaders Chelsea back at Wembley on May 27. Arsenal's third FA Cup final in the last four years -- they won it in 2014 and 2015 -- gives them a record 20 appearances in the showpiece match of the famous old competition. Crucially, it presents Wenger with a chance to mute the mounting criticism from his club's supporters who want him to resign. The Gunners' failure to challenge for the Premier League title has been compounded by their slide out of the top four. But those close to Wenger believe he is still leaning towards staying. With fourth placed City well adrift of leaders Chelsea, boss Pep Guardiola is destined to finish his first season empty-handed. He now faces the difficult task of lifting his players before a vital derby against Manchester United as the top four battles heats up on Thursday. City came close to striking first when the diminutive David Silva rose to meet Aguero's cross with a header that Petr Cech pushed over. Silva departed due to injury soon after, but City monopolised possession and Arsenal were often reduced to kicking their opponents out of their rhythm. Aguero and Raheem Sterling combined to bundle the ball into the net just before half-time, but the goal was controversially ruled out because Leroy Sane's cross was adjudged to have gone out as it looped over the bar before curling back into play. Off the canvas To City's frustration, television replays suggested a tiny part of the ball was still in play before it reached Aguero. Yet Arsenal's play still lacked conviction and by the 62nd minute the scoreline finally reflected City's dominance. When Yaya Toure seized the ball after Aaron Ramsey's mistake deep in City's half, the Ivorian spotted Aguero and sent a long pass towards the striker. Aguero surged away from Monreal and, although his first touch almost ruined the chance, he recovered to lift a deft finish over Cech for his 30th goal this season. If that felt like the knockout blow, Monreal had other ideas and he hauled the Gunners off the canvas in the 71st minute. Having laboured for so long, Arsenal suddenly sprang to life and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain swung over a superb cross to the far post, where Monreal timed his run perfectly to slot home from close-range for his first Arsenal goal in over two years. City almost hit back immediately, with Toure's 25-yard volley pushed onto a post by Cech before Fernandinho headed against the crossbar from Kevin de Bruyne's corner. Danny Welbeck couldn't win it for Arsenal with a fine curling strike before extra-time, but Sanchez came to Wenger's rescue with a far more prosaic effort in the 101st minute. Sanchez has been a problem for Wenger with his mood swings this season and he was well below his best for long periods once again. But he was in the right place at the right time when a goalmouth melee ended with the Chilean beating Gael Clichy to the loose ball and firing in from close-range. (AFP)

FA Cup: Arsenal overcome City to set up Chelsea showdown

Title-chasing Tottenham thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 to move within four points of Premier League leaders Chelsea, while Manchester City climbed to third place after a 3-0 win at Southampton on Saturday.

Mauricio Pochettino&#39;s side are hot on Chelsea&#39;s heels as the title race enters the final furlong and their dominant display at White Hart Lane keeps them in with a chance of being crowned champions for the first time since 1961.

Mousa Dembele opened the scoring with a close-range strike in the 16th minute and Son Heung-Min&#39;s cool finish doubled Tottenham&#39;s lead three minutes later.

Harry Kane, making his first start since suffering an ankle injury five weeks ago, scored his 20th league goal this season with a predatory 48th minute effort.&nbsp;

Vincent Janssen bagged a rare goal in second-half stoppage time as Tottenham chalked up seven successive league wins for the first time since 1967.

Kane is the first Tottenham player to score at least 20 league goals in three successive seasons since Jimmy Greaves in the 1960s.

Chelsea responded last weekend after Tottenham had trimmed their lead, beating Bournemouth 3-1, but Antonio Conte&#39;s men face a far more testing trip to Manchester United on Sunday.

&quot;I am proud of our players after that performance. We have to wait to see what happens,&quot; Pochettino said.

&quot;At the end of the season when everyone is tired, we need everyone to have the right mental attitude and happiness helps.&nbsp;

&quot;The three points are very important to keep our dream.&quot;

At St Mary&#39;s, City captain Vincent Kompany was given only his fourth league start of an injury-plagued campaign and he made up for lost time in the 55th minute.

The Belgian defender scored for the first time since August 2015 as his header from David Silva&#39;s corner evaded a weak attempted save by Fraser Forster.

Leroy Sane finished a flowing move to make it two in the 77th minute and Sergio Aguero headed home three minutes later as City moved one point above Liverpool, who travel to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

&quot;This result is so important for our qualification for the Champions League,&quot; City manager Pep Guardiola said.

&quot;Up front we could be better but our quality of play meant we had control.&quot;

Everton improved their prospects of qualifying for Europe as they rose above Arsenal and United into fifth place after a 3-1 win against Burnley.

Phil Jagielka broke the deadlock in the 49th minute before Sam Vokes equalised from the penalty spot for Burnley three minutes later.

