Norwich vs. Chelsea: Winners and Losers from Premier League

Chelsea moved up to eighth place in the Barclays Premier League with a narrow 2-1 victory at Norwich City on Tuesday night.

The visitors took the lead in the first minute through a Kenedy strike and doubled their advantage just before the half via Diego Costa, who appeared to be offside in the buildup. Norwich improved in the second half, pulling back within a goal through Nathan Redmond, but could not find an equalizer.

Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.

Winner: Bertrand Traore

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Bertrand Traore made his first Premier League start for Chelsea and hardly looked out of place on the right side of the Blues' attacking midfield three.

The 20-year-old Burkina Faso international worked well with his teammates, taking several good touches during his 60 minutes on the pitch. In addition, he retained the ball well, never giving away possession cheaply.

Traore did waste a good chance on the counter, but on the whole, this was a promising performance from the youngster. Further opportunities lie in wait.

"He's a very fresh guy and I like his attitude," Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink told reporters this week, per Liam Twomey of ESPN FC. "He's not afraid to make errors and he's not influenced by external circumstances. He's fresh whether there are no spectators or if there are 40,000 in the stadium."

Loser: Cameron Jerome

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Cameron Jerome's speed and power are valuable attributes for Norwich. Because he's such a handful for opposing defenders, he's always a threat to score.

That was the case again Tuesday, but Jerome's finishing let him down several times.

In the third minute, Ivo Pinto fired in a cross from the right for Norwich. Jerome was in the vicinity but couldn't latch onto the ball, and the opportunity went begging.

Wes Hoolahan picked out Jerome with another cross 14 minutes later, but this time, the Norwich striker headed it over the bar.

The biggest miss occurred in the 53rd minute, when Hoolahan wriggled free on the right and crossed to the back post for Russell Martin, who nodded it back into the middle for Jerome. A goal seemed inevitable, but Jerome volleyed over the target from all of six yards.

With more composure in the final third, Jerome would have at least helped Norwich claim a point. If he'd been at his best, the Canaries might have even won.

Winner (Mostly): Kenedy

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Following Baba Rahman's costly error over the weekend, Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink opted for Kenedy at left-back against Norwich. Kenedy repaid his manager's faith by scoring the game's opening goal after just 39 seconds.

After cutting inside from the left flank, the Brazilian caught the ball with a clean strike, powering a low shot past the helpless John Ruddy. Norwich had shut off in the opening moments of the match, and Kenedy made them pay with a ruthless strike.

Naturally an attacking player, Kenedy didn't always look comfortable in the back line. That was especially true on the sequence that resulted in Norwich's goal. Although Nathan Redmond deserves credit for both creating and taking the chance, Kenedy appeared out of position on the play and could have done better.

Defensive issues will continue to be a concern, but Kenedy appears an exciting player going forward.

Loser: Alex Neil

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Poor Norwich. After seven losses in eight league matches, the Canaries are back in the drop zone in goal difference. Wednesday will mark two months since the team's last win, and relegation is a real possibility.

As for this game, it's true that Norwich had a go in the second half and could have taken something from the game. But by the time they got going, the Canaries had dug themselves a large hole.

Norwich were guilty of switching off in the first minute of the game. Eden Hazard had loads of time and space to drive through the middle before laying off for Kenedy, who finished after just 39 seconds.

A similar situation arose near the end of the first half, as a Chelsea throw-in caught the Canaries off guard. Replays showed that goalscorer Diego Costa was offside in the buildup, but Norwich have to take a hard look at themselves for failing to keep their concentration.

Specifically, manager Alex Neil must be second-guessing his decision of a three-man back line. Such an approach has its advantages, but it wasn't effective against Chelsea.

"I felt when it was 2-1 we looked the team controlling and having the pressure," Neil said, per Phil Dawkes of BBC Sport. "All you can ask is for them to give everything and they did that. They worked very hard in the last few matches and we deserved more but we cant keep having the same story after games. When we get chances we need to take more of them."

Winner: Guus Hiddink

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Chelsea's Dutch interim manager Guus Hiddink arrives for the English Premier League football match between Norwich City and Chelsea at Carrow Road in Norwich, eastern England, on March 1, 2016. / AFP / BEN STANSALL / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use

On the flip side of Alex Neil is Guus Hiddink, whose influence continues to show at Chelsea. The Blues are now unbeaten in 12 Premier League matches (11 of which were on Hiddink's watch) and have won three straight in the league for the first time in nearly a year, per Opta.

Almost unbelievably, Chelsea are now in eighth place, a mere five points behind Manchester United in the race for the UEFA Europa League. United still have a game in hand, but there is a decent chance Chelsea could qualify. As poorly as this season started, that should have been an impossibility.

Credit to Hiddink for turning the impossible into the merely improbable.

Loser: Lee Mason

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Diego Costa's excellent 45th-minute chip turned out to be the winning goal. It was a cheeky finish, but it shouldn't have counted.

Replays showed that Costa was offside in the buildup. The assistant missed the call, and although the fault was his, referee Lee Mason takes the blame here as the leader and most visible member of the officiating crew.

Had Mason ruled out the goal, the result might have been different. It's as simple as that. Norwich will also point to a controversial decision not to award the hosts a free-kick for a back pass, but the offside decision was clearer—and more costly to the Canaries.

"Costa clearly offside as he scores to make it 2-0 Chelsea. Tough on Norwich that half," tweeted Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph.