Diego Costa scored his 50th and 51st Premier League goals as Chelsea overcame spirited Southampton 4-2 on Tuesday to establish a seven-point lead at the top of the table.

Costa set up Eden Hazard&#39;s early opener, which was cancelled out by Oriol Romeu, before Gary Cahill restored the hosts&#39; lead at an unseasonably cold Stamford Bridge.

Costa sealed victory with a second-half brace, ending a seven-game goal drought and heaping the pressure on second-place Tottenham Hotspur, who visit in-form Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

&quot;Today I have to be pleased with the effort of my players. It wasn&#39;t easy after a tough game against Tottenham,&quot; said Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.

&quot;We must be confident for the future. It&#39;s important to look at ourselves and not the other (Spurs).&quot;

Having beaten Spurs in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday, Chelsea&#39;s latest win reaffirmed the status of Conte&#39;s side as England&#39;s team to beat.

They face a thorny trip to Everton this weekend and have now gone 11 league games without a clean sheet -- their longest run since 1996 --&nbsp;but the finishing line is just five games away.

Hazard, Costa and Cesc Fabregas returned to the Chelsea XI after starting Saturday&#39;s 4-2 win over Tottenham on the bench and they combined for the fifth-minute opener.

Fabregas&#39;s pass from halfway sent Costa scampering away down the inside-right channel and his cut-back was swept into the bottom-left corner by Hazard.

The Belgian forward has now scored 15 goals in a Premier League season for the first time, his highest tally since netting 20 times for Lille in 2011-12.

The trio were at it again shortly after, Costa deftly cushioning Fabregas&#39;s pass into the path of Hazard, who curled well wide.

But there had already been nervy moments in the hosts&#39; penalty area -- an unmarked Jack Stephens volleying tamely at Thibaut Courtois -- and before long Southampton were level.

Terry ovation&nbsp;

James Ward-Prowse&#39;s corner from the left was inadvertently flicked on by Cesar Azpilicueta and reached the unattended Manolo Gabbiadini at the back post.

The Italian&#39;s cross-shot flicked off Courtois and was tapped in by ex-Chelsea midfielder Romeu, who had last scored in January 2016.

Set-pieces continued to prove the home side&#39;s Achilles heel, with Courtois obliged to swat away a dangerous Ward-Prowse free-kick before Sofiane Boufal thrashed into the side-netting at a corner.

A storming run by N&#39;Golo Kante forced Stephens into a desperate headed clearance and Costa had a penalty appeal turned down, but Chelsea were wavering until Cahill struck in first-half stoppage time.

Kante&#39;s deep cross was helped on by Marcos Alonso and with Costa launching himself into a mid-air scissors kick, the England centre-back charged in bravely to head home.

Costa would not be denied the next time he got a sight of goal in the 53rd minute as he brought up a half-century of league goals on his 85th appearance since signing from Atletico Madrid in 2014.

After a short corner with Hazard, Fabregas lofted a cross to the far post and Costa held off Bertrand to plant a header past Fraser Forster.

Dusan Tadic worked Courtois with a skidding effort and Gabbiadini hit the side-netting after again being left unmarked at a corner, moving Conte to angrily kick a bag beside the dug-out.

Chelsea club captain John Terry came on for the final five minutes and was afforded a standing ovation in his first appearance since announcing he will leave the club at the end of the season.

Costa made it 4-1 with a delightful goal in the 89th minute, swapping passes with first Hazard and then substitute Pedro before drilling a low shot past Forster.

&quot;We played a good team, but it&#39;s a harsh result,&quot; said Southampton manager Claude Puel, whose side added a stoppage-time consolation through another Bridge old boy, Ryan Bertrand.

&quot;Eden Hazard and Diego Costa made the difference today.&quot;

(AFP)

Chelsea overcame a spirited Southampton to establish a seven-point lead over Tottenham in the league standings

