Author: chelseafan

Chelsea crashed out of the Champions league as they lost 4-2 on aggregate to French champions PSG. The Blues knew they needed a good start here to overturn a 2-1 defeat in Paris, but Adrien Rabiot scored for the French club after they dominated the early stages. Diego Costa got an equaliser as the hosts pressed late in the first half, but they couldn’t get in front. Zlatan Ibrahimovic ended all hopes that Chelsea had as he struck to send his side through.

Guus Hiddink went with an open side for this one, when many expected him to start with Nemanja Matic alongside John Obi Mikel. The Serbian was left on the bench, with Cesc Fabregas playing in the middle. John Terry sat out again, so Branislav Ivanovic captained the side, with Kenedy surprisingly in at left back.

That team seemed too open, with Fabregas never likely to break up play in central midfield. That was the case from the start, as the French side danced around the Chelsea defence. They had a couple of early chances, and it felt like a PSG goal was coming. After a quarter of an hour of pressure, Ibrahimović’s cross found Rabiot, who tapped in at the back post, as he breezed through a confused Chelsea back line.

That goal seemed to wake the home team up, as they began to exert some control over the game from there on. They had to find two goals just to force extra time, but in truth they should have managed that by half time. There were so many good chances here for Chelsea, but they only managed to score the one.

Costa got that goal just before the half hour mark, he worked his way into some space and fired past Kevin Trapp. That goal lifted the fans, but the second just wasn’t coming. The Blues pushed forward and dominated as half time closed in, but they were unable to take advantage. Even at the time, it looked like their failure to take advantage then would be their undoing.

Chelsea did keep trying after half time, but Laurent Blanc got his side pushing forward again in response. The French champions showed absolutely no fear here, and their quality shone through. Costa limped off with an injury, and then seven minutes later Ibrahimovic scored from Angel Di Maria’s cross.

From there, the tie was over. The Blues had 20 minutes to score three times, without their leading striker. Their exit here means this is the last Champions League game at Stamford Bridge for a long time. With work on the stadium possibly starting next year, it could be a long time before the competition returns here.

The scale of the defeat showed just how big the gap between the Blues and Europe’s best is. Right now, they are miles off where they should be. Whoever takes charge of this side next season has some serious work to do.

LCN Man of the Match: Kenedy

Chelsea warmed up for their crucial Champions League tie in midweek with a 1-1 draw at home to Stoke. The game was a mixed bag for the Blues, with Bertrand Traore scoring a fantastic opener, and Guus Hiddink setting a league record for longest unbeaten start by a manager. Stoke could have ended that unbeaten run, as they pushed forwards and probably deserved more than just Mame Biram Diouf’s goal.

Hiddink started this game without Diego Costa, who had a minor injury. It’s nothing serious, it’s likely he was just rested ahead of the PSG and Everton games later this week. Traore replaced him up front, while Nemanja Matic came in for Cesc Fabregas in midfield. Aside from that, Hiddink went with the team that beat Norwich 2-1 in midweek.

Traore started well up front, working hard in a game that seemed to mean very little. While Stoke are hoping to make the Europa League, this game was nothing compared to what was coming for the Blues in the next week. It was a hard one for fans to get excited about, they all seemed to be focusing on the tie with PSG on Wednesday. It’s hard to blame them for it, the league has lost its shine after the awful start made by the Blues.

That fact that Hiddink is using these games to give a youngster a chance in the form of Traore is great, especially when he’s picked ahead of January signing Alexandre Pato. You’d not be blamed for forgetting that the Brazilian was a member of the Blues squad. Traore has taken his chance in the team brilliantly, and Saturday was no exception.

When he picked the ball up with five minutes to go until half time, he showed no fear. He took a touch, moved himself into a position to strike, and hit a left footed thunderbolt into the net. It might be the best goal scored at Stamford Bridge this season, and it helped announce the arrival of a young forward who can hopefully kick on where many strikers have failed.

The energy created by that goal had apparently evaporated by the time the Blues came out for the second half, and Stoke took control of the game. They dominated most of the second half without scoring, and it looked like the Blues would hold on to record a fourth consecutive league win.

With just five minutes left to play, however, Stoke got level. Mame Biram Diouf was first onto a Thibaut Courtois punch, and he was presented with the perfect chance to score for the first time since September. He headed home, giving Stoke the point that their second half display deserved. They came close to taking all three, with Courtois saving in injury time from Bojan.

The Blues will need to be a lot more focused on Wednesday, as they look to overturn a 2-1 defeat against PSG. They’ll want to do it without going to extra time, with a cup quarter final against Everton to come on Saturday.

