Fabregas strikes late as Chelsea move closer to title

LONDON: Cesc Fabregas fired Chelsea another step closer to the Premier League title as the Spain midfielder’s late strike sealed a hard-fought 1-0 win over QPR on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho’s side were well below their best in a scrappy west London derby, but the leaders stole a vital three points when Fabregas converted their only shot on target two minutes from full-time at Loftus Road.
The Blues are now seven points clear of second placed Arsenal and have a game in hand on the chasing pack, meaning four more wins from their remaining seven matches will see them crowned English champions for the first time since 2010.
Defeat was cruel on third bottom QPR, who remain two points from safety despite matching their more illustrious opponents for long periods, although the missiles thrown at Chelsea players by the home fans after Fabregas’s goal will cast a shadow over their performance.
Fabregas, wearing a protective mask after breaking his nose against Stoke last weekend, was appropriately attired for such a physical encounter and his team-mate Thibaut Courtois was soon nursing a bruise as well when Charlie Austin left the Chelsea goalkeeper writhing on the turf after a full-blooded challenge.
Chelsea captain John Terry remains reviled at Loftus Road after he was banned by the Football Association in 2011 for racially abusing then QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, and inevitably he was subjected to a torrent of abuse from the home fans on just his second appearance at their ground since that ugly incident.
Amid all the sound and fury, Chelsea were labouring to break down QPR’s well-drilled defence and even when Ramires got on the end of Drogba’s cross, the Brazilian midfielder found himself facing the wrong way and could only flick his volley wide.
Austin responded to an off-the-ball nudge from Terry by pushing the defender to the floor, much to the delight of QPR’s supporters.
Fabregas had a chance to end the stalemate on the stroke of half-time, but could only head Branislav Ivanovic’s cross tamely over from close-range.
Bobby Zamora was caught flat-footed by a Matt Phillips cross which begged to be tapped in by the statuesque QPR forward as it fizzed past him early in the second half.
There was a surprising lack of energy and inspiration about Chelsea’s play, but to their credit they kept plugging away and stole the points in the 88th minute.
The catalyst was a poor clearance from Green which gifted possession to Chelsea and Eden Hazard took full advantage, playing a one-two with Oscar to open up the QPR defence before squeezing the ball back to Fabregas, who calmly slotted home his first goal since December.