Chelsea returned to winning ways in the Premier League by claiming a slender 1-0 victory over Norwich City at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues, who had lost each of their last three top-flight games, had Diego Costa to thank for the triumph as his second-half strike proved the difference.
Norwich struggled to ask too many questions of their opponents after falling behind in the 64th minute, and in the end it was a deserved win for an improved Chelsea side.
Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look back at how the action unfolded in West London.
Match statistics
CHELSEA
Shots: 21
On target: 7
Possession: 65%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 4
NORWICH CITY
Shots: 4
On target: 2
Possession: 35%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 12
Was the result fair?
This was a a much-improved performance from Chelsea which, while still not quite at the level of last season's showings, was more than enough to get the job done. Norwich did well to keep their opponents out in a goalless opening hour to the match, but the Blues were often their own worst enemy when missing countless openings.
Jose Mourinho's side were in control throughout and, bar a blocked Sebastian Bassong effort that required a superb John Terry block to keep it out, Norwich never truly looked like scoring. Visiting keeper John Ruddy had seven shots to save in the end, the majority of which were simple enough to deal with, as Chelsea found their high energy levels of old.
It could have been even better for the West-London outfit had Kurt Zouma's flicked effort from a dangerous Willian free kick not grazed the bar, yet in truth the manner of the victory was never going to be all that important. Getting back to winning ways after just two victories in 10, no matter how that was achieved, was all that really mattered this afternoon.
Chelsea's performance
For obvious reasons, no side has come under the media glare in quite the same manner as Chelsea this season. Mourinho's future at the club has been called into question numerous times, while there had also been suggestions of certain players claiming that they were unwilling to continue playing for their manager.
Those rumours were quickly dispelled as the Premier League champions finally kick-started their campaign on home soil, with Eden Hazard in particular proving a key figure in this narrow win. The Belgian has perhaps been the biggest under-performer of the lot this term, largely because of the high levels set last time out, but this was a fine showing from the mercurial ace.
While Hazard will rightly claim the plaudits for his star showing, praise should also go to Costa who ended a bad personal run of his own by finding the bottom corner this afternoon. It was the striker's first goal in seven, a barren run stretching some 603 minutes, coming after the opposition defence completely switched off. The big question now is whether Mourinho's men can replicate this performance, while also becoming more ruthless in attack, ahead of some tougher tests to come.
Norwich City's performance
Had Norwich held out for the draw, then Alex Neil would have been lauded for his smart gameplan. As it turned out, the Canaries missed out on the chance to end their poor run against Chelsea, which has now seen them fail to prevail in each of their last 13 encounters with the Blues, on what was ultimately a disappointing afternoon.
The international break may have come at just the wrong time for the Canaries, who were boosted by a huge 1-0 victory over Swansea City a fortnight ago to end a seven-match winless run. Neil's charges face a tough run of games between now and the new year, taking on four of the division's top-seven sides, and the Scotsman may have to alter his tactics for those difficult-looking fixtures.
Neil would largely have been pleased by what he saw in the first half, even if his side did live dangerously at times when being carved open by the hosts. The second-half showing lacked any attacking threat, though, and it was also a disappointing way to lose the game when Cesc Fabregas's quick free kick completely caught the defence out. There is no shame in losing at Stamford Bridge, even if this is a different Chelsea side to last season, yet this will surely go down as a chance missed to pull off an historic result.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Eden Hazard: The Belgian was deployed in a central position from the off, allowing him to drift into both flanks at will where he created numerous openings for his teammates. This was the Hazard of old; a player who claimed the PFA Player of the Year award just six months ago following a campaign to remember. Chelsea supporters will just be hoping that this is a sign of things to come, rather than an anomaly in what has otherwise been a disappointing term to date.
Biggest gaffe
Norwich deserve praise for the way in which they stood strong at the back for so long in this match, but they were undone in the second half when Fabregas's simple ball over the top was latched on to by Costa. The Brazilian-born forward still had a man to beat, but he cut inside with his first touch and picked out the bottom corner with his second.
Referee performance
Man in the middle Craig Pawson had a big call to make at both ends of the field in the opening 45 minutes. First Robbie Brady went down inside the box following a nudge from Willian, before Costa himself went to ground soon after. Replays suggest that the official got both decisions correct, though on another day it may have been a different story.
What next?
Chelsea: Following a trip to Israel for their latest European outing at Maccabi Tel Aviv in midweek, Chelsea make the short trip across London to face rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a huge Premier League showdown.
Norwich City: The Canaries welcome Arsenal to Carrow Road in eight days' time, where they will be looking to bounce back from this defeat to the reigning champions.
Daniel Lewis
