Reports

Blues legend Frank Lampard struck for Manchester City as Chelsea surrendered their 100% Premier League record at the Etihad. After an even first half, City went down to 10 men when Pablo Zabaleta had an angry clash with Diego Costa. Chelsea took advantage of that when Andre Schurrle put them ahead.

The Blues looked set to repeat their win at the Etihad from last season, but then Lampard came off the bench for City and struck an equaliser against his former club. The midfielder almost scored a second late on, but his shot was blocked by John Terry.

The Blues came in to this game at the top of the table and they knew they’d stay there regardless of the result. A win for Chelsea could have opened up an eight point gap over the champions, but it was City who started the brighter of the two. They dominated possession early on, and had a seemingly endless stream of corners. Both sides were set up not to lose, and they came in at half time at 0-0.

City did well after the break as they went looking for the first goal. Sergio Aguero forced a save from Thibaut Courtois, and then Ramires crucially beat Edin Dzeko to the rebound to keep the scores level. Costa didn’t have many chances in front of goal, but he was involved in the altercation which really changed the game.

Zabaleta, who was already booked, went in with a hard challenge on Costa, and when the Spaniard reacted the City player appeared to grab the Spaniard’s throat. Both players received a yellow card, which saw Zabaleta heading off early. Bacary Sagna came on to fill the right back berth, but he was caught cold just a minute after coming on. After a break from a corner Eden Hazard swung a ball in and Andre Scurrle got ahead of Sagna at the back post to slot in the opening goal.

That goal left City behind with a man less, and it looked like Chelsea would get their fifth successive win of the season. But, with just five minutes to go City found an equaliser. Schurrle and Branislav Ivanovic undid their good work for the goal with some poor defending. Schurrle failed to track James Milner’s run, and he played the ball back to Frank Lampard, who Ivanovic had left unmarked, and he produced the kind of finish that made him a Chelsea legend.

After the game, Jose Mourinho wanted to avoid talking about Lampard’s goal. “He is a Man City player. Maybe I am too pragmatic in football but he decided to come to a competitor of Chelsea and love stories are obviously over,” he said. “He did his job as the super-professional he is and he scored.

He refused to be too harsh on Schurle, after his mistake, because of his work going forward. “I know the difference between Ramires and Schurrle. Schurrle scored a goal that Ramires would probably never have scored, coming in at the far post. But Ramires would never concede that goal.”

LCN man of the match: Eden Hazard

Chelsea had a poor opening night in the Champions League as they could only manage a draw against an injury hit Schalke. The Blues went ahead through Cesc Fabregas, but they spurned several chances before Klaas Jan Huntelaar grabbed a deserved equaliser for the visitors.

Chelsea pushed for a late winner, throwing on Diego Costa and Loic Remy in the second half. The Frenchman had a shot cleared off the line, but that was as close as Chelsea got to finding a second.

Didier Drogba made his first start for Chelsea since the 2012 Champions League final, as Chelsea fans arrived in an expectant mood. Mourinho made a couple of other changes, bringing Filipe Luis and Willian into the team. They looked strong enough to beat a Schalke side who had just three players at 100% fitness according to their manager.

Chelsea started off well, with Eden Hazard looking as sharp as he has all season. It was his pass that found Fabregas for the opening goal, which looked to be the first of many at the time. Chelsea kept pushing forward and should have had a second when Branislav Ivanovic cut the ball back across the box to Fabregas, but the Spaniard blazed the ball over the bar.

Despite not being at 100%, Schalke got stronger as the game went on, having a couple of decent chances in the first half. They were the far better side after the break, as Drogba missed a good chance at one end, before Schalke countered and found an equaliser. Fabregas lost possession, although it looked like he may have been fouled, and Huntelaar played a one two with Draxler before hitting a shot through Gary Cahill’s legs and in to the net.

Chelsea struggled to keep possession and put moves together after that, which lead to Mourinho throwing on Remy and the half-fit Costa. Neither managed to do anything to turn the tide, and in the end the Blues had to settle for a point.

After the game, Mourinho rued the missed chances from his side, and he explained why Costa started the game on the bench. “Yes I think we did enough to win we had chances to score 2-0 before the 1-1 and after 1-1 we had more than a couple of fantastic chances to win the game but we couldn’t win,” he said. “But we have a point, we didn’t lose which is not the best result but it is a result – it is a point.”

