Aguero treble sees Man City down Chelsea

Aston Villa relegated as expected

AFP, LONDON: Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win away to Chelsea on Saturday as Manchester City rounded off a memorable week in style.
Victory against the soon-to-be-deposed Premier League title-holders came just days after City reached the semi-finals of the Champions League by knocking out fellow big-spenders Paris Saint-Germain.
Aguero was aided repeatedly by the excellent Kevin De Bruyne, with the former Chelsea midfielder impressive on his first Premier League return to Stamford Bridge.
The Belgian played a key part in two of Aguero's goals either side of half-time before the Argentina striker completed his treble with an 80th-minute penalty following an incident that saw Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois sent off.
This commanding performance saw City leapfrog Arsenal into third place, although the Gunners will regain that position if they beat Crystal Palace in Sunday's all-London clash at the Emirates Stadium.
More importantly, it also kept City four points clear of fifth-placed local rivals Manchester United, with only the top four clubs in the Premier League at the end of the season qualifying for the Champions League.
For Chelsea, this was the latest dispiriting result in a season that has left them 10th in the table and, coming after a defeat by Swansea last time out, it meant caretaker boss Guus Hiddink had lost two league games in a row as a club manager for the first time since February 2004, when the Dutchman was at PSV Eindhoven.
City started as if they had still to get Tuesday's 1-0 win over PSG out of their system.
Nicolas Otamendi struggled with a ball forward in just the fifth minute, letting Diego Costa in for a chance. Joe Hart did well to force the striker back and, once the ball fell to Pedro, Otamendi redeemed himself to clear the winger's effort off the line.
City looked chaotic at the back for most of the opening 20 minutes, as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Gary Cahill both went close, until De Bruyne -- who scored against PSG on Tuesday -- finally provided a spark for the visitors.
Played in by Yaya Toure, he burst forward in the 23rd minute only for his Belgium team-mate Courtois to stand up well and divert his shot wide.
Courtois, however, was helpless to prevent City taking the lead 10 minutes later. De Bruyne's pace again took him clear of the Blues' defence and, this time going down the right, he squared for Aguero.
The Argentinian steadied himself before, looking to curl the ball around Courtois, his shot deflected off Cahill and found the corner of the net anyway.
On the resumption of the second half, Chelsea again started strongly, only to be caught on the break.
Meanwhile Aston Villa's long-expected relegation from the Premier League was finally confirmed with a 1-0 loss away to Manchester United on Saturday as teenage rising star Marcus Rashford scored his seventh goal in 12 games.
The 18-year-old striker, also on target in United's FA Cup quarter-final replay win over West Ham United in midweek, struck in the 32nd minute when he turned in Antonio Valencia's low cross.
Defeat left bottom-of-the-table Villa 15 points shy of safety with only a maximum of 12 on offer to the Birmingham club in their four remaining league matches this season.
Villa, under the caretaker charge of Eric Black after former manager Remi Garde was sacked last month, have won just three times in 34 league games this campaign and Saturday's loss saw them drop down to the second-tier of English football for the first time in 29 years.
Earlier, Sunderland gave themselves hope of yet another escape from relegation, with a 3-0 win away to fellow strugglers Norwich City.
Victory at Carrow Road left the north-east side still in the bottom three but just one point adrift of Norwich and with a game in hand over the Canaries.
Fabio Borini's first-half penalty and strikes from Jermain Defoe and Duncan Watmore after the interval saw Sunderland to a first win in seven matches.
"The most pleasing thing of all was the clean sheet," Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce told the BBC.
"I know if we can keep two or three clean sheets in those games we'll be safe because I know we can score."
Newcastle United, Sunderland's north-east rivals, bolstered their hopes of top-flight survival with a 3-0 win at home to Swansea.
Jamaal Lascelles headed in Andros Townsend's corner four minutes before the break and Moussa Sissoko made the game safe for the Magpies eight minutes from time, as they marked manager Rafael Benitez's 56th birthday in style. Townsend rounded off the scoring in the 89th minute.
Newcastle remained in the relegation zone but victory saw them move to within three points of Norwich.
“I have to say congratulations to the players," Benitez told the BBC. "They showed passion and commitment.”
Watford, promoted last season, cemented their place in the Premier League with a 1-0 win away to West Bromwich Albion, that saw goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes twice save second-half penalties from Saido Berahino.

