QPR 2-1

Independent:

Eden Hazard penalty spares Blues blushes against spirited local rivals at Stamford Bridge
Michael Calvin

Chelsea remain unbeaten, despite themselves, and the Premier League title is developing into an unequal contest. Yet invincibility is an illusion as this Indian summer stretches into November. The history books are safe for a while yet.
An insubstantial win over well-organised but limited opposition in a bloodless London derby is no real form guide. Infinitely tougher tests must be passed if Jose Mourinho’s latest team are to emulate Arsenal’s new model army of a decade ago, and go through a season without a League defeat.
They have been denied a 100 per cent record after 10 matches only by late goals from Manchester City and United. There’s a sense of smugness in the crowd at Stamford Bridge, more than a hint of empire, about to be reclaimed.
Chelsea are four points clear of Southampton, but more pertinently have a nine-point lead over City and Arsenal. They are 12 ahead of Liverpool and 13 better than United. Complacency would seem their natural enemy, since they have barely been required to break sweat.
Other members of the lavishly-funded, over-hyped elite have been prey to carelessness and unexpected calamity created by poorly managed change. It might have been only QPR’s second loss in six league matches against Chelsea, but Mourinho was revealingly reluctant to celebrate. He complained tartly about the timidity of the home supporters and bemoaned his side’s intermittent intensity. Ritual reassurance about the importance of scruffy wins, was given short shrift.
“My team did not play as well as I expected,” he stressed. “We had periods of good football but no consistency. It was fantastic work by Harry to organise his team defensively, but with our quality I would expect us to be stronger.”
Chelsea took a 32nd minute lead with a memorable fusion of timing and technique. Diego Costa won the ball, held it up for the umpteenth time, and slipped it into path of Cesc Fabregas. He fed Oscar, who struck a first time shot with the outside of his right foot, which curled into the far corner. Cue collective ecstasy which, strangely, was not shared by Mourinho, who spent a full minute chuntering to himself.  He didn’t get his hands out of his pockets and looked mortally offended. Takes all sorts, I suppose.
Oscar was once deemed lightweight. Now he marries an admirable work ethic with a sublime touch. He has scored three goals and set up two more in his last six matches. He is a symbol of the evolutionary cycle the Chelsea manager has set in train.
The movement is intelligent and the pressure on the ball is relentless. Nemanja Matic is the fulcrum, a source of clever interceptions and crisp tackling. And though Costa didn’t score and is hardly fully fit he is certainly firing. He is a nightmare to play against.
Mourinho judged him harshly, insisting: “He didn’t have a very good performance. With muscular injuries it is not just your body but your brain. You are afraid of a reaction.”
A truce with his international manager, Vicente Del Bosque, would help but is far from likely. He will be in next week’s Spain squad for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Belarus, and the high-profile friendly against world champions Germany.
Chelsea were punished for luxuriating in their superiority in the 62nd minute. Thibaut Courtois punched away an Eduardo Vargas cross, and though Leroy Fer scuffed his shot, it was diverted in by Charlie Austin’s instinctive backflick. He has 24 league goals for QPR since the start of last season, 18 more than anyone else. Eden Hazard slyly drew a decisive foul from Vargas with 15 minutesleft. Harry Redknapp complained the expertly-taken penalty was “harsh” but the Chilean had no need to commit himself.
Mourinho, a picture of misery, was already looking ahead, to more profound afternoons.

Chelsea: (4-2-3-1) Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Luis; Fabregas, Matic; Willian (Drogba, 64), Oscar, Hazard (Ramires, 93); Costa (Schürrle, 78).
QPR: (4-4-2) Green; Isla, Dunne, Caulker, Yun; Hoilett (Zamora, 60), Henry, Sandro, Fer (Traore, 84); Vargas Austin.

