Chelsea 1-0 Norwich City: Diego Costa helps champions get back to winning ways

Diego Costa's second-half strike helped Chelsea get back to winning ways in the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Norwich City at Stamford Bridge.

Costa struck what proved the decider on 64 minutes, the Spain international finding the net for the first time since October as the champions ended a miserable run of seven defeats in their last 12 games - including three straight league losses.

Chelsea had manager Jose Mourinho back in the dugout after his one-match ban at Stoke City last time out and the Portuguese - under the watchful eye of owner Roman Abramovich in the stands - made three alterations from the team that lost 1-0 at Stoke.

One of those changes saw Kenedy make his first-ever Premier League start in an unfamiliar left-back role, but the 19-year-old enjoyed an impressive first half.

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It was Norwich, though, who had the first real opening of the game as Dieumerci Mbokani's flick-on found Nathan Redmond, the England U21 international then testing Asmir Begovic at his near post with a well-struck shot.

Chelsea were starting to look more like the side that won the title last season, playmaker Eden Hazard - whom Mourinho had opted to field in the hole behind Costa - increasingly pulling the strings.

Costa missed two great chances to open the scoring, firstly when shooting over from six yards out after good work down the left flank by Pedro, before Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy denied the Brazil-born striker with a brilliant save.

But Costa - who had scored eight times at the same stage of the previous campaign - should not have given Ruddy any chance from just six yards out.

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The visitors could also have found the net when right-back Andre Wisdom set up Sebastien Bassong with a great opening minutes before half-time.

But luckily for Chelsea, captain John Terry was in the right place to make a desperate goal-saving block after Brady had picked him out perfectly at the far post.

The second half started much as the first had ended, with Chelsea pressing their opponents back towards their own goal, before they eventually made the breakthrough after some clever thinking by Cesc Fabregas.

The Spaniard took a quick free-kick near the halfway line to catch the Norwich defence napping, Costa then making no mistake with a close-range finish to end a recent drought of six games without a goal.

Chelsea could have soon doubled their lead when Kurt Zouma flicked Willian's free-kick on to the bar, while Begovic - a virtual spectator in the second period - kept his concentration to turn behind Robbie Brady's curling effort from the edge of the box.

Both teams had penalty appeals turned down by referee Craig Pawson, Chelsea when Pedro and Costa were bundled over in the box towards the end of each half, while Norwich felt Brady had been impeded by Willian 12 minutes before the break.

The Blues nearly added a second late on after a powerful run past a posse of Norwich players by Nemanja Matic, only for Ruddy to thwart the Serb with a good stop at his post.

But Mourinho punched the air in relief as his side saw the game out for a deserved and much-needed three points that lifts them up to 15th in the table.

Player ratings

Chelsea: Begovic (7), Ivanovic (6), Zouma (7), Terry (7), Kenedy (8), Fabregas (8), Matic (7), Pedro (7), Willian (7), Hazard (9), Costa (8)

Subs used: Ramires (6), Oscar (6), Azpilicueta (6)

Norwich City: Ruddy (8), Wisdom (6), Bennett (6), Bassong (7), Olsson (6), Redmond (7), O'Neil (6), Mulumbu (6), Brady (8), Howson (6), Mbokani (6)

Subs used: Jerome (6), Hoolahan (6), Dorrans (6)

Man of the match: Eden Hazard