Chelsea have underlined their Premier League title credentials by romping to a 5-0 victory over Swansea City this afternoon.
The Blues took the lead in the first minute when Oscar latched onto a poor pass, before drilling a low effort into the corner.
Diego Costa added a second after being played through by Cesc Fabregas and the Brazilian scored again with a simple finish.
Moments later, Oscar scored Chelsea's fourth of the match, as he was picked out by Costa, before firing into the roof of the net.
Andre Schurrle wrapped up the victory late on as the Blues moved five points clear at the top of the table.
Find out how the action unfolded below.
Good afternoon everyone! It looks like it's going to be a massive weekend of Premier League football with some huge games at both ends of the table. Here, our coverage will be focusing on events right at the top, as Chelsea aim to go five points clear of Manchester City with a win over Swansea City.
Jose Mourinho's side come into today's match with back to back victories following their surprise defeat at Tottenham on New Year's Day. They overcame a slow start to beat Newcastle last weekend and they know how huge a win could be to their title aspirations this afternoon.
The Blues will come up against a Swansea side who are winless in their past three games. They will be without a few of their key players and of course they can no longer call on the goals of Wilfried Bony to bail them out of trouble, following the Ivorian's big money move to Man City earlier in the week.
PHOTOS: #Swans players arrive at the Liberty Stadium for today's @premierleague clash against @ChelseaFC. #SWAvCHE pic.twitter.com/33aEIOZkKV
— Swansea City FC (@SwansOfficial) January 17, 2015
There's plenty more to discuss between now and kick off, but before we go any further let me bring you the team news which was revealed just a few minutes ago.
SWANSEA XI: Fabianski, Tiendalli, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor, Carroll, Sigurdsson, Dyer, Oliveira, Routledge, Gomis
CHELESEA XI: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Filipe Luis, Matic, Fabregas, Willian, Oscar, Hazard, Diego Costa
SWANSEA SUBS: Tremmel, Rangel, Amat, Bartley, Fulton, Emnes, Barrow
CHELSEA SUBS: Courtois, Zouma, Mikel, Ramires, Schurrle, Salah, Remy
So, there we have our teams for this afternoon. As you can see Chelsea are pretty much at full strength, with the likes of Gary Cahill, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa back in the starting lineup. The only tough decision for Jose Mourinho to make seems to have been in goal, where Petr Cech keeps his place ahead of Thibaut Courtois, who is back from injury and on the bench.
As for Swansea, they have made two changes from the team that fought back to draw against West Ham last weekend. Dutchman Dwight Tiendalli is handed a rare start in place of Angel Rangel, while an injury to Leon Britton means that Portugal international Nelson Oliveira, who is on loan from Benfica, makes his full debut for the club.
With Manchester City set to play Arsenal tomorrow afternoon, you sense that this is a huge weekend in the title race for Chelsea. The Blues can put their biggest rivals under some huge pressure with a win today and it would certainly quieten their detractors after a rare tricky spell.
Congratulations to captain John Terry, who will today become our third all-time appearance maker... #CFC pic.twitter.com/Am9RziDM33
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 17, 2015
Of course if any other team had drawn with Southampton and then lost to Spurs it would not be viewed as a mini-crisis, but not many clubs in the Premier League have the sky high expectations of Chelsea this season. They had been clear the top and cruising, but that 5-3 loss at White Hart Lane allowed City to draw level at the top.
They recovered by beating Watford in the FA Cup and got back to winning ways in the league with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle last Saturday. That moved them two points clear at the top and although they were not at their best, they had more than enough class to steal the points.
With some crucial games to come by the end of month, this may be viewed as a pivotal time in Chelsea's season. They will face Liverpool twice in their League Cup semi-final, before taking on Man City on January 31 at Stamford Bridge in what could be a title-deciding clash.
Here are some of our players arriving at Swansea earlier on... #CFC pic.twitter.com/qn35RBQq7X
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 17, 2015
Let's take a closer look at the home side now. Swansea aren't in the best run of form in the league and their last win came on Boxing Day against Aston Villa. They could very well have lost their last two matches, but against Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United they came from behind to salvage 1-1 draws on each occasion.
Aside from their 6-2 victory in the FA Cup against Tranmere Rovers, the Swans have struggled to find their best form and they look very blunt in the final third. The passing style that they are renowned for seems to have deserted them recently and they need a spark to get their season going again.
It has not been easy with constant speculation linking their best players with moves away from the club and their prize asset finally left in midweek. Record signing Wilfried Bony joined Man City in a £28m deal after having such an impressive 18 months in Wales and it does not look like any of their current strikers are capable of replacing his goal threat.
Garry Monk has admitted that the club will have to make some signings this month and a striker would seem to be be priority. It would certainly help them in their bid to finish in the top half of the table and they may very well snatch a Europa League spot with a sustained run of form.
In recent meetings between the teams, it is Chelsea who have the better record. The Blues came from behind to win 4-2 when they played in September and that ended up being their fourth consecutive victory against the Swans.
