Blues reign at Palace to hit welcome form
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CHELSEA began the new year offering signs of a revival as the Premier League champion comfortably beat Crystal Palace 3-0 yesterday with goals from Oscar, Willian and Diego Costa.
Guus Hiddink’s side began the day in 16th place, three points above the relegation zone after a woeful opening half of the season, but comprehensively outplayed London neighbor and 7th-placed Palace in torrential rain at Selhurst Park.
Hiddink is unbeaten since taking over on an interim basis following the sacking of Jose Mourinho last month, although the win at Palace was his first following draws with Watford and Manchester United over the Christmas program.
Costa set up Oscar to side-foot Chelsea ahead after 29 minutes and Chelsea went on to play some of its best football of the season to pick apart a Palace side sorely missing the suspended Yohan Cabaye and injured Yannick Bolasie.
Willian smashed in Chelsea’s second on the hour with a shot from outside the area and shortly afterwards Costa capped a hard-working performance with a close-range third goal.
Palace offered precious little and Chelsea’s only concern was an injury to Eden Hazard who limped off midway through the first half.
Chelsea’s third win in 11 league matches moved it up a couple of places to 14th with 23 points, 12 points behind 4th-placed Tottenham Hotspur which was in action later at Everton.
On Saturday, normality was restored in the most unpredictable of Premier League seasons as Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United won to kick off 2016, with two of English football’s biggest stars grabbing winners after lean spells.
But victory didn’t come easy for the three heavyweights as the hectic festive schedule closed on Saturday.
Arsenal dispensed with its typically silky football and toughed out a 1-0 win over Newcastle United, through a goal from Laurent Koscielny, to move two points clear at the top.
City scored twice in the final eight minutes in coming from behind to beat Watford 2-1, clinching a first away win since September. Sergio Aguero, last season’s top scorer and the most lethal striker in the division, scored the winner with his first goal since November 21.
That was the date United last won in the league before a 2-1 win over Swansea City, sealed by a moment of brilliance by Wayne Rooney.
The England captain flicked in a deft finish for his first United goal in two months, which put him second outright in the all-time scoring lists at United (238) and in the league (188).
“It is amazing,” United manager Louis van Gaal said, “and that at the age of 30.”
Second-placed Leicester City failed to keep pace with Arsenal after being held 0-0 at home by 10-man Bournemouth and is now without a win in three games, fulfilling many pundits’ predictions that its surprisingly strong start to the season wouldn’t last. Riyad Mahrez missed a penalty for Leicester, which is a point ahead of City.
United stayed in fifth place, two points behind Tottenham.
Elsewhere on Saturday, it was: West Ham 2, Liverpool 0; Norwich 1, Southampton 0; West Brom 2, Stoke 1; and Sunderland 3, Aston Villa 1.
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