Ross Barkley started for Everton amid the controversy over a British tabloid columnist&#39;s unsavoury criticism of the England midfielder and it was his shot that deflected off Ben Mee for a 71st minute own goal.

Everton striker Romelu Lukaku struck three minutes later for his 24th league goal this season.

Fightback&nbsp; 
 
Leicester suffered a dispiriting warm-up for their decisive Champions League quarter-final clash as they squandered a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace.

Craig Shakespeare made only two changes ahead of Tuesday&#39;s home second leg with Atletico Madrid, when Leicester will try to overturn a 1-0 deficit.

Beaten by a controversial penalty from Antoine Griezmann in Madrid, the Foxes took the lead in the less glamourous surroundings of Selhurst Park thanks to a Robert Huth header in the sixth minute.

Jamie Vardy doubled Leicester&#39;s advantage in the 52nd minute.

But Palace got one back through Yohan Cabaye two minutes later before Christian Benteke capped the fightback with a 70th minute header.

Hull&#39;s hopes of avoiding relegation suffered a blow as they lost 3-1 at Stoke.

Marko Arnautovic put Stoke in front in the sixth minute before Hull drew level through Harry Maguire in the 51st minute.

Peter Crouch nodded Stoke back ahead in the 66th minute and Xherdan Shaqiri sealed the points in the 80th minute to leave fourth bottom Hull only two points above the relegation zone.

Third bottom Swansea were unable to take advantage of Hull&#39;s slip as they lost 1-0 at Watford after Etienne Capoue netted in the 42nd minute.

Sunderland remain on the brink of relegation despite salvaging a 2-2 draw against West Ham at the Stadium of Light.

Andre Ayew put West Ham ahead in the fifth minute before Wahbi Khazri equalised in the 26th minute.

James Collins restored West Ham&#39;s lead two minutes after half time, but Fabio Borini rescued a 90th-minute equaliser before Hammers defender Sam Byram was sent off in stoppage time.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

Title-chasing Tottenham thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 to move within four points of Premier League leaders Chelsea

Title-chasing Tottenham thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 to move within four points of Premier League leaders Chelsea, while Manchester City climbed to third place after a 3-0 win at Southampton on Saturday. Mauricio Pochettino's side are hot on Chelsea's heels as the title race enters the final furlong and their dominant display at White Hart Lane keeps them in with a chance of being crowned champions for the first time since 1961. Mousa Dembele opened the scoring with a close-range strike in the 16th minute and Son Heung-Min's cool finish doubled Tottenham's lead three minutes later. Harry Kane, making his first start since suffering an ankle injury five weeks ago, scored his 20th league goal this season with a predatory 48th minute effort. Vincent Janssen bagged a rare goal in second-half stoppage time as Tottenham chalked up seven successive league wins for the first time since 1967. Kane is the first Tottenham player to score at least 20 league goals in three successive seasons since Jimmy Greaves in the 1960s. Chelsea responded last weekend after Tottenham had trimmed their lead, beating Bournemouth 3-1, but Antonio Conte's men face a far more testing trip to Manchester United on Sunday. "I am proud of our players after that performance. We have to wait to see what happens," Pochettino said. "At the end of the season when everyone is tired, we need everyone to have the right mental attitude and happiness helps. "The three points are very important to keep our dream." At St Mary's, City captain Vincent Kompany was given only his fourth league start of an injury-plagued campaign and he made up for lost time in the 55th minute. The Belgian defender scored for the first time since August 2015 as his header from David Silva's corner evaded a weak attempted save by Fraser Forster. Leroy Sane finished a flowing move to make it two in the 77th minute and Sergio Aguero headed home three minutes later as City moved one point above Liverpool, who travel to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. "This result is so important for our qualification for the Champions League," City manager Pep Guardiola said. "Up front we could be better but our quality of play meant we had control." Everton improved their prospects of qualifying for Europe as they rose above Arsenal and United into fifth place after a 3-1 win against Burnley. Phil Jagielka broke the deadlock in the 49th minute before Sam Vokes equalised from the penalty spot for Burnley three minutes later. Ross Barkley started for Everton amid the controversy over a British tabloid columnist's unsavoury criticism of the England midfielder and it was his shot that deflected off Ben Mee for a 71st minute own goal. Everton striker Romelu Lukaku struck three minutes later for his 24th league goal this season. Fightback Leicester suffered a dispiriting warm-up for their decisive Champions League quarter-final clash as they squandered a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace. Craig Shakespeare made only two changes ahead of Tuesday's home second leg with Atletico Madrid, when Leicester will try to overturn a 1-0 deficit. Beaten by a controversial penalty from Antoine Griezmann in Madrid, the Foxes took the lead in the less glamourous surroundings of Selhurst Park thanks to a Robert Huth header in the sixth minute. Jamie Vardy doubled Leicester's advantage in the 52nd minute. But Palace got one back through Yohan Cabaye two minutes later before Christian Benteke capped the fightback with a 70th minute header. Hull's hopes of avoiding relegation suffered a blow as they lost 3-1 at Stoke. Marko Arnautovic put Stoke in front in the sixth minute before Hull drew level through Harry Maguire in the 51st minute. Peter Crouch nodded Stoke back ahead in the 66th minute and Xherdan Shaqiri sealed the points in the 80th minute to leave fourth bottom Hull only two points above the relegation zone. Third bottom Swansea were unable to take advantage of Hull's slip as they lost 1-0 at Watford after Etienne Capoue netted in the 42nd minute. Sunderland remain on the brink of relegation despite salvaging a 2-2 draw against West Ham at the Stadium of Light. Andre Ayew put West Ham ahead in the fifth minute before Wahbi Khazri equalised in the 26th minute. James Collins restored West Ham's lead two minutes after half time, but Fabio Borini rescued a 90th-minute equaliser before Hammers defender Sam Byram was sent off in stoppage time. (AFP)