“He (Costa) is not in condition to play three matches in a week. In this moment he has problems when he plays one game he needs a week to recover and to be in conditions to start the next game and now matches Tuesdays, Wednesdays he can’t do it so today he was not in conditions to do more than what he did.”

LCN Man of the Match: Eden Hazard

Chelsea maintained their perfect start to the season by beating Everton in a nine-goal thriller at Goodison Park. The Blues led from the first minute to the last in the game, but Everton didn’t give them an easy ride in what could turn out to be the game of the season.

The Blues raced in to a two-goal lead through Diego Costa and Branislav Ivanovic, before Kevin Mirallas pulled one back before half time. A Seamus Coleman own goal made it 3-1, before Steven Naismith got the home side back in the game. Nemanja Matic scored his first goal for Chelsea, then former Blue Samuel Eto’o scored for Everton. Goals from Ramires and Costa sealed the points for the visitors.

Before the game there were doubts about Costa’s fitness, with the striker struggling with a hamstring injury. Despite not being at 100% he started the game, and he started with a bang. Cesc Fabregas played a brilliant through ball, and Costa got on the end to put the Blues ahead after just 35 seconds.

Their great start didn’t end there, with Ivanovic doubling the lead just minutes later. The Serbian latched onto a Willian cross and fired past Howard, but he looked to have been in an offside position, much to the annoyance of the home fans. Everton looked shell-shocked, but they got back on track and controlled the end of the half, grabbing a goal back through a Mirallas header.

Everton came out looking for blood in the second half, and the Blues initially looked vulnerable. Romelu Lukaku went through on goal, and it was only an incredible last gasp tackle that kept the Blues ahead. They then regained their two-goal lead when Eden Hazard ran down the line, and his cross was accidently turned into his own net by Coleman.

That kicked off the game’s goal rush, with Naismith cutting the lead just two minutes later. Matic then grabbed his first Chelsea goal shortly after, with his shot deflecting off Sylvain Distin and nestling in the bottom corner. Everton went straight up the other end, and Eto’o scored to make it 4-3. Barely a minute later Ramires went up the other end of the pitch and it became 5-3 to the Pensioners.

That seemed to be the end of the scoring, but Costa wrapped up the game with a great finish in the 90th minute. Substitute John Obi Mikel picked up on a mistake by Besic, before back-heeling into the path of Costa, who wrong footed Howard and Phil Jagielka with a step over before slotting home.

It rounded off an impressive evening for Costa and Chelsea’s attack, but there were defensive mistakes to bemoan as well. After the game, Mourinho tried to look at the positives, and gave an update on the pursuit of Loic Remy. “I think if the salt and pepper of football is goals then to have nine goals in a Premier League match is fantastic ingredients so I think (we saw) two teams that played the offensive way fantastically well.”

“We were killers in attack, especially on the counter-attack, so when you come to this stadium and get three points it is a reason to be happy. When you come here and score six goals, obviously my players did well.”

On Remy, Mourinho said, “I know that we’re trying since yesterday to get Loic Remy, since we knew Fernando was leaving. Now it’s time to make some calls and have news. We have a fantastic doctor and I trust him completely. They will identify any problem.”

LCN Man of the Match: Diego Costa

Chelsea had Diego Costa to thank as they maintained their 100% start to the season with a 2-0 win over Leicester at Stamford Bridge. The Blues had to work hard for the win, with Leicester holding out for over an hour, but ultimately the result was just about deserved.

Leicester weren’t just hanging in the game, the Foxes had the better chances in the first half, and deserved lead on the run of play. David Nugent went close after the half time break, but it was the Blues who broke the deadlock. Once again it was Diego Costa who came to the rescue, scoring from close range. Eden Hazard then secured the win with just over 10 minutes left.

Leicester were the second promoted side that Chelsea have faced this season, after their 3-1 win over Burnley last Monday night. Jose Mourinho’s team started slowly here, and it looked like the Chelsea of last season who couldn’t break down smaller teams had returned. Leicester had enough chances to cause a shock, but thanks to Thibault Courtois the game stayed goalless long enough for the home side to get a foothold in the match.

After an hour, the hosts finally found their way through to goal. Costa, the man brought in to cure Chelsea’s striking problems, put them ahead. Branislav Ivanovic’s cross into the box bounced around before falling to the Spaniard, and he had no problem firing home for his second goal of the season.

The second Chelsea goal came from Eden Hazard, although he was helped by poor keeping from Leicester’s Kasper Schmeichel. The Foxes’ goalie allowed the ball to slip underneath him, gifting Hazard his first goal of the season.

