Stoke City 2-0

Independent:

John Terry and Cesc Fabregas strike to make Blues this year's Christmas No 1
 
Stoke 0 Chelsea 2

Sam Wallace  

These are the games that Jose Mourinho is referring to when he talks about the long slog of winning a league title in England, the first against 13 encounters that would be easily ticked off by the big clubs in Spain or Italy but here have to be fought for to the very end.

There were times when Stoke City pushed the league leaders to the limit, not least a disastrously dangerous tackle by Phil Bardsley on Eden Hazard in the first half that had both benches at each other’s throats, but Mourinho’s team never lost their cool. They took the lead through John Terry within two minutes before Stoke had even found their rhythm and they never really gave their opponents’ a clear sight of goal.

It was Cesc Fabregas who finally won the game with a second goal with 12 minutes remaining and Mourinho could at last feel confident enough to substitute Diego Costa, the man who was set upon Ryan Shawcross to try to neutralise the embodiment of the Stoke team. Costa never got the goal he desperately strained for to make his point to Shawcross in their but he did enough keeping the Stoke defence occupied.

It leaves Chelsea top at Christmas, three points clear of Manchester City in second place. As for Stoke, they pushed Mourinho’s side hard but never really created the chances that might force a breakthrough. You could see the Chelsea manager’s satisfaction in his willingness to shake the hand of Mark Hughes at the end of the game after they had quarrelled during the first half. He even extended a handshake to the referee Neil Swarbrick.

Chelsea took the lead within two minutes, before Stoke had reminded themselves that against a team this sophisticated and this tough, they needed to be more like Stoke than ever before.

They were undone at a corner, conceded by a shot deflected wide and clipped in from the right wing by Fabregas to the head of Terry who nodded his third goal of the season downwards past Asmir Begovic. The real business had taken place seconds earlier when Geoff Cameron had tried to get hold of Terry in the box and been expertly palmed away by the Chelsea captain who was more focused on the ball than his opponent.

These are the kind of goals that Stoke like to score but this was Chelsea showing there is more than just silky Fabregas touches to their repertoire. Nonetheless the corner was the Spanish midfielder’s 12th assist of the season. The record for an entire Premier League season belongs to Thierry Henry and he totalled 20 in the course of 38 games in 2002-2003.

John Terry heads Chelsea in front John Terry heads Chelsea in front  After the goal had been scored, the contest could begin in earnest. It was hard to take your eyes from Shawcross and Costa’s mutual animosity, like the heavyweights at the top of the card they shoved and kneed one another and, to Costa’s frustration, his opponent failed to stand still when he tried to walk backwards onto his toes.

For the real violence, you needed look no further than Bardsley’s atrocious challenge on Hazard on 19 minutes, a straight red card in most referee’s book but worthy of just a yellow from Swarbrick. He could have booked Bardsley six minutes earlier for a foul on the same player and in the aftermath of the second challenge the two benches erupted.

There was no love lost between Mourinho and Hughes with the former having some justification for his outrage. He also seemed to be suggesting that the Stoke manager had done too much petitioning of the referee for his liking. At one point even Rui Faria, Mourinho’s combustible assistant, threatened to get involved - a sure sign that events really have got out of hand.

Stoke thrived in the ensuing minutes with Chelsea still nursing their injustice over Hazard. Steven Nzonzi shot over and Gary Cahill had to be at his best to block a shot from Jonathan Walters after Bojan Krkic had worked the ball to the left.

Then, on 31 minutes, came a prime chance for Chelsea to move the game out of the reach of their opponents. Nemanja Matic separated the ball from Cameron in midfield with scalpel-like precision and from Hazard it went to Fabregas who opened up the Stoke defence with his pass. Costa sprung the offside trap and running down the right channel he had a good view of Begovic’s goal but slipped the ball wide of the goalkeeper’s right post.

Phil Bardsley fouls Eden Hazard - he was given a yellow Phil Bardsley fouls Eden Hazard - he was given a yellow  There were grievances being nursed as the players departed at half-time and the promise of a second half in which tempers could be lost but, if anything, the game lost its spark until the last 20 minutes. Save from a foul on Fabregas by Shawcross four minutes after the break, Chelsea looked composed. Even Costa was relatively becalmed, one tussle with Erik Pieters aside.

It was with some surprise that Stoke found themselves still in the game with 20 minutes left. Peter Crouch, who had little change out of Terry and Cahill, departed straight down the tunnel with what Hughes later said was a ricked neck. He was replaced by Mame Diouf and Charlie Adam, on for Cameron, came the closest with a shot struck just wide of Thibaut Courtois’ goal.

