Chelsea edged past West London rivals QPR at Stamford Bridge as they maintained their unbeaten record and their lead at the top of the table.
The hosts welcomed the return of Diego Costa as the Spanish international started up-front and Mourinho bought back key players such as Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and John Terry after their rest during midweek.
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A minute silence was observed at the Bridge prior to kick off to remember those who had died in battle for their country and both sides took part impeccably.
Chelsea started brightly, forcing a succession of corners in the first minute or so but didn’t threaten to QPR goal enough to merit an early lead.
In-form R’s striker came closest for the visitors but neither side looked too threatening during the opening half hour or so. Chelsea’s best effort came from a tame long-range effort from Fabregas which forced Rob Green into a save.
However, Chelsea took the lead thanks to a sublime finish from Oscar on 32 minutes. Cesc Fabregas claimed yet another assist as he latched onto a loose ball and set up the Brazilian midfidler, who finished with the outside of his foot from 12 yards.
Chelsea seemed happy to play the remaining 10 mintues or so of the half out and not look to extend their lead before the break, and did so successfully as they took their narrow lead back into the dressing room with them.
The visitors looked the better team after the break as Chelsea continued to sit back and Rangers clearly wanted something from the game, bringing on Bobby Zamora 10 minutes into the half to add another dimension to their attack.
Their will to win would be rewarded just two minutes later as Charlie Austin bought the visitors back on level terms, cleverly flicking a mis-hit Leroy Fer volley and, with Courtois wrong footed, the ball sneaked into the corner of the net.
This may have been the wakeup Chelsea needed as they stepped up their game, with Eden Hazard forcing a penalty for the home side after a silly foul by Vargas.
Having won the penalty, the Belgian stepped up and, of course, cooly tucked the ball away and kept up his 100% penalty record for the Blues.
Chelsea bought Costa off for Schurrle after a quiet 75 minutes for the striker and Mourinho surely keen to protect him for bigger games to come soon.
Once again, Chelsea held on and survived some late QPR attacks to claim yet another three points and move 9 points clear of title rivals Manchester City who play Manchester United tomorrow afternoon.
Certainly not Chelsea’s finest performance of the season but another professional job that got the job done eventually, something which is so important when going for a title.
Chelsea Player Ratings
Courtois – 7: Not much to do, only real job was picking the ball out the net after Austin’s goal
Ivanovic – 6: Solid performance, some poor passes but overall did his job well
Cahill – 5: Not his finest Chelsea hour, lost his man too often which luckily didn’t lead to anything for the visitors.
Terry – 7: Quiet from the captain but, as always, got his job done
Filipe Luis – 8: One of Chelsea’s standout’s, filled in well for Azpilicueta and got up and down the wing well
Matic – 7: Solid as ever, simple passes, but nothing significant to merit a higher rating
Fabregas – 7: Yet another assist but, again, nothing too significant. Some nice passes.
Hazard – 9: Chelsea’s MOTM, won and scored the penalty, tricky as ever
Oscar – 8: Run his socks off as ever and scored a sublime goal to open the scoring
Willian – 7: Worked hard, so important for the team but nothing standout again
Costa – 6: A quiet game for Chelsea’s top scorer but not surprising considering he’s been out for four games.
Match Facts and Notes
- Eden Hazard has converted all eight penalties that he has taken in the Premier League
- Cesc Fabregas now has more assists than Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil managed all of last season
- QPR scored with their first shot on target this afternoon
- Cesc Fabregas has been involved in 10 goals (one goal, nine assists) in 10 league games for Chelsea
