Author: chelseafan

Chelsea came from behind at Anfield to secure a win over Liverpool and to keep their advantage at the top of the Premier League. Emre Can’s deflected shot gave the hosts the lead, but Gary Cahill got the Blues back level. Diego Costa scored his first goal since returning from injury in the second half to put the Blues ahead, and they held out to record back to back wins at Anfield.

The Blues started with many of their big stars back after they were rested in midweek. Thibaut Courtois, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta came in to the side, while Ramires came in for Andre Schurrle to give the Blues a bit more solidity in midfield. Diego Costa returned up front, replacing Didier Drogba as the Blues looked to maintain their unbeaten run.

Liverpool caused a storm by resting several players at Real Madrid in midweek, but they looked better for it as they started the stronger of the two teams. Liverpool where ahead within 10 minutes, as Emre Can was allowed too much space outside the box, and his shot took a huge deflection off Gary Cahill, which left Courtois helpless to stop it.

Cahill made up for that just five minutes later, as he helped to get the Blues back level. Cesc Fabregas swung in a corner, and Cahill got on the end of Costa’s flick. Goal line technology was needed, and it showed that the ball did indeed cross the line, levelling up the scores.

The Blues pressed for most of the second half, but they were unable to find a way through the Liverpool back line. Chelsea continued to be the better side in the second half, and they finally went ahead over an hour into the game. Azpilicueta, who was in inspired form at left back, went for a run down the left flank and got free after some great work. The Spaniard got himself into a crossing position and saw his centre palmed away by Mignolet and fall right to Costa. The Spaniard lashed home to grab his 10th goal of the season.

Jose Mourinho clearly went for a different approach than he had for the games at the Manchester clubs, as he didn’t make any changes after going ahead. Didier Drogba and Filipe Luis came on in added time for Eden Hazard and Costa, but Mikel was left on the bench.

Liverpool were unable to really force a chance towards the end, and it was a much more comfortable finish than at either City or United. The Blues have already travelled to four of last season’s top seven and it’s only November. This win opened up a 15 point gap between Chelsea and Liverpool, with the Reds down in mid-table, and sees the Blues picking up their ninth win from 11 league games, which is very ominous for the other sides hoping to have a run at the title.

LCN Man of the Match: Cesar Azpilicueta

A missed penalty from Eden Hazard allowed Chelsea to drop two crucial points away to Maribor. The Blues fell behind to a goal from Agim Ibrahimi, but Nemanja Matic grabbed an equaliser for the Blues. The visitors pushed hard after drawing level, and they got a penalty when Hazard was brought down in the box, but the Belgian saw his limp spot-kick saved.

The Blues started with a much-changed side, with Petr Cech once again starting in goal, Kurt Zouma came in for Gary Cahill and Didier Drogba replaced Diego Costa up front. Oscar was also rested, as he dropped to the bench. They barely got going in the first half, which was a fairly drab affair and finished goalless.

The second half was much more entertaining, and it was kicked off by Jose Mourinho bringing on two players at half time. Diego Costa and Oscar came on for Willian and Andre Schurrle, as the boss looked for a reaction from his side. That didn’t do much for the Blues, and they continued to struggle in the second half. Just five minutes in Ibrahimi opened the scoring with a fantastic effort, and there was little that Petr Cech could do about it.

Ramires was then sent on for Filipe Luis shortly after the goal, switching to a back three. That seemed to help the Blues as they pushed forward, but they struggled to find a goal. Oscar appealed for a penalty after being brought down in the box, and replays showed that he was harshly done by as he was clipped before he could get his shot off.

The Blues finally got an equaliser just after the 70 minute mark, with Nemanja Matic scoring from a corner. Cesc Fabregas swung the ball in, Terry flicked it towards goal and Matic was there to tap the ball in from close range. It’s the Serbian’s second goal this season, both coming in the two Champions League away trips so far this campaign.

The Blues continued to push as they went looking for the winner. Diego Costa had the ball in the net, but the referee disallowed it for offside, but replays showed that the Spaniard was actually onside. The Blues were given the chance to win the game when Mitja Viler fouled Hazard in the box, but the Belgian missed from the spot for just the third time in his career.

It was a disappointing result and performance from the Blues, which showed shades of the November loss of form that has plagued them in past seasons. A defeat for Schalke in Lisbon has put extra pressure on the Blues for the game between those two sides at the end of the month, and it’s also opened up the group. Chelsea lead on eight points, with Schalke on five and Sporting Lisbon just a point behind them. Maribor currently sit bottom on three points. Things are tight for the Blues at the minute, but two more points should be enough to make it through as group winners.