Cesc Fabregas celebrates wrapping up victory with Chelsea’s second goal Cesc Fabregas celebrates wrapping up victory with Chelsea’s second goal  The intensity of the first half had ebbed from Chelsea, but they are the kind of team that can summon a goal in a heartbeat and so it proved. On 78 minutes, Hazard picked out Fabregas in the box and his first touch right looked like it was intended to steer the ball into the path of Costa. Instead the midfielder followed the ball himself and his scuffed shot into the corner deceived Begovic entirely.

Costa should have had one himself on 84 minutes when substitute Andre Schurrle teed him up. The Spain striker left the pitch shortly afterwards to widespread booing from the Stoke fans. That alone would have told him that his job was done.


Stoke (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Bardsley, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters; Nzonzi, Cameron; Walters, Bojan, Arnautovic; Crouch.

Subs: Diouf/Crouch 63, Adam/Cameron 68, Assaidi/Arnautovic 82

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Matic; Willian, Fabregas, Hazard; Costa.

Subs: Schurrle/Willian 80, Drogba/Costa 85, Zouma/Hazard 90

Booked: Stoke Walters, Bardsley, Pieters

Referee: N Swarbrick

Man of the match: Matic

Rating: 6

Attendance: 27,550


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Guardian:

Cesc Fàbregas offers Chelsea festive joy in feisty win at Stoke

Stoke 0 - 2 Chelsea

Stuart James

The portents are promising for Chelsea and ominous for their rivals. This is the fourth time that Chelsea have enjoyed the view from the top of the Premier League come Christmas Day and on each of the previous occasions they have gone on to win the title. John Terry’s header after only 95 seconds, followed by a second-half goal from Cesc Fàbregas, secured their place at the summit and restored their three-point advantage over Manchester City.

It was, in short, a much happier experience for José Mourinho than 12 months ago when his Chelsea side were beaten 3-2 here and the Portuguese departed bemoaning their failure to “kill the game”. Fàbregas’ corner had set up Terry’s opener to take his tally of assists for the season to 12 – Thierry Henry’s Premier League record of 20 in a single campaign looks to be under serious threat – and the Spaniard ensured there would be no slip-up this time when his mishit shot found its way into the bottom corner.

The performance, as well as the result, reinforced the impression that Chelsea possess all the qualities to stay the course. Diego Costa could afford to have an off night on an evening when Fàbregas showed some lovely touches in midfield, Eden Hazard stood up to Phil Bardsley’s early attempts to rough him up and Nemanja Matic was the outstanding player on the pitch.

Terry was not getting carried away when he described Matic as a “revelation” this season.

It was hard not to contrast Chelsea’s commanding display with the way Arsenal imploded here this month. With Matic a formidable presence in front of the resolute central-defensive partnership of Terry and Gary Cahill, Stoke were restricted to few goalscoring opportunities while at the other end of the pitch Chelsea looked threatening whenever they attacked. For Mourinho, it was a highly satisfactory night’s work.

“It’s a victory that means a bit more than the three points, not just because it’s difficult but also because to win here you need to put more than just your quality,” he said. “The players were a team, they worked together and coped well with a difficult style.”

The Chelsea manager was full of praise for Terry, who has now scored in each of the past 15 Premier League seasons. “More important than the goal for me is the way he’s playing this season,” Mourinho said. “When I came here last season he was a bit in trouble, his career was a bit up and down, not playing regular for Chelsea. Certainly in the last two years he’s playing basically every game and for me at the same level he was playing in 2004-07 when I was here. I think he knows the way I trust him, I think he feels very confident, very happy and he’s playing very well.”

That goal, when Terry got ahead of Geoff Cameron to dispatch Fàbregas’s corner, got Chelsea off to the perfect start. Stoke looked rather flat in the early stages and it was not until after Bardsley clattered into Hazard on the touchline, earning a yellow card that could easily have been red, that the home team roused.

Mourinho was furious with Bardsley’s challenge at the time and became embroiled in an angry exchange with the Stoke manager Mark Hughes, but he was much more restrained when he spoke afterwards.

“From my position, and in a flash, it looks a red card,” Mourinho said. “But I don’t know. What I know is that if it was a bad tackle it was the only one. The game was clean, good and aggressive. The referee kept the game under control and the players were fair.”

Stoke enjoyed their best period of the game around the midway point of the second half, when they started to apply a little pressure and Charlie Adam’s raking drive drifted inches wide, but Chelsea’s second goal of the evening extinguished any hopes that Hughes had of salvaging a point.

Hazard, who had sportingly kicked the ball out of play when Bardsley was down injured not long after the Stoke right-back had put him into touch – “I wouldn’t do it for a guy who kicked me,” Mourinho said, smiling – picked out Fàbregas in the Stoke penalty area.

