Rampant Chelsea see off Canaries

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Chelsea 4 Norwich City 1

Chelsea’s blistering start to the season continued despite the off-field controversy surrounding John Terry and Ashley Cole.

A sluggish start allowed Grant Holt to thump Norwich into an early lead but the Blues answered bullishly and never looked back.

Mata was superb again.

Fernando Torres replied immediately to Holt’s opener with a header before Frank Lampard’s 189th Chelsea goal – and his 129th in the Premier League – took him ahead of Roy Bentley and level with Bobby Tambling for club league goals.

Eden Hazard steered the third beyond keeper John Ruddy to put the game beyond Norwich before half-time and Branislav Ivanovic added the fourth late on.

Terry returned to captain the side having spent the midweek Champions League win at FC Nordsjaelland on the bench.

Boss Roberto Di Matteo also opted to continue with John Obi Mikel and Lampard in midfield, meaning Ramires took a place among the substitutes with Victor Moses, while Brazilian whizzkid Oscar started only his second Premier League game.

Norwich deservedly led after capitalising on Chelsea’s sluggish start, but Juan Mata back-heeled to Ivanovic and the defender crossed onto the head of Torres for the equaliser.

Lampard’s volley was a mirror image of Holt’s opener – steering the ball low and hard into the net –  and then Hazard slotted home calmly from a Mata-led counter-attack.

Ivanovic completed the rout towards the end of a less eventful second half when he stole into the area and fired another Mata cross high into the net.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech, Ivanovic (Azpilicueta 78), Luiz, Terry, Cole; Mikel (Romeu 83), Lampard (Ramires 67); Mata, Oscar, Hazard; Torres.
Subs not used: Turnbull, Moses, Cahill, Bertrand.

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