Chelsea went 10 points clear at the top of the English Premier League table after a 1-0 win over Manchester United on Saturday as Leicester City moved off the bottom of the table.
Eden Hazard scored the only goal of the game at Stamford Bridge to leave Jose Mourinho’s side in sight of their first English title since 2010.
The Belgium midfielder scored the only goal of the game in the 38th minute when he placed a low shot past United goalkeeper David de Gea after Oscar had back-heeled the ball into his path.
Photo: AFP
Chelsea will be champions if they win their next two matches, against second-placed Arsenal and Leicester.
“I feel we are almost there, but there are no ‘almosts’ in football,” Mourinho said. “Six games to play: three at home, three away. Every game is difficult, every team needs points, but our situation is very good.”
Defeat left United third, 11 points adrift of Chelsea and having played a game more than the Blues.
“I’m not frustrated. I’m very proud of my team,” United manager Louis van Gaal said. “In football, you can lose in spite of being the better team.”
Meanwhile Leicester made it three wins in a row with a 2-0 victory at home to Swansea.
Argentine forward Leonardo Ulloa, only drafted into the side after fellow striker David Nugent injured himself in the warm-up, scored in the 15th minute after latching onto a loose ball in the box. Andy King made the game safe for Leicester a minute from time when he scored after Esteban Cambiasso’s free-kick was parried by Lukasz Fabianksi.
This latest success saw Leicester climb off the bottom of the table for the first time since November last year, with only goal difference now standing between them and safety.
However, cautious Leicester manager Nigel Pearson said: “The danger is people start believing the job is done. It is far from it. There is a long way to go.”
Ten-man Burnley replaced Leicester at the bottom after a 1-0 loss away to Everton.
Southampton’s push for a UEFA Champions League place was halted by a 2-1 loss away to Stoke City.
West Bromwich Albion went eight points clear of the relegation zone with a 2-0 victory at manager Tony Pulis’ former club, Crystal Palace.
LIGUE 1
Reuters, PARIS
Javier Pastore’s double inspired a weary Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-1 win at OGC Nice as the French champions reclaimed top spot in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
PSG now have 65 points from 32 games and lead second-placed Olympique Lyonnais by one point.
AS Monaco are third, six points off the pace having played a game more, after Bernardo Silva’s 29th minute-opener was canceled out by Habib Habibou’s late strike in a 1-1 home draw against Stade Rennais.
Elsewhere, SC Bastia lost 2-1 to Stade de Reims, En Avant de Guingcamp drew 1-1 with Evian Thonon Gaillard, Toulouse beat Lorient 1-0 and Metz eased past Racing Club de Lens 3-1.
LA LIGA
AP, BARCELONA, Spain
Lionel Messi set up Luis Suarez’s first-minute opener then notched his 400th goal for Barcelona in stoppage-time to give the La Liga leaders a hard-fought 2-0 win over Valencia on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Argentine is the all-time leading scorer for both Barcelona and in La Liga. His 400th goal in his 471st match for Barca was also his 278th goal in the Spanish league.
He also tops the Champions League with Cristiano Ronaldo with 75 goals each from the group phase on.
Ronaldo made up for a missed a penalty by likewise scoring in injury-time to reach the 50-goal mark for a fifth consecutive season as Real Madrid beat Malaga 3-1 at home to stay two points behind Barcelona with six rounds left.
Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann struck a brace as the defending champions strengthened their hold on third place with a 2-1 victory at RC Deportivo de La Coruna.
Atletico coach Diego Simeone was red-carded apparently for complaining just before half-time as his team moved four points clear of fourth-placed Valencia following their first loss in 11 rounds.
Athletic Bilbao’s Aritz Aduriz struck two goals on either side of half-time to lead them to a 4-0 win over 10-man Getafe after Emiliano Velazquez was red-carded for fouling the striker with only the goalkeeper to beat in the 44th minute.
BUNDESLIGA
AP, BERLIN
Borussia Dortmund’s newfound inspiration led to a 3-0 win over SC Paderborn 07, while Bayern Munich closed in on the Bundesliga title with a 2-0 win at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen routed Hannover 96 4-0 to move to third, FSV Mainz 05 won 3-2 at SC Freiburg and Hertha BSC drew 0-0 with visiting Cologne. Raul Bobadilla struck in the 73rd minute for Augsburg to beat struggling VfB Stuttgart 2-1 in the late game and move provisionally fifth, above Schalke 04.
SERIE A
Reuters, ROME
Juventus defeated second-placed SS Lazio 2-0 at home on Saturday to take another huge step towards their fourth straight Serie A title.
First-half goals by Carlos Tevez and Leonardo Bonucci allowed Juve to open up a 15-point lead on Lazio, who saw their eight-game winning streak come to a grinding halt.
UC Sampdoria registered a 0-0 draw with AC Cesena.
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