This was far from the, “90 minute performance” that Jose Mourinho asked from his side after the win at Burnley, but it was still an important one. This is exactly the kind of game that Chelsea failed to win last season. After their struggles with packed defences last term, teams are going to come to the Bridge and defend deep, but with Fabregas and Costa now in the side the Blues can break the resolve of stubborn visitors. This is a big step for Mourinho’s side, and there is surely better to come.

After the game, Mourinho was honest about their slow start, and thanked his keeper for keeping them in the game. “We didn’t play well first half,” Mourinho said. “Leicester showed great defensive intensity, and came with fast transitions, trying to scare us on the counter-attack. We were a bit slow – slow moving the ball, slow thinking – and we needed to change. Sometimes you don’t need to change players, just your attitude towards the game. And we did that.

On Courtois, Mourinho added: “That’s what Petr did so many times in this club year after year, so it’s nothing new for us. It’s important at a big club to have the kind of goalkeeper who’s almost sleeping during the match, and suddenly in the right moment he says ‘yes, I’m here’. Thibaut did this, the same way Petr did so many times for us.”

LCN Man of the Match: Branislav Ivanovic

Diego Costa had a debut to remember as he scored in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over newly promoted Burnley. The Spaniard was playing in his first official game after a £32m pound move from Atletico Madrid, and his goal proved to be the turning point of the night. Goals from Andre Schurrle and Branislav Ivanovic helped Chelsea to the win, after Scott Arfield’s opener for the home side, which surprised a few people.

Chelsea started the game with Thibault Courtois in goal, leaving club legend Petr Cech on the bench. Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas also made their debuts, while Filipe Luis was left on the bench. That team selection looked wrong at the start after Arfield put Burnley ahead; his volley was an incredible effort, and there was little that debutant Courtois could do about it.

Chelsea had mustered a great response after the opener however, with Costa flying straight back and scoring just three minutes later. His first goal for the club was a simple tap in, but his quick reactions show he’s exactly what Chelsea need. After that Costa had a penalty appeal turned down, which looked dubious, but Chelsea went from strength to strength from there.

Schurrle scored the second just four minutes later, with the goal coming after a great passing move. Ivanovic and Fabregas played great passes in the build up, before Schurrle found the net past Tom Heaton. The assist from Fabregas was a fantastic pass, showing exactly why Chelsea brought him in.

The game was wrapped up when Ivanovic scored the third after 34 minutes. The Serbian was first to the corner from Fabregas, tapping in from close range. That goal put the result beyond Burnley and Chelsea were in control of the game from then on.

This was the kind of game that Chelsea struggled with last term, but coming back from 1-0 down to boss the game and comfortably take the three points shows how much they have improved over the summer. That’s been helped by the signings of Fabregas and Costa, and Mourinho was proud of both in his comments after the game.

The Portuguese said to Sky Sports, “You gave Cesc the man of the match and I completely agree. He was the maestro and controlled the tempo of the game with (Nemanja) Matic. He dictated the speed and intensity of the game.”

On Costa, Mourinho said, “Diego did something very important for us which was the first goal. His movement and interaction with Eden (Hazard), Oscar and Schurrle was very good, although I feel sorry for him because it was a penalty and never a yellow card.”

Mourinho was adamant that those two signings would prove key this season. “I always thought that Diego and Cesc would bring us to the dimension we want because they are different players to what we had in the past. We need that striker who can hold the ball and have interaction with other players, and we need that kind of midfielder that dictates the intensity in the centre.” Could they be the final pieces to the jigsaw that propel Chelsea to the title? Time will tell.

LCN Man of the match: Cesc Fabregas

Chelsea wrapped up their season with a win after coming from behind to beat Cardiff City in the Welsh capital on Sunday.

Second half goals from Andre Schurrle and Fernando Torres secured the win after Craig Bellamy gave Cardiff the lead in the first half. The Blues have finished the season in third, four points off Premier League winners Manchester City.

Last weekend’s draw with Norwich meant that Chelsea were out of the title reckoning on the final day, which led to a rather subdued atmosphere at the Cardiff City Stadium given the Bluebirds also had nothing to play for after already having been relegated. Jose Mourinho made several changes, with young defender Tomas Kalas coming into the back four.

