David Luiz struck with 12 minutes remaining to set Chelsea on their way to a 2-0 victory over Manchester City on Sunday.
Ramires added a second in injury-time. The win lifts Chelsea above City into third, nine points behind league leaders Manchester United with a game in hand.
City, a point behind Chelsea, leads fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by four points having played a game more. City defended excellently for most of the game, and although Chelsea had by far the bulk of possession, they created very little in the way of clear opportunities.
ADVERTISEMENT
Salomon Kalou, surprisingly preferred as a partner to Fernando Torres, stumbled over Ramires and Branislav Ivanovic had a header blocked by Vincent Kompany.
City were neat enough, and the bursts of Yaya Toure occasionally threatened to unsettle Chelsea, but this was a game played almost entirely in midfield — perhaps at the end of midfield Chelsea were attacking, but in midfield nonetheless.
Torres went off after 70 minutes, having completed a seventh Chelsea game without a goal, and was replaced by Didier Drogba, with Nicolas Anelka coming on for the disappointing Florent Malouda at the same time.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was Drogba’s free-kick that turned the game, his delivery from the left being met by a powerful header from Luiz. Goalkeeper Joe Hart got a hand to it, but was unable to prevent Luiz scoring his second goal since his deadline day move from Benfica.
Ramires scored an excellent second to seal the game, drifting through two challenges and clipping a neat finish over Hart. Referee Kevin Friend was the key figure as Liverpool beat Sunderland 2-0. He awarded the penalty that led to the opening goal for a foul that happened outside the box and then sent off John Mensah in highly debatable circumstances late on.
The home side had begun the better, but after 22 minutes, Mensah miscontrolled a high ball, letting in Jay Spearing, whom he then chipped down.
Friend, rightly, gave a free-kick, only for his linesman to overrule him. Dirk Kuyt converted the penalty.
“I thought it was a penalty, but then I looked at half-time and I don’t think it was, was it? It was just outside,” said Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.
“Everyone knows goals change games — up to then it had been pretty even and Sunderland had been putting a bit of pressure on.
“Every week you can look at different incidents and you can always say it changes the game. Maybe it has gone our way but thankfully we got the other (goal) to make sure so you could say we would still have won 1-0.” The second came with 13 minutes remaining, Luis Suarez darting along the goal-line and from a seemingly impossible angle thrashing a finish in at the near post.
Suarez then contrived to have Mensah sent off with seven minutes remaining, throwing himself down after an innocuous tangle with the Ghana captain — another decision made by a linesman over 60 yards from the incident. Sunderland have taken one point form their last six games and lie ninth, six points above the relegation zone, while Liverpool are sixth, five points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fifth.