Swansea City 3-1

Observer:

Fàbregas and Pedro see off stubborn Swansea as Chelsea stay way out in front

Chelsea 3 - 1 Swansea

Dominic Fifield

Antonio Conte has grown used of late to knocking back suggestions the Premier League title is already all but Chelsea’s, though he will do well to maintain that facade of incredulity for much longer.

His side’s advantage gapes at 11 points after this victory, a win chiselled out against a much improved Swansea City. If the leaders crane their necks, squinting back over their shoulders, they might just make out the chasing pack massing on the horizon, but their threat is distant.

This was a 12th consecutive home success, equalling a club record, with Conte having triumphed in all but one of his matches in this arena since taking charge last summer. His delighted post-match routine, gripping triumphant players in bear hugs out on the pitch, has become the norm. All his key performers, from the irrepressible N’Golo Kanté to David Luiz, Eden Hazard to Diego Costa, continue to deliver. Pedro Rodríguez is prolific, and even those considered back-ups are proving influential.

Cesc Fàbregas was offered a relatively rare start but still revelled, scoring on his 300th Premier League appearance and providing a passable impression of Frank Lampard with his threatening runs from deep. It was fitting the club’s leading scorer was present as a guest to witness this display.

Given how efficiently every facet of this team is functioning, it is hard to imagine Chelsea stumbling over the last three months. Their distant challengers have been left pinning all their hopes on a collapse that would now need to be worse than that blip in the autumn and those defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal, which had famously sparked the change in system, resolve and fortune. It would take more than a stumble. Chelsea would have to collapse entirely to be denied a second title in three seasons. Wins like this, in games that are tight for periods but end up appearing comfortable, give the impression this pursuit of silverware has long since become something of a procession.

Swansea could cling to the equaliser they plundered in stoppage time at the end of the first half, courtesy of Gylfi Sigurdsson’s wonderfully arced free-kick from the centre-circle and Fernando Llorente’s emphatic header beyond Thibaut Courtois.

Paul Clement could also point to the non-award of a penalty while the contest was still level early in the second half, Sigurdsson flicking the ball up on to César Azpilicueta’s hand with the referee, Neil Swarbrick, apparently enjoying a fine view of the incident.

But even the Swansea manager admitted those were isolated incidents, provoking pangs of anxiety amid waves of Chelsea optimism. “On reflection they’ve had a lot more chances, and a lot more of the ball, so probably deserved the victory,” said the former Chelsea No2. “They’ve got a lot of great players. We had to defend really, really well for 90 minutes-plus, and we couldn’t quite do that.”

Chelsea did not allow them to. They might have scored after 57 seconds through Pedro, struck the woodwork through Fàbregas, and forced Lukasz Fabianski to block two fine efforts, both from the former Arsenal midfielder. Kanté’s energy and blur of interceptions gave the hosts a relentless momentum, with Swansea pinned back for long periods. As resolute as they were, their game of containment always appeared stretched.

In the end they were always likely to crack and the goals pilfered by Pedro, whose shot squirmed disappointingly through Fabianski’s grasp, and Diego Costa gave the scoreline a more realistic feel. The striker’s volley was born of Hazard’s trickery and delivery down the flank, teasing space from Kyle Naughton. There was to be no recovery from that.

Swansea need not be too dismayed in defeat, for all that some of those beneath them in the table have started to flicker back into life. Their crucial run of games is still to come, with Burnley, Hull, Bournemouth and Middlesbrough their next four opponents.

“You never want to lose a game, but the performance doesn’t damage our confidence,” Clement said. The fact he has secured as many points – 12 – from his seven games in charge as Swansea managed in their first 19 games is a source of confidence, and better teams than theirs will be sunk at Stamford Bridge.

It is the depth of Chelsea’s options which must deflate opponents. Fàbregas has flitted in and out of the side, swapping opportunities with Nemanja Matic, but dominated this occasion with all the authority of old.

It had been his goal which set the hosts en route to their win, Tom Carroll’s mistake seized on by Hazard who eventually forced the ball wide for Pedro. He squared into the muddle of bodies loitering near the penalty spot, with Fàbregas taking one touch before calmly stabbing the ball across Fabianski with his second.