© Getty Images
Swansea have won six and lost 13 of their games against the Blues. They have never beaten today's opponents in the Premier League, while the last time they came out on top was in the first leg of a League Cup semi-final two years ago. Swansea fans will have great memories of that match, and they followed it up by earning a draw in the second leg to reach the final, where they hammered Bradford to claim their first ever major piece of silverware.
PREDICTION: I can only see one team winning this afternoon and it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm tipping it to be Chelsea. The Blues have such a strong squad at their disposal and I can't see the home defence keeping them out. They are equally as good at the back and it's hard to see where a goal will come from Swansea. So, I'm predicting a 2-0 win for Chelsea, with Diego Costa and Eden Hazard both getting on the scoresheet.
With just five minutes to go until kick off, make sure you check out what the guys at Sports Mole HQ think of today's match in our video preview.
KICKOFF! We are underway at the Liberty Stadium!
GOAL! Swansea City 0-1 Chelsea (Oscar)
Wow! What a start to the match for Chelsea who have taken the lead in under a minute! Sigurdsson gives the ball away poorly to Oscar and the Brazilian takes a couple of touches before drilling a fine strike into the bottom corner.
OFF THE BAR! Sigurdsson almost makes up for his mistake with a stunning goal! The Iceland international is capable of the spectacular and he hammers in a brilliant long-range drive that ends up crashing off the top of the bar.
I've hardly been able to catch my breath after a whirlwind start to the match and the pace is not relenting. Swansea have responded well to falling behind, but they are looking very open in the midfield against a side like Chelsea who have shown that they can punish them for any lapses in concentration.
The Swans are enjoying a lot of the ball, but whenever Chelsea win back possession they look capable of scoring each time they come forward. Indeed, they are very nearly in again as Costa tries to slide a ball through to Hazard, but it is cut out by a last-ditch block.
CHANCE! When Chelsea get into the final third they are playing some wonderful stuff. They put together another fine team move here with Oscar picked out just inside the box. The Brazilian sees his powerful effort parried by Fabianski and the ball then drops kindly to Willian, but he can only lash an strike high over the bar.
It's very much all Chelsea at the moment and their midfielders are playing it around with ease just outside the Swansea box. Fabregas is at the heart of all of their best moves and the Spaniard is completely dominating in the middle of the pitch.
CLOSE! The Swansea defence seem mesmerized by the attacking play of their opponents and the Blues are able to string a number of passes together before getting into the area. The ball is then slipped to Oscar who looks for the corner, but he sees his low strike trickle across goal and head wide of the far post.
SAVE! The Blues come again and they steal the ball in the middle before charging forward at pace. Hazard then works some room on the edge of the box and fires in a strike that Fabianki manages to get down and parry.
GOAL! Swansea City 0-2 Chelsea (Diego Costa)
Chelsea have been absolutely brilliant here and they have now scored a much deserved second goal. A wonderful team move on the edge of the box sees Fabregas slide in Costa and the Brazilian keeps his composure to slot the ball past the keeper.
CHANCE! Costa only found the net a minute ago, but he probably should have another here. Once more the Blues steal possession and break at pace. It's Costa who is freed down the left and he comes inside before getting into a decent shooting position, but he can only place his strike over the bar.
Swansea have barely threatened since Sigurdsson hit the bar and their latest effort on goal is not one to remember. Gomis is the man who tries his luck with a strike from range, but it goes high and very wide of the target.
OFF THE POST! It's so easy for Chelsea who are in complete control of the match. It only seems a matter of time until they score a third goal and Willian nearly gets it when he is picked out inside the box and cracks a powerful strike onto the post.
Things are just going from bad to worse for Swansea and it looks like Routledge is going to have to be replaced. There was no contact with a Chelsea player and the injury seemed to happen when he played a simple pass.
SUBSTITUTION: Routledge's afternoon does come to an early end and he heads off to be replaced by Emnes.
GOAL! Swansea City 0-3 Chelsea (Diego Costa)
For all of Chelsea's great play, this really is a poor goal to give away from the hosts. Fernandez blindly plays the ball back to his keeper, but Costa was there and easily intercepts. The Brazilian then has just the keeper to beat and makes no mistake by slotting a low effort into the net.
GOAL! Swansea City 0-4 Chelsea (Oscar)
This is turning into an absolute rout now! Chelsea's last goal was courtesy of some poor defending, but this is a superb strike. The Blues pinch the ball in the middle and they find Costa down the right. The forward then looks up and spots Oscar on the edge of the box, who bends a fine strike into the roof of the net.
While Chelsea have been outstanding going forward, it is the way that they have pressured their opponents which has been most impressive. They have not given the Swansea defence any time to think and it has directly led to at least two of their four goals.
OFF THE BAR! For the second time this afternoon Willian hits the frame of the goal. Fabregas set up the move with an outstanding through ball that sent Costa clear. The Brazilian then rounded the keeper and after coming back inside he picked out the arriving Willian. The winger then steadied himself and looked for the top corner, but his strike came crashing off the bar, before the Swans were able to clear to safety.
There are going to be two minutes of added time.
