goal.com

Guus Hiddink's men needed just 39 seconds to take the lead at Carrow Road thanks to the Brazilian winger-turned-full-back's fierce strike, as Alex Neil's men lost yet again

A first-minute goal from Kenedy and a controversial strike from Diego Costa helped Chelsea to a 2-1 victory at Norwich City, who dropped into the Premier League relegation zone.

The Canaries came into Tuesday's meeting at Carrow Road having taken just one point from their past seven games, and they got off to a disastrous start as Kenedy netted his first Premier League goal after just 39 seconds.

The full-back had been included in the starting XI in place of Baba Rahman, who was culpable for Southampton's goal on Saturday, and immediately justified his selection with a fine shot from outside the box.

Norwich felt aggrieved to concede a second in first-half stoppage time as Costa, who netted the only goal in the reverse fixture, ran through from what looked to be an offside position to score.

Nathan Redmond pulled one back for Norwich in the 68th minute but Chelsea held on to climb to eighth, having gone unbeaten in the 12 league matches since Guus Hiddink took over following Jose Mourinho's sacking in December.

Norwich, meanwhile, slip into the bottom three, courtesy of Sunderland's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, ahead of a crucial trip to fellow strugglers Swansea City on Saturday.

Ahead of the game, Norwich manager Alex Neil had implored his players to keep Chelsea quiet but they failed spectacularly as the visitors took the lead after just a few seconds.

Eden Hazard fed Kenedy, who cut inside before shifting the ball back onto his left foot where he arrowed a drive past John Ruddy into the bottom-right corner from 20 yards to net the fastest goal of the Premier League season so far.

Norwich responded well to the early setback as Cameron Jerome troubled the Chelsea backline, the striker heading narrowly over from Wes Hoolahan's cross in the 17th minute.

Chelsea ought to have doubled their advantage eight minutes prior to the interval as Hazard's superb pass sent Bertrand Traore clean through but his heavy touch allowed Ruddy to gather.

The Norwich goalkeeper then made a fine save from Cesc Fabregas's dangerous set-piece, before Costa doubled the advantage in controversial circumstances.

Traore clipped a ball in from the right and Costa, who looked to be standing in an offside position, ran through and dinked the ball over Ruddy and into the net.

Norwich began the second period well and Gary O'Neil - on as a first-half substitution for the injured Alex Tettey - swept over a cross which Jerome volleyed narrowly wide.

The striker was guilty of wasting another glorious chance shortly afterwards, clipping the top of the crossbar with a volley when unmarked six yards out.

But Norwich did pull one back midway through the half as Hoolahan's cute pass set up Redmond, who lashed a powerful effort past Thibaut Courtois.

O'Neil saw an effort deflected just wide before the midfielder required treatment for a nasty clash of heads with team-mate Robbie Brady.

A mazy run from Redmond ended in a fizzing shot which flew just wide but, despite late pressure, Norwich were unable to force an equaliser as Hiddink's men held on for their third straight win - the first time they have managed that feat since April 2015.

•  

   

  That's all from us and it has been a great pleasure talking you through all of today's action from Carrow Road. We hope you can join us again very soon. Take care!
•  

   

  Kenedy scored the quickest goal of the Premier League season so far as Chelsea moved into their highest position since the start of the campaign with a 2-1 win over Norwich. The Canaries, much like they did against Leicester, put in a good shift on the night but ultimately came up just short. 
•  

   

  FULL TIME: NORWICH 1-2 CHELSEA
• 90'+5'

   

  Norwich keep pushing for a late leveller as Jerome flicks the ball on towards Klose, who shifts the ball from right to left before he smashes a wayward shot over the crossbar from distance. 
• 90'+3'

   

  ALMOST! Azpilicueta slides in to prevent a Norwich attack, which could prove to be vital come the full-time whistle. Redmond dips infield from the right and threads through a pass looking for Brady, only for the Spaniard to prevent it from doing so superbly.
• 90'+1'

   

