Chelsea hammered relegation-threatened Norwich City 4-1 at Stamford Bridge this afternoon, coming from behind to inflict yet another defeat on the hapless Canaries.
Chelsea remain top of the Premier League.
The visitors, who haven't won a league game all season had the audacity to actually take the lead though hit man Grant Holt.
But Chelsea responded with clinical efficiency with three first half strikes from Fernando Torres, Frank Lampard and Eden Hazard.
The second half was very much a display of the mercurial talents of Oscar, Mata and Hazard and the fourth goal came from the boot of Serbian defender Branislav Ivanovic.
Fernando Torres had an excellent chance to open the scoring on three minutes when he beat the Norwich City offside trap and raced raced into the penalty area following a long pass by Frank Lampard.
However the Spain hit man could not deliver the finish, instead checked back, allowing Leon Barnett to close him down.
Despite almost total possession by the home side, Norwich failed to read the script and pronto opened the accept.
A London left -footed cross by Wesley Hoolahan to Petr Cech's far post saw the ball headed back to the edge of the Chelsea area by Elliot Bennett.
Up popped skipper Grant Holt to arrow a perfect right-footed drive under the lunging John Terry and Cech.
But normal service was resumed three minutes later when a back heel by Juan Mata on the right edge of the visitors' penalty area fed In-running Branislav Ivanovic.
The full-back sent in the perfect cross to Torres, who made up for his earlier fluff by dispatching a powerful header past John Ruddy from 10 yards out.
Norwich almost restored the lead on 18 minutes when yet again impressive Hoolahan curled a cross on to the head of unmarked Alexander Tettey, but the midfielder, instead of heading home from close range, screwed the effort wide.
Stalwart Frank Lampard decided to take the untidy game by the scruff of the neck, and dispatched a trademark right-foot on 22 minutes past Ruddy after an attempted overhead kick by Torres was blocked and the ball fell to the gleeful path of Lampard who notched up his 189th Chelsea career goal.
This Chelsea side is an emerging one, with a distinct counter-attacking flair.
No where was this more evident than on 31 minutes, when Mata collected the ball midway in his own half.
The liveware Spain midfielder raced 40 yards forward - deep into enemy territory, all the time looking for support.
That came in the form of Eden Hazard who accelerated clear on the left. Mata produced an inch-perfect ball, bisecting the Norwich defence which Hazard latched onto, just inside their penalty area and cooly dispatched a Low right- footer past the hapless
Ruddy to extend the home side's lead. Whenever the ball came close to Holt, admittedly, that wasn't much, he still posed a threat.
Two minutes before the break he almost headed his side back into the game from eight yards out, but the ball inched, for him, the wrong side of Cech's right upright.
An early second half shout from the majority of the 41,784 crowd for a penalty for a foul on Hazard by Barnett was turned down by referee Anthony Taylor as Chelsea turned the screw again. Ruddy then produced a fine diving save from an Oscar long-range effort just after the hour mark.
Chelsea decided to change Frank Lampard for Ramires on 67 minutes, with Norwich responding by replacing Bradley Johnson for Anthony Pilkington in their desperate search of goals.
Torres's hold have punished Norwich's sloppy defending on with 15 minutes remaining, when he latched onto a fine Hazard through ball. But Ruddy was quick to spot the chance and managed to snuff Torres's shot.
But the inevitable happened two minutes later. A deep cross-field ball from the left by Oscar was somewhat fortunately back heeled on by Mata and Ivanovic dispatched with consummate ate a right-footed volley leaving Ruddy, with no chance.
Serbian Ivanovic was them promptly replaced by Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo for Spain right-back Cesar Azpilicueta for his league debut for the Blues.
Another Spain player, Oriol Romeu entered the fray on 82 minutes with Mikel, on his 250th appearance for Chelsea making way.
Romeu was quickly in the action, and saw a 25-yarder zip past the Norwich goal.
And then, two minutes later, his snap header flashed wide of the same right post.
The game fizzled out with the points decided. Chelsea go into the international break safe in the knowledge they are the team to topple, while Norwich will be looking to use the time productively as their season hurtles towards a battle against relegation.
Team: Chelsea - Cech, Ivanovic, Cole, Luiz, Lampard, Torres, Mata,Oscar, Mikel, Hazard, Terry
Subs-Turnbull, Romeu, Ramires, Moses, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Bertrand
Norwich City -Ruddy, Martin, Johnson, Bassong, Howson, Holt, Hoolahan, Bennett, Garrido, Barnett, Tettey
Subs - Bunn, Turner, Snodgrass, Jackson, Pilkington, Morison, Bennett
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Source: FOOTYMAD