His class would tell with Chelsea’s progress serene.



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Telegraph:

Chelsea 3 Swansea 1: Antonio Conte's side move 11 points clear with clinical, simple victory

Sam Wallace

They welcomed Frank Lampard back to Stamford Bridge on the pitch at half-time, and while the devotion will forever be strong to the club’s greatest-ever goalscorer, the best thing you could say about the Antonio Conte era is that it is not as if they desperately miss their great No 8.

Of course, a goalscoring midfielder of Lampard’s class is a rare thing indeed, but this time Conte could rely on goals from two others in that position, including Cesc Fabregas who kept his place in the team from the FA Cup fifth round and scored the team’s first. Although Chelsea ran the first half they conceded an equaliser just before the break, from Fernando Llorente, and had to fight anew for the winner.

In the end it was simple, with a mistake from Lukasz Fabianski for Pedro’s second half strike, before Diego Costa finished the job. They are 11 points clear for now at the top with Manchester City not playing this weekend and Tottenham Hotspur in third having to wait until Sunday to play. There are 12 games left in their season and Conte’s team show no sign of slowing down.

They did have just one setback: there was already one minute and 29 seconds of time added on at the end of the first half when Gylfi Sigurdsson struck a free-kick from halfway inside the Chelsea half, Llorente slipped away from Victor Moses and nodded a nicely judged header out of the reach of Thibaut Courtois.

To say Swansea could consider themselves lucky was an understatement. They were lucky to get the free-kick for a N’Golo Kante tackle that Neil Swarbrick said was a foul, let alone a goal. Chelsea’s domination of the first half had been complete, they just had failed to make their advantage count nearly as much as they should have done.

Fabregas scored the first goal on 19 minutes in his first league start since Dec 31 against Stoke, taking a ball played behind him by Pedro into his stride and poking it past Fabianski and into the corner with his second touch. As they had many times, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard had split Swansea open and there were times when they could not get out their own half.

At one point Kyle Naughton simply wrapped an arm around Hazard and dragged him to a standstill, barely glancing upwards at the yellow card dealt to him. There was a further chance for Fabregas and Pedro cut in brilliantly from the left side and went past Federico Fernandez and Jack Cork before he was finally stopped.

But Llorente struck with just seconds of the half to play and Conte’s tea came back out still requiring more goals. On their way out they passed Lampard, a man with 211 goals to his name for Chelsea, more than any other in their history, who finally got his chance to take the mic and say a few words to the home fans on the Stamford Bridge pitch.

Fabregas struck the bar on 51 minutes and while Chelsea still looked the most likely winners they did not dominate quite as completely as before the break. Cesar Azpilicueta should have been penalised when he lost track of a bouncing ball at the feet of Sigurdsson and the ball struck the right arm of the defender in his own area.

On that occasion Swarbrick denied the away side the penalty. Chelsea were probably due a stroke of luck and there was more of that for the goal that Pedro scored on 72 minutes. He took the pass from Fabregas and ran at an angle from right to left striking a left-footed shot that should have been saved easily by Fabianski but went straight through the goalkeeper.

The assists for Fabregas took him to a career 102 in the Premier League, second on the all-time list in joint position with Lampard, with whom he had a few bad-tempered battles over the years. Hazard made the third for Costa, forcing Naughton backwards in his own area with the full-back afraid to make a challenge, before the Belgian slipped past him and cut the ball back. Swansea remains four points above the relegation places.

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Independent:

Pedro and Diego Costa settle Chelsea's nerves against Paul Clement's plucky Swansea

Chelsea 3 Swansea 1: Fernando Llorente's late first-half goal gave the visitors hope but the Blues soon found their grove to pull ahead at Stamford Bridge

Luke Brown

Chelsea’s seemingly unstoppable march towards the Premier League title continued on Saturday afternoon, as Pedro and Diego Costa both scored late in the second-half to consign Swansea City to an unfortunate 3-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

The champions-elect were however made to work far harder for their victory than they would have liked, after Fernando Llorente’s thumping header on the stroke of first-time cancelled out Cesc Fabregas’s early goal.

