Brentford 4-0

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Chelsea 4-0 Brentford: Willian, Pedro, Branislav Ivanovic and Michy Batshuayi lead Blues' cruise into FA Cup fifth round

By Riath Al-samarrai

Romance of the FA Cup? You would have found more in a tired bouquet of petrol station carnations than in the old stadium on Fulham Road.

This was a battering, a heavy victory for the leaders of the Premier League against the little club with big ideas from the Championship.

An upset never looked remotely likely, even when the team sheets came in and showed Antonio Conte had made nine changes to the side most recently used in the league.

Ordinarily that gives an underdog some hope; here, Brentford were neutered by half-time.
The Chelsea second string bludgeoned their near neighbours with amazing force, with Willian scoring a wonderful free-kick after 14 minutes and Pedro adding his fifth goal in his past six starts a short while later.

Together, they were near unplayable, £50million worth of attacking talent ransacking a club with an annual turnover of one-fifth that size.

Substitute Branislav Ivanovic made it 3-0 in the second half and then won the late penalty scored by Michy Batshuayi, with the two contributions adding a degree of sentiment to the tie given it might well have been Ivanovic's last appearance in a Chelsea shirt.

After nine years spent winning almost every major trophy at Chelsea, he is expected to leave this week, quite possibly for Zenit St Petersburg.

It remains to be seen how his season plays out, while it looks increasingly likely that Chelsea could contend to win a league and cup double. After 17 wins in the past 19 games in all competitions, they show no sign of relenting.

Conte said: 'I am very happy with this. This season we haven't got Champions League or Europa League and the FA Cup is a good opportunity to see the young players. I think I'm satisfied in what I saw here.

'Now it's important to go game by game in the FA Cup and in the league. For sure it won't be easy.'
On the potential departure of stalwart Ivanovic, who has fallen out of favour this season, Conte said: 'I know that when a player is used to playing every game and then you are not playing regularly, it's not easy to accept this decision. 

 'Ivan knows well the situation and I'm pleased if he remains here, if he stays with us. But in this situation, for sure, the player must make the best decision for him, for his family.'
For Brentford manager Dean Smith it was a tough experience, made only marginally better by a more competitive second half. He had made the call to put West Ham target Scott Hogan on the bench in anticipation of his likely exit for north of £13m this month, but even if he had started his star striker this result would not have changed.

That points to the depth of Conte's reserves, which in this instance included England Under-21 star Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who failed to take three decent chances but impressed nonetheless.
Having only just turned 21, this is looking like a make-or-break period for a talented player with only four starts this season. The only question now is whether he will get enough chances from Chelsea's fringes to sufficiently develop what is clearly a significant talent.
On this evidence, he should, which amounts to another tick on a day of many for Chelsea.

MATCH FACTS AND RATINGS
Chelsea (3-4-3): Begovic 7; Zouma 6, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 7 (Kenedy 71, 6); Pedro 8 (Costa 76), Fabregas 7, Chalobah 6, Ake 7; Willian 7.5 (Ivanovic 64, 7), Batshuayi 6.5, Loftus-Cheek 7.5
Substitutes not used: Hazard, Moses, Matic, Eduardo.
Scorers: Willian 14; Pedro 21; Ivanovic 69; Batshuayi pen 81
Booked: Chalobah

Brentford (5-3-2): Bentley 6.5; Colin 6, Egan 6, Dean 6, Bjelland 6, Barbet 7; Yennaris 7, McEachran 6.5 (Kerschbaumer 78), Woods 6; Sawyers 6 (Hogan 64, 6), Vibe 6 (Jota 65, 6).
Substitutes not used: Hofmann, Bonham, Clarke, Field.
Booked: Colin
Referee: Michael Oliver 6.5
Attendance: 41,042 (5,897 away)
Man of the Match: Pedro

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 4 Brentford 0: Antonio Conte's side cruise into FA Cup fifth round with easy win at Stamford Bridge

Sam Dean

A potentially seismic week for Chelsea got off to the perfect start as the Premier League leaders dismissed Championship side Brentford in what was more of an exhibition than a west London derby.

Ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Liverpool and the visit of Arsenal next weekend, manager Antonio Conte could barely have hoped for a less taxing afternoon as goals from Willian, Pedro, Branislav Ivanovic and Michy Batshuayi swept them into the fifth round.

Those upcoming fixtures will not define Chelsea’s season, but victories in both will see them tighten their grip on a league title that is already firmly within their muscular grasp.

Conte therefore took the oppor­tunity to rest some of his big names here, giving run-outs to young prospects Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah, as well as a first start to Nathan Ake since he was recalled from loan at Bour-nemouth. There were no injuries, no goals conceded, and no problems for Chelsea. All things considered, this was the ideal day at the office.

“I must be pleased because when you change nine players and you see all the players in the squad are totally involved in our idea of football, in our project, it’s very important for me,” said Conte. “This competition until now has been an opportunity for me to pick players who have not played a lot but it was very important to see the right reply of these players, and that happened. For this reason I am very happy.”

Although it was not the most competitive of derbies, the home fans were still treated to a sprinkling of magic from the brilliant Willian, who gave Chelsea the lead with a trademark free-kick after just 14 minutes. Pedro soon made it two, rolling the ball home after being played through by Batshuayi.
Brentford had scored five in the first half of their third-round victory over non-League Eastleigh, but could easily have been more than five behind at half-time here as Loftus-Cheek twice went close, Ake fired wide and Cesc Fabregas tested Brentford goalkeeper Daniel Bentley with a long-range drive.

The Championship side, it must be said, did return to the field with renewed vigour after the break, and nearly put a blemish on Chelsea’s afternoon when Lasse Vibe found space in the penalty box, but he was charged down by Asmir Begovic in the home side’s goal.

Brentford manager Dean Smith said: “We had some chances at 2-0 that could have made the game very different. I felt in the second half we gave our supporters something to shout about.”

It did not take long for Chelsea to regain control of proceedings, though. The powerful Loftus-Cheek struck the bar after a barnstorming run from midfield before Ivanovic, brought off the bench in what could be his final appearance for Chelsea, crashed in a third at the end of another incisive counter-attack.

“This season he [Ivanovic] is not playing a lot for us,” Conte said. “When you are not playing regularly it is not easy to accept this decision but he knows the situation. I will be pleased if he stays with us but in this situation the player must make the best decision for him and his family.”
If this does turn out to be Ivanovic’s swansong, then it was an eventful farewell. Soon after his goal, he turned provider, winning a penalty under a clumsy challenge from Yoann Barbet. Up stepped Batshuayi to add another layer of gloss to a perfect afternoon.

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Independent:

Chelsea hammer four past neighbours Brentford to reach FA Cup fifth round
Chelsea 4 Brentford 0: Antonio Conte's much-changed side hit their west London neighbours for four at Stamford Bridge

Darren Witcoop

Wholesale changes but no problem for Chelsea as they made it a perfect 10 straight wins at Stamford Bridge. In fact, this FA Cup tie turned into more of a farewell game for some old club favourites.

Branislav Ivanovic, on what may well be his final appearance before his expected departure ahead of Tuesday's deadline, put the seal on a tenth successive home win for Antonio Conte's side.

It might not have been the Premier League, but Chelsea still cantered home against Brentford thanks to goals from Willian, Pedro, Ivanovic and Michy Batshuayi.

Antonio Conte rang the changes with Tuesday's trip to Liverpool in mind, but Chelsea still boasted a strong enough team to see off their mid-table Championship opponents with relative ease.

These two last met in 2013 with the Blues needing a replay to see off the Bees at the same stage of the competition. That year, their first meeting ended in a 2-2 draw  at Griffin Park before Chelsea ran out comfortable winners on home soil.

There was no sign of repeat this time around. Chelsea had scored in each of their last 40 FA Cup ties, stretching back to 2000, and that run continued via Willian's 14th minute free kick. Lasse Vibe was adjudged to have upended Pedro and the Brazilian stepped up to curl home past Brentford goalkeeper Dan Bentley.

Brentford, who filled the Shed End with their 6,7000 supporters, remained in full voice but they rightfully began to fear the worst. History was also not on their side, with the Bees having not beaten Chelsea since 1939. It soon got worse for the visitors.

Batshuayi, making a rare start, was given too much space to pick a pass out for Pedro, who took one touch before firing underneath an exposed Bentley. 2-0 and just 21 minutes played.

It was all one-way traffic with Chelsea's pace and movement proving too hot to handle. Batshuayi could, and should, have extended the home side's lead by the half hour mark when he collected John Terry's knockdown but saw his attempt scrambled away by Bentley with it just inches from the goalline.

The Chelsea procession continued. Bentley was soon called into action again and made a fine fingertip save to foil Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Cesc Fabregas had picked out the youngster but Bentley, not for the first time, came to Brentford's rescue by pushing the low shot wide.

Asmir Begovic, likely making his last Chelsea appearance ahead of a £12million move to Bournemouth, had not been troubled in the home goal. The only time he was even slightly threatened was when Harley Dean headed wide tamely in a rare Brentford foray forward. Otherwise, the Serbian had been a spectator.

Brentford briefly threatened to change that a few minutes before the interval. However, Vibe, playing in place of Scott Hogan who was among the substitutes amid strong interest from West Ham, found himself crowded out of beating Terry to the ball.

It was a rare scare for the home side but normal service was soon resumed. Willian weaved his way through two challenges before shooting just over in the 52nd minute. Another strong run from Willian saw him feed Loftus-Cheek through, only for the midfielder's chip to bounce back off the crossbar.

The game began to open up a little and Nico Yennaris was denied by Begovic at one stage, but Ivanovic, just five minutes after his arrival off the bench, ended the contest. In what will surely be his final act in a Chelsea shirt after nine years with the club, he drove a shot past Bentley on 69 minutes after being sent through by Pedro.

"I'm pleased for Ivan to score a goal and it's important to evaluate a lot of things," Conte said in his post-match press conference. "This season he is not playing a lot with us. It's not easy to accept this decision but he knows the situation. A player must make best decision for him and his family and I'm ready to accept every decision. He deserves great respect for his Chelsea career and has won a lot."
Ivanovic would be involved again when Yoann Barbet tripped the defender for a clear 81st minute penalty that was dispatched by Batshuayi with minimal fuss. Dean Smith, the Brentford manager, felt as though the scoreline was a bit harsh. In truth, this was just another routine Chelsea win.

Chelsea (3-5-2): Begovic, Azipilicueta (Kenedy 70), Zouma, Terry; Pedro (Costa 76), Chalobah, Fabregas, Ake; Loftus-Cheek, Willian (Ivanovic 64), Batshuayi.
Subs not used: Eduardo, Hazard, Moses, Matic.

Brentford (3-5-2): Bentley, Egan, Dean, Bjellland; Colin, Yennaris, McEachran (Kerschbaumer 78), Woods, Barbet; Sawyers (Hogan 64), Vibe (Jota 65).
Subs: Bonham, Hoffman, Clarke, Field.
Referee: M Oliver (Northumberland)
Attendance: 41,04

====================

Observer:

Branislav Ivanovic proves the unlikely star as Chelsea rout Brentford
Chelsea 4 - 0 Brentford

David Hytner at Stamford Bridge

Antonio Conte can do no wrong. The Chelsea manager watched his team ease into the fifth round of the FA Cup at the expense of Brentford, who did not turn up until the second half, and the icing on the cake was provided by Branislav Ivanovic – a player he had dropped from the starting line-up.

Conte introduced the Chelsea stalwart, whose future is uncertain, as a 64th-minute substitute and, with his first meaningful involvement, he scored his first goal of the season to make it 3-0. Ivanovic gave the ball to Pedro and rumbled forward in support before getting it back and squeezing a low finish underneath the goalkeeper Daniel Bentley.

