Diego Costa netted a hat-trick to help Chelsea record a 4-2 victory over Swansea City at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
The visiting Swans actually broke the deadlock when John Terry put through his own net, but parity was restored just before the break by Costa.
The summer signing from Atletico Madrid then made sure of the outcome by adding two further goals, before his replacement - debutant Loic Remy - scored a fourth. Jonjo Shelvey pulled one back for Swansea in the closing stages, but it didn't deter from the fact that it was Costa's day.
You can find out how the match unfolded with Sports Mole's minute by minute text updates below.
2.03pmAfternoon all. At last - after the international break, domestic football has returned! Here, we will be covering the match between the Premier League's two form sides - Chelsea and Swansea City. Both teams have won their opening three matches, so something will have to give.
2.06pmBefore we look at this game in a bit more detail, the team news has just been released from Stamford Bridge. Let's start with the home side...
2.07pmCHELSEA XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Schurrle, Oscar, Hazard; Costa
2.08pmCHELSEA SUBS: Cech, Filipe Luis, Zouma, Ramires, Salah, Remy, Willian
2.10pmThe main news for Chelsea is that Diego Costa has been passed fit to start the contest, despite having recently withdrawn from the Spain squad because of a hamstring complaint. His presence means that new boy Loic Remy will have to wait for his debut, with the Frenchman included among the substitutes. Elsewhere, Andre Schurrle has earned a start, with the back four containing who you would expect.
2.11pmAnd now for the visitors from Wales...
2.12pmSWANSEA XI: Fabianski; Rangel, Amat, Williams, Taylor; Ki, Shelvey; Sigurdsson, Dyer, Routledge; Gomis
2.14pmSWANSEA SUBS: Tremmel, Tiendalli, Fernandez, Carroll, Montero, Emnes, Bony
2.17pmWhile Chelsea's main striker starts, Swansea's is on the bench. Having represented the Ivory Coast on international duty, Wilfried Bony is among the substitutes today, with manager Garry Monk handing a first Premier League start to summer signing Bafetimbi Gomis in his place. That aside, the Swans are unchanged from the team that defeated West Bromwich Albion 3-0 last time out.
2.19pmWant a fancy graphic of that Swansea side which includes a picture of the in-form Nathan Dyer? Of course you do...
Here is today's teamsheet graphic as the #Swans prepare to face @chelseafc at Stamford Bridge. pic.twitter.com/7soRttkhDS
— Swansea City FC (@SwansOfficial) September 13, 20142.23pmLet's stay with Dyer shall we because he's started the season with a bang, so much so that there are growing calls for him to be included in Roy Hodgson's England squad. The 26-year-old has scored three goals this term, including two in the win over West Brom. He is likely to be playing on the right wing today and it is bound to be a good battle between him and Chelsea full-back Cesar Azpilicueta, who is not naturally left footed.
2.27pmGOAL! There's been a goal across London at the Emirates Stadium and it's now 2-2 between Arsenal and Man City, with the latter side having equalised. If it stays that way, a win for either Chelsea or Swansea here would see them end the weekend top of the table. You can follow the closing stages of that encounter in North London with Sports Mole here.
2.30pmBack to this encounter and Swansea - namely their manager Monk. During the week, he insisted that Chelsea are "beatable". Here's what he had to say:
"They are one of the powerhouses of the league. They have quality players over the pitch. When you analyse them, there are a lot more strengths than weaknesses.
"They can hurt you in many areas via different players. They'll be favourites for the title this season. There's always a plan, every team in the world is beatable. We have to give our best performance in order to warrant winning any points. We have to go out there, be ourselves, be confident and hope it's good enough to get the points."
2.34pmMeanwhile, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been full of praise for his opposite number Monk and the type of football that his side have played since they earned promotion to the Premier League:
"Swansea have a good team. They had a good team [last year and] they've had a good team for a couple of years, since they were promoted to the Premier League. They've always represented themselves in the Premier League with a good team, playing good football for a while.