Swansea took a point off Chelsea at the beginning of the season in a rare highlight under the management of Francesco Guidolin and, for the majority of the second-half, it looked as though the relegation-threatened team would deny the league leaders once again.

But shorty after a very credible Swansea penalty appeal was ignored by referee Neil Swarbrick, Pedro burst forward for Chelsea and curled a shot towards goal. Lukasz Fabiański should have kept it out; instead the ball slipped inexplicably under his body. Swansea, in search of an unlikely equaliser, then conceded a third when Diego Costa volleyed home from close range, stretching Chelsea's lead at the top to a surely insurmountable eleven points.

Chelsea have, however, been eager to prove that they are taking nothing for granted in this most one-sided of title races and they started the game at a suitably rapid pace. Pedro struck narrowly over from an early corner and Fabregas went close with a low shot, which ricocheted wide.

Swansea — playing their first match in two weeks — stuck diligently to their game-plan, repeatedly flinging long-balls forward in the direction of Spanish international Fernando Llorente in an attempt to by-pass Chelsea’s talented, but tiny, midfield. And in a warning sign that ultimately went unheeded, Federico Fernandez took advantage of some sloppy set-piece marking to go close from a corner.

It was with some cruel irony, then, that Chelsea’s opening goal came as a direct consequence of Swansea keeping the ball on the ground in a rare soiree forward. Tom Carroll, so impressive since signing from Tottenham Hotspur in January, was the man responsible for conceding possession, losing the ball in midfield and then failing to atone for his error with a despairing lunge.

Hazard punished Swansea: exchanging cute one-passes with Diego Costa he spotted Pedro in space on his right-hand side. He continued his run, but Pedro instead pulled it back for Fabregas, whose first touch to control the ball was a little ungainly, but whose second to score was sublime. The goal came on his 300th Premier League appearance and Fabianski had no chance of keeping the close-range shot out.

The Spaniard should have had a second moments later. Victor Moses escaped the attentions of Swansea’s other January arrival, Martin Olsson, and dropped an inch-perfect cross into the path of Fabregas, whose volleyed effort was struck from a similar distance to his goal. This time however Fabianski was equal to the danger, throwing himself through the air to tip the shot wide.

In the technical area Clement stood largely impassive as Chelsea began to increase the pressure in search of a second. In stark contrast Conte animatedly waved his arms around throughout, standing so far forward in his technical area that at times it looked almost as if he was attempting to usurp Marcos Alonso's place on the left-wing.

He took a large step backward just moments before the interval however, as Pedro — largely restricted to a role on the fringes with Hazard very clearly taking centre stage — suddenly burst into life out wide. Hugging the left-touchline in a powerful burst forward, he cut inside and made mincemeat of Swansea's ragged defence only for his eventual shot to be deflected clear.

In the face of such overwhelming pressure a Swansea equaliser looked unlikely but Chelsea’s players, unlike their manager, were guilty of a lapse in intensity with half-time in sight, during which Kante conceded an utterly necessary free-kick. Predictably, Sigurdsson went long, and Fernando Llorente shrugged off Victor Moses on the edge of the box, heading powerfully past a despairing Courtois.

Stung into action, Chelsea started the second-half much as they had started the first: aggressively, with Hazard rarely to be found off the ball. His smart cut-back very nearly saw the superb Fabregas score his second — but his first-time shot from the edge of the box cannoned off the bar — and a similar low pass flashed dangerously across the face of goal moments later.

Chelsea’s desire to flood forward led to opportunities at both ends, with both sides having very credible penalty appeals turned down within a minute of one another by an unmoved Swarbrick. First Sigurdsson was incandescent that Azpilicueta was not penalised for handling in the box, then the home crowd were whipped into a fury when Diego Costa was shoved over in the box with recrimination. On reflection, both teams have a right to feel aggrieved.

"I thought it was a penalty and it doesn't matter whether they should have had one up the other end immediately after, because it should have been a penalty to us first," an aggrieved Clement commented after the match.

