Liverpool 2-2 Leicester City

Leicester City came from 2-0 down to secure a point at Liverpool thanks to two goals in two minutes from David Nugent and Jeffrey Schlupp.  Resurgent Liverpool looked to be heading for a third consecutive Premier League victory when two Steven Gerrard penalties put them in command at half-time on New Year's Day.  Bottom-of-the-table Leicester understandably felt aggrieved with the first of those spot-kicks, when referee Mike Jones adjudged Wes Morgan to have handled Raheem Sterling's cross but the ball struck the defender in the face.  Gerrard, who also scored in Liverpool's 3-1 win at Leicester last month, tucked home the resulting spot-kick and struck again from 12-yards after Danny Simpson also handled.




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Stoke City 1-1 Manchester United; Falcao strikes complete manchester united 10 premier league matches unbeaten run

Manchester United extended their unbeaten run to 10 Premier League games with a 1-1 draw at Stoke City on New Year's Day.  Radamel Falcao's third United goal earned a share of the spoils from an encounter affected by heavy winds after Ryan Shawcross had given Stoke an early lead at the Britannia Stadium.  Stoke headed into the clash having won back-to-back games over the festive period and, despite star man Bojan being unavailable due to a hamstring injury, the feel-good factor remained for the hosts as Shawcross opened the scoring in the second minute.
Louis van Gaal's men came back into the game, however, and went into the break level thanks to Falcao.  The second half did not bring any other goals, although Stoke ended the game having been denied what appeared a clear penalty for a Chris Smalling handball and seen Peter Crouch rattle the woodwork.  Stoke could not have enjoyed a better start as they went in front almost immediately courtesy of their captain.  A well-worked Marko Arnautovic corner to the back post found Crouch, who nodded down for former United man Shawcross to side-foot a volley home.


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Club friendly:Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Inter

Yohan Cabaye 's second-half strike was enough to hand Paris Saint-Germain
a 1-0 win over Inter in a friendly clash on Tuesday.
The France midfielder produced a composed finish shortly before the hour
mark in Marrakech.
Both sides had been guilty of wasting presentable opportunities before that,
but a combination of profligate finishing and good goalkeeping kept the game
scoreless until Cabaye's intervention.
Mauro Icardi missed two chances for Inter in the first half, before PSG star
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - facing one of his former clubs - brought a fine save out of
Samir Handanovic shortly after the restart.
Both sides will now return to domestic competition in the new year, with
reigning Ligue 1 champions PSG set to take on Montpellier in the Coupe de
France on Monday and Inter due to take on Serie A leaders Juventus in a
week's time.
Following a quiet start, PSG goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez was forced to rush
from his line to deny Icardi's effort with his legs in the 28th minute.
Douchez's opposite number Handanovic was called into action 10 minutes
later, keeping out Adrien Rabiot's effort from distance and then getting to his
feet to parry Blaise Matuidi's rebound.
Icardi had another opportunity to open the scoring two minutes prior to the
interval when he was played in by Mateo Kovacic's superb throughball.
But, after this time lifting the ball over the advancing Douchez, he was only
able to hit the side-netting.
Ibrahimovic ought to have put PSG in the lead early in the second half but his
close-range effort was well kept out by Handanovic.
The Inter keeper was then replaced by Juan Pablo Carrizo, who had to palm
away Matuidi's deflected cross as it threatened to drop in at the far post.
PSG were rewarded for their strong start to the second period when Cabaye
swept home the loose ball after Inter failed to clear Gregory van der Wiel's
low delivery into the box.

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Real Madrid 2-4 Ac milan: in a friendly to continue their encouraging form

Filippo Inzaghi paid tribute to Stephan El Shaarawy's "two brilliant goals" after
his AC Milan side beat Real Madrid 4-2 on Tuesday.
The Italy international scored twice along with Jeremy Menez and Giampaolo
Pazzini to hand the Rossoneri a friendly win over the European champions in
Dubai.
Inzaghi was delighted with the efforts of his entire squad and believes the win
is another encouraging sign of their recent form against strong teams.
"I am satisfied. It was, however, a friendly and we cannot get ahead of
ourselves," Inzaghi told reporters after the match. "We've been playing like
this for some time and tonight it all went very well.
"El Shaarawy did very well, he scored two brilliant goals. They all did well,
even those that came on later off the bench. I'm spolit for choice.
"In the past three matches we've faced Napoli, Roma and Real Madrid,
winning two and drawing one and playing on equal terms with all of them.
"We have the right spirit and desire. I'm hugely satisfied. I'm now thinking
about Serie A and that will be the hardest match for us.
"I am happy for the president, Silvio Berlusconi, I spoke to him before the
match. Seeing that we were competing with them will have made him happy.
"To have seen us grow so much gives me hope, but the biggest satisfaction
was our attitude."

