EPL: Chelsea stunned by Palace as Arsenal rescue a point against City

Antonio Conte’s boys endured a rude 1-2 home defeat in the hands of struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The match paced on a high tempo right from the first whistle which saw three goals being netted in a span of eleven minutes.

Cesc Fabregas opened the account for the visitors in the fifth minute, thanks to Eden Hazard who beat Joel Ward with lots of wit near the edge of the box before finding the Spaniard who slotted in from close range with his left foot.

The Eagles responded almost immediately with Wilfried Zaha finding the back of the net in the ninth minute thanks to Christian Benteke’s assist. The young Ivorian squeezed his shot past three Chelsea defenders before beating Thibaut Courtois at the goal.

Sam Allardyce’s side, to add to the Blues disbelief, were in front two minutes later after a well-orchestrated-out counter attack. Chelsea’s backline proved unsteady and the visitors took full advantage of it.

A commendable interplay between Benteke and Zaha saw the Belgian score with a beautiful chip shot.

Were it not for the palace’s custodian Wayne Hennessey, things would have been ended otherwise at the Stamford Bridge. The Welsh international goalkeeper saved a massive 11 shots securing a vital win for the club.

The Eagles’ fourth win in a row, leaves them 16th on the log, four points above drop zone.

Despite the loss, Chelsea still tops the standings with 69 points, seven points clear second place Tottenham Hotspur.
Earlier that day, Liverpool played hosts to Everton at Anfield. Goals from Sadio Mane, Phillipe Coutinho, and Divock Origi, ensured Reds 3-1 win over the Toffees. The win propelled them to third with 59 points on the table, albeit Klopp’s men have played more games.

Erick Dier and Heung-Min Son struck in the second half past Burnley to leave 0-2 at Turf Moor. The Spurs have now reduced the gap to seven points behind Chelsea and mission to challenge the trophy is somewhat alive.

Defending champions Leicester City registered their fourth straight win in the Premier League, after a 2-0 win over Stoke City at King Power Stadium. The Foxes under Craig Shakespeare, are 13th with 33 points; have started to find a footing of what they were made of last season.

Manchester United was forced to a goalless draw by West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford.

On Sunday, the much-awaited fixture was pitting Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium. Both sides failed to capitalize on Chelsea’s defeat on Saturday as that settled for a 2-2 draw.

Leroy Sane put City ahead inside five minutes, but Theo Walcott equaled the tally in the 40th minute.

The Citizens were in command once again in three minutes before the break thanks to David Silva’s strike.

The Gunners rallied from behind to restore things to parity, thanks to Shkodran Mustafi’s header in the 52nd minute.
City, who travel to entertain Chelsea on Thursday night, are fourth with 58 points, seven points ahead of sixth-placed Arsenal who have a game in hand.

Here are all the results:
 Liverpool 3 Everton 1
Burnley 0 Spurs 2
Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 1
Hull City 2 West Ham 1
Leicester 2 Stoke City 0
Manchester United 0 West Brom 0
Watford 1 Sunderland 0
Swansea 0 Middleborough 0
Arsenal 2 Man City 2