Hull City vs Manchester City –  Match Review In Pictures

Manchester City moved to the second place in the Premier League standings with their 3-0 win against Hull City at the KCOM Arena on Boxing Day. Guardiola’s men were made to work hard for the win as the home team held their own for a good part of 70 minutes. They even managed to come close to scoring and were always a threat from the set-pieces. However, things suddenly went south for Mike Phelan’s men as they conceded a penalty which Yaya Toure scored from in the 72^nd minute. Kelechi Iheanacho doubled the visitors’ lead six minutes later, before a Curtis Davies own goal compounded Hull’s misery on the evening.

City are now seven points behind leaders Chelsea but could slip to third place after Liverpool’s match on Tuesday. Hull City though are struggling big time at the bottom of the table, with just only one win in 16 games now.

Here are five pictures that sum up the clash between the title challengers and the relegation battlers:

John Stones taken off injured

After having sat out the previous games, John Stones returned to the starting line-up against Hull City in place of Aleksandar Kolarov. However, the return did not last much long for the Englishman as he picked up a knee injury eighteen minutes into the game and was taken off to be replaced by Kolarov. It was confirmed after the match that the injury wasn’t a serious one, however, it comes as a setback to both City and Stones himself.

Michael Dawson thwarted

Hull City played brilliantly to keep City out for close to 70 minutes. And it was not like they were just defending throughout the game. The home team offered a great threat from set-pieces throughout the match. One such moment came in the second-half when Robert Snodgrass came close from a free-kick only for the ball to be sent behind for a corner. The resulting corner caused the biggest problem for City on the evening as Michael Dawson rose the highest to direct the ball towards goal. With Claudio Bravo caught in no man’s land, the goal seemed certain, but Bacary Sagna made a heroic intervention and cleared the ball off the line to keep the score intact.

Robertson’s recklessness costs Hull

After doing so well for more than three-quarters of the game, Hull City were made to punish for a moment of recklessness and indiscipline from left-back Andrew Robertson. Raheem Sterling burst into the Hull box and went past Robertson only to be brought down by the defender, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the penalty spot and Yaya Toure made no mistake from the spot giving City the lead. All of Hull’s good work was undone in a moment of lapse in concentration.

Iheanacho makes it two

And it did not take long for the second goal to come after the first one. Six minutes past Toure’s penalty, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva combined beautifully with the Spaniard playing in Kelechi Iheanacho with a sublime low ball that the youngster tapped into the back of the net to put the match to bed.

More Anguish for the home side in injury time

However, it did not stop there for the home team. Late into the injury time, Raheem Sterling made a lovely run into the box from the left-flank and fired in a cross across the goal only for defender Curtis Davies to bundle it past his own keeper to make it 3-0 for the Citizens, putting the icing on the cake.

Chelsea vs Bournemouth Match Review In Pictures

Chelsea continued their juggernaut in the Premier League, as they notched up their 12^th consecutive win since October, defeating AFC Bournemouth 3-0 at the Stamford Bridge. The Blues, without Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante, two of their most influential players, went ahead on the 24^th minute thanks to Pedro. The Cherries, however, did not give in and put up a fight with Jack Wilshere coming close.

Things got easier for the home team after the restart though, with Eden Hazard doubling their lead before Pedro added more gloss to the scoreline in the injury time to make it three. Chelsea continued to pull away from their competitors with another impressive performance, whereas one might say the final score did not to justice to Eddie Howe’s men who showed heart throughout the match.

Here are five pictures that sum up the evening at Stamford Bridge:

5. Pedro’s stunning opener

Chelsea began the game on the front-foot and were soon rewarded for their enterprise in the attack as Pedro, who replaced the suspended Diego Costa at the top for the Blues, received the ball from Cesc Fabregas on the edge of the box and put it past Artur Boruc in the Bournemouth goal with a stunning effort that curled on its way into the top-left corner.

Arsenal vs West Brom: Match Review In Pictures

Arsenal managed to bounce back from two consecutive defeats in the Premier League against Manchester City and Everton, to defeat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Monday thanks to a late goal from Olivier Giroud.

It was a dour first-half in London as Tony Pulis’ side managed to keep the Gunners largely at bay, giving away very few opportunities for the home side. However, things changed post the restart, with Arsene Wenger’s men coming very close to breaking the deadlock, only to be thwarted by Ben Foster in the Baggies’ goal repeatedly. But Giroud managed to get one past the 33-year old, giving Arsenal the lead in the 86^th minute, and thereby sealing the game.

It was the Baggies’ second defeat in a row, after having lost to Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United last weekend at home and they will certainly be disappointed by the result whereas the North Londoners eked out a victory that should ease some pressure that was being built up since the last two losses.

Here we pick out five pictures that sum up the evening at the Emirates:

5. Mesut Ozil’s 100^th Premier League Appearance

Mesut Ozil started the game against the Baggies at the Emirates and it marked his 100^th Premier League appearances for Arsenal. The former Real Madrid playmaker is enjoying a fine goal-scoring form for the Gunners this season, having scored five times in the Premier League and adding four more in the Champions League. Ozil now is the second-best player in terms of most assists in their first 100 appearances. The German has notched up a very impressive 36 assists in his century of league games and this number is only bettered by a certain Eric Cantona who had 39 assists in his first 100 appearances for Manchester United. He left his mark on the game, assisting the winner with a beautiful cross for Giroud.