Chelsea has closed the gap on the top four back to two points courtesy of a 1-0 win over fellow Champions League hopefuls Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Blues saw Tottenham Hotspur slip up away to relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, and they took full advantage as Olivier Giroud’s first-half header handed them a vital three points in West London.
The home side lacked the urgency that many expected of them in the opening stages and they wasted a promising position 14 minutes in when Giroud took the ball off the toes of Tiemoue Bakayoko when his compatriot was much better placed to meet Victor Moses’s cutback.
The hosts’ opener came against the run of play as Moses advanced down the right flank before cutting inside and putting a cross in for Giroud, who got in front of his man to flick his header into the far corner, leaving Karius rooted to the spot.
Suddenly it was Liverpool on the back foot and Chelsea came agonisingly close to a second moments later when Cesc Fabregas broke down the right channel before delivering a teasing low cross into the box which only needed a touch.
It was a sign of things to come as the second half got off to a quick start, with Moses flashing a dangerous low ball across the face of goal before Alexander-Arnold and N’Golo Kante both failed to hit the target from range at either end of the field.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have now failed to score in two successive Premier League games for the first time since August 2015 and could be left needing victory on the final day to secure their place in the top four.
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