Diego Costa scored again as Premier League leaders Chelsea marched on with a comfortable 2-0 victory at home to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
Costa put Chelsea on their way with the opener in the 11th minute before Eden Hazard doubled the Blues' advantage midway through the half.
West Brom played more than an hour with 10 men after Claudio Yacob was sent off for a two-footed challenge on Costa. Chelsea dominated both before and after the red card and could have scored several more goals if not for a strong performance from West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster.
The final score will hardly matter, though, either for Chelsea or Costa. With this latest win—their 10th in 12 league games this season—Chelsea remained unbeaten and maintained their eight-point advantage over defending champions Manchester City. Second-placed Southampton are now seven points behind but will have a chance to close the gap when they play at Aston Villa on Monday.
Costa, meanwhile, continues to display irresistible form, having scored his 11th league goal since joining Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in the summer. The Spain-international striker is the league's second-leading scorer, only one strike behind Manchester City's Sergio Aguero.
Up next for Chelsea is a match at Sunderland next Saturday.
With nearly one-third of the season played, Jose Mourinho's side look increasingly likely to go through the entire campaign without a defeat. This week, in fact, former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry suggested, per BBC Sport, via MLSSoccer.com, that Chelsea could match the Gunners' Invincibles side that went unbeaten in 2003-04.
West Brom face another tough test next Saturday when they host top-four contenders Arsenal. The Baggies remain firmly in the bottom of the table and will be hoping for a result to keep them above the relegation zone.
Chelsea needed little time to start the onslaught, carving out a first chance in the fifth minute. Hazard and Cesc Fabregas combined on a short corner before Hazard rolled a cross into the middle for John Terry. The captain redirected the ball on target, but Foster scrambled clear to keep the match scoreless.Six minutes later, Chelsea broke the deadlock. Oscar set up the goal, curling in a cross from the left to pick out Costa in the middle of the box. Costa chested the ball into the air and volleyed in past Foster as West Brom's defenders appealed for offside.
Replays suggested it was a tight decision, with West Brom full-back Andre Wisdom perhaps playing Costa onside.
Chelsea nearly doubled their lead in the 15th minute. Hazard created space with a dribble on the left before cutting back for Oscar; the Brazilian hit his shot across the ball, but Foster made a good save to keep it out.
Costa then flicked a first-time effort inches wide of the post in the 19th minute, but Chelsea wouldn't have to wait much longer for another goal.
It was only a matter of time before Chelsea found the net again, and Hazard obliged in the 25th minute. Taking advantage of poor defending, Hazard received a corner on the left side of the box and went around Craig Gardner with a deft first touch. The Belgian then finished at the near post for a 2-0 lead.
The situation worsened for West Brom in the 29th minute, as Yacob saw red for a tackle on Costa. Yacob did win the ball with his two-footed challenge, but by leaving his feet to do so, he gave referee Lee Mason little choice.
Six minutes later, Chelsea broke the deadlock. Oscar set up the goal, curling in a cross from the left to pick out Costa in the middle of the box. Costa chested the ball into the air and volleyed in past Foster as West Brom's defenders appealed for offside. Replays suggested it was a tight decision, with West Brom full-back Andre Wisdom perhaps playing Costa onside.
Chelsea nearly doubled their lead in the 15th minute. Hazard created space with a dribble on the left before cutting back for Oscar; the Brazilian hit his shot across the ball, but Foster made a good save to keep it out.
Costa then flicked a first-time effort inches wide of the post in the 19th minute, but Chelsea wouldn't have to wait much longer for another goal.
It was only a matter of time before Chelsea found the net again, and Hazard obliged in the 25th minute. Taking advantage of poor defending, Hazard received a corner on the left side of the box and went around Craig Gardner with a deft first touch. The Belgian then finished at the near post for a 2-0 lead.
The situation worsened for West Brom in the 29th minute, as Yacob saw red for a tackle on Costa. Yacob did win the ball with his two-footed challenge, but by leaving his feet to do so, he gave referee Lee Mason little choice.
Leading, 2-0, at half-time, Chelsea strolled through the second half.
In the 47th minute, an unmarked Nemanja Matic volleyed over at the back post from an Oscar cross. Foster palmed away a Terry header three minutes later, but the whistle had already blown for a foul.