Referee: Mike Jones.
Man of the match: Oscar (Chelsea)
Match rating: 6/10

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Observer:

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard nets late penalty to see off a spirited QPR
Paul Doyle

Chelsea continue to set the pace at the top of the Premier League but their stride does not look unbreakable. José Mourinho knows that, which is why he spent much of this west London derby seething on the sidelines, his team requiring a late penalty to overcome a lowly but tenacious Queen Park Rangers side.
“My team did not play well, or well enough,” huffed Mourinho. “It was not what I was expecting. We had periods of good football, but not consistently. I was expecting more. There is no doubt we deserve the points but one thing is to deserve and another is to deserve and play very well, which we didn’t.”
Chelsea were mostly dominant but at times sloppy. They seemed capable of blowing away visitors who had suffered heavy defeats in all of their away trips this season, yet they also betrayed a fragility that meant they wound up grateful to cling on to all three points. Their spluttering irritated their manager. “It was periods, 10 to 15 minutes here, 10 to 15 minutes there,” said Mourinho. “We were playing against a very well organised defensive team where everyone knew the job they had to do. It was fantastic work by Harry and they gave us a tough match. But with our quality I would expect us to be stronger.”
Mourinho had deployed his most powerful available line-up, with the fit-again Diego Costa returning to the side after almost a month out, as Chelsea made no concession to the forthcoming trip to Maribor in the Champions League nor next weekend’s showdown with Liverpool. Mourinho evidently wants his team to continue stretching their lead in the Premier League, especially after last weekend’s last-minute stumble at Old Trafford. At first it seemed that QPR would be submissive opponents, as the visitors surrendered possession straight from kick-off, inviting two minutes of pressure during which Chelsea threatened with three successive corners.
It soon transpired, however, that Rangers were in obstinate mood and, with Sandro excelling at the base of a five-man central midfield, Chelsea toiled to create chances despite near-constant possession. Sporadic counterattacks by the visitors even evoked memories of Rangers’ last visit here, in January 2013, when they pilfered a 1-0 victory.
Costa looked short of sharpness but did produce a foxy drag-back and pass in the 10th minute to dink the ball to Oscar, who dabbed a soft shot wide from 12 yards. A minute later, the ever-dangerous full-back Branislav Ivanovic made the stealthy run of a natural predator to collect a through-ball from Willian, but then spared his quarry by shooting into the side netting from close range.
Generally, however, QPR were doing a fair job at keeping their hosts at bay and, in the 15th minute, they served warning of their own menace when Charlie Austin headed just over the bar following a cross from Junior Hoilett.
Eden Hazard was seeing plenty of the ball and producing some sumptuous touches but not penetrating. It took a mistake by Eduardo Vargas in the 25th minute to create another opening for the home team, with Cesc Fàbregas pouncing on the Chilean’s loose pass before forcing a save from Rob Green from 25 yards. Seven minutes later, the goalkeeper was left bewildered by Oscar, who ran in from the right wing to receive a pass from Fàbregas and flip the ball into the far corner of the net with the outside of his foot. It was an exquisite finish. As the crowd cooed over the Brazilian’s skill, Mourinho bore an expression that seemed to say “about time.”
QPR emerged from half-time with more attacking intent. They pressed Chelsea back in the early minutes of the second period, causing Mourinho to fume further. Surrendering the initiative at Manchester City and United was bad enough; the prospect of doing it at home to QPR seemed intolerable for the Portuguese.
Willian might have soothed his manager by setting up a killer second goal in the 54th minute but instead over-hit an intended pass to Hazard, who lunged but could not connect with the ball seven yards from goal.
Harry Redknapp introduced Bobby Zamora on the hour to give Charlie Austin company up front. Two minutes later Austin equalised. It was a wonderful finish, too, as Leroy Fer fired a bouncing shot at goal from 20 yards and the striker, standing eight yards out, applied a backflick that wrongfooted Thibaut Courtois. In the end Chelsea needed help to secure the win – and, not for the first time this season, Redknapp’s men came to their opponent’s aid, Vargas giving away a penalty with a witless shunt on Hazard in the 75th minute. Redknapp complained that it was just a “shoulder charge”, but the challenge was reckless. And from the spot Hazard was ruthless. But Mourinho knows that stronger teams are unlikely to show such vulnerability.