There was more. Ivanovic got himself into the area towards the end and, when he was taken out by Yoann Barbet, the referee, Michael Oliver, pointed to the penalty spot. Michy Batshuayi scored to round off Chelsea’s 17th win in their past 19 matches in all competitions. For the Premier League leaders, the double remains on.

Conte made nine changes to the lineup who had beaten Hull City in the league last Sunday – retaining only Pedro and César Azpilicueta – but it did not matter. Chelsea had cohesion and punch where it mattered, with Pedro outstanding and Willian and Ruben Loftus-Cheek not too far behind. Pedro scored the second goal – his eighth of the season – and had a hand in the first and third.

Brentford were off the pace in the first half and Dean Smith suggested his players had “subconsciously dropped a bit deep” after Pedro’s goal in the 21st minute. They were better at the beginning of the second half and Chelsea were indebted to Asmir Begovic for denying Lasse Vibe and Nico Yennaris.

There is the possibly that this might have been the last game for Ivanovic and Begovic in Chelsea colours, with Zenit St Petersburg among the clubs keen on taking the former before Tuesday’s transfer deadline and Bournemouth pushing for the latter.

Conte made it clear he was open to either player leaving, although he would first demand a replacement for Begovic. “Ivan is not playing a lot and that is difficult for him,” Conte said. “In this situation, the player must make the best decision for him and his family. Has Ivanovic asked to leave? I prefer to keep those conversations private. Begovic is in the same situation as Ivan.”

Chelsea’s opening goal came early and it was a beautifully executed free-kick from Willian, which he got to dip sharply after it had cleared the defensive wall. Smith described the award as “harsh” but Vibe had checked Pedro after a Chelsea short corner routine. It was Willian’s seventh goal of the season.

It was men against boys in the first half and the only surprise was Chelsea did not rack up more goals. Pedro scored with a touch and low finish following Batshuayi’s ball forward and the home team had many more chances, with the marauding Loftus-Cheek showing his power and a deft touch, too. He had three sightings of goal before the interval and from two of them he forced Bentley into smart saves.

Bentley managed to deny Batshuayi at close quarters following a goalmouth scramble on 27 minutes, scruffily halting the ball on his own line and later touched Cesc Fàbregas’s low shot from distance past the post. John Terry and Batshuayi had chances and Brentford could not wait for the half-time whistle.

The Championship club brought 6,000 fans and they found their voices when their team began the second half with a little more hustle. Smith had asked his players during the break whether they wanted to let Chelsea continue to have it all their own way and the response was good.
They got into their opponents’ faces and they had openings – two presentable ones; the first on 48 minutes. It was teed up by Ryan Woods for Vibe, who had got the better of Terry but Begovic left his line to claw the ball from him.

The second came on 63 minutes and it followed a piece of skill inside the penalty area from Yennaris of which Dennis Bergkamp would have been proud. Yennaris pirouetted away from Terry and Azpilicueta to open up the opportunity but again Begovic was out quickly to block. Smith sent on Scott Hogan, the West Ham United target, for whom this might have been a farewell appearance and the travelling support roared their encouragement, but Chelsea were on another level. Loftus-Cheek hit the crossbar after fine work from Willian on 58 minutes and went close following another surge, before Ivanovic made his push for the headlines.


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Mirror:

Chelsea 4-0 Brentford: Stunning Willian free-kick inspires Blues in FA Cup rout over Bees - 5 things we learned
Pedro, Branislav Ivanovic and Michy Bayshuayi also registered to overwhelm the Championship side

BY JACOB MURTAGH

Chelsea cruised into the fifth round of the FA Cup with victory over Brentford.
Goals from Willian, Pedro, Branislav Ivanovic and Michy Batshuayi earned the Blues bragging rights in this west London derby.

Willian gave Chelsea the lead on 14 minutes with a curling free-kick into the top corner after Lasse Vibe was penalised for blocking Pedro at the edge of the box.
The Spaniard then doubled the home side’s lead midway through the half when he latched on to Batshuayi’s through ball to beat Dan Bentley.
Ruben Lofus-Cheek almost added a third after the break, only to see his strike crash against the bar.
However, Ivanovic climbed off the bench to wrap up victory for Antonio Conte’s men before Batshuayi added gloss to the scoreline with a late penalty.

1. Fringe benefits for Blues
Conte made nine changes to his starting line-up for the visit of the Championship side.
Star men Eden Hazard and Diego Costa were both on the bench as the Italian rotated his squad ahead of Tuesday’s crunch Premier League clash against Liverpool.
However, his second-string gave him plenty of food for thought with a dominant display as they cruised to victory.

2. Ivanovic given Blues farewell
The defender looks to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge this week after almost a decade at the club.
However, Conte gave supporters the chance to say farewell to the Serbian after throwing him on for the final half an hour.
He marked what could be his last appearance in a blue shirt with a fine finish before a rather muted celebration.

3. Fabregas gives Conte reminder
Cesc Fabregas has failed to start a Premier League game so far in 2017 and had been linked with a move to Italy.
Juventus, Inter and AC Milan have all been credited with an interest in the Spaniard, who is believed to be happy to fight for his place at Stamford Bridge.
And the former Arsenal man gave his boss another reminder of what he can do with a dazzling display against the Bees.

4. McEachran back on track
Josh McEachran burst on to the scene at Stamford Bridge as a teenager and went on to make 22 first-team appearances for the Blues.
The midfielder spent time on loan at Swansea, Middlesbrough, Watford, Wigan and Vitesse before making a permanent move to Griffin Park 18 months ago.
McEachran, who was given a warm welcome from home fans, struggled with injuries during his first season with the Bees but is showing signs he is getting back to his best form.

5. Hogan situation needs sorting
Scott Hogan returned to the Brentford squad but was only named as a substitute, with Vibe preferred up front.
The West Ham target has missed the last two games amid speculation over his future after manager Dean Smith claimed he had his head turned by the Premier League interest.
Brentford are holding out for £15million for their star man, and the situation needs to be resolved ahead of Tuesday night’s transfer deadline one way or the other.
He was given a rousing reception from the 6,000 travelling fans when he entered the fray after the break.

Chelsea
Begovic 6 – Largely untroubled in what could be his farewell appearance
Zouma 7 – Solid display to keep the visitors at bay
Terry 7 – Marshalled the defence on only his second game since November
Azpilicueta 7 – Another consistent display by the versatile Spaniard
Pedro 7 – Showed a cool head to slot home the second goal
Fabregas 8 – MOTM. Pulled the strings in the middle of the park
Chalobah 7 – Looked assured on a rare start
Ake 7 – Impressed on the left in his first appearance of the campaign
Willian 8 – Gave Chelsea the lead with an unstoppable free-kick
Loftus-Cheek 7 – Unlucky not to score with a series of decent efforts
Batshuayi 7 – Led the line well and deserved his late goal
Subs: Ivanovic 7 (for Willian 64), Kenedy 6 (for Azpilicueta 71), Costa 6 (for Pedro 76)

Brentford
Bentley 6 – Produced some good stops to keep the score down
Dean 6 - Defended doggedly but Blues were too hot to handle
Egan 5 – Irishman put his body on the line but had his hands full
Bjelland 5 – Off the pace and couldn’t cope with Chelsea’s attacking threat
Colin 5 – Booked. Couldn’t get forward as usual due to the Blues’ press
Woods 5 – Worked hard but unable to dictate the play like usual
McEachran 6 – Showed some nice touches. Brentford’s best player
Yennaris 6 – Never stopped running and almost pulled a goal back
Barbet 5 – Lost Pedro for Chelsea’s second goal
Sawyers 5 – Struggled to make an impact and hooked just after the hour mark
Vibe 5 – Isolated up front and gave away the free-kick for Chelsea’s opening goal
Subs: Hogan 5 (for Sawyers 64), Jota 5 (for Vibe 65), Kerschbaumer 5 (for McEachran 77)

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Star:

Chelsea 4 Brentford 0: Blues march through to FA Cup fifth-round with rampant victory
CHELSEA power on relentlessly with literally plenty in reserve.

By Colin Mafham

Antonio Conte gave some of his second stringers a runout yesterday and they didn’t let him down with a merciless display that won’t have gone unnoticed on Merseyside.
Liverpool is the next stop in Tuesday and if they do what the last three visitors there have done - and win - who will bet against them going into to reclaim the Premier League title?
No doubting they have the look of champions about them, and if yesterday’s show is anything to go by possible FA Cup winners a well.
You just had to feel a tad sorry for Brentford having to face them in this sort of mood yesterday.
It’s not on record if the Bees are superstitious or not, but 13 was decidedly unlucky for them alright.
   
That was how long it took a half strength Chelsea without Diego Costa to start with to illustrate the gaping gap between Premier League leaders and Championship Promotion hopefuls.
Willian, one of only two first team regulars starting yesterday, showed precisely why he seems so irreplaceable these days with a cracking free kick that Brentford
keeper Daniel Bentley didn’t have a prayer with.
Same story seven minutes later, only this time it was Chelsea’s other regular, Pedro, who was sorry Brentford’s tormentor.
It was the speedy Spaniard who won the free kick that Willian scored with.
He followed that up by finishing off a flowing move that split the visitors wide open.

Chelsea, being shown far too much respect, enjoyed almost total control.
And if Bentley hadn’t produced super saves from the impressive Rubén Loftus-Cheek and Cesc Fabregas that scoreline would have been a lot worse with little more than than half an hour on the clock.
One has to assume that Chelsea watched that Liverpool upset before this one started because from the word go they looked hell bent on making sure Brentford wouldn’t repeat what Wolves did up at Anfield.
There looked less than a fat chance of that happening in a first half of almost total Chelsea domination.

Hardly surprising really that rapturous applause greeted a 41st minute shot from Yoann Barbet that gave keeper Asmir Begovic what was virtually his first touch of the ball.
Brentford Manager Dean Smith must have had a few choice words to say to his players during the break because they looked a different side straight after that interval.
More positive, more belief , and definitely more dangerous.
In fact they put Begovic and the defenders in front of him under more pressure in the first five minutes of the second half than they did in the entire first 45.
Quite amazing what a half time rollicking can do!

A couple of interesting substations followed with Brentford bringing on Scott Hogan for one last time before his expected move to West Ham.
Then Branislav Ivanovic marked what could be his farewell to Chelsea with a goal before he apparently heads off to Zenit St Petersburg, and won the penalty that Michy Batschuayi converted for Chelsea’s fourth.
And to top a pretty grim day for Brentford Josh McEachran trooped off after what was a particularly disappointing afternoon for him.

The whizz kid Chelsea let go after seven years at Stamford Bridge was desperate to show his old club that they got it wrong.
He failed miserably.
Jota might have salvaged something for Brentford with a great chance late on, but it wasn’t to be.
And they learned, rather painfully it must be said, just how much more they need to do to compete at the top level.
Frankly they must have been relieved to hear the final whistle.

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Hull City 2-0

Guardian:

Diego Costa on target as Chelsea extend lead to eight points with win over Hull

Chelsea 2 - 0 Hull

Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

For a figure as volatile as Diego Costa, there was something distinctly predictable about all of this. The Chelsea striker had been offered an immediate return to the starting lineup after an unsettling period disrupted by lower back spasms and Chinese whispers, and ultimately that absence at Leicester last weekend. Yet here he was departing four minutes from time with the majority in this arena chorusing his name, to be greeted by a thumped hand clap from Antonio Conte on the touchline, as the man who had paved the way for an eight-point lead at the top. His scriptwriters should take a bow.

