Premier League Recap: Leicester Win in First Game without Ranieri, Chelsea Stay Top

• Fernando Llorente (45’+2′)

Recap

The Blues showed they’re still the odds-on favorites to win the Premier League this season, opening up a temporary 10 point lead at the top with just 12 games left after defeating Swansea City by two goals at home.

Antonio Conte’s men had actually dropped points in two out of their last three games, but a dominating performance in which they outshot Swansea 16-3 helped them take all three points.

The first goal started and ended with Cesc Fabregas. The Spaniard made a tackle near midfield, and quickly pushed the ball forward to Eden Hazard. Some quality passing led the ball being laid off for Pedro on the right side of the box. He cut back onto his left foot, and passed it to a storming Fabregas. Despite the ball being slightly caught under his feet, he was able to finish from close range and give the home squad the lead.

Cesc Fabregas rewards Chelsea with an early goal against Swansea pic.twitter.com/bTbfDYwjhN

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 25, 2017

That lead did not make to half-time though.

Swansea had a free-kick awarded to them just past half-field. Gylfi Sigurdsson, a catalyst for a struggling Swansea team so often this season, played in a beautiful long ball into the box. Some miscommunication and bad marking from Chelsea resulted in Fernando Llorente having a free header to level it up for Swansea City despite them being dominated the entire first half.

Fernando Llorente stuns Chelsea just before the halftime whistle pic.twitter.com/hDfEqVkTJu

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 25, 2017

While the visitors hung tough, two goals from Chelsea in the final twenty minutes saw the Blues through.

It started in the midfield with passing from N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic, who sat just in front of the back line and wreaked havoc defensively while picking their moments to go and support the attack. Kanta played it to Matic who played it between the lines to Pedro who was about fifteen-twenty yards from the box. His good first touch allowed him to run into a little pocket of space, before unleashing a curling beauty of a shot into the lower far left-hand corner to give Chelsea to the 2-1 lead.

Pedro has been watching "Bend It Like Beckham" on repeat #CFC pic.twitter.com/iekhemmEfi

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 25, 2017

A nice move from Hazard down the left and his cross to Diego Costa, who volleyed it first time from close range, doubled Chelsea’s lead and sealed another loss for Swansea City.

Swansea are still on 24 points, just two points clear of relegation, with Crystal Palace sitting in 18th with 22 points.