Title-chasing Chelsea stride on relentlessly

CESC Fabregas marked his 300th Premier League appearance with the opening goal in Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Swansea City as the runaway leaders moved 11 points clear at the top yesterday.

Fabregas’s first-half goal was cancelled out by an equaliser from Fernando Llorente on the stroke of half time at Stamford Bridge, but secondhalf goals from Pedro and Diego Costa sealed a comfortable win.

The outcome meant Swansea manager Paul Clement and his assistant Claude Makelele endured a painful return to the club they had served as assistant manager and player respectively.

But for Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, the win moved the Blues a step closer towards a second title in three years and further tested the Italian’s determination to play down his side’s prospects of becoming champions.

Conte had been keen to point out nothing was being taken for granted despite the formidable gap between his side and the rest of the chasing pack, explaining that he still bears the scars from his experience as Juventus player 17 years ago.

Then, Conte was part of a team that squandered an eight-point lead in the final weeks of the season and the Italian made it clear that experience would help ensure his current club

Swansea manager Paul Clement and coach Claude Makelele endured a painful return to Stamford Bridge

would not succumb to complacency during the run-in. Chelsea’s start certainly suggested the players shared their manager’s resolve.

Swansea arrived in west London as a team in form having won three of their last four matches, which has moved them clear of the relegation zone. But the Welsh side were simply overwhelmed from the opening moments when Pedro immediately unpicked the visitors defence to create a good chance for Costa.

And the breakthrough came in the 19th minute when Clement’s side finally succumbed to Chelsea’s relentless power.

Once again Conte’s side drove at the heart of the visitors’ defence, this time through Eden Hazard, before a quick exchange of passes capped a thrilling move.

Hazard laid the ball off to Pedro on the right and continued his forward run, creating a space for Fabregas to run into and collect the first-time return before placing his shot beyond Lukasz Fabianski. The midfielder would have doubled the lead in the 27th minute with an acrobatic volley but for the Swansea keeper’s second outstanding save of the game.

But there seemed little chance the miss would prove costly, with Swansea unable to get out of their own half and Chelsea dominant and apparently on course for a routine victory. But the balance of the game changed dramatically in the second minute of first-half stoppage time when the visitors equalised from their first meaningful attack.

And while Llorente deserved credit for the way he directed a powerful header past Thibaut Courtois from Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free-kick, Chelsea’s decision to assign wingback Victor Moses to mark the tall striker looked questionable.

In the second half, Pedro’s 23m shot flew through Fabianski’s weak attempt to save. And any hope of a Swansea recovery disappeared when Hazard worked his way to the byline before pulling back for Costa to add the 84th-minute third. — AFP