Chelsea moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League after Manchester City lost 2-0 at home to Crystal Palace and Liverpool were held to a draw by Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea coasted to a 3-0 win at struggling Newcastle United with Reece James scoring twice before a Jorginho penalty wrapped up the victory.
The West London club have 25 points from 10 games with Liverpool three points behind and champions City two further back.
City fell behind to a Wilfried Zaha goal in the sixth minute and had defender Ayeric Laporte sent off for denying Zaha a goalscoring opportunity on the stroke of halftime.
Gabriel Jesus had an effort for City disallowed for offside by VAR before Conor Gallagher secured the surprise victory for Palace.
Liverpool, on a high after their 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United last Sunday, were brought back down to earth by a 2-2 draw with Brighton at Anfield.
Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane put Juergen Klopp’s side in control but Zambian midfielder Enock Mwepu brought Brighton back into the game with a delightful long-range effort that sailed over Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
Brighton gained the upper hand after the break and drew level in the 65th minute when Leandro Trossard side-stepped his marker and drove a low shot past Alisson.
The end-to-end action saw three goals ruled out after VAR checks, as Mane had one chalked off for handball and Salah another for offside while Trossard’s effort was also scrapped for offside.
Arsenal’s good run of form continued with a 2-0 victory at Leicester City thanks to goals from Gabriel and Emile Smith Rowe.
Manchester United, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer under intense pressure, are at Tottenham Hotspur later on Saturday.
REUTERS