Chelsea started off the stronger, and could have been ahead but for Steven Caulker blocking an early shot from Torres. It was the home side who struck first, with Craig Bellamy’s effort deflecting off Cesar Azpilicueta and going past Mark Schwarzer.

The Blues certainly didn’t deserve to be behind at half time, and they changed things after Andre Schurrle came on for John Obi Mikel. The German got them back on level terms, volleying in after David Marshall had saved Azpilicueta’s effort. Chelsea took the lead three minutes later, with Torres slotting home from six yards.

Mourinho brought on some young talent as the game went on, with Nathan Ake replacing Mohammed Salah and John Swift making his debut in place of Eden Hazard.

Cardiff pushed forward looking for an equaliser, but to no avail. The Welsh side were already relegated, and finished bottom of the table, and that looked deserved on this performance, as they couldn’t live with the glimpses of class shown by the visitors.

After the game Jose Mourinho reflected on the season and also looked ahead to his side’s transfer business this summer. “We deserved it, we played well, especially for an end-of-season game, when a team is playing for nothing apart from pride and evolution,” he said. “The boys found the right approach, that we couldn’t find against Norwich. From the first minute we played well, we created chances.”

“The result at half time was a contradiction because we had all the play, all the chances, and Cardiff were winning the game. In the second half they pushed even harder, Andre was an extra man in attacking areas and we really deserved the victory.”

“We don’t need a new spine, the structure is there. We need a couple of players to help the team get to a certain level immediately. After that, if somebody wants to leave, somebody has to come but basically our work in the summer isn’t a big amount. It’s about the right choices and trying to be successful.”

Blues fans will hope “the right choices” include a couple of top-class strikers given Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba just haven’t cut the mustard this term. But whether they can land a real game-changer remains to be seen. If they do they will challenge for the title next season, if not they could struggle to make the top four.

LCN Man of the Match: Nemanja Matic

Chelsea’s title hopes look very much dashed after a disappointing goalless draw at home to relegation-threatened Norwich on Sunday afternoon. The Blues had the chance to jump to the top of the Premier League table with a win, but their limp performance means that they stay third, and will be officially out of the title race if Liverpool beat Palace on Monday evening.

In truth they’re out of the running anyway, as they trail favourites Manchester City by a point and have played a game more than the 2012 Champions. The Blues can’t have any complaints, as they didn’t do enough for the win and the creative problems that have plagued their season were in evident for most of the game.

The Blues started the game without Eden Hazard. Depending on who you listen to, the Belgian was either omitted because of his lack of match fitness, having just recovered from injury, or due to his performance and outbursts from midweek.

Either way, Hazard was sorely missed in the first half as Chelsea gave a tepid and lifeless performance. They failed to threaten Norwich and could have found themselves behind, with John Terry lucky not to given away a penalty for his tackle on Martin Olsson.

The first half was quite a dull affair, and that saw the introduction of Hazard and David Luiz after the break, with the latter coming closest to breaking the deadlock. Luiz’s shot from 25 yards curled beyond John Ruddy, but cannoned off the crossbar.

Chelsea pressured Norwich but failed to create a real chance of note, with the blame for this game falling on all their so-called creative players and not just the oft-blamed strikers. Norwich could have stolen it at the end, with Gary Cahill’s tackle stopping Robert Snodgrass who was through on goal.

In the end the draw suited neither side, with Norwich now on the verge of relegation. The game had shades of the defeat to Sunderland in the last home game, and it showed that Chelsea just haven’t been good enough against the smaller sides.

In the end, Mourinho blamed the midweek Champions League exit for the result. “I think when you lose a Champions League semi-final and you know that you are not realistically in the title race, I think especially the mental energy disappears, the focus disappears,” he said.

“You start thinking more about what next than on what you have to do now and that was reflected in the first half. The first half was the consequence of that state of mind. It was a lazy first half. Slow, no pressure, with the midfield never arriving to press an opponent. The passing was very slow.”

“In the second half, we were much, much better – enough to win, but we didn’t.”
The Chelsea boss added: “The second half was a bit of a contradiction. They needed a win to survive and they didn’t try and we needed one point to finish third and we risked everything.”

“We know we needed one point but at the same time, we wanted to finish by winning at home. We wanted to give the fans a better feeling by finishing the season winning and in the second half, we deserved that.”

LCN Man of the Match: Gary Cahill

Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League after a sloppy home defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Despite taking the lead in the first half, the Blues saw their hopes of a third consecutive European final dashed as uncharacteristic defensive mistakes saw them lose out.

