Premier League Results Do Not Go Chelsea FC’s Way

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Coming in to the weekend, Chelsea FC was in prime position to increase their lead at the top of the table with a trip to mid-table side Aston Villa on the cards. As the scoreline shows and with Chelsea receiving three red cards, one for Willian, Ramires, and even manager Jose Mourinho, it is safe to say that things did not go quite as planned for the Blues. The Willian red will likely come without a suspension but Ramires could easily be banned for up to three games for his nasty tackle at the end of the game. Mourinho should not receive any further punishment but it is possible that he may.

The weekend began somewhat brightly for Chelsea as they saw Manchester City’s captain Vincent Kompany sent off early in their match against Hull City. This was ticked off as an easy win for City and despite being a man down for the vast majority of the match, it was still very comfortable for the Sky Blues. Goals from David Silva and Edin Dzeko saw off Hull City and the Sky Blues notched a victory in their first of three games in hand. Kompany’s tackle was not of the violent sort and he will likely not be suspended further.

The fixtures on Sunday saw Chelsea place their hope in two rivals that have had less than stellar seasons with Manchester United looking at best like a mid-table side and Tottenham Hotspur collapsing in recent weeks. United faced an in-form Liverpool and Tottenham faced an Arsenal side still stinging from their midweek elimination from the Champions League. The results went as expected with Liverpool winning 3-0 and Arsenal grinding out a 1-0 victory.

As the table sits now, Chelsea still have their first place lead and it is tenuous but the loss to Villa is not a complete disaster. They are four points clear of Liverpool and Arsenal who both a single game in hand. Man City is six points back but with three games in hand. Chelsea have a tough week ahead as they face Galatasaray on Tuesday and then Arsenal on the weekend. This is the type of week that champions dominate but of course it would be nice to get some help from their rivals.

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