Chelsea cruised into their 13th victory in a row equaling Arsenal’s record from 2002/2003 and taking the Blues nine points clear on top of the table.
Gary Cahill’s headed goal gave Chelsea a deserved first-half lead, but right at the start of the second period Bruno Martins Indi stun the Blues with an unwanted equalizer. The Blues regained the lead soon after through Willian’s brilliant strike from Eden Hazard’s lovely assist, but were once again rocked over as Peter Crouch came out of nowhere to get Stoke back into the game, once again.
All smiles after the final whistle! #CHESTK https://t.co/jjJYgLo70u
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 31, 2016
The match was an exhibition for all football fans, and the fact how Chelsea scored their third of the night only a minute after, was a real proof of that. Willian was the man off the mark once again as he rifled a fine finish from Cesc Fabregas’ already second assist to take Antonio Conte’s men back in-front. Diego Costa, who was suspended last time out, scored a goal for himself as well at the end of the game to make it four for the West London side.
Here are our Chelsea players’ ratings from today’s great victory!
Starting eleven:
Thibaut Courtois – 6 – Was beaten by the first and the second Stoke shot on target, and didn’t have much to do otherwise. Was good on his feet but barely touched the ball with his hands. Shame to see his clean-sheet run being cut down.
Cesar Azpilicueta – 6 – Was to be blamed for the foul which led to Stoke’s first goal, and could’ve done slightly better preventing the second one from going in. Other than that, he was great at the back and did very well defensively.
David Luiz – 6 – Also played a big part in the two conceded goals, but will surely come back from today’s performance with something master-class when we face Tottenham next Wednesday.
Gary Cahill – 8 – Wonderful header to give Chelsea the first-half lead from Fabregas’s neat corner. Solid at the back and really starts to fit in the next real captain’s role.
Victor Moses – 6 – Seems to be in need of some rest, as he was for several times ran over or left behind by Afellay and Pieters. Also conceded a few fouls too many earning himself a booking in the mix. Was brilliant in the build-up for Chelsea’s second goal, however.
N’Golo Kante – 7 – Was awfully caught ball-watching in the Stoke free-kick which led to Stoke’s first goal. Other than that, was great in the build-up and ran some good numbers once again.
Cesc Fabregas – 9 – Deserved his standing ovation from the fans when he was subbed off for Nemanja Matic on the 71st minute, as he was the maestro in the Blues attack, assisting two goals in addition to all the created havoc for the Stoke defence. He’s done really well to take his chances and become a key player in Conte’s book.
Marcos Alonso – 7 – Didn’t have much to do today. Has (probably deliberately) fallen down in the system for a more of a defensive than an offensive role, but went close to Chelsea’s fifth of the day at the end of the game.
Willian – 9 – MOTM – Two magnificent goals to decide the victory for the Blues, taking his chance brilliantly after Pedro’s suspension. Will be exciting to see whether it’s him or Pedro in the starting line-up against Spurs next time out. His first goal was a brilliant left-footed finish from close-range just a minute after shooting slightly wide 16 yards out, and the second one was even better as he almost broke the net with a powerful shot to the ceiling of the goal to win the game for the league leaders. Quality performance all-around.
Diego Costa – 8 – Could’ve done better to find the net in a few good chances, but as the game was nearing the end, he finally did what he wanted the most – scored! Clinching the victory with a lovely finish, he deserves himself a great eight. The goal was his fourteenth of the season and he’s currently the leading top scorer of all!
Eden Hazard – 8 – Kept going and going and was yet again the hardest man to catch for the opposition defenders. Did brilliantly to set up Willian for his second goal, but could’ve done better to score on his own as well a moment before
Subs:
Nemanja Matic – 6 – Came on for roughly 15 minutes to play a deeper, more defensive role than Fabregas, and did well to do what he was told to do – not take his fifth booking of the season and prevent the visitors from scoring – again.
Branislav Ivanovic – 6 – Replaced Moses in the very end of the game getting ten minutes to show off his awesome beard. Had one cross which was cleared for a corner, but didn’t really have the time to affect the outcome of the game.
Nathaniel Chalobah – N/A – Got a narrow five minute outing and did well to calm down the tempo in midfield. Might start against Peterborough on the upcoming FA Cup fixture. Conte’s number one youngster as it seems.
