Chelsea secured a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday, temporarily extending their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points.
A solitary goal from Diego Costa was all that split the two sides with the Spaniard scoring his 13th of the season in the league as he continues to fire them towards the title.
It was a special goal for him too as it meant he reached 50 goals for Chelsea in total since his move to Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid in 2014.
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Both sides pushed for goals in the second half with Wayne Hennessey called into action on several occasions as he produced a number of excellent stops to deny Chelsea a more comfortable win, while Palace had their periods of sustained pressure.
However, it was Chelsea who secured all three points, although it came at a price with Antonio Conte now without Costa and N’Golo Kante for the visit of Bournemouth on Boxing Day.
Both men picked up their fifth bookings of the season and in turn will sit out a game through suspension, but with a nine-point buffer over their rivals, Conte will be delighted that his side have piled the pressure on them to respond with Arsenal and Manchester City facing each other on Sunday.
There were big performances across the pitch with Marcos Alonso a constant threat down the left flank while Cesar Azpilicueta provided a wonderful assist and a solid defensive display.
Nevertheless, it was certainly a team effort and each Chelsea player did their part to grind out their 11th consecutive Premier League win.
Chelsea player ratings
Courtois 7; Azpilicueta 8, Luiz 7, Cahill 7; Moses 7, Kante 7, Matic 6, Alonso 7; Willian 6, Diego Costa 8, Hazard 8.
Substitutes
Fabregas 6, Ivanovic 6, Batshuayi N/A.