Baggies battered as Chelsea cruise clear at the top

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Chelsea opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a comprehensive defeat of West Bromwich Albion.

Diego Costa gave the Blues the lead after just eleven minutes with a smart finish as he volleyed home from Oscar's whipped delivery, whilst Eden Hazard made it 2-0 with a smart finish from Cesc Fabregas' well-worked short corner.

Claudio Yacob was then dismissed before half-time for an excessively forceful challenge on Costa, whilst Ben Foster put in a man-of-the-match performance to keep the scoreline respectable.

The result moves Chelsea seven points ahead of second-placed Southampton, who play Aston Villa on Monday evening, and also maintains their eight-point advantage over champions Manchester City, who came from behind to beat Swansea on Saturday afternoon.

For the first time in the club's history, Chelsea have gone twelve games unbeaten at the start of a league campaign, and this was one of the more comfortable afternoons in that run for José Mourinho's men.

The second half was played at walking pace against the ten men of Albion, who were left chasing shadows for much of the game. Whilst on another day the margin of victory would have been greater, this was an absolute drubbing in all but scoreline as Thibaut Courtois was criminally underemployed in the Chelsea goal.

Yacob's dismissal killed the game as a contest, with Chelsea allowed to play the game at walking pace against a packed Albion defence. Whilst Mourinho may well have gone for the kill, the Blues boss certainly will have had one eye on Tuesday night's match away at Schalke in the Champions League. With that taken into account, it is understandable that they perhaps took the foot off the gas a little after the interval.

The tone of the game was set when Ben Foster had to make a stunning early save with his foot to somehow divert away John Terry's goalbound effort, but there was hardly a wait for the opening goal as Costa expertly chested and side-foot volleyed home Oscar's devilish delivery from the wing.

Costa then saw an effort kiss the outside of the post as Branislav Ivanovic's deflected cross found its way to the feet of the Spain international, and the former Atletico Madrid man had another effort blocked as he continued to dominate a ragged Albion backline.

Hazard then continued his own fine run of goalscoring form when, from Fabregas' intelligent short corner, the Belgian was able to capitalise on hesitant defending as he lashed his shot through Foster's legs via a slight deflection.

The red card for Yacob came on the half-hour as Costa, in possession of the ball on the edge of the Albion penalty area, was unceremoniously scythed down by the Argentine midfielder.

On closer inspection, the tackle wasn't a particularly bad one from Yacob, but there was a hint of two-footedness about the challenge and the excessive force demonstrated by the player was perhaps what warranted the decision in the mind of referee Lee Mason.

Immediately after the interval, Nemanja Matic volleyed wastefully over when well-placed inside the six yard box. From another short corner, Oscar was able to once more whip the ball towards the unmarked Serb, who failed to control his finish and lazily lashed over with Foster's goal at his mercy.

Hazard was denied one-on-one by Foster's trailing leg in what was truthfully the last obvious goalscoring opportunity for the Blues, who, if being hypercritical, can be criticised for over-elaborating their play at times, and a host of late substitutions from Mourinho - with Didier Drogba, Loic Remy and Ramires all late replacements - only adding to this second-half snooze fest.

But, with a tough midweek assignment on Tuesday against Roberto di Matteo's Schalke - who today made it four wins from four home matches under the Italian's tutelage with a 3-2 defeat of in-form Wolsburg - Chelsea can be forgiven for cruising to a comfortable victory that has shades of a similar victory over the Baggies during Mourinho's first spell in charge.

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[zolayes 14,489]

I was slightly surprised Costa wasn't subbed a bit earlier .. it would have ginen Remy more playing time and not risked a yellow card

[BlueLion. 21,491]

I was slightly surprised Costa wasn't subbed a bit earlier .. it would have ginen Remy more playing time and not risked a yellow card

I agree, unless José intends to start Loic or Didier on Tuesday?