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Queens Park Rangers 1: Eden Hazard and Oscar help hosts triumph in west London derby
Jonathan Llew

Jose Mourinho stalked into his press conference with a face as sour as a pickled egg. His side had just won. They were top of the Premier League. But there was a sullenness to him.
Are you happy, one reporter asked him. “No,” he replied. Why not? “Because my team didn’t play well enough. We had periods of good football, but not consistently. We deserved the points, no doubt. But it’s one thing to deserve; another to deserve and play well.”
Mourinho did not like what he had seen. And what he had seen was the biggest threat to Chelsea’s title challenge – a title that, according to some observers, is already in the bag. Still top, still unbeaten, this is a Chelsea side without a single recognisable flaw. Except one: sometimes they know it.
At half-time, the notices for this game were already being written in advance. Chelsea were only a goal up, but Queens Park Rangers were yet to register a single shot on target. Mourinho’s hands had scarcely left his pockets. Chelsea looked comfortable. We all knew how this was going to end.
What followed, then, was something of a surprise. Chelsea, perhaps lulled into a certain complacency, slipped down through the gears. Meanwhile, Harry Redknapp’s team scrapped like cheetahs and burgled a fortuitous equaliser. The result was a game far more entertaining than it really had any right to be.
Eden Hazard’s late penalty - "harsh", according to Redknapp - secured the points, but it was a close-run thing. Every so often, this Chelsea side succumbs to the myth of its own inevitability. Every cog in the machine is so well-oiled that sometimes the entire machine lapses into autopilot.
Mourinho’s irritation in the press room would have been nothing compared to his irritation in the dressing room. Still, he and we were really picking at tiny fissures here. Chelsea remain the best team in the league by a mile, and even on the lowest setting were rarely troubled.
And yet, there was a certain languor to them. Oscar, all crackling electricity and fizzing ball control, was one notable exception, even before you consider the sublime opening goal he scored.
It had taken Chelsea half an hour to break through, but it was well worth the wait. Oscar’s finish will grab the headlines, but the goal’s real architect was Diego Costa, sucking three defenders towards him and then swatting them all aside, like a human booby trap.
His lay-off to Cesc Fabregas was played into the path of Oscar, who curled the ball deliciously around Robert Green with the outside of his foot. You or I could try that in the park and fail 100 times out of 100. It was the sort of goal you see in the last minute of a football film.
And as such, QPR were pretty much blameless. They defended about as well as could have been expected, and Green had a superb game, making at least three world-class saves. All they could do was keep plugging away, waiting for a glitch in the Chelsea mainframe. Eighteen minutes into the second half, Eduardo Vargas spotted one.
Nobody quite saw the danger coming until it was too late. Least of all Chelsea, who were unacceptably sluggish as Vargas sprinted out of his own half and bore down on goal. His fierce cross-shot was beaten away by Thibaut Courtois, but only to Leroy Fer, who tried his luck from distance.
The next few seconds seemed to unfold in slow motion. Fer’s shot was badly miscued, but rolled towards Charlie Austin, who instinctively flicked at the ball with his heel. Courtois, wrong-footed, could only watch as the ball trickled helplessly past him and into the net. If Oscar’s goal was one for the end-of-season DVD, this was one for the bloopers reel afterwards. And it was no less than Chelsea deserved for allowing their intensity to drop.
Mourinho reacted straight away. On came Didier Drogba for Willian. With Bobby Zamora introduced for QPR, there were now four strikers on the pitch, and it showed in a gloriously chaotic closing stretch. Green tipped Oscar’s free-kick around the post, but just a few minutes later Hazard stalked the edge of the penalty area with menace.
Hazard only needs a tickle to go down at that speed, and Vargas duly provided it, trying to win the ball when there was no real need. Hazard took the penalty himself, and scored. “I just felt it was soft,” Redknapp said afterwards. “Two little men, shoulder to shoulder, and they both hit each other. It was a harsh one.”
Though QPR never seriously looked like getting a second goal, virtually all their fans stayed right until the end, singing heartily even as defeat beckoned. And why not? After a torrid start to the season, this was another step in the right direction. “I felt we deserved something for how hard we worked,” Redknapp said. “We didn’t lay down against the best team in the country, and for that we deserved a point.”
Mourinho, meanwhile, continued to smoulder with mild resentment. Perhaps he was just trying to keep himself interested. When you are this far ahead of your rivals, ennui quickly sets in. But more likely than not, at some stage this season, Chelsea will play better than this, and lose.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Courtois 6, Ivanovic 5, Cahill 6, Terry 7, Filipe Luis 6; Fabregas 6, Matic 7; Hazard 7 (Ramires 90), Oscar 7, Willian 6 (Drogba 64); Diego Costa 6 (Schürrle 78). Subs Cech, Zouma, Ake, Salah.

