- Morata scores in 2'
- Pedro doubles lead
- Stoke give away chances
Alvaro Morata scored his first Premier League hat trick as part of a dominant display as Chelsea punished mistake-ridden Stoke City 4-0 at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday.
Pedro scored the Blues’ other goal, and Chelsea moved third in the league with 13 points.
Stoke sits 15th with five points, one ahead of the drop zone.
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It was a ruthless start from the Blues, with Tiemoue Bakayoko starting a charge with N’Golo Kante that led to Alvaro Morata 1v1 with an indecisive Jack Butland. There was only one result, as the saying goes, with Morata sliding a clinical finish beyond the splayed Butland in the second minute.
Stoke didn’t shrink away, though, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was again a threat for the Potters.
Pedro made it 2-0 off a miscue from Potters’ skipper Darren Fletcher, who chested the Spaniard through on goal.
Stoke had a chance to answer back when Bakayoko gave away a foul atop the arc, but Xherdan Shaqiri’s effort hit the wall and went out for a corner.
Mame Biram Diouf missed an overhead kick in the 43rd minute as the Potters kept searching for a way back into the match.
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27 - Since 2016-17, only Diego Costa (29) has been involved in more goals in all comps for @ChelseaFC than Pedro (15 goals 12 assists). Key
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 23, 2017
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Stoke fans were living when Marcos Alonso nearly took a second yellow card in the 53rd minute, let off the hook by Mike Dean.
But Morata took his next chance very, very well, forcing a turnover and racing past Fletcher before making a difficult finish look simple. His hat trick goal was much easier, a tap-in past Butland.
