Fabregas scores as Chelsea go 11 points clear
Chelsea 3 Swansea City 1
Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and Diego Costa scored as Chelsea wore down a spirited Swansea side to move 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
The outstanding Fabregas slid a dominant Blues ahead, only for Fernando Llorente to level with a header in first-half injury time.
But Chelsea piled forward after the break and Pedro’s curling strike and Costa’s volley earned a 12th successive home victory.
The Blues dominated throughout and after Pedro and Fabregas had gone close they took a deserved lead 19 minutes in.
Fabregas, selected ahead of Nemanja Matic in midfield, was the scorer, finding the bottom corner after good work by Eden Hazard and Pedro.
Llorente’s header from a free-kick gave the Swans renewed belief but the home pressure was unrelenting after the interval.
Hazard forced a fine save from Lukasz Fabianski and a Fabregas effort clipped the top of the bar when he should have scored from just inside the area.
But Fabianski allowed Pedro’s 11th goal of the season to beat his unconvincing dive, and Costa’s eighth goal in five games against the Swans – after a brilliant burst and pass by Hazard – sealed the victory.
Subs not used: Begovic, Terry, Loftus-Cheek, Batshuayi.