Chelsea have no interest in selling their leading scorer this month, whether Tianjin Quanjian or any of their Chinese Super League rivals are tempted to offer £80m, £100m or indeed £150m for his services. His long-term future will have to be properly addressed with the player and his agent, Jorge Mendes, in the summer, of course, but for now reintegration already feels almost complete unless those back pains return with a vengeance. The forward was at his committed best here, working feverishly whether leading the line or dropping deep to assist his team-mates. He played the role of “Costa the manager’s dream”, as he has done almost all season, to perfection.


Hull will take heart from their rugged resistance as they contemplate their ongoing battle against relegation, and could justifiably bemoan the non-award of a penalty for Marcos Alonso’s foul on Abel Hernández when their deficit was only one, but this was always going to be the Spain forward’s day. “People were asking me about his form, his attitude, and I said I would always take the best decision for the team,” said Conte. “I think, after this performance, I did make the best decision. The most important thing for us was for him to answer on the pitch.” Costa undoubtedly did just that.

His decisive intervention had actually come almost eight minutes into stoppage time at the end of an otherwise frustrating first half. Chelsea, for all their monopoly of possession, had run aground too often on Marco Silva’s well-drilled ranks with Hull’s resolve undisturbed even by the loss of Ryan Mason after a sickening clash of heads with Gary Cahill just after the quarter-hour mark. The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, a Chelsea supporter as a child, had received oxygen while lying prone on the turf undergoing treatment from members of both clubs’ medical staff. He departed on a stretcher and was rushed to the acute care unit at St Mary’s Hospital where he underwent surgery on Sunday evening having suffered a fractured skull. His recovery is Hull’s true priority.


Hull had reorganised impressively enough, only to be prised apart just as they were contemplating the break, and bemoaning the lack of a free-kick for Cahill’s tug back on Hernández. Victor Moses squeezed space away from Andy Robertson down the flank and pulled his centre back across the muddle of bodies in the six-yard box. Costa had held himself slightly back, easing himself away from Harry Maguire, and connected truly.

His side-foot shot flew in off Eldin Jakupovic’s left boot for a 15th league goal of the term. The celebrations, pinching thumb and fingers together with his hands lifted to his ears, presumably suggested there had been too much chat around the events of the last fortnight.


Such is the improvement in this Hull team under Silva that this was never a stroll thereafter, with the trip on Hernández surely worthy of a spot-kick had it been spied by the referee Neil Swarbrick or his assistant. Yet, while the impressive, marauding Maguire tested Thibaut Courtois from close range and long distance, the visitors finally yielded nine minutes from time. The substitute Cesc Fàbregas arced a free-kick into the six-yard box where another replacement, Oumar Niasse, mystifyingly ducked and Sam Clucas dawdled, allowing Cahill a free header from point-blank range. Conte had considered substituting his captain at the interval, such had been the severity of that clash with Mason. He ended up reserving his biggest bear hug of the day for the triumphant centre-back.

That gap from Arsenal in second place already yawns dauntingly wide for the chasing pack, with Chelsea having won 15 of their last 16 games and shed only 11 points all season. No one has been capable of hauling in their sprint to the summit. Their feat in accumulating 55 points after 22 games has been achieved only four times in the Premier League era, with this club contributing two of those eye-catching tallies under José Mourinho over a decade ago, and winning the title each time. Their next two games are against Liverpool and Arsenal, who both beat Chelsea in the autumn.

Emerge unscathed from those contests and it is hard to see anyone overhauling them over the campaign’s final three months, despite Conte’s insistence this division is capable of conjuring an upset. A weekend littered with unexpected results proved that much but Chelsea, bolstered by Costa’s contribution, merely watched others stumble. Their serene progress has been maintained.

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Hull 0: Diego Costa returns to Antonio Conte's team to get Blues back to winning ways

Matt Law

This was the weekend that the Premier League title became Chelsea’s to lose as Antonio Conte’s men extended their lead to eight points and Diego Costa made a goalscoring return to the team.

Only Arsenal’s late winner against Burnley prevented what would have amounted to a perfect 48 hours for Chelsea, who had seen Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Manchester United all drop points.

But, regardless of Arsenal’s three points, Chelsea are looking more and more like champions elect as they secured their 15th victory in 16 Premier League games.

This is only the fourth time a club have amassed 55 points or more after 22 Premier League games and on the two previous occasions Chelsea have, in 2004/05 and 2005/06, they have won the title.

Should the Blues come through their next two Premier League games against Liverpool and Arsenal unscathed then there will surely be no stopping Conte’s relentless side.

They were a long way from their best against relegation battlers Hull City but, unlike many of their rivals, Chelsea have the ability to grind out victories when they are tested.

Conte’s men also keep clean sheets. This was their 13th of the season and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was busier than many people would have predicted.

The Chelsea fans like to sing about the magic hat of Cesc Fabregas, but it was the magic touch of Conte that was once again evident against Hull.

His handling of the Costa situation proved to be spot on, as the striker marked his 100th appearance with a vital goal and, at least for now, drew a line under the bust-up over a back injury and a lucrative offer from China that had seen him miss the victory over Leicester City.


Aside from getting his Costa decision right, Conte made the perfect substitution late on when Chelsea were under pressure, as he sent on Fabregas and the midfielder provided the free-kick from which Gary Cahill headed the second goal.

All the pre-match attention had focused on Costa, who quickly demonstrated that his back was feeling just fine with a volley that bounced narrowly wide after just 10 seconds.

The Stamford Bridge crowd had reacted positively to Costa’s name when it was read out before kick-off and they used a break in play following a clash of heads between Cahill and Ryan Mason to reaffirm their support for the club’s top scorer.

Costa waved back as his name was chanted and medics administered oxygen to Mason, who left the pitch on a stretcher after eight minutes of treatment.


David Meyler replaced Mason, who was taken to St Mary’s Hospital for further treatment and tests, and it was during the nine minutes of time added on largely for his injury that Costa put Chelsea ahead.

In the seventh minute of injury-time, Marcos Alonso swept the ball out to Victor Moses on the right whose low cross was side-footed into the net by Costa while Hull were complaining about a Cahill foul on Abel Hernández. Responding to over a week of stories regarding his row and Leicester no-show, Costa celebrated by making a talking gesture into both ears.

He clearly likes to be the centre of attention and Conte will hope all the talk is now about the 28-year-old’s goals for the remainder of the campaign. Before Costa’s opener, the impressive Harry Maguire had gone close for Hull. First, he headed straight at Courtois from a corner and the Belgian did even better to push a shot from the defender around the post.


Curtis Davies was perhaps lucky to come out for the second half, having escaped a second booking for a foul on Pedro towards the end of the first period.

Chelsea were even more fortunate that a penalty was not awarded against them four minutes after the restart when Alonso clearly clipped the heel of Hernandez, but the protests of Hull manager Marco Silva were ignored by referee Neil Swarbrick.

Meyler then forced Courtois into a low save with a powerful driven shot as Hull started the second half brightly. Davies did come off on the hour mark with an injury, as Silva replaced the defender with on-loan striker Oumar Niasse in an attempt to find an equaliser.


With Chelsea failing to keep the ball and inviting pressure on to themselves, an increasingly frustrated Conte made two changes of his own by sending on Fabregas and Willian.

The double switch paid dividends with 10 minutes remaining, as Fabregas sent in a free-kick from the left that Cahill headed past Eldin Jakupovic to secure another valuable win.

Conte, as he always does, celebrated wildly, but Silva will not have been quite so impressed with the impact of his own substitute Niasse, who had ducked under the set piece of Fabregas to gift Cahill what amounted to a free header.

Costa should have extended Chelsea’s advantage even further when he was sent through by Fabregas, but the Spain international could not beat Jakupovic and left to a standing ovation when he was replaced by Michy Batshuayi.

Conte’s rivals will be wondering if he will ever make a wrong call over the remaining months of the season. It may already be too late for them, even if he does.


=============================================

Mail:

Chelsea 2-0 Hull City:

Ryan Mason's sickening head injury puts Diego Costa comeback into perspective as Tigers midfielder undergoes surgery

By MARTIN SAMUEL FOR THE DAILY MAIL


Late on Sunday night, as the news began filtering out from St Mary’s hospital in Paddington, a lot of the events around the game between Chelsea and Hull, incidents that seemed so important at the time, ceased to matter.

Diego Costa’s return; Diego Costa’s goal; the suggestion of a foul in the build-up to it; whether Hull should have had a penalty; whether Curtis Davies deserved a second yellow card.

All of the pre-match bluster generated by headlines and speculation, all of the post-match bluster that is the work of replays and analysis, suddenly it was all white noise. In a London operating theatre, the Hull City midfield player, Ryan Mason, 25, was having surgery.

Details were sketchy. A fractured skull certainly, treated by an emergency operation. Those who are familiar with similar incidents in sport, mainly in boxing, instantly recognised a dreadful pattern. With head trauma, operations are often performed to reduce swelling, as the brain begins to press on the skull.

Those who were at Stamford Bridge recalled the gesture Hull medical staff made, when informing coach Marco Silva of the damage. They pointed to the temple. They pointed to the part of the head everyone knows to be most vulnerable.

Gary Cahill, the Chelsea captain and an England team-mate of Mason’s, was lucky. Photographs of the incident show that when, in the 13th minute, the players clashed, it was the hard part of Cahill’s skull, the forehead, that took the brunt of the impact. Mason was horribly unfortunate. Cahill had hit him on the right side, towards the front.

It was a ferocious aerial contest, too. Hull defending, Chelsea attacking. Mason felt the force Cahill had intended for the ball. His neck was extended, his head already following through on a downwards motion. Cahill scored with a header later in the game and the ball went into the goal at a mighty speed. That is the blow that was delivered to Mason’s head.

So Cahill was shocked into collapse, too. He received treatment but, thankfully, was ready to resume. Something in the urgency with which the Hull players summoned medical assistance for their man, however, immediately suggested Mason’s problem was more serious. He did not get up.


Then it was Chelsea's turn to benefit. Marcos Alonso clearly fouled Abel Hernandez inside the penalty area but Swarbrick waved play on.

While Cahill waited patiently on the touchline for play to resume and to be a part of it again, medics worked for close to 10 minutes on Mason. He seemed to regain consciousness at one time, but that has been the case with boxers who have suffered significant trauma, too.

Finally, after a lengthy delay, Mason was removed on a stretcher, receiving oxygen, and immediately taken to hospital.

The rest of the game was played out as normal, the press conferences and inquests focused on events that seem so trivial now. Reports were filed that gave as much prominence to the injury-time consequences of Mason’s treatment — a period in which Chelsea scored — as the injury itself.

And then Hull confirmed some of the more worrying rumours late into the night, and a terrible pall was cast over the game, regardless of its outcome.

That Mason is currently in a stable condition is promising and the initial statement from his club talked of remaining in hospital for a few days but that, like so much else right now, is speculation. What is likely, however, is that we have not heard the last of this, with concussion such an issue for sport and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte making an ambiguous statement about Cahill’s physical condition.

‘It was a bad accident with Gary and, I must be honest, after the first half also Gary wasn’t really good,’ Conte said. ‘He decided to continue the game.’

Should that really have been Cahill’s call, as brave as it was? We imagined, seeing him itching to return, then scoring an 80th-minute header that clinched the game, that he had suffered no ill effects. To then hear that he, too, may have suffered a head injury was worrying. Should he not have come off as a precaution? Where are the doctors in this? How did Cahill, a layman, get to decide?  

