Swansea vs. Chelsea: Score, Grades and Reaction from Premier League Match
Chelsea were deadly efficient in a 5-0 thrashing of Swansea City on Saturday, continuing their march toward the 2014-15 Premier League title in emphatic fashion.
The visitors had a dream start against the Swans, opening the scoring in the first minute. A shaky pass from Gylfi Sigurdsson gifted the ball to Oscar, and after taking a few touches, the Brazilian calmly slotted the ball past Lukasz Fabianski.
According to Bleacher Report UK, the goal took all of 49 seconds:
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Swansea nearly answered right back, but Sigurdsson's fantastic curling shot crashed into the post.
The fast-paced match settled down when Eden Hazard went to the ground clutching his face, and the home fans swiftly treated him to a chorus of boos, obviously not forgetting the incident with a ballboy last year.
Swansea took control of the ball, averaging nearly 80 percent through the first 15 minutes, but the Blues' defence had little trouble fending off the attacks. With Oscar and Cesc Fabregas easily finding each other to set up the counter-attack, the Chelsea machine appeared almost unstoppable.
Hazard nearly made it 2-0 after 18 minutes, drawing an excellent save from Fabianski, but it was only a stay of execution. Fabregas and Oscar put together a sublime triangle before sliding the ball into Diego Costa, who easily lifted the ball over the Poland international.
Football Radar's Jack Rathborn couldn't believe how poorly the hosts were defending:
The Blues continued to muster the better chances, with Willian hitting the post after 30 minutes. A quick double from Costa and another shot from Oscar brought the lead up to 4-0, at which point Chelsea finally let up, content to go into half-time.
Get West London's Dan Levene was expecting even more goals in the second half:
As shared by WhoScored, summer acquisition Costa appears to enjoy playing the Swans:
Jose Mourinho clearly instructed his troops to just defend the lead and avoid bookings or injuries in the second half, as the Blues allowed Swansea more time on the ball in the centre of the pitch.
Costa and Ashley Williams clashed several times, and in light of the 4-0 score, Levene urged Mourinho to protect the striker from himself:
Without Wilfried Bony there to lead the attack, Swansea looked relatively toothless. Chelsea still managed more shots on goal despite occasionally ceding possession, and Hazard nearly made it 5-0 in the 70th minute, once again denied by Fabianski.
Substitute Andre Schurrle did what his team-mate couldn't, finishing off a quick counter in the 79th minute.
Williams suffered a shoulder injury midway through the second half, yet he continued to play through the pain. However, he looked worse as the game wore on. He completed the 90 minutes, to his credit, but he may have exacerbated the injury in what ultimately turned out to be a blowout loss.
Relevant Match Grades
Oscar: A+
Fans and pundits wondered how the Brazil international would coexist with Fabregas at the start of the season. Look no further than Saturday's performance. Oscar was brilliant, taking full advantage of Fabregas' passing range and allowing the ball to come to him instead of chasing it. The results were breathtaking.
Cesc Fabregas: A
Every time Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez puts in the kind of performance that makes you think he deserves to be called the best acquisition of the summer, Fabregas comes right back and puts in a flawless effort like this one. At this point, I can no longer choose.
Marvin Emnes: B
Credit to the 26-year-old forward, who replaced Wayne Routledge in the first half and was the lone shining light in a dreadful performance from Swansea.
Post-Match Reaction
Dan Levene was quite impressed with what he saw from the Blues:
After Chelsea led 4-0 at half-time, Eurosport.com believed the final score could have been much worse:
Manager Mourinho tempered everyone's expectations, telling ESPN FC's Miguel Delaney top performances like Saturday's are meaningless if they don't lead to silverware:
He also provided an update on the transfer status of Mohamed Salah, who is expected to leave the club in January:
Swansea's Garry Monk didn't mince his words describing his team's performance, via the South Wales Evening Post's Gareth Vincent:
Post-Match Outlook
Chelsea continue their march toward the Premier League title with a big win and will anxiously await the result of Sunday's clash between Manchester City and Arsenal. The Citizens are somewhat weakened due to AFCON and injuries, so the Gunners might be able to do the Blues a huge favour.
The post-Bony era looks fairly bleak right now for Swansea, but in this kind of form, Chelsea have the talent to make just about anyone look awful. Fans shouldn't despair too much over this result, as the Welsh outfit still occupies a healthy spot in the middle of the standings.
