Chelsea Go Clear As Manchester City Held By Everton
Chelsea went two points clear at the top of the Premier League by beating Newcastle 2-0, with title rivals Manchester City held to a 1-1 draw at Everton.
Elsewhere Liverpool beat Sunderland 1-0 and Andy Carroll scored a goal-of-the-season contender in West Ham's 1-1 draw at Swansea. At the bottom Burnley beat QPR 2-1 in a relegation six-pointer, Leicester kept pace with them by beating Aston Villa 1-0, and West Brom beat Hull City by the same score.
Oscar and Diego Costa scored the goals at Stamford Bridge. United had been the better team until Chelsea scored the opener on 43. Willian found Branislav Ivanovic with a short corner, and the defender's cut-back was tapped in by the Brazilian at the far post.
Costa scored the second on 59 after a superb team move. Cesc Fabregas fed Oscar, and his brilliant touch put Costa in space and the striker fired home his 15th of the season.
Manchester City had most of the possession at Goodison Park, but it took them 74 minutes to make the breakthrough. David Silva's deflected shot lobbed up for Fernandinho whose header had just enough power to beat Seamus Coleman's despairing lunge on the line.
But the lead lasted just four minutes, Steven Naismith nodding in from Leighton Baines' fizzing free-kick.
In Saturday's early game at the Stadium of Light, Lazar Markovic scored his first Premier League goal as Liverpool claimed a deserved 1-0 victory over 10-man Sunderland.
The Serbia international fired home from close range on nine minutes when Fabio Borini's through ball deflected into his path. Sunderland – booed off at half-time after failing to muster a shot on goal – were reduced to 10 men on 49 minutes when Liam Bridcutt picked up a second yellow card.
There was no doubt about the goal of the afternoon in the top flight. Andy Carroll scored with an absolutely stunning strike in West Ham's 1-1 draw at Swansea, The striker chested the ball down, muscled his way past a couple of white shirts and unleashed a left-foot screamer into the top corner. The Swans levelled on 70 – Bafetimbi Gomis' header from a corner hit the post, then the luckless Mark Noble, and went it.
There some crucial games in the bottom half of the table too and Burnley won arguably the most important of them by beating QPR 2-1.
Scott Arfield (12) scored the opener with a beauty – he nutmegged two, then curled the ball past Rob Green. Charlie Austin, predictably, levelled it up against his old club from the penalty spot on 33, but the Clarets re-took the lead with another quality goal. Danny Ings got it on 37, controlling a long ball with his first touch, out-witting Richard Dunne with his second, before firing home.
Leicester stay bottom but kept pace with the Clarets by beating Aston Villa 1-0. Paul Konchesky scored the only goal of the game just before half-time. Alan Hutton's header fell to the Leicester defender, and he drilled it into the ground and into the corner for his first Premier League goal in six years. A fractious match finished with some handbags, with Villa's Ciaran Clark and City's Matty James sent off for their part in it.
West Brom boss Tony Pulis made it two wins in two since he took over, and Saido Berahino added to his growing reputation with the winner in the 1-0 win over Hull City.
The Baggies had the better of the game, Brown Ideye blowing the best chance before the goal when sent through one-on-one with the keeper by Berahino.
But Berahino – who hit four against Gateshead in the FA Cup last week – came to the rescue on 78, and Hull only had themselves to blame.
Ahmed Elmohamady ushered the ball back to Allan McGregor – a clear back-pass – and the keeper picked it up. From the resultant free-kick, and with City defenders positioned all along the goal-line, Victor Anichebe tapped it to Berahino, and he squeezed it past them all and home.
SKYSPORTS