The Spaniard’s first touch was heavy and his shot was anything but convincing, but it bobbled past Asmir Begovic and into the net. Costa then squandered his second one-on-one of the evening. Not that it mattered.



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Telegraph:

Stoke City 0 Chelsea 2: Cesc Fabregas inspires Blues to hugely impressive win

By  Mark Ogden, Britannia Stadium

Cesc Fabregas does not do scruffy goals, he tends not to tough it out at Stoke either, but the Chelsea midfielder picked the perfect time to do both by inspiring his team to a victory that carried the hallmark of champions.

Fabregas, booed by the home crowd for being the outspoken face of the Arsenal team who castigated Stoke City for the broken leg suffered by Aaron Ramsey at the Britannia Stadium four years ago, has endured enough bruises and batterings in the Potteries to scar him for the remainder of his career. But the Spaniard came of age in a Chelsea shirt on a night when Mark Hughes’s players tried and failed to intimidate a Chelsea team who moved three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table with this win.

Fabregas’s second-half goal, following John Terry’s second-minute opener, confirmed the victory which proved that Jose Mourinho’s team have the steel to stay ahead of Manchester City and end Chelsea’s five-year wait for a league title.

“It is a victory that means more than three points because, to win here, you have to show more than your quality,” Mourinho said. “Only with a great team performance is it possible to win at Stoke.”

With City moving level on points with Chelsea at the weekend, the response of Mourinho’s players was always likely to offer a gauge of their readiness to battle for the title.

They would either display signs of being choked by the pressure or deliver a firm statement of intent.

The latter was no formality, after they dropped points at Newcastle and Sunderland recently, but Chelsea were fired up and motivated by the challenge, both physical and psychological.

And they struck to silence the home crowd after just 96 seconds when Terry extended his run of scoring to 15 consecutive seasons.

Branislav Ivanovic’s deflected shot had resulted in the corner which Fabregas delivered from the right, deep into the Stoke penalty area from where Terry headed past Asmir Begovic for his first league goal in 12 months.

Stoke responded in typical fashion. Mark Hughes has done much to change their approach since replacing Tony Pulis 18 months ago, but his players remain as belligerent as they were under Pulis.

Phil Bardsley and Ryan Shawcross, in particular, typified Stoke’s hit-them-hard mantra, with Bardsley fortunate to stay on the pitch after earning just one booking for two crude fouls on Eden Hazard.

The second, which resulted in the yellow card, bordered on thuggery as the former Sunderland full-back clattered Hazard over the touchline.

The devil in Stoke’s game served its purpose, however, in that it distracted Chelsea and enticed them into a scrap.

While they briefly took their eye off the ball, Chelsea allowed Stoke to build up a head of steam, and it required a crucial save by Thibaut Courtois to keep out Steven N’Zonzi’s deflected shot from 20 yards after 21 minutes.

Although this was a game of few chances, that was largely down to Chelsea’s discipline and organisation rather than a lack of creativity.

At 1-0 up, few Mourinho teams will abandon their defensive shape in favour of a cavalier goal hunt. It may not be pretty, but it is an approach which wins trophies.

Fabregas, whose time at Arsenal was a tale of beautiful football with nothing to show for it, may discover this season that pragmatism wins more than panache.

The trickery of Hazard and constant threat of Diego Costa ensure that Chelsea will always pose a danger to opponents when ahead, but their rock-solid adherence to Mourinho’s game plan was just as impressive as the skills of the expensive attacking outlets.

John Obi Mikel and Nemanja Matic gave a masterclass in protecting a back four, while Terry’s communication and cajoling emphasised the former England captain’s ongoing importance to this Chelsea team.

Having suffered a 3-2 defeat against Stoke here last season, the prospects of lightning striking twice were as good extinguished the moment Terry gave Chelsea the lead, because of the visitors’ control of every department on the pitch.

They just needed a second goal to reflect their dominance. When it came, it was a scuff from the right boot of Fabregas rather than the more aesthetic finish one would associate with the Spaniard.

Hazard, once again, was a thorn in Stoke’s side as he threaded the ball through to Fabregas in the penalty area.

The former Barcelona midfielder initially looked set to lay the ball off to Costa, but a heavy first touch fortuitously created a scoring chance and Fabregas was able to beat Begovic with a scruffy shot which bobbled into the far corner of the net.

Neat and tidy it was not, but the league table is all that Fabregas and Chelsea will worry about.