Former Atletico Madrid man Fernando Torres gave the hosts the lead, before goals from Adrian, Diego Costa and Arda Turan sealed an all-Madrid final on May 24.

Chelsea started the game with John Terry back in defence and Eden Hazard back on the wing. Terry, who was injured in the first leg, had been expected to miss the rest of the season through injury. Hazard had been out injured since the last Champions League game at Stamford Bridge, and their return was a huge boost to the side.

The opening stages of the game were as cagey as expected, with both sides knowing the first goal would be huge. It was Chelsea who opened the scoring, after Willian pushed through the Atleti defence, he played the ball to Cesar Azpilicueta, who was playing in a wide midfield role, and his cut-back was fired home by Torres.

But, with just a minute of the first half to go Atletico put themselves in the lead overall, after some poor defending gave Adrian an open goal to shoot in to, and handed Atletico a precious away goal.

Samuel Eto’o came on in the second half to play up front with Torres as Chelsea pushed for a second, but the forward’s clumsy tackle gave the away side a penalty. Costa dispatched the penalty to put the Spaniards ahead on the night, with Chelsea needing two goals to go through.

The Blues pressed for a way back in to the back, but Atletico hit them on the counter attack and sealed a place in the final when Turan’s header came off the bar, bounced in front of him and he had an easy tap in to make it 3-1.

Chelsea continued to push for a goal but Atletico weren’t letting them through. That result sets up an all-Spanish final, and the first ever final between two sides from the same city.

After the game Jose Mourinho praised Atletico’s on loan Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, saying the young Belgian changed the game. “One minute in the second half decided everything,” said Mourinho. “A minute where the Atletico goalkeeper makes an impossible save to a John Terry header then the penalty that kills the game.

“After that there was only one team with morale high, knowing with half an hour left they had control. For about 60 minutes, we had the game, but semi-finals and important matches are made of details and this was a very important detail. Congratulations to them because they are a very good side and what they are doing in the Spanish league is fantastic.”

LCN Man of the Match: Azpilicueta

Chelsea put a huge dent in Liverpool’s title hopes with a 2-0 win at Anfield on Sunday afternoon and might just have got themselves back into contention for the Premier League crown.

Goals from Demba Ba and Willian helped the heavily rotated Blues to move within two points of the league leaders, and to take control of the title out of the hands of Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Despite dominating the possession and chances, Liverpool couldn’t get the better of the Blues, who scored both their goals from quick counter attacks. The away side soaked up pressure with ease, showing the defensive improvements that Jose Mourinho has implemented.

Chelsea started the game heavily changed from their Champions League game on Tuesday, with seven changes in total. Mourinho had one eye on this Wednesday’s Champions League second leg with Atletico Madrid, but he still wasn’t taking this game lightly. The Blues were set up to defend and frustrate from the start, setting this game up to be on par with Mourinho’s master class at the Etihad earlier in the season.

Liverpool pushed forward early on, but it was Chelsea who opened the scoring on the stroke of half time. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard slipped while in possession, and Demba Ba latched on the ball, ran through on goal and finished confidently.

Liverpool came flying out of the blocks in the second half but they couldn’t find a way through the resolute Chelsea defence. The side had practice defending deep, having frustrated Ateltico Madrid last Tuesday night, and they showed that by keeping Liverpool out.

The home side pushed hard for an equaliser, but their efforts found no reward as Mark Schwarzer performed well in the Chelsea goal. Gary Cahill was sent on to join the defence after Willian came on for Salah, the former helping keep the home side at bay, while it was Willian who put the game out of sight for Chelsea.

Fernando Torres picked up the ball and took it in to the Liverpool half and – with no defenders there to close him down – the former Liverpool striker charged at Simon Mignolet’s goal, before laying it off to Willian who tapped it into an empty net.

After the game Jose Mourinho refused to say they were back in the title race, but was still proud of the win. “We’re back in nothing. At this moment we are almost third,” Mourinho said. “Now with these three points we need one point to finish third. Champions are only one and the champions will be City or Liverpool.

“It was about winning. We deserved to win, no doubt about it. It’s as simple as this. With the result at 1-0 for 45 minutes, we were always comfortable. We were never in trouble against a team that is a fantastic team, a team that has beautiful players and scores a lot of goals and smashes every team that comes here.”

“Now we have to think about Wednesday, and I would say the game of our lives. To play a Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge is something big.”

LCN Man of the Match: Nemanja Matic