Chelsea cant stop with Diego Costa, Arsenal 1 Tottenham 1 North London rivals cant beat each others.
Chelsea 3 Aston Villa 0:Speical Ona must be happy Diego Costa transfer
Jose Mourinho claims his £32million striker is still not fully fit and can play only one game a week.
But even on one leg he cut an impressive figure as he took his season’s tally to eight goals. He even had a say in Willian’s late strike as Chelsea coasted home.
Oscar’s early opener threatened to open the floodgates. That never materialised but Mourinho’s men hardly had to break sweat to see out this one-sided contest.
Mourinho said: “We kept control of the game all the time. We are fine, playing well, scoring goals and we are happy.”
And the Chelsea boss insisted Costa needed more recovery time, adding: “He’s doing almost nothing. He’s just resting and recovering from the tight muscle he has every time he accumulates fatigue.”
Aston Villa’s good start to the season came to a shuddering halt against Arsenal last time out and they knew it would not get any easier here.
Chelsea have been scoring goals for fun and Villa knew their 100 per cent record on the road was on the line.
And with Costa the Premier League’s deadliest marksman, it would take something special to blunt the hosts.
Villa boss Paul Lambert did his best to pack his midfield and then look to break with pace at every opportunity.
That chance almost presented itself in the second minute as Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was out quickly to smother Fabian Delph following a breakaway.
But Oscar drew first blood in the seventh minute. Willian’s shot was blocked by Brad Guzan but the rebound fell kindly for the Brazilian to set up his countryman’s close-range finish.
And it could have got worse in the 15th minute. Costa’s clever flick freed Willian and his cross was deflected inches wide off Alan Hutton. Villa’s best hope probably lay in a set-piece play and that almost contributed to a 19th-minute leveller.
Ashley Westwood’s corner caused a scramble in the Chelsea box, but Aly Cissokho stabbed wide.
Cesc Fabregas drove wide from the edge of the box on the half-hour mark and the impressive Willian then crossed for Costa to force Guzan into a routine save from a tame header.
Content to frustrate the hosts, Villa finally broke out and threatened just two minutes after the restart.
Delph’s quick feet found him some extra room and the new England midfielder saw his 25-yard shot curl the wrong side of the post.
This wasn’t the same Chelsea side that blitzed Everton and Swansea in the opening few weeks. Much of that was down to the visitors and they sounded a warning of themselves with 54 minutes on the clock.
Westwood’s free-kick found Nathan Baker but the defender could only head onto the top of the net.
It was the wake-up call Chelsea needed as Costa continued his sparking start to life in west London in the 59th minute.
Costa got a run on Baker to power home a header from Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross beyond Guzan.
Costa tormented the Villa defence again and after his shot was beaten out by Guzan the ball rebounded for Willian to score in the 79th minute.
Costa was replaced moments later but his job was already done.
Lambert lamented: “When you get a chance you have to score.
“We gave it a right go but we are playing without a recognised striker at the moment. We are in a run of games that is really tough.”
Chelsea vs Aston Villa Match Stats
CHELSEA 4-2-3-1: Courtois 6.5; Ivanovic 7, Cahill 5.5, Terry 6, Azpilicueta 6; Fabregas 7, Matic 7; Willian 7.5, Oscar 7 (Mikel 77), Hazard 6 (Schurrle 68, 6); Costa 7 (Remy 81).
Subs not used: Cech, Luis, Zouma, Drogba, Remy.
Bookings: Cahill, Fabregas.
Manager: Jose Mourinho 7.
ASTON VILLA 4-5-1: Guzan 6.5; Hutton 6, Senderos 6, Baker 6, Cissokho 6; Richardson 6 (Bent 69, 5), Cleverley 6.5, Westwood 6.5, Delph 7, Weimann 5 (N’Zogbia 69, 5); Agbolahor 7.
Subs not used: Given, Clark, Bacuna, Sanchez, Grealish.