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Times:

Chelsea pass the mettle detector test to find room at summit

Oliver Kay Chief Football Correspondent

Stoke City 0 Chelsea 2


For Chelsea, this was the type of victory that their players might once have marked by stripping to their waists. There was no need for such machismo at the Britannia Stadium last night, perhaps because the performance and result had already said it all.

As a delighted José Mourinho said, victory away to Stoke City signifies more than just the three points by which they now the lead Barclays Premier League. It was a show of strength, a demonstration that, quite apart from the creative qualities of Cesc Fàbregas and Eden Hazard, Chelsea have the mental and physical fortitude to cope with an examination as tough as this.

The idea of the Britannia Stadium as the ultimate Premier League proving ground can be overstated at times — Aston Villa, Leicester City and Burnley have all won there this season — but it was the kind of assignment that required Chelsea to show the cojones that Mourinho felt they lacked last term. Even after going ahead as early as the second minute, through John Terry’s header, their mettle was tested.

Mourinho loves performances such as this. The early goal gave his team a little breathing space, but, in this mood, they do not coast, not even for a minute. Men such as Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and the excellent Nemanja Matic do not believe in comfort zones.

Neither, on this and recent evidence, does Hazard. Having been subjected to an awful challenge from Phil Bardsley in the early stages, the Belgian got straight back to work, tormenting the Stoke defence and tracking back well in support of César Azpilicueta.

The Chelsea manager had spoken about how this fixture requires visiting teams to compete in “difficult circumstances”. He could have meant many things by that, but if atmosphere was one of them, the home crowd was quietened, however briefly, by Terry’s early goal.

You simply do not expect Stoke to be caught cold from a dead-ball situation in the second minute, particularly at home. Mark Hughes certainly did not, to judge from his incredulous look on the touchline, but Chelsea, on the front foot, had taken the game to Stoke right from the kick-off.

Hazard wandered down the left wing, into the space behind Bardsley, and cut inside before picking out Ivanovic, whose first-time shot was deflected behind for a corner by Erik Pieters. When Fàbregas swung the ball over from the right, Terry stole a march on Geoff Cameron and beat Asmir Begovic with a firm downward header.

As Chelsea’s players began to enjoy themselves, knocking the ball about with ease, it was as if some of their opponents were riled into action. Ryan Shawcross, for the most part a far more controlled figure these days, subjected Diego Costa to a couple of rough challenges. Much worse was Bardsley’s wild lunge at Hazard on 20 minutes, for which the Stoke full back could feasibly have been shown the red card rather than the yellow.

That incident — and the indignant responses from Mourinho, his players and staff alike — seemed to serve as another catalyst for Stoke. Steven N’Zonzi strode forward and had a shot deflected goalwards by Terry, but Thibaut Courtois reacted well to make the save. This was a test for the Chelsea goalkeeper, but he coped well, commanding his penalty area well to field a high ball from Shawcross, a corner from Bojan Krkic and a throw-in from Cameron. Terry and Gary Cahill also kept Peter Crouch under control.

For Stoke, the main difficulty was in finding the pockets of space in which Bojan and Marko Arnautovic love to operate. There is not much space to be found when you have midfielders such as Matic and John Obi Mikel guarding a defence like Chelsea’s.

On the half-hour Matic made a perfect tackle on Cameron to trigger a counterattack. As Chelsea broke via Hazard and Fàbregas, Shawcross stepped up at the wrong moment, playing Costa onside. The Chelsea forward should have scored, but, one against one, he shot wide of Begovic’s right post. It was not entirely clear whether Costa was enjoying the physical battle or loathed it. He certainly did not shy away from it, but he looked bewildered at one point in the second half by the attentions of Pieters, who was booked for his troubles.

Stoke had started the second period well, but even creating half-chances is not easy when you are playing Chelsea in this mood. Peter Crouch, who can rarely have had a less fruitful evening, ricked his neck and was replaced up front by Mame Biram Diouf. The second Stoke substitute was Charlie Adam, who immediately went close with a first-time shot that swerved just wide of the Chelsea goal after good work by Jonathan Walters and N’Zonzi.

Chelsea looked as if their priority was to hang on rather than chase a second goal, but on 78 minutes the opportunity arose. Fàbregas found Hazard and continued his run into the penalty area, where he was picked out well by his team-mate. Fàbregas’s first touch looked a little heavy by his standards, but it allowed the ball to sit up perfectly for the shot. Even that was not his cleanest connection, but it crept into the far corner to give Chelsea a two-goal lead.

Even then Chelsea did not relax. They do not do relaxing and, looking at the rest of their Christmas programme — West Ham United at home, Southampton away, Tottenham Hotspur away — it is probably just as well.

