League leaders Chelsea extended their lead atop the Premier League table to 8 points with a victory over visitors Hull City on Sunday. It was the returning Diego Costa who opened the scoring for the Blues late in injury time of the first half when he buried a Victor Moses cross into the net.
The scrappy game was finally settled in the 81st minute when Gary Cahill met with a Cesc Fabregas free-kick at the far post to ascertain Chelsea’s dominance and confirm the victory for the Blues. With Antonio Conte’s men running away with the league title, there are numerous takeaways from the game and here are our 5 talking points from the game.
#1 Diego Costa is back with a bang
The last few weeks have been tough for Diego Costa as he has had to train alone after a training ground bust-up with his manager Antonio Conte. However, he was deemed to be in the right state, physically as well as mentally by his club to start the game at home against Hull City and he repaid his manager’s faith by scoring his side’s opening goal of the game.
The game was a rather scrappy affair with both goalkeepers having very little to do. However, the Spaniard was in the right place at the right time late in the first half and duly converted the opportunity that came his way via a Victor Moses cross.
It is largely believed that Costa will soon leave the club, especially with the talk of a big money offer coming from Chinese shores. However, that should not undermine his abilities as one of the top strikers in the League and while he is at the club, Chelsea would be well served to utilise his abilities to the fullest.
#2 Victor Moses continues to be critical to Chelsea’s success
Chelsea were amongst the biggest benefactors of Nigeria’s failed qualification campaign for the ongoing African Cup of Nations as Victor Moses, who has been critical to the side, did not need to leave West London to take part in the tournament.
The Nigerian has made the right-wing-back position his own since Antonio Conte moved back to his preferred 3-5-2 formation, and has been dishing out impressive performance. On Sunday, Moses was yet again in fine form as he provided the all-important assist for the opening Chelsea goal.
With 3 goals and 2 assists in the ongoing season, Moses has been pivotal to Chelsea’s stronghold at the top of the Premier League table. However, his contribution to the side goes beyond just these numbers as he has made intelligent runs down the flanks, slicing open defences and picking the right passes to his attacking colleagues, while ensuring he does his fair share of defensive duties.
The tale of Moses is that of redemption in the place he was touted to never find it, and the Chelsea faithful would be more than happy that they did not let him leave despite his many loan stints.
#3 Hull City missed Robert Snodgrass
If there is one Hull City player who has impressed immensely in the current season, it is their creator-in-chief Robert Snodgrass. Having scored on 7 occasions and created 45 goal scoring opportunities thus far in the season, Snodgrass has established himself as one of the leading attacking threats in the current season.
Given his performances, it came as no surprise that West Ham are believed to have tabled a bid in the region of £6 million to acquire his services. While his manager Marco Silva was of the opinion that the Scottish midfielder missed the game owing to an injury, there have been rumours that he may have been left out due to a transfer bid placed on him.
The important point to note is that Hull severely missed his quality on the ball against the Blues. Be it his ability on the dead ball or his knack of picking out the right man in and around the box, Snodgrass has been critical to Hull’s fortunes and going forward. Tigers fan will hope he is in the right shape, physically and mentally to help his side climb out of the relegation spot in the Premier League table.
#4 Hull City have a mountain to climb
Hull City had a chance to climb out of the dreaded relegation spot on the Premier League table but were denied the opportunity to do so after Chelsea put in a thoroughly professional performance to take home all the 3 points from the game.
While Hull might feel incensed that the referee failed to spot a clear penalty when Marcos Alonso brought down Abel Hernandez in the box, the fact remains that Hull lacked the quality on and off the ball to truly trouble the league leaders.
Their season, though, is only going to get tougher as we approach further in the business end of the season. The Tigers have matches against Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal lined up one after another in February and Marco Silva has an uphill task if he is to guide his side out of the relegation battle.
With other clubs prying for some of their important players, the manager also has to ensure that he retains his best players to put their best foot forward.
#5 Chelsea maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League table
The pace-setters might not have enjoyed an extravagant evening wherein they scored a bag full of goals, but they did get the all-important three points from the game. Their win on Sunday evening means that they now have an 8 point lead over their nearest rivals Arsenal, who won their game as well.
The appointment of Conte has not only ensured better football, but it has also ensured positive results week after wee,k without being overly aggressive and that was on display against Hull, where Chelsea largely dominated the proceedings.
Scrappy wins might not make for pleasant viewing but they are a requisite habit of title-winning teams and Chelsea seem to have found the way to eke out positive results to maintain their position at the top of the Premier League table.
With games against Liverpool, Arsenal, and Burnley in February, the Blues have a tough month ahead and it was important that they maintain their momentum and they did so with aplomb on Sunday.
