Willian double sinks brave Stoke and extends Chelsea run to 13 straight wins

Willian celebrates scoring Chelsea’s third goal against Stoke with Cesc Fàbregas. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

CHELSEA have conjured numerous comfortable victories on their sprint to the top of the Premier League, but their 13th in succession was not one of them. The leaders have opened up a nine-point lead at the top of the table but, of all the teams they have confronted and overcome in recent weeks, Stoke City arguably pushed them hardest of all.

This was a gloriously frenzied encounter to see out the year, and one that was not truly claimed until Diego Costa crunched in a fourth goal as time ticked away, his magnificent finish prompting a wave of relief among the locals. There had been periods during the rat-a-tat of goals shared after the interval when the home side, usually so composed, had been distinctly unnerved, so it said much about the impact Antonio Conte has made at this club to date that self-doubt never crept in.

It had been Wilian’s brace of goals which ensured Stoke, excellent as an attacking force throughout, entered those final exchanges chasing the contest. Costa eventually killed them off five minutes from time, turning Bruno Martins Indi and thrashing a finish across Lee Grant and high into the far corner. Chelsea will travel to White Hart Lane on Wednesday seeking to equal the topflight record of 14 wins in a row. Tottenham Hotspur will do well to contain them.
This had actually felt like an exercise in patience before that breathless flurry of goals so illuminated the second period. Stoke had initially flung down an awkward barrier, suffocating the space in which Chelsea’s front three so often revel as if inspired by West Bromwich Albion’s industrious – if ultimately fruitless – recent display in this arena. They hassled and harried, and retained a level of ambition themselves, particularly from Charlie Adam’s probing set-pieces which stretched the hosts’ back-line. Yet, once Xherdan Shaqiri had skied over the bar from the Scot’s lay-off, their concentration rather wavered and the home side clicked into gear. The lead was slim at the interval, but the momentum appeared to be firmly with the league leaders.

It had taken a flurry of excellent saves from Grant to ensure Cahill’s goal was the only damage inflicted upon Mark Hughes’ side. The loanee from Derby County had thwarted Costa, crunching a shot from Cesc Fàbregas’ delivery to the far post, and Cahill moments later from the Spanish midfielder’s corner. That theme was maintained as Costa collected David Luiz’s punt magnificently on the run, cutting inside Ryan Shawcross only for the goalkeeper to prod the ball away as he prepared to shoot. The rebound fell to Eden Hazard whose half-volley was belted at goal, but Grant recovered his poise to spring up and push the shot behind.

It was a superb double-save, all smart reaction and quick thinking while too many of his defenders dawdled, but Stoke had retreated into themselves. From Fàbregas’ resultant corner, Cahill was allowed to run unchecked towards the near-post, leap above Shawcross and plant his header into the net. It was the 40th goal of the centre-half’s Chelsea career and, as the period petered out, had felt like the prelude to a more relaxed second half.

Yet there is a resilience to this Stoke team. They had drawn here back in March, as Guus Hiddink’s interim spell in charge fizzled out, as well as prevailing twice in the Potteries in league and cup, and have enjoyed disconcerting these opponents. Few players have unnerved this back-line as much as Peter Crouch and, by the time Willian was curling just wide of a post six minutes after the break, the visitors were back fighting on equal terms, parity having been restored 55 seconds after the re-start. Adam’s free-kick from just inside Chelsea’s half had been lofted diagonally to the far post where Crouch out-jumped Cahill. The former England striker looped his header back across goal where Martins Indi had squeezed space ahead of N’Golo Kanté and duly volleyed in.

The concession, only the third in 13 games, shocked the locals but there is too much confidence in this Chelsea team to be becalmed for long. Victor Moses, once on loan at Stoke, had long been a nuisance down the home side’s right, tormenting Erik Pieters. When his quick feet left the full-back on the turf, the winger had time to fizz in a centre which Hazard calmly touched into space and Willian thumped a left-footed shot beyond Grant before Joe Allen to muster a block. That had Conte skipping down the touchline, whipping up the support in the east stand as he went.

The hosts would prosper again down the right before too long, Fàbregas slipping Willian beyond Pieters to ram his second of the afternoon high into the roof of the net. The pass had been Fàbregas’ 100th Premier League assist, yet that had been delivered to reclaim the lead for a third time. Moments earlier Crouch and the recently introduced substitute, Bojan Krkic, had prompted panic in the penalty area at the other end, Kanté missing his kick in the confusion before the ball was shunted wide to Mame Diouf. His centre was slid along the six-yard box for Crouch to convert. Briefly, hope had flared. Then came Willian, Costa and Chelsea’s relief. This team still feels unstoppable. www.theguardian.com