Chelsea 2-0 Newcastle Match Report – 10th January 2015

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Chelsea went out on their own at the top of the Premier League table with a 2-0 win over Newcastle. The Blues got revenge for their 2-1 defeat at St James’ Park earlier in the season with goals from Oscar and Diego Costa. They had gone in to this one as joint leaders with Manchester City, but the champions could only manage a 1-1 draw at Everton, which sees Chelsea go two points ahead at the top, as they extended their lead for the first time in months.

Jose Mourinho sprung a few surprises with his selection, keeping Petr Cech in goal ahead of Thibaut Courtois, and playing Kurt Zouma ahead of Gary Cahill. After the torrid time Cahill had against Spurs on New Year’s Day, Zouma deserved a shot at first team football. The rest of the team returned to normal, after the rotation for the FA Cup last weekend.

The first half was a mostly quiet affair, with Newcastle having the most of the early chances. Cech was busy in goal, but he proved that he’s still one of the best keepers the Premier League has to offer, denying Newcastle on several occasions. Things got worse for Chelsea, with Cesar Azpilicueta getting injured and having to come off for Felipe Luis. It was a poor performance from the Blues up until about 40 minutes, then they finally kicked into gear.

The Blues broke the deadlock from a corner late in the first half, when Willian took the corner short and found the run of Branislav Ivanovic. The Serbian took the ball down the right and pulled it back for Oscar. The Brazilian timed his run perfectly, and he was on hand to fire the ball home into the bottom corner. The home side ended the half strongly, with Willian coming close from a free kick.

The Blues doubled their lead just before the hour mark, after Costa added another goal to his impressive tally. Eden Hazard sent the ball into the box towards Oscar, and he pulled off a fantastic back heel flick to tee up Costa. The Spaniard was free in the box, and he found himself some space before firing past Tim Krul. That goal was enough to take him back on top of the goalscoring charts.

After that, the Blues kept control of possession as they probed for a third goal. Costa came close again, but Fabricio Coloccini cleared off the line. That was the last real action of the game, and in the end it was a comfortable win for Chelsea. Eden Hazard played a key part as the Blues went ahead of City in the table. They’ve now got to get back in to their rhythm of grinding out these 2-0 wins if they’re to kick on and win the title. Next up for Mourinho’s side is a trip to Swansea on Saturday.

LCN Man of the Match: Eden Hazard

Chelsea v Newcastle Preview (Premier League) – 10th January 2015

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Chelsea welcome Newcastle to Stamford Bridge on Saturday as they look to keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the table. With the joint leaders both in action at 3pm on Saturday, any slip from either side could see them fall down to second, which would be a first for Chelsea this season.

The Blues will also be on the lookout for revenge, given that it was Newcastle who ended their unbeaten record last month, which was one of the results that allowed City back into the title race. That Newcastle side was on form, but this one is very different. They’re currently without a permanent manager, after Alan Pardew departed to Crystal Palace, and they’re nowhere near the form they were in for the clash at St James’ Park.

With just one win in their last six games, Newcastle have been far from impressive of late. Caretaker manager John Carver has yet to do anything to impress, so it’s questionable what exactly he can achieve this weekend. They also have eight players currently out of the team through injury and suspension, so this isn’t a fighting fit Newcastle team either.

As for the hosts, they have no real injury worries coming in to this one, and their big guns were given the weekend off for the 3-0 win over Watford. Willian and Diego Costa were required later on, but the likes of Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic all got a rest. After the leggy performances shown at White Hart Lane on New Year’s Day, a rest was certainly what a few of the players needed.

Strangely for the Blues, there are no players heading off to the African Cup of Nations this month, when usually the squad is hit with a number of departures. John Obi Mikel’s Nigeria and Mohammed Salah’s Egypt both failed to qualify, while Didier Drogba has retired from international football. With those three players staying, we don’t have the problems of some Premier League clubs, like Manchester City, who are losing Yaya Toure for a month.

Expect to see the strongest possible side here from Jose Mourinho, given that they had no midweek commitments before this one, and none next week either. With the players all rested up, he can now switch back to the first team after the tough Christmas period. Newcastle should be no match for that starting 11 at the Bridge.

Mourinho’s side simply need to get themselves back on track here. They may have had only a couple of defeats, but the way that Man City have clawed themselves back into the title race is bound to have hit them psychologically. A win here against Newcastle, and they can start to steady the ship, and keep their place at the top of the Premier League table.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-0

Chelsea 3-0 Watford Match Report – 4th January 2014

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A second half rally from Chelsea helped them to overcome a resilient Watford side and secure a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup. After a poor showing for almost an hour, the Blues finally clicked into gear and goals from Willian, Loic Remy and Kurt Zouma gave them a comfortable-looking win in the end against the Championship side.

As expected, Jose Mourinho made a number of changes to his starting line up ahead of this game, giving quite a few players a rest after the busy festive period. There weren’t any academy players included in the team, with squad players getting a run out instead. Didier Drogba started up front and captained the side, Petr Cech came in for Thibaut Courtois and Ramires replaced Cesc Fabregas, among other changes.

Changes were certainly needed after the league defeat to Spurs last week. The problem here for the Blues was that without the likes of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas going forward, they struggled to break down a Watford side who came to do little more than defend. At times it was like the games in which Chelsea struggled last season, where they just couldn’t find a way through a determined defence.

That was the case in the first half, in which there were few moments of real interest, barring a couple of half chances with came to nothing. At half time Mourinho decided to bring the big guns off the bench, replacing Andre Schurrle and Oscar with Willian and Costa. Once again, Schurrle looked lost, far from the player he was in the early stages of the season following his World Cup success.