Queens Park Rangers (4-3-3) Green 8; Isla 6, Dunne 7, Caulker 7, Yun 7; Henry 6, Sandro 7, Fer 6 (Traore 84); Vargas 7, Austin 7, Hoilett 6 (Zamora 60). SubsMurphy, Hill, Phillips, Kranjcar, Wright-Phillips.
Referee M Jones (Cheshire).
Attendance 41,486

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Times:

Chelsea turn up heat on Manchester City after being made to scrap for derby spoils
Chelsea 2 Queens Park Rangers 1

Rory Smith

The journey was rather more arduous than Chelsea expected, but the ultimate destination was the same. It is not yet Bonfire Night and already Jose Mourinho’s side have all but burned away the rest of the Barclays Premier League; only Southampton, for now, cling on to their coat-tails.
They had to scrap for this victory against Queens Park Rangers, but scrap they did, taking them nine points clear of Manchester City. If Manuel Pellegrini’s side fail to beat Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow, they may as well start engraving the trophy now. Mourinho teams do not throw away that sort of advantage.
For a while here, it looked as though Harry Redknapp’s side might do City, Arsenal and anyone who likes a semblance of intrigue to their league seasons a favour and halt Chelsea’s remorseless advance: they fell behind to a beautiful goal from Oscar but found a way back through a moment of inspired improvisation from the altogether less likely feet of Charlie Austin. Only Eden Hazard’s composure and Eduardo Vargas’s lack of it prevented them holding their hosts at bay.
Indeed, despite the gulf – in quality, in league position – Redknapp’s side started creditably enough. Richard Dunne and Steven Caulker batted away everything Chelsea threw at them; Sandro and Karl Henry snapped and snarled in central midfield. Vargas, on the right, scurried around, twisting and turning, his energy troubling Filipe Luís.
Chelsea, of course, had the greater weight of early chances, Oscar scuffing one effort wide and then Willian’s low cross fizzing into the path of Branislav Ivanovic, the Serb not quite able to switch his feet quickly enough and finding only the side netting. But QPR threatened too, Austin heading on to the roof of the net, Leroy Fer feinting past two defenders but eased off the ball as he set himself to shoot.
As unlikely as it might have seemed before the game, as the half-hour ticked past, the west London derby was threatening to turn into something resembling a contest, rather than a cakewalk. The deadlock was to be broken by something truly outstanding.
It goes without saying that Oscar’s goal was teed up by Cesc Fabregas – the former Barcelona midfielder’s ninth assist in ten games – but, if in this case the pass was a simple one, the finish was anything but: the Brazilian, darting into the right hand side of the penalty area, struck the ball first time with the outside of his right foot, sending it arcing beyond Rob Green’s dive and into the far corner, not so much a goal as a work of art.
That should have been the hosts’ cue to go on and bury their rivals, not just to secure three points but to send out a message to City, their only real challengers for the title. There was a resigned look on Redknapp’s face, certainly, one that suggested he knew the next hour or so would be an exacting one.
It did not quite turn out like that. QPR would make their hosts work for their win. Chelsea, as was to be expected, launched a barrage of attacks, pinning QPR back, leaving them hanging on the ropes. Hazard flung himself at Willian’s cross, the Belgian just an inch too short to connect. Filipe Luís fired over; Green saved a soft Hazard header.
The longer the wait for a second went on, though, the more hope QPR had that they might have one moment. They would, and they took it. With Chelsea committed forward, the ball broke to Vargas, who sprinted down the right flank. He floated a ball into Austin, who turned it back to the Chilean with his chest. Vargas’s shot was saved, but the ball broke to Fer on the edge of the box. He scuffed his shot, but it fell straight to Austin, who flicked his heel at it, diverting it past Thibaut Courtois. All but a corner of Stamford Bridge fell silent. The procession had stopped.
Mourinho introduced Didier Drogba, that doughty guarantee of victory, to try to force a way through again. Green tipped away an Oscar free kick, quite brilliantly, and then watched as Hazard whistled a shot narrowly over. The league leaders turned up the pressure; eventually QPR cracked, Vargas bundling over Hazard as the two contested the ball on the very edge of the box and Mike Jones, the referee, awarded a penalty. It was a hairline call, but a correct one. Hazard converted the spot-kick himself.
This time, there would be no mistakes. Green saved well from Andre Schurrle, introduced as a substitute, and from John Terry as Chelsea looked to remove all doubt; Mourinho claimed his team should have had a second penalty for a foul on Drogba. None of it mattered. They are nine points clear. It sounds an exaggeration, but it does not feel it. Everything hinges on City.