LCN Man of the Match: Bertrand Traore

Chelsea moved up to eighth in the Premier League table after picking up a 2-1 victory at struggling Norwich. A very early goal from Kenedy got things off to the perfect start for the Blues, before Diego Costa hit a second to extend the lead. Guus Hiddink’s men had to hold out as the Canaries pushed for an equaliser, but they managed to hold on to make it three league victories in a row.

Hiddink made a couple of changes to his team for this one, and they weren’t what we were expecting. John Terry failed to make the bench again, while Abdul Baba Bahman dropped out of the side. Kenedy came in at left back, while Bertrand Traore came into the side for Willian. Pedro was left out of the squad here, after coming off early against Southampton on Saturday.

The fastest goal of the Premier League season isn’t the worst way to kick off a game, and that’s exactly what the Blues got. Anyone questioning Kenedy’s inclusion at left back was quickly silenced, as the young Brazilian made a swift breakthrough. He shot from 20 yards, finding the net just 39 seconds into the game. Given that the Blues scored late on Saturday, they’ve picked up right where they left off here.

The Canaries seemed stunned after that goal, not sure if they should deviate from their pre-match plans. They had been set up to frustrate Chelsea, but obviously that idea was ruined very quickly. It took a while for Alex Neill to reorganise them to a new way of playing, but that didn’t exactly go to plan for them either.

It seemed like they just wanted to be still in the game after the break. They were playing for half time, hoping to keep the score to 1-0. Costa had other ideas, after Traore put him through. The Spaniard was clearly offside, something that everyone could see apart from the linesman. The flag stayed down, and John Ruddy dived towards the feet of Costa. He lifted the ball over the keeper, scoring for the eighth time in his last 10 outings.

Norwich did push back in the second half, and Nathan Redmond got a goal back for them. That set up a nervy finish for the Blues, but they held on to their lead, which saw them jumping into the top half of the league table. With three wins on the spin, is this the run we’ve all been expecting the Blues to go on?

Hiddink has to get credit for putting together this run of form. On top of that, going with Kenedy and Traore was a big statement from him. These kinds of games are a great chance to blend a few youngsters into the team, so we hope to see more of those two and Ruben Loftus-Cheek going forward. It would have been easy for Hiddink to just play the big names since he’s on a short term deal, but he’s handing out starts to players that could be the future of the club.

LCN Man of the Match: Cesc Fabregas

Chelsea continued their rise up the Premier League table as they came from behind to see off in-form Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday. Cesc Fabregas and Branislav Ivanovic struck for the visitors after Shane Long’s opener for the home side, moving the Blues close to the top half of the table. The Pensioners have now finally won back to back league games this season, a feat that somehow managed to elude them up until now.

Guus Hiddink named an unchanged side, as he looked to keep up the momentum built by his team in recent weeks. His plans were torn apart pretty quickly, as Pedro was forced off with injury after just seven minutes. The Dutchman kept faith with his makeshift back four, as Ivanovic held on to the captain’s armband.

Southampton went into this game in fantastic form, as they pushed for a top six place. They put together a run based on a fantastic defence, and they dominated early on here. The makeshift defence that did so well in Paris couldn’t cope here, with Abdul Baba Rahman disappointing at left back.

In fact, it was Baba who ended up at fault for the Southampton opener. It was his error that let in Long, and his chipped finish gave the Saints the lead at half time. The young full back was taken off after that, replaced by Kenedy. Given that Fraser Forster hadn’t conceded a goal since March of last year, Chelsea needed a massive 45 minutes to get themselves ahead here.

The last man to score past Forster was Diego Costa, and he came close to finding the net in the second half. He sent a volley just wide, when he really should have done better. The champions took control of the match in the second half, as they penned Southampton back in their own half.

As the Saints tried to hold on, the Blues got a much needed slice of luck to get back on level terms. Having stopped shots all day, Forster was eventually beaten by a cross from Fabregas. His ball in evaded everyone, and it went straight into the net to level the game. After a long period of pressure, it was more than the visitors deserved.

The two meetings between these sides last term finished level, and this one looked to be heading the same way. A draw here wouldn’t have been the worst result for the Blues, but they really needed to finally win back to back games. As the minutes ticked on, the Blues finally got the winner they needed, as Ivanovic headed in with just a minute of normal time remaining.

It was a fantastic win for Hiddink and his men, but they’re not yet in the top half. They do have a chance of a decent finish, if they can keep up this momentum. Indeed, they might just salvage something from what looked to be a train wreck of a league campaign.