Footballers are immensely courageous, despite the rotten press they get over diving and simulation. It is easy to paint them as fainthearts compared to the big beasts of a sport such as rugby, yet the collision between Mason and Cahill shows what is at stake.

There was no foul intended by either side, nothing underhand or dubious. It was an honest challenge, no quarter given, and there are a hundred of them in any game.

That it had such desperate consequences for Mason, a typically hard-working midfielder who became the most expensive player in Hull’s history this summer, illustrates the dangers only too well.

He will have seen nothing exceptional in that challenge as he went into it, nothing unusual, no reason to be afraid. It was just one of those things, yet it has made all of the other things that go into making a football match seem meaningless.

For there was a game at Stamford Bridge and as it could go towards deciding the league title, not to mention issues of relegation, it is only respectful towards the players — including the stricken Mason — that we record it.

What the talk would have been about, before the dismal medical bulletin was confirmed, was the return of Costa to the Chelsea team — and the latest goal scored in a Premier League first half since precise times began to be detailed, 11 years ago.

Due to the time added on for Mason’s treatment, Costa scored in the 51st minute and 35th second of the first half. One had the feeling that if anyone was going to do something out of the ordinary in this match, it was him. This was his time to tell his team-mates, his manager and the Stamford Bridge faithful what the short-term future would hold. Was it his intention to sulk his way through all that remained of the 2016-17 season, or was he going to play ball and help steer Chelsea towards another title?

The answer came after 10 seconds. Costa burst through, as he does, with a shot that flashed just wide. It was a signal of intent. I’m back, and I’m for real. So, having been denied one of the most memorably early goals of the season, he settled instead for one of the most memorably late. It was as if everyone was waiting for something special from Costa. ‘The Guv’nor’ as one Stamford Bridge banner has it. And when he fancies it, he is.

So Costa made the most of the bonus minutes. Victor Moses hit a fizzer of a cross from the right, a few missed it, Costa did not. First time, into the corner. He ran away making mocking chirping motions with his hands, a riposte to those who had speculated about rows, tantrums, China and possible exile under Conte. Blah, blah, blah, he seemed to say.

But there was a problem with the player and Conte could easily have resented the disruption to a smoothly running season. Chelsea’s coach, however, is too smart for that. He knows his best team and once Costa got over his latest mood — and maybe even noticed Chelsea kept winning 3-0 without him — there was no question of exemplary punishment.

Quite possibly Chelsea could have beaten Hull another way, without their striker but if Costa was available for selection again, why would they need to? What point was there to prove? The fans sang Costa’s name, and Conte’s, too. Everyone was happy.

When Costa finally left the field after 86 minutes it was to adulation from the paying customers, and an enthusiastic handshake and pat on the back from his boss. All is well at Chelsea; meaning it isn’t elsewhere.

The fans sang Costa's name, and Conte's, too. Everyone was happy. When Costa finally left the field after 86 minutes it was to adulation from the paying customers, and an enthusiastic handshake and pat on the back from his boss. All is well at Chelsea; meaning it isn't elsewhere.

Hull were a handful, and maybe could have had a second-half penalty when Marcos Alonso fouled Abel Hernandez, but with 10 minutes remaining, Chelsea got the job done. Willian was brought down clumsily on the left, and from the free-kick Cesc Fabregas planted one on the head of Cahill at the far post. Fabregas is now behind only Ryan Giggs and Frank Lampard for Premier League assists — one more and he ties Lampard, too. Not bad for a player who spent some of his best years in Spain.

In purely football terms, this has been a good weekend for Chelsea, and they played like a team that know they only have to keep the rest at arm's length between now and the end of the season. They are eight points clear with talk of discontent banished.

Not that it matters much now; but it will one day.


CHELSEA (3-4-3): Courtois 6.5, Azpilicueta 6, Luiz 6.5, Cahill 6.5, Moses 7.5, Kante 6, Matic 5, Alonso 7, Pedro 5.5 (Willian 6.5, 71 mins), Costa 7.5 (Batshuayi 87), Hazard 5.5 (Fabregas 6.5, 71)
Subs not used: Begovic, Zouma, Ake, Chalobah
Goals: Costa 45+7, Cahill 81
Booked: Kante
Manager: Antonio Conte 6.5

HULL CITY (3-5-1-1): Jakupovic 7, Maguire 8, Dawson 7.5, Davies 6.5 (Niasse 6, 59), Elabdellaoui 6, Mason 6 (Meyler 6, 21), Huddlestone 7.5, Clucas 5.5, Robertson 6, Evandro 5.5, Hernandez 6 (Diomande 5.5, 75)
Subs not used: Maloney, Marshall, Tymon, Bowen
Booked: Davies, Dawson, Robertson
Manager: Marco Silva 7

Man of the match: Harry Maguire
Referee: Neil Swarbrick 5
Attendance: 41,605
Ratings by Oliver Todd




==================================

and Leicester 3-0

Independent:

Leicester City 0 Chelsea 3

Chelsea shine without Diego Costa to secure comfortable victory over struggling Leicester

The Blues were in emphatic form as they cruised to an impressive away win at the King Power Stadium

Simon Hart King Power Stadium

There may be a question mark against the future of their leading scorer but at the King Power Stadium this evening Chelsea looked anything but a team in crisis as they produced an impressively clinical display to defeat Leicester City and regain their seven-point lead at the Premier League summit.

Chelsea had gone into this game without the 14-goal Diego Costa, missing after his midweek row with a club fitness coach and manager Antonio Conte, and with their advantage cut to four points by Tottenham’s lunchtime victory over West Bromwich Albion.

Their pursuers will have hoped for a wobble but instead Conte’s men showed their mettle.

Wing-back Marcos Alonso scored a goal early in each half and Pedro added a third as Chelsea delivered an impressive statement of intent in their first league outing since defeat at Tottenham Hotspur 10 days ago.

Yes, in the final third, they missed their big striker’s presence but their unity and focus was not found wanting. This is a very different Chelsea from that which rolled over feebly in their last league fixture at the King Power Stadium 13 months ago – a 2-1 defeat that provided the last act of Jose Mourinho’s reign on a night the Portuguese accused his players of betraying him.

Chelsea are arguably facing their biggest crisis since then with Costa reportedly pondering a £30m salary in China, though Conte played a straight bat when asked about the striker in his pre-match television interview. “On Tuesday, Diego stopped training with a pain in his back and then in the week he didn’t train with us,” said the Italian.

As in the only previous league fixture Costa had missed this season, the 3-0 victory at Bournemouth, Eden Hazard operated as the Londoners’ central attacker, flanked by Willian and Pedro, and the Belgian was immediately influential in the creation of the opening goal.

From Cesar Azpilicueta’s far-post ball into the box, Pedro knocked the back across, Hazard laid it off and Alonso swept it imperiously into the far corner.

Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri had matched Chelsea’s system with three at the back – Christian Fuchs joining Robert Huth and Wes Morgan in the central defence – and Marc Albrighton and Ben Chilwell operating as wing-backs. The final result would suggest  Ranieri’s tactical tinkering did not work though they might have had a goal inside the first minute when Ahmed Musa wrong-footed Alonso but was denied by Thibaut Courtois at the near post. It would be the best chance of the match for the defending champions, now winless in six league matches.

In the tenth minute the King Power Stadium was lit up by the lights of thousands of mobile phones – a salute to Alan Birchenhall, the Seventies favourite-turned-matchday cheerleader here who suffered a heart attack on Thursday. It was Chelsea who illuminated the contest in the second half as they found another gear.

Six minutes after the restart, Alonso doubled the lead when Willian’s partially cleared free-kick reached the Spaniard on the edge of the box and his drive flew past Kasper Schmeichel via a deflection off Wes Morgan.

Alonso almost completed a hat-trick with a terrific volley which flew an inch wide and Pedro showed the confidence coursing back through this Chelsea team in the lead-up to the third goal. Collecting a pass from Victor Moses, he delivered a brilliant back-heel touch to release Willian on the left side of the box and when the Brazilian’s attempted chip flew into the air off Schmeichel, Pedro nodded the ball over the line.

Not bad for a team in the midst of a "crisis".


=======================

Observer:

Chelsea bandwagon rolls on as Marcos Alonso double sees off Leicester

Leicester 0 - 3 Chelsea

Paul Doyle at the King Power Stadium

If Antonio Conte was shocked this week by Diego Costa’s reaction to a transfer offer from China, the manager enjoyed a pleasant surprise here thanks to Marcos Alonso. The Spanish wing-back struck two goals as Chelsea made light of their top scorer’s absence and inflicted a heavy defeat on the team whose title they intend to take. A later goal by Pedro emphasised the point.

The line from Conte is that Costa was unavailable here because of pain in his back but the whiff around the absence of the Premier League’s leading scorer highlighted what a pain in the neck China risks becoming to English clubs. But Chelsea’s immediate task here was to respond to domestic threats. They did so emphatically, even if Leicester’s resistance was feeble.

Chelsea’s winning streak had been brought to a shuddering end in their last league match by Tottenham Hotspur, who moved even closer to the leaders by mauling West Bromwich Albion in Saturday’s early game. Chelsea restored their lead at the top of the table by outclassing the flagging champions.

Without Costa Chelsea deployed Willian in a fluid front three, just as he had done on Boxing Day, when Chelsea were deprived of the striker by suspension but still proved too strong for Bournemouth, winning 3-0. Here, too, the relentless movement and mischief-making of the Brazilian, Pedro and Eden Hazard ensured they had a fearsome attack. Leicester were toothless. They, at least, need not worry about anyone bidding for their main striker, not with Jamie Vardy in this form.

In fairness to Leicester they were shorn of more players than Chelsea, with Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Daniel Amartey at the Africa Cup of Nations. But Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the tournament in Gabon meant that Ahmed Musa and Wilfred Ndidi were available here. Ndidi’s first league appearance since his £15m purchase from Genk provided a handy opportunity to compare him with N’Golo Kanté, the man who left a void in Leicester’s midfield when lured away by Chelsea’s riches after helping City win last season’s title.

The Frenchman was given a warm welcome back by Leicester fans, who used to refer him affectionately as “the Kanté twins” because his dynamism made him akin to two players. Claudio Ranieri sought to outnumber him here and counter Chelsea’s other threats by switching to a 3-5-2 formation, with Ndidi, Nampalys Mendy and Danny Drinkwater deployed in the middle. Ranieri later explained that the ploy had worked in the second half of the sides’ meeting at Stamford Bridge this season and insisted that it worked well here, too, even though the result was another 3-0 defeat.

In truth, Leicester rarely bothered Chelsea after the second minute, when Courtois had to make a smart save from Musa. Then Chelsea flexed their muscles and Leicester wilted.

In the sixth minute a cross from the right by Azpilicueta triggered chaos in Leicester’s three-man central defence, where Hazard summoned the poise to apply a telling touch. While all around him panicked, the Belgian tamed a loose ball and rolled it calmly to Alonso, who scored with an impeccable curling finish of which Costa would have been proud.

Chelsea controlled proceedings after that. Leicester did not seem at ease with their new system, their discomfort exacerbated by the visitors’ slickness. Not until the 36th minute did the hosts so much as fluster the Chelsea defence again but no Leicester player was on hand to take advantage of a vicious cross by Vardy, which Courtois intercepted with difficulty.

That faint chance was Leicester’s clearest sight of an equaliser before the break. Ranieri decided against tinkering during the interval, seemingly confident that his side could creep back into the game so long as they did not let Chelsea go farther ahead. Six minutes into the second half that theory was binned. And Alonso’s stock soared even higher.