  CLOSE! Fabregas beats Norwich's offside line according to the linesman as he powers forward down the right. He gets his head up quickly and wraps the ball into Costa, who sends a shot wide of the far post from inside the box. 
• 90'

   

  The fourth official indicates that a minimum of five minutes are being added on here at Carrow Road. Chelsea are driving forward down the right flank through Fabregas in hope of finding another goal to wrap up the points. 
• 88'

   

  WIDE! Redmond sparkles again as he skips past both Matic and Rahman deep inside Chelsea's half. The Norwich winger ignores the advances of his team-mates inside the box and opts to go alone, driving a shot into the side netting from close range. 
• 86'

   

  CHANCE! Matic creeps forward into a gaping pocket of space at the near post as he stabs a shot over the crossbar from a Chelsea corner. Norwich got away with some poor marking there. 
• 84'

   

  Hazard picks up possession from Matic and drives forward with pace as a Chelsea chance beckons. Costa strays offside ahead of the Belgian which means he only has Fabregas alongside him, but he sends the Spaniard wide of the goal with a wayward pass into his path. 
• 82'

   

  Jerome tracks back well for Norwich as he tries to seize possession off Hazard down the left-hand side. The striker shows too much eagerness, though, as he fouls the clever Chelsea winger and gives away a free-kick. 
• 80'

   

  Brady heads back onto the pitch after receiving some treatment, before O'Neil soon joins him to restore Norwich back to 11 men. Chelsea are in control of possession at the moment, looking to carve out a third. 
• 78'

   

  OUCH! A short suspension in play occurs as Brady and O'Neil clash into each other. Both players contest for the ball in the air before colliding. The Norwich physios are on the pitch now. 
• 76'

   

  Yellow Card Timm Klose
  Klose picks up a booking after fouling Costa inside his own half. Fabregas stands over the free-kick with interest as Chelsea pile all of their big men forward.
• 76'

   

  Fabregas clips in the resulting free-kick towards the near post as Mbokani heads away the danger for Norwich. The Canaries have several numbers flying forward as they look to launch a counter-attack now. 
• 74'

   

  Costa gets a rare touch of the ball in this second half as he looks to drive Chelsea up the pitch on the counter-attack. Klose matches him stride-for-stride, before he brings down the Blues striker with a mistimed challenge. 
• 73'

   

  Yellow Card Francesc Fàbregas i Soler
  The referee dishes out a yellow card to Fabregas after the Chelsea man clipped Redmond from behind. The Spaniard has struggled to get into the game in the second half.
• 72'

   

  Redmond controls possession down the right-hand side and looks to drag Norwich forward with his pace. The winger, however, soon gets clipped from behind by Fabregas, who awards the hosts a free-kick in a decent position.
• 70'

   

  Norwich, taking into consideration their efforts in the first half as well, really deserved their goal. They've been on the front foot right throughout the second period and they're pressing for an equaliser now. 
• 69'

   

  SubstitutionRobert Kenedy Nunes do Nascimento Abdul Rahman Baba
  Hiddink makes his third and final change of the game for Chelsea as Kenedy, who was struggling with an injury, comes off for natural left-back Rahman.
• 68'

   

  Assist Wes Hoolahan
  Hoolahan registers the assist for Norwich's first strike of the game. The Irishman feeds through a quality pass towards Redmond, who ghosts in behind Ivanovic too easily en route to goal. 
• 68'

   

   

   

  Goal Nathan Redmond
  GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAALLLLL!! It's 2-1 and Norwich have a lifeline! Hoolahan latches onto possession outside Chelsea's box and slips in Redmond down the side of Ivanovic, who fires past Courtois from a tight angle to raise the atmosphere inside Carrow Road. Game on!
• 66'

   

  Chelsea are still struggling to get going and you wonder whether it will take a Norwich goal to fire them up. To the hosts' credit, though, they are not allowing the reigning champions any time on the ball.
• 64'

   

  Willian tries to drive Chelsea forward through midfield as Brady cheaply gives possession away. However, the Norwich defender quickly makes up for his error as he slides in and wins the ball back for his side, who are now on the attack.
• 62'

