Chelsea survived a late Luton Town fightback to return to winning ways on the road on Saturday with a 3-2 win at Kenilworth Road, with Cole Palmer netting twice either side of a fine Noni Madueke strike.
The expensively assembled Blues had lost their previous four Premier League away games but looked certain to claim all three points when they were 3-0 up with little more than 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
Palmer put the Blues ahead in the 12th minute when he pounced on an error by Luton defender Issa Kabore to unleash a fierce angled shot that flew past Thomas Kaminski.
Luton were caught out in the 37th minute when Chelsea left-back Levi Colwill fed Palmer on the break and his pass found Madueke who created just enough space to fire high into Kaminski's net.
Madueke returned the favour for the third goal when he split Luton's defence to find Palmer who kept his cool to round Kaminski and hold off a gaggle of defenders to slot home in the 70th minute.
Former Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley scored what looked like a consolation goal for the hosts when he headed in from an Alfie Doughty corner in the 80th minute. Seven minutes later Elijah Adebayo reduced the deficit to one goal, but Luton failed to get an equaliser.
The win left Chelsea in 10th place while Luton remained in the relegation zone in 18th spot.
Relief for City
Manchester City ended a run of three successive Premier League home draws with a comfortable 2-0 victory over bottom club Sheffield United.
Goals by Rodri and Julian Alvarez in each half barely did justice to City's dominance as they enjoyed 84 per cent possession.
Phil Foden set up Rodri to open the scoring with a precise finish in the 14th minute, and the England midfielder was instrumental in City's second goal just past the hour mark as his pass was tapped in by Alvarez.
City, who had not won a league match at home since early November, never had to engage top gear as Sheffield United defended deeply to avoid a heavy loss. While the points were welcome, even better news for City was the sight of Kevin de Bruyne appearing on the bench, having been out since the opening game of the season.
City have 40 points from 19 games, two points behind leaders Liverpool.
Wolves, Palace win
Wolverhampton Wanderers outclassed Everton 3-0 to extend their unbeaten run at home to eight games with goals from Maximilian Kilman, Matheus Cunha and Craig Dawson.
The victory moved 11th-placed Wolves to 28 points from 20 matches while Everton suffered their third defeat in a row to sit one point above the relegation zone in 17th.
In another game, Michael Olise's double helped Crystal Palace beat Brentford 3-1 to snap the Eagles' eight-game run without a win and ease the pressure on Roy Hodgson.
With inputs from AP/PTI, Reuters
Pochettino expects say in transfers
London: Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino said he is confident of having a say when the Premier League side embarks on strengthening the squad in the January transfer window, insisting there is “good communication” with the club’s hierarchy.
The Argentine, who was hired in May, previously called the club to delve further into the transfer market if they are to improve, having already spent around £1 billion ($1.27 billion) on new players since a US-led takeover in 2022.
Chelsea have three wins in a row at Stamford Bridge in the league, ending a long run of poor home form that stretched back into last season, when they finished 12th. They now sit 10th after picking up 25 points from 19 matches.
“It’s obvious that the head coach, coach or manager is crazy to think he won’t be involved in any decisions for the future in my area,” Pochettino told reporters. “Of course, we will share with the owners, the sporting director and I cannot conceive the idea of not being involved.”
As many as 12 players moved away from west London on permanent deals while 11 arrived. When asked if he expects a calmer window than last summer, Pochettino said: “Yes, of course.”
Reuters
