Chelsea vs. West Brom: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Chelsea reclaimed the Premier League lead and moved three points clear of Arsenal in second after defeating West Bromwich Albion 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, taking their ninth successive win thanks to a Diego Costa winner. 

A West Brom side set up to keep the enemy at bay frustrated their hosts for 76 minutes, but a piece of brutish individual brilliance from Costa saw him once again earn three points for the Blues.

Nemanja Matic was the only change for Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, as he returned to the Blues lineup in place of Cesc Fabregas to partner N'Golo Kante as part of a two-man midfield pivot.

Chelsea are blossoming with Costa firing on all cylinders, and broadcaster Deji Kofi Faremi highlighted the gulf between this version of the striker and the one who couldn't prevent the club from finishing 10th in the league last season:

Cleans sheets have become something of a common sight for Chelsea fans of late, but after not conceding in six successive matches, the Blues entered Sunday's showdown having leaked goals in their last two outings.

West Brom looked well aware of that fact, as they pressed in the early exchanges of the clash, although they were consistently doing so on the counter, with little possession to work with.

There wasn't much to speak of in terms of shots on target throughout the opening 45 minutes, and the Baggies' tactics were working to good effect in west London.

Chris Brunt had West Brom's first notable effort from range, but the Mirror highlighted manager Tony Pulis' focus on the defensive side of things might have meant a limited amount of attacking for either side:

A late challenge from Gareth McAuley scared Chelsea fans on the half-hour mark, with Eden Hazard consequently forced to the sidelines with a knock to his ankle, although there was cause for relief when the Belgian returned to play.

At the break, West Brom were level with the home side in terms of attempts at goal, per WhoScored.com. ESPN FC's Liam Twomey noted possession meant little without an end product:

That same lack of goalmouth action continued early in the second half, and it was typical of the encounter that fouls began to take precedence over any attacking fervour:

Controversy hit after 60 minutes, when referee Mike Dean failed to award a corner to Chelsea despite it being obvious that West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster had tipped a David Luiz free-kick wide, but even those calls seemed muted.

Needing a refresh in attack, Conte threw on Willian in place of Pedro in the hope the Brazilian winger might be able to provide the impetus going forward that Hazard and Costa had to that point failed to muster.

The Italian made further changes, bringing Fabregas on in place of Victor Moses, who was once again impressive for the hosts. That change came just minutes before the game's breakthrough.

For the goal, Costa shrugged off the presence of a flailing McAuley on the left flank before bearing down on Foster's goal and fizzing a left-footed strike inside the far post to once again establish himself as a Premier League pace-setter, per Match of the Day:

The opener came later than Chelsea would have hoped, but perseverance and patience hauled Conte's men to three points. The Italian brought Branislav Ivanovic on in place of Hazard in an attempt to safeguard his team's lead late on, and the change had the desired effect.

Pulis' Baggies perhaps deserved some credit for their defensive clout, but there's only so much a team can expect from a fixture when setting up with such a focus on matters in their own half.

Manchester City's 4-2 loss at Leicester City on Saturday will seem like an added bonus for the west Londoners, who are three points clear at the summit and make the trip to basement side Sunderland on Wednesday.

Post-Match Reaction

ADRIAN DENNIS/Getty Images

One major positive for Conte was to see his side return to stingier ways after leaking goals in each of their last two outings, keeping a clean sheet against a stern, albeit tame, West Brom team.

Speaking to Match of the Day (h/t BBC Sport) after the game, the Italian had only positive comments for his players after passion paved the way for a ninth successive three-point haul:

"

For sure there was relief, it was a tough game and we prepared for this situation. We played with passion. West Brom is a tough team, a physical team who are difficult to break down. It was a good win and now we must continue.

We must know the other teams try to block our football and for this reason it's important to play with patience. Then you must pay attention, avoid the counter attack. We had a dangerous opponent, but we were good for commitment and work rate. We deserved to win. 

"

Conte also called it "fantastic" to see his side pick up yet another victory, particularly after the former Juventus chief made a rocky start to life in the Premier League following his summer arrival.

Pulis, meanwhile, was brief in his post-match comments and reassured his players that he had no issue with the performance, even McAuley, who was largely responsible for the goal, per Squawka's Greg Johnson:

The Welshman also couldn't help but laud the "wonderful goal" scored by Costa, per Johnson, a strike that ultimately separated two teams who looked even for lengthy periods of a tense meeting.