LONDON — Chelsea brought a whole new dimension to the Premier League title race when it handed Manchester City its first defeat of the season Saturday to leave Mohamed Salah-inspired Liverpool as the new leader.

Egyptian Salah was back to his best with a hat trick in his side’s 4-0 win at Bournemouth in the early game to move Liverpool a point clear of champion City.

Its tenure at the top was expected to be brief, but five hours later City’s aura was dented by a shock 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, with N’Golo Kante and David Luiz proving their unlikely executioners.

The results left Liverpool on 42 points after 16 games and the only team in the league still undefeated after City’s 21-match unbeaten streak, stretching back to a loss to Manchester United in April, was ended.

Chelsea’s win moved it temporarily into third on 34 points, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference after the Gunners beat Huddersfield Town 1-0 with a belated and brilliant Lucas Torreira bicycle kick.

But Tottenham Hotspur strolled to a fifth win in six league games with a 2-0 victory at Leicester City in the day’s late kickoff to reclaim third spot.

Nonetheless, it was City’s lackluster loss after seven straight wins that sent tremors through a league that had been beginning to talk up the domestic invincibility of Pep Guardiola’s team.

It had dominated proceedings until just before the break when Eden Hazard set up the normally goal-shy Kante to fire home brilliantly into the roof of the net.

It was the first time City had been behind in the league since drawing with Wolverhampton Wanderers in August and it was surprisingly toothless chasing the game either side of Luiz heading home Chelsea’s second from a corner in the 78th minute.

Roma held by Cagliari

Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik bagged a brace as Napoli warmed up for next week’s Champions League clash with Liverpool by easing past promoted Frosinone 4-0 in Serie A Saturday, but AS Roma threw away a two-goal lead to be held 2-2 by nine-man Cagliari amid chaotic scenes in Sardinia.

Amid chaos in Sardinia, Roma, which had led with first half goals from Bryan Cristante and Aleksandar Kolarov, was caught in the last ten minutes with two late goals from Cagliari.

Roma is already through to the Champions League last 16 before next week’s game against Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic.

But it has a long injury list with captain Daniele De Rossi sidelined along with Edin Dzeko, Stephan El Shaarawy and Lorenzo Pellegrini.

Cristante opened after 14 minutes off a Justin Kluivert cross, as Kolarov got the second five minutes before the break off a free kick which took a big deflection off Alberto Cerri.

But the hosts broke through late when Joao Pedro nodded a corner on to Artur Ionita who blasted into the Roma goal four minutes from time.

Roma was still ahead going into injury time when Luca Ceppitelli and Darijo Srna sent off for arguing with the referee, and Cagliari coach Roberto Maran also banished.

Marco Sau nevertheless completed the hosts’ comeback off an Ionita cross five mintues into injury time to maintain Caglairi’s unbeaten home record. — AFP