LONDON: Leaders Leicester City belatedly grasped their golden opportunity to pile the pressure on their Premier League pursuers on Saturday as a late winner from Leonardo Ulloa sunk struggling Norwich City 1-0 at the King Power Stadium.
With closest challengers Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal not in action until Sunday (today), Leicester had the stage to themselves to forge five points clear at the summit and made the most of their chance with a victory they scarcely deserved.
Despite producing one of their flattest performances of their surreal season, Ulloa’s 89th-minute contribution, sliding in to knock home Marc Albrighton’s cross, was decisive.
It stretched Leicester’s advantage to five points over the north London duo although both second-placed Spurs, at home to Swansea City, and third-placed Arsenal, who visit Manchester United, can reduce the deficit again on Sunday.
Cesc Fabregas and Branislav Ivanovic struck late goals to earn Chelsea a 2-1 victory at Southampton.
Shane Long took advantage of a mistake by Baba Rahman to put the hosts ahead just before halftime, pouncing on the ball before beating Thibaut Courtois with a neat finish.
Chelsea struggled to create clearcut chances before Fabregas equalised after 75 minutes when the Spanish midfielder’s hopeful cross deceived Southampton keeper Fraser Forster and sneaked in at the far post.
Watford and Bournemouth played out a turgid 0-0 draw that left the visitors embroiled in the battle to avoid relegation.
Watford striker Odion Ighalo forced Bournemouth keeper Artur Boruc into an early save as the hosts started well. Aston Villa’s desperate hopes of a lifeline at the bottom of the League foundered on yet another miserable away-day as Marko Arnautovic struck twice for Stoke City.
After a dismal first half low on quality, Arnautovic buried his fierce penalty straight down the middle and into the net early in the second half after Phil Bardsley had been brought down in the box by Ashley Westwood.
Within five minutes the Austrian international bundled in his second, winning a header and then chesting the ball over the line himself, before Villa gave themselves half a chance with a 79th-minute Leandro Bacuna reply.