The vital second goal came just moments later for Chelsea, as Swansea’s brave resistance was finally ended. Pedro picked up the ball and scampered towards the edge of the box where he shot more in hope than expectation. But Fabianski inexplicably allowed the ball to skid under his body, handing Chelsea all three points. He bore no responsibility for Diego Costa’s late third, but by that point, the game had already been lost.


Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Courtois, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Moses (Zouma '85), Kante, Fabregas, Alonso, Pedro (Matic '76), Costa, Hazard (Willian '85).

Subs: Begovic, Zouma, Loftus-Cheek, Matic, Willian, Batshuayi, Terry.

Swansea: Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Mawson, Olsson, Fer, Cork, Carroll (Ayew '76), Routledge (Narsingh '81), Llorente, Sigurdsson.

Subs: Ayew, Amat, Britton, Borja Baston, Nordfeldt, Rangel, Narsingh.

Referee: Neil Swarbrick (Lancashire)


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Mail:

Chelsea 3-1 Swansea City: Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and Diego Costa strike for hosts to cancel out Fernando Llorente's headed goal as Blues extend lead at top

 By Rob Draper for The Mail on Sunday

Frank Lampard knows. Titles are won on dreary, drizzly days when obstructive opponents make you doubt your own superiority.

The former Chelsea midfielder was here on Saturday, a guest of honour finally given a proper chance to say goodbye to fans after his publicly unheralded departure in 2014.

And he must have liked what he saw. Despite their propensity for rotating managers, Chelsea's identity remains constant. Lampard would certainly recognise this team's characteristics. They can attack with flair but defend with doggedness. And when a game looks like it might be heading towards an unsatisfactory conclusion, champions find a way.

So, though Pedro's cut inside and strike from outside the box in the 71st minute and Lukasz Fabianski's fumble will not make the cut for Chelsea's best bits of 2016-17, do not doubt its significance.

Chelsea's rivals are looking for any sign of a stutter and even a hint of hope. You do not expect this side to lose, but perhaps they might draw a game or two? Offer some respite to Manchester City, Tottenham or Arsenal? Yet, though we are still in February, those clubs are running out of time and games.

So accomplished are Antonio Conte's team, so far clear are they — 11 points — that soon they will be able to stage manage the end of the season, when draws will be enough to see them over the line.

And it will be because of victories like this. They were held at Turf Moor two weeks ago and at Anfield before that. But not at Stamford Bridge, not even against this vastly improved Swansea side.

Unlike last season's model, this Chelsea are not in the habit of foolish lapses. They look every inch a title-winning side. No team comes close to their balance between creativity and organisation.

'It's not easy,' said Conte. 'To keep the concentration for the whole championship is not easy. But I have a lot of players who played and won in the past. They know very well the way that we must continue. For this reason, I'm lucky. I'm lucky to have a lot of players who, in the past, won a lot. And if sometimes, I can see some of them relaxing, it's right for me to try and help them be focused for every moment. But, honestly, that hasn't been necessary for me.'

He does indeed have a team of winners. Of his starting XI, only Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso have not won a domestic title.

But good though Chelsea were at times — and Cesc Fabregas and N'Golo Kante were outstanding — it was not always straightforward.

Indeed, just before Pedro hit that winning strike, Fernando Llorente had cut inside and was breaking into the box. He lifted the ball and it struck Cesar Azpilicueta's hand. Referee Neil Swarbrick took the view it was accidental. It was 1-1 and 69 minutes had been played.

'It was a penalty,' said manager Paul Clement. 'It's 1-1 and we had a chance to go 2-1. But on reflection, they've had a lot more chances and a lot more of the ball, so probably deserved the win. But we defended resolutely for long periods, made it difficult. It was 'game on' at half-time so that was a big moment at 1-1. Then we concede a soft goal for the second.'

Fabregas, preferred ahead of Nemanja Matic against a more-technical team, was relishing his start, dashing around in midfield as well as getting himself into forward positions. He was there in the 14th minute when a slick move involving a Diego Costa feint and cut back, followed by a Eden Hazard feint and cut back, saw his shot deflected wide.

A similar move in the 19th minute was more productive. Hazard found Costa whose unwillingness to yield saw the ball played on to Pedro. He pulled it back and Fabregas managed to strike it decisively past Fabianski.

