Breeze for Blues as they beat West Brom

RARELY can a 2-0 victory have been this comprehensive. Chelsea found this so easy, they were taking the opportunity for an extended bit of recuperation from the middle of the first half. 2-0? It could, perhaps should, have been 10.

Jose Mourinho’s intent was clear. Never mind a Champions League tie coming up on Tuesday, he was going with his best lineup. There was no rest for the leaders. You could see why. Familiarity is breeding content round Stamford Bridge. Settled, solid, comfortable, this is a team with no evident weakness. A team, moreover that knows each other’s strengths, that knows each other’s movements.

At half time, the only surprise was that Chelsea had not accumulated a cricket score. So smooth, so easy, so far in the ascendancy were they, with Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas controlling midfield, with Diego Costa a constant threat.

Yet, as it was, they only had two goals. The first was inevitably scored by Costa. It was 12 degrees out there, yet the Spanish international was wearing gloves. What, you wondered, will he be wearing in January? But he was warmed up all right. He had already drawn a fine save from Ben Foster, when, on 11 minutes, Oscar arced a cross in behind the West Bromwich defence. Controlling the ball perfectly on his chest, he strode on and stroked the ball home.

After two more astonishing saves from the visiting keeper, Chelsea won a corner. Eden Hazard received on the edge of the box, advanced unchecked round Craig Gardner, and slipped a left-foot shot under Foster.

On half-an-hour, a tough job for the visitors became impossible. Claudio Yacob was shown a straight red for a clumsy challenge on Costa. They were finding it hard enough to contain Chelsea with 11 men. With 10, there was no route back. By now their manager Alan Irvine was reduced to standing on the edge of his technical area, forlornly shouting out names: “Craig, Craig, Craig,” he went at one point. It was not entirely clear

It is generally considered necessary to have two teams involved in a match to make it gripping

Craig Gardner could hear him through the befuddlement.

West Brom’s chances were summed up by the free kick Chris Brunt fired into the top tier of the Shed midway through the second half. As the visitors demonstrated their ambition by retreating into a 4-5 formation, Chelsea were demonstrating how they can switch tactical approaches at will.

One minute Hazard, Oscar and Willian were picking their way through with multiple passing moves, the next someone was hoisting a long ball over the top for one of their fliers to chase. Like the apparently laserguided long ball from Matic to set Hazard in behind the West Brom defence just before half time.

In fact, here was the reason Chelsea were not in double figures: Foster may have slipped behind Fraser Forster in the race to be Joe Hart’s international deputy, but he was magnificent here. Despite his team adopting a 4-5 formation post the sending off to protect him, ably organised by a defiant Joleon Lescott, he was the busiest man on the pitch. His save on half time, flicking the ball off Cesar Azpilicueta’s toes, or his reflex stop from John Terry’s header early in the second, or his save at Hazard’s feet in the 72nd minute, were the very models of defiance.

He barely had time to draw breath. It was not quite the same at the other end of the pitch. Thiboult Courtois didn’t touch the ball for more than half-anhour in the second half. While Chelsea’s two centre backs, utterly unchallenged and with the freedom of the Bridge to exploit, had endless opportunity to instigate attacks, Gary Cahill almost matching his senior partner in the distance and accuracy of his forward promptings.

As the Chelsea attack began to lose interest in trying to break through the thick red lines of visiting defenders, the interest gradually petered out. It is generally considered necessary to have two teams involved in a match to make it gripping. For the home crowd attention could be directed into cheering Didier Drogba when he trotted out to warm up. That and chanting “we’re top of the league”. The scoreline may not have reflected their supremacy, but, after this, there can be few doubting it is a position they will still be occupying in May. — ©