Aguero treble sees Man City down Chelsea

Aston Villa relegated as expected

AFP, LONDON: Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win away to Chelsea on Saturday as Manchester City rounded off a memorable week in style. Victory against the soon-to-be-deposed Premier League title-holders came just days after City reached the semi-finals of the Champions League by knocking out fellow big-spenders Paris Saint-Germain. Aguero was aided repeatedly by the excellent Kevin De Bruyne, with the former Chelsea midfielder impressive on his first Premier League return to Stamford Bridge. The Belgian played a key part in two of Agueros goals either side of half-time before the Argentina striker completed his treble with an 80th-minute penalty following an incident that saw Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois sent off. This commanding performance saw City leapfrog Arsenal into third place, although the Gunners will regain that position if they beat Crystal Palace in Sundays all-London clash at the Emirates Stadium. More importantly, it also kept City four points clear of fifth-placed local rivals Manchester United, with only the top four clubs in the Premier League at the end of the season qualifying for the Champions League. For Chelsea, this was the latest dispiriting result in a season that has left them 10th in the table and, coming after a defeat by Swansea last time out, it meant caretaker boss Guus Hiddink had lost two league games in a row as a club manager for the first time since February 2004, when the Dutchman was at PSV Eindhoven. City started as if they had still to get Tuesdays 1-0 win over PSG out of their system. Nicolas Otamendi struggled with a ball forward in just the fifth minute, letting Diego Costa in for a chance. Joe Hart did well to force the striker back and, once the ball fell to Pedro, Otamendi redeemed himself to clear the wingers effort off the line. City looked chaotic at the back for most of the opening 20 minutes, as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Gary Cahill both went close, until De Bruyne -- who scored against PSG on Tuesday -- finally provided a spark for the visitors. Played in by Yaya Toure, he burst forward in the 23rd minute only for his Belgium team-mate Courtois to stand up well and divert his shot wide. Courtois, however, was helpless to prevent City taking the lead 10 minutes later. De Bruynes pace again took him clear of the Blues defence and, this time going down the right, he squared for Aguero. The Argentinian steadied himself before, looking to curl the ball around Courtois, his shot deflected off Cahill and found the corner of the net anyway. On the resumption of the second half, Chelsea again started strongly, only to be caught on the break. Meanwhile Aston Villas long-expected relegation from the Premier League was finally confirmed with a 1-0 loss away to Manchester United on Saturday as teenage rising star Marcus Rashford scored his seventh goal in 12 games. The 18-year-old striker, also on target in Uniteds FA Cup quarter-final replay win over West Ham United in midweek, struck in the 32nd minute when he turned in Antonio Valencias low cross. Defeat left bottom-of-the-table Villa 15 points shy of safety with only a maximum of 12 on offer to the Birmingham club in their four remaining league matches this season. Villa, under the caretaker charge of Eric Black after former manager Remi Garde was sacked last month, have won just three times in 34 league games this campaign and Saturdays loss saw them drop down to the second-tier of English football for the first time in 29 years. Earlier, Sunderland gave themselves hope of yet another escape from relegation, with a 3-0 win away to fellow strugglers Norwich City. Victory at Carrow Road left the north-east side still in the bottom three but just one point adrift of Norwich and with a game in hand over the Canaries. Fabio Borinis first-half penalty and strikes from Jermain Defoe and Duncan Watmore after the interval saw Sunderland to a first win in seven matches. The most pleasing thing of all was the clean sheet, Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce told the BBC. I know if we can keep two or three clean sheets in those games well be safe because I know we can score. Newcastle United, Sunderlands north-east rivals, bolstered their hopes of top-flight survival with a 3-0 win at home to Swansea. Jamaal Lascelles headed in Andros Townsends corner four minutes before the break and Moussa Sissoko made the game safe for the Magpies eight minutes from time, as they marked manager Rafael Benitezs 56th birthday in style. Townsend rounded off the scoring in the 89th minute. Newcastle remained in the relegation zone but victory saw them move to within three points of Norwich. I have to say congratulations to the players, Benitez told the BBC. They showed passion and commitment. Watford, promoted last season, cemented their place in the Premier League with a 1-0 win away to West Bromwich Albion, that saw goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes twice save second-half penalties from Saido Berahino.