Wednesday night Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham all pulled off victories that could have big implications at the top of the Premier League table. Here is what happened in those big games:
Chelsea hammer Brighton
Chelsea recorded a 3-0 win over struggling Brighton at Stamford Bridge to enhance their chances of claiming a top-four spot this season.
The Blues took the lead on 38 minutes and almost inevitably youngster Callum Hudson-Odoi played a big role in the opener. The England international showed both his skill and his pace down the right before pulling the ball to Oliver Giroud, who fired home from close-range.
The Blues doubled their lead on the hour mark, as Belgian international Eden Hazard waltzed past Brighton defenders before curling home an effort from 20 yards out. Three minutes later and central midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek got in on the act, picking up the ball even further out than Hazard and producing a superb curled finish past Mat Ryan.
The victory moved Chelsea up to fifth place in the table, only behind fourth-place Arsenal only goal difference. Meanwhile, Brighton remain 15th place and five points clear of the relegation zone. The Seagulls are outsiders for the drop though.
City record a comfortable win over Cardiff
Manchester City recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over Cardiff City at the Etihad Stadium to move back to the top of the Premier League table by a point.
City were without the injured Sergio Aguero, while England star Raheem Sterling started the match on the bench. However, the Citizens still had enough quality on the pitch to coast to victory.
Pep Guardiola’s side took the lead on six minutes, after already missing some good early chances. Belgian international Kevin De Bruyne recently back from injury beat Bluebirds goalkeeper Neil Etheridge with a miss-hit cross from an acute angle. The visiting goalkeeper had to take the blame for the goal.
However, the former Fulham star made up for the error by making a total of nine saves during the match. The visitors ‘keeper could not prevent City doubling their lead just before half time though.
A lovely team move involving Gabriel Jesus saw Riyad Mahrez cross for Leroy Sane to fire home. The goal was Sane’s 15th of the season for City in all competitions. Etheridge was a busy man in the second half. However, in truth, the home side had already won the game in the first half.
The win ensured that City was top of the table prior to Liverpool’s visit to Southampton on Friday night. The defeat means that Cardiff remain five points adrift of safety.
Tottenham christen new stadium with a win over Palace
Tottenham kicked off life at their new stadium with a 2-0 victory over London rivals Crystal Palace. The first game at the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw a barrage of hailstones before South Korean international Heung-Min Son scored the opening goal on 55 minutes.
Christian Eriksen found the forward who cut in from the left flank and fired a low effort that took a deflection off Luka Milivojevic and beat Vicente Guaita. Harry Kane missed a good chance for the home side before the team from north London sealed victory on 80 minutes.
Kane drove into the Palace area, where appeared to have been fouled. It mattered little though, as Eriksen bundled the ball over the line from close-range.
The victory moved Spurs back above Arsenal into third. However, the race for a top-four spot is extremely tight. Palace remain six points clear of the relegation zone.
Who recorded the biggest victory on Wednesday night?
