Blues lick Toffees to close in on title
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PEDRO Rodriguez scored an eye-catching long-range goal as Chelsea closed in on the English Premier League title by beating Everton 3-0 yesterday.
Antonio Conte will be guaranteed the trophy in his first season in charge of Chelsea if the leader wins three of its last four games.
Everton’s eight-match winning run at Goodison Park ended after Pedro broke through the home resistance in the 66th minute. Pedro collected the ball on the edge of the area, shifted it onto his left foot and fired a shot from 25 meters just under the crossbar. Gary Cahill then bundled home in the 79th after goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg saved Eden Hazard’s low freekick, and substitute Willian completed the victory seven minutes later.
Chelsea moved seven points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, which was hosting Arsenal later. Europa League-chasing Everton is seventh.
“This feels massive,” Cahill told broadcaster Sky Sports. “We’ve done what we needed to do. You can see the celebrations at the end. We knew this was a massive game, one of the hardest we had.”
In Middlesbrough‚ Gabriel Jesus marked his return to Manchester City’s starting lineup by rescuing a 2-2 league draw against relegation-threatened Middlesbrough.
But City failed to take advantage of Manchester United’s draw at Old Trafford earlier in the day with Swansea City and strengthen its place in the top four UEFA Champions League qualification places.
Fourth-placed City remains only a point ahead of United with four games remaining, but it would have been even closer had Gabriel Jesus not headed in Sergio Aguero’s cross in the 85th. The forward is back after 10 weeks out with a foot injury.
Middlesbrough led through a first-half strike from former City striker Alvaro Negredo but the visitors drew level in controversial fashion when Aguero netted from the spot. Boro players reacted with fury when Leroy Sane went down under the challenge of Marten de Roon.
Calum Chambers appeared to have secured three priceless points for Middlesbrough in the 77th. But Gabriel Jesus’ leveler leaves Middlesbrough six points off safety.
Earlier, Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free kick dented United’s UCL hopes as Swansea drew 1-1 to enhance its EPL survival bid.
It was a deflating way for fifth-placed United to set a club record unbeaten streak: 25 matches dating back to October 23. A more important statistic is the 14 league games it has drawn this season, 10 in front of its own fans.
Swansea, though, is now only two points from safety with three games to go.
Striker Marcus Rashford’s contentiously won penalty just before halftime, converted by Wayne Rooney, had given United control but Sigurdsson bent the ball home in the 79th.
“We didn’t look exhausted. We are exhausted,” United manager Jose Mourinho said. “If some people want to analyze the performance, do it in context. Nine matches in April, with a squad of 22. We are very tired so I don’t take the performance out of context.”
There was further bad news for United’s overworked medical staff, with Luke Shaw and Eric Bailly picking up injuries to join a cluttered treatment room.
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