LCN Man of the Match: Branislav Ivanovic

Chelsea cruised into the quarter finals of the FA Cup as they crushed a youthful Manchester City side at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Goals from Diego Costa, Willian, Gary Cahill, Eden Hazard and Bertrand Traore gave the champions this massive win, one which ended City’s hopes of winning four trophies this term.

Guus Hiddink named an unchanged side from Tuesday night’s defeat in Paris, as he looked to send a team out to attack. That left Nemanja Matic out again, after he was suspended on Tuesday. There was another chance for Hazard, despite his poor performance against PSG. As for Man City, they made plenty of changes, as they face a Champions League trip to Ukraine in midweek.

The difference in team selections was evident from the start, as the hosts dominated the early stages. It took them a little longer than they’d have liked to take the lead, as they made the breakthrough 35 minutes in. Hazard started a lot better here than he did in Paris, and it was the Belgian’s ball in that Costa headed home.

It took just 94 seconds for City to equalise, however, as their young stars found a way to goal. Kelechi Iheanacho put the ball across the six yard box and 18-year-old David Faupala scored. It was a big moment for the young forward, and it seemed to boost morale within in the City camp. The two sides went in level at the break, despite the Blues controlling the game.

Chelsea quickly took control of the game early in the second half, as Willian put the Blues ahead three minutes after the restart. A lung-busting run from the Brazilian started the breakaway, and he played a one-two with Hazard before firing a low shot past Willy Caballero.

Hiddink’s men took complete control of the game five minutes later, as Cahill hit a third goal for the Blues. Once again, Hazard was the man who supplied the ball in, but was cleared out of the box. The ball fell to Cahill, and he took a touch and powered a shot home from 20 yards. Caballero could have done better, but the defender would have been delighted.

Having played a part in four goals, Hazard scored the fourth with just over 20 minutes to go. He dribbled to the edge of the box, before being hauled down by Martin Demichelis. The playmaker stepped up to hit the free kick himself, and his tame effort curled into the bottom corner, with Caballero once again at fault.

The goalkeeper did save a penalty from Oscar, coming after a harsh decision. After scoring in the fourth round, Traore hit the fifth here as his unorthodox header looped over Caballero.

Chelsea now face a tricky trip to Goodison Park in the quarter finals, which comes just days after the return leg against PSG in the Champions League. For Hiddink, things are progressing pretty well in both cups right now.

LCN Man of the Match: Cesc Fabregas

Chelsea suffered a defeat in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash with PSG on Tuesday, but they managed to score what could prove a crucial away goal in the process. The Blues went behind after a Zlatan Ibrahimovic free kick in the first half, only for John Obi Mikel to get an equaliser. The Blues were holding firm against the attacking pressure, but they broke with just over 10 minutes to go, as Edinson Cavani hit the winner for the French champions.

Chelsea headed in to this game on the back of a defensive crisis, with John Terry limping off against Newcastle. He joined long term absentee Kurt Zouma on the sidelines, so Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill played at centre back. Nemanja Matic was another big absentee. The Serbian was suspended for this tie, meaning Hiddink had to switch from his usual defensive midfield pairing.

PSG had the better of the early stages of the game, but as the half progressed the Blues started to show more going forward. Diego Costa forced a save from Kevin Trapp, as his header was tipped onto the bar and out to safety.

Despite imposing themselves on the game, it wasn’t Chelsea who took the lead here. Mikel brought down Lucas as he was charging towards the penalty box, giving the French side a free kick in a good position. Ibrahimovic stepped up to take it, and his low strike took a huge deflection off Mikel, which wrong footed and beat Thibaut Courtois.

Mikel made amends before half time, as he gave Chelsea an away goal right before the break. Willian’s free kick went out for a corner, and the Brazilian stepped up and swung it into the box. The ball fell for Mikel, not one to usually attack corners, and the Nigerian took it down before smashing home. That was the last kick of the half, and it completely changed the two managers’ half time team talks.

The Blues had to withstand a barrage of attacks in the second half, as PSG looked to get themselves back ahead. The Premier League side were able to pick out a few counter attacking moves, but PSG were dominating possession, and looking the likelier of the two to score. That really tested the makeshift back four, which needed Ivanovic barking orders to keep it in line.

Both sides made attacking changes with the game level. Oscar came on for a rather tepid Eden Hazard while PSG replaced Lucas with Cavani. It was the Uruguayan who had the biggest impact, as he put the French side ahead with just 12 minutes to go. Courtois could have done much more, as the strike went through his legs and into the goal.

While Guus Hiddink would have liked to keep his unbeaten record intact, he’ll be pleased with the result and display here. His side were always in the game, and they are still in this one, taking an away goal back to the Bridge for the second half of the tie.

