Chelsea 2 - Stoke City 1: Initial reaction and community rating form

Playing against Stoke City isn't typically a comfortable thing, but the Potters didn't do too much on Saturday to cause the Blues to sweat. That said, Chelsea were extremely wasteful in front of goal for much of the match, making the victory at Stamford Bridge far more difficult than it really needed to be.

In the end, goals by Eden Hazard and Loic Remy were enough to take maximum points, despite the 65-yard golazo from Charlie Adam. With that, Chelsea's magic number is cut to just 16 points with eight matches left to play, and can be cut to as little as 15 should Manchester City drop points on Monday evening.

Thoughts:

• While I'd have loved to see Diego Costa get a start today, it's good that Jose Mourinho seems to have found enough trust in one of his other options to play them when Costa is less than 100%.
• Speaking of Costa's hamstring, here's hoping the injury doesn't cause him to miss too much time in the next month.
• Eden Hazard's penalties are wonderful things to watch. He's much, much better at them than that Harry Kane character.
• Give Charlie Adam all the credit in the world for that audacious attempt which leveled the score, but there's just no reason for Courtois to be that far out of his goal. Hopefully, that embarrassment will stay with the youngster for a very long time, and keep him from venturing too far out in the future.
• I've been a fan of Asmir Begovic for quite a while, and following today's game, I'm probably an even bigger fan of the Stoke keeper than I was before. Also, much credit to Willian for giving Chelsea the opportunity to capitalize on the lazy pass.
• Mourinho really needs to put together a deeper squad next season, and rotate a bit more frequently. The bulk of this group looks exhausted, and that exhaustion is making these matches far more nervy than they need to be.
• Speaking of summer work, I think it's safe to put a young player capable of playing striker right at the top of Chelsea's wishlist. Diego Costa is absolutely fantastic, but between his temper and his hamstrings, he and Loic Remy just aren't enough.
• Thankfully, both Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas avoided being booked today, meaning neaither will be suspended for the next two matches.