Mail:

Chelsea 2-1 QPR: Eden Hazard slots home second half penalty to edge out struggling Rangers in west London derby

By Matt Lawton for The Mail on Sunday
An encounter that began in relative darkness left Jose Mourinho in one of his darker moods on Saturday.
He might have seen his side strengthen their grip on this Barclays Premier League title race with a second-half penalty from Eden Hazard but Chelsea’s manager seemed far from satisfied when he eventually appeared for his post-match press conference.
For a start, he accused the man in charge of the floodlights of being asleep, and he did have a point.
It was so gloomy Rob Green complained to the officials and when the lights did come on, 20 minutes into this absorbing contest, QPR’s goalkeeper was more than vindicated given the difference they made. It was like someone had just opened the curtains.
But Mourinho said it was another 10 minutes or so, with the arrival of a quite brilliant goal from Oscar, before he realised ‘the ground was not empty’ and the point he was making was obvious.
He was fighting against a sense of complacency that he clearly believes is spreading among the supporters, as well his players; this sense that the victories will simply come because they are so much better than everyone else.
He seemed to regard Charlie Austin’s marvellous 62nd-minute equaliser as a product of that complacency, even if he did then praise his team for the manner in which they responded to take all three points.
For the first half of this contest they were vastly superior to a QPR side who were only a single goal down because of the sheer defiance and determination of Green and his colleagues in defence, in particular the courageous Richard Dunne.
Mourinho (below) would probably see criticism in any comparison with his first championship-winning Chelsea team but there were periods of this game, as there have been in other performances this season, when this side has looked like an improvement on its all-conquering predecessor.
That first team was terrific. Powerful, as well potent, Sir Alex Ferguson marvelled at their machine-like consumption of consecutive Premier League titles. But there is something about this current crop of players that demands more attention, even if they are not delivering their best with the consistency their manager demands.
They are certainly easier on the eye, while maintaining a ruthless quality that is enabling them to maintain this impressive unbeaten run. There is a nice blend of craft and hard graft, making them a real joy to watch.
Clearly, the acquisition of Cesc Fabregas has made an enormous difference, his poise, precision and vision giving them something in midfield Chelsea could not even claim to have had when Frank Lampard was driving them towards trophy after trophy.
But it is not just Fabregas. It is players with the flair and invention of Hazard, Willian and Oscar, as well as those with the power and strength of Diego Costa and a brilliantly drilled back four. Oscar’s goal was a combination of both qualities. It might have been the finesse of Fabregas that saw the ball delivered into the path of Oscar but it owed much to Costa’s strength to hold the ball up for what was a terrific one-two between the Spaniards.
The finish that then followed from Oscar in the 32nd minute was just extraordinary, the Brazilian using the outside of his right foot to curl the ball across the face of the QPR goal and beyond the reach of a diving Green via the inside of the far post. The fact that Oscar also had to squeeze the ball in front of Dunne demanded even more precision. But it was the bend of the ball that was most staggering; a shot that almost challenged the laws of physics.
It certainly had Roman Abramovich on his feet and it is probably a reason why Mourinho talks of managing for another 20 years. Why would you not want to keep working with players of this quality?
Mourinho, nevertheless, still sees room for improvement. On Saturday's evidence, plenty.
Having seen his side leak a late equaliser to Manchester United last Sunday, he was distinctly unimpressed to see a spirited QPR side battle their way back into this game.
If Austin was once so in awe of John Terry he asked to have his picture taken with Chelsea’s captain, there were no signs of any enduring inferiority complex here.
He produced a quite brilliant equaliser to add another chapter to the remarkable story of his rise from non-League to the Premier League, diverting Leroy Fer’s scuffed volley beyond the reach of Thibaut Courtois with a delightful heel-flick after the Chelsea goalkeeper had punched clear a cross from Eduardo Vargas.
The vigour of Chelsea’s response did, however, please Mourinho.
They moved up through the gears again and when Hazard burst into the QPR penalty area in the 75th minute, a reckless shoulder barge from Vargas left referee Mike Jones with little option but to point to the spot.
Hazard, so composed in such situations, comfortably converted, and Mourinho noted with some pleasure the fact that Green then had to make another couple of decent saves.
The Chelsea manager also praised opposite number Harry Redknapp for his ‘fantastic work’ in the way he had ‘organised his team defensively’.
Such generosity did not extend to his players, though, even if the mark of a championship-winning team is the ability to secure victories when they fail to perform at their best.
That said, there were also spells here on Saturday when they were absolutely mesmerising.