After a foul by Christian Fuchs on Willian, the latter floated a free-kick into the Leicester box. Again the attempted clearance was flawed and when the ball broke to Alonso at the edge of the area, he trapped it with one touch before lashing it into the net, a deflection off Wes Morgan helping to confound Kasper Schmeichel.

That was Ranieri’s cue to scrap his original plan and revert to a more familiar 4-4-2 formation, with Shinji Okazaki coming on for Robert Huth. But getting back into the game would entail subduing visitors who were starting to revel. Gary Cahill exemplified that in the 61st minute with an overhead kick at goal. Fuchs’s block foiled a splendid effort but no one could get in the way of a spectacular 18-yard volley by Alonso moments later that whizzed inches past the far post.

Chelsea gave themselves further cause for celebration with a third goal that resembled a party trick. In one movement at the edge of the area Pedro spun and back-heeled the ball to the overlapping Willian, who clipped it over Schmeichel and back into the path of Pedro, who nodded into the empty net.

============================

Telegraph:

Leicester City 0 Chelsea 3: Marcos Alonso stars as Blues demolish Foxes

Sam Wallace

The nature of the modern Chelsea is that even the calmest waters can quickly give way to stormy conditions so when Antonio Conte’s first player rebellion blew through Cobham this week, the Italian manager will have known he needed a robust response and a solid victory to follow.

In the aftermath of Diego Costa’s one-man insurrection, Conte delivered the first and his team came up with the second. The Brazilian-born striker was not in the squad that travelled to Leicester after a dispute with a fitness coach at the club which spilled over into another with his manager who, even without his leading goalscorer, went on to win this game emphatically.

The club’s policy is to avoid isolating Costa in the hope that they can bring him back into the fold with a minimum of fuss, although there is considerable anger at the way in which his head has been turned by a badly-timed offer from China.

Afterwards, Conte adhered to a party-line that Costa had an injury, although he refused to confirm one way or the other whether there had been a row between the two of them. He began his press conference by politely requesting a bite from a reporter’s slice of complimentary Leicester City press-room cake, complaining that he had been given no chance to eat all afternoon. Having helped himself to a mouthful, Conte then went on to sidestep every direct question on the nature of his relationship with Costa – a definite case, you might say, of him having his cake and eating it.

An astute tactician, Conte is also proving himself a shrewd manager when it comes to dealing with the tantrums of his star players. There is no question that the club are privately furious at Costa’s behaviour and that Conte’s dispute with his player on the training ground precipitated his exclusion from the team, but there is complete certainty at the club that there will no sale of Costa to China this month.

Instead they want to find a way back for him and will not allow the situation to escalate into the kind of stand-off that West Ham, for example, are currently locked in with Dimitri Payet.

This victory was a necessary show of strength from manager and team that puts them back on course after that defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of the month. There were two rare goals from Marcos Alonso to send Chelsea on their way to a 13th league victory in their last 14 games that puts them seven points clear of Spurs in second place.

Conte will not want to play Eden Hazard as a centre-forward, as he did at the King Power, for the remaining 17 games of the season but it was an effective alternative on this occasion.

Conte’s players controlled Leicester in a fixture which, last season, precipitated Chelsea’s sacking of Jose Mourinho in December 2015. There was a third goal from Pedro, and Jamie Vardy in particular was a peripheral figure for Ranieri who switched to a three-man defence and then a four-man defence in an attempt to break down his fellow Italian’s side.

The Leicester manager said that aside from the two Alonso goals his team had played well but really they barely created a chance worthy of the name. Up against their old boy N’Golo Kante, who showed them the kind of stability they once had, the club are in 15th position and only five points off the relegation places.

While the supporters showed their support for their popular former player, and ambassador, Alan Birchenall, who suffered a heart attack on Friday, they were subdued. Ranieri became the latest manager to adapt to the system of the Chelsea manager, switching to a three-man defence augmented by wing-backs, and they barely had time to get used to the new formation before the first goal was scored.

The ball was moved sharply by Chelsea outside the Leicester box before it went right to Cesar Azpilicueta whose delivery from wide areas has been such a major asset for his team. Pedro was first to the cross and when it dropped, Hazard unselfishly stroked the ball to Alonso, in a better position to shoot past Kasper Schmeichel.

It was a great start for Chelsea and they kept Ranieri’s side at arm’s length for much of the game. The Leicester manager had Marc Albrighton and Ben Chilwell as his wing-backs but they rarely got into advanced positions.

Starting in a midfield three, Wilfred Ndidi, the £15 million singing from Genk, looked the part but later, when Ranieri changed again, he found himself at centre-back.

In midfield, Nemanja Matic and Kante were outstanding. Conte will have felt that his team got the balance of decisions against them, including the sliding tackle from Chilwell that forced Victor Moses to jump out of the way but went unpunished.

Whatever plans Ranieri might have had for the comeback at half-time, they were swiftly deflated by Chelsea’s second goal, another for Alonso. Willian’s free-kick from the right, which he had won himself, fell to Alonso who took a touch and struck a fine shot that Schmeichel would have saved were it not for a heavy deflection off Wes Morgan.

At that point, Ranieri went for a wholesale reorganisation that started with the centre-back Robert Huth being replaced by striker Shinji Okazaki. Leicester reverted to an orthodox back four with Ndidi at centre-back and Albrighton moved to right-back and then later replaced. Although not before many in a home shirt had looked thoroughly confused and sought urgent guidance from their manager.

The third goal was not long after that, a brilliant flick in the box from Pedro redirecting Kante’s ball into the path of Willian on the right. His cut-back spun up off Schmeichel and Pedro was in the ideal position to lob a header gently out of reach and into the far corner.

After that Leicester were kept at bay by a Chelsea defence that was dominant. Conte could afford to bring off Hazard, Willian and Pedro before the end of the game and afterwards the Chelsea manager strode onto the pitch to celebrate with the away fans.

He even stopped to sign autographs for the Leicester contingent. If it was intended to show he is calm and in control despite the events of the week, it certainly had the desired effect.

--------------------------------

Mail:

Leicester 0-3 Chelsea: Antonio Conte's men shrug off Diego Costa's absence as Marcos Alonso and Pedro help the Blues back to winning ways

By Rob Draper

It wasn’t the fact that Pedro scored which was significant. After all, the momentum was inexorably flowing in Chelsea’s direction by the time he hit the third. A once-rabid Leicester had been tamed, a poodle by comparison to last season’s attack dogs. There seemed no way back for them even before Pedro pounced.

What was noticeable, though, with the match won and a seven-point lead re-established at the top of the table, every single Chelsea outfield player rushed to congratulate the former Barcelona forward.

A knot of 10 players celebrated in front of the travelling fans, almost as if to suggest that nothing could disrupt a growing team unity. Later Antonio Conte led all his players over to celebrate with and acknowledge the supporters.

Whether Diego Costa longed to be part of the group hug remains to be seen. Officially he is injured and unable to travel because of his back. Whether that pain was caused by counting the sizeable amount of Chinese Yuan which will be deposited in his bank account should he ever move to Tianjin Quanjian is not clear. Whatever, Chelsea seem to think his back will have recovered for him to face Hull next Sunday.

Difficult though it is to judge anyone who might have the chance to triple his salary, you have to feel Costa would be extraordinarily foolish not to do all he can to ensure that he does quickly resume his role for the club.

For this is not a Chelsea season which most people would want to duck out of halfway through. Last season, maybe, but not this one. There will doubtless be twists and turns as six clubs battle for one trophy and four Champions League spots. But yet again Chelsea demonstrated that they are the side most comfortable in the spotlight.

The ease with which they disposed of last season’s champions was a reassertion of their credentials after defeat by Tottenham 10 days previously. That loss will not precipitate some kind of collapse.

There is no easy way in which to confound their back three, no magic formula to expose them. Conte’s team will fight to the finish and they are the team to catch. From the start yesterday, it was often all too easy for Chelsea. Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante, the latter warmly received on his return to the King Power, were frequently allowed to stroll through midfield and find their forward men.

Claudio Ranieri had switched to a back three to match his compatriot Conte’s set-up. Yet the net result was simply more space for Chelsea and an uncharacteristic lack of cohesion from Leicester.

It was a far cry from the equivalent fixture 13 months ago. Then, Leicester in their pomp, saw off Chelsea 2-1 and accounted for Jose Mourinho, a result which at the time seemed to symbolise the inverted order of the world. Here was a reversion to the established hierarchy.

It hardly helped Leicester that they conceded before even gaining a foothold in the match. Cesar Azpilicueta lifted a ball into the box aimed at Pedro and though the Spain forward couldn’t properly connect, the ball ended up at the feet of Eden Hazard. As Leicester panicked, Hazard touched a lovely ball into the path of Marcos Alonso, who finished decisively in just the sixth minute.

That made Leicester’s task all the more difficult. For long periods, Chelsea were able to stroke the ball around in midfield. Slowly, though, Leicester managed to make something of an impact. Ben Chilwell’s header on 17 minutes from a Marc Albrighton cross fell wide, but it at least offered hope.

And there was Jamie Vardy turning his England team-mate Gary Cahill on 37 minutes and delivering a cross which momentarily had goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois flummoxed.

Chelsea defender David Luiz stretched to intercept, but stopped at the final moment, realising the potential to turn the ball into his own net. That surprised Courtois, who reacted late, but he managed to push the ball away.

It wasn’t much but it was at least an indication to Leicester of some vulnerabilities at which to aim in the second half. Yet any hope of re-establishing the revolutionary zeal of last season was soon quashed.

In the 51st minute Willian floated in a free kick, Luiz attempted to get his head on the ball and, in the melee, the ball deflected out to Alonso, who scored from the edge of the box.

In fairness to Leicester, had it not been for a significant deflection off the legs of Wes Morgan, Kasper Schmeichel would have saved it. Even given the change of trajectory, he got a hand to it but it wasn’t enough. Chelsea, already superior, now looked unlikely to be challenged.

They were so relaxed that central defender Cahill even attempted an overhead kick from a Willian corner in the 61st minute. And then Alonso tried an audacious strike from outside the box on 63 minutes for what would have been a highly unlikely hat-trick. It only just cleared the far post.

The third goal came in the 71st minute. Kante fed Pedro, who executed a delightful flick to set up Willian. Schmeichel tried to close the angle, but the Brazilian simply flicked the ball over him and back to Pedro, who headed in for 3-0

LEICESTER (3-5-2): Schmeichel; Morgan, Huth (Okazaki, 6), Fuchs, Chilwell, Mendy, Drinkwater, Ndidi, Albrighton (Simpson, 77), Musa (Gray, 71), Vardy

Subs not used: Kapustka, King, Wasilewski, Zieler

Booked: Fuchs

CHELSEA (3-4-3): Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill, Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso, Willian (Batshuayi, 84), Hazard (Fabregas, 79), Pedro (Loftus-Cheek, 84)

Subs not used: Begovic, Ivanovic, Zouma, Chalobah

Goals: Alonso (6, 51), Pedro (71)


MOTM: Alonso

Referee: Andre Marriner

=====================================


Express:

Leicester 0 - Chelsea 3: Marcos Alonso and Pedro down Premier League champions

WHO needs Diego Costa when you have a couple of other Spanish aces to score the goals to keep flying high at the top of the Premier League?

By JIM HOLDEN

Wing-back Marcos Alonso scored early in each half to give Chelsea control of the game, and the clinching third goal came from the more likely source of former Barcelona star Pedro.

Victory made it a perfect day for manager Antonio Conte after a difficult week and the internal bust-up with temperamental striker Costa.

If there is going to be a power battle at Stamford Bridge, he will win it.

