PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: SWANSEA CITY V CHELSEA
The first game in November sees Chelsea go west, looking to stay top of the pile. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton switch their attention from cup to league…
TALKING POINTS
Chelsea's unbeaten runs in the Champions League and Barclays Premier League were ended in consecutive games over the last 10 days, so a return to winning ways on Wednesday was timely.
The manner of the success over Manchester United - coming from behind three times, scoring a hatful and never giving up - is becoming a hallmark of this Chelsea side. Late goals have also served the team well. The three on Wednesday brought to eight the total notched from the 80th minute onwards this season.
The Blues' back four has also weighed in with an impressive 13 goals this season. Gary Cahill (pictured below) now has five to his name and is behind only Juan Mata (seven) and Fernando Torres (six) on the top scorers list.
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However, ahead of this weekend's trip to Wales, the number of goals our leaky defence has conceded domestically has suffered upward inflation: one, two, three, and now four goals on the spin, and no clean sheet in five matches in all competitions.
Saturday's hosts Swansea, buoyed by their own triumph at Anfield on Wednesday, have likewise not prevented the opposition scoring at the Liberty since West Ham visited in August.
That 3-0 demolition of the Hammers moved Michael Laudrup's team to top slot before three straight losses deposed them to 11th, where they remain. The concerned Dane emphasised the need to start home games especially well, but they have not hit the net in the first hour of a game at the Liberty since.
Chelsea's 5-4 extra-time win over Man United avoided a run of three successive defeats for the first time since almost exactly a decade ago under Claudio Ranieri. It also added another match to the Blues' bulging pre-Christmas schedule.
Our League Cup quarter-final away to time-honoured foes Leeds United, is delayed till 19 December, just two days after the squad's return flight from the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan lands in the UK.
The total of games to be played before the end of the year now rises to 16 in eight weeks. No one is complaining - it is a signal of success - but the physical demands on playing staff is mirrored by financial ones on supporters in straitened times.
It is all the more impressive, then, that Swansea and West Brom away, Liverpool, Man City and Shakhtar at home have all sold out, with others presently available almost certain to follow suit. More than 600 tickets have already been sold to Chelsea's intrepid Club World Cup pioneers.
Everton received a Capital One Cup allocation of five thousand at Elland Road this season; Southampton were offered three thousand. Such has been the enthusiasm among Chelsea fans for the Leeds trip - the first there since December 2003 - there is certain to be huge demand for a seat.
Barclays Premier League fixtures
Saturday
Manchester United v Arsenal 12.45pm Sky Sports
Fulham v Everton 3pm
Norwich v Stoke 3pm
Sunderland v Aston Villa 3pm
Swansea v Chelsea 3pm
Tottenham v Wigan 3pm
West Ham v Manchester City 5.30 ESPN
Sunday
QPR v Reading 1.30pm Sky Sports
Liverpool v Newcastle 4pm Sky Sports
Monday
West Brom v Southampton 8pm Sky Sports
| Barclays Premier League top 12 | ||||
| Top | Pld | Gd | Pts | |
| 1 | Chelsea | 9 | +12 | 22 |
| 2 | Man Utd | 9 | +11 | 21 |
| 3 | Man City | 9 | +9 | 21 |
| 4 | Tottenham | 9 | +4 | 17 |
| 5 | Everton | 9 | +6 | 16 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 9 | +8 | 15 |
| 7 | Fulham | 9 | +5 | 14 |
| 8 | West Brom | 9 | +2 | 14 |
| 9 | West Ham | 9 | +2 | 14 |
| 10 | Newcastle | 9 | -2 | 13 |
| 11 | Swansea | 9 | +1 | 11 |
| 12 | Liverpool | 9 | -2 | 10 |
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