"They have good players and I don't think they've lost any good players. If they lost any, they weren't important players. They bought, bought well, and invested seriously buying quality players.
"They did well to keep their good players and bring others in to improve them. They are doing very well and for Monk to win the manager of the month is deserved."
2.37pmThat is how both managers see this contest going, but what about our Sports Mole team? Below, Matt Law, Barney Corkhill and Pascal Lemesre have their say:
2.40pmFULL TIME: A quick hop back to North London because the final whistle has been blown, with Arsenal and Manchester City playing out a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium. It means that if there is a winner at Stamford Bridge today, that side will be guaranteed top spot in the Premier League come the end of the weekend.
2.45pmWhat Arsenal would give to have a striker like Costa to be able to call upon! The centre-forward has been passed fit today, which must have been a relief for Mourinho. He arrived in England during the summer on the back of a great season with Atletico Madrid and a hefty price tag, but that hasn't hampered him. In his three Premier League outings for the Blues, he's scored four goals - more than any other Premier League player. Swansea beware because no team has kept the Spaniard out yet!
2.49pmPREDICTION: So, with around 10 minutes to go until we are off and running, let's have a stab at predicting the outcome of this one. Swansea will, quite rightly, be confident going into this clash. Even so, they have not faced a force like Chelsea yet, despite having won at Old Trafford. Providing that the hosts are on their game, they should have too much for Swansea. Let's go 2-0, with Costa helping himself to both goals.
2.52pmAs we wait for the players to make their way out on to the pitch, here's a bit more from Swansea's official Twitter page:
VINE: The build-up continues to kick-off at Stamford Bridge. https://t.co/YAfvSSdiY4
— Swansea City FC (@SwansOfficial) September 13, 20142.56pmRight, the players are out on the pitch and the handshakes are well underway. Not long now until we get underway. Incidentally, Roy Hodgson is at Stamford Bridge today - can Swansea's Dyer impress him?
2.59pmBefore we get started, there will be a 60-second applause for Chelsea's life president Lord Attenborough, who passed away last month at the age of 90.
1 minKICKOFF! Hosting Chelsea, attacking from right to left during this first half, get proceedings off and running at Stamford Bridge. A big 90 minutes lie ahead.
2 minA really bright start from Chelsea as Ivanovic raids forward down the right flank from his full-back position. The Serbian's cross is a dangerous one, but with Schurrle lurking behind him, Swansea captain Williams nips in to hack clear the danger.
3 minCHANCE! Meanwhile, up the other end, Swansea go ever so close to breaking the deadlock. Dyer's cross from the right is only half cleared by Terry, with Routledge lurking on the edge of the area. Rather than controlling the ball, the winger goes for an instant volley. Courtois in the Chelsea goal looks beaten, but thankfully for him and the hosts, the shot drifts over.
8 minAfter the bright start from both sides, the pace of the game has settled down somewhat. Chelsea, as you'd expect, are having more of the possession, but they've been quite wasteful in the final third so far.
11 minGOAL! CHELSEA 0-1 SWANSEA (TERRY, OG)
11 minAnd Swansea's dream start to the new season continues! Ki slides a pass wide to the left for Taylor, who drills a low pass across the face of Courtois's goal. The Chelsea goalkeeper cannot come for it and with Terry facing his own goal, the captain is unable to rearrange his feet in time and only succeeds in diverting the ball into the net. Game well and truly on!
16 minIt seems that former Arsenal and Tottenham midfielder Rohan Ricketts is an admirer of Swansea!
Swansea!!!! Get in. This team give me great joy when I watch them. They play with belief home and AWAY. FOOTBALLING TEAM
— Rohan Ricketts (@RohanRicketts) September 13, 201419 minSwansea are controlling proceedings right now, with a lot of their attacking being done by left-back Taylor. Again his cross into the box causes problems, but Gomis is unable to make a clean connection and the chance is gone.
