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Irving’s jumper Latham’s ton lifts Cavs leads NZ to over 16Warriors comprehensive17 win TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016 Ibrahimovic keeps Man United motoring Page 19 LONDON: Chelsea’s Spanish midfielder Pedro (CR) slides into Bournemouth’s Polish goalkeeper Artur Boruc (L) during the English remierP League football match between Chelsea and Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge in London yesterday. — AFP Pedro double fires record-breaking Chelsea effectively killed off Bournemouth’s hopes with Eden Last December, Bournemouth’s win at Stamford The former Barcelona player did well to create space Hazard’s 49th-minute penalty before Pedro’s deflected Bridge helped hasten the departure of former Blues on the edge of the box before chipping the ball over Chelsea 3 second wrapped up the win. manager Jose Mourinho. keeper Artur Boruc and into the top corner of the Diego Costa’s one-match ban meant Conte was This time around there seemed little chance of a Bournemouth goal. forced to reshuffle his forward line for the first time repeat upset with Eddie Howe’s side having won just Howe’s side responded positively, and in particular since his team embarked on their winning run, with one of eight away games. Jack Wilshere who produced a weaving run into the Bournemouth 0 Michy Batshuayi hoping to make his first league start And an early move when Fabregas almost played in home box before testing keeper Thibaut Courtois with a since his arrival from Marseille. Pedro behind the visitors’ defence suggested this would low shot. Then moments later the on-loan Arsenal mid- LONDON: Pedro struck twice as Premier League lead- Conte, though, had made it clear in the build-up to be a testing afternoon for the Cherries. fielder latched onto a poor clearing header only to see ers Chelsea registered a club record 12th successive the game that the 23-year-old still has work to do as he his volley deflected wide. league win by beating Bournemouth 3-0 at Stamford attempts to acclimatise to life in the Premier League. OUTSTANDING That opportunity provoked an angry reaction from Bridge yesterday. Antonio Conte’s side can edge ever And Batshuayi once again found himself on the Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta was forced to Conte who was frustrated at his side’s failure to organise closer to Arsenal’s Premier League record of 14 consec- bench as the Chelsea boss opted to stick with his estab- react quickly to prevent Adam Smith’s low cross reach- themselves at the preceding free-kick. utive wins when they face Stoke at the Bridge on lished senior players, moving Hazard into the middle ing Josh King who was positioned in space in front of Hazard had been a constant threat and the forward’s Saturday. Victory then would set up the possibility of with Willian and Pedro operating either side of the the home goal. powerful running again unsettled the visiting defence, matching the record, set across the 2001-02 and 2002- Belgium international. But that was a fleeting moment of concern for drawing the foul from skipper Simon Francis that 03 seasons, when they travel to face London rivals Conte also made an enforced change in midfield Conte’s side before Pedro produced a moment of out- ensured the game was effectively over just four minutes Tottenham on January 4. with Cesc Fabregas slotting in alongside Nemanja Matic standing individual skill to put the leaders on course for after the restart. On this form, few would bet against the Blues in place of the suspended N’Golo Kante. victory with the 24th-minute opening goal. Francis’ mistimed challenge sent Hazard sprawling extending their current run after they moved nine Chelsea’s form has been such, however, that the Hazard started the move, running incisively towards inside the penalty area and the Belgian recovered to points clear of second placed Liverpool, who host Stoke changes had little effect on Conte’s side, who once the heart of the Bournemouth defence before playing convert the resulting penalty. Pedro’s second goal today. In control long before Pedro put them ahead again demonstrated the confidence that comes with the ball into the feet of Fabregas, who found his Spanish arrived deep in stoppage time to seal another emphat- with a superb individual strike in the 24th minute, they winning matches. international team-mate Pedro with a short pass. ic victory. — AFP Giroud late goal lifts Arsenal Man City wears down Bellerin beat the offside trap and volleyed the ball across the penalty area. Hull to win 3-0 in EPL Arsenal 1 When Arsenal attempted to pass their way through, any inaccuracy or failure of control was into his own net by Curtis Davies. punished as defenders surrounded and outnum- A third straight win continued West Brom 0 bered attackers. Claudio Yacob intercepted as Hull 0 City’s recovery