1-0, min. 16, Torres. 1-1, min. 29, Chamakh. 2-1, min. 35, Ramires
Premier League winners but it is testament to that ongoing and priceless ability to ‘win ugly’ that they could now be leading the field at Christmas.
A 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge today was achieved in fairly unconvincing fashion but is, nevertheless, enough to propel them to second place and, following Arsenal’s defeat at Manchester City, within two points of the top. Familiar problems remain.
Yes, there was that rarity today of a Fernando Torres goal but it was essentially a tap-in after Willian’s shot had been pushed onto the post by Julian Speroni. Torres’s wider impact was negligible and it remains hard to believe that Chelsea can sustain this title challenge without a more convincing striker.
With Juan Mata, Willian and Eden Hazard all starting as the attacking three behind him, Torres again struggled to step out and link up the play with his team-mates. Chelsea were still generally dominate in possession but the improvement in Crystal Palace was again evident and they were never out of the game. An equaliser arrived after 29 minutes from Marouane Chamakh after David Luiz had been pulled out of position and John Terry allowed the Moroccan to dart in front of him.
It was, though, Chelsea’s added quality that eventually proved decisive, with the game settled when Eden Hazard’s clever in-field pass found Ramires, who shot spectacularly past Speroni from 25-yards. Both teams then had further clear chances.
Jason Puncheon cut inside Cesar Azpilicueta to prompt a good save from Petr Cech, while Terry was forced to clear off the line from Stuart O’Keefe. Damien Delaney was also regularly dangerous from set-pieces. Chelsea should ultimately have added some comfort to the scoreline, however, when Ramires, Oscar and Demba Ba all suddenly found themselves clear on goal together but still somehow contrived to waste the chance.
