Premier League round-up:Carlos Tevez scored a stunning hat-trick as Manchester City turned the heat up on league leaders Manchester United with a clinical 6-1 hammering of Norwich at Carrow Road.
Starting successive Premier League games for the first time in 11 months, Tevez blasted home a 20-yard swirling shot to open the scoring before he backheeled to Sergio Aguero, who made it 2-0 with a venomous volley.
Andrew Surman pulled one back just after the break to give the Canaries hope, but a Tevez second-half double, a late strike from Adam Johnson, and a majestic curler from Aguero gave City a hugely impressive victory to cut United’s lead to two points.
Tevez, who famously went AWOL in Argentina for six months after refusing to come off the bench against Bayern Munich, is now well and truly back to his best and could yet have a decisive say in this title race with his former employers.
The diminutive striker looked sharp all afternoon, dropping deep and working the channels all game to cause the Canaries all sorts of problems, and his finishing was quite superb.
Having pegged United back to a five-point lead in midweek, the Red Devils now only have a marginal lead ahead of their game against Aston Villa tomorrow, and the Manchester derby on April 30th looks an even more appetising prospect after Tevez’s fine display today.
Blackburnwere plunged further into relegation trouble as they were soundly beaten by Swanseain a 3-0 defeat at the Liberty Stadium.
Gylfi Sigurdsson produced a brilliant curler to grab his first goal on home soil and give Swansea a 37th-minute lead, with Nathan Dyer doubling the
advantage six minutes later. Scott Dann then capped a terrible day for Rovers by putting through his own net just after the hour mark.
Midfielder David Dunn hit the post with the visitors’ best effort but this was a miserable display that leaves Steve Kean’s side three points from safety in 19th place having played at least a game more than the sides around them.
West Brommidfielder Graham Dorrans added to QPR'srelegation fears with a superb winner in a 1-0 victory for the home side at the Hawthorns.
The Scotland international settled the contest midway through the first half with a 30-yard strike. But QPR should have picked up at least a point with Bobby Zamora causing plenty of problems but spurning several opportunities.
Sunderlandgoalkeeper Simon Mignolet denied relegation-haunted Wolvesan invaluable victory with a fine late save at the Stadium of Light.
The Belgium international, who had earlier seen Sylvan Ebanks-Blake fire wastefully wide from close range, clawed away Steven Fletcher’s 81st-minute header to ensure a poor game ended in stalemate.
James McClean had earlier fired into the side-netting for the Black Cats and forced a 73rd-minute save from Wayne Hennessey with a close-range header on an afternoon when neither side did enough to claim the three points.
