Chelsea are still unbeaten in the Premier League and they're at least temporarily top of the table. They were made to work hard for a victory by Stoke, but Ashley Cole came up with a late goal to grab a 1-0 win for the Blues.
Chelsea Vs. Stoke City: Final Score 1-0 As Blues Keep Unbeaten Record
Much like the vast majority of their road games -- and even home games against teams of Chelsea's stature -- Stoke defended deep and let their opponent keep possession of the ball for most of the game. Steven Nzonzi and Charlie Adam are a bit more technically adept than what Tony Pulis usually has to work with in midfield, but they also fit in well with the Stoke ethos of kicking the ball very far and fouling people.
Fernando Torres missed multiple good opportunities throughout the match, much to no one's surprise. Juan Mata also looked poor for much of the match, but came up huge at the very end. In the 85th minute, the ball fell to Mata in the box and he played an impressive flick into the path of Cole, who had continued his run from left back. He showed great composure on the close-range finish to put Chelsea ahead.
Stoke pushed for an equalizer, but never tested Petr Cech at the end. A loss at Stamford Bridge is nothing to be ashamed of, but Tony Pulis will be disappointed that his team couldn't hang on for another five minutes after defending so well for the first 85 minutes of the match.
See More:
