Swansea,(AP/UNB) – Chelsea’s chase for Champions League qualification gathered pace on Saturday when Cesc Fabregas clinched a 1-0 win at Swansea that deepened the hosts’ concerns about being relegated from the English Premier League.Fabregas struck his 50th Premier League goal in the fourth minute on a wet evening in south Wales. Eden Hazard found Fabregas unmarked in the penalty area and the Spanish midfielder curled a shot past goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
“We were quite comfortable,” Fabregas said. “The last few minutes we could have controlled a little better but Swansea need to avoid relegation.”
Liverpool’s 0-0 draw with Stoke earlier in the day gave a lift to Chelsea’s hopes of still making the top four with three games remaining after mounting a dismal defense of its Premier League title.
Fifth-place Chelsea is six points behind Liverpool, with a game in hand over the third-place team. Chelsea and Liverpool meet at Stamford Bridge next Sunday. Tottenham is only two points ahead of Chelsea going into Monday’s match against Watford.Swansea has gone six games without a win and is one point above the relegation zone with three games to play.