The game livened up quite a bit after those changes, and it meant Chelsea had all three of their strikers on the field, with Drobga playing from the right, Remy from the left and Costa through the middle. With those three and Willian probing, you’d have thought it was just a matter of time before the breakthrough came.

The Blues were patient, and finally they went ahead through a stunning goal from Willian. The Brazilian got free at the edge of the box, and he turned, glanced up and curled a shot into the top right hand corner, finally breaking the Hornet’s resistance. After that goal went in, the visitors were deflated, and it was simply a case of taking advantage of that fact.

Some great play from Costa saw him get in on goal, but after his shot was blocked, the ball fell for Remy, who sent a great volley into the same corner as Willian’s effort. The Watford defence just looked to be overloaded at this point, as they struggled to deal with the Chelsea attacks.

The hosts sealed the win two minutes later, when man of the match Kurt Zouma scored a deserved goal to wrap things up. The Frenchman headed in from Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross to get his second Chelsea goal, on a day on which he looked fantastic in the heart of the Blues defence.

LCN Man of the Match: Kurt Zouma

Chelsea v Watford Preview (FA Cup) – 4th January 2014

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Chelsea take on Watford on Sunday as they kick off their FA Cup campaign. The Championship side come here as big outsiders, and the Blues will be hoping for a comfortable win to erase memories of their humbling defeat to Spurs on New Year’s Day.

The Blues have been handed a good draw here, avoiding a trickier side and getting to play at home, and they’ll expect to make it through to the fourth round, so we’ll no doubt see a bit of player rotation here. Given how tired some of the squad looked in the last game, it seems likely that a few players could do with a rest.

We expect to see Petr Cech come in, along with the likes of Kurt Zouma, John Obi Mikel, Mohammed Salah and even possibly a couple of academy stars. Given that Chelsea don’t have a squad player for every position, a few youngsters might get a call up, as this is the perfect opportunity for them to get a run out, especially at Stamford Bridge. Nathan Ake is another who could come in, having missed a large part of the season though injury.

Watford are doing well in the Championship, currently sitting in fifth place as they look to secure promotion to the Premier League for the first time since 2006. They come here after four wins from their last five games, so expect them to be full of confidence, especially as this is a game where they have nothing to lose.

The Blues saw how difficult Championship opposition can be in their recent League Cup quarter final clash with Derby, where they ran out 3-1 winners but had to put up with significant pressure from the home side. This game shouldn’t be as tough as that, with it being at Stamford Bridge. Despite that, they need to be on their toes to avoid an upset here, as we all know the reputation the FA Cup has for shocks. They certainly need to put in an improved performance from the game at White Hart Lane.

We know Jose Mourinho values trophies, so he’ll be taking this game very seriously. With Chelsea still in all four competitions at the minute, there is still the chance of an unprecedented trophy haul this term. Even if that doesn’t happen, the Blues and their manager will want to win as much as they can this term, given their trophy-less 2013-14 season. A third round exit to Watford at home just isn’t an option.

The Blues will be looking for a first FA Cup win since 2012, to add to their impressive record in the competition. Having won it four times since 2007, Chelsea have a history with the cup in recent years that many can only dream of. Mourinho kick-started all that by winning it in 2007, and now he’ll be looking to repeat the trick. Before he does that, of course, he needs to guide his team past Watford.

LCN Verdict: Chelsea to win 2-0

Tottenham 5-3 Chelsea Match Report – 1st January 2015

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Chelsea started the year with an embarrassing defeat at White Hart Lane, which has left them clinging to their place at the top of the Premier League table by their fingernails. Diego Costa put the Blues ahead, but goals from Harry Kane, Danny Rose and Andros Townsend sent Spurs in ahead at half time. The two sides then traded goals in the second half, with Eden Hazard and John Terry scoring for Chelsea, and Kane and Chadli finding the net for Spurs.

There was very little rotation in the Chelsea team, which could be to blame for the poor performance. This side was the strongest possible Chelsea XI, and they made the best possible start early on in north London. Costa – as so often this season – was the man who opened the scoring, after he tapped in from close range after Oscar’s wayward shot.

The Blues kept pushing, but they couldn’t find an equaliser. Jose Mourinho was enraged when his side were denied a penalty when Jan Vertonghen appeared to handle the ball in the box. Not long after that, the Blues ended up on the back foot. The visitors’ midfield was nowhere to be found as the ever-improving Kane got a run on the defence, and when no one came to close him down he got his shot away which nestled low in the bottom corner.

After that, Spurs sensed that this Chelsea team were vulnerable, and they kept pushing the league leaders. Kane had the beating of Gary Cahill all day, and the defender had to haul him down to stop him late in the first half, giving away a penalty to the hosts. Townsend stepped up to the spot, and sent the ball past Thibaut Courtois, giving Spurs a big first half lead, and a result that would have sent the Blues down to second.

Nemanja Matic, who has been one of Chelsea’s stand out performers this season, had an awful time all game. Kane got around the big Serbian easily in the box, and was able to finish again. After that, the hosts looked like they could go on and record a comfortable victory over their London rivals.

Hazard looked to have got his side back in the game, after he fired home from a Cesc Fabregas pass. That was the Spaniard’s 14th assist of the season, as he edged towards the season record total of 20. Any chances of a comeback were ended by Chadli, who scored after being played in by Kane, who the Chelsea back four just couldn’t get close to.

Terry scored his third goal in four games to make sure his side kept their place at the top of the table, just about. The captain headed into an empty net to make 5-3, which makes them and Manchester City joint Premier League leaders, ramping up the tension ahead of the big clash between those two at Stamford Bridge at the end of this month.

LCN Man of the Match: Eden Hazard