IN PICS: Chelsea move closer to title, Villarreal stun Atletico

Sport360 staff 01:47 26/04/2017

It was a big evening in the Premier League as Chelsea took a step closer to winning the league with a 4-2 win over Southampton, while Atletico Madrid succumbed to a classic counter-attacking performance at home to Villarreal, losing 1-0.

Here, we take you through all the best action from across Europe.

PREMIER LEAGUE

It didn’t take long for Chelsea to take the lead, with Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa, and Eden Hazard linking up before the latter swept home a precise finish to put the Blues ahead in the fifth minute of the game.

Southampton responded well, however, in their search for an equaliser, which came 20 minutes later through Chelsea old boy Oriol Romeu after a scramble in the box.

The game became stretched after that, with both sides looking for a second goal before the break. Chelsea got it right on the stroke of half-time, with Cahill powering a header home after Southampton failed to clear a corner.

After the break, Chelsea took control of the game, with that classic combination of Fabregas and Costa combining to put Chelsea 3-1 up, Costa heading in from a Fabregas cross.

Chelsea saw off the game after that, holding Southampton at bay, with John Terry making his first Premier League appearance since November when he came on as a substitute in the closing stages. There was even time for a fourth goal, scored by Costa after exchanging passes with Hazard.

Southampton got a late consolation through Ryan Bertrand, another Chelsea old boy, as he ghosted in to score a header in injury time. Chelsea, meanwhile, are seven points ahead of Tottenham, who play Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

LA LIGA

Villarreal pulled off a classic smash-and-grab against Atletico Madrid, with Roberto Soriano’s late goal giving the visitors a 1-0 win at the Vicente Calderon. The Yellow Submarine had frustrated their hosts throughout the game, with goalkeeper Andres Fernandez making several saves, before Soriano turned home smartly from Cedric Bakambu’s cross in a lightning-quick break.

The result means Atletico’s spot in third place is in jeopardy, as they have just a three-point lead over Sevilla, who have a game in hand. Villarreal are just about still in the race for a Champions League spot, closing the gap to Sevilla to five points before the latter’s game on Wednesday.

Sporting Gijon’s survival hopes were dealt another blow as they failed to hold onto a 1-0 lead against Espanyol, who equalised in the second half. The draw leaves Sporting three points adrift of 17th-placed Leganes, who can widen that gap when they play on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Granada slumped to another loss under new manager Tony Adams, falling 2-0 at home to Malaga. Adams’ side remain seven points off of safety before Leganes’ game on Wednesday, and their relegation is almost confirmed. The result confirmed Malaga’s safety.

MOST DOMINATING WIN – CHELSEA BLOW SOUTHAMPTON AWAY IN SECOND HALF

This is perhaps slightly harsh on Southampton, who did well to get back into the game after going behind early and went toe-to-toe with Chelsea over much of the first half. Gary Cahill’s goal at the stroke of halftime ended up opening the floodgates, however, as Chelsea turned in a much-improved second-half display to dash any hopes Southampton had of pulling off an upset.

BEST CONTEST – VILLARREAL PULL OFF ULTIMATE SMASH-AND-GRAB AT ATLETICO

Villarreal repelled attack after attack, frustrating the home side, and then hit Atletico on the counter late in the game to grab a crucial three points. The Yellow Submarine did have their chances before that, but the story of this game was largely how their goalkeeper, Andres Fernandez, and the defenders in front of them kept Antoine Griezmann and company at bay.

BEST GOAL – EDEN HAZARD GIVES CHELSEA THE LEAD

Southampton had a dangerous free-kick and nearly scored. Chelsea went right up the pitch and actually did score. The surprise front three of Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa, and Eden Hazard all combined, with Hazard sweeping home after a lovely move.

BIGGEST BLUNDER – RYAN BERTRAND MARKING DIEGO COSTA

Everyone knows Diego Costa is good in the air. So who do you want marking him at a corner? Ryan Bertrand is no slouch, but the Southampton fullback was never going to have the strength to hold off the Chelsea striker. The result was predictable.

PLAYER OF THE DAY – DIEGO COSTA

The Chelsea striker had gone over 500 minutes without a Premier League goal before Tuesday, but, as he did during Chelsea’s 2014/15 title run-in, Costa stepped up when it mattered, scoring twice to remove any notion of a Chelsea stumble

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