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 scored his third league goal of the season after 64 minutes, the Spain international's first strike since finding the back of the net against Aston Villa in October.

And the forward's winner brought to an end a poor run of seven defeats in their last 12 games for the champions, including three consecutive top-flight losses.

Chelsea had manager Jose Mourinho back in the dugout after his one-match ban at Stoke City last time out, and the Portuguese made three alterations from the team that lost 1-0 at the Britannia.

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

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

However, Chelsea were starting to look more like the side that won the title last season, and none more so than playmaker Eden Hazard, who Mourinho had opted to field in the 'hole' behind lone frontman Costa.

That change of position had the desired effect, with the Belgium international a constant threat throughout, and if Costa had had his shooting boots on then Chelsea would have been leading at the break.

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

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

The visitors could also have found the net before the break when the lively Robbie Brady, fresh on the heels of helping the Republic of Ireland qualify for Euro 2016 in midweek, set up Sebastien Bassong with a great opening minutes before half-time.

But luckily for Chelsea, captain John Terry was in the right place at the right time to make a desperate goal-saving block to prevent the centre back from opening the scoring 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 quick near the halfway line to catch the Norwich defence napping, with Costa then making no mistake from 10 yards to end a recent drought of no goals in his previous six contests.

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 Brady's curling effort from the edge of the box.

However, Mourinho's side saw the game out for a deserved, and much-needed, three points that lifts them up to 15th in the table.

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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)

Used subs: 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)

Used subs: Jerome (6), Hoolahan (6), Dorrans (6)

Man of the match: Eden Hazard

Teams

Chelsea Begovic, Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry (c), Kenedy, Fabregas, Matic, Pedro (Oscar 83), Willian (Ramires 87), Hazard (Azpilicueta 90+1), Costa
Subs Not Used Blackman, Cahill, Remy, Traore
Booked Willian
Goals Costa 64

Norwich City Ruddy, Wisdom, Bennett, Bassong, Olsson, Redmond, O’Neil (c), Mulumbu (Hoolahan 73), Brady, Howson (Dorrans 73), Mbokani (Jerome 73)
Subs Not Used Rudd, Whittaker, Lafferty, Odjidja-Ofoe
Booked Mulumbu, O’Neil, Olsson, Bassong
Goals

Attendance 41,582

Referee Craig Pawson