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Manchester City 2-2 Burnley;Ashley Barnes late goal let Chelsea off the hook

A late Ashley Barnes strike gained Burnley a surprise 2-2 draw at Manchester City on Sunday to end the champions’ nine-match winning run.  City were on course for a club-record 10th consecutive victory in all competitions that would have seen them move to within a point of Premier League leaders Chelsea, who drew with Southampton earlier in the day.  However, after George Boyd pulled one back, Barnes completed a memorable comeback for Sean Dyche’s side, who were 2-0 down at half-time thanks to strikes from David Silva and Fernandinho at the Etihad Stadium.   Burnley had offered signs of promise in the opening exchanges, but City’s dominance in possession came to fruition when Silva opened the scoring 23 minutes in.   The Spaniard’s fifth goal in as many Premier League games was soon followed by an impressive second from Fernandinho 10 minutes later as the home side appeared out of sight.  However, Burnley had a lifeline early in the second half as Boyd converted from close range, despite appearing offside, and the fightback was complete when Barnes fired home from inside the area nine minutes from time.  It could prove a vital point for strugglers Burnley, while City boss Manuel Pellegrini – again without skipper Vincent Kompany following a hamstring injury – was left to rue a missed opportunity to keep the pressure on Chelsea.  While Jason Shackell was required to block Martin Demichelis’ goalbound effort after five minutes, Burnley acquitted themselves well early on.   However, City continued to dominate possession and were almost ahead when James Milner scooped Jesus Navas’ delivery over the crossbar.  Unchanged Burnley enjoyed their best spell of the half as Kieran Trippier’s delivery evaded Barnes before Dean Marney stung the palms of Joe Hart from the edge of the area after 19 minutes.  A flash of City’s quality enabled them to grab the lead, however, as Navas’ cutback found Silva, who turned smartly and fired past Tom Heaton at the near post.  The playmaker’s recent form has helped City cope with the continued absence of Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero, with Fernandinho – starting ahead of the rested Yaya Toure – getting in on the act shortly after the half-hour mark.   The Brazilian midfielder was afforded too much time and space by the Burnley defence and responded by curling a stunning strike in off the crossbar from the edge of the area to open his account for the season.   Dyche’s mood will have been lifted a minute after the interval when Boyd diverted Danny Ings’ cross home to give the visitors hope. Ings almost got on the end of Barnes’ throughball shortly after, but failed to get it under control.  And, just when it seemed as though City would see the game out, Barnes drew Burnley level.  Barnes half-volleyed his fourth Premier League goal of the season when City failed to clear a free-kick to gain his side a reward for their spirited second-half showing, halting the hosts’ momentum in the process.  For City, it represents the first time they have failed to beat a newly-promoted side at home since November 2009, when they were held 3-3 by Burnley.
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QPR 0–0 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace caretaker boss Keith Millen denied QPR a fourth consecutive Premier League triumph at Loftus Road following a goalless draw.  A stubborn Palace defence kept Harry Redknapp’s side at bay on Sunday as the London rivals claimed what could prove to be a valuable point apiece in their respective battles to avoid relegation.   Palace co-chairman Steve Parish demanded a response from the club’s players after the sacking of manager Neil Warnock 24 hours previously, but neither side were able to make an impact over the course of a low-quality first half, although the visitors almost took the lead through Jason Puncheon.   QPR had the better of proceedings after half-time, with Leroy Fer going close with two audacious strikes, while Palace continued to provide a threat.  James McArthur made a terrific goal-line clearance from a Steven Caulker header, but both teams had to settle for a share of the spoils. The point sees QPR leapfrog above West Brom, while Palace remain in the bottom three.  Redknapp made a bold six changes to the QPR side dispatched 2-1 by 10-man Arsenal on Boxing Day, with Rio Ferdinand dropping back to the bench and replaced by Richard Dunne.  Millen, taking temporary charge of Palace for a third time, replaced the injured Fraizer Campbell with Wilfried Zaha in the visitors’ only change, and both sides struggled to impose themselves during a cagey opening period.  In-form forward Charlie Austin went close after 15 minutes, testing Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni with a rasping volley from the edge of the box in QPR’s first meaningful attack.  Redknapp’s men have the Premier League’s worst defensive record so far in 2014-15, having conceded 34 times, and that backline was carved open six minutes later when Puncheon almost put the visitors ahead with a delightful left-footed strike that hit the post.   Palace continued to look dangerous on the counter attack, with Yannick Bolasie and Zaha both prominent, while veteran QPR defender Clint Hill was perhaps lucky to escape a red card following a reckless lunge on Adrian Mariappa.  The hosts came out strong after the restart and Fer fired an ambitious volley just wide of the upright from an acute angle after latching onto a floated cross.  Bolasie still proved a constant presence for Palace, but QPR continued to press, with Fer linking up play well in central areas.   And it was the Dutch midfielder who caused havoc again when he picked up the ball 30 yards out before unleashing a powerful drive that was destined for the top-right corner, but Speroni reacted superbly to tip it over.  But Palace were not be deterred and Bolasie should have tested Robert Green when, after doing brilliantly to latch onto a long ball from the back and shake off Mauricio Isla, the skilful winger delayed his shot, allowing Dunne to intervene.  Redknapp introduced Eduardo Vargas and Matt Phillips as QPR searched for a winner and they almost had it when Caulker rose well to meet Joey Barton’s pin-point corner, but McArthur was well positioned to head clear off the line.  Junior Hoilett lashed wide as the final whistle approached, while Barton’s quality set-piece deliveries put Palace under constant pressure, but the visitors held on to secure a well-earned point.

