Compared to the previous round, Connor Roberts and Sam Clucas were the main players, replacing Federico Fernandez and Tom Carroll on the Swansea side. Meanwhile, Bakayoko and Courtois replaced vian and Caballero in the Chelsea starting lineup.
Chelsea opened the scoring in the 4th minute. Originating from a damaged pass from a white player, Kante stole the ball and pushed it to Hazard. The Belgian midfielder assisted Fabregas to launch an accurate shot into the top corner of the opponent's goal.
This was Fabregas' 50th Premier League goal in his career. After Fernando Torres and Diego Costa, he is the third Spanish player to reach this milestone.
To lose early, Swansea pushed up their formation but their defense still had moments of lack of concentration. Center back Alfie Mawson almost hit the back of his net in an attempt to clear the ball in the 21st minute.
Chelsea kept the match slow. They are waiting for the opportunity to launch counter-attacks. However, they did not create many notable chances in the rest of the first half. Rain, slippery pitch, and wet balls have also affected the handling of Chelsea's technical players.
Swansea's lack of cohesion and creativity left them helpless to penetrate Chelsea's defense. Both sides had to enter the break with a loss of 0-1.
The game became more exciting in the second half when each team needed points to complete their own goals this season. hazard was closely marked by the Swansea defense but was still the most outstanding player in the Blues' attack.
The visitors' strikers still lacked accuracy in their finishing. Bakayoko or hazard himself could not bring Chelsea double the gap.
For the home team, their determination to stay in the league has forced them to use many different options to attack, from individual efforts to long-range shots and high balls. Andre Ayew and his teammates had the opportunity to take turns but goalkeeper Courtois kept a clean sheet until the end of the match.
The 1-0 final ratio helped coach Antonio Conte have his 50th win in the Premier League. Chelsea have 66 points after 35 matches, 2 points behind 4th-placed Tottenham despite playing 1 more match. Swansea's score is still 33 and the gap between them and the "red light" group is only 1 point.
Lineup:
Swansea (3-4-2): Fabianski, Naughton, Van der Hoorn, Mawson; Roberts (Carroll 63), Ki Sung-yueng, Andy King (Dyer 58), Olsson (Routledge 81); Andre Ayew, Clucas; Jordan Ayew.
Chelsea (3-5-1): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Rudiger; Moses, Fabregas (Pedro 81), Kante, Bakayoko, Emerson; Hazard (Willian 81); Giroud ( Morata 85).
