On a day where they could have been distracted by the news of their owner being sanctioned by the Uk’s government, Chelsea beat Norwich 3-1 at Carrow Road to bring some joy to their fans.
Trevoh Chalobah and Mason Mount scored early goals for Chelsea before Norwich threatened a comeback when Teemu Pukki scored a second-half penalty. Kai Havertz, though, settled their nerves with a thumping 90th-minute finish.
In just the third minute, center-back Chalobah headed home the opener at the near post to from a Mason Mount corner. It wasn’t long before Mount himself found the net, after some neat footwork Mount took a delightful first touch before firing an unstoppable shot into the net beyond Tim Krul.
Chelsea controlled the proceedings throughout the opening 45 minutes but missed a bevy of chances to put the game out of the reach by the interval before Norwich made the game a true contest in the second half.
Chalobah’s handball in the box following a VAR review meant Pukki scored past Edouard Mendy to give life to the home crowd for the first time. Norwich continued to push for a draw but Kai Havertz ensured that Chelsea beat Norwich mere minutes before the stoppage time.
The result keeps Chelsea in third place with a Champions League berth for next season a formality.
Much of the rest of the club’s future, though, is now shrouded in doubt. The sanctions mean that Abramovich’s attempts to sell the club are on hold for now.
Chelsea can no longer sell new tickets for future matches and the club shop is to close. They also cannot agree to new contracts for existing players, a particularly urgent situation in the case of Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta, and Antonio Rudiger whose existing deals all expire at the end of the season.
In addition, they are prohibited from agreeing to any new transactions for the summer transfer window.
