Chelsea narrow gap on Liverpool with 2-1 victory over Brentford

Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea continued their impressive form with a 2-1 win over Brentford at Stamford Bridge, closing the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to just two points.

Liverpool remain atop the table with 36 points.

Chelsea dominated the first half, taking the lead before the break when Noni Madueke’s cross found Marc Cucurella, who headed home.

Nicolas Jackson added a second in the 80th minute, and despite Bryan Mbeumo’s late strike for Brentford, the Blues held on for their fifth consecutive league win.

Chelsea are now emerging as Liverpool’s main title challengers, with Arsenal and Manchester City struggling for consistency.

Meanwhile, Tottenham produced a commanding performance on the south coast, thrashing their opponents in a whirlwind 25-minute spell.

James Maddison opened the scoring in just 36 seconds, followed by goals from Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski, and Pape Sarr, highlighting the unpredictable nature of Spurs’ season under Ange Postecoglou.

The London side now has a record of seven wins and seven losses in 16 league games.

England midfielder Maddison grabbed a second goal deep into first-half stoppage time to make it 5-0 at the break but there were no additions in the second half.

In the early kick-off, Ismaila Sarr scored twice as Crystal Palace moved four points clear of the relegation zone following a 3-1 victory at Brighton.

Earlier Sunday, Wolves, in the relegation zone, sacked manager Gary O’Neil after a fourth straight defeat in the Premier League.