LCN Man of the Match: Diego Costa

Chelsea got a much-needed victory as they hammered Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening. It was hard to tell if the Blues had returned to form, or if the Magpies were just abysmal. Diego Costa and Pedro capitalised early on, before Willian, Pedro again and Bertrand Traore boosted the scoreline. The visitors got a consolation, denying Chelsea a clean sheet.

Guus Hiddink made a few changes from the sidethat faced Manchester United, with John Obi Mikel a surprising absentee. Nemanja Matic’s suspension in the Champions League explains why Hiddink left out his favourite Nigerian here. Eden Hazard returned to the team, while Oscar missed out through injury, as Pedro stepped up to take his place.

It was a stronger team than many expected, as Hiddink could have been forgiven for starting with a weak XI here ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League game at Paris Saint-Germain. The team he did pick made a blistering start in this one, with Diego Costa hitting the opener within two minutes of the match starting. Costa was forced to wear a protective mask after breaking his nose in training, but that didn’t stop him turning in the first goal of the game.

The flying start kept going, as the Blues were 2-0 ahead within 10 minutes. Pedro was sent clear of a poor Newcastle defence after an error from Rolando Aarons, and he finished well to put the champions in charge of this clash. At that stage, the Toon defence looked about as confused as the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Costa turned provider for goal number three, as he sent Willian through to further the lead. The Brazilian scored his fourth league goal of a season, a total which seemed low given his great season so far. That was enough to give Hiddink’s side a big half time lead, a scoreline that we’ve not seen for a while in league action. The only blemish on that first half was an injury to John Terry, who hobbled off to be replaced by Adbul Baba Rahman.

Pedro got his second goal of the game, his fourth goal of the season, just before the hour mark. The Spanish winger didn’t impress with his play in general, but he was pretty ruthless with his finishing, adding more gloss to an impressive score, dumping more misery on to the travelling Newcastle fans.

Following that, Hiddink replaced Diego Costa, giving him a rest before Tuesday, with Bertrand Traore coming on to replace him. The young forward got on the scoresheet 20 minutes after joining the action, getting his second goal for the club following his cameo in the cup against MK Dons. Andros Townsend struck late for Newcastle, but it didn’t do much to ruin the Chelsea fans’ day.

Following that game, focus turns to the Champions League in midweek, with a trip to Paris on Tuesday night. Next weekend is cup action, with Manchester City the visitors to the Bridge.

LCN Man of the Match: Cesc Fabregas

A stoppage time strike from Diego Costa prevented Manchester United from taking all three points against the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, keeping Guus Hiddink’s unbeaten record alive. Jesse Lingard had given United the lead after an hour, but the Blues fought until the end to record a fourth consecutive home draw. The result is slightly irrelevant after Kurt Zouma suffered a serious injury, one which could see him miss the rest of the season, including the European Championships in France.

The midweek meeting with Watford was far from an enjoyable night for Blues fans, as the team toiled to create any kind of breakthrough, and they went home with a goalless draw. Despite that, Hiddink named an unchanged side for this clash, staying with his two defensive midfielders. That meant there was no place for Eden Hazard, while Alexandre Pato didn’t even make the bench.

That defensive minded approach didn’t do too much good in the first half, as United had the majority of the chances in the first 45 minutes. They piled pressure on the Blues defence, and the two-man shield in front of the back four didn’t do too much to keep them out. United had plenty of corners, but they also showed glimpses of a cutting edge going forwards.

Having just won 3-0 at home to Stoke, United’s attack was clearly in confident mood, and Louis van Gaal must have given them a little more freedom to express themselves. That belief saw them control the game, but the Blues had their share of chances. They were denied a penalty towards the end of the half, when John Terry’s volley struck the arm of Daley Blind.

The second half started a lot like the first, but things got a lot worse for Chelsea just before the hour mark. Kurt Zouma landed awkwardly after challenging for a ball in the air, and he had to be stretchered off. Having forced his way into the starting 11, it will be a massive disappointment for the young defender to have to recover on the side-lines.

Gary Cahill came on to replace Zouma, but the new look defence wasn’t able to hold out for very long, as Lingard’s fantastic turn and strike broke the deadlock. United were then in charge of the game, and Van Gaal’s men went into lock down to try and keep their lead.

There was a late Chelsea rally, however, and in the first minute of stoppage time confusion in the United defence let Costa through. He slid the ball around David De Gea, before finishing into the open goal. His celebration showed just how up for the match he was, but he and his teammates were unable to find a winner.

The point keeps the Blues in 13th position in the table and they’re at home again next weekend against Newcastle. After that, it’s Champions League action, with a daunting trip to Paris to face PSG.