after a sticky peri- Alex Iwobi and Giroud attempted an intricate one- od of results for coach Pep two. Iwobi then decided to go it alone, but his Guardiola, lifting the team into shot drifted just over the bar after he had dribbled second place ahead of Liverpool. LONDON: A late goal by Olivier Giroud on his first in from the left. In the opening five minutes of the Man City 3 Premier League start of the season gave Arsenal a Liverpool plays its game in hand second half Arsenal raised the pace and urgency against Stoke today. hard-fought 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion of their game and might have scored twice. yesterday. Arsene Wenger’s side seemed certain to HULL: Manchester City wore City is seven points behind down last-placed Hull to win 3-0 in Chelsea after 18 rounds of the 38- slip further off the pace at the top of the league ATTACKING INTENT against an ultra-defensive Albion team as the the English Premier League, game season. Toure has scored all First Iwobi’s low volley forced a save from thanks to late goals by Yaya Toure 10 of his penalties for City and has game moved into its final stages at the Emirates LONDON: West Bromwich Albion’s English Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster and as Alexis and substitute Kelechi Iheanacho three goals since returning to the Stadium. But Giroud’s header in the 86th minute defender Craig Dawson (L) vies with Arsenal’s Sanchez rushed in to attempt to stab home the as well as an own-goal yesterday. team after being ostracized by provided a welcome return to winning ways for Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez during the loose ball, Foster knocked it away for a corner. Toure converted a penalty kick Guardiola early in the season. Arsenal after painful defeats on the road at English Premier League football match between From the resulting set piece, the ball reached in the 72nd minute after Raheem The former Ivory Coast mid- Everton and Manchester City. Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion at the Sanchez inside the six-yard box but with his back Sterling was tripped by Andrew fielder could have a key part to Gunners boss Wenger had defended Mesut to goal. The Chilean dribbled away from goal to his Emirates Stadium in London yesterday. — AFP Ozil, a scapegoat in some quarters for failing to Robertson as the England winger play in City’s title challenge this left and shot on the turn but the ball rebounded failed to make a clean catch. drove into the area. Up until that season now that fellow midfielder pull his defensive weight in those pre-Christmas off the near post. Sanchez, full of attacking intent, At the other end Giroud’s outstretched foot was setbacks. And he was rewarded for his faith as Ozil point, City lacked inspiration Ilkay Gundogan has been ruled then ran in from the left and shot fiercely for the inches away from reaching a low cross from Lucas going forward as Hull defended out for the rest of the campaign provided the cross for Giroud’s winner to keep top corner, his drive finger-tipped away by Foster. Perez, and when Bellerin worked his way clear of Arsenal nine points behind leaders Chelsea. valiantly and in numbers, but with damaged knee ligaments. Perhaps that inspired Giroud to run past two defenders to meet a cross from the right, he could more spaces opened up to allow Hull will rue Robertson’s It was clear from early on that Albion’s priority defenders and hit a low, left-foot shot that Foster only head the ball over the bar. was keeping a tight rein on Arsenal’s attack and the visitors a second goal. moment of madness in bringing had to keep out with his leg. It seemed Albion had done enough to earn a Kevin De Bruyne laid in David down Sterling as the bottom side most of the first half followed a repeated pattern- Albion had little to offer until Salomon Rondon point until Ozil crossed from the right and Giroud, the hosts moving the ball forward and attempting Silva, whose pinpoint cross was was looking compact in defense charged down the left, but Gabriel was able to bumping and barging defender Gareth McAuley, tapped home by Iheanacho at the and giving up few chances. Only to find gaps without much success. outpace him as he bore down on goal. sent a header looping over Foster and in. Late sub- Ozil had a shot blocked, Giroud sent a curling far post in the 78th. In the fourth De Bruyne, with a low shot against A second run by Rondon, however, forced the stitute Aaron Ramsey almost made it 2-0 when he minute of stoppage time, Sterling the post, had come close to break- effort high and wide, and then failed to react first of a series of corners that ended with Yacob ran onto Sanchez’s header only to hit his shot quickly enough to provide a target when Hector weaved his way into the area and ing the deadlock before Toure’s blasting over the crossbar after Petr Cech had against Foster’s legs.