STEVE BATES
THERE are some days when everything just slots into place perfectly, and for Cesc Fabregas yesterday was as good as a miserable February afternoon gets.
For if you’re going to have your best game of the season and create a milestone moment in the heart of Chelsea’s midfield, who better to dazzle than Stamford Bridge legend Frank Lampard?
Blues hero Lampard wrote the manual on goalscoring midfield play in a fabulous Chelsea career spanning 13 years and 648 games.
Lampard’s glittering stint included 211 goals and 13 trophies and yesterday the adored midfielder came to say a belated farewell.
He never got the chance when he left in the summer of 2014 for Manchester City as Chelsea chose not to offer him a new deal.
But at half-time time he put that right withh an emotional lap of honour in thehe West Londonon drizzle, withh Chelsea fans lauding the star who bossed their midfield through the e glory years.
Fabregas gave ave his own personalsonal salute to Lampardpard – with the first goal andnd ann assistssist for Pedro’s killer second before Diego Costa wrapped up a win that takes Chelsea 11 points clear at the top.
As he watched on from the stands, accompanied by wife Christine Bleakley, Lampard saw a familiar scene unfolding on the pitch.
For no one knows better than him that it is on grey, wet days like this that titles are won.
Having starred in three title
triumphstriu under Jose MourinhoMour and Carlo Ancelotti,Ancelotti LampardLamp saw Chelsea take another step towards a fifth League crown in the Roman Abramovich era.
No one was more influential in this victory over Paul Clement’s spirited Swansea than Fabregas.
Spanish trickster Pedro, Footballer of the Year contender N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard came close, but this was a day when Fabregas made a point to boss Antonio Conte.
Fabregas hadn’t started a league game since the end of December but his influence on Chelsea’s performance was the type of impact Lampard often delivered himself.
Right from the first minute when he teed up Pedro for a shot swept over the bar by his fellow countryman, Fabregas dictated Chelsea’s tempo and creative output.
And when midfielder Tom Carroll lost the ball in the 19th minute, Fabregas was on hand to help engineer his opening goal with a little help from Hazard, Costa and Pedro, who picked out the pass which the former Gunner steered past Lukasz Fabianski.
Until then Swansea had defended with organisation and discipline, limiting Chelsea to just one other clear-cut chance – a volley into the ground by Fabregas which was well saved by Fabianski.
If Pedro had finished a run a couple of minutes before half-time the game would have been over, but in time added on by referee Neil Swarbrick the Swans hit back with a stunning header by Fernando Lloriente.