After a shaky start, Chelsea come from behind to beat Swansea with Diego Costa scoring a hattrick.
A minute’s applause was observed at Stamford Bridge prior to kick-off in memory of the late Lord Richard Attenborough. Rest in peace.
Swansea began the game on top, keeping possesion and moving the ball nicely on the halfway line. Routledge fired over the bar after a John Terry header, Chelsea were on edge.
Chelsea’s worries were confirmed on eleven minutes when Terry unluckily put the ball into his own net. There was nothing the captain could have done and you had to feel sorry for him.
Courtois again showed us he needs to work on his distribution as he gave Long the ball without challenge.
Slowly creeping back into the game, Terry tried to correct his error but headed just over the bar on twenty minutes.
The Welsh side defended valiantly in the first half, getting men behind the ball at every threat. Costa was struggling to find space and looked like he may well have been injured.
Finally, right on half-time, the Brazilian-turned-Spaniard found the net for the fifth time this season after he leaped to convert a Cesc Fabregas corner.
Chelsea looked like they had woken up, Hazard going close after a darting run into the opposition box. The scores were level at the break.
The Blues started the second half solidly and scored again ten minutes in. No prizes for guessing who scored, or assisted for that matter. Fabregas and Costa had done it again.
Stamford Bridge was bouncing at this point, Roman Abramovich pictured celebrating with 11-year old Barcelona academy player Xavier Simons, who he is said to be chasing.
It was end-to-end football, and a really good football match was being witnessed.
On sixty-seven minutes Diego Costa scored his and Chelsea’s third of the game, and this killed the game.
Our hattrick her was replaced on seventy two minutes by French international Loic Remy, who made his Chelsea debut.
He got in on the act, Oscar setting him up for a clinical finish into the bottom corner.
Mohamed Salah replaced Cesc Fabregas and looked lively on his first appearance this season.
A consolation goal from Jonjo Shelvey casted a seed of doubt in a minority of Chelsea fan’s minds but the goal changed only the goal difference.
Four additional minutes were played out and the final whistle was blown.
Cesc Fabregas now has six assists in four games.
Diego Costa has scored seven goals in four games.
Thibaut Courtois only has one clean sheet in four games.
Chelsea face Schalke in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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