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Mirror:

Chelsea 2-1 QPR: Eden Hazard penalty proves decisive in West London derby at Stamford Bridge
Steve Stammers

A penalty from the Belgian star helped the Blues to secure a narrow win over their rivals and solidify their lead at the summit of the table
In the end, class was the ­decisive factor.
And it was fitting that the most gifted player on the field should create and then score the winning goal.
Eden Hazard was superb. He has touch, vision and the ability to ride the most physical combat. And it was his elusive run 15 minutes from time that lured Rangers midfield man Eduardo Vargas into an ill-advised challenge that brought a penalty.
Hazard sent Robert Green the wrong way – and one consolation for the ­goalkeeper was that he was not the first or last Rangers player to be wrong-footed by the Belgian star. It was a strike that stretched Chelsea’s lead at the top of the Premier League and ended a brave and energetic second-half Rangers rally.
To a man, the Rangers bench – which seems to have more coaches than Victoria Bus Station – protested about the award by referee Michael Jones. But that may well have been fashioned by frustration as much as any sense of injustice.
Rangers manager Harry Redknapp was not totally convinced. “I thought it was a soft decision,” he said. “A harsh one. It was two small guys going shoulder to shoulder. But I am not saying Hazard dived – and the referee gave an honest decision.”
Rangers had clawed their way back to equality after being outplayed by Chelsea in the first half. Mind you, it was a first half cloaked in semi-darkness for the first 29 minutes without the floodlights switched on.
“I think the guy who works the floodlights was in the same mood as most of the crowd,” joked Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. “ It took 25 minutes, until we scored, that I realised the stadium was full!”
The lights duly came on at 3.29 pm. But the only real surprise was that the Chelsea domination brought just one goal – even though it was one worthy to have illuminated any stadium.
Cesc Fabregas sent the ball wide to Oscar on the right of the Rangers area. It looked odds-on that the Brazilian would try to find Diego Costa with a cross. Instead with the outside of his right foot, Oscar powered the ball with remarkable swerve past Green. Stunning.
But there was a shock in store for Chelsea in the 62nd minute – just after Redknapp introduced the physical threat of Bobby Zamora. Rangers were more aggressive and positive and it paid off. Charlie Austin’s finish was exquisite although the origins owed much to good fortune.
Leroy Fer scuffed his shot hopelessly from the edge of the area. It posed little threat until Austin showed the instincts of a predator to back-heel the ball past Thibault Courtois.
“Overall, I was not happy with the way we played,” said Mourinho. “But I was happy with the reaction when it became 1-1. We did not panic.”
The Blues were back in front after Hazard’s tumble and it took two superb saves from Green to deny Andre Schurrle and John Terry to keep the scoreline respectable.
Mourinho’s lack of enthusiasm for his team’s performance was diluted as he reflected on the ability of successful clubs to end up with a victory when they are below par.
“No, I am not happy with the way we played,” he said. “Yes, we did well for periods. And it is important when you do not play so well that you still win. That will compensate for the matches when you do play well and do not win.”
And he praised the contribution of Oscar. “He had a difficult pre-season because of the World Cup but he played last Sunday, on Tuesday and again today,” said Mourinho. “And I expected other people to be fresher and sharper.”
Diego Costa among them. The Brazilian-born Spain striker, back from injury, had his least effective game for Chelsea thanks to the excellence of Richard Dunne and Steven Caulker in the Rangers central defence.
“We battled well and that gives us hope,” said Redknapp, who believes his team played against the best in the country.
That is why Chelsea remain on top despite Mourinho’s reservations.

