LONDON: In a Premier League season where the usual narrative has been ripped up, there was no shortage of surprises on Saturday.

Premier League champions Chelsea’s fall from grace continued with a humiliating defeat by lowly Bournemouth after Leicester City’s improbable title challenge was bolstered by a 3-0 victory at Swansea City.

Leicester were struggling to avoid relegation last season but now finds themselves atop the standings — the exact opposite of Chelsea’s trajectory.

An 82nd-minute headed goal by substitute Glenn Murray earned Bournemouth a shock 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge and left Blues boss Jose Mourinho trying to explain away an eighth defeat in 15 league games that leaves them just three points above the relegation zone.

Leicester moved two points clear at the top after Riyad Mahrez’s hat-trick sank Garry Monk’s sorry Swansea side.

Their England striker Jamie Vardy’s record 11-match scoring streak ended in south Wales but Algerian Mahrez delivered the points as Leicester capitalised on previous leaders Manchester City’s dismal 2-0 defeat at Stoke City in the early kickoff.

“It’s good because everyone was looking at Jamie Vardy, but Mahrez was fantastic,” Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri said. “Riyad worked hard for the team, but also scored the goals.”

Mahrez netted twice in the first half and struck again after the break as Leicester moved to 32 points, two clear of Arsenal, who are now second a point above Manchester City after a 3-1 win over Sunderland — Olivier Giroud scoring for both sides.

Giroud atones

Missing Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla through injury, Arsenal took a 33rd-minute lead when Mesut Ozil’s 12th assist of the season allowed Joel Campbell to slot home.

Olivier Giroud’s own goal from Yann M’Vila’s free-kick saw Sunderland level, but the Frenchman atoned in the 63rd minute by heading in a cross from Aaron Ramsey, who also found the net in stoppage time.

Manchester United were unable to follow Leicester and Arsenal’s lead as their goal-scoring problems resurfaced in a 0-0 draw at home to West Ham United to stay fourth, level on 29 points with neighbours City.

Shorn of the injured Wayne Rooney, it was a frustrating outcome for Louis van Gaal’s side, who face VfL Wolfsburg in Germany on Tuesday needing to win to be certain of progressing in the Champions League.

But it could have been even worse, with Winston Reid hitting the post with a header for West Ham and Mauro Zarate shooting wastefully wide from Andy Carroll’s lay-off early in the second half.

There were some boos after a fourth goalless draw in their last six home games.

“We forgot to score,” lamented Van Gaal. “You must score out of the kind of chances we created. You need to score, otherwise you cannot win, and it is very frustrating, also for the players because they want to score.”

Role reversal

As role reversals go, the Premier League has never witnessed anything quite like the change in fortunes between Chelsea and Leicester, who last term spent 140 days at the foot of the table while the Londoners were running away with the title.

After 15 games last term, Chelsea were 26 points ahead of Leicester but they now find themselves 17 adrift of them in 14th place, with Bournemouth only two points behind them.

Murray scored the winner after barely 90 seconds on the field, nodding in from close range after Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had come for a corner and missed, as Bournemouth became the first Premier League newcomers to beat Chelsea since 2001.

“It must rank as the best individual result in the club’s history,” Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said.

Mourinho complained about Chelsea not being awarded a penalty, but the reality is the Portuguese faces a spiralling crisis that could become terminal if they lose to his former club FC Porto in the Champions League this week and fail to reach the last 16.

“I’m concerned obviously, I was concerned before this game,” Mourinho told Sky Sports. “There is no chance that Chelsea will be fighting relegation. That is not the problem. It is that our objective is to finish top four, but maybe now we have to think about top six.”

Spurs held

Fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur also failed to make ground on the teams above them, drawing 1-1 at West Bromwich Albion after James McClean’s header cancelled out Dele Alli’s volleyed 15th-minute opener for Spurs at the Hawthorns.

Tottenham remain three points behind United — the only team to beat the north London club in the league on the opening day.

Aston Villa’s under-pressure manager Remi Garde is still awaiting his first win with the bottom club, who at least earned some comfort in a 1-1 draw at Southampton.

Joleon Lescott put Villa in front but Oriol Romeu equalised for the hosts as the bottom-placed team collected only their second point since August.

Villa have six points and are seven adrift of the safety zone, with Bournemouth and fellow strugglers Norwich City, who lost 2-0 at Watford, level on 13 points above Sunderland on 12 and Newcastle United, who have a game in hand, with 10.

Watford moved into the top half of the standings by beating Norwich as captain Troy Deeney struck for a fourth consecutive game and Odion Ighalo scored the other goal.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2015