Chelsea’s travelling fans started the match singing “Antonio, Antonio” in honour of manager Conte, letting everybody know where their prime loyalty lies if there is any lingering conflict with the missing No.9.

The Spanish striker has a back injury, but there was also a midweek flare-up with one of the Chelsea backroom staff which led to the player being left out of the squad for this game.

Conte’s solution to being without his top scorer was to play without a recognised centre forward and allow Eden Hazard and Willian to roam free in the attacking areas.

They were, in modern football terminology, almost two ‘false nines’ – and their speed and trickery was an instant problem for Leicester and their giant and far less mobile central defenders Wes Morgan and Robert Huth.

Chelsea took the lead after just six minutes, as a pass from Hazard gave an easy chance to wing back Alonso, who steered home a simple shot from 10 yards range.

Home keeper Kasper Schmeichel raged about the hapless defending in front of him when the initial cross arrived from Cesar Azpilicueta, and it was impossible not to sympathise. Before the game the two Italian managers, Conte and Leicester’s Claudio Ranieri, had embraced in the tunnel; clearly old friends and rivals from battles in Serie A.

They share a passion for tactics, and Ranieri had given a Premier League debut to new signing Wilfred Ndidi, a £15million midfielder as he switched to a 3-5-2 system with Marc Albrighton and youngster Ben Chilwell as the wing-backs.

Maybe it was part of his solution to losingstar winger Riyad Mahrez to the African Cup of Nations tournament, but surely also to rival Chelsea for numbers in midfield.

After the setback of conceding the early goal, Ranieri’s team worked their way into the game.

In some moments you could believe they are defending champions as Jamie Vardy scampered with pace and menace at the Chelsea rearguard. They were only moments, though.

Chelsea dominated possession, and might have scored with a clever free-kick routine that saw Pedro send the final shot flying wide of goal.

Their fans also launched into a brief chant of “Diego, Diego”, a message to Costa to settle whatever troubles he has at Stamford Bridge.

Six minutes into the second half the praise was ringing for another Spaniard, the previously unconsidered goal machine Alonso. The left wing-back has been the most unlikely hero of Chelsea’s season, and now he scored his second goal of the game as Leicester defended miserably again at a corner.

The ball fell to Alonso on the edge of the area and his drilled low shot nestled in the net via a deflection off home skipper Morgan.

Chelsea had needed a strong response to their previous league match, the defeat against Spurs that had ended their record-breaking 13-match winning sequence.


Big wins earlier yesterday afternoon for Tottenham and Arsenal, both 4-0 winners, also added to the pressure here along with the Costa internal squabble.

If a character test was required, well, Conte and his players passed it with a collective show of strength and poise.

With his team 2-0 down, Ranieri had to gamble.

His decision was to bring on Shinji Okazaki and dispense with Huth, which meant Albrighton becoming one of three central defenders – surely a first for the man who has always been a fleet- footed winger.

Chelsea were dominant now. Alonso was on a hat-trick, and he almost completed it with a superb volley that shaved the post in the 65th minute.

A third goal came in the 71st minute, an inevitable consequence of endless Chelsea pressure.

It was another pinball episode in the Leicester penalty box that ended with all the home rearguard out of place and the diminutive Pedro nodding into an empty net.

It was the simplest of goals, and a simple truth remains about this season. It is that it will prove formidably difficult to knock Chelsea off their perch at the top of the table.



================================


Mirror:

Leicester 0-3 Chelsea: Marcos Alonso strikes twice as Blues brush off Diego Costa absence

The Spanish left-back got himself on the scoresheet twice before Pedro sealed the win as Antonio Conte's men reestablished their dominance at the top


BY JOHN CROSS

Antonio Conte found an unlikely replacement for bad boy striker Diego Costa as Chelsea re-established their seven point lead at the top of the Premier League.

Chelsea wing back Marcos Alonso scored in both halves as the runaway leaders saw off Claudio Ranieri’s faltering champions in convincing fashion.

Costa was left at home after his row with Conte over his fitness and having had his head turned by a huge £560,000-a-week offer from China.

But, in truth, Chelsea coped without him as Alonso gave them a sixth minute lead and then doubled it with a shot which defected in off Leicester captain Wes Morgan after 51 minutes.

Alonso, who had only scored once previously since his £23m move in the summer, nearly grabbed an unlikely hat trick when another fierce shot fizzed wide.

Spanish winger Pedro then completed the rout with a 71st minute header in a hugely impressive Chelsea win.

1. There’s only one winner in this row - Antonio Conte

Make no mistake - Conte has gone out on a limb and been bold to drop bad boy striker Diego Costa after their bust-up.

Conte needed a good result to help justify his decision but the chants from the travelling fans would have also helped reassure him that he made the right call.

The Chelsea fans love their manager - and rightly so. They sang “Antonio” throughout the game. Conte has won this war.

2. Chelsea can cope with or without Diego Costa

Chelsea’s lack of options up front is a worry especially with Diego Costa’s fall-out.

But you would not have known it from the win at Leicester as Eden Hazard excelled in the false 9 role while Willian and Pedro did their best to support him.

It is not idea, especially with so much of the season left, but Conte’s shrewd tactics and vision can help them keep going. This was a huge win in their title challenge after the Costa fall-out and defeat at Tottenham. A season defining moment.


3. N’Golo Kante rules OK

Here’s a great stat - Kante represents a 50 point swing in points from Leicester to Chelsea from the same stage last season.

You might have expected a few boos and a hot reception for the former Leicester midfielder on his return with Chelsea. No such thing.

There was the odd boo for a crunching tackle on Wes Morgan. No hero’s return. But he won Leicester the league, after all. What a refreshing attitude.

4. Ben Chilwell is Leicester’s bright future

Claudio Ranieri went three at the back with wing backs undoubtedly to tighten Leicester up at the back.

But another thought in his mind must be to get Ben Chilwell in the team because the 20-year-old left back is a great prospect.

Chilwell has got pace, power and confidence. Arsenal and Liverpool wanted him last summer but he stayed at Leicester and is destined for big things.

5. Alan Birchenall is a legend

Leicester fans warmed the hearts of the nation last season during their title success when the King Power Stadium was one of the best most and passionate in the Premier League.

They were at it again with a nice tribute for club legend Alan Birchenall - who also played for Chelsea - as the whole stadium switched on the lights on their phones as a mark of respect in the tenth minute.

Birchenall had a heart attack this week but that moment was really touching.


Chelsea

Courtois 7

Dominated his penalty box and made one terrific reflex save.

Moses 7

Terrific performance once again. Solid defensively and a threat going forward.

Azpilicueta 7

Early mistake quickly forgotten amid another solid defensively display.

Luiz 6

A couple of risky, eccentric moments but generally solid in defence.

Cahill 7

One or two difficult moments with Vardy, but generally so solid. Excellent.

Alonso 9

MotM. Brilliant and unlikely double to help Chelsea forget about Diego Costa.

Matic 8

Absolutely superb, completely bossed midfield and dominated Leicester.

Kante 7

Patrolled the midfield to good effect. How Leicester miss him.

Willian 7

Tireless disp;lay, plenty of running, always looking for openings.

Pedro 8

Provided the assist for the opening goal and scored. An amazing flick, too.

Hazard 8

His running and work rate make him a dangerous false 9. Played well.

Substitutes

Fabregas, for Hazard, 78 mins

Batshuayi, for Willian, 83 mins

Loftus-Cheek, for Pedro, 83 mins


================================

Sun:

NO COSTA, NO PROBLEM Leicester 0 Chelsea 3: Marcos Alonso bags brace before Pedro seals win as Diego Costa left out of the squad

Sensational Blues tormented Claudio Ranieri's side as table-toppers ensure seven point lead at the top

BY GRAEME BRYCE & RICHARD FORRESTER

IN a week where Diego Costa has dominated the headlines, the unlikely brace of Marcos Alonso and a simple Pedro header ensured Chelsea bounced back in perfect fashion following their defeat to Spurs.

Alonso gave the table-toppers the lead after six minutes when he latched onto Eden Hazard’s unselfish lay-off to bury the ball into the corner following Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross.

The Spaniard then scored his second of the match and his third in Chelsea colours when his drilled shot from 25-yards took a deflection off Wes Morgan leaving keeper Kasper Schmeichel scrambling on his goal line.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and gossip ahead of the January window with SunSport’s daily LIVE blog.

Despite giving the visitors a scare in the opening couple of minutes through Ahmed Musa, Leicester struggled to penetrate a defence that has conceded just 15 goals all season.

In truth after the second goal went in, Chelsea turned on the style with Hazard causing havoc in the Leicester defence but it was Alonso who came within inches of grabbing a stunning hat-trick.

A lofty cross fell nicely for the ex-Bolton man who hit it first time on the volley before whistling past the post.

It was only a matter of time before Conte’s sensational side were going to grab a third and it came in the form of the rejuvenated Pedro.

A slick move and deft piece of skill from the winger found Willian who pulled it back to his team-mate and he headed it into the empty net with Schmeichel grounded.

It was a performance of champions by the visitors but for the current champions, much work lies ahead.


FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS

Claudio Ranieri was voted the world’s best coach by Fifa on Monday and drilled his players all week on how to match up Chelsea’s 3-5-2 formation.

Yet within six minutes Marcos Alonso had fired Chelsea in front with the Foxes still finding their feet!

There was a nice touch after 10 minutes when the King Power lit up in support of former Foxes striker Alan Birchenall, watching the game on his hospital TV after suffering a heart attack on Thursday

Fans from both clubs turned their mobile phones into torches to turn the stadium into a glittering bowl, while Leicester fans held up a banner for their club ambassador: “Keep Fighting Birch – Foxes Never Quit.”

No other team in the Premier League has more players at the African Cup of Nations than Leicester, who will be missing Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Daniel Amartey for at least a fortnight. Ouch!
How the home team could have done with Slimani on the end of Marc Albrighton’s fantastic deliveries, especially one peach after 16 minutes which Ben Chilwell nodded wide.

How long Diego Costa will be missing is anyone’s guess. Claudio Ranieri predicted there would be a reaction from Chelsea after Spurs ended their 13-match winning streak ….. an OVER-REACTION would be nearer the truth

Did Chelsea miss him? Not here but they may do elsewhere. Conte’s diminutive strike force of Willian, Hazard and Pedro sliced through Leicester with scalpel-like precision. Costa gives you the option of using a KUCKLEDUSTER!

Leicester were 17 points clear of Chelsea at this stage last season. At kick off Ranieri’s men trailed the league leaders by 28 points – a staggering 45 point turnaround!

Talking of N’Golo Kante! ….. the tiny midfielder will always be a Leicester legend for the huge part he played in the Foxes’ 5,000-1 title success and rightly received a warm reception on his return!

Next five games

Leicester22 Jan – Southampton (A) – PL27 Jan – Derby (A) – FA Cup31 Jan – Burnley (A) – PL5 Feb – Man Utd (H) – PL12 Feb – Swansea (A) – PL

Chelsea22 Jan – Hull (H) – PL28 Jan – Brentford (H) – FA Cup 31 Jan – Liverpool (A) – PL4 Feb – Arsenal (H) – PL12 Feb – Burnley (A) – PL

DREAM TEAM RATINGS

Leicester: Schmeichel 4, Huth 6 (Okazaki 60, 6) Morgan 6, Fuchs 5, Chilwell 6, Mendy 6, Ndidi 6, Drinkwater 6, Chilwell, Albrighton 6 (Simpson 77, 6) Musa 6 (Gray 71, 6) Vardy 5

Subs not used: Zieler, Wasilewski, King, Kapustka

Booked: Fuchs

Chelsea: Courtois 7, Azpilicueta 6, Luiz 7, Cahill 7, Alonso 9, Matic 7, Kante 6, Moses 7, Willian 7 (Batshuayi 84, 5), Hazard 7 (Fabregas 79, 6) Pedro 7 (Loftus-Cheek 84, 6)

Subs not used: Begovic, Chalobah, Ivanovic, Zouma

Goals: Alonso (6, 51) Pedro (71)

STAR MAN: MARCOS ALONSO


WHAT THEY SAID

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri: “Today we made a good performance but we lost, and that is football. The changes I made were effective, if you take out the first two goals we played at same level as them.

