Toothless Chelsea falter as Man Utd march on under Solskjaer

Blues draw a blank at the Bridge

Chelsea were held to a goalless draw against Southampton at Stamford Bridge last night as the Blues lost more ground on the top three.

The result leaves Chelsea in fourth spot, three points ahead of Arsenal and three shy of Manchester City, who could widen that margin this evening if they pick up points against leaders Liverpool.

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It was a frustrating evening for Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri, whose side enjoyed 72% of the possession against the Saints but couldn’t find a way past a well-ordered defence.

The Blues weren’t helped by the fact that Alvaro Morata is their only fit frontman at the moment, and Sarri indicated that the club must use the January transfer window to strengthen their strike force.

“I think we played a very good match for 80 metres of the pitch, then we were in trouble in the last 20 metres,” said Sarri. “We have to try to solve the problem of the last 15, 20 metres. The club knows very well my opinion. I think we need something different... I’m not in charge of the market. I have to try to improve my players, my team, my offensive phase, or better my offensive phase in the last 20 metres.”

A fab four for United

Manchester United made it four wins from four over the festive period with a 2-0 victory at Newcastle yesterday. Substitute Romelu Lukaku scored with his first touch after 64 minutes, before Marcus Rashford doubled the visitors’ advantage after good build-up work from Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez.

The win was a significant one for caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who emulated the great Matt Busby��s feat in 1946 in becoming only the second manager in the club’s history to win his first four league games in charge. “You’d be happy with four wins from four [and] we haven’t conceded from open play yet either,” said the Norwegian, who hasn’t put a foot wrong since replacing Jose Mourinho last month. “We were slow in the first half but we controlled the game well, we concentrated and overall it was a very professional performance.”

Solskjaer staking a claim?

The victory moves United to within three points of fifth-placed Arsenal - and Alan Shearer told the BBC that if the Red Devils continue their rejuvenation under Solskjaer, the club should look to appoint him on a permanent basis. “Solskjaer couldn’t have done any more,” said the former England striker. “There are bigger tests to come and I am concerned about how they are defensively.

“But what if Solskjaer wins them a trophy? I think they should keep him.”

Asked in the post-match press conference if he was resigned to leaving Old Trafford in May to return to Norwegian club Molde, Solskjaer replied: “I don’t want to.”

Hammers claw their way back

In other results, Watford closed the gap on Leicester by picking up a point in an entertaining 3-3 draw at Bournemouth. The draw moves the Hornets above Wolves into eighth spot, two points behind Leicester.

West Ham also got a point, to take them above Everton into tenth, in a 2-2 draw at home to Brighton. The Hammers were 2-0 down midway during the second-half but fought back for a share of the spoils thanks to two goals in two minutes from Marko Arnautovic.

Palace put down Wolves

Huddersfield lost 2-1 at home to Burnley, a result that leaves them four points adrift at the foot of the table, while Burnley are now out of the relegation zone. Crystal Palace also tasted success on the road, with a surprise 2-0 win at Wolves.

Having thrashed Spurs 3-1 at Wembley on Saturday, Wolves were expected to move further up the table, but they were undone by late goals from Jordan Ayew and Luka Milivojevic.

“I’m really pleased with the performance, the discipline and I’m delighted to win a game away from home because it makes the Christmas period quite a good one,” said Eagles’ boss Roy Hodgson, whose side are now 14th.