WEST BROM STUN ARSENAL
West Brom defender Craig Dawson's double piled more pressure on Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as the Gunners lost 3-1 at West Bromwich Albion.
Dawson and substitute Hal Robson-Kanu, who scored just 75 seconds after coming on, inflicted a sixth loss on the beleaguered Wenger in his last nine games.
Alexis Sanchez's 18th Premier League goal of the season had cancelled out Dawson's opener but the Gunners remain five points adrift of the top four with their hopes of Champions League qualification in the balance.
Arsenal also lost first choice goalkeeper Petr Cech to an injury and replacement David Ospina was at fault for Robson-Kanu's goal after colliding with team mate Hector Bellerin.
For the Baggies, they equaled last season's points tally of 43, and recovered from successive defeats to keep their Europa League hopes alive.
CHELSEA MATCH TOWARDS TITLE WITHOUT EDEN HAZARD
Chelsea's march towards the Premier League title continued as they extended their lead to 13 points thanks to Gary Cahill's 87th-minute winner at Stoke.
They had a tough assignment in the Potteries, made all the more difficult due to Eden Hazard's absence through injury, but Cahill, who had earlier given away a penalty, smashed in late on in a 2-1 victory at a venue where a November loss last season had seen the Blues slip to 16th.
Willian had given them the lead here with a free kick only for the Potters to draw level through Jonathan Walters' penalty in a fiery contest that featured Diego Costa as its chief antagonist, though it was Phil Bardsley who saw red in stoppage time.
LEICESTER CITY CONTINUE THEIR CLIMB UP THE TABLE
Leicester made it four wins from four under Craig Shakespeare and picked up their first away victory of the season with a 3-2 success at West Ham.
Riyad Mahrez, Robert Huth and Jamie Vardy -- three of the main protagonists of last season's title triumph -- stunned the Hammers with first-half goals.
The Foxes showed no signs of a European hangover following their epic win over Sevilla, and although they may have a quarterfinal meeting with Atletico Madrid on their minds Shakespeare knows they still need to get their domestic affairs in order.
Fortunately they faced a West Ham side playing as though they just want their first season at their new stadium to end as quickly as possible.
Manuel Lanzini briefly halved the deficit with a free kick but they were booed off at half-time, and although Andre Ayew pulled another back after the break Leicester repelled a late rally to claim all three points.
LUKAKU DEMOLISHES HULL CITY
Everton striker Romelu Lukaku ended the week how he had started it - in the headlines - with two goals in the 4-0 win over 10-man Hull.
On Tuesday the Belgium international told his club he wont be signing a new bumper contract offer to make him the highest-paid player in their history as he questioned whether they had the ability to reach the Champions League.
His double on Saturday, with both goals in stoppage time, may not have been the decisive factor in putting the Toffees level on points with fifth-placed Arsenal, but it at least showed his professionalism cannot be called into question.
The platform had been laid by a first goal for 20-year-old Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in his sixth Premier League appearance, and, after Tom Huddlestone's red card, another from Enner Valencia. Lukaku then took centre stage to register his 20th and 21st league goals of the season, the first time an Everton player has reached that tally since Gary Lineker in 1985-86.
TROY DEENEY SINKS WATFORD
Crystal Palace moved closer to preserving their Premier League status by earning their third successive victory with 1-0 home win over Watford.
Troy Deeney's second-half own goal proved enough to secure all three points in an otherwise cagey affair that left them four clear of the bottom three and took them up to 16th.
Two recent wins had already significantly reduced the pressure that had built on Sam Allardyce's team, providing the momentum needed to eventually avoid relegation after a year-long decline.
Their manager had long spoken of the need to produce a run of positive results, but he has also frequently stressed he would accept draws amid occasional victories if they avoid defeat.
The way Palace started at Selhurst Park suggested he had told his team this was one of those occasions when a draw would suffice, but with Chelsea, Southampton, Arsenal and Leicester their next four fixtures they would have been taking a risk.
SUNDERLAND AND BURNLEY PLAY OUT A BORING DRAW
This was one of the worst Premier League games of the season, with both Sunderland and Burnley too afraid of losing to try to win the match. Chances came for either side to take what would have been an entirely undeserved victory, but the game had 0-0 written all over it from early in the first half.
Relegation appears to be a certainty for Sunderland, while the Clarets are going to play negative, ultra-cautious football until their own survival is assured.
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