29 Oct 2018

Chelsea score big win over Burnley to go second in EPL

7:28 am on 29 October 2018

Chelsea have gone second in the Premier League with a comfortable 4-0 win at Burnley which maintained their unbeaten start to the season.

Chelsea midfielder Willian.

Chelsea midfielder Willian. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The London club are two points behind leaders Liverpool and one point ahead of champions Manchester City, who play away to Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow.

Maurizio Sarri's side barely noticed the absence of Eden Hazard as Willian, starting in the Belgian's normal position on the left, scored and hit a post.

Spanish striker Alvaro Morata gave Chelsea the lead midway through a first half in which he might have netted three times.

England midfielder Ross Barkley set him up for that goal and added the second himself from outside the penalty area early in the second half.

Brazilian Willian curled the third past Burnley goalkeeper Joe Hart five minutes later and substitute Ruben Loftus-Cheek completed the scoring in stoppage-time.

Arsenal's 11-game winning run ended in a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace as two penalties by Luka Milivojevic earned the hosts a battling point.

Palace captain Milivojevic, who missed a penalty at Everton last week, converted one just before halftime, after Shkodran Mustafi tripped Cheikh Kouyate, the South London side's first goal at home in five games this season.

Granit Xhaka equalised with a fierce free kick early in the second half and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a controversial second for Arsenal five minutes later.

Milivojevic's second penalty six minutes from time earned Palace a point to move Roy Hodgson's team up to 14th.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Arsenal, who had won 11 successive games in all competitions, stayed fourth but lost ground on London rivals Chelsea.

Goals in each half from Frenchmen Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial gave Manchester United a 2-1 home victory over Everton.

The win, a welcome boost after United's midweek Champions League loss to Juventus, moved Jose Mourinho's side above Everton into eighth place although they are still nine points behind leaders Liverpool.

United grabbed the lead in the 27th minute when referee Jonathan Moss ruled that Idrissa Gueye had brought down Martial in the box, although replays showed the Senegalese midfielder had fairly played the ball.

Paul Pogba of Manchester United has had a very public falling out with manager Jose Mourinho.

Paul Pogba of Manchester United has had a very public falling out with manager Jose Mourinho. Photo: Photosport

Pogba took his trademark slow run-up and his spot-kick was superbly saved by Jordan Pickford but the ball fell kindly to the Frenchman who slotted home the rebound.

Four minutes after halftime United doubled their advantage when Pogba resisted the temptation to shoot from the edge of the box and rolled the ball to the left for Martial who beat Pickford with a superb low curling shot into the far corner.

However Pogba was then at fault, giving the ball away in midfield as Everton got back in the game with a Gylfi Sigurdsson penalty in the 77th. Richarlison was brought down in the box by Chris Smalling after Sigurdsson's through ball from Pogba's error.

-Reuters