Premier League review: Wins for Chelsea, Arsenal, Hammers and Huddersfield
Time was on Chelsea's side as Marcos Alonso's free-kick earned a 1-0 Premier League win over Southampton.
Antonio Conte says time is running out in the title pursuit, even if Manchester City slip up, and said the clear leaders had been lucky with late goals.
But the Blues benefited at Stamford Bridge today, as more than the advertised minimum two minutes of first-half stoppage time had elapsed when Alonso curled in.
Conte, sent off against Swansea and fined £8,000 for misconduct, had been complaining about Saints' persistent fouling and time-wasting.
But it was Mauricio Pellegrino who may feel aggrieved as Saints' winless run was extended to five games to keep them in a congested lower half of the table.
Arsenal returned to winning ways but had Mesut Ozil to thank for scoring a wonderful winner on an otherwise average afternoon for the Gunners as they toiled against out of form Newcastle.
Having taken just two points from their last three outings, Arsene Wenger could not have wished for a better game to pick up a first Premier League win of the month.
But the performance in a tight 1-0 win over the Magpies was met with incredulity from pockets of the home fans, with the likes of Alexis Sanchez and the recalled Alexandre Lacazette struggling to make an impact once again.
The pressure on Potters boss Mark Hughes will only intensify after a 3-0 home loss made it four defeats from five games and left them one point above the relegation zone.
By contrast, the Hammers are picking up nicely under David Moyes and this result saw them leapfrog their opponents and climb up to 15th.
Mark Noble netted a 19th-minute penalty and Marko Arnautovic, who had been booed throughout by the Stoke fans following his summer departure, celebrated gleefully after making it two in the 75th minute.
The Potters probably thought it could not get any worse but their porous defence was pierced again by Diafra Sakho.
Aaron Mooy's double fired Huddersfield to a pulsating 4-1 win at Watford and only their second away win of the season.
Elias Kachunga and Mooy put Huddersfield two goals to the good at Vicarage Road before Troy Deeney was sent off for a dangerous lunge on Colin Quaner.
Laurent Depoitre added a third for the visitors shortly after half-time only for Watford to threaten a comeback when Huddersfield's Jonathan Hogg was shown a second yellow card and Abdoulaye Doucoure reduced the deficit with a sweet half-volley.
Doucoure, however, then turned villain by fouling Depoitre in the box late on and Mooy banged in his second, Huddersfield's fourth, from the penalty spot to cap a thrilling victory.
Glenn Murray squandered a first-half penalty as Brighton's winless run stretched to seven games with a goalless draw against high-flying Burnley.
Albion dominated for long spells at the Amex Stadium but their search for a first Premier League victory since the start of November goes on after Murray blazed his 36th-minute spot-kick high over the crossbar.
Anthony Knockaert had earlier rattled the woodwork for the Seagulls, while Sean Dyche's Clarets could have won it late on through Chris Wood as they missed a chance to move to fourth in the table.
