West Ham United’s Welsh defender James Collins (top C) heads towards goal but fails to score during their English Premier League match against Swansea City in Swansea Saturday. — AFP

LONDON — Chelsea re-asserted itself as Premier League leader with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United Saturday as champion Manchester City was held to a draw at Everton.



Jose Mourinho’s team has watched a nine-point advantage over City vanish and began the day with an identical record but edged two points clear with goals from Oscar and Diego Costa sealing a 10th home league win out of 10.



City took the lead late on at Goodison Park through Fernandinho but Steven Naismith earned the host a point.



Chelsea has 49 points from 21 games with City on 47.



Eight-placed Liverpool edged nearer the top four with a 1-0 victory at Sunderland, Lazar Markovic’s first Premier League goal deciding the contest at a blustery Stadium of Light.



It is now four points behind fourth-placed Southampton which plays third-placed Manchester United Sunday.



“It was an outstanding team performance. We had great control of the game but I suppose the only disappointment is we did not have more goals,” manager Brendan Rodgers, who was without the rested Raheem Sterling, told BT Sport.



Queens Park Rangers fell into the relegation zone after a 2-1 loss at Burnley, becoming the first Premier League side to lose its first 10 away games of the season.



Both sides ended with 10 men at Leicester City where the host stayed bottom despite beating Aston Villa 1-0, while Tony Pulis enjoyed a winning reign as West Bromwich Albion’s manager thanks to 1-0 defeat of Hull City.



Swansea City and West Ham United drew 1-1.



Madrid back on track



Gareth Bale scored with an unstoppable free kick to help 10-man Real Madrid end a two-game losing run with a 3-0 win Saturday over Espanyol and stay top of the Spanish league.



James Rodriguez scored first after a long pass from Bale was headed back to the Colombian by Cristiano Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu in the 12th minute.



Bale made it 2-0 in the 28th when Espanyol goalkeeper Kiko Casilla could only watch as he rifled a left-foot free kick off the post and into the net.



Madrid played with 10 men from the 53rd after Fabio Coentrao got a direct red card for a low tackle, but substitute Nacho Fernandez made it 3-0 in the 76th.



Madrid’s victory came after its Spanish record 22-win streak ended with losses at Valencia and Atletico Madrid. — Agencies