Norwich 1-2 Chelsea: Five talking points

Diego Costa and Kennedy were on target as Chelsea scraped a 2-1 victory over Norwich at Carrow Road. The Blues recent run of good form helped them climb up to eighth spot in the Premier League table, while the loss for Norwich means that the Canaries were pushed into the dreaded bottom three, tied on points with Sunderland and Newcastle.The Blues fired themselves into the lead within the first minute of the game as Kennedy recorded the fastest goal of the Premier League this season, recorded at 39 seconds. The second came at the other extreme of the first-half as Douglas Costa sneaked in to hit his eleventh goal of the Premier League campaign during the added minutes.Norwich fought valiantly in the second half and gave themselves a glimmer of hope when Nathan Redmond scored. However, that was all that the Canaries could summon as they stumbled to their sixteenth league defeat this season.Here at the five talking points from the game at Carrow road:

#1 Kenedy impresses

Kenedy scored the fastest goal of this season

Young Brazilian left-back Kenedy was given his first chance to shine under Guus Hiddink and he took it with arms wide open. The South American not only was astute defensively but also gave Chelsea the early boost propelling them to victory.

The Chelsea defence has looked a shambles this year with players struggling to find form. Only in recent times have the Blues been able to come up with a defensive line that in the least gave a semblance of authority at the back, albeit because of injuries to key figures.

The pairing of Branislav Ivanovic alongside Gary Cahill looks to be at least solid. With Cesar Azpilicueta shifting to the right, the only spot with a question mark was the left-back one.

This internal shifting has meant the coming to the fore of some new names at the left-back spot. While Abdul Baba-Rahman impressed with his display against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League clash, the ex-Augsburg man had to be hauled off at half-time against Southampton for his costly mistake.

That opened the gates for Kenedy and he enthralled us all with he quickest goal in the league this season and what a goal it was! The 20-year-old showed some of the touches we associate with South Americans as he dropped his shoulder to beat a couple of men and then hit a ravishing low drive to nestle the ball into the bottom left hand corner of John Ruddy's net.

#2 Norwich are in free fall

Norwich look certain for the drop

Norwich are going down faster than a sledge down a mountain slope and there is really no two ways about it. The Canaries have collected just one solitary point from their last eight league encounters and that form will land them straight into the Championship come May.

Alex Neil’s side was hard done by some refereeing decisions for sure. But for all their gusto and fight, they always never looked likely to come out of this with something positive. They really did lack that cutting edge in the final third.

Cameron Jerome is really not the answer you should be banking on when you are facing the threat of relegation, but he seems to be Alex Neil’s best bet up front right now. The ex-Stoke man missed two glorious opportunities to add to his tally.

Following in the footsteps of the nightmare he had against Leicester over the weekend, Jerome is clearly not the answer and it is better if Neil figures that out sooner rather than later.

#3 Diego Costa continues his revival

Costa has found his scoring boots under Hiddink

One of the biggest reasons for Chelsea’s early season slump was the form of Diego Costa or rather the lack of it. The Spaniard struggled mightily not only to find the back of the net, but also to influence the game in ways we had seen him do in his first season at Stamford Bridge.

The slump ended up in Chelsea falling way off the pace and costing Jose Mourinho his job. While Costa was nowhere his subliminal best, he no longer looks like a striker lacking his confidence. His predatorial instincts seem to be back and he his making more headlines for his antics on the pitch rather than off it.

The introduction of Guus Hiddink has worked wonders for the ex-Atletico man. Costa has now scored or assisted 12 goals in his last 10 Premier League games. This includes a vital second for Chelsea in first-half injury time, which later turned out to be the winner.

While his goal was clearly offside as suggested by video replays, the real point of emphasis for Hiddink and Chelsea fans would be the way Costa coolly dinked the ball over the keeper to seal the victory.

#4 Redmond looks a handful

Redmond scores for Norwich

There is always a player that the whole team looks to when they are in desperate need for some inspiration. Nathan Redmond is exactly that for Norwich. The English player has the potential to be a class above the rest wearing the Green and Gold and he showed exactly that.

The 21-year-old was feisty in his attitude and sparkling in his time on the field against Chelsea. The fleet-footed ex-Birmingham man was Norwich’s best player on the pitch as he raided down the right time and again to give the Chelsea backline fits. His performance and he got himself exactly that when slotted it past Thibaut Courtois in the second half to give Norwich a glimmer of a hope.

Redmond will surely be a man Alex Neil will look upon to pull Norwich clear of the dangers of relegation. And even if Norwich do end up going down, you can surely assume that Nathan might not be going down with them.

#5 Guus Hiddink has had a positive effect

Guus Hiddink has really turned things around for Chelsea

Chelsea remain undefeated in the Premier League in 2016 and have notched up nine points from the last nine available for the first time since April last year. Their run of form comes at the right time and Guus Hiddink seems to be guiding them well. The Blues now sit comfortably in eighth spot with thoughts of a relegation fight a far-fetched dream.

It was not the best game for Chelsea and after the recent big wins over Newcastle and Manchester City, this would have made this a sore on the eye for the Chelsea faithful as well. However, this was a side of Chelsea that was sorely missing earlier in the season. The Blues were stubborn defensively and even they struggled to put the passes together but they dug their heels in and didn’t give in.

The next seven days will be huge for Chelsea with the Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain looming large on the horizon. With the top four seemingly out of their reach this season, conquering Europe via the Champions League seems to be their only way into the competition next season.