SWANSEA, Wales (AP) - 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.
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