Manchester City’s form over the past month or so has dispelled any notion of this title race as a Chelsea procession. Mourinho’s team will need to be at their best, one way or the other, if they are to take their three-point lead into 2015. In the circumstances, it was best to keep their shirts on.


Stoke City (4-2-3-1): A Begovic — P Bardsley, R Shawcross, M Muniesa, E Pieters — S N’Zonzi, G Cameron (sub: C Adam, 68min)— J Walters, Bojan Krkic, M Arnautovic (sub: O Assaidi, 82) — P Crouch (sub: M B Diouf, 63). Substitutes not used: J Butland, R Huth, M Wilson, G Whelan. Booked: Bardsley, Pieters, Walters.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): T Courtois — B Ivanovic, G Cahill, J Terry, C Azpilicueta — J O Mikel, N Matic — Willian (sub: A Schürrle, 80), F Fàbregas, E Hazard (sub: K Zouma, 90+3) — D Costa (sub: D Drogba, 85). Substitutes not used: P Cech, N Aké, F Luís, Oscar.

Referee: N Swarbrick.


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Mail:

Stoke 0-2 Chelsea: John Terry rises to the occasion before Cesc Fabregas seals win for Blues who secure top spot for Christmas

By Martin Samuel for the Daily Mail


That’s the thing with Chelsea. They can do it on a mild Monday night in Stoke. Unseasonably warm. That is the bad news for those betting on a white Christmas this year.

The good news for Jose Mourinho and Chelsea is that they will wake up on December 25 three points clear at the top of the Premier League table and playing like champions.

For Mourinho, this is a very good omen. He has been in pole position at Christmas on seven occasions in his managerial career, and each time he has won the title; twice at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, once at Real Madrid. It is a stunning record.

We are used to winners who come from down the field — and that was Manchester United’s style under Sir Alex Ferguson. Mourinho is different, a front-runner.

His campaigns start well, and on Monday night Chelsea looked the team to beat. Stoke were disappointing, but theirs was still a robust challenge, and plenty of good teams will lose here. This place hasn’t changed all that much from the Tony Pulis days, as Eden Hazard’s battered legs will confirm.

Stoke present a significant physical challenge and it is easy to see why teams with fainter hearts have a problem here. At Anfield on Sunday, Arsenal couldn’t find a defender who wanted to head away a 96th-minute Liverpool corner; Chelsea often had two men jumping to make the same clearance.

There are stronger attacking forces than Stoke, but this was still an impressive rearguard action, seeing off a second-half bombardment. Chelsea scored after two minutes. That is a hell of a long time to defend a 1-0 lead away from home.

Stoke rode their luck, could have given away a penalty when Ryan Shawcross fouled Cesc Fabregas, and Chelsea had the best chances of the night. But Mark Hughes’s men were still in there fighting until 12 minutes from the end. Hughes upped the tempo and the ante with substitutions and every half-chance brought a mighty roar. Chelsea sucked it all up, and then swatted Stoke away with a second goal to put the match beyond reach.

Fabregas made certain of victory with a goal that had a small degree of good fortune, but it was no more than he and Chelsea deserved. His build-up play with Hazard was typically precise, but he took the finish off the toes of Diego Costa and seemed to scuff his shot, which squirmed in at the far post.

Stoke had the odd shot from range but the stadium was mute and half-empty by the end. Chelsea are too smart and too good to lay on a grandstand finish. They more than had the measure of Stoke.

The goal that set them on their way came from the first attack of the game. A lovely move saw Fabregas feed Hazard and the ball slipped to Branislav Ivanovic on the overlap, his shot charged down, but winning a corner.

Fabregas curled it in and had Geoff Cameron kept his eyes on the delivery, he may have been in a better position to head it away. Instead he had decided to enter Strictly Come Grappling with Terry, in and out of hold, nice top line, Len would have loved it. Terry then spoiled the routine by ignoring his partner and heading the ball past Asmir Begovic in Stoke’s goal.

It could have been more were it not for the unlikeliest sight — two sitters missed by the fearsome Costa, one in each half. The first came in the 32nd minute when a full-blooded tackle by the outstanding Nemanja Matic sent the ball into the path of Fabregas. He thought quickly and played it into Costa, who beat the offside trap and sped towards goal.

At the start of the season you would have put your house on him scoring, but Costa steered his low finish narrowly wide of the far post.The second was teed up nicely by Andre Schurrle with seven minutes remaining. Costa was spare at the far post, but Begovic smothered.

Even factoring in these errors, it was still a mightily impressive win. Chelsea have the stuff of champions right now and in Matic, Fabregas and Hazard three of the most important footballers in the English game.

Matic was voted man of the match and understandably so given the battle in the heart of the pitch, but Fabregas is on course to break Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in a Premier League season, and Hazard was simply the bravest soul out there.

