Kevin De Bruyne masterclass propels Manchester City closer to EPL title

The Belgian put the game to bed with a hat-trick in a devastating 18-minute spell in the first half, before notching a fourth after the break.

LONDON: Kevin de Bruyne produced a masterclass performance and scored four goals as Manchester City won 5-1 away to Wolverhampton on Wednesday to take a three-point lead over Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.

City were under pressure at kick-off after Liverpool's 2-1 win away to Aston Villa that drew them level on points 24 hours earlier, but De Bruyne quickly got the game under control with a hat-trick within 24 minutes.

The first goal came after he ran onto Bernardo Silva's pass on seven minutes and although Leander Dendoncker drew Wolves level soon afterward, de Bruyne slotted home a loose ball in the 16th minute to put his side back ahead.

De Bruyne then scored a stunning left-foot shot in the 24th minute to add a third before smashing home from 10 meters to assure the points in the 60th minute.

Raheem Sterling added a fifth in the closing minutes to also improve City's goal difference in relation to Liverpool.

Chelsea took a big step towards assuring a top-four finish while deepening Leeds United's relegation worries with a 3-0 win at Elland Road.

Mason Mount fired Chelsea in front in the 4th minute and Daniel James then made life easy for Chelsea when he was sent off for a bad challenge on Mateo Kovacic 20 minutes later.

Playing against 10 men, Christian Pulisic and Romelu Lukaku rounded off the win for Chelsea in the second half.

After the game, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said Kovacic would probably miss this weekend's FA Cup final due to his injury.

Everton are two points above Leeds after missing a chance to move further clear as they were held 0-0 away to Watford, who had lost their last 12 home games in the league.

Finally, Jamie Vardy scored twice, while James Maddison also got on the scoresheet as Leicester City beat Norwich 3-0. IANS

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