Football: Manchester City 3-0 Southampton, Tottenham thrash Bournemouth

Eden Hazard fired Premier League leaders Chelsea to a crucial 2-1 win over Manchester City, but Tottenham are hot on their heels after a sensational fightback in their 3-1 victory at Swansea on Wednesday.

Chelsea remain seven points clear of second placed Tottenham with eight games to play, yet with just minutes left on a dramatic evening it seemed the Blues would have a much greater lead.

Rocked by Saturday&#39;s shock 2-1 home defeat against Crystal Palace, Antonio Conte&#39;s Chelsea side took only 10 minutes to take the lead through Hazard&#39;s 12th goal of the season.

Hazard&#39;s effort deflected off Vincent Kompany and beat Willy Caballero, whose weak attempted save drew a frustrated look from City boss Pep Guardiola as he contemplated the latest in a growing list of gaffes from his goalkeepers this season.

Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois was guilty of an even worse blunder, spilling David Silva&#39;s shot to Sergio Aguero, who tapped in City&#39;s 26th minute equaliser.

Conte&#39;s team were back in front after 35 minutes when Fernandinho conceded a penalty with a foul on Pedro.

Hazard&#39;s spot-kick was saved by Caballero, but the Belgian recovered quickly to finish off the rebound.

Kompany, back in the line-up for the first time since November, hit the crossbar with a second half header, but fourth placed City crashed to their first defeat in nine games, while Chelsea are still in pole position for the title.

&quot;Another step, a big step, against a great team,&quot; Conte said.

&quot;We must think that Tottenham could win all their games. We are playing a great season but to win the title there is a long way to go.&quot;

Guardiola added: &quot;We created enough to score goals. It&#39;s our problem. In the boxes we are not good enough.&quot;

At the Liberty Stadium, Tottenham fell behind in the 11th minute when Wayne Routledge turned in Jordan Ayew&#39;s cross for Swansea.

But Tottenham staged an incredible finale as England midfielder Dele Alli equalised with an 88th minute tap-in.

A minute into stoppage-time, South Korea forward Son Heung-Min bagged his 16th goal of the season with a clinical finish and there was still time for Christian Eriksen&#39;s strike to put the seal on Tottenham&#39;s fifth successive win.

&quot;It is crazy how the goals came in the last few minutes but we pushed and we created chances to win. This season we are fighting again,&quot; Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said.

Arsenal eased the pressure on Arsene Wenger and climbed back into the race for Champions League qualification with a 3-0 win over West Ham.

Wenger had endured repeated calls for his resignation from frustrated fans in recent weeks, but the protests at the Emirates Stadium were more muted for once as Arsenal ended a three-match winless run with only their second victory in their last seven league games.

Mesut Ozil broke the deadlock in the 58th minute with a curling effort from the edge of the penalty area.

Sucker punch&nbsp;

Theo Walcott bagged Arsenal&#39;s second in the 68th minute and Olivier Giroud&#39;s superb strike in the 83rd minute ensured his side moved above Manchester United into fifth place, four points behind Manchester City with a game in hand.

&quot;We come out of a difficult period and our confidence goes quickly and comes back slowly,&quot; Wenger said.

West Ham&#39;s fifth successive defeat leaves them just three points above the relegation zone.

Liverpool were hit by a late sucker punch as Bournemouth snatched a 2-2 draw at Anfield.

Benik Afobe struck for Bournemouth in the seventh minute, but Philippe Coutinho bagged Liverpool&#39;s equaliser with a typically cool 40th minute finish.

That made Coutinho the joint highest Brazilian scorer in Premier League history, alongside former Middlesbrough playmaker Juninho, with 29 goals.

