Covid-hit Chelsea held by Wolves as City top Christmas charts
Covid-hit Chelsea were held to a goalless draw by Wolves on Sunday after the Premier League rejected their request to postpone the game as Manchester City put struggling Newcastle to the sword.
In the final match of a weekend on
which just four games were played due to the coronavirus crisis, Tottenham held
10-man Liverpool to a 2-2 draw, denting their title hopes.
Premier League clubs will meet on
Monday to discuss what action to take over the Covid chaos, with growing questions
over the integrity of the competition as the busy festive period looms.
Stumbling Chelsea, who have
struggled with illness and injuries in recent weeks, were only able to name
four outfield players on the bench for their match at Molineux.
The visitors, who have now won just
two of their past six league games, enjoyed the bulk of possession but mustered
just one shot on target and are now six points behind leaders City.
Thomas Tuchel was without Romelu
Lukaku, Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who have all tested positive for
Covid-19. Jorginho, Kai Havertz and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were also not in the
squad.
Chelsea earlier confirmed that their
request to have the game called off been turned down.
The European champions' appeal is
understood to have been rejected because the Blues were deemed to have had
enough players to fulfil the fixture.
‘I gave my
opinion and you can do with it what you want,’ a
frustrated Tuchel told the BBC. ‘I can't
compare to other games, it is just our situation.
‘It is not
safe. We talk about protecting players and a safe environment but it is not
safe. I would not be surprised if the next test shows up and we have more
positives.
‘How should
it stop if we sit in the bus and have dinners and just stay together like
nothing happened?’
Defending champions City crushed
relegation-threatened Newcastle 4-0 to confirm their position at the top of the
table at Christmas.
Eddie Howe's side shot themselves in
the foot in just the fifth minute, when calamitous defending handed City the
lead after goalkeeper Martin Dubravka had carelessly conceded a corner.
The defence only half-cleared and
Joao Cancelo hooked the ball back into the six-yard box. Newcastle appeared to
be in little danger but Ciaran Clark inexplicably chose not to make a simple
headed clearance and Ruben Dias headed the loose ball into the net.
The home side rallied but City
silenced St James's Park shortly before the half-hour, when Cancelo smashed a
right-footed shot past the helpless Dubravka from the edge of the area.
City maintained their firm grip on
the match in the second half, with Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling doubling
their lead to ensure an eighth consecutive league win.
It was City's 34th league victory of
2021, establishing a new record for the most top-flight wins by a team in a
calendar year and they finished the day three points clear of second-placed
Liverpool.
‘I prefer to
win titles, but when you break a record from a long, long time ago, in a
calendar year, the most victories, you are consistent,’ said
Guardiola.
‘You win
games and win games and win games, and this is the most precious value this
team has.’
Liverpool's preparations for their
visit to Spurs were hit after midfielder Thiago Alcantara became the latest of
Jurgen Klopp's players to return a suspected positive test for Covid.
The two teams produced a thrilling
spectacle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Spurs playing their first
match for two weeks after a coronavirus outbreak in their camp.
Harry Kane gave Spurs an early lead
but Diogo Jota equalised in the 35th minute against the wasteful hosts and Andy
Robertson stooped to head the visitiors into the lead midway through the second
half.
But Tottenham were level five
minutes later when Son Heung-Min made the most of a failed effort by Liverpool
goalkeeper Alisson Becker to clear, steering the ball into an empty net.
Moments later Robertson was sent off
for a wild tackle on Emerson Royal following a VAR review but Liverpool held on
to win a point.