Willian scores a masterpiece, Chelsea wins again

Conte's side secured a crucial 2-0 win over Hull, following a run of three draws and losses in the Premier League.

Willian scored the opening goal. Photo: Reuters.

Chelsea showed two faces in the match against Hull. The team that played without ideas and innovation in the first half transformed in the second half to score consecutive goals in the 61st and 67th minutes.

Willian's opener changed the game completely. Chelsea's best player of the season curled a shot into the top corner that left goalkeeper David Marshall petrified in his goal. The visitors exploded after Willian's strike and quickly added a second. Diego Costa finished off Matic's strike to bag his sixth goal in six Premier League games this season.

The win over Hull moved Chelsea up to sixth in the Premier League with 13 points, but Chelsea's rivals Man Utd, Arsenal, Tottenham and Man City are still playing their seventh round matches until tomorrow evening, October 2.

Conte changed his team after the embarrassing defeat to Arsenal. The Italian coach used a back three in Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta, as he did at Juventus. In the early minutes, Chelsea's defence was still shaky, allowing Mbokani to have a chance to face Courtois, but the long ball prevented the Hull striker from finishing.

But the safety of Courtois' goal was assured as time passed. Chelsea hardly gave Hull any chances in the second half. Alongside the defensive trio, the two central midfielders N'golo Kante and Nemanja Matic were the heart of Chelsea's engine. No one recognised this team that had conceded nine goals in their last four games, and this was an initial success for Conte.

Diego Costa maintains his high form and is a bright spot in Chelsea's attack. Photo: Reuters.

Chelsea's problem now is to improve their performance in attack. The visitors were almost helpless against Hull's well-organised defence in the first half. Chelsea did not have a single shot on target against Hull, while the home team forced Courtois to save twice. Luckily for Chelsea, they still have timely stars like Willian.

The Brazilian midfielder had been inactive for the previous few minutes but needed just one moment of brilliance to decide the game. Willian's stunning goal opened up the game for Chelsea as Hull were forced to push higher. As more space opened up in Hull's half, Chelsea made the hosts pay again through Diego Costa.

Diego Costa's goal took the striker to the top of the Premier League's Golden Boot race with six goals. There are currently three players with five goals: Aguero (Man City), Lukaku (Everton) and Antonio (West Ham).

Chelsea could have scored a third in the closing minutes but Pedro's shot went just six yards wide. However, the 2-0 win was enough to give Chelsea a boost in their bid for a top-four finish this season.

Hull are currently stuck in 15th place with seven points from seven games. Having started with two consecutive wins, Hull have only one draw and lost four of their last five games. Mike Phelan's team are quickly back in the relegation race and there are many difficulties waiting for them ahead.

See the main events of the match