Chelsea vs. Norwich City: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Chelsea got back to winning ways against Norwich City in the Premier League on Saturday, taking a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
Both teams had penalty appeals turned down in the first half, while John Terry and John Ruddy made the best defensive interventions in either penalty box to ensure the match remained goalless at half-time.
The breakthrough finally came when Diego Costa finished coolly midway through the second half, and the home side had the best chances to extend the lead thereafter—notably with Nemanja Matic and Kurt Zouma going close.
Here are all our winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Eden Hazard
1 of 5
Back in good form—great form, in fact, for this game—was Eden Hazard.
The Belgian attacking midfielder consistently ran at the Norwich City defence, causing them problem after problem with his direct movement and quick acceleration, meaning the Canaries had to double up and leave space elsewhere.
It looked for a long time as though he would be Chelsea's best option to get through the packed Norwich defence, and although he wasn't involved with Costa's goal, he set the tone and tempo for Chelsea's improved display.
Loser...to Winner: Diego Costa
2 of 5
Diego Costa was absolutely atrocious for an hour—the worst player on the pitch.
The Chelsea striker ran the channels and worked hard off the ball, but he rarely looked like threatening Ruddy's goal. He held his line outside the six-yard box instead of attacking the near post, saw a couple of shots blocked and generally looked frustratingly marginalised in Chelsea's end game.
Then, he scored—a great finish, too. Costa ultimately ended up the match-winner, which, as a striker, essentially makes up for whatever other parts of his game didn't go according to plan.
Winner: John Ruddy
3 of 5
The No. 1 and substitute goalkeeper spots for England's UEFA Euro 2016 squad are pretty much sewn up if Joe Hart and Jack Butland remain fit, but there's still another place on the plane for a third stopper.
On this performance, John Ruddy has to be a consideration for that squad role. He was excellent against Chelsea, making several important saves to keep the scores level and being the reliable last line of defence.
There was little he could do about Costa's shot eventually giving Chelsea the lead, but the Norwich 'keeper was excellent throughout and plays a big part in his team's ability to press and play high at times—even though they weren't really able to do it against Chelsea on this occasion.
Loser: Alex Neil
4 of 5
The Norwich City boss hasn't gotten too much wrong this season, but his team certainly could have got something out of this match if they had gone more offensive-minded earlier in the game.
Naturally, there's a balance to maintain, and they couldn't go gung ho with Willian and Hazard in good form, but not attacking until injury time basically meant his team had no hope of getting a positive result.
The relegation zone is unhelpfully close, and the Canaries need to get some points on the board quickly.
Winner: Kenedy
5 of 5
Brought in at left-back for his first league start for Chelsea was Kenedy, in ahead of Cesar Azpilicueta as a more offensive outlet.
It worked, too, with Kenedy able to break forward at pace a number of times to initiate counter-attacks or overlaps down the flank. He created a great chance in the first half for Diego Costa after a surge into the Norwich penalty area.
Defensively, he wasn't really tested. Norwich rarely attacked down his side, but he put in a very good all-round performance.
It was a show of faith in his display from Mourinho that when Azpilicueta came on late in the game it was for Hazard, leaving Kenedy on rather than taking him off in a straight swap.