   

  Play stops as Klose goes down holding his left leg. The Norwich defender contests for the ball in the air and lands awkwardly on the floor. Neil ponders whether to use his third and final substitute.
• 60'

   

  SubstitutionRyan Bennett Dieumerci Mbokani Bezua
  Neil makes his second change of the game for Norwich as Bennett comes off in place of Mbokani, who will provide the hosts with more options in the final third now.
• 60'

   

  SubstitutionOscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior John Michael Nchekwube Obinna
  Hiddink makes his second change of the game in a matter of minutes for Chelsea as Mikel comes on in place of Oscar, who found it difficult to get into the game tonight. 
• 60'

   

  SubstitutionBertrand Isidore Traore Willian Borges Da Silva
  Hiddink makes his first change of the game for Chelsea as Willian comes on in place of Traore, who was very bright this evening with his movement in and around Norwich's box. 
• 60'

   

  CLOSE! Howson seizes possession in the middle of the park and sprays a good pass out wide towards Brady. The left-back curls in a typically brilliant cross towards Jerome, who heads over the crossbar from inside the box. Great play from Norwich.
• 58'

   

  Jerome works hard down the right-hand channel and wins his side a corner. Hoolahan rolls a short one out towards Brady, who tries to get the ball in the mixer from a different angle but it gets blocked. 
• 56'

   

  It's great movement from Traore as he loses his marker and makes a good run across the penalty area to latch onto a pass from Fabregas. The forward hits a shot first time which strikes the side netting from a tight angle. 
• 54'

   

  Putting aside Jerome's misses, whatever Neil said to his charges during the break seems to be working. They're seeing plenty of the ball and creating opportunities. Chelsea, on the flip side, haven't particularly got started but it should only be a matter of time due to the quality they have on the pitch.
• 52'

   

  BIG CHANCE FOR NORWICH! Neil cuts a hugely frustrated figure on the touchline as another good Norwich chance goes begging. Martin knocks down Hoolahan's cross at the back post towards Jerome, who fails to score from inside the six-yard box under no pressure. 
• 50'

   

  Norwich have started the second brightly so far as they continue to send crosses in towards Jerome. You feel they need to find the back of the net sooner or later if they're to mount a comeback here.
• 48'

   

  CHANCE! The first opportunity to score in the second half falls to Norwich as Jerome misses the target from close range. The ex-Stoke forward makes a good run in behind to latch onto O'Neil's pass initially, before he scuffs a tame effort wide of Courtois. 
• 46'

   

  Welcome back! Chelsea get us under way again for the second half here at Carrow Road.
•  

   

  The Canaries did, however, respond well by creating a couple of half chances, before Costa prodded home in added time at the end of the half. To make matters worse, the former Atletico Madrid marksman was stood in an offside position at the time of receiving Bertrand Traore's pass.
•  

   

  Things couldn't have started much worse for Norwich as Kenedy struck a shot through Ryan Bennett's legs and into the far corner past John Ruddy after just 39 seconds of play. The Brazilian's strike is the quickest Premier League goal of the campaign, too.
•  

   

  Both sets of players head down the tunnel for the half-time interval as the referee calls time on the first half. Chelsea currently lead Norwich by two goals to nil thanks to strikes from Kenedy and Diego Costa. 
•  

   

  HALF TIME: NORWICH 0-2 CHELSEA
• 45'+1'

   

   

   

  Goal Diego Da Silva Costa
  GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLL!! It's 2-0 to Chelsea! Costa's rich vein of form in front of goal continues as he scoops a shot over the top of Ruddy just before the interval. The replay, however, shows that it shouldn't have counted as the Spain international was offside in the build up.
• 45'+1'

   

  Assist Bertrand Isidore Traore
  Traore grabs the assist for Chelsea's second and Costa's first on the night. The forward slips through a neat pass in behind Bennett towards the goal scorer, who was actually stood in an offside position.
• 45'

   

  The fourth official on the touchline has indicated that a minimum of two minutes is being added on here in East Anglia. Chelsea currently have a throw-in as they look to double their lead before the break.
• 44'

