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Tigers show their claws as survival rivals falter

IT was business as usual for Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday with the title-chasing trio doing the business for favourite-backers but the real drama came at the bottom of the table. 

Swansea and Sunderland lost to Arsenal and Stoke respectively and were leapfrogged by Hull who moved off the bottom with a 3-1 win over Bournemouth. 

The Tigers went level on points with Crystal Palace who were thumped 3-0 at West Ham.

Palace are 11-4 to go down after winning just two of their last 16 league games.

Leicester are also in trouble after their 3-0 defeat at home to Chelsea and the champions are just five points clear of safety and 16-1 to go down.

Hull are 1-4 drop favourites with Sunderland 4-11 and Swansea next at 4-9. Middlesbrough are fifth from bottom and 5-1 for relegation after a 0-0 draw at Watford.

Chelsea remain five points clear after Saturday's win which came despite the absence of leading scorer Diego Costa. The Spaniard was dropped after a row with boss Antonio Conte on Friday and is 2-1 with Hills to leave Stamford Bridge this month.

Reports suggested Costa had become unsettled following a bid from China but he is 4-11 to stay put in January and 13-8 to have moved on by the end of the summer transfer window. Hills go 9-4 that he joins a Chinese club this month.The Blues remain 4-5 title favourites but the chasing pack are keeping the pressure on.

Tottenham moved into second after thrashing West Brom 4-0 in the lunchtime game with Harry Kane grabbing a hat-trick. Kane's haul put him on 13 goals for the season and he is 3-1 to win the golden boot, but it wasn't all good for Spurs who had Jan Vertonghen carried off with an ankle injury.

They are 8-1 for the title and 8-13 to finish in the top four. Arsenal are a point behind and 12-1 after also winning 4-0.Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez scored either side of own goals from the hapless Swans who are struggling to stay afloat.

Sanchez is 7-1 to finish as the league's leading marksman after bagging his 14th goal of the campaign.Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a 3-1 shot and Costa has been pushed out to 7-2 with his future in doubt. 

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