Goals from Terry, Costa keep Chelsea at top of Premier league table
John Terry scored for the second straight game and Diego Costa grabbed his 13th goal of the season as Chelsea beat West Ham 2-0 to stay top of the Premier league on Friday. West Ham arrived at Stamford Bridge in fourth place and one of the surprises of the season, but rested key players Alex Song and Diafra Sakho in view of the hectic festive schedule and was cut down to size by Chelsea. Terry tapped home a close-range finish in the 31st minute after a right-wing corner from Cesc Fabregas was headed goalward by Costa.
West Ham goalkeeper Adrian made a string of fine saves but could not get anywhere near a low, angled shot from Costa in the 62nd after the Spain striker was fed by Eden Hazard. Substitute Morgan Amalfitano clipped a deft shot against the post in the 87th minute in one of the few chances created by West Ham, which paid for deploying a defensive shape in the first half that allowed Chelsea to seize the initiative.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho fielded a full-strength lineup, despite a potentially tougher fixture at Southampton coming up on Sunday. And the gulf in the sides was clear from the start as the hosts — three points clear of Manchester City at the start of the day — won a ninth straight home game, boasting 66 percent possession.
“We are playing great, everyone can see that,” Terry said. “If we can keep playing like that, it’s going to be tough (to stop Chelsea).” Mourinho accused West Ham of playing “football from the 19th century” after a 0-0 draw between the teams in the corresponding fixture last season, but Terry’s goal ensured there would be no frustration this time for Chelsea.
Four days after setting Chelsea on its way to a 2-0 win at Stoke, the former England captain was on hand to poke in from barely two meters out to punish West Ham’s poor marking from a corner kick. Adrian had already saved well from Gary Cahill and Willian, and the Spanish goalkeeper then tipped aside a curling shot from Nemanja Matic as Chelsea poured forward.
Costa looked dangerous throughout and got the goal his performance deserved when he collected a forward pass from Hazard, twisted and turned past Carl Jenkinson, and shot into the bottom corner from just inside the area. Mourinho said he was delighted with the creativity of his team, saying: “It was the football of a team that leads (the league), and leads with the credit that it deserves.” It was third straight premier league victory for the leaders.
Man U beat Newcastle
MANCHESTER: Wayne Rooney scored twice in the first half as resurgent Manchester United easily beat Newcastle 3-1 Friday to strengthen its grip on third place in the Premier league. Rooney was set up well by his teammates for both goals as Radamel Falcao met a long cross into the area in the 23rd minute, sliding to reach the ball at the far post and square a perfect pass for Rooney to tap into an empty net.
Falcao then helped United win possession just outside the Newcastle area in the 36th, and Juan Mata laid the ball off for a wide-open Rooney to slot a low shot inside the post. Robin van Persie added the third in the 53rd minute for a convincing victory at Old Trafford, despite Papiss Cisse pulling one back with a late penalty for Newcastle.
Man C win at West Brom
WEST BROMWICH: Manchester City kept the pressure on Premier league leader Chelsea by easing to a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion in snowy conditions on Friday, scoring all of its goals in the first 34 minutes. Fernando gave City the lead in the eighth minute by pouncing on a goalkeeper error from Ben Foster, and Yaya Toure doubled the visitors’ advantage from the penalty spot after David Silva was fouled by former City defender Joleon lescott.
Despite again playing without a striker, City scored three times for the second straight game when Silva found the net with a precise strike after a cut-back from Jesus Navas. Brown Ideye scored from close range in a goalmouth scramble to deny a fifth straight clean sheet for City, which remained three points behind Chelsea.