Norwich vs Chelsea match report: Canaries rue luck as Diego Costa goal clearly offside

Norwich City 1 Chelsea 2

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Norwich City's relegation plight deepened last night, dropping them into the bottom three as resurgent Chelsea hit them with goals in the first and last minute of the opening period en route to reaching their highest position of an underwhelming season – eighth.

The Brazilian left-back Kenedy scored the fastest Premier League goal of the season in 39 seconds and another 20 year-old, Bertrand Traore, set up Diego Costa for a second just before half-time that should have ruled offside. At that point the visitors were in control, but Norwich, buoyed by a sense of injustice, fought back with spirit to halve the deficit through Nathan Redmond. They could not find an equaliser, however, Redmond twice shooting wide in the closing stages as news came in that Sunderland had climbed above them with a late goal at the Stadium of Light.

The result continued a bad run against a team we must technically still call the champions, to whom Norwich have now lost eight out of ten meetings and not beaten them here since December 1994. More relevantly, they have now been beaten in seven of their last eight games and badly need a change of luck as well as some points.

Although playing with three at the back was not new to Norwich, the system had an obvious flaw in that Ivo Pinto, the right wing-back, was too often left with two men to mark in a revitalised Eden Hazard and Kenedy.

That was how the early goal arrived. Hazard broke swiftly after the home side lost possession and fed his full-back, who came inside then went back onto his left foot as Alex Tettey backed off, before sending a low drive through the legs of defender Ryan Bennett and into the net. So much for manager Alex Neil's exhortation to his team to “go and attack it”.

They had suffered a blow even before the game with the absence of Steven Naismith, explained only by the manager's cursory “he's not quite right”. The Scot had scored a hat-trick against Chelsea in Everton's colours earlier this season.

Meanwhile Hiddink, the latest foreign manager to complain about the demands of English clubs' fixture lists, shook up his side with four changes, although Kenedy at left-back, Nemanja Matic and Oscar had all come on from the bench in Saturday's win at Southampton. But everything he touches as interim manager at Stamford Bridge turns to goals.

Kenedy scored the fastest goal of the season after just 39 seconds

The fourth alteration, bringing Bertrand Traore into midfield meant leaving out Willian, by far the best Chelsea player this season, which the Dutchman must have been reluctant to do. Yet his Midas touch continued to work when the Burkina Faso midfielder set up the second goal in added time before the interval. Hazard played a throw in to him, and a first-time pass caught Costa clearly offside but allowed to go on and chip over John Ruddy.

Hiddink had given Kenedy his chance at half-time against Southampton, taking off Baba Rahman, whom he blamed for the home team's goal. Having scored here, the Brazilian almost helped create another goal within four minutes. His pass to Hazard in Norwich's weak area on the right was cut back just behind the onrushing Traore.

Once the home side recovered some composure, Jonny Howson's respectable effort deflected wide off the backside of Cameron Jerome, who then headed Wes Hoolahan's cross over the bar.

The impression that fortune was not going to favour them was confirmed, however, when Alex Tettey hobbled off and Chelsea's goalkeeper Thibault Courtois was allow to pick up a clear backpass from Gary Cahill. The home crowd, angry with referee Lee Mason over that, redoubled their fury when Costa's goal was allowed to stand.

Resuming strongly, Norwich gave Jerome three opportunities to break a scoring duck at Carrow Road dating back to September. His two headers were respectable but when Russell Martin nodded Hoolahan's lob to him, the striker shot too high from six yards out. Neil then gave him extra support up front in the form of Dieumerci Mbokani and midway through the half there was a deserved goal. Hoolahan, easily Norwich's best player, threaded through a pass to Redmond, who thrashed a shot past Courtois from an angle.

Whether or not Kenedy was taking the rap for that one, he had long ceased to be a threat pushing forward and Rahman replaced him, as Hiddink also summoned Willian and Jon Obi Mikel.

Only then did Chelsea break out of their own half for any length of time in a series of counter-attacks, which failed to test Ruddy. The defence, with Branislav Ivanovic excellent again on his 350th appearance, nevertheless stood firm.

So the only blemish on Hiddink's record remains the narrow and retrievable 2-1 defeat by Paris St-Germain, who visit Stamford Bridge for the second leg of their Champions League tie next Wednesday. Meanwhile supporters must look at the league table and think about what might have been...