   

  Yellow Card Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior
  Oscar picks up a booking from the referee shortly before half time. The Brazilian clips Howson's heels from behind and sees yellow as a result. 
• 43'

   

  It's still quite even on the balance of play here at Carrow Road as the interval rapidly approaches. Both teams have huffed and puffed in and around the two penalty areas, though Ruddy and Courtois have had little to do respectively.
• 41'

   

  O'Neil makes his first intervention since coming on as he blocks Hazard's pass forward and sets Norwich away on the counter-attack. Hoolahan drives the hosts up the pitch and slips in Redmond, who quickly sends in a cross towards Jerome at the back stick but Cahill intercepts well.
• 39'

   

  SAVE! It's the first time Ruddy has really been called into action and he responds well as he dives low to his left to keep out a bending free-kick from Fabregas. The Spaniard originally tried to pick out Cahill, who missed the ball. 
• 39'

   

  Yellow Card Ryan Bennett
  Bennett picks up a caution from the referee as he robustly brings down Hazard inside his own half. Chelsea now have a free-kick in a great position.
• 37'

   

  Another good chance for Chelsea to test Ruddy goes begging as Traore takes a heavy touch down the right flank. He cleverly skips in behind Brady but shows too much of the ball to the Norwich goalkeeper, who gobbles it up in the end.
• 36'

   

  SubstitutionAlexander Banor Tettey Gary O'Neil
  Neil gets forced into making his first change of the game for Norwich as Tettey, who picked up a knock following a collision with Hazard, comes off for O'Neil.
• 35'

   

  CLOSE! Hazard latches onto a loose ball outside Norwich's penalty area and weighs up his options. Fabregas reads his attentions well as he runs in behind Brady, before he heads over the crossbar from a decent position.
• 33'

   

  Tettey heads off the pitch as Fabregas picks up the ball to take Chelsea's free-kick. The Spaniard shows good vision as he quickly lofts a good pass over the top of Klose towards Traore, but the ball carries too much weight and goes out of bounds.
• 31'

   

  A short suspension in play occurs as Hazard gets fouled by Bennett in the centre of the pitch. As he tumbles to the floor, the Belgian catches Tettey who looks in pain now as he receives some treatment from the Norwich physios. 
• 29'

   

  WASTE! Tettey opts against hitting a shot on the half volley from distance as he creeps forward towards goal. With little else on, he tries to feed a pass through to Jerome instead but his attempt runs away from the striker and into Courtois' arms. 
• 27'

   

  Fabregas releases a cracking pass to set Traore running down the right-hand side of the field. The forward dips infield, shifting the ball onto his stronger left foot in the process, before he drives a shot which deflects off Klose and goes away from goal.
• 25'

   

  Hoolahan comes short and receives possession from Pinto down the right flank. The Irishman wastes little time as he curls the ball into the penalty area, but Ivanovic shuts the door quickly with a good headed clearance.
• 23'

   

  Traore makes a good run from out to in as he flies down the left-hand side of the pitch. Klose gets tight to him and actually stands on the back of his boot, but the referee opts against giving Chelsea a deserved free-kick. Goal-kick to Norwich.
• 21'

   

  Norwich have tightened up defensively since Kenedy's early strike found the back of the net. Neil will be delighted with the response his side have made, though they need to catch Chelsea cold while they're still looking to find their rhythm.
• 19'

   

  Redmond carries possession forward well for Norwich and gets his head up looking for options. Pinto offers himself down the right-hand side but he frustratingly strays into an offside position despite looking across the line. 
• 17'

   

  CLOSE! Jerome comes to life in Chelsea's half as Hoolahan collects possession down the left flank. The striker does well to stay onside as he steams into the penalty area to head over the crossbar from close range, though he should do better. 
• 15'

   

  Chelsea haven't put their foot down on the gas after taking the lead inside the first minute, giving away possession cheaply a few times in the process. Norwich are definitely on the front foot at the moment. 
• 13'

   

