Swans steal a point as Hernandez haunts Blues

Swansea 1 Chelsea 1

It just would not have been Chelsea.

Yet, with an end to a controversy-laden week in sight, that was the scenario facing up to Roberto Di Matteo’s men at the Liberty Stadium, where the most routine of 1-0 wins looked on the cards.

Then, for the second successive weekend, they were undone by Hernandez.

After Javier’s winner for Manchester United last Sunday, this time it was the turn of Swansea’s record signing Pablo.

They may have gained revenge over Alex Ferguson’s team in the Capital One Cup — and, winning 5-4, in what style too — yet this has been anything but a good week for the Blues.

Off the field, they have found themselves at the centre of a fresh racism storm after lodging a formal complaint with the Football Association over allegations referee Mark Clattenburg used “inappropriate language” towards John Obi Mikel last Sunday.

That Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, no less, have criticised their decision to go public with their accusation before establishing the full facts should not, and has not, gone unnoticed. Until that point is reached, there are many who believe the last thing the Stamford Bridge club needed, after the John Terry affair, was to see their name dragged through the mud again so quickly.

On the field, meanwhile, the early-season pacesetters have now slipped back to join the chasing pack. Hernandez’s goal denied them a return to pole position in the Barclays Premier League.

After six wins in succession, they have won just one of their last four matches — and that came against United’s second string with half of their strongest side.

Crisis? That would be exaggerating it, but the honeymoon period is most certainly over.

Di Matteo now finds himself in the most challenging spell of his reign to date and, as always, Roman Abramovich will be paying very close attention.

The European champions host Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday with their crown already slipping, having lost out in Ukraine. Another defeat would leave them in grave danger of crashing out before the knockout stages in a group which also includes Juventus.

“We want to progress and give a good account of ourselves,” said defender Ryan Bertrand. “We know we weren’t ourselves in the first game and we didn’t perform up to our usual standards. We’ve got off to a very good start this season and I don’t think we have got enough credit for that. It’s all been negative stuff.

“It’s good discussing football again because there has been a lot of stuff going on. But that just comes with being Chelsea. I suppose it didn’t help that we were top of the league and everything else that brings.”

That final comment would surely never be uttered by a United player and, in times like this, the experience of the suspended Terry, who is available in midweek, and injured Frank Lampard would be welcomed.

Yet, while those two are in the autumns of their Stamford Bridge careers, Victor Moses, 21, represents the future. Oscar’s pinpoint corner was headed goalwards by Gary Cahill and Moses, inside the six-yard area, executed a sublime headed flick which flew in off the left post.

“He’s a threat, he’s got tricks,” Di Matteo said. “He’s very good one v one, he has pace and is becoming more aware of where to find the spaces and where to go. Over time I think he will be a big, big asset.”

The same can be said of Hernandez and Swansea. After a stuttering start, the Spaniard now looks a class act.

When substitute Itay Schechter fed the ball back out to him, on the edge of the area, there was still much to do. Yet the former Valencia player created space before squeezing the ball through a crowd of bodies, perfectly placing it inside the right post and out of Petr Cech’s reach.

“It is always difficult when you are in a team like Valencia and getting a lot of game time,” he said. “I came and it took me a few weeks to adapt,” said Hernandez. “But I am getting better and better and enjoying it more and more.”

SWANSEA (4-2-3-1): Tremmel 7; Rangel 7, Monk 7, Williams 7, Davies 6; Britton 7 (Graham, 65, 6), Ki 7; Hernandez 7, De Guzman 7, Routledge 6 (Dyer, 65, 7); Michu 6 (Shechter, 79).

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Cech 7; Azpilicueta 6, Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Cole 7; Mikel 7, Romeu 5 (Ramires, 46, 7); Moses 8 (Sturridge, 72, 6), Oscar 6 (Bertrand, 79), Hazard 7; Torres 6.

Referee: Kevin Friend.