Good night for Premier League front-runners

Cesc Fabregas netted the only goal of the game, as Chelsea beat bottom-of-the-table Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to six points.

The Spaniard netted his first Premier League goal of the season five minutes before half-time, with a low shot from Willian's pass from the edge of the penalty area.

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois then made a brilliant injury-time save from Patrick van Aanholt to secure his eighth clean sheet in 10 Premier League games.

Antonio Conte's side, who have won all ten of those games since losing 3-0 to Arsenal on 24 September, travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Saturday, before back-to-back home games against Bournemouth and Stoke City over the Christmas period.

Liverpool move up to second in the table above Arsenal on goals scored, following an emphatic 3-0 win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside.

Adam Lallana opened the scoring on 28 minutes with a header from Nathaniel Clyne's cross, Divick Origi doubled the lead on the hour from Lallana's pass, then the Belgian repaid the favour eight minutes later to set up the England midfielder's sixth Premier League goal of the season.

There was also an assured performance from Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, recalled in place of the out-of-form Loris Karius, with the Belgian international making two sharp stops in the first half to deny Ben Gibson and Viktor Fischer.

A single goal at Upton Park handed West Ham victory over Burnley.

The only goal of the tie was the last action before the break. The Hammers won a penalty as Winston Reid was bundled to the ground with Mark Noble stepping up to dispatch the spot kick. Keeper Tom Heaton did well to save the initial effort only to see the rebounded ball fall to Noble to follow home for the score.

The win is just West Ham’s third at home this season and sees them claim a valuable three points in their chase to escape the drop, as they now sit 15th in the league table.

Burnley’s run of never winning a Premier League match in London continues to 13 matches as they continue to sit mid-table in 13^th.

Goals from Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic saw Manchester United take three points from their trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace.

The win stretches United’s unbeaten run to nine games as they begin to pick up pace in their chase for a top-four league position.

Pogba’s fifth goal since his summer move to Man United broke the deadlock two minutes into first-half injury-time. Another summer signing, Ibrahimovic, teed up Pogba to finish past Wayne Hennessy from six yards out. However, the goal was mired in controversy with what looked like handball from Zlatan and offside from Pogba.

United held that lead in the bear pit that is Selhurt Park until after the hour, when the home side struck. A Damien Delaney back heel set James McArthur in on goal where he stroked past David de Gea to match Pogba in grabbing his fifth of the season.

It looked as though United would leave with just a share of the points until Ibrahimovic struck late to bag the win. Pogba rolled Yohan Cabaye before slipping a ball through to the Sweden international in past the Palace defence where he slotted home past the keeper from an acute angle.

United stay sixth in the table, while Palace are just two above the drop.

Man City ended their two-match losing steak in the league with a 2-0 victory over Watford at the City of Manchester Stadium.

Watford's last league win over City came in a second-tier clash back in March 1989 and goals from Pablo Zabaleta and David Silva ensured that losing run continued this evening.

The opener came just after the half hour with Zabaleta meeting Kevin de Bruyne’s cross from the right at the far post to head home to the back of the onion sack.

The game-clinching score came with just four minutes remaining as Silva exchanged passes in the box, before the Spaniard finished home past Heurelho Gomes.

City remain fourth, while the Hornets sit just outside the top half of the table in 11^th.

Christian Eriksen netted twice, and set up a third for Victor Wanyama, as Tottenham beat Hull City 3-0 at White Hart Lane.

The Denmark international opened the scoring on 14 minutes from Danny Rose's pass, then doubled the lead on 63 minutes with a tap-in at the far post following good work from Kyle Walker.

And Wanyama wrapped up the scoring on 73 minutes with a close-range finish after Eriksen's free-kick had thudded back off the woodwork.

Tottenham stay fifth, ten points behind leaders Chelsea, while Hull City remain in the relegation zone.

Salomon Rondon netted a 13-minute second-half hat-trick, as West Brom beat Swansea City 3-1 at the Hawthorns to move up to seventh in the Premier League table.

The Venezuelan opened the scoring with a header from Matt Phillips' 50^th-minute free-kick, then converted two Chris Brunt crosses to become only the second player in Premier League history, after Everton's Duncan Feguson in 1997, to score a hat-trick of headers.

Wayne Routledge pulled one back on 77 minutes for Bob Bradley's side, who remain in 18^th place, level on 12 points with 19^th-placed Hull but with a better goal difference.

Stoke City played for 68 minutes with ten men, but held on to secure a goalless draw with Southampton at the Bet 365 Stadium.

The Potters had Marko Arnautovic sent off for a studs-up challenge after 22 minutes, but held on for a point thanks to some fine saves from goalkeeper Lee Grant and the wastefulness of Saints substitute Jay Rodriguez and James Ward-Prowse.

Southampton move above Bournemouth and Watford into ninth following the draw, while Stoke stay 12^th.

Photo (Getty Images/ Lawrence Griffiths)

eir Sport channels are available across the eir Vision, Sky and Vodafone TV platforms as well as on the eir Sport app. All 6 channels in the eir Sport pack are available for free if you are a residential eir broadband customer.