21 minCHANCE! So, so close for Swansea. It's a very good move from the away side as Dyer jinks inside from the right, before picking out Sigurdsson. The Icelandic midfielder in turn prods a pass through for Routledge on the edge of the area. His curling shot appears to have gotten the better of a diving Courtois at full stretch, but the ball flies an inch wide of the target. Swansea want a second goal!
25 minThe home supporters are getting a little restless, it must be said. Their team are being hounded by Swansea, which is leading to numerous wayward passes.
27 minBOOKING! The first negative of the afternoon for Swansea as Amat goes into the book and deservedly so. He was well beaten by a sprinting Hazard, who was then hauled down by the visiting defender 25 yards from goal. The resultant free-kick was hit by Fabregas, but the playmaker could only strike the wall.
30 minSomeone needs to have a word with Amat because having just been booked, he's just needlessly tripped up Costa midway inside the Swansea half. What the away side cannot afford to do is go down to 10 men.
33 minBOOKING! A second yellow card of the contest for the Swans and again it's for a foul on Hazard in an almost identical position. This time the Belgian is hacked down by Shelvey, who is rightly cautioned. Again, the free-kick is wasted, on this occasion by Schurrle. Still, there have been signs in the last five minutes or so that Chelsea are coming into this contest.
35 minCHANCE! The best opening of the half so far for Chelsea as Ivanovic crosses dangerously from the right. Costa fails to make contact, but the ball breaks kindly for Oscar. However, the Brazilian midfielder, with little time to consider his options, heads over from 10 yards out.
38 minIt's an important few minutes between now and the break for Swansea. They are being pegged back by the hosts and all of a sudden the slick passing has deserted them. The likes of Hazard, Oscar and Schurrle are starting to pull the strings, which is bound to bring Costa to life at some stage.
42 minAgain Amat is getting involved unnecessarily with Costa. The Chelsea striker has ended up on the floor claiming that he has been elbowed by the Swansea defender, but referee Kevin Friend decides against dishing out any punishment. As he's on a booking, Amat needs to walk away from those type of situations.
45 minGOAL! CHELSEA 1-1 SWANSEA (COSTA)
45 minWhat a nightmare time for Swansea to concede, right on the stroke of half-time. Hazard sends over a corner from the right into a congested penalty area. Yet, while those around him are jostling for position, Costa remains grounded and then shows great power to send his low header beyond the reach of Fabianski from 10 yards out. That's five goals in four Premier League outings for the Spaniard.
45+2 minHALF-TIME: CHELSEA 1-1 SWANSEA
3.48pmThere goes the whistle for the break and it's a buoyant Stamford Bridge all of a sudden. What a difference a goal can make!
3.50pmMourinho will no doubt be pleased that his side have managed to equalise before the break, but he's bound to read the riot act during the next 15 minutes. Up until the 35th minute or so, his side were poor in possession and didn't appear to be interested in putting Swansea under any real intense pressure when they had the ball. Things improved towards the end of the half, with Hazard in particular in good form, but the Chelsea boss will want much more from his players after the restart.
3.54pmAs for Monk, he's going to have to pick up what is likely to be a deflated dressing room. A Chelsea goal looked to be coming, but it seemed that they had ridden that wave before Costa pounced. It was a poor time to concede, that's for sure. However, it shouldn't deter from the fact that for much of that half, Swansea were the better side. That's the message Monk will be drumming into his players because they've shown that they can cause problems to the Chelsea rearguard.
3.59pmIn terms of changes, it's unlikely that either manager will be looking to make a switch just yet, but as the game goes on, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Monk turn to Bony to cause problems for the likes of Terry. Where Chelsea are concerned, Willian for Schurrle may be something that Mourinho considers, while he has also got new signing Remy at his disposal.
46 minRESTART! As Swansea get us back underway, there has indeed been a change. It's Mourinho that has blinked, taking off the disappointing Schurrle and bringing on Ramires, which is likely to see Fabregas push further up the pitch.
50 minTo be fair to Swansea, they don't appear to have been too badly hampered by that Chelsea goal late in the first half. They are passing the ball around with authority, with Gomis shooting wide from distance.
