MASON MOUNT scored a hat trick to help Chelsea continue at top of the English Premier League (EPL) with a 7-0 thrashing of bottom of the table Norwich on Saturday. Manchester City won 4-1 away to Brighton, which had kicked off the weekend in fourth place in the table. Missing injured strikers Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, Chelsea still powered to its biggest win of the season. Manchester City doesn’t have an out-and-out striker in its squad after failing to sign a like-for-like replacement for Sergio Aguero in the offseason but that isn’t stopping the champions scoring freely this season. A 4-1 victory at Brighton, secured mainly thanks to two goals by Phil Foden, followed a 5-1 win at Club Brugge midweek in the Champions League. It was the sixth time in 14 games in all competitions that City has scored three or more goals. Chelsea will spend another week leading the league — it is two points ahead of City and four clear of Liverpool, whose game in hand is at Manchester United the next day — and the strength in depth in the squad should ensure Thomas Tuchel’s team maintains a title challenge this season. There have been 16 different scorers for Chelsea in all competitions this season, with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James and Ben Chilwell also netting against last-place Norwich alongside Mount’s first Premier League hat trick. That bodes well for the leaders while Lukaku (ankle) and Werner (hamstring) are out of action after sustaining injuries in midweek. City is in a rich vein of form, too, especially with Foden taking on the scoring and creative mantle while playing in the false-nine role. The 21-year-old England international converted a pass from Jack Grealish at the end of a breakaway, then saw a shot from Gabriel Jesus deflect in off his heel to make it 3-0 at halftime, with Ilkay Gundogan having set City on its way with the opener at fourth-place Brighton. Foden set up Riyad Mahrez for the fourth goal in second-half stoppage time.(SD-Agencies) | 