England
international defender Ashley Cole turned goal scorer as his late winner at
Stamford Bridge Saturday gave Chelsea a 1-0 win over Stoke City to stay top of
the English Premier League.
Cole was finding the net for the first time
in over two years and he left it until the 85th minute, set up by a brilliant
pass by Spain's Juan Mata.
His team had been made to struggle by the
battling visitors and looked set for a fourth game without a win in all
competitions before the full back's late intervention.
"I had a few shots in the first half and
took too much time on the ball with them, but this time, the first thing that
came into my brain was to dink it and I just did it," Cole said.
"It is mentally good to get a lead in
the league table."
Fernando Torres scuffed Chelsea's best chance
but Stoke might have gone ahead in the first half when a Jonathan Walters'
header hit the crossbar.
The striker was also subjected to a strong
challenge late in the game from Chelsea defender David Luiz, which left the
Brazilian lucky to escape a straight red card.
Luiz, who signed from Benfica last year,
sealed a new five-year contract with the Blues later Saturday, extending his
deal to 2017.
"It is a great club and I look forward
to winning more trophies here. I want to play for a long time at the top level
-- which is what playing for Chelsea means," he told the club's official
website.
Four wins from five league games have left
Roberto Di Matteo's men three points clear of Everton, who secured an excellent
3-0 win at 10-man Swansea in the early kick off.
Victor Anichebe and Kevin Mirallas put
Everton 2-0 up by halftime and home hopes disappeared when substitute Nathan
Dyer was sent off after the break.
Belgian star Marouane Fellaini was rewarded
for his fine efforts with a late third goal. He had set up Anichebe for the
opener with a pass which TV replays indicated had been via his arm, but he was
a constant thorn in the side of the home defense.
West Bromwich Albion continued their fine
start to the season with a 1-0 home win over promoted Reading, leaving them
third in the early EPL standings.
Southampton earned their first points of the
season with a 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa at St Mary's.
Darren Bent put the visitors ahead in the
first half but two goals from Rickie Lambert helped the Saints storm back after
the break. A Nathan Clyne effort and an own goal from Ciaran Clark added to
Villa's misery.
In other matches, Hugo Rodallega scored
against his old club as Fulham won 2-1 at Wigan, while Sunderland drew 1-1 at
West Ham.
Sunday will see Liverpool face arch-rivals
Manchester United, while champions Manchester City entertain Arsenal.
Norwich visit Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur
host Queens Park Rangers.
CNN.com September 22, 2012
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