Chelsea tighten grip on league as rivals falter

Chelsea's 1-1 draw away against Liverpool placed them comfortably atop the English Premier League amid disappointing results for closest rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

With 56 points from 23 matches, Chelsea has a nine-point advantage over Tottenham and Arsenal, while Liverpool sit in the fourth place, 10 points behind the leaders, reports Efe.

Watford stunned Arsenal 2-1 on Tuesday. Goals from Younes Kaboul and Troy Deeney in the span of three minutes put the home side down 2-0 less than 15 minutes into the match.

Alex Iwobi clawed one back for the hosts in the second half, but Arsenal couldn't find the equaliser and were treated to a chorus of boos from their supporters at the final whistle.

The marquee match of the day was at the Anfield gound, where struggling Liverpool hosted Chelsea.

Liverpool, who have won only once in January and were eliminated from the League Cup and FA Cup competitions, had more on the line against a Chelsea side they had already beaten earlier this season at the Stamford Bridge ground.

Chelsea took a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute on a spectacular direct free kick by David Luiz, who took advantage of confusion on the part of Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet.

Georginio Wijnaldum brought the hosts level with a goal in the 57th minute, but Liverpool looked to be facing a fourth straight home defeat 20 minutes later, when the referee pointed to the spot after Joel Matip fouled Chelsea striker Diego Costa.

Eden Hazard, who usually takes penalties for Chelsea, was not on the field, so Costa - with 15 goals in the Premier League this season - stepped up to the line and sent the ball on a path for the left corner of the net, but Mignolet guessed right and saved.

Tottenham, who posted an impressive win over Chelsea just weeks ago, squandered a chance to gain ground on the leaders, managing only a scoreless draw against relegation-bound Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

At Riverside Stadium, hosts Middlesbrough, who are only two points above the relegation zone, held eighth-placed West Bromwich Albion 1-1.

Sam Allardyce posted his first victory as coach of Crystal Palace, a 2-0 away triumph over Bournemouth on goals by Scott Dann and Christian Benteke.

Swansea City maintained their improved form under new manager Paul Clement, beating Southampton 2-1. Jack Cork and Gylfi Sigurdsson scored for the Swans, Shane Long for the Saints.

Defending champion Leicester City lost 0-1 against Burnley, who got their goal from Sam Vokes.

--IANS

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