Stoke 0 Chelsea 4: Morata and Blues Obliterated Hapless Potters

steemsports (80)in #steemsports • 7 years ago

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This was Morata's first treble since joining from Madrid
He scored the first goal in the 2nd minute
He scored his second and match ball clincher in the 77th and 82nd minutes respectively
Pedro Rodriguez also found himself on the scoresheet
Chelsea remains 3rd behind the Manchester Clubs

Alvaro Morata scored a sublime hat-trick as Chelsea romped to an emphatic 4-0 win at Stoke on Saturday. Chelsea was looking to move on from the completion of the protracted Diego Costa's saga, and they really needed some boost. It took Alvaro Morata just 83 seconds to provide that boost and steal the show when he prodded in a Cesar Azpilicueta assist beyond a hapless Jack Butland.

Chelsea fans were totally over the moon about their new signing at the away end. They were united in singing "He comes from sunny Spain, he's better than Harry Kane" rather than the anti-semitic chant they had previously used to taunt Spurs supporters.

Though Stoke supporters would be feeling hard done by injuries to their backline, that left them severely lacking in numbers at the back, with only one true center back amongst the 3 fielded against Chelsea.

With Pedro also finding the back of the net, Chelsea continued their fine form away from home, where they have won all matches and only conceded two goals (one of which was an own goal by Michy Batshuayi against Spurs) after the debacle that was their opening day loss at home to Burnley.

A lot has been made about Chelsea's transfer window and squad depth, but critics were left holding their heads in shame with Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill, Cesc Fabregas and Davide Zappacosta all on the bench, with Danny Drinkwater and David Luiz in the stands.

'Alvaro did very well. He scored a hat-trick just like Michy Batshuayi did in midweek. It's very important for a striker. I am pleased with his performance but also the team as it shows they are creating chances,' said an obviously pleased Antonio Conte.

'It's always a difficult game at Stoke. We struggled to win 2-1 last season with a late goal. The key this time was to start well and score early. Then we were in control of the game. Morata was very good. Now he has to continue this way to be a great striker.'

Stoke's backline looked vulnerable with injuries to Kevin Wimmer, Geoff Cameron, and Ryan Shawcross meaning that Bruno Martins Indi was the only available center-half, with loanee Kurt Zouma unable to face his parent club.

Mark Hughes was undeterred and chose to field a makeshift three-man central defense with two full backs supporting Martins Indi and two attack-minded wingers as wingbacks.

The disjointed formation was easily exposed after less than two minutes when Cesar Azpilicueta pinged a long ball that found Morata in lots of space beyond the reach of Martins Indi and Glen Johnson. Morata coolly controlled the ball with one touch and deftly slotted the ball low beyond Jack Butland with the next.

Chelsea was basically gifted the second by Stoke skipper and Man United legend, Darren Fletcher when he chested down a loose ball at the edge of the box in the path of the onrushing Pedro Rodriguez.

The second half was dominated mostly by Stoke City as they looked to come back out of the hole they found themselves in, and kudos must be given to them for their efforts. Soke prodded the Chelsea backline for a result, however, Chelsea remained resolute in defense, with a fine performance by the likes of youngster Andreas Christensen, Toni Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Alvaro Morata once again had his say in the 77th minute, when he produced yet another world-class goal. He latched onto a loose ball from Glen Johnson just beyond the halfway line and accelerated away from the defender and past the struggling Fletcher. The move was completed by a lovely dinked finish over Butland.

The hat-trick goal arrived five minutes later. Fabregas pinged a quarterback pass to Azpilicueta who squeezed in a chested pass into Morata's path without breaking stride. Morata latched on to it with a deft touch and the ball nestled into the net.