Leicester march closer to Premier League title

Leicester City moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Crystal Palace.

Riyad Mahrez's goal extended Leicester's advantage over second-place Tottenham, who host Bournemouth on Sunday.

Palace's Damien Delaney hit the crossbar in stoppage time, but the surprising Foxes held on to take another step toward an unlikely title.

"The game was very difficult, it was a very good win," Mahrez said.

"It's getting close, but still seven matches to go.

"It's a long way, we need to keep focused on our team and we will see what we can do."

Mahrez turned in Jamie Vardy's cross in the first half for his 17th goal of the season.

As he has been doing all along, manager Claudio Ranieri refused to talk about the title.

"Step by step," the Italian said.

"The race for the title is the same as a match.

"Every match you don't know what happens until the end."

Palace boss Alan Pardew thinks otherwise after his team's winless league run reached 13 games.

"Leicester are top of the league for a reason," he said.

"They have a lovely balance to the team.

"They will be difficult to catch and they would be worthy champions."

Arsenal rebounded from their FA Cup and Champions League exits with a much-needed 2-0 win at Everton.

Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi scored as Arsenal won for just the second time in nine in all competitions.

"It's been a difficult couple of weeks with the results we've had," Welbeck told BT Sport.

"It was good to get back to winning ways and have something to build on."

The Gunners stay 11 points behind Leicester in third and pulled within three points of Tottenham.

Everton were booed at the final whistle after an eighth loss in 16 home league games.

"We had second thoughts in every action and Arsenal were, in every single bit of the performance, better than us," manager Roberto Martinez said.

"It was so disappointing."

West Ham missed a chance to go into fourth place by drawing 2-2 at Chelsea.

Manuel Lanzini and Andy Carroll each gave the Hammers a one-goal lead only for Cesc Fabregas to twice equalise with a free-kick and then an 89th-minute penalty.

The Hammers remain a point behind Manchester City and Chelsea, who are unbeaten under interim manager Guus Hiddink, stay 10th.

Norwich beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 to move out of the relegation zone and end a 10-game winless run.

Robbie Brady's goal lifted the Canaries three points ahead of Sunderland, who can go back above them with a win at Newcastle on Sunday.

Jon Walters and Joselu scored as Stoke won 2-1 at Watford to climb two spots to seventh.

Swansea hammered another nail into Aston Villa's Premier League coffin on Saturday with the softest of goals earning the Welsh side a 1-0 victory that may well secure their safety for another season.

Villa keeper Brad Guzan came off his line in the 53rd minute only to flap hopelessly at a free-kick curled in by Gylfi Sigurdsson and tip the ball on to a grateful Federico Fernandez's shoulder and into the net.

The woeful defending in a game of poor quality seemed to sum up the visitors' hapless season as they suffered a sixth successive league defeat, leaving them marooned at the bottom of the table, eight points behind second from bottom Newcastle United.

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