HALF-TIME: Swansea City 0-4 Chelsea
Well, the first half comes to an end and where do I even begin to explain what has happened at the Liberty Stadium! It has been more or less the perfect half of football for Chelsea, who could very well be more than four goals up against a Swansea side that have just been blown away.
The statistics at the break pretty much sum up how dominant the Blues have been. They have been in complete control of the midfield and they have seen 54% of the ball. They have also had 11 attempts on goal, with six of those finding the target, while none of the home side's six efforts have been able to test Petr Cech.
© Getty Images
Diego Costa and Oscar may rightly get the credit for their goals this afternoon, but the man running the show from the middle of the pitch has been Cesc Fabregas. The Spaniard has been outstanding and some of the passes he has made have been out of this world.
15 - Cesc Fabregas is the first Premier League player to provide 15 assists in two different seasons. Creator.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 17, 2015
All the talk has been about how good Chelsea have been, but what about Swansea? Well, the hosts have been destroyed and they gave the ball away constantly in that first half. There is surely no way back for them and Garry Monk will be hoping that they can improve and show some pride in front of their home fans.
Right, the players have just made their way out of the dressing rooms and onto the pitch and we are just moments away from the second half.
Chelsea take the kick off and get the second period underway!
The half gets off to a fiery start with Williams dragging down Costa. The Brazilian then reacts angrily and the two players square up. However, the referee quickly defuses the situation without handing out a booking to either player.
The Swans are looking for something to give them a boost in the opening minutes of the half and Sigurdsson whips in a decent free kick that is headed behind for the first corner. The Swans can't make anything of it though, as Cech comes and claims with consummate ease.
Down the other end of the pitch the Blues win their first corner of the day and it allows the likes of Terry and Cahill to get into the box for the first time. It is Cahill who wins the header, but his effort loops up into the air and the Swans defence are able to clear the danger.
It's turning into a real battle between Costa and Williams and that could be something to keep an eye on. At 4-0 up Mourinho will not want to see his top goalscorer be sent off for a needless booking.
SHOT! Chelsea haven't quite reached the heights of their first half display, but they turn it up a notch here. Hazard gets involved with a great run down the left and he gets to the byline before picking out Fabregas. The Spaniard then looks to place an effort into the corner, but he can only direct his attempt straight into the gloves of the keeper.
For the first time in the match, Swansea are having a pretty decent spell. Dyer is unlucky to see a run through the middle well cut out by Ivanovic and moments later Oliveira gets a shot away from long range, but unfortunately for the Portuguese it heads well wide.
SUBSTITUTION: Swansea make their second change of the match and Fulton is on for his his first Premier League appearance of the season in place of Oliveira.
With Chelsea in such a dominant position, you wonder when Mourinho will make any changes. They are up against Liverpool in a huge League Cup semi-final on Tuesday and the manager must be thinking about resting some of his stars.
SHOT! Out of nothing Chelsea almost grab their fifth of the match. Another strong spell of possession ends with Hazard being played the ball just outside the box. He takes a touch and tries to find the top corner, but Fabianski is equal to the strike and does well to palm it wide.
SUBSTITUTION: Chelsea do make their first changes of the match, as Remy replaces Costa and Ramires takes the place of Fabregas.
SUBSTITUTION: It's a change for the Swans too, as Barrow takes the place of Dyer. There was a bit of a delay in that sub as Williams looks like he is struggling with an injury, but the captain will now see the game through.
SUBSTITUTION: Chelsea complete a trio of substitutions by bringing on World Cup winner Schurrle for Willian.
CLOSE! Oscar is so unlucky not to be celebrating a hat-trick! The Brazilian steals the ball from Emnes and powers his way to the edge of the box. He then bends a wonderful strike with the outside of his right foot that goes barely inches wide of the far post.
GOAL! Swansea City 0-5 Chelsea (Andre Schurrle)
Schurrle has only been on the pitch for a few minutes and he quickly gets in on the action. Yet again, it's a wonderful team move from the Blues, as Hazard weaves his way down the right before finding Ivanovic. The full back then slides a low ball across the face of the goal and Schurrle was there at the near post to tap home from just a few yards out.
You wouldn't put it past Chelsea scoring again in the final minutes of this match, as they are still committing plenty of men forward to each attack. This has been such a great display and it will surely have sent out a strong message to their title rivals.
SHOT! Remy has his first chance since coming on for Costa. The striker picks the ball up around 25 yards out from goal and works some room before trying to bend one into the bottom corner. However, his strike is far too close to Fabianski, who is able to make a simple stop.
FULL-TIME: Swansea City 0-5 Chelsea
It's over in Wales and Chelsea have romped to an emphatic 5-0 victory this afternoon. The Blues were simply unstoppable in that first half and they have now move five points clear of Man City at the top of the Premier League!
© Getty Images
I'm afraid that's all we've got time for here after a stunning match. There will be plenty more live games throughout the weekend, with analysis and player ratings of every game to follow! I hope you have enjoyed our coverage. Goodbye!
Written by
Alex Meyers
Alex Meyers
