Chelsea returned to winning ways, beating Manchester City and proving themselves to be worthy of the Premier League title in the process.
As Chelsea lined up to face Manchester City at Stamford Bridge last night, they knew what was at stake. The shock defeat to Crystal Palace just a few days before had sent panic through the club. Rivals Tottenham had closed the gap to seven points and were now looking like legitimate title contenders. Another slip up would have further alarmed the Chelsea faithful.
But it’s in situations like these where champions are made. Chelsea’s players went into this fixture against arguably the most talented side in the league, on paper at least, knowing anything but a win would make their seemingly insurmountable lead at the top look vulnerable. This was a huge contest for Antonio Conte’s side, with a cup-final atmosphere surrounding it.
The loss against relegation-threatened Palace was embarrassing and damaging, both to the mentality of the players and the title challenge they’ve spent this incredible season building on. Chelsea have difficult fixtures left on their schedule, and dropping points at home to inferior opposition is unacceptable. It increases the pressure for those tougher games, as was evident last night.
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City came to Stamford Bridge in dire need of a win themselves. Pep Guardiola has found life difficult in England and City’s place in next year’s Champions League is still looking shaky following their recent results.
Arsenal won against West Ham last night, and still have a game in hand over City while Liverpool and arch enemies Manchester United are also battling for a top four finish. That race looks like it will come down to the wire and Pep knows he can ill afford to miss out on a luxurious Champions League spot.
Though City had their struggles this year, they are still a team you would rather avoid facing. However, considering the circumstances Chelsea found themselves in before the match, the squad needed a big game to focus on following the Palace defeat and, more importantly, they needed a big win to raise their spirits again.
The words from the Chelsea camp have been positive, as most of the players issued a rallying call to their teammates to finish the job they started. The time to turn words into action came at 8pm Wednesday night, under the floodlights at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s players didn’t disappoint.
Eden Hazard was sensational. Gary Cahill was solid. Thibaut Courtois was at fault for City’s goal but more than made up for his mistake with several key saves. Cesc Fabregas, deployed in a more defensive position, was good and N’Golo Kante was, well, N’Golo Kante; breaking up plays whenever he could.
It wasn’t the best attacking display you’ll see this season, but if there is one thing the Blues have shown during this campaign, it’s that they know how to get any sort of result. Conte dropped his players deep, ceded possession to City and relied on his side’s defensive solitude to see the game through. It worked a treat.
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John Stones had a chance to equalise late on but scooped his shot over the crossbar. It would have been painful had it gone in, but you need luck to be on your side in contests like these.
Against Palace, Chelsea had zero fortune but that evened itself out last night. Hazard’s first goal came from a slight deflection off Vincent Kompany, but it was enough to affect Willy Caballero who could do very little to prevent Chelsea taking the lead.
The second goal was perhaps even luckier. Pedro was felled by Fernandinho in the penalty box, thus giving Hazard a chance to restore Chelsea’s advantage following Sergio Aguero’s equaliser. Hazard’s weak attempt was parried by the City goalkeeper but fortunately it fell back at the feet of the Belgian and the league leaders were in front again. It’s these moments which decide games and, ultimately, titles.
City pressed in the second half, desperately trying to salvage something but it wasn’t to be as Chelsea’s defence held firm. At the Liberty Stadium, Swansea collapsed in injury time as they saw a 1-0 lead turn into a 3-1 deficit against Spurs. It was an admirable comeback from Mauricio Pochettino’s side, one which proves their title hopes are real.
Tottenham are determined to steal the Premiership away from Conte and his players, and these results prove neither club are looking to offer any glimmer of hope to each other. Fortunately, for Chelsea, all they need to do is keep winning and the league will be theirs. Last night was a good start.