Another opening goal from Diego Costa and an Eden Hazard strike before half-time secured a comfortable win that set a new club record for league games without defeat in the top division at the start of a season. The victory was aided by the visitors from the West Midlands playing the majority of the game with 10 men following a sending off. That limited their ambition in a second half in which Chelsea totally dominated but couldn’t break through a massed defence. Ben Foster in the Baggies goal produced a series of good saves throughout the game to keep the score down. The three points extends our lead at the top to seven points ahead of Southampton’s visit to Villa on Monday. TEAM NEWS There were no surprises in the Chelsea line-up. Cesc Fabregas’s availability allowed Jose Mourinho to select his regular pairing in central midfield with the Spaniard alongside Nemanja Matic. Willian returned in place of Ramires who had started at Anfield with Oscar and Eden Hazard the others supporting Diego Costa in attack. Cesar Azpilicueta was selected at left-back. There was no involvement for John Mikel Obi and Mohamed Salah who were the last in international action this week having played in Africa on Wednesday. West Brom boss Alan Irvine made four changes from their home defeat against Newcastle with Chris Baird in at left-back and Claudio Yacob and Craig Gardner drafted into midfield. Stephane Sessegnon replaced Victor Anichebe as Saido Berahino’s partner in attack. FIRST HALF Chelsea were aiming for a club record 12 unbeaten top-flight league games at the start of a season, to go with the new club record in all competitions set at Anfield, and we forced our first corner after only four minutes. From the delivery it took a remarkable reaction save from Ben Foster to keep the ball out when John Terry’s close-range shot was deflected. Sessegnon had a shot for West Brom that was also deflected soon after but from much further out, and Courtois was untroubled, as he would remain throughout the afternoon. On nine minutes the West Brom fans stood for applause to recognise their former England World Cup centre-forward Jeff Astle and an ongoing campaign to raise awareness of head injuries in the sport. They had only just returned to their seats when their side went behind. Diego Costa’s 11th goal of the season was one of his best yet. Judging his run to gain a couple of yards of space behind the defence as Oscar crossed, the centre-forwarded chested the ball towards the target and then volleyed the it home in one smooth action. Stamford Bridge erupted in praise of their new but firm favourite. PA-21537522_diego costa Ahead with 11 minutes played, Chelsea soon rampaged forward again but when Oscar’s sweetly struck curler with the outside of his boot was saved, Foster this time was able to deny the fast-closing Diego Costa. The shots kept coming – Hazard after his crafty trick made space and Gary Cahill trying their luck. Diego Costa showed he could be human in front of goal afterall on 19 minutes when he opened his foot out but guided Ivanovic’s smashed low cross wide from only a couple of yards from goal. The important second goal did arrive midway through the half. As in the opening minutes for Terry’s chance. Fabregas took a corner short and he caught West Brom napping. Hazard was the recipient and having darted past Gardner, the Belgian’s shot found a way through Foster at the near post for his sixth goal of the campaign. PA-21538255_eden hazard Any lingering hopes the visitors had of an unlikely turnaround must have all but evaporated when referee Lee Mason showed a straight red card to Claudio Yacob with the game not even half-an-hour old. The reason was a two-footed jump down into a challenge on Diego Costa just outside the West Brom area. Oscar’s free-kick didn’t amount to anything but the Blue tide was rising even higher. PA-21537713_claudio yacob sending off Oscar was unlucky to see the power taken off a back-heeled shot by a defender and then the Brazilian missed out when Ivanovic pulled the ball back just behind him following a perfectly judged Fabregas pass. A good challenge on Azpilicueta inside the area saved West Brom as the full-back chased the loose ball. Good width, good movement, passing and dribbling, it was continuing to be great football on the eye. In the last minutes before the break, Foster again saved from Diego Costa and then got his hand on a ball on the turf a fraction of a second before Oscar reached it, so the teams went down the tunnel with two goals separating them. Second half We could have been 3-0 up with just 80 seconds of the second period played but Matic didn’t quite keep his crisply struck volley down sufficiently when found unmarked by Oscar, and Foster continued to be as busy as anyone when palming away a Terry header. Willian had a shot deflected on its way wide. It was a game being played almost entirely in the Baggies’ half but also against a side now purely switched to damage-limitation mode. The gap between Berahino and his team-mates was enormous. Sessegnon was pretty much an auxiliary left-back. PA-21537591_ivanovic Chelsea’s right-back Ivanovic had the chance to make something happen when found in space inside the area by Fabregas but hit his delivery out of Diego Costa’s reach. Then that man Foster continued to frustrate the home team and supporters when he got a leg to Hazard’s shot after a neat exchange of passes from the Blues. Willian was the first and only Chelsea player shown a card when his endeavour to chase down the ball ended with a trip on Wisdom in the West Brom half. Loic Remy was introduced for Oscar with just over 10 minutes remaining, with Didier Drogba on for Diego Costa not long after but neither would have a genuine to chance to extend the lead. Three points had been safely secured off the back of international match action for many of this side, stretching our advantage ahead of Southampton’s game on Monday. By then Chelsea will be in Germany for our next challenge, an important Champions League encounter on Tuesday night against Schalke. Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (c), Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Willian, Oscar (Remy 79), Hazard; Diego Costa (Drogba 83). Unused subs Cech, Zouma, Filipe Luis, Ramires, Schurrle. Scorers Diego Costa 11, Hazard 25. Booked Willian 75 West Brom (4-4-1-1): Foster; Wisdom, Dawson, Lescott, Baird (Gamboa 67); Dorrens, Gardner, Yacob, Brunt (c); Sessegnon; Berahino (Anichebe 78). Unused subs Myhill, Morrison, Ideye, McAuley, Samaras. Sent off Yacob 28 Referee Lee Mason Crowd 41,600
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 19:03:00 +0000