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Hull City 0-1 Leicester City

Leicester City ended their three-month wait for a Premier League win as Riyad Mahrez fired them to a 1-0 victory over Hull City on Sunday.  Mahrez collected a pass 20 yards from goal just after the half-hour at the KC Stadium and netted his second league goal of the season past Allan McGregor.  Hull had started well but wasted the few openings they were able to create, and Mahrez punished them in a scrappy first half.  Steve Bruce made three attacking changes in the second half to try and get his side back into the game, however they were unable to turn possession into goals despite Paul Konchesky’s late red card.  Leicester, who were twice saved by the post, absorbed all Hull could throw at them pressure, with Stephen Quinn also given his marching orders for handball in stoppage time as Nigel Pearson picked up a first win at his former club since leaving them in 2011.  Victory is bottom club’s Leicester’s first since September’s memorable 5-3 win over Manchester United – a run of 13 games – and moves them to within three points of safety, with Hull one of three sides firmly in their sights as pressure grows on Bruce.  Jake Livermore returned for the suspended James Chester in Hull’s only change from Boxing Day’s win at Sunderland, while Leicester rotated their central midfield pairing with Esteban Cambiasso and Matty James coming in.  Sone Aluko, who was again deployed as a lone striker, caused trouble for the Leicester defence in the opening exchanges with his pace, and had the game’s first chance after six minutes, but his curling effort from 20 yards was easily saved by Ben Hamer.  Further chances fell to Robbie Brady and Gaston Ramirez in the opening 20 minutes, but neither player was able to stretch Hamer.  Having started well, Hull were made to pay for their wastefulness as Mahrez fired Leicester in front after 32 minutes.  The Algerian collected a pass from David Nugent on the right, cut inside and – having beaten two Hull challenges – fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.  Ahmed Elmohamady should have sent Hull into the break level in first-half stoppage time as he met a pinpoint cross from Quinn, but the right-back miscued his volley wide.  Hull introduced Nikica Jelavic, Abel Hernandez and Tom Ince early in the second half to try and inject more attacking flair to their game.  However, they continued to struggle to make inroads into the Leicester defence, with the visitors looking more of a threat on the counter-attack.  A swift move between Jeffrey Schlupp and Mahrez created a chance for substitute Chris Wood, only for the striker to volley over McGregor’s crossbar.  Hull felt they had a way back into the game with 15 minutes to play as Hernandez’s flick brushed Wes Morgan’s arm inside the penalty area, but referee Phil Dowd waved away their appeals.  Bruce’s side laid siege on the Leicester goal in the closing minutes but they were twice denied by the woodwork as Livermore and Hernandez struck the post.  Both sides were reduced to 10 men in the final minutes as Konchesky and Quinn were shown red, the latter’s dismissal easing the pressure on Leicester after Hernandez skied an effort from four yards, providing a timely boost for Pearson and keeping Hull mired in the battle at the bottom.
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West Ham 1-2 Arsenal:Welbeck's goal scure 3 points for Arsenal

