EPL: Chelsea hammer seven past Norwich

Chelsea held on to the top spot of the Premier League table in style as the West London side dismantled Norwich 7-0 at Stamford Bridge. 

Chelsea had lost both of their strikers Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner to injuries during their Champions League match against FC Malmo midweek.

The duo was unavailable for selection, but that did not stop the Blues from launching a goal-fest. 

Antonio Rudiger tested Norwich keeper Tim Krul with a low shot earlier on, but it was Mason Mount who opened the scoring. 

Hudson-Odoi shines

Thomas Tuchel brought in Kai Havertz and Callum Hudson-Odoi to replace Lukaku and Werner in the starting XI.

Hudson-Odoi charged down the left flank to send a vicious cross afloat inside the Norwich box. 

The Canaries did clear the ball, but it went only as far as Mason Mount. The Chelsea number 19, immediately took a shot and found the lower corner. 

It was the first goal of the season for the Chelsea youngster, but it was not the last one he would score in the afternoon. 

Norwich attempted to respond immediately, but the supply to Teemu Pukki was cut off by Thiago Silva, and the Brazilian channeled the ball forward to instantly initiate a counter attack. 

Mateo Kovacic skillfully played a defence-piercing through pass that set up Hudson-Odoi in a 1v1 situation with Krul. The 20-year-old kept his calm and slotted the ball home. 

The hosts showed no sign of slowing down, despite having a 2-0 cushion. Soon Reece James added a third to make the scoreline 3-0 before half time.  

Second half woes

Daniel Farke made a double change after the interval, but the flow of the match pretty much remained the same. 

Ben Chilwell got his name on the score-sheet for the fourth match in a row when he found himself in acres of space inside the Norwich box after receiving the ball from Kovacic. 

Chilwell rocked the back of the net, before a defensive catastrophe made the score 5-0. 

Minutes after Chilwell’s goal, Hudson-Odoi put a cross into the box once again. This time the ball took a deflection and slipped past an unprepared Tim Krul in the net. 

To make things worse for the visitors, Ben Gibson saw a red for his foul on Reece James. 

The 10-man Norwich had no chance to keep the Chelsea attackers at bay, who kept on coming back to torment the Norwich defence. 

Krul stopped a Mount penalty,  only to find out the referee was signaling for a retake. The Dutchman had stepped forward before Mount’s kick, which rendered his save useless. 

Mount made no mistake to score this time. The England international took the matchball home as he scored his third before the final whistle went off.