Chelsea FC scrapped to a 1-0 victory.
With domestic football returning after an international break last weekend, the Blues welcomed Alex Neil’s Norwich City side to Stamford Bridge for a Premier League clash.
This was a must-win game and the first of nine in quick succession as Chelsea close out 2015. With seven defeats in the 12 league games prior to the Canaries meeting, Jose Mourinho and his squad knew that little but the three points would suffice.
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The Blues dominated possession throughout the first half, piling the pressure on the Norwich defence. Having said that, much of this pressure was superficial as the forwards failed to effectively cut through a well-organised Canaries backline.
There were a few missed opportunities with Diego Costa most noticeably taking too much time when the goal was at his mercy. Furthermore, he also blazed over the bar along with Cesc Fabregas from six or so yards out.
In fact, some of Costa’s play was so poor that the fans in attendance were displaying visible and audible frustration.
The striker nonetheless emerged for the second half and proceeded to score the winning goal with just over 25 minutes left. A quickly-taken Fabregas free-kick afforded him plenty of time and space to cut in and calmly slot the ball into the far side of the net.
Kurt Zouma almost doubled the lead soon after, but the crossbar prevented the Frenchman from getting on the scoresheet.
Despite a couple of minor scares, Chelsea successfully held out for the 1-0 victory and allowed the Stamford Bridge faithful to breathe a sigh of relief.
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However, as the festive season approaches, the games are coming thick and fast so there is little time to bask in the glory of a (rare) victory. Tuesday sees Chelsea make a significant trip eastwards to Israel to face off with Maccabi Tel-Aviv in a Champions League clash.
The Blues were by no means back to their best, but there were certainly some encouraging signs. Eden Hazard appeared reinvigorated by the fortnight away from Cobham and put in his best performance of this 2015/16 campaign. The Belgian was constantly seeking the ball and was not afraid to take on the Norwich defenders.
The defence, meanwhile, also looked slightly more solid. They may have been exposed on a couple of occasions, but compared with previous performances this was a certain step forward.
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Hopefully this win will be the first of a decent run as the Blues claw their way back up the league table. Having said that, it only takes one bad referee decision to send this fragile team back over the edge.
Chelsea vs Norwich City EPL 13 Highlights – 21-11-2015 from unCFCTV on Vimeo.