Stoke tried to kick him into submission, and failed. He never stopped taking them on, never stopped probing, teasing, testing them to the limit. By the time his brutal treatment saw him limp down the tunnel, injury-time was being played and the match was won. Yet Hazard deserved better from referee Neil Swarbrick; indeed, the same could be said for good footballers everywhere.

Stoke manager Hughes has a well developed chip on the shoulder about the treatment his team receive from referees, but heaven knows why on this evidence.

With 20 minutes gone, right back Phil Bardsley was lucky to still be on the field after two poor tackles on Hazard. The first was a booking, the second arguably a straight red. Bardsley received nothing initially, and then a limp-wristed yellow from the ineffectual Swarbrick. Mourinho was rightly furious.

Any bad behaviour that is not stopped is encouraged, so Swarbrick must take his share of the blame for the treatment Hazard received. The Belgian is a candidate for Footballer of the Year, and Bardsley had clearly made it his mission to test his mettle.

In the 14th minute, he went in high. That was the moment when Swarbrick should have offered protection. It was a yellow-card challenge, no more, but it would have put Bardsley and Stoke on notice. Yet he let it go with just a free-kick and six minutes later Bardsley could have ended Hazard’s participation in the game, maybe even the season.

Some tackles look worse than they are. This one didn’t. It looked exactly what it was: late, high, reckless, hitting Hazard at full pelt and launching him into the air.

Swarbrick could easily have made amends for his earlier leniency. Instead, he produced an overdue yellow. Mourinho looked fit to burst, so too Hughes — although he was fortunate to still be managing 11 men.

The pair exchanged words and Mourinho appeared to be suggesting — without irony — that Hughes had too much to say. He had a point, though. Hughes is a ball of discontent in the technical area, always unhappy with some perceived injustice or slight, often without cause.

He moaned when Costa went down after a challenge by Shawcross, although replays showed the Spain striker had every reason. He appeared agitated when Bardsley was injured making a tackle on Hazard, but the Chelsea man most certainly did nothing wrong.

The play up Stoke’s end, Bardsley still floored, Hazard kicked the ball into touch to allow his adversary to receive treatment. A touch of class.

So it was a sad indictment of Swarbrick’s officiating that he ultimately allowed the best player to be kicked out of the game.

Jonathan Walters’ foul was not as blatant as Bardsley’s assault, but he clumsily trampled on Hazard’s heel late on and, after a literally lame attempt at continuing, the Chelsea man signalled he could not continue.

Would Walters have been as wanton had Swarbrick done his job sooner? The fans who accused Hazard of diving may feel pangs of guilt, too. Far from being a faker, he was the most courageous player out there. Anyone can kick. Getting kicked and going back for more: that takes guts.


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Mirror:

Stoke 0-2 Chelsea: John Terry and Cesc Fabregas on target as Blues restore three-point lead

By John Cross


Jose Mourinho's side took the lead within two minutes at the Britannia and rarely looked like letting victory slip
 
Don't believe anyone who tells you Stoke have gone soft.

It’s just that they picked on the wrong team because Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea braves proved last night they are determined not to be bullied out of the Premier League title this year.

And in John Terry, Chelsea have the oldest warrior of them all as the 34-year-old showed his team mates the way from the moment he headed in the opener after just 90 seconds.

Terry stood firm as Stoke tried every old trick in the book to wind up Chelsea as they kicked and scrapped but Mourinho’s men gave as good as they got until Cesc Fabregas’s late second sealed victory.

Last season, Chelsea lost at the Britannia Stadium and Mourinho moaned his squad was not good enough to win the title. This time not only has Mourinho got more quality, he’s also got the fighting spirit as well.

Since that defeat at Stoke 12 months ago, Chelsea have bought in Nemanja Matic, Fabregas and Diego Costa and have a new spine which has a wonderful mix of steel, class and killer instinct.

It is why Chelsea are title favourites, top of the table and why, for all of Stoke’s best attempts to bully them, they produced a calm, measured and season defining victory.

Mourinho’s men toughed it out, didn’t rise to the bait and the Potters just couldn’t find a way past Chelsea who also gave as good as they got.

Mark Hughes has prided himself on introducing more expansive and attractive style of football. But Hughes was kidding us last night because this was a throwback to the old days of Tony Pulis. And probably worse.

Stoke full back Phil Barnsley was lucky not to be sent off and Ryan Shawcross tried to clean out Costa who played the majority of the game with his socks rolled down almost to show he wasn’t scared of being kicked.

That was Chelsea all over as they sent their defiant message from the moment Terry headed them across, beating Stoke midfielder Geoff Cameron to a header from a corner to prove his point.

