2. Chelsea Apply Early Pressure
Unlike their previous two games against Watford and Manchester United, it was Chelsea who applied the early pressure in the game. In the fifth minute Willian was able to skip freely down the middle of the pitch, and found Costa sneaking past his marker. The forward was able to muscle off the defender and trickle the ball past the keeper’s far post.
Just minutes later Pedro doubled the lead, taking advantage of a mistake by the visitors. A poor pass across the pitch allowed Pedro to intercept the ball with momentum. The former Barcelona man finished his one-on-one with keeper, making the score 2-0 to Chelsea with less than ten minutes gone.
Chelsea have the quality in their squad to do this much more often than they seem to do. By creating an early lead, the players were much more comfortable with their actions on the pitch, as opposed to playing a bit more nervously or rigid. This showed with their continued dominance throughout the match.
Next: 3. John Terry Injured