Chelsea went into the match very aware of the Gunners who were lurking behind them just by a point, so the champions had to win to stay in position three in the league standings. They had drawn at Liverpool in the previous game thus making them trail the league leaders, Manchester City by a massive eleven points. The Londoners were also keen on reducing the gap between them and the second-placed, Manchester United which had increased to six points before the game.
Swansea City traveled to the capital city in the quest for the first win after failing to record any victory in their previous five Premier League matches.
The Swans went into the game while in position nineteen, and they knew too well that only the win over Chelsea could help Paul Clement's men exit the drop zone.
What transpired
Antonio Conte made four changes from the team that started at Liverpool at the weekend in a change that saw Cesar Azplicueta, Danny Drinkwater, Eden Hazard, and Tiemeou Bakayoko start from the bench. The four players created spaces for Willian, Antonio Rudiger, Pedro Rodriguez, and Cesc Fabregas who both never started in the trip to Merseyside on Saturday.
Swansea City squad that earned a 0-0 draw against Bournemouth at the weekend remained unchanged, but Tammy Abraham wasn't going to be part of Clement's team. Abraham is loaned from Chelsea, so he couldn't face his parent club.
In fact, the Swansea City's top scorer sat with Chelsea players during the entire match.
When the game began, it was the hosts that were going forward quite often but were unable to break the deadlock as the game entered the break without any side finding the back of the net. However, the Blues came back throwing nearly every prayer forward in the hunt for goals.
German defender Antonio Rudiger headed home from N'golo Kante's deflected shot to give the champions the lead ten minutes after the restart of the second period.
The Blues couldn't seal the match even after bringing in star players like Eden Hazard with Lukasz Fabianski making numerous crucial saves. The game ended 1-0 in favor of the hosts who were disappointed by only winning by a risky margin.
However, it was the fourth clean sheet the Blues were keeping in their previous five Premier League matches.
For the Swans, the winless streak is on, and Paul Clement's side will have to win a few matches in future to exit the drop zone. Swansea City currently has just nine points after playing fourteen league matches this term.
Next contests
Chelsea will host Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in a game that the Blues need a win to go level on points with Manchester United. The game against the Magpies pits Chelsea with former manager, Rafa Benitez who won with the Blues the 2012/13 Europa League.
Swansea City travels to Stoke City in a contest that pits the two league sides that each lost its midweek Premier League match. Stoke City is winless in four league matches while Swansea City has failed to register any victory in their last seven matches in all competitions.