He was there again in the 27th minute, when a Moses pull back and a Fabregas strike required a fine reaction save.

At this stage it was hard to avoid the conclusion that Chelsea were toying with their opponents. Kante's ability to tidy up anyone's mistakes in midfield and regain possession should earn the gratitude of several team-mates, not least David Luiz. And yet there is something about Clement's Swansea.

Given a free-kick in first-half injury-time, Gylfi Sigurdsson floated the ball with just the right trajectory for Llorente, a former Conte player at Juventus, to head home emphatically. It gave not just Swansea hope but all of Chelsea's opponents.

But Pedro made it 2-1 and then, in the 84th minute, Hazard wriggled his way through to pull the ball back to Costa, who volleyed home.

Chelsea might need the odd kick start but, ultimately, the engine is ticking over nicely and the final destination is in sight.


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Mirror:

Chelsea 3-1 Swansea City: Antonio Conte's Spanish trio stretch lead to 11 points

Cesc Fabregas, Pedro Rodriguez and Diego Costa all found the net for the Blues at Stamford Bridge


BY JOHN CROSS

Diego Costa scored his 16th Premier League goal of the season to put Chelsea 11 points clear at the top of the table.

Costa struck in the 85th minute to seal victory after Pedro had put Chelsea ahead after 72 minutes following a horrible mistake by Swansea keeper Lukasz Fabianski.

That ruined Swansea’s hopes of getting a point from Stamford Bridge after Fernando Llorente’s header cancelled out Cesc Fabregas’s opener.

But Chelsea’s persistence eventually paid off as they took full advantage of Manchester City having the weekend off to extend their lead at the top.

Swansea will feel hard done by as referee Neil Swarbrick did not give a penalty when Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta was guilty of a clear handball with the score still 1-1.

But the Blues are now heading into the home straight well clear of the field - here are five things we learned...


1. Heading with Fernando

Fernando Llorente is the best header of the ball in the Premier League

One chance, one goal and it throws up a debate over who is the best striker when it comes to headers in the Premier League.

Llorente just ghosted onto Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free kick, lost his marker and headed brilliantly beyond Thibaut Courtois.

Llorente has been vital in Swansea’s improved results, a top quality centre forward and there are few better in the air. Who else? Andy Carroll, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Christian Benteke. I’d take Llorente’s aerial power over those guys.


2. Classy Chelsea pay tribute

A touch of class from Chelsea as they did a special wrap round edition of their match day programme.

They paid tribute to Frank Lampard, one of the club’s all time greats, if not the greatest player in the club’s history.

Lampard, who announced his retirement earlier this month, scored 211 goals in 648 games and won 13 trophies during a glorious career at Stamford Bridge.

The Chelsea fans sang his name throughout the game and at half time when he did a lap of honour before making a brilliant speech to thank the fans. Pure class all round.


3. Paul Clement’s tactics can keep Swansea up

Five weeks ago Swansea were bottom of the Premier League but Paul Clement has inspired a brilliant run which can keep them up.

Never mind this, their next four games are Burnley (home); Hull City (away); Bournemouth (away) and Middlesbrough (home). Swansea can beat the odds yet again.

Massive credit must go to Swansea. A shambles before Christmas, now they are so well organised. A 4-3-3 going forward, quickly becomes a 4-5-1 when they lose possession and have to defend.

Well drilled, well coached and hard to beat.


4. Jose Mourinho revisited

It was this game last season that probably spelt the beginning of the end for Jose Mourinho.

It actually seems longer but the opening day of August 2015 was the game when Mourinho lost the plot with Chelsea medic Eva Caneiro after a 2-2 draw.

That seems an eternity ago now but it’s hard to imagine Antonio Conte ever behaving quite as badly.


5. Cesc Fabregas marks a milestone

Fabregas scored the opening goal on his 300th Premier League appearance and remind us all that he is a top class player, one of the best midfielders of his generation.

The Spain World Cup winner enjoyed a glorious career at Arsenal, went to Barcelona and did not quite live up to his hopes but has found a nice home at Chelsea.

