Chelsea vs. Stoke City: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Chelsea stretched their Premier League win streak to 13 straight matches on Saturday, beating Stoke City 4-2 in an entertaining match at Stamford Bridge.

Gary Cahill gave the hosts the lead with a powerful header, but Bruno Martins Indi tied things up early in the second half. A Willian brace either side of a Peter Crouch goal made it 3-2, and Diego Costa secured the win for the league-leaders.

As shared by Chelsea's official Twitter account, Costa returned from suspension, while Cesc Fabregas started in midfield:

The visitors weren't expected to trouble Chelsea much, but they started the match with plenty of attacking intentions and managed to put pressure on manager Antonio Conte's squad.

The Blues had the first real chance of the match, however, as Eden Hazard cut inside and fired a shot wide of the post. N'Golo Kante followed his lead, but he couldn't keep his effort on target, either.

Stoke threatened with a series of free-kicks, but Thibaut Courtois and David Luiz positioned themselves well to deal with the danger. On the other side of the pitch, Fabregas picked out Costa with a fantastic cross, and the Spain international nearly beat Lee Grant with a nifty move.

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Cahill tested Grant for the first time with a powerful header, a sign of things to come, and Chelsea started getting more of a grip on the match as the half wore on. The Potters still threatened on occasion, however, with Xherdan Shaqiri firing a shot over the bar after a smart free-kick routine.

Crouch only just failed to connect with a corner kick following some confusion inside the Blues' box, and Luiz picked out Costa with a fantastic long pass, leading to a double-save from Grant.

The resulting corner would supply the hosts with the breakthrough, as Fabregas picked out Cahill, who left Grant with no chance.

The goal meant the Chelsea train remained on track for 13 straight wins:

Chelsea finished the half on the front foot, with Costa blasting a free-kick way over Grant's goal―and likely losing free-kick privileges for the rest of the season. Fabregas almost picked out Luiz with a far better delivery, but Stoke stood firm, and the score at half-time remained 1-0.

The visitors needed less than 60 seconds into the second half to tie things up, as Crouch headed a free-kick across goal, and Martins Indi easily converted the chance.

Per Bleacher Report's Matt Jones, Saturday's Potters squad looked nothing like the team that lost to Liverpool:

Chelsea tried to respond through Willian, who angled a shot wide of the mark. The Brazilian had another go after Grant punched a corner clear, but once again, he couldn't keep his effort on target.

The third time proved the charm for Willian, as Victor Moses created space for Hazard, who picked out the Brazilian for the easy finish.

David Amoyal, a writer for Gianluca Di Marzio, credited the Nigerian for the goal:

The strike set up a few crazy minutes, with Moses firing a shot over the bar before Crouch tapped home a finish from close range. Tied once again, Stoke barely had time to celebrate, as the hosts hit back immediately.

Fabregas rushed into the box before feeding in Willian, who blasted home a shot into the top corner.

It was truly end-to-end action:

The Blues kept pushing the pace, hoping to add to their lead and avoid another unpleasant surprise. Willian in particular looked threatening, and his strong running kept the Potters from pushing up the pitch and chasing goals themselves.

Hazard did well to reach Costa, but the former Atletico man could only fire a shot over the crossbar. Stoke went back on the offensive, and Cesar Azpilicueta made a fantastic last-ditch intervention to deny Crouch another tap-in.

The goal fell on the other side of the pitch, with Costa turning on a dime and muscling his way through traffic before slotting home.

The Daily Tackle's Brooks Peck had an observation:

The Blues took control of possession after the goal, comfortably playing out the rest of the match.

Per Chelsea's official Twitter account, Conte gave Stoke credit for a hard-fought match:

Chelsea's next outing wil be at Tottenham Hotspur, while Stoke City host Watford.