Fabregas put over a curling flag kick from the right, Cameron was so busy grappling with Terry that he lost sight of the ball and the Chelsea captain powered home a close range header. It was perfect timing to score his first Premier League goal of the season.

It also took the wind out of Stoke’s sails and the noise out the stadium.

But if you need someone to fire it up again, then you can count on Ryan Shawcross who started a ding-dong with Costa by cleaning him out with an aerial challenge.

But Bardsley was even more brutal as he scythed down Eden Hazard with a shocking sliding tackle. Referee Neil Swarbrick produced a yellow card when it could easily have been red.

Mourinho was incensed on the touchline, he got involved in a war of words with Hughes and that really fired up the occasion.

Stoke turned up the heat as Jon Walters and Steven N’Zonzi both had openings before half time but Chelsea defender Gary Cahill and keeper Thibaut Courtois defied them.

Bojan Krkic also produced some lovely moments as he dribbled and tricked his way into the Chelsea penalty box as his skill was in contrast with Stoke’s rough stuff.

Chelsea held firm and also looked increasingly dangerous on the break and they got their second after 78 minutes after Fabregas rounded off a lovely move.

Hazard’s incisive pass found Fabregas, he turned Shawcross and the Spaniard mis-hit his shot but it ended up deceiving Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic and trickling into the net.

Chelsea could have won even more comfortably as substitute Andre Schurrle set up Costa but Begovic produced a great block.

In keeping with the night, Walters hacked at Hazard and the Chelsea forward hobbled off in the dying minutes. But it was too late by then. The damage was done.

Chelsea are top of the Premier League for Christmas and it would be dangerous to bet against them being there in May.


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Express:


Stoke 0 - Chelsea 2: John Terry helps make it a Merry Christmas for Blues

CAPTAIN John Terry did what he has been doing for 15 years at Chelsea, inspiring his team to victory when they needed it most.


By John Wragg

Terry’s first league goal of the season after two minutes deflated a potentially difficult game at Stoke and put Chelsea three points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table.

Terry’s first league goal of the season after two minutes deflated a potentially difficult game and, with Cesc Fabregas getting a second 12 minutes from time, it put Chelsea three points clear at the top of the table.

Second-placed Manchester City, who have had their own historic problems at Stoke, were hoping for a rip-roaring night of worry for Chelsea, but instead Jose Mourinho’s side took calm control.

City had won six successive league games to draw level with Chelsea on points – surely this was a night when Chelsea might crack? But no. It is one defeat in 26 games in all competitions for Chelsea and they are still on course to win all four trophies open to them.

Chelsea have been top of the Premier League three times at Christmas and won it each time – twice under Mourinho in his first spell at the club and once with Carlo Ancelotti.

Terry, now 34 and looking for a new contract, was involved in all three successful battles and knows another one is on the horizon.

He can see a similarity with this emerging side and the first one that Mourinho built that won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006.

“This was a tough test,” said Terry. “You have to play well to win at Stoke. We are going for the title again, just as we did 10 years ago, but Manchester City have come from nowhere and Manchester United are in the fold now.”

Terry’s goal could not have been more perfect. It was exactly what Chelsea needed against a team who treat games at home to the Premier League’s elite like FA Cup ties – they love a giant-killing at the Britannia Stadium.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal were all beaten last season and Arsenal left Stoke just 16 days ago, surly, unhappy and beaten once more.

Branislav Ivanovic set it up with a 20-yard shot that was deflected away for a corner and Fabregas, who had already made 11 goals for Chelsea this season, provided a cross that Terry got to first and headed in.

It took the fans inside the Britannia a while to recover but they found their voice when Ryan Shawcross clattered Diego Costa.

Phil Bardsley then put Hazard on the floor with a rural tackle and three things happened – Bardsley was booked, Mourinho ran down the touchline in anger, and the Britannia Stadium roared into life.

Steven Nzonzi added to the rousing atmosphere with a drive that deflected off Terry and caused Thibaut Courtois, returning as keeper in place of Petr Cech, to make a good diving save.

Chelsea’s job was to dampen it all down again, so they got the ball and kept it for a while and ought to have made it 2-0 in the 31st minute when Eden Hazard sent Costa through, but he shot wide. That was a surprise in itself because Costa has been deadly since he came into English football.

Hazard, with the assistance of Fabregas, was the player who kept Chelsea ticking and Stoke needed to disrupt that again, just as they had for a while in the first half.

Chelsea were allowed to dominate and it needed the rumbustious Stoke of old to rev things up.

Stoke’s problem was that they could not go gung-ho because they would leave themselves wide open to be picked off in the counter-attack. Beware Hazard and Fabregas.

But Stoke continued to have a lot of the ball and Charlie Adam, on as a substitute, took a pass from Nzonzi in the 72nd minute and drove it just wide. Chelsea needed to be careful too. Failing to get a second goal was an error and as much as they tried to slow the game down, keep control, they were vulnerable.

That problem ended in the 78th minute when Hazard fizzed a pass into Fabregas. First of all Fabregas moved the ball from his left to right foot, then mis-hit his attempted volley, the ball bouncing its way past Asmir Begovic.

Lucky, yes, but you do not get unlucky champions.


Stoke (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Bardsley, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters; Nzonzi, Cameron (Adam 68); Walters, Bojan, Arnautovic (Assaidi 82; Crouch (Diouf 63). Booked: Bardsley, Pieters, Walters. NEXT UP: Everton (a) Boxing Day, PL.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Matic; Willian (Schurrle 80), Fabregas, Hazard (Zouma 90); Costa (Drogba 85). Goals: Terry 2, Fabregas 78. NEXT UP: West Ham (h) Boxing Day, PL.

Referee: N Swarbrick (Lancashire).



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Star:


Stoke 0 - Chelsea 2: Blues top at Christmas after victory at the Britannia

JOHN TERRY made sure Chelsea will celebrate Christmas as league leaders but his side were forced to show their steel.

By Dave Armitage


Terry grabbed his first Premier League goal of the season to put his side on their way after just 90 seconds.

And they had to battle all the way until Cesc Fabregas finally put the gritty home side to the sword twelve minutes from the end with a scuffed mishit.

Chelsea were desperate to reopen a three point gap on Manchester City at the top with a fourth consecutive win.

And they could hardly have asked for a better start as inspirational skipper Terry nodded them in front from a Fabregas corner.

They had to dig deep and work hard against a Stoke side who refused to just hand it to them on a plate.

And Terry’s early opener was just what the doctor ordered for Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho who was clearly uneasy going into the game.

He had cranked up the pressure on referee Neil Swarbrick before a ball – or even a player- had been kicked with a typically mischievous call for strong refereeing.

Stoke might have changed their style and are far more pleasing on the eye but the Chelsea boss was clearly concerned his side might be strong-armed out of it without the officials ensuring fair play.

“With a good referee that can understand when aggression finishes and the rules of the game start there will be no problem at all,” he said.

It was the colourful boss at his best, putting down a marker for a game which his side lost 3-2 at The Britannia last season.

He demanded his side to get off to a flyer – and they duly obliged – when Terry used his head to nod them in front from a corner.

Fabregas swung the ball in towards the spot where Terry and Geoff Cameron were having a legitimate tussle.

But the big defender shrugged off his man, charged towards the edge of the six yard box and nodded the ball into the bottom of the net with surprising ease.

Chelsea should have gone 2-0 up on the half hour when Diego Costa broke clear of the Stoke back line and was left with a one-on-one with keeper Asmir Begovic but sent his shot just wide.

In between times, things had threatened to get out of hand and Mourinho charged up the by-line protesting furiously when Phil Bardsley scythed down Eden Hazard on the touchline.

He got a booking for that though Ryan Shawcross escaped punishment for barging into Costa with a challenge that clearly upset the striker.

Stoke went close to equalising when a speculative shot from Steven N’Zonzi deflected off Terry and almost fooled recalled keeper Thibaut Courtois but the big Belgian changed direction and stopped it.

Fabregas came close with a shot from the six yard box when Hazard found him after an impressive piece of trickery but the midfielder’s first time shot was snatched out of the air by Begovic.

While there was only one goal in it, Stoke had a chance and Charlie Adam was inches wide with a 20-yarder which left Gary Cahill blowing his cheeks in relief.

But Fabregas wrapped it up in the 72nd minute when he seized on a ball from Hazard and shunted it to his right to get into position.

Trouble was, he mishit his shot so badly that it ended up taking both Shawcross and Begovic out of the equation as it rolled cruelly into the bottom corner.

Costa really should have capped things off with a goal minutes later when he found himself with only Begovic to beat at an angle.

He struck the ball well enough, but the keeper had his angles right and pulled out a great block.


STOKE (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Bardsley, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters; N’Zonzi, Cameron(Adam 67); Walters, Bojan, Arnautovic(Assaidi 83); Crouch (Diouf 63). Subs: Butland, Huth, Whelan, Wilson.

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Matic; Willian(Schurrle 80), Fabregas, Hazard(Zouma 90); Costa (Drogba 85). Subs: Cech, Luis, Ake, Oscar.

Referee: Neil Swarbrick.