Last weekend may well prove crucial in the race for this season’s Premier league title. Dubbed by manager Jose Mourinho as, “a little horse that still needs milk and to learn how to jump” last week as he played down their title chances, Chelsea now find themselves in top spot after beating Newcastle United 3-0 and seeing main title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City drop points.
Belgium winger Eden Hazard produced his first hat trick in a blue shirt just a week after Chelsea made another huge statement with their 1-0 win at Manchester City.
Eden Hazard’s hattrick lifted Chelsea to the top of the league table
Given the advantage of Chelsea’s remaining league fixtures, as well as their relatively easy path in the Champions League with Galatasaray waiting, the Blues – branded “a very rich little horse” by City manager Manuel Pellegrini – are now in the box seat to win the title. They have been the most consistent team in the league since Christmas, winning nine out of their last 10 games.
It wasn’t such a happy weekend for former league leaders Arsenal, who headed to Anfield expecting to continue their recent dominance over Liverpool but instead were utterly outclassed, outpaced and outmaneuvered by Brendan Rodgers’ young and dynamic squad. The scoreboard read 4-0 after just 19 minutes with the Reds eventually cruising to a 5-1 win.
Martin Skrtel was the unlikely hero with a brace to demolish Arsenal!
The last time Liverpool scored five goals against Arsenal was way back in April, 1964 – the same year Bill Shankly won his first ever league title and started a new era at Merseyside. Liverpool’s big win must have been particularly satisfying for Rodgers given that Luis Suárez didn’t even get himself on the score sheet, with Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and Martin Skrtel doing the job instead. Less reliance on Suárez will certainly improve the team’s progress as a whole.
Manchester City’s morale suffered a further setback as they were held to a 0-0 draw against Norwich City. In another important match, Tottenham Hotspur beat Everton 1-0 with Emmanuel Adebayor scoring the only goal for the home team. Spurs leapfrogged the Toffees on the league table with their win and will continue to put pressure on the top four in the race for Champions League spots. Manchester United, on the other hand, couldn’t prove their superiority against rock bottom Fulham, as a late equalizer from Darren Bent snatched a draw for the visiting team. David Moyes’ nightmare continues and with the lure of the Champions League slipping away, he might be forced to settle for trying to qualify for the Europa League instead.
