Chelsea overcame Premier League rivals Stoke City by a goal to nil on Sunday afternoon at Stamford Bridge. In the end the Blues cruised home as the visitors rarely threatened once Chelsea had taken the lead, although Mark Hughes was pleased his side was in the game until the end. There were a couple of stand out performances, but Jose Mourinho will be concerned that his team struggled to put the game to bed. Samuel Eto'o sliced a very good chance wide, while Asmir Begovic pulled off a couple of good saves as well as having his woodwork to thank for restricting Chelsea to only a single goal. Here is where the game was won and lost.....
5. Oscar
His free kick was a sumptuous strike = power, curl, placement. Begovic will be disappointed to concede on 'his side of the goal' but take nothing away from the strike from the Brazilian. Oscar struggled to get into the game for the first half an hour but once he did Chelsea looked very threatening. He hit the woodwork as the game entered a hectic final five minutes in the first half and also bent a shot just wide of the far post in the second half. His technique was flawless, his passing accurate, and his work rate meant that Chelsea will not miss the now departed Juan Mata, who completed his move to Manchester United. Compare that to Stoke who lacked that player who could really influence the game in the final third, and it is easy to see why Oscar was so important in Chelsea's victory.