Arsenal overcame a rough first half to beat West Ham United 2-1 on Sunday at Boleyn Ground, with the Gunners once again ruthlessly efficient in front of goal. The hosts dominated the first half but went into half-time down two scores, and they never recovered in the second half.  A sloppy start to the match saw both teams playing long ball after long ball without any real results.  Alex Song thought he had opened the score inside the first 10 minutes when he rifled home from a corner, but the official saw the ball pass through a crowd of players and gave the offside.
Arsenal leapfrogged West Ham into fifth place in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory at Upton Park on Sunday.  West Ham came into the fixture having won six of their last seven league matches on home soil, and threatened to continue that impressive form when Alex Song found the net after five minutes, though the ex-Arsenal man’s strike was chalked off for offside.  Sam Allardyce’s men continued to look the better team for large spells of the opening period, but were undone shortly before the break.  Santi Cazorla’s penalty after being felled by Winston Reid in the 41st minute came somewhat against the run of play, before Danny Welbeck doubled the visitors’ lead three minutes later.  Cheikhou Kouyate’s headed goal nine minutes after the interval gave the home side hope of salvaging something from the tie, but Arsenal held on for maximum points.  The result sees Arsenal go fifth, two points clear of West Ham, who now sit sixth.  Song returned to captain West Ham against his former club, as Allardyce made five changes to the side that lost 2-0 at Chelsea on Friday, and had the ball in the back of the net after five minutes.  The midfielder lashed home from 25 yards when the ball fell to him from a corner, but the effort was ruled out after the linesman deemed Diafra Sakho to be in an offside position on the edge of the six-yard box.  Arsenal, who made three changes from their 2-1 win over QPR, struggled to find their feet in the early stages, and West Ham had appeals for a penalty waved away soon after the disallowed goal when Sakho went down under the challenge of Mathieu Debuchy.  Alexis Sanchez twice went close as the visitors improved but James Tomkins squandered a golden opportunity to mark his 200th West Ham appearance with a goal when he lifted the ball over the crossbar from a Stewart Downing cross.  He was soon made to rue that miss, when a falling Reid caught Cazorla as he charged into the penalty area – the Spaniard burying the resulting spot-kick in the bottom left-hand corner of the net.  Arsenal made it two just three minutes later, with Welbeck sliding in to convert an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cross after a neat passing move.  Carroll headed narrowly over as West Ham looked to reduce the deficit at the beginning of the second half, but Kouyate had more success in the 54th minute as he nodded in off the head of Debuchy from a Tomkins cross.  Adrian got down brilliantly to his left to prevent Cazorla re-establishing the two-goal advantage soon after, before Reid tested Wojciech Szczesny with an improvised effort from 25 yards at the other end.  Welbeck came close to a brace when he drilled wide after charging down the left wing, and Adrian was forced into excellent saves from Oxlade-Chamberlain and Alexis late on.  Wenger will be grateful to come away from Upton Park with the three points, though, as his side were forced to cope with sustained injury-time pressure from the home side, culminating in Enner Valencia heading just over shortly before the final whistle.




