Chelsea march closer to the title
FRANK LAMPARD knows. Titles are won on dreary, drizzly days when obstructive opponents make you doubt your own superiority.
The former Chelsea midfielder was here yesterday, a guest of honour finally given a proper chance to say goodbye to fans after his publicly unheralded departure in 2014.
And he must have liked what he saw. Despite their propensity for rotating managers, Chelsea’s identity remains constant. Lampard would recognise this team’s characteristics. They can attack with flair but defend with doggedness. And when a game looks like it might be heading towards an unsatisfactory conclusion, prospective champions find a way.
So, though Pedro’s cut inside and strike from outside the box on 72 minutes and Lukasz Fabianski’s untimely fumble probably won’t make the cut for Chelsea’s best bits of 2016-17, do not doubt its significance.
So accomplished are Antonio Conte’s team, so far clear are they, that soon they will be able to stage-manage the end of the season, when draws will be enough to see them over the line.
‘It’s not easy,’ claimed Conte afterwards. ‘To keep the concentration for the whole championship is not easy. But I have a lot of players who played and won in the past.
‘They know very well the way that we must continue. For this reason, I’m lucky. I’m lucky to have a lot of players who, in the past, won a lot.’
He does indeed have a team of winners. Of his starting XI, only Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso have not previously won a domestic title. But good though Chelsea were at times — Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante were both outstanding.
However, just before Pedro hit that pivotal strike on 72 minutes, Fernando Llorente had cut inside and was breaking into the box. He lifted the ball and it struck Cesar Azpilicueta’s hand. Referee Neil Swarbrick took the view it was accidental. It was 1-1 and 69 minutes had been played.
‘It was a penalty,’ said Swansea boss Paul Clement. ‘It’s 1-1 and we had a chance to go to 2-1. But, on reflection, they’ve had a lot more chances and a lot more of the ball, so probably deserved the victory.’
Chelsea always seemed too quick, too strong, too incisive for Swansea. Fabregas opened the scoring on 19 minutes.
Eden Hazard found Diego Costa whose unwillingness to yield saw the ball played on to Pedro. He pulled it back and Fabregas scored.
Llorente levelled after heading in Gylfi Sigurdsson’s cross in first-half stoppage time. It gave not just Swansea hope, but all of Chelsea’s opponents.
However, Pedro struck and then, on 84 minutes, Hazard pulled the ball back to Costa, who killed the contest.