Bookings: Cleverley, Senderos
Manager: Paul Lambert 6
Chelsea 3 Aston Villa 0 Match Video
[media id=1108 width=610 height=340]Arsenal 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1 :Oxlade-Chamberlain savior for Gunners in North London derby
Truth to tell, they saw little they need to worry about when they return for their crucial Champions League clash on Wednesday.
It’s Arsene Wenger who has the problems with a side that lacked flair and imagination yesterday – and one which could also be without Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere.
Both of them took bad knocks against a Tottenham side that bagged most of the bragging rights after a derby that had plenty of the traditional passion, but not enough of the sort of style that will win honours this season – for either side.
It was all rather too fast and furious for the purists.
Mauricio Pochettino’s English isn’t exactly word perfect, but even he could not have failed to get the message when most of the crowd rose to their feet as one following the prompting of “if you hate Tottenham, stand up”.
Whatever Pochettino made of it all didn’t alter the fact that, in the early stages at least, his players sat back more than they sat up, and Arsenal dominated as a result.
Home hearts were in their mouths when Wilshere got a knock on that dodgy ankle of his.
But generally speaking they didn’t have much else to worry about.
Spurs were in defensive mode then.
Having said that, Hugo Lloris had only a couple of real saves to make – from Wilshere and Oxlade- Chamberlain.
At the other end, Wojciech Szczesny needed to be on his toes at the other end to stop Per Mertesacker from heading into his own net.
And he was at full stretch a little later to deny Emmanuel Adebayor a happy return to his old stomping ground.
Ramsey limped off just before the break with a damaged hamstring.
No wonder, then, that Pochettino – given a ticking off for straying outside his touchline technical area – looked the happier of the two managers at half time.
Mesut Ozil, virtually anonymous in the first half, reminded everyone he was there soon after the restart with an effort Lloris did well to bear out.
Then the German went back in his shell again.
And Arsenal paid the price for their profligacy soon afterwards.
Mathieu Flamini dithered long enough for Christian Eriksen to dispossess him and feed a great ball through ball to the marauding Nacer Chadli.
The Belgian, born again this season after a barren opening time last term, bagged his fourth goal in five league games that made the single one he managed last season little more than a bad memory.
His celebrations brought him a booking, but the Spurs contingent behind that goal couldn’t have cared less.
One up against the old enemy was what their dreams were made of. Arsene Wenger brought his big-money buy, Alexis Sanchez, off the bench to try to rescue the situation.
The Gunners certainly needed something – and they finally got it on 74 minutes following a string of defensive howlers that opened the door for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to fire home a desperate equaliser and rescue a point.
This time, Lloris, a veritable rock for Spurs – along with man-of-the- match Younes Kaboul – could do nothing about it.
On balance it was, perhaps, justice overall that they couldn’t. A draw was about right.
Arsenal vs Tottenham Match Stats
Arsenal: Szczesny, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Arteta (Flamini 28), Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey (Cazorla 45), Wilshere (Sanchez 63), Ozil, Welbeck.
Subs Not Used: Rosicky, Podolski, Ospina, Coquelin.
Booked: Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Chambers.
Goals: Oxlade-Chamberlain 74.
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Naughton, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose (Dier 83), Mason, Capoue, Lamela, Eriksen (Lennon 62), Chadli (Bentaleb 80), Adebayor.
Subs Not Used: Soldado, Vorm, Townsend, Fazio.
Booked: Lamela, Chadli, Adebayor, Lennon, Mason, Rose.
Goals: Chadli 56.
Att: 59,900
Ref: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).
Arsenal 1 Tottenham 1 Match Video
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Barclays Premier League Match Week 6 Results
Saturday, 27 September
Liverpool 1 Everton 1
Hull City 2 Man City 4
Sunderland 0 Swansea City 0
Crystal Palace 2 Leicester City 0
Chelsea 3 Aston Villa 0
Man United 2 West Ham 1
Southampton 2 QPR 1
Arsenal 1 Tottenham 1
Sunday, 28 September
West Brom 4 Burnley FC 0
Monday, 29 September
Stoke City 20:00 Newcastle
Barclays Premier League Week 6 Table