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Aston Villa 0-0 Sunderland

Ten-man Aston Villa held on for a goalless draw against toothless Sunderland after Fabian Delph had been sent off at Villa Park on Sunday.  Villa midfielder Delph was shown a straight red card by referee Martin Atkinson for a late challenge on Jordi Gomez just four minutes into the second half.  It was the third time in the last four Premier League games that Paul Lambert’s side had been reduced to 10 men, but Sunderland were unable to make the most of their numerical advantage.  Gus Poyet’s side had their chances after Delph’s dismissal, with Gomez striking the post late on, but Villa dug deep and showed plenty of character as they held on for a point.  Villa’s lack of goals will be a concern for Lambert, as his side have only found the back of the net 11 times in 19 top-flight games, while Sunderland have won just one of their last nine matches.  Andreas Weimann was recalled to the Villa starting line-up to replace the suspended Gabriel Agbonlahor, while Charles N’Zogbia started at the expense of Jores Okore.  Sunderland striker Connor Wickham returned from suspension, with Wes Brown and Liam Bridcutt also starting as Ricky Alvarez, Lee Cattermole and Sebastian Coates dropped to the bench.  Villa knocked the ball around with confidence after Sunderland forced a couple of early corners and John O’Shea produced a crucial challenge to rob Weimann after Alan Hutton had cut the ball back to the Austria forward.  Bridcutt lasted only 18 minutes before he was replaced by Cattermole after failing to recover from a collision with Christian Benteke.  Wickham has scored only two Premier League goals this season, but the striker was clearly not short of confidence as he tried his luck with a curling effort that flashed wide of the far post.  Both sides lacked quality in the final third, but N’Zogbia forced Costel Pantilimon to make a save when he cut in from the right   Weimann failed to punish Sunderland when they lost possession in their own half, dragging a poor finish wide of the far post with his left foot.  There was finally a talking point in an uneventful match early in the second half, when Delph was given his marching orders by referee Atkinson for a poorly timed tackle on Gomez.  Ron Vlaar rescued Villa with a fine last-ditch tackle on Wickham after Adam Johnson had picked the striker out with an incisive pass.  Sunderland had a spring in their step following Delph’s sending off and Villa were indebted to a fine block from substitute Okore when Steven Fletcher’s venomous strike looked destined for the back of the net.  Wickham somehow failed to open the scoring after 67 minutes following a goalmouth scramble as Villa struggled to get out of their own half.  Jack Grealish almost put the home side in front against the run of play, but his side-footed finish was just wide of the far post and Pantilimon produced a fine save to keep out a Vlaar header as Villa attempted to snatch a winner.  Brad Guzan got a fingertip to a left-foot strike from Gomez that rattled the post and Pantilimon denied Leandro Bacuna before Benteke headed into the side-netting in stoppage time in a dramatic finale, but neither side could snatch all three points.

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Tottenham 0-0 Manchester United:A point for United ensured they will head into 2015 in third place, with a trip to Stoke City to come on New Year's Day.

Tottenham and Manchester United shared the points at White Hart Lane on Sunday, but the home side owed a debt of gratitude to goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for keeping his team in the contest at half-time.  The France international pulled off a string of fine saves to prevent the Old Trafford club from building further momentum after their Boxing Day win over Newcastle. Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie were all thwarted by Lloris in the first half before the creative outlet of Juan Mata appeared to dry up in the second.  Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino made four changes to his team, with Vlad Chiriches, Ben Davies, Ryan Mason and Andros Townsend coming in to replace Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Nabil Bentaleb and Erik Lamela. Louis van Gaal, meanwhile, named the same XI for the first time in the Premier League this season, and he added Luke Shaw to his bench after six games out with an ankle injury.

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Stoke 2 - 0 West Brom:Diouf brace secures back-to-back wins for stoke city

