Bad Day For Rafa And Co.

Last updated : 13 January 2019 By Footy Mad - Editor

West Ham 1-0 Arsenal
Brighton and Hove Albion 0-1 Liverpool
Burnley 2-1 Fulham
Cardiff City 0-0 Huddersfield Town
Crystal Palace 1-2 Watford
Leicester City 1-2 Southampton
Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

Image result for Chelsea 2 Newcastle 1

Willian's sublime strike earned Chelsea a 2-1 victory over spirited Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.

Pedro's ninth-minute lob saw the Magpies trailing, but Ciaran Clark headed in a deserved equaliser before half-time.

The Blues had plenty of chances, but only prevailed when Willian curled in a decisive second, following another assist by Eden Hazard, who was again deployed as Chelsea's 'false nine'.

Goalscoring remains an issue for Chelsea, who faced the prospect of a third top-flight home game without scoring for the first time since November 1993, but finished the day with a six-point advantage over fifth-placed Arsenal.

Burnley profited from two Fulham own-goals in quick succession as they came from behind to win 2-1 at Turf Moor, despite not registering a shot on target.

Andre Schurrle's wonderful early strike was cancelled out in the 20th minute when Jeff Hendrick's effort went in off Joe Bryan.

And three minutes later it was Denis Odoi who inadvertently beating Sergio Rico, heading in after Hendrick crossed.

Calum Chambers headed against the Burnley bar soon after and Fulham substitute Luciano Vietto was denied after the break by James Tarkowski and Tom Heaton - two players hoping to impress England boss Gareth Southgate, who was watching from the stands.

But Burnley held on to record their third consecutive Premier League victory, further easing their relegation fears, while second-bottom Fulham, who have won only one of their last nine league games, are now five points from safety.

Ten-man Southampton climbed out of the relegation zone as Ralph Hasenhuttl's revolution continued with a gutsy 2-1 win at Leicester

James Ward-Prowse's penalty and Shane Long's first goal for nine months earned victory at the King Power Stadium.

Long's strike, in first-half injury time, came just 120 seconds after Yan Valery had been sent off for a second bookable offence.

Wilfred Ndidi pulled a goal back in the second half for the Foxes but Claude Puel suffered defeat against his former club.

Southampton moved a point above the Premier League drop zone after just a fourth win of the season.

Three of them have come under boss Ralph Hasenhuttl as he revives the Saints just a month after replacing Mark Hughes.

Leicester dropped to eighth with boss Puel under fire from fans after performances lacking inspiration.

Huddersfield were left counting the cost of referee Lee Mason's change of mind in their 0-0 draw against fellow relegation strugglers Cardiff.

What had been a dreary Premier League affair low on quality produced a major 76th-minute talking point when Mason pointed to the penalty spot after Florent Hadergjonaj had tumbled in the box.

Several Cardiff players rushed towards Mason's assistant in the corner and the referee soon made his way there for a conversation.

Mason then dramatically reversed his decision and penalised Hadergjonaj for fouling Joe Bennett rather than the other way round, much to the bemusement of Huddersfield manager David Wagner on the touchline.

The bottom line, however, is that the contest will do little to help the two clubs' respective relegation battles.

Cardiff remain in a healthier position to survive, with an eight-point advantage over Huddersfield, but their failure to fashion an opening worthy of the name against opponents who had lost their previous nine games in all competitions will alarm manager Neil Warnock.