“We didn’t lose focus, we had to stay very attentive in the box because they move so well. With Pedro, Hazard and Willian we did well but we should have closed the other players down better.”


Chelsea boss Antonio Conte: “It was a good performance because it isn’t easy to come here and play the champions and to win in this way.

“I’m very pleased with all of my players. We showed a great spirit we all tried to help each other with and without the ball.

“Marcos is playing very well but not just today. Today he had a great performance and helped the team a lot but I am pleased for all my players.

“I like to tell the truth and not lie. Diego stopped training on Tuesday because he felt a pain in his back and he didn’t train. That’s the truth.”

===========================

Star:

Leicester 0 Chelsea 3: Marcos Alonso double sinks Foxes at the King Power

MARCOS ALONSO was the unlikely goal-scoring hero as normal service was resumed for Chelsea.

By Paul Hetherington

The Chelsea left back scored twice - his second with the aid of a Wes Morgan deflection - as the champions- elect defeated the title holders.

So Chelsea returned to winning ways after their streak of 13 successive league wins was ended at Tottenham.

It was also the night when Chelsea boss Antonio Conte won the battle of the Italian managers against former Stamford Bridge chief Claudio Ranieri.

Incredibly, it was a result which leaves Leicester - last season’s shock champions - still experiencing relegation concerns.

That shouldn’t happen, but they were very much second best against the team who are firm favourites to succeed them as Premier League champions.

The gulf in class was underlined in the 70th minute, when Pedro headed in after Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel had diverted William’s shot into his path.

Earlier, Leicester’s fans lit up the King Power Stadium in the 10th minute with their mobile phones in tribute to club ambassador Alan Birchenall, 71.

The former Foxes player, who wore the No. 10 shirt, suffered a heart attack last week and watched the match from his hospital bed.

 And the game was almost lit up for Leicester in the first minute, when Ahmed Musa was close to giving the Foxes a flying start.

His right-foot strike, however, as he cut in from the left was blocked by the body of Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois.

But just four minutes later Chelsea surged into the lead.

After a spell of possession, the ball broke to Eden Hazard, leading the line in the absence of Diego Costa.

Hazard set up Alonso for a crisp right-foot finish into the far corner of the net.

N’Golo Kante, busy as ever in midfield, then upset the fans of his former club with a challenge on Nampalys Mendy.

It was a night when Ranieri operated with three at the back in an attempt to match up Conte’s successful system.

But Leicester often lived dangerously defensively against the slick attacking of Hazard, Willian and Pedro.

At the other end, though, a low, hard-driven cross from the right by Jamie Vardy had Chelsea in trouble.

Courtois could only palm the ball out and Chelsea were fortunate that there was no Leicester player on hand to capitalise.

Chelsea, though, could have increased their lead before half-time with a free-kick move straight from the training ground.

David Luiz, rather than shooting, rolled the ball to Hazard, who set up a chance with a first-time pass to Pedro.

But the Spaniard screwed his shot wide of the target.

Chelsea’s control was such at times that they kept the ball, pass after pass, for a full two minutes at the beginning of the second half, without a Leicester player getting a touch.

And they increased their lead in the 50th minute, when the ball dropped invitingly for Alonso to hit a shot with, this time, his favoured left foot.

His effort from the edge of the box took a deflection off Leicester captain Morgan to give Schmeichel no chance.

Amazingly, Alonso almost struck again with a left-foot volley with flew inches wide.

Eventually, Chelsea coasted home, although Courtois had to make a rare save late on from Christian Fuchs’ left-foot effort.

Peterborough United 4-1

Independent:

Chelsea 4 Peterborough United 1

Blues cruise through to FA Cup fourth round as John Terry sees red

Goals from Pedro, Michy Batshuayi and Willian helped fire the Blues to a comfortable home victory in the third round of the FA Cup

Ian Winrow at Stamford Bridge


John Terry’s hopes of re-establishing himself in Antonio Conte’s Chelsea line-up suffered a major setback when the centre-back was dismissed midway through the second half on his first appearance in two months.

Terry, who has been sidelined since early November with ankle and groin injuries, was sent off for bringing down Peterborough striker Lee Angol  with a clumsy challenge midway through the second half when Chelsea were leading 3-0 through goals from Pedro, Michy Batshuayi and Willian, and in total control of this FA Cup tie.

The departure of the former England captain, 36, who is out of contract at the end of this season and was eager to make a good impression after being sidelined during his side’s surge to the head of the Premier League table, was quickly followed by a Peterborough goal, a side-foot effort from Tom Nichols, but while Grant McCann’s side were briefly lifted, a second Pedro goal snuffed out any chance of a difficult end to the game for Conte’s side. Chelsea saw out the game easily, although the final stages will have been far less comfortable for Terry.

Prior to Terry’s dismissal, Conte’s first experience of the FA Cup could hardly have gone more smoothly. The Italian made nine changes to the side that started the midweek defeat at Tottenham Hotspur that ended Chelsea’s run of 13 successive league wins, but after surviving an early scare, the Premier League side took control of the game and should have put the tie beyond reach by half-time.

Grant McCann, the Peterborough manager, had insisted his side would not be inhibited by the trip to Stamford Bridge and, having lost just one of their previous 13 games, the League One side’s confident start initially put Chelsea on the back-foot. Had Angol made more of an early, close range chance or centre-back Ryan Tafazolli not directed a free header wide, Conte’s side might have endured a more uncomfortable afternoon.

Instead, they were allowed to ease their way into the game with Pedro, one of only two players to retain his midweek starting spot, putting Chelsea ahead with a excellent 18th minute finish after Nathaniel Chalobah’s powerful shot had been parried by keeper Luke McGee. The Spain international showed impressive composure to collect the loose ball, evade on challenge, and direct his shot into the top corner of McGee’s goal.


Chelsea’s play became more fluent and Peterborough were fortunate Pedro was unable to repeat his earlier finish when presented with a similar opportunity, this time striking the bar from close range when confronted with an empty net. And the home side were again guilty of wasting a good opportunity, this time when Batshuayi betrayed his desire to make an impression by going for goal instead of taking the easier option of playing in Willian, much to Conte’s obvious frustration.

The second goal eventually came a minute before half time when Willian set Branislav Ivanovic free on the right hand flank, allowing the wing-back to deliver a cross towards Ruben Loftus-Cheek, whose lay-off enabled Batshuayi to make amends for his previous mistake and place a right foot shot beyond McGee.


An early chance for Loftus-Cheek after the break suggested there would be no let up for the visitors who found themselves falling further behind moments later when Pedro collected the ball wide on the left before finding Willian who found the corner of the goal from 20 yards out.

Peterborough were given  hope when Terry brought down Angol as the forward pushed the ball past the defender and would have had a clear run on goal had Terry fallen in front of him to earn a red card. Nichols converted from close range but Pedfro’s 75th minute finish killed off the contest.


Chelsea (3-4-3): Begovic;  Zouma, Terry, Cahill (Aina 57); Ivanovic, Fabregas, Chalobah, Pedro; Willian (Kante73), Batshuayi, Loftus-Cheek (Azpilicueta 69).

Subs: Eduardo, Hazard, Moses, Costa.


Peterborough United (4-4-2): McGee; Smith, Bostwick, Tafazoli, Hughes (Binnom-Williams 89); Maddison (Taylor 57), Lopes, Forrester, Edwards (Samuelson 57); Nichols, Angol.

Subs: Tyler, Ball, Inman, Chettle.



=====================


Guardian:

John Terry sees red but comfortable Chelsea ease past Peterborough

Chelsea 4 - 1 Peterborough

FA Cup Stamford Bridge

David Hytner at Stamford Bridge


John Terry was laughing when the referee, Kevin Friend, jogged over to him in the 67th minute. Chelsea were home and hosed against Peterborough United from League One on the back of goals from Pedro, Michy Batshuayi and Willian but Terry had just botched his last-man challenge on Lee Angol and he must have known what was coming.

Perhaps the smiles were out of embarrassment or simply the ludicrous nature of the situation. Kurt Zouma, playing his first game since February of last year, had been unable to cut out a through-ball and when Angol dropped his shoulder and darted to his left he found that Terry had thrown himself at his feet.

Angol had nowhere to go but down and over Terry and, despite the old warrior’s protestations – and those that would follow from Antonio Conte – Friend took the correct decision to dismiss him. When the red card came out Terry’s face fell.

It had been his first appearance since 5 November and only his eighth of the season. He did not envisage it finishing like this. When he finally trudged off, after a matey-looking conversation with Friend, it was difficult to ignore the feeling that we were witnessing the countdown to the end for Terry at Stamford Bridge.

He has been unable to break into the Chelsea team that have surged to the top of the Premier League table and misjudgments like this one will not convince Conte to reinstate him or put trust in the club’s captain in the longer term. Zouma came through the full 90 minutes after his lengthy knee injury lay-off while Conte has recalled Nathan Aké from his loan spell at Bournemouth. The manager said Aké could provide an option on the left or in the centre of his preferred back three.

Terry is now 36, his contract will expire in the summer and there has been no talk as yet of a renewal. There may still be more matches for him this season – perhaps, in the FA Cup – but, at the very least, Terry faces an anxious wait to see what the club have planned for him.


Terry’s sending-off was the headline detail of a high-tempo FA Cup win for Chelsea. Peterborough gave their 6,000 travelling fans something to bellow about when Michael Smith’s low cross was touched on by Angol and Tom Nichols swept past Asmir Begovic. It was a moment that everybody connected to the club will cherish for some time.

Peterborough carried the fight to the home side; they did not come merely to sit deep and frustrate, and Grant McCann, the manager, could talk with pride at how his team, who sit ninth in League One, had performed.

They started well and a big moment came in the eighth minute when Angol prodded at Begovic from three yards out, after Marcus Maddison’s cross. The Chelsea goalkeeper blocked. The visitors also threatened when Ryan Tafazolli glanced wide from a 13th‑minute corner.

But Chelsea were a cut above. Pedro restored their three-goal advantage after Nichols’s goal and the final margin of victory could have been more handsome such was their dominance. They created not only fistfuls of chances but fistfuls of clear ones.

Batshuayi had been keen to mark only his fourth start for Chelsea with a goal and there were times when he looked a little too keen. On 39 minutes he had eyes only for the shot inside the area, even though Willian was better placed to his right, and he ended up being crowded out. Willian was frustrated. So too was Conte. But last summer’s £33m signing from Marseille got what he craved just before the interval.

Batshuayi’s goal followed smart work from Willian and a four-on-two Chelsea break, which seemed remarkable at that point of the tie. Branislav Ivanovic crossed and, when Ruben Loftus-Cheek set the ball up, Batshuayi drilled a low shot into the corner.

Conte made nine changes from the league defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last Wednesday and he said he was happy with the performances of his younger players Zouma, Nathaniel Chalobah, Loftus-Cheek and Batshuayi – together with the substitute, Ola Aina.


Pedro was one of the two survivors in the starting XI from White Hart Lane and his first goal was beautifully taken – a fizzing shot into the far, top corner after Luke McGee had beaten out Chalobah’s shot.

