Chelsea put the club’s upheaval behind them to beat Norwich 3-1 at Carrow Road despite a slightly nervy finish.
Trevor Chalobah and Mason Mount got on the scoresheet inside 15 minutes as the visitors were seemingly on the way to the easiest of three points, running the Canaries ragged in the first 45 minutes.
Teemu Pukki halved the deficit from the spot after the break and Norwich then pushed for a late equaliser, but Kai Havertz put the result beyond doubt late on as Chelsea solidified their place in the Premier League top three.
The Blues took to the pitch with plenty of uncertainty at the club, after Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government earlier in the day in a move that has huge implications at Stamford Bridge.
What was clear, and became so very quickly, was that Chelsea were far too good for Norwich. The Blues had the lead inside three minutes, as Chalobah rose highest to head home Mount’s corner.
Kai Havertz was twice denied by Tim Krul as the barrage continued, and it wasn’t long before the lead was doubled. Havertz was involved, finding Mount who worked it into space before hammering an effort into the top corner.
It could have got even worse for Norwich before the break as Mount and Havertz continued to run the show, while Andreas Christensen should have made more of a free header from another corner that the Canaries failed to defend.
Norwich were much-improved in the second-half and offered a threat going forward, but they were unable to turn that into clear-cut chances.
They didn’t need anything special to halve the deficit though, as Chalobah handled a cross and the referee eventually pointed to the spot after a VAR review. Pukki stepped up and sent Mendy the wrong way to give Norwich hope of an unlikely comeback.
Max Aarons caused the Blues problems as the right-back regularly flew forward, but he couldn’t find the necessary final ball as Chelsea kept the hosts at arm’s length.
And any nerves were put to bed as the clocked ticked towards 90 minutes, with Havertz finishing superbly to continue his good form and secure the three points for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
