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John Terry scored his first league goal of the season to help Chelsea beat Stoke 2-0 on Monday and restore their three-point lead atop the Premier League.
Terry put his side ahead in just the second minute with a powerful header from a corner, and Cesc Fabregas doubled the lead in the 78th to make sure Chelsea re-established the gap to second-place Manchester City.
In between, it was a feisty and physical game at the Britannia Stadium and Stoke's Phil Bardsley was lucky to escape with just a yellow card after a reckless tackle on Eden Hazard in the 20th minute.
Click through our gallery below for the ratings...
Show all 22 1 /22Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Stoke: Asmir Begovic Couldn’t get near either goal, but made a fine stop from Costa late on. 6/10
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Phil Bardsley Lucky to stay to stay on the pitch after wild lunge on Hazard only drew yellow. 5
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Ryan Shawcross Frustrated by the movement of Diego Costa all evening. 5
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Marc Muniesa Like Shawcross, Costa’s movement and Fabregas’s passing flummoxed him. 5
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Erik Pieters Offered an attacking outlet for Stoke but his final ball often let him down. 6
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Geoff Cameron Lost John Terry for the goal, and struggled to get into the game. 5
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Steven N'zonzi Often overrun by Matic and Mikel in the middle. 4
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Jon Walters Could never quite get a foothold in the game. 5
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Bojan Krkic The former Barcelona man showed trickery at times, but lacked incision. 6
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Patrick Arnautovic Offered some invention down the left wing. 5
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Peter Crouch Shackled with ease by Terry and Cahill. 4
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Chelsea: Thibaut Courtois Great reactions to deny deflected N'Zonzi strike and quick off his line to cut out high balls. Rarely challenged. 6/10
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Branislav Ivanovic Inclined to get forward in the first period as Cahill covered his right flank. Not as watertight as Azpi and allowed Assaidi past him in the latert stages. 6
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Gary Cahill Cut off every supply route to Peter Crouch, dominant in the air and on the deck as the Blues closed out their hosts. 7
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings John Terry Shook off his marker to head Fabregas's corner home for his first goal of the season. Resolute at the back as Stoke were limited to half chances. 7
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta Blocking Stoke attempts down the right as they went in search of a point at 1-0. Successful with every challenge. 7
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Jon Obi Mikel Made some important interventions and looked composed on the ball. Guilty of a few wayward passes. 6
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Nemanja Matic Provided a great defensive shield - constantly snuffing out Stoke attacks. Fine tackle from the Serbian turned defence into attack but Costa fluffed one-on-one. 8
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Willian Was wasteful and struggled to make his mark before being taken off for Andre Schurrle late on. Schurrle made more of an impact in 15 minutes. 6
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Cesc Fabregas Chalked up his 12th assist of the season and should have had more but for team-mates' poor finishing. Great tracking back to cut out Bardsley and capped fine showing with Chelsea's second. 8
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Eden Hazard Tireless running at the Stoke defence down the left. Enjoyed a hard-fought battle with Phil Bardsley and set up Fabregas for the second. 7
Stoke City vs Chelsea player ratings Diego Costa A frustrated forward waiting for his break. Flashed at a shot before steering wide when one-on-one. Denied by Begovic after receiving Schurrle's pass late on. 6
Stoke are 13th in the table after 17 games.
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