Although not a guaranteed starter, Fabregas is one hell of a player to have on the bench and in the squad. He started this one, scored with a nice finish and showed what a valuable player he has been for Chelsea.

Player Ratings

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois 6; Azpilicueta 6, Luiz 6, Cahill 6; Kante 7; Moses 6, Fabregas 8, Alonso 6; Hazard 6, Pedro 7; Costa 7. Subs: Matic 5 (Pedro 76), Zouma 5 (Moses 85), Willian 5 (Fabregas 85). Subs not used: Begovic, Loftus-Cheek, Batshuayi, Terry.

Swansea (4-3-2-1): Fabianski 4; Naughton 6, Fernandez 6, Mawson 7, Olsson 6; Cork 7, Fer 6, Carroll 6; Routledge 6, Sigurdsson 7; Llorente 7. Subs: Ayew 5 (Carroll 76), Narsingh 5 (Routledge 80). Subs not used: Nordfeldt, Amat, Britton, Borja, Rangel,.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Cesc Fabregas - Crowned an outstanding performance with the opening goal.

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Star:

Chelsea 3 Swansea 1: Cesc Fabregas scores and assists on 300th Premier League game

THIS dozen has been far from dirty – and Chelsea’s 12th straight home win in all competitions surely begins the countdown to the Premier League title.

By Tony Stenson

Cesc Fabregas scored a goal and set up another on his 300th Premier League appearance

As the saying goes, it is theirs to lose now. This was Chelsea at their imperious best, with no weak links, plenty of fight and no shortage of skill.

Antonio Conte’s side have been imperious during that run, conceding just five times – two of them in the same game against Stoke on New Year’s Eve.

And you would have to agree with star man Eden Hazard’s sentiments this week that: “Some teams are beaten before the kick-off.”

The league leaders had to overcome a Swansea side who packed their defence, sneaked an equaliser and had a decent penalty appeal turned down, when Cesar Azpilicueta appeared to have handled in the 69th minute.

Chelsea were also denied a spot-kick when Alfie Mawson hacked down Diego Costa a minute later, while David Luiz was lucky to survive when he threw out an elbow at Fernando Llorente.

But overall Swansea were forced to defend and in the end there’s only so much you can achieve when you are constantly on the back foot.

Nobody in a blue shirt worked harder than N’Golo Kante, and he is surely a leading contender for the Player of the Year award.

Eden Hazard showed why he is so highly prized with a virtuoso performance and there were some electric runs from Pedro, whose pace terrified the visitors.

Chelsea started on the front foot and in the third minute Swansea keeper Lukasz Fabianski was forced to palm out a fierce shot from Costa after he was picked out by Pedro.

It was one of many intricate moves from Conte’s side, although they were guilty of over-playing it at times.

The breakthrough was always coming, though, and in the 19th minute Hazard and Pedro unlocked Swansea’s defence to set up Cesc Fabregas, who marked his 300th Premier League appearance by poking the ball through the legs of Jack Cork and into the net.

Chelsea peppered Fabianski’s goal and the visitors seemed to offer no threat – until they equalised with their first attack in first-half added time.

Gylfi Sigurdsson hit a free-kick from almost the halfway line and Llorente rose unmarked to head past Thibaut Courtois.

The equaliser only increased the pressure from the home side and it was one-way traffic in the second half as the Swans defended desperately.

Fabregas rattled Fabianski’s bar and normal service was resumed in the 72nd minute. Pedro’s curling effort restored Chelsea’s lead and in the 84th minute Costa wrapped up the points with a close-range finish from Hazard’s exquisite pass.

Boss Conte was again all action on the touchline on a day of homecomings at The Bridge. Club legend Frank Lampard appeared at half-time to thunderous applause and there was also the return of Paul Clement and former Blues midfielder Claude Makelele, now Swansea’s numbers one and two.

The Welsh side arrived having vastly shown vast improvement under their new boss with three wins in their last four games.

Clement spent two spells working at the Bridge and it was a chance to gauge how far his side has come in a relatively short space of time in their fight to retain their place in the top flight.