Diego Costa scored his 50th and 51st Premier League goals as Chelsea overcame spirited Southampton 4-2 on Tuesday to establish a seven-point lead at the top of the table. Costa set up Eden Hazard's early opener, which was cancelled out by Oriol Romeu, before Gary Cahill restored the hosts' lead at an unseasonably cold Stamford Bridge. Costa sealed victory with a second-half brace, ending a seven-game goal drought and heaping the pressure on second-place Tottenham Hotspur, who visit in-form Crystal Palace on Wednesday. "Today I have to be pleased with the effort of my players. It wasn't easy after a tough game against Tottenham," said Chelsea manager Antonio Conte. "We must be confident for the future. It's important to look at ourselves and not the other (Spurs)." Having beaten Spurs in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday, Chelsea's latest win reaffirmed the status of Conte's side as England's team to beat. They face a thorny trip to Everton this weekend and have now gone 11 league games without a clean sheet -- their longest run since 1996 -- but the finishing line is just five games away. Hazard, Costa and Cesc Fabregas returned to the Chelsea XI after starting Saturday's 4-2 win over Tottenham on the bench and they combined for the fifth-minute opener. Fabregas's pass from halfway sent Costa scampering away down the inside-right channel and his cut-back was swept into the bottom-left corner by Hazard. The Belgian forward has now scored 15 goals in a Premier League season for the first time, his highest tally since netting 20 times for Lille in 2011-12. The trio were at it again shortly after, Costa deftly cushioning Fabregas's pass into the path of Hazard, who curled well wide. But there had already been nervy moments in the hosts' penalty area -- an unmarked Jack Stephens volleying tamely at Thibaut Courtois -- and before long Southampton were level. Terry ovation James Ward-Prowse's corner from the left was inadvertently flicked on by Cesar Azpilicueta and reached the unattended Manolo Gabbiadini at the back post. The Italian's cross-shot flicked off Courtois and was tapped in by ex-Chelsea midfielder Romeu, who had last scored in January 2016. Set-pieces continued to prove the home side's Achilles heel, with Courtois obliged to swat away a dangerous Ward-Prowse free-kick before Sofiane Boufal thrashed into the side-netting at a corner. A storming run by N'Golo Kante forced Stephens into a desperate headed clearance and Costa had a penalty appeal turned down, but Chelsea were wavering until Cahill struck in first-half stoppage time. Kante's deep cross was helped on by Marcos Alonso and with Costa launching himself into a mid-air scissors kick, the England centre-back charged in bravely to head home. Costa would not be denied the next time he got a sight of goal in the 53rd minute as he brought up a half-century of league goals on his 85th appearance since signing from Atletico Madrid in 2014. After a short corner with Hazard, Fabregas lofted a cross to the far post and Costa held off Bertrand to plant a header past Fraser Forster. Dusan Tadic worked Courtois with a skidding effort and Gabbiadini hit the side-netting after again being left unmarked at a corner, moving Conte to angrily kick a bag beside the dug-out. Chelsea club captain John Terry came on for the final five minutes and was afforded a standing ovation in his first appearance since announcing he will leave the club at the end of the season. Costa made it 4-1 with a delightful goal in the 89th minute, swapping passes with first Hazard and then substitute Pedro before drilling a low shot past Forster. "We played a good team, but it's a harsh result," said Southampton manager Claude Puel, whose side added a stoppage-time consolation through another Bridge old boy, Ryan Bertrand. "Eden Hazard and Diego Costa made the difference today." (AFP)

Premier League: Costa inspires Chelsea to increase lead

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has dismissed allegations of corruption within the organisation and demanded proof after a British newspaper reported that some bouts in the Rio Olympics could be fixed. 
 
According to The Guardian, citing multiple sources, a group of senior referees and judges met before a major championship to decide on how to score certain bouts having earlier relied on hand and head signals to select a winner. 
 
&quot;We reiterate that, unless tangible proof is put forward, not just rumours, we cannot further comment on these allegations,&quot; the paper quoted the sport&#39;s global governing body as saying. 
 
&quot;Our role is to ensure a fair and transparent competition and that the thousands of spectators and millions of fans enjoy an amazing tournament with 13 great and undisputed gold medallists. It is not a matter for AIBA to interfere with the decision made by the judges under sporting rules.&quot; 
 
Irish judge Seamus Kelly, one of the sources named in the report, said he had been asked to fix bouts at the Arab Games in Doha in 2011 using signals, and that his fellow officials were afraid to speak out. 
 
&quot;People are afraid... because if they are judges they will be sidelined and won&#39;t get to go to the Olympics or other championships. If they are officials, they fear their country&#39;s boxers will be targeted,&quot; he said. 
 
AIBA executive committee member Terry Smith said he was not aware of the allegations, and challenged officials to take up the matter using established channels within the organisation. 
 
&quot;I wish they&#39;d confide a little bit internally,&quot; he added. &quot;I would like them to challenge it where it takes place. These are the types of rumours we certainly don&#39;t want with the Olympics coming up.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Executive committee member Terry Smith has challenged officials to take up the matter using established channels within the organisation

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has dismissed allegations of corruption within the organisation and demanded proof after a British newspaper reported that some bouts in the Rio Olympics could be fixed. According to The Guardian, citing multiple sources, a group of senior referees and judges met before a major championship to decide on how to score certain bouts having earlier relied on hand and head signals to select a winner. "We reiterate that, unless tangible proof is put forward, not just rumours, we cannot further comment on these allegations," the paper quoted the sport's global governing body as saying. "Our role is to ensure a fair and transparent competition and that the thousands of spectators and millions of fans enjoy an amazing tournament with 13 great and undisputed gold medallists. It is not a matter for AIBA to interfere with the decision made by the judges under sporting rules." Irish judge Seamus Kelly, one of the sources named in the report, said he had been asked to fix bouts at the Arab Games in Doha in 2011 using signals, and that his fellow officials were afraid to speak out. "People are afraid... because if they are judges they will be sidelined and won't get to go to the Olympics or other championships. If they are officials, they fear their country's boxers will be targeted," he said. AIBA executive committee member Terry Smith said he was not aware of the allegations, and challenged officials to take up the matter using established channels within the organisation. "I wish they'd confide a little bit internally," he added. "I would like them to challenge it where it takes place. These are the types of rumours we certainly don't want with the Olympics coming up." (Reuters)

International Boxing Association dismisses corruption allegations as 'rumours'

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