LONDON: Chelsea leapfrogged Tottenham Hotspur into third place in the Premier League yesterday after coming from behind to beat Sunderland 2-1.
Chelsea’s fightback enabled them to take advantage of Spurs’ 2-2 draw with fellow Champions League hopefuls Everton at White Hart Lane, where Gylfi Sigurdsson scored a late equalizer to rescue the hosts in a pulsating game.
Rafa Benitez’s Chelsea moved up to third place with 58 points from 31 games, ahead of Spurs on goal difference but with a game in hand. Fifth-placed Arsenal are two points behind, while sixth-placed Everton have 52.
Chelsea had fallen behind just before halftime when Cesar Azpilicueta steered Sunderland defender John O’Shea’s header into his own net.
The visitors returned the favor two minutes after the restart with an own goal of their own by Matthew Kilgallon following a dangerous move by Chelsea substitute Fernando Torres before Branislav Ivanovic sealed victory in the 55th minute.
Earlier in the day, Liverpool lost ground on the group chasing Champions League spots when they were held to a 0-0 draw by West Ham United at Anfield, leaving them in seventh place with 49 points from 32 games.
The draw boosted West Ham’s chances of avoiding a relegation battle as they are now seven points clear of the drop zone in 12th place.
Newcastle United also pulled themselves further away from trouble with a 1-0 win at home to Fulham thanks to Papiss Cisse’s stoppage-time winner. Victory lifted them to 13th place with 36 points, a point behind West Ham.
League leaders Manchester United, who are 15 points clear, host second-placed champions Manchester City today.
Fans were still taking their seats at White Hart Lane when Adebayor struck with just 34 seconds on the clock — the second fastest Premier League goal of the season after Robin van Persie’s 31-second effort for Manchester United against West Ham in November.
The Togo striker stuck out his leg to meet a low cross from Jan Vertonghen on the left to put Spurs in front.
Everton, whose dreams of playing in Europe’s elite club competition next season are alive but becoming faint, did not let the early setback get to them too much and Phil Jagielka pulled one back in the 15th minute with a header.
The England defender rose high from a Leighton Baines corner and headed the ball down through the legs of Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris.
That early goal was forgotten when Everton went ahead in the 53rd minute through Kevin Mirallas, who weaved his way through the Spurs defense to net in a second successive game after scoring the winner in last weekend’s 1-0 win over Stoke City.
Spurs chased an equalizer with midfielder Mousa Dembele hitting the bar with a deflected shot before Adebayor also rattled the woodwork and the rebound gifted Sigurdsson the 87th-minute goal.
Fiorentina hits back with penalties to hold Milan
Meantime, Fiorentina, two goals down and reduced to 10 men, converted two penalties in seven minutes to draw 2-2 with AC Milan yesterday in a match between two direct rivals for a Champions League place.
Riccardo Montolivo, returning for the first time to the club where he spent seven seasons, put Milan ahead after 14 minutes and set up another goal for Matthieu Flamini while Fiorentina were fuming after Nenad Tomovic was sent off before halftime.
Josip Ilicic scored a memorable individual goal, beating four players in a run from the halfway line before rolling the ball past Sergio Romero, to help strugglers Palermo get a 3-1 win at Sampdoria, their second successive victory in Serie A.
Antonio Di Natale scored two, one with the help of a blunder by opposing goalkeeper Christian Puggioni who tried to dribble his way out of trouble, in Udinese’s 3-1 win over Chievo Verona.
Di Natale’s second was a brilliant volley from an almost impossible angle.
The Catania-Cagliari and Siena-Parma matches ended goalless.
Third-placed Milan, on 58 points, stayed six ahead of fourth-placed Fiorentina with Inter Milan and Lazio two points further behind.
The top two in Serie A qualify for the Champions League group stage and third place earns a place in the playoff round.
