Liverpool put Arsenal to the sword
LONDON: An Eden Hazard hat-trick swept Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League on Saturday when they beat Newcastle United 3-0 at Stamford Bridge after previous leaders Arsenal were thrashed 5-1 at Liverpool.
Manchester City, who started the day in second place, slipped to third after they were held to a 0-0 draw at Norwich City despite dominating for almost the entire match.
With 13 games remaining, Chelsea are top with 56 points, followed by Arsenal on 55, City with 54 and Liverpool on 50.
Chelsea took advantage of Arsenal’s demolition at Anfield with a comprehensive win over Newcastle, who had no answer to Hazard’s artistry which produced goals in the 27th and 34th minutes with his third coming from the penalty spot after 63.
Earlier Liverpool crushed Arsenal with a stunning display of attacking football that produced four goals in an astonishing opening 20 minutes with Martin Skrtel (2), Raheem Sterling (2) and Daniel Sturridge all getting on the scoresheet.
Mikel Arteta scored a second half consolation for the Gunners from the penalty spot.
At the other end of the table, Crystal Palace climbed to 13th after a 3-1 win over visitors West Bromwich Albion who slipped into the relegation zone.
West Ham United climbed away from the bottom three with a 2-0 win at Aston Villa.
In the day’s other games, Southampton and Stoke City drew 2-2 while Hull City won 2-0 at 10-man Sunderland, who had Wes Brown sent off after three minutes.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had claimed during the week that the best his side could hope for was a top-four finish, but the claim rang hollow after the hosts scored four times in the first 20 minutes against Arsene Wenger’s shellshocked Arsenal.
The opening goal, after 51 seconds, set the tone for a half of complete Liverpool domination, with Martin Skrtel scoring twice and Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge also finding the net to raise serious questions about Arsenal’s own ability to win the league.
The opening minute saw Per Mertesacker haul back Luis Suarez to concede a free-kick that Steven Gerrard curled menacingly into the six-yard area, where Skrtel volleyed past Wojciech Szczesny with his knee.
That electrifying start had the passionate Anfield crowd in fine voice and Arsenal looking increasingly baffled and on the back foot, especially when Sturridge tested Szczesny with a couple of low shots.
After 10 minutes the lead was doubled, with another set-piece exposing the glaring deficiencies in the Arsenal defence.
Gerrard’s right-wing corner was met by the unmarked Skrtel, who placed a perfect glancing header over the leaping Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and into the top-left corner.
Mertesacker headed just wide from a Santi Cazorla corner as the Gunners momentarily threatened, but the game was effectively over as a contest as early as the 16th minute when Sterling made if 3-0.
The ineffective Mesut Ozil was bullied off the ball in midfield by Jordan Henderson, who sent Suarez sprinting down the right wing.
The Uruguayan, Arsenal’s primary transfer target of the last close season, produced the perfect cross for Sterling to convert from six yards.
If Wenger thought his side had struck rock-bottom, he was to be proved wrong three minutes later when Coutinho’s through ball played Sturridge clear of the Arsenal back line and the striker kept his calm to bend the ball past Szczesny.
Any suggestion that Liverpool would settle for their four-goal lead was removed in the 52nd minute.
Kolo Toure’s lobbed pass sent Sterling clean through on goal and the winger converted at the second attempt after Szczesny had blocked his initial effort.
Sterling should have completed his hat-trick three minutes later, but he failed to turn in Gerrard’s free-kick, while a magnificent 25-yard free-kick from Suarez was flying into the top corner until Szczesny made a superb save.
Gerrard’s trip on Oxlade-Chamberlain finally allowed Arsenal to put themselves on the scoreboard as Mikel Arteta successfully converted a 69th-minute penalty, before forcing Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet into a fine save soon afterwards.
“Tonight we have a lot to answer for, and a lot of answers to find,” Wenger told a news conference.
“We had a very poor day defensively and Liverpool played well to take advantage of it. Only our fans were at the races for 90 minutes and unfortunately we were not.
“It wasn’t good enough. I include myself in that performance, which raises questions about us. It’s how we respond that matters.” (Agencies)