53 minBOOKING! Another caution for Swansea - their third of the match. This time it's Taylor that gets his name taken for a foul on Oscar on the right byline. Moments later, Costa sees his rising effort deflected over the crossbar as Chelsea start to turn the screw.
56 minGOAL! CHELSEA 2-1 SWANSEA (COSTA)
56 minDoes this man ever miss?! It would seem not. The assist from Fabregas is fantastic as he works his way to the byline following a neatly cushioned pass into his path from Hazard. The midfielder gets his head up and sees Costa all alone and the striker is never going to miss from six yards out. That's six goals in his first four Premier League games. It would take a brave person to bet again him going on to get a hat-trick now.
60 minSWANSEA SUB: It went somewhat under the radar, but Swansea actually made a change earlier in the half. Amat, who was on a booking, has been replaced by Argentine centre-back Fernandez. A sensible decision from the Swansea boss.
63 minGoing back to that Chelsea goal - Fabregas now has six assists in four matches, while Costa has six goals to his name. They were signed in the summer for a combined fee which is less than Manchester United forked out to capture Angel di Maria from Real Madrid!
65 minSAVES! Both goalkeepers are called into action within a matter of seconds at Stamford Bridge. First, Courtois gets down in time to hold Gomis's low effort, while up the other end Hazard is denied a fantastic goal as Fabianski shows great reflexes to tip over his effort from the edge of the area. Good football all round.
67 minGOAL! CHELSEA 3-1 SWANSEA (COSTA, HAT-TRICK)
67 minI said when he scored his second that it would take a brave person to bet against Costa scoring a hat-trick - well, he's just done it! It's all about having a striker's instinct because Ramires's scuffed shot appears to be rolling straight to Fabianski, but at the final second, an alert Costa nips in to fire the ball into the bottom corner from six yards out. What a signing he has been already - seven goals in four games!
70 minHere is a great image of Costa celebrating his second of three goals:
© Getty Images
73 minCHELSEA SUB: What a reception it is from the home fans and owner Roman Abramovich to Costa as he leaves the field of play with three goals to his name. He's a hero already at Stamford Bridge. On in his place comes debutant Remy.
77 minSWANSEA SUB: He's been quiet since the restart, but it was a positive performance from Gomis during the first 45 minutes. Even so, he's come off and Bony enters the action.
81 minGOAL! CHELSEA 4-1 SWANSEA (REMY)
81 minAnd that is the perfect outcome as far as Mourinho will be concerned. His big money signing has scored hat-trick, while the replacement has come off the bench to score on his debut. It's a very composed finish from the Frenchman as he guides the ball into the far corner of the net with a low shot from the edge of the area. It's perhaps harsh on Swansea, but Chelsea are running riot.
83 minCHELSEA SUB: Final change for the Blues and it's the creator Fabregas that leaves the field, like Costa, to a great reception from the home fans. He's been replaced by Salah for the final few minutes.
87 minGOAL! CHELSEA 4-2 SWANSEA (SHELVEY)
87 minFair play to Swansea, they haven't given up and have got themselves a consolation goal. Chelsea centre-backs Terry and Cahill go missing and Shelvey takes full advantage by going through one on one with Courtois, who is well beaten by a neat finish. They may be scoring goals, but Chelsea are also conceding a few as well right now. That's five against in two games.
90 minThere will be four minutes of stoppage time at the end of this encounter.
90+4 minFULL TIME: CHELSEA 4-2 SWANSEA
4.53pmThere goes the final whistle and in the end it's a deserved victory for Chelsea, who are the only Premier League side with a 100% winning record now. To be fair to Swansea, they can leave West London with their heads held high. They caused some problems, but just ran into a devastatingly in-form Costa.
4.54pmThat is all we have time for from Stamford Bridge, but be sure to stick with Sports Mole for analysis and reaction of this clash, as well as all the other 3pm encounters. Thanks for joining us this afternoon and until next time, goodbye.