Divock Origi put Liverpool in front in the 59th minute, but Josh King blasted his eighth goal in eight appearances to rescue Bournemouth in the 87th minute.

Liverpool&#39;s latest slip against lowly opposition leaves Jurgen Klopp&#39;s third-placed side six points above fifth place in the race for the Champions League.

Hull climbed out of the relegation zone with a priceless 4-2 win over relegation rivals Middlesbrough at the KCOM Stadium.

The Tigers move two points above the bottom three, while second bottom Middlesbrough are seven points from safety.

Southampton defender Maya Yoshida&#39;s first Premier League goal for 14 months inspired a 3-1 win over struggling Crystal Palace at St Mary&#39;s.

(AFP)

Tottenham scored three late goals against Swansea to remain in the title hunt

Eden Hazard fired Premier League leaders Chelsea to a crucial 2-1 win over Manchester City, but Tottenham are hot on their heels after a sensational fightback in their 3-1 victory at Swansea on Wednesday. Chelsea remain seven points clear of second placed Tottenham with eight games to play, yet with just minutes left on a dramatic evening it seemed the Blues would have a much greater lead. Rocked by Saturday's shock 2-1 home defeat against Crystal Palace, Antonio Conte's Chelsea side took only 10 minutes to take the lead through Hazard's 12th goal of the season. Hazard's effort deflected off Vincent Kompany and beat Willy Caballero, whose weak attempted save drew a frustrated look from City boss Pep Guardiola as he contemplated the latest in a growing list of gaffes from his goalkeepers this season. Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois was guilty of an even worse blunder, spilling David Silva's shot to Sergio Aguero, who tapped in City's 26th minute equaliser. Conte's team were back in front after 35 minutes when Fernandinho conceded a penalty with a foul on Pedro. Hazard's spot-kick was saved by Caballero, but the Belgian recovered quickly to finish off the rebound. Kompany, back in the line-up for the first time since November, hit the crossbar with a second half header, but fourth placed City crashed to their first defeat in nine games, while Chelsea are still in pole position for the title. "Another step, a big step, against a great team," Conte said. "We must think that Tottenham could win all their games. We are playing a great season but to win the title there is a long way to go." Guardiola added: "We created enough to score goals. It's our problem. In the boxes we are not good enough." At the Liberty Stadium, Tottenham fell behind in the 11th minute when Wayne Routledge turned in Jordan Ayew's cross for Swansea. But Tottenham staged an incredible finale as England midfielder Dele Alli equalised with an 88th minute tap-in. A minute into stoppage-time, South Korea forward Son Heung-Min bagged his 16th goal of the season with a clinical finish and there was still time for Christian Eriksen's strike to put the seal on Tottenham's fifth successive win. "It is crazy how the goals came in the last few minutes but we pushed and we created chances to win. This season we are fighting again," Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said. Arsenal eased the pressure on Arsene Wenger and climbed back into the race for Champions League qualification with a 3-0 win over West Ham. Wenger had endured repeated calls for his resignation from frustrated fans in recent weeks, but the protests at the Emirates Stadium were more muted for once as Arsenal ended a three-match winless run with only their second victory in their last seven league games. Mesut Ozil broke the deadlock in the 58th minute with a curling effort from the edge of the penalty area. Sucker punch Theo Walcott bagged Arsenal's second in the 68th minute and Olivier Giroud's superb strike in the 83rd minute ensured his side moved above Manchester United into fifth place, four points behind Manchester City with a game in hand. "We come out of a difficult period and our confidence goes quickly and comes back slowly," Wenger said. West Ham's fifth successive defeat leaves them just three points above the relegation zone. Liverpool were hit by a late sucker punch as Bournemouth snatched a 2-2 draw at Anfield. Benik Afobe struck for Bournemouth in the seventh minute, but Philippe Coutinho bagged Liverpool's equaliser with a typically cool 40th minute finish. That made Coutinho the joint highest Brazilian scorer in Premier League history, alongside former Middlesbrough playmaker Juninho, with 29 goals. Divock Origi put Liverpool in front in the 59th minute, but Josh King blasted his eighth goal in eight appearances to rescue Bournemouth in the 87th minute. Liverpool's latest slip against lowly opposition leaves Jurgen Klopp's third-placed side six points above fifth place in the race for the Champions League. Hull climbed out of the relegation zone with a priceless 4-2 win over relegation rivals Middlesbrough at the KCOM Stadium. The Tigers move two points above the bottom three, while second bottom Middlesbrough are seven points from safety. Southampton defender Maya Yoshida's first Premier League goal for 14 months inspired a 3-1 win over struggling Crystal Palace at St Mary's. (AFP)

Premier League round-up: Chelsea beat City, Liverpool trip & Arsenal gain ground

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