Player ratings
Chelsea: Courtois 6, Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Luis 6, Fabregas 7, Matic 6, Willian 6 (Drogba - 63mins), Oscar 7, Hazard 8 MoTM (Ramires - 89 mins), Costa 6 (Schurrle - 77 mins)
Subs: Drogba 6 (Willian - 63 mins), Ramires 5 (Hazard - 89 mins), Schurrle6 (Costa - 77 mins), Cech, Zouma, Ake, Salah
QPR: Green 7, Isla 6, Caulker 7, Dunne 7, Suk-Young 6, Hoilett 5 (Zamora - 60 mins), Henry 6, Sandro 7, Fer 6 (Traore - 83 mins), Vargas 6, Austin 6,
Subs: Zamora 6 (Hoilett - 60 mins), Traore 5 (Fer - 83 mins), Murphy, Hill, Phillips, Wright-Phillips, Kranjcar
Referee: Michael Jones. Had no doubts about the controversial penalty that brought the winner. Decisive.

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Express:

Chelsea 2 - QPR 1: Blues prove leading title race can sometimes be an ugly business
LIGHTS - camera - action. Like the Stamford Bridge floodlights Chelsea took their time to illuminate this derby.
By: John Richardson

But after sending for the cavalry, manager Jose Mourinho can look down on the rest from the Premier League summit with increasing confidence.
It wasn't pretty - except for Oscar's stunning opening goal - but come next May the title isn't handed out for artistic merit.
Scruffy wins against your struggling neighbours count just as much as scintillating displays against teams in the top four.
QPR boss Harry Redknapp came so close to giving Mourinho another bloody nose following last season's shock 1-0 victory here.
Only a rash challenge from Chilean international Eduardo Vargas 15 minutes from time handed Chelsea the lifeline they were desperately searching for.
That had been in stark contrast to earlier in the game, when Chelsea switched on shortly after the club's lights had done the same.
The request had come from QPR keeper Rob Green - one he was soon rueing as Chelsea discovered the path to goal to plunge Redknapp's team into relegation darkness.
Within four minutes the Bridge had the perfect view of a goal which would have earned 'a ten from Len' for beauty and execution if Strictly Come Dancing's head judge Len Goodman had been in residence.
As Chelsea broke the king of assists, Cesc Fabregas, took over with a neat ball into the box.
There was still plenty for Oscar to do, but in one stunning movement he stroked the ball with the outside of his right boot and it flew past Green into the corner of the net.
It prompted an instinctive response from a purring Jose Mourinho, looking to the heavens in amazement.
After all, there was little else for him to enthuse about as Chelsea dominated with their midfield attacking quartet of Oscar, Eden Hazard, Willian and Fabregas exchanging slick passes and intuitive flicks, but with no real final thrust.
Returning striker Diego Costa might as well have continued his break, often being starved of the ball.
He left to a standing ovation when the Spanish international was eventually substituted. By then Chelsea had recovered from the shock of conceding a goal.
It came just after Redknapp had answered the chants of the QPR fans to bring on Bobby Zamora, although it was his sidekick Charlie Austin who grabbed the glory.
Thibaut Courtois punched out from Vargas and when Leroy Fer's mis-hit follow-up spun towards goal, Austin back-flicked the ball over the line.
Chelsea were rattled - even more so when Courtois had to fingertip a low Sandro strike around the post.
Mourinho had seen enough. Didier Drogba was summoned from the bench as the Portuguese ordered the tempo to be stepped up.
The break soon arrived, Hazard's gallop into the box halted rashly by Vargas, who was the wrong side of the Belgian international.
Redknapp insisted: "It was a shoulder charge between two tiny guys. They bounced off each other. I'm not saying he (Hazard) dived but it was a soft, soft penalty.
We didn't lie down against the best team in the country. Yes, I feel we deserved a point. It was a good away performance."
Hazard picked himself up to send Green the wrong way, maintaining Chelsea's 100 per cent home record and the four-point cushion at the top of the table.
Of more significance is the nine-point gap between themselves and champions Manchester City.
Chelsea ended with a flourish, Green saving magnificently from Andre Schurrle and John Terry.
But it hadn't fooled a brutally honest Mourinho.
He confessed: "I wasn't happy because we didn't play as well as I was expecting.
"We had periods of good football but not consistent enough.
"I thought we deserved to win but we didn't play very well." The Chelsea boss believed, like the floodlights operator, his players had taken their eye off the ball.
"The man responsible for the lights was in the same mood as the crowd. Everyone was asleep," he added.
"It took more than 20 minutes for the lights to come on. Until then everyone was in the dark."

