Chelsea return to form

London: Chelsea F.C.'s new interim manager Guus Hiddink saw his team beat Sunderland 3-1 on Saturday, while Norwich City won at Manchester United to imperil their manager Louis van Gaal.

Appointed prior to kick-off in place of the sacked Jose Mourinho, Hiddink was in the stands at a discontented Stamford Bridge as Chelsea prevailed through goals from Branislav Ivanovic, Pedro Rodriguez and Oscar.

The match unfurled amid tension, as Chelsea's fans took out their anger over Mourinho's dismissal on their own players, and there was also a bilious atmosphere at Old Trafford, where Norwich won 2-1.

It was United's third straight defeat in all competitions, sending them out of the top four, and saw Van Gaal assailed with boos from the home supporters and chants of "Jose Mourinho, he's taking your job!" from the away end.

United's next home fixture is against Chelsea on December 28 and social media was quickly abuzz with speculation that Mourinho could find himself sitting in Van Gaal's seat by then.

A world away from the managerial intrigue, Claudio Ranieri, the former Chelsea manager, saw his Leicester City side win 3-2 at Everton to guarantee that they will top the table on Christmas Day.