Chelsea vs. Swansea City: Score and Reaction from 2017 Premier League Match
Chelsea collected a 3-1 victory against Swansea City in the Premier League on Saturday, although the visitors put up a fight at Stamford Bridge.
Cesc Fabregas opened the scoring for Chelsea after 19 minutes, but the hosts were surprised as Fernando Llorente powerfully headed home for the Swans on the stroke of half-time.
Pedro restored order in the closing stages of the match, grabbing the Blues' second of the game when it appeared Swansea might take a share of the points.
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Diego Costa wrapped up the result in the final moments despite credible resistance from the South Wales side.
Fabregas held on to his midfield starting berth, chosen ahead of Nemanja Matic following his fine performance in the FA Cup at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Wayne Routledge was restored to the Swansea starting XI after Nathan Dyer's season-ending injury.
Manager Antonio Conte's faith in Fabregas was paid back in the 19th minute as the Spain international netted the opener for the league leaders.
Pedro found his countryman as he entered the penalty area, and the former Arsenal midfielder expertly finished with a precision volley.
Squawka News highlighted the milestone for Fabregas:
ESPN FC's Liam Twomey tipped his hat to the finisher on a day Chelsea celebrated the career and retirement of Frank Lampard at the Bridge:
Swans goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski denied Fabregas a second goal soon after. The Spanish star smashed another volley into the ground, forcing the stopper into a fine save.
The Blues again could have doubled their lead before the half-time whistle as Fabregas remained Swansea's primary tormentor. The midfielder found Costa in the box but the striker directed his effort wide.
As the hosts expected to take a 1-0 advantage into the second half, Swansea found a shock goal in stoppage time.
Gylfi Sigurdsson was the visitors' biggest threat in the first half, and his creativity led to the equaliser. The Iceland international expertly picked out Llorente, and the big centre-forward headed home from 12 yards.
Journalist Dan Levene called the action:
WhoScored.com provided the vital stats at half-time and player ratings:
Chelsea were quickly out of the blocks in the second half, playing with increased tempo and motivation.
Once again, Fabregas was pulling the strings, and he rattled a shot against the crossbar after 51 minutes.
Conte appeared stressed in his technical area as the Swans' rearguard action began to frustrate Chelsea, and the visitors dug in as they attempted to steal a point.
There were claims for a penalty as Cesar Azpilicueta appeared to handle the ball in the box, but the referee refused the calls of Sigurdsson and his team-mates.
Chelsea nerves were calmed with 18 minutes remaining as a mistake by Fabianski gifted Pedro a goal.
The Spaniard's effort should have been easily saved by the stopper, but the Pole became the villain of the match as the Blues went 2-1 up.
After reclaiming the lead, Chelsea focused on containment, starving oxygen to the dangerous Sigurdsson.
Swansea continued to push forward, but the second goal had clearly damaged their engines.
The game was put to bed in the final minutes as Costa volleyed into the net after some magic from Eden Hazard.
Chelsea were seriously tested by Swansea's resolve at the Bridge, and if the Welsh team maintain this level, they will surely be playing Premier League football next term.
Post-Match Reaction
Conte was delighted with his team's hard-fought victory against Swansea, and highlighted Pedro's performance as he begins to show his best form, per Squawka's Greg Johnson:
The Blues are now 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