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Star:

Chelsea 2 - QPR 1: Light relief for Jose Mourinho as Eden Hazard's penalty sneaks win
IT LOOKED all doom and gloom for Jose Mourinho until the Stamford Bridge floodlights lit up the way for a vital win.


By John Richardson

The Portuguese accused the floodlight operator of falling asleep and accused his highly-paid stars of doing the same as they laboured to a 2-1 derby win over London neighbours QPR.
The lights sparked into life following a request to referee Mike Green from QPR keeper Rob Green a half-hour after the kick-off.
Mourinho said: "The man responsible for the lights was in the same mood as the crowd. Everyone was asleep."
He added: "It's important when you don't play so well you still win. That compensates for those games when you play fantastically well and you lose."
It was not pretty - except for Oscar's stunning opening goal - but come next May the title will not be handed out for artistic merit.
Scruffy, hard-fought wins against your struggling neighbours count every bit as much as dazzling displays against the top-four trail-blazers.
QPR boss Harry Redknapp came oh so close to giving Mourinho another bloody nose following last season's shock 1-0 win here.
Only a rash challenge from Eduardo Vargas 15 minutes from the end handed Chelsea their lifeline and a disappointed Redknapp insisted it was no foul.
Redknapp said: "It was a shoulder charge between two tiny guys. They bounced off each other. I'm not saying he dived but it was a soft, soft penalty.
"We didn't lie down against the best team in the country. We deserved a point. It was a good away performance."
A lacklustre Chelsea only switched on shortly after the club's lights did.
And within four minutes the Bridge had a perfect view of a goal which would have earned a ten from Len for beauty and execution if Strictly head judge Len Goodman had been in residence.
As the hosts broke the king of assists, Cesc Fabregas, took over with a neat ball into the box.
There was plenty to do for Oscar but in one stunning movement he stroked the ball with the outside of his right boot and it flew past Green into the corner.
A delighted Mourinho gazed to the heavens in amazement.
But there was little else for him to be happy about as Chelsea dominated with a midfield attacking quartet of Oscar, Eden Hazard, Willian and Fabregas all exchanging slick passes and intuitive flicks but with no end product.
Returning striker Diego Costa might as well have continued his break, often being completely starved of the ball.
He left to a standing ovation when the Spain international was taken off.
That owed more to relief of the home fans that he is back to score the goals they hope will lead them to the Premier League title.
By then Chelsea had recovered from the shock of conceding a goal to a QPR side growing in confidence because they had not been blown away by Mourinho's runaway leaders.
It came just after Redknapp answered the chants of the QPR fans to bring on Bobby Zamora - although it was his sidekick Charlie Austin who got the glory.
Thibaut Courtois punched out from Vargas and when Leroy Fer's mishit follow up spun towards goal Austin, who had scored both goals in QPR's 2-0 win over Villa, back flicked the ball over the line.
The hosts were visibly rattled - even more so when Courtois had to fingertip a low strike from Sandro around the post.
And Mourinho had seen enough.
He sounded the cavalry charge and Didier Drogba was summoned from the bench as the Special One ordered the tempo to be stepped up.
The break soon arrived and Hazard's gallop into the box was halted rashly by Vargas, who was the wrong side of him.
The Belgium international picked himself up to confidently send Green the wrong way to maintain Chelsea's 100 per cent home record and maintain the four-point cushion right at the top of the table.
Of more significance, though, is the nine-point gap between themselves and champions Manchester City.
The hosts ended with a real flourish, with Green twice saving superbly from Andre Schurrle and John Terry.
But the finale did not fool a brutally honest Mourinho, who confessed: "I just wasn't happy because we didn't play as well as I was expecting.
"We had periods of good football but not nearly consistent enough.
"We deserved to win but we didn't play well."