A Mame Biram Diouf brace helped Stoke to back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this term in Sunday’s 2-0 scalp of West Brom.  Mark Hughes’ men had failed to string together consecutive top-flight wins this season before West Brom’s visit and, although the away side will count themselves unlucky not to have earned a share of the spoils, Diouf’s second-half double proved decisive.  Brown Ideye, Chris Brunt and Craig Gardner all went close for the visitors in a keenly contested first half, while the in-form Bojan Krkic showed flashes of his ability in attack for Stoke.  But the hosts appeared considerably more focused at the start of the second half and Diouf broke the deadlock six minutes after the break.  Gareth McAuley nearly drew West Brom level as he hit the post with 65 minutes on the clock and Stoke capitalised on that let-off, securing victory through a fortuitous Diouf goal shortly after, increasing the pressure on the visiting coach Alan Irvine.  Supporters were treated to a frenetic opening at the Britannia Stadium, though the home side took a little longer to settle despite Hughes making just the one change from Friday’s 1-0 win at Everton – replacing Jonathan Walters with Peter Crouch.  Ideye, one of four brought in after the 3-1 defeat to Manchester City, wasted West Brom’s first chance inside 60 seconds as he raced on to a long ball and blazed over the crossbar.  Stoke unsurprisingly began to look more dangerous going forward once Bojan started to get involved and the Spaniard almost put the hosts ahead in the 14th minute, sending an effort agonisingly wide of the bottom-left corner from 20 yards.  But West Brom remained threatening, with the evasive movement of Ideye and Stephane Sessegnon causing Stoke plenty of problems at the back.  And both were involved seven minutes before the break, as a fine West Brom move ended with Brunt blasting a fierce left-footed effort just off target from 30 yards, much to the relief of goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.  Stoke seemed to begin the second period with renewed urgency and Diouf opened the scoring in the 51st minute, slotting past Ben Foster after producing a clever first touch 12 yards from goal.  West Brom almost pulled one back through McAuley with 25 minutes to go, but the defender prodded against the woodwork amid a goalmouth scramble and Stoke made them pay just a few moments later.  Marko Arnautovic’s wayward effort from outside the area struck Diouf, subsequently deceiving Foster, who could only watch as the ball rolled into the net.  West Brom desperately poured men forward during the final 15 minutes, but their attackers appeared bereft of ideas and Stoke ultimately cruised to the win, ending 2014 in victorious fashion.

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southampton 1 - 1 chelsea:Chelsea will finish 2014 as Premier League leaders, despite chelsea playing 1-1 draw with Southampton

Chelsea will finish 2014 as Premier League leaders, despite Jose Mourinho’s side toiling to a 1-1 draw at Southampton on Sunday.  The west Londoners failed to hit their usual impeccable standards at the St Mary’s Stadium on Sunday, with Southampton displaying their top-four credentials in a battling display.  An upset appeared on the cards when Sadio Mane made the most of sloppy defending from Chelsea captain John Terry, recently promised a new deal by Mourinho, to race through and deftly lift over Thibaut Courtois for his second goal in as many matches.  However, a moment of brilliance from Eden Hazard shortly before the break levelled proceedings, as he curled home his seventh league goal of the campaign.  Chelsea pushed hard for a winner after the break and felt hard done by when Cesc Fabregas was booked for simulation despite being tripped by Matt Targett.  But Mourinho’s side had to settle for a point – despite an 88th-minute red card for Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin.  A draw ensures Chelsea will top the pile going into 2015, while Southampton hit back at their sceptics after recent defeats to Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United in a rotten run.  Dusan Tadic, one of four Southampton changes from the 3-1 beating of Crystal Palace on Boxing Day, tested the water early with a shot from distance that went well wide.  The Serbia winger then played an influential role as the hosts moved ahead in the 16th minute.  His expertly dinked throughball caught Terry flat-footed and the Chelsea skipper was left trailing in Mane’s wake as the Senegal winger sprung the offside trap and kept his cool to lift the ball over  Courtois.  Chelsea made just three alterations to the team that beat West Ham on Friday and did not take long to showcase their talent, dominating the majority of possession, but they were uncharacteristically wasteful in the final third.  However, the visitors restored parity on the stroke of half-time with a fine finish from Hazard.  Creator-in-chief Fabregas showed great vision to play a delicate chip into the path of Hazard in the left channel, who cut inside Belgium colleague Toby Alderweireld and bent a fierce shot into the far corner.  Fabregas was again involved 10 minutes after the break when he was tripped inside the penalty area by teenage full-back Targett – making his first league start in place of Chelsea loanee Ryan Bertrand – but referee Anthony Taylor deemed it a dive and booked the incredulous Spaniard.  The visitors continued to press and Fabregas once again teed up Hazard on the hour but this time he flashed wide of the right-hand post, while Didier Drogba was introduced to add muscle to Chelsea’s attack.  However, for all the visitors’ pressure a clear-cut opportunity never materialised and even when Schneiderlin received a second yellow card and subsequent red for hacking down Fabregras on the half-way line Chelsea could not find a way through, missing the chance to keep daylight between themselves and Manchester City.

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