His tweaks to the team in terms of organisation and switching to three at the back has sparked a real turnaround in both confidence and providing an attacking threat, after the dark days under predecessor Bob Bradley.

Although 16 points shy of the magical mark of 40, they look one of the likelier candidates to survive the relegation dogfight.


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Express:

Chelsea 3 - Swansea 1: Fabianski blunder gifts Blues win as they go 11 points clear at top

THE chant from the crowd was long and loud. 'Antonio, Antonio' they sang as Chelsea romped 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League.

By JIM HOLDEN

One Italian manager may have been ruthlessly sent on his way from English football, but another has taken over the baton of success.

Antonio Conte can do no wrong at Chelsea, not so far anyhow, and his decision to play Cesc Fabregas yesterday proved a masterstroke of management.

It was another decisive step towards what will surely be the Premier League trophy returning to Stamford Bridge.

His team have become formidable in the favoured 3-4-3 system, and Conte has a troop of superstars running like demons as well as showing their peacock flourishes.

As the rain lashed down in the second half here, and Swansea battled valiantly, so Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and company just kept up their relentless pursuit of glory.

Titles are won on tough winter afternoons like this.

Conte had opted for a Spanish armada for this game, starting with five players from Spain, including a recall for Fabregas, the player he calls his “genius in reserve”.

It looked a smart move as the 28-year-old, playing in his 300th Premier League match, dictated the play with a range of sublime passing and intricate ball skills.

He seemed to be involved in everything, including shooting and scoring.

Fabregas had already had one shot deflected wide before he put Chelsea ahead in the 19th minute, finishing off a slick move that sliced through Swansea’s deep and organised defence.

Another excellent effort was clawed away by Swansea keeper Lukasz Fabianski eight minutes later. The Spaniard was revelling in the game, and it is hard to believe this was the 671st match of his career for club and country.

The football of Fabregas can be a joy to watch. Some gorgeous passes make you wonder how he can ever be left out of the Chelsea team, as he has been for much of the season.

But then there were also moments of over-ambition, trying too hard for the killer pass.

And it was a spell of over-playing on the ball in midfield that gave possession to Swansea and led to an unexpected equaliser for the visitors on the stroke of half-time.

Moments later a free- kick from Gylfi Sigurdsson found striker Fernando Llorente free in the Chelsea box and he scored with a fine header. It was another Spanish goal.

Swansea boss Paul Clement, who was assistant manager at Chelsea in the regime of Carlo Ancelotti, celebrated wildly.

In contrast there was a distinct scowl on the features of Conte. He is so animated on the touchline. Goodness knows how angry he gets when riled in the confines of the dressing room.

Certainly, Chelsea emerged from the break full of fire and intent. Hazard had a shot saved and Fabregas struck the bar with another effort.

Yet Swansea, despite their lowly place in the table, were proving a tough nut to crack; smart and strong in defence. It took until the 72nd minute for Conte’s men to recapture the lead.

Fabregas was involved, of course, with a subtle pass to Pedro, who turned swiftly and sent a low long-range drive skidding under the arms of Fabianski, who should have saved it.

This was a goal plainly made in Spain. Fancy that!

Chelsea’s third was Spanish too, this time striker Costa steering home a low cross immaculately delivered by Hazard after a typical slalom dribble on the left flank.

‘Antonio, Antonio,’ sang the happy home crowd.

And their manager pumped his arms in triumph at the final whistle before turning to give each of his players a bear-hug as they left the field.

Meanwhile, Conte hailed Fabregas after the midfielder produced an impressive display in a rare start to inspire Chelsea on his 300th Premier League appearance.

Conte admitted: “It is fantastic to have a player like Fabregas.

“He played very well and it is important to have solutions for the team, to analyse when you need to change for different opponents and bring in a player with more quality.”

Pedro and Diego Costa also scored, and Conte added: “I have a team that really deserves to be top of the table. They never lose focus or concentration.”

Swansea manager Paul Clement also praised Conte’s team, saying: “This is a young Chelsea side and if they can keep them together for three or four years they could be formidable. Today was damage limitation for us. It’s the next period which is vital with matches against teams around us.”