  Hoolahan cuts infield from the left-hand side slightly as he looks to bend in a cross towards Jerome. However, Azpilicueta gets close to him quickly and makes a good tackle to cancel out Norwich's attack.
• 13'

   

  Yellow Card Jonathan Howson
  Howson picks up the first booking of the game as he mistimes a challenge in the middle of the park. The former Leeds man was just a little too keen to seize back possession for his side.
• 11'

   

  Traore has impressed in the opening stages of this game through his quick feet down the right-hand side. He's releasing the ball crisply into the path of his forward-thinking team-mates, allowing markers little time to get near him.
• 9'

   

  Norwich couldn't have dreamed of making a worse start to this game but they've reacted well since, continuing to feed possession into good wide areas to stretch Chelsea's backline around. 
• 7'

   

  CHANCE! Redmond shows great technique as he skips past several Chelsea players and into the penalty area. The angle to score is tight so he rolls the ball back to Howson instead, who curls a good shot from outside the box but it deflects off Jerome and goes away from goal.
• 5'

   

  It's been a really confident, bright start from Chelsea as they continue to knock possession around with consummate ease. Norwich have looked a threat since falling behind, though, and the match has become a little bit end-to-end early doors.
• 3'

   

  Norwich surge forward in hope of finding a quick equaliser as Hoolahan curls a cross in from the left-hand side. Jerome rushes towards the near post to try and get on the end of it, but Cahill gets there first and makes a good block. 
• 1'

   

  Assist Eden Hazard
  Hazard grabs the assist for Chelsea's opener after just one minute here at Carrow Road. The Belgian drives towards the heart of Norwich's defence before he slips the ball wide to Kenedy, who does the rest with a fabulous shot up against some terrible defending from the hosts.
• 1'

   

   

   

  Goal Robert Kenedy Nunes do Nascimento
  GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!! It's 1-0 to Chelsea! Kenedy scores his first Premier League goal for the club as he drives a fantastic strike through Bennett's legs and past Ruddy from outside the box. Awful start from Norwich. 
• 1'

   

  Norwich get us under way here at Carrow Road. The man in charge of the cards for tonight's affair is Lee Mason.
•  

   

  Both sets of players are stripped and raring to go as they leave the tunnel and enter onto the field here at Carrow Road. We are just moments away from seeing the action start to unfold. 
•  

   

  CHELSEA substitutes: Begovic, Rahman, Pato, Mikel, Remy, Willian, Loftus-Cheek.
•  

   

  CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Ivanovic (c), Kenedy; Fabregas, Matic; Traore, Oscar, Hazard; Costa. 
•  

   

  NORWICH substitutes: Rudd, Mbokani, Jarvis, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Olsson, O'Neil.
•  

   

  NORWICH (5-4-1): Ruddy; Pinto, Bennett, Martin (c), Klose, Brady; Redmond, Tettey, Howson, Hoolahan; Jerome. 
•  

   

  TEAM NEWS: Hiddink has made four alterations to the team which started Chelsea's 2-1 win over Southampton at the weekend. Bertrand Traore makes his first start for the Londoners while Kenedy comes in at left-back in place of Baba Rahman, who is amongst the substitutes alongside Alexandre Pato.
•  

   

  TEAM NEWS: Alex Neil has made just one change to the side which started Norwich's narrow 1-0 defeat against Leicester in their last game. Wes Hoolahan comes into the first-team fold in place of Steven Naismith, who misses out completely tonight.
•  

   

  Chelsea, on the other hand, picked up a superb result against in-form Southampton in their last match, strengthening their rise under Guus Hiddink. The Blues can move into their highest position in the table since the start of the campaign with a win tonight. 
•  

   

  There are no two ways about it, Norwich need points and fast if they're to maintain their top-flight status come the end of the season. They played well against Leicester last time out and should have earned a point, so it will be interesting to see how that defeat has affected them. 
•  

   

  Good evening and welcome to our LIVE text commentary on tonight's Premier League clash between Norwich and Chelsea from Carrow Road. Kick-off is at 7:45pm.