Gary Cahill had hit the post on six minutes with an extravagant back-heeled flick from a corner while Pedro rattled the crossbar after jinking inside following Loftus-Cheek’s pass.

Chelsea had other chances in the first half through Terry, Batshuayi and Willian and more after the break through Loftus-Cheek, Chalobah and Batshuayi. Willian’s goal came when he cut inside and shot into the far corner while Pedro got his second after an exchange with Batshuayi and a precision low shot.

“When you change nine players it’s not easy to find quickly your idea of football, but it happened,” Conte said. “I saw a lot of positive things. We won as a team and that is the most important thing.”



========================



Telegraph:

Chelsea 4 Peterborough United 1:

John Terry's red card on return could go long way to determining his future

Matt Law


A John Terry red card used to be a major headache for Chelsea, but on this occasion it may well have helped make up the minds of those responsible for deciding whether or not the defender plays on for the club past the end of this season.

With Chelsea top of the Premier League without Terry in the team or even on the substitutes’ bench, it already looked most unlikely that the 36-year-old would be offered an extension to his contract that expires this summer.

This time last year, Terry publicly revealed that there had been no talks over a new deal and suggested that last season was likely to be his final hurrah with the club.

The interview ensured that ­Terry’s name was sung by the Chelsea faithful at every remaining game and the club eventually ­relented and handed their “captain, leader, legend” a new deal.

But if Terry’s intention was to use his first start since October to show Chelsea that he should be kept on once again, then it went horribly wrong.


The day had already started badly for Terry and his Chelsea prospects, as the club confirmed that left-­footed defender Nathan Ake had been recalled from his loan at Bournemouth.

And it got much worse in the 67th minute, when Terry capped what had been a rusty performance against League One opposition by getting his marching orders.

Kurt Zouma, returning from ­almost a year out, failed to cut out a low pass from Peterborough captain Chris Forrester, which sent Lee Angol scampering towards goal. Unable to catch the visiting striker, Terry produced what could only be described as a rugby tackle to bring him down.

Terry appeared to be laughing as he was called over by Kevin Friend, but the referee did not see the funny side as he produced a red card.

Fortunately for Terry and Chelsea, the tie was effectively over by that point and Antonio Conte’s team progressed to the fourth round thanks to a brace from Pedro and goals from Willian and Michy Batshuayi.


Asked about Terry’s red card, the head coach, Conte, said: “It wasn’t right, this decision. He didn’t take the opponent and, behind John, there was Ivanovic, to cover him.

“It’s a pity because to take a red card is not good. You have to ­respect the ref’s decision, but, in this case, maybe we will do an appeal.”

On Terry’s future, Conte added: “We are in January. It’s important to make this decision together with the club and not alone. I am pleased for John because he is showing me great commitment, when I ask him to play, when he doesn’t play, because he is helping me a lot. It’s important to continue in this way.”

Conte, though, confirmed Terry faced greater competition to win back a regular place in Chelsea’s three-man defence from the recalled Ake. “I recall Ake because I think he is showing he is ready to stay in the squad,” said Conte.

“He gives me an important option because we are playing with three central defenders. He can play on the left or in the middle and we must see in training if he can play at wing-back.”

After it emerged Chelsea are considering a surprise bid for Swansea City striker Fernando Llorente, Conte had stated that Batshuayi, who is wanted on loan by West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Swansea, Lille and Sevilla, needed to make the most of his fourth start since his £33 million move from Marseille.

Those words appeared to weigh heavily on the 23-year-old for much of the first half as he looked to be trying too hard to score.

But two minutes before half-time, Batshuayi got the goal he craved. Willian played a good pass out to Branislav Ivanovic, whose cross was cushioned by Ruben Loftus-Cheek for the ­Belgian to pick his spot.

Batshuayi’s goal doubled Chelsea’s lead, as Pedro, standing in at left wing-back, had opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a super strike after cutting back on to his right foot.

Despite the fact the Premier League leaders went in at the break with a two-goal cushion, League One Peterborough had caused the Chelsea defence some problems.

Marcus Maddison picked out Angol unmarked in the Chelsea penalty area in the eighth minute, but his volley was straight at Asmir Begovic. Ryan Tafazolli headed wide from a Maddison corner.

Conte appeared to use the half-time break for a quick trip to the Chelsea megastore as he remerged for the second period wearing a white club-branded waterproof jacket and a blue baseball cap.


While members of the press box debated his choice of clothing, Loftus-Cheek should have added a third goal when Batshuayi set up the England Under-21 midfielder, who rolled the ball wide.

It took only until the 52nd minute for Chelsea to kill the tie, however, as Willian received the ball from Pedro and cut in from the left to send a shot low into the net.

Terry’s dismissal forced Conte into a reshuffle and, as 10-man Chelsea were adjusting, Tim Nichols pulled a goal back in front of the 6,000 visiting Peterborough fans.


Any dreams of what would have been one of the great FA Cup fightbacks were crushed four minutes later as Pedro scored again.

Peterborough manager Grant McCann said: “For 15 minutes, I thought we were very good. The difference in the game was they were clinical, we weren’t. It was a good learning curve for our boys. I don’t think we came here and disgraced ourselves.”



========================



Mail:

Chelsea 4-1 Peterborough: Pedro nets a brace to kill off the Posh with a red card for John Terry the Blues' only blemish


By Sami Mokbel


Normal service resumed for Chelsea. Not, though, for captain John Terry.

The Blues routinely dispatched of League One Peterborough to help heal the wounds of Wednesday's loss at Tottenham.

But the pain of a personally disappointing season goes on for Terry, who was shown a straight red card on his first start for the club since October. The Chelsea skipper pleaded with referee Kevin Friend after his foul on Lee Angol.

'I didn't touch him', he told the official. Terry knew what was coming, though. He was the last man, he knows the consequences.


With his first-team chances in the Premier League minimal thanks to Antonio Conte's now settled back-three of Gary Cahill, David Luis and Cesar Azplicueta, the Chelsea captain will find some comfort in the fact his side eased into he fourth round.

Because the way Chelsea are motoring in the league at them moment; the FA Cup is likely to be Terry's main source of action this season.

Despite the resounding scoreline, Peterborough were far from embarrassed here. As manager Grant McCann promised in the build up to this FA Cup third round tie, the League One side gave this a good go.

And their positivity should be applauded. But in the end, it proved their undoing as they were caught by two first-half counter attacks.


Chelsea were ruthless; sensing when their opponents were weak before pouncing decisively on their prey to ensure they returned to winning ways after the loss at White Hart Lane - which ended their 13 match unbeaten league run.

On his FA Cup debut, Blues boss Conte rang the changes for the visit of Peterborough; making nine in total - including a rare start for skipper Terry, whilst Kurt Zouma made his return from a serious knee injury.

The Italian manager has bigger fish to fry, of course. Despite Wednesday's loss at Tottenham, the Blues remain the team to beat in the title race.


Peterborough, though, were hoping to pounce on any seeds of doubt in Chelsea's mind following that loss at White Hart Lane and fielded a strong starting XI including 18-year-old Jay Da Silva Lopes - the teenager England are trying to snatch from under Portugal's nose.

And the League One outfit certainly weren't overawed by the challenge in front of them as the caused the Premier League leaders as host of problems. But in the end, they were handed a crash course in the perils of living the big boys.

On an ordinary day, Michael Smith would may got away with his misplaced pass into Lopes in the 18th minute. But this wasn't an ordinary day. Conte's side were ruthless in the execution of their counter attack.

In the end it was Pedro who scored, expertly finishing past Luke McGee, who did well to stop Nathaniel Chalobah's effort moments prior.


It was a harsh lesson for Smith and his team who, with a bit of luck, could easily have been ahead before Pedro struck.

Had Lee Angol's point blank effort from Marcus Maddison's cross dropped a yard either side of Asmir Begovic then Peterborough would have taken an eighth minute lead.

Likewise, had Maddison shown greater composure with his strike from the edge of area after Gwion Edwards roasted Branislav Ivanovic down the left then Posh would have been in dreamland. Instead, they were pondering what might have been as Chelsea killed off the tie before half-time.

McGee was having one of those days underdog goalkeepers tend to have on FA Cup third round day; saves from Terry, Batshauyi, Gary Cahill, and Willian kept Peterborough in the mix.


Similarly, fortune, or rather ineptitude, was on their side in the 32nd minute as Pedro, inexplicably, missed a glaringly open goal from six yards after Ruben Loftus-Cheek's square pass.

But Batshauyi, handed a rare chance to impress by Conte, handed Chelsea a two-goal lead just before the break, thumping home Loftus-Cheek's pass after another rapid Chelsea breakaway.

Prior to his strike, it hadn't been an afternoon to remember for the Belgian, his manager visibly agitated by his striker's performance in the technical area.

Posh were hanging in their - just. Had Kevin Friend shown Peterborough skipper Chris Forrester a red instead of a yellow card in the 23rd minute for a nasty-looking lunge on Cesc Fabregas then the second half could have been a car crash.


If it wasn't for wasteful finishing and more fabulous goalkeeping from McGee then it would have been.

Not learning their lesson from the first half, Loftus-Cheek fired narrowly wide after Lopes was dispossessed by Fabregas inside his own half.

Willian, though, wasn't so profligate in the 52nd minute as he rammed his low effort past McGee after Fabregas and Pedro combined to set the Brazilian up.


It would have been four just two minutes later if McGee hadn't somehow got a hand to Chalobah's shot.

And the away side were handed a slight glimmer of hope in the 67th minute as Terry was handed his marching orders for his professional foul on Angol as he tried to cover for Zouma's failed attempts to cut out Forrester's pass.

Indeed, three minutes later Tom Nichols pulled one back for Peterborough, tapping home from close range after Angol's mishit shot.

But Pedro ended any late Chelsea jitters with his second of the afternoon five minutes later, stroking home from the edge of the area as Chelsea eased through to the next round.


GRAHAM POLL'S OFFICIAL LINE


Kevin Friend was correct to dismiss John Terry despite the former England captain's protest of innocence.

Peterborough's Lee Angol was clean through with a clear and obvious goal scoring opportunity with just Terry to get past.

The Blues captain went to ground which resulted in Angol tripping over him.

Terry claimed he had slipped but intent wasn't relevant. The fact that his prone body stopped his opponents progress meant Friend had no option but to get his red card out.

Terry has had limited chances to play first team football this season and his suspension will continue that.


Chelsea (3-5-2): : Begovic 6.5; Zouma 6.5, Terry 5.5, Cahill 6.5 (Aina 57. 6,5); Ivanovic 6.5, Fabregas 7, Chalobah 7, Pedro 8.5; Willian 7 (Kante 73, 6), Batshuayi 6.5, Loftus-Cheek 7.5 (Azpilicueta 69, 6).

Unused subs: Hazard, Moses, Costa, Eduardo.

Bookings: Fabregas

Sent off: Terry 66

Goals: Pedro 18, 75, Batshuayi 44, Willian 53

Manager: Antonio Conte 7


Peterborough (4-4-2): McGee 8; Smith 6.5, Bostik 6, Tafazolli 6; Maddison 6 (Taylor 57, 6), Da Silva 6, Forrester 6, Edwards 6.5 (Samuelson 58, 6), Hughes 6 (Binnom-Williams 83, 6); Nichols 6.5, Angol 6.5.

Unused subs: Ball, Tyler, Inman, Chettle.

Bookings: Tafazolli, Forrester

Goals: Nichols 70

Manager: Grant McCann 6


Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire) 6.5

Att: 41,003

MOM: Pedro