EPL round-up: Chelsea carry on, Leicester return, Liverpool a mess

Chelsea took another step towards their fifth Premier League title with an easy 3-1 win at home to Swansea. Cesc Fabregas became the first Spaniard to reach 300 League appearances as he was handed a rare start in midfield.

The ex-Arsenal World Cup winner ran the show from the start, dictating the flow and pace of the game like only he can, and opened the scoring after some neat interplay from the Blues.

The Swans, so impressive under new boss Paul Clement in their fight for survival, weren’t about to go down without a fight as Llorente headed home the equaliser in first half stoppage time to make it level pegging going into the break. And his side could’ve had the lead, had referee Neil Swarbrick pointed to the spot after Cesar Azpiliqueta handled in the area.

Instead, the champions-elect made their luck count when Pedro put them ahead with Fabregas once again involved, this time as the supplier. Diego Costa scored his 16th goal in the League six minutes from time to seal the win.

To their credit, Swansea did pose some serious questions but couldn’t sustain the pressure required to break Chelsea’s stubborn resistance. Then again, very few sides have.

Harry Kane registered his sixth career hat-trick and his third in the last nine games as Spurs ran rampant over a hapless Stoke City in their 4-0 win.

Kane’s lethal close range finishing which he has displayed so much of in his young Spurs career was on show once again as he bagged his treble in just 37 minutes before Dele Alli wrapped up a sublime first half with a fourth in stoppage time.

It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Spurs on the back of their extinguished title challenge and another early exit from the Europa League. The FA Cup remains their only hope for ending a trophy drought that has now equaled that of Arsenal, from 2005 to 2014.

Still, on a week where many of their rivals for the Top 4 spots were not in action getting a win was vital, and they managed it in style.

Relegation mire deepens

It was another unhappy return to Goodison Park for David Moyes as his struggling Sunderland side were beaten 2-0 by Everton.

Moyes, who was manager in the blue half of Merseyside for over a decade, has found little solace here since he left the club in 2013, as his Manchester United side’s 2-0 defeat the following season saw him getting sacked the next day. He was beaten again as Everton went nine unbeaten in the League.

Romelu Lukaku scored his 60th League goal for the Toffees, matching legend Duncan Ferguson’s tally, after Idrissa Gueye opened the scoring to make sure Sunderland stayed rooted to the bottom of the table and in deep trouble.

Hull, meanwhile, hosted Burnley looking for a return to winning ways as they fight the drop, and looked on course to do that after Tom Huddlestone scored from the spot to give them the lead 20 minutes from time.

Burnley struck back, through defender Michael Keane who volleyed home after a corner just four minutes later. The Clarets hung on for just their second away point of the season as Hull missed an opportunity to move out of the bottom 3.

Crystal Palace beat the struggling Middlesbrough 1-0 to return to winning ways themselves. Patrick Van Aanholt, who scored his first goal for the club, and Mamadou Sakho, who was a rock at the back, played a starring role for the Eagles who clawed their way out of the drop zone to join Boro on 22 points.

Aitor Koranka’s side had looked safe for most of the season, but no wins in over two months mean that they’re now hovering just a point above the relegation zone.

Leicester 3-1 Liverpool

The story of the week that had a cup final was the one that unfolded in Leicester, as the decision to sack Claudi Ranieri months after he masterminded the Foxes to the greatest achievement in Premier League history.

As tributes and shocked reactions poured in from around the football world, reports that some senior squad members went behind Ranieri’s back to the owners to express their discontent with the Italian’s methods led to his dismissal.

Amid the drama, Craig Shakespeare took the helm as caretaker manager in desperate need of a response against Liverpool. And what a response it was.

This was the Leicester of old, this was the Jamie Vardy of old. Having opened the scoring with his first goal since December 10, the England striker then doubled his tally, not before Danny Drinkwater capitalised on a poor clearance from Milner to smash home from 25 yards.

Coutinho provided scant consolation but there was nowhere to hide for Klopp’s men – 16 days and a training camp in La Manga later – the problems remain the same. Abysmal defending at the heart of an awful performance, they just didn’t realise that their wounded opponents had their tails up.

Same old problems for Liverpool, new hope for Leicester, such was the story of the week.