Chelsea lead halfway through Premier League

Leading football team Chelsea kicked off a hectic holiday programme in the Premier League with a dominant 2-0 victory over high-flying London rivals West Ham United on Friday.

While Chelsea and Manchester City slug it out at the top of the Premier League, Manchester United’s manager, Louis van Gaal, endured a tricky start to his reign but seven wins in eight League games have put United hot on the heels of the pacesetters.

“It’s a fantastic Christmas because we dominated for 90 minutes, we didn’t give away many chances and we created plenty,” the Dutch coach told the BBC.

Manchester United visit Tottenham Hotspur in a lunchtime kickoff on Sunday as the games continue to flow thick and fast over the festive period.

“The signs have been good in recent weeks,” midfielder Michael Carrick told the club website.

Elsewhere, West Ham meets Arsenal in a match pitting fifth vs sixth respectively, while Liverpool hosts Swansea in another game between two teams in the top nine and in reach of the top four.

Chelsea, who have never lost a home league derby during manager Jose Mourinho’s two spells in charge, have 45 points from 18 games, six more than champions Manchester City who play at West Bromwich Albion later on Friday.