LCN Man of the Match: Cesc Fabregas

Chelsea couldn’t find a way past a resilient Watford side on Wednesday as they failed to build on their win at Arsenal. Guus Hiddink kept his unbeaten run up with this point, but the Dutchman offered little attacking inspiration to edge the game. The Blues move up one place, to 13th, but there’s still little to shout about for fans of the reigning Premier League champions.

After making a few changes for the cup tie with MK Dons, Hiddink’s team took on a familiar look here. John Obi Mikel returned in place of Rueben Loftus-Cheek, with the Nigerian forming a defensive midfield duo with Nemanja Matic once more. Cesc Fabregas moved into a more attacking midfield role, while Willian replaced Eden Hazard in attacking midfield. Kurt Zouma came back into the team for Gary Cahill at the back.

Zouma was forced into action pretty often in the first half, as the home side had the run of the early stages. Thibaut Courtois was the busier of the two goalkeepers, he was at full stretch a number of times in the first 45 minutes. The Hornets had 10 shots in a cagey first half, which was a massive change from the intensity shown by the Chelsea team at MK Dons over the weekend.

The second half started off a lot better for the Blues, as a blocked shot from Oscar fell to Mikel. The holding man isn’t one you’d associate with troubling goalkeepers, but his long range shot took a deflection, and it almost looped over the head of Heurelho Gomes.

The Blues finally made an attacking change after 72 minutes, as Hiddink sacrificed a defensive midfielder for Hazard. Having finally opened his account for the season at the weekend, he probably should have seen a little more of the game. That being said, it’s hard to fault the manager for being concerned about the state of this back four, and giving them as much cover as possible.

Hazard helped to cut open the Watford defence, playing a fantastic pull back to Branislav Ivanovic after some great Chelsea play. The Serbian’s shot was saved by Gomes, but it was a sign that the Belgian is slowly returning to being the attacking influence he was last season.

Gomes had to be at his best to deny a header from Diego Costa, saving his side from suffering a late defeat. The Hornets may have dominated the first half, but the Blues took charge of the second, and only Gomes stopped them from taking all three points.

While this wasn’t the worst result of the campaign, it was yet another failure to win back to back games. That’s something the Blues haven’t managed to achieve all term, and now they’re back to square one. It looks like that late winning run to make the top four was just a pipe dream after all.

LCN Man of the Match: John Terry

Chelsea set up a Fifth Round meeting with Manchester City after crushing Championship MK Dons 5-1 at Stadium MK. The Blues put in a dominating performance from the start, with Oscar hitting a first half hat-trick. Eden Hazard finally opened his account for the season, while Bertrand Traore came off the bench to score. Given the number of chances they had, they could well have scored 10 here.

Guus Hiddink picked a very strong line up for this game, as expected. Diego Costa was supported by Cesc Fabregas, Oscar and Hazard, while Rueben Loftus-Cheek got a start. The only change to the back four saw Abdul Baba Rahman come in for Cesar Azpilicueta, while Hiddink didn’t even give Asmir Begovic a run out ahead of Thibaut Courtois.

From the off Chelsea were attacking the Dons, and the gulf in class was evident. They had 15 chances in the first half alone, with Costa passing one up and Oscar missing two before he got his first goal. Costa made the opener for the Brazilian, after taking advantage of Kyle McFadzean’s mistake he laid it off for the midfielder to tap home.

Chelsea were looking like they could go on and run up a huge score, but then MK Dons equalised out of nowhere. Darren Potter’s deflected effort flew past Courtois, putting the Championship side level. It wasn’t exactly a deserved goal, but it sent the home support into a frenzy.

Oscar got his second of the game to put the Premier League side back ahead, after being played through wonderfully by Loftus-Cheek. His ball was perfect for the Brazilian’s run, and Oscar provided a great finish to score the team’s, and his, second.

With half time approaching, Oscar needed no help in the build up to the third goal. He cut in from the left hand side, dribbled into the centre and hit a fantastic effort from the edge of the box. It was another brilliant goal from him, and it gave the playmaker a first ever hat-trick in English football. That saw the Dons head in 3-1 down at the break, having been completely outclassed.

10 minutes into the second half and the Blues were on the attack again. Hazard chased a pass into the box, but before he could reach it he was fouled by the goalscorer Potter. After much deliberation, John Terry sorted matters and told Hazard to take the kick. The Belgian scored, finally getting his first goal this season.

Youngster Bertrand Traore came off the bench for Costa, and he hit the fifth goal, wrapping up the win. After the game the Blues were out first in the draw for Round Five, and they meet Manchester City at the Bridge next. That’s going to be a massive game, one which could well decide the destination of the cup.

LCN Man of the Match: Oscar