LONDON (AP) – Tammy Abraham demonstrated the relentless momentum German star Timo Werner is lacking by scoring two late goals and helping Chelsea beat West Ham 3-0 on Monday in the Premier League.
With this the team rebounded after two consecutive defeats, at Everton and Wolverhampton, which were a wake-up call for Chelsea and their claims to win the title.
Werner, Chelsea’s main acquisition at the break between seasons, has gone nine straight games without scoring in all competitions.
Abraham returned to the team to replace Frenchman Olivier Giroud.
Brazilian defender Thiago Silva found space in the area to head off a corner kick and put Chelsea in front in the 10th minute.
Manchester United previously waited 16 years to face old rival Leeds in the Premier League and made them look like a second-class side.
United posted a 6-2 victory on Sunday, although both clubs were easily able to score more goals. The Red Devils are back in the league title fight in third place.
This easy win put United ahead of Tottenham, who swept United 6-1 in October but are now plagued with problems. A 2-0 loss to Leicester knocked Spurs out of the Champions League spots, and Jose Mourinho’s team has a draw and two losses in an eight-day span.
Scott McTominay was seen as one of the Premier League’s best scorers when United took an early lead over Leeds.
Midfielder McTominay – who had not scored in the Premier League since March – scored after two minutes and again three minutes later, when the Leeds defense gave him enough space.
Bruno Fernandes and Victor Lindelof extended United’s lead against Leeds’ null defense. Goals from Daniel James and Fernandes followed in the second half.
Earlier, with a Jamie Vardy penalty and an own goal by Toby Alderweireld, Leicester scored a 2-0 win over Tottenham to climb to second place in the Premier League table, overtaking the North London club.
Leicester, the unexpected 2016 title winner, are now just four points behind defending champion Liverpool after 14 days.
In time to make up for a first half lacking clear scoring opportunities, Vardy put Leicester ahead of the penalty after Tottenham defender Serge Aurier dropped Wesley Fofana.
Tottenham was saved early in the second half when a long shot from James Justin was masterfully received by James Maddison before scoring, but was canceled by VAR for position ahead.
Nonetheless, Leicester scored the second in the hour when Vardy’s header shot past the goal before being deflected by Alderweireld, who was under no rival pressure.
The result allowed Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers – who served as helmsman at Chelsea’s academy in 2004 when Mourinho led the first division club – to score his first win over his mentor in their eighth game.
Two weeks after Tottenham beat Arsenal in front of 2,000 fans, the stands of the stadium in North London were closed again – after being open for just two games – due to tightening of restrictions to curb the coronavirus pandemic in the capital.
On the other hand, in Brighton a Danny Welbeck goal near the end put an end to the hopes of a 10-man Sheffield United for their first Premier League victory of the season, and Brighton rescued a 1-1 draw.
Despite John Lundstram receiving a red card in the first half, Sheffield was headed for a 1-0 win thanks to a deflected shot from Jayden Bogle in the 63rd minute.
That changed when a deep cross pass was deflected for Welbeck to chest and finish in the 87th. Brighton moved two points above the relegation zone in 16th place and Sheffield stayed at the bottom of the table with just barely. two points after 14 games, the worst start of any team since the Premier began in 1992.
