Football: Mahrez strike sends Leicester clear at the top

Bizpodia |

Leicester City pull five points clear at the top of the Premier League after Riyad Mahrez’s 2nd half winner at Watford. 

Leicester City's Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the English Premier League football match between Watford and Leicester City. (Photo: OLLY GREENWOOD/AFP)

LONDON: Riyad Mahrez scored a sublime goal to earn Leicester City a 1-0 win at Watford on Saturday (Mar 5) that took them five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Leicester dominated the first half but could not break down a disciplined Watford defence until the 56th minute when Mahrez curled a sweet strike into the top corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.

Mahrez continued to torment the Watford rearguard and Foxes defender Robert Huth missed a good chance to double the lead.

With just nine games remaining, the unfancied Foxes are closing in on the most unlikely title triumph in the history of English football, although they will be concerned Mahrez limped off with a late injury.

Leicester's title charge had already received a boost earlier in the day when Tottenham squandered the lead in a pulsating north London derby at White Hart Lane.
With Gunners midfielder Francis Coquelin sent off after Aaron Ramsey's 39th minute opener, Arsenal looked in trouble when Tottenham hit back with two goals in three minutes from Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane after the interval.
But Arsenal, criticised after successive league defeats this week, recovered to equalise through Alexis Sanchez with 14 minutes remaining.
"I am proud of the spirit, but going down to 10 men was the big regret for the day and it was hard to take," said boss Arsene Wenger, whose side are eight points behind Leicester.
Although they wasted a chance to go top for the first time in seven years, Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was still satisfied.

"I am pleased. It's true, when it was 2-1 I am little bit disappointed with the result, but we have to be happy we keep the three-point gap to Arsenal," Pochettino said.

At Eastlands, Manchester City ended a run of three successive league defeats with a 4-0 rout of Aston Villa at Eastlands.
Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure broke the deadlock in the 48th minute and Sergio Aguero doubled the lead two minutes later.
Aguero struck again in the 60th minute and Raheem Sterling added the fourth six minutes later before Aguero squandered a chance for a hat-trick when his penalty hit a post.

Manuel Pellegrini's fourth-placed side remain 10 points behind Leicester, while woeful Villa are slipping closer to playing in the second tier for the first time since 1988 after their fourth consecutive defeat.

"I think the other teams will lose a lot of points, because it is a very close season. In the last six games the pressure will be on all the teams, so we have to carry on playing this way," Pellegrini said.

BELEAGUERED

Chelsea warmed up for their crucial Champions League showdown against Paris Saint Germain with a disappointing 1-1 draw against Stoke at Stamford Bridge.

With Diego Costa rested ahead of the last 16, second leg against PSG, who hold a 2-1 advantage, Burkina Faso forward Bertrand Traore bagged his fourth goal in his last five appearances in the 39th minute.

But Chelsea were pegged back five minutes from full-time when Stoke forward Mame Biram Diouf headed home.

Bournemouth piled more pressure on beleaguered Newcastle manager Steve McClaren with a 3-1 win over the crisis-torn Magpies at St James' Park.

After a week that featured reports of a dressing room rebellion against McClaren, who also became embroiled in an angry exchange with a journalist on Friday, Newcastle fell behind in the 28th minute through Steven Taylor's own goal.

Josh King increased Bournemouth's lead in the 70th minute and although Ayoze Perez got one back in the 80th minute, it was too late for second-from-bottom Newcastle, who are one point from safety, because Charlie Daniels added the visitors' third deep into stoppage-time.

"I'm very disappointed. That was definitely a poor performance and 'going down' material," McClaren said.

West Ham staged a superb fightback to remain in the hunt for a Champions League berth with a 3-2 win at 10-man Everton.

Romelu Lukaku struck in the 13th minute and, despite Kevin Mirallas's dismissal, Aaron Lennon doubled Everton's lead in the 56th minute.

But Lukaku saw a penalty saved by Adrian and Michail Antonio reduced the deficit in the 78th minute.

Diafra Sakho equalised three minutes later and Dimitri Payet won it in the last minute.

Struggling Sunderland had to settle for a 1-1 draw at 10-man Southampton, while Swansea climbed nine points clear of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over third bottom Norwich at the Liberty stadium.

- Agencies/rw