LCN man of the match: Nemanja Matic

Chelsea just about secured the three points after a poor performance against QPR on Saturday, while Jose Mourinho blasted the home crowd for the poor atmosphere at Stamford Bridge. A sublime goal from Oscar put the Blues in front, but Charlie Austin levelled things up. Eden Hazard scored the winner from the penalty spot, but the Blues were far from their best.

The home side saw Diego Costa make a welcome return to action, while Branislav Ivanovic also came back into the team after serving his suspension for being sent off at Old Trafford last week. Many of these players had a rest in midweek when the side edged past Shrewsbury in the League Cup, so they should have come in to this one feeling pretty fresh.

The Blues dominated the early stages, pushing the QPR defence as they looked for the opener. Chelsea finally made the breakthrough just after the half hour mark, through another goal of the season contender from Oscar. Cesc Fabregas once again supplied the assist, playing the Brazilian in, and he curled the ball past Rob Green, and Green even lauded the goal after the match.

Austin unsettled Chelsea when he back-heeled Leroy Fer’s shot past Thibaut Courtois an hour into the game, and it looked like Chelsea could drop points at home for the first time this season. Mourinho’s men pressed, but despite their domination of the game they didn’t look impressive, and it looked as if they could draw for the second week in a row.

But, the Blues got a lifeline with 15 minutes to go when Eden Hazard was brought down by Eduardo Vargas. The Belgian stepped up to the spot and confidently slotted home, as Hazard has done so many times now for Chelsea. That goal was just enough to secure the three points, but the result should have been much more comfortable given the number of chances the home side passed up. They’ve now got a nine point lead over Manchester City, putting pressure on the champions prior to their meeting with Manchester United.

After the game, Jose Mourinho wasn’t happy with the performance from the fans, saying they need to provide a better atmosphere at the Bridge. “At this moment it’s difficult to play at home because playing here is like playing in an empty stadium,” he said. “When we scored was when I realised ‘woah, the stadium is full. Good’.”

Mourinho said that the poor atmosphere affected his team, explaining the poor performance. “The team then starts playing like it’s quiet, soft game at home. That’s what is frustrating. Everyone knows how much I feel connected to this club and the fans.”

But, Mourinho also criticised his team, saying they weren’t good enough. “My team didn’t play well or well enough or so well as I was expecting. With our quality I would expect us to be stronger and to get a different result.” Still, it’s another three points in the bag as the Blues stay top of the pile.

LCN Man of the Match: Oscar

Chelsea survived a scare against League Two Shrewsbury to take up a place in the last eight of the League Cup. Didier Drogba opened the scoring in the second half for the Blues, but Andy Mangan equalised after a mistake from John Obi Mikel before Jermaine Grandison turned in Willian’s cross in to his own net to gift Chelsea victory.

The Blues started off with a much-changed side, making no fewer than seven changes. Gary Cahill, Filipe Luis, Oscar and Didier Drogba kept their places from Sunday, while the fringe players who came in where blasted by Jose Mourinho after the game. Three youngsters, Nathan Ake, Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen were given the nod, along with a few fringe players who needed minutes on the pitch.

The changes showed on the side, with Chelsea looking a little disjointed at the back. Shrewsbury had the best of the early play, forcing chances from a corner. The first half was largely without incident, with Mohammed Salah busy down the right hand side but he was unable to trouble the League Two side’s defence.

Chelsea were brighter just after the second half, with Mohammed Salah teeing the ball up for Didier Drogba, who lashed the ball into the net. It was a lead the Blues barely deserved, but one you expected them to hold on to, given the stature of the opposition and the slip up at the weekend. But, the Blues where unable to hold on, and a goal for the home side with just over 10 minutes to play looked like it could embarrass the Premier League leaders.

A corner swung into the Chelsea box came straight to John Obi Mikel, but the Nigerian’s attempt to control the ball saw it drop to Mangan, who hit the ball home, sending the Shrewsbury faithful wild. After that, Mikel was hauled off by Mourinho just a few minutes later for Nemanja Matic, the manager clearly wasn’t impressed with Mikel’s performance.

Chelsea looked to be heading for a draw and the awkward proposition of extra time, but Willian, who replaced Salah, sent in a cross towards Drogba, though Grandison got the final touch on it and sent the ball into his own net. That was enough to see the Blues through, but it was far from an impressive performance. After the game, Jose Mourinho let his players know that they’ll have to do more to force their way into his team.

“I expect people that have not been playing a lot to raise their level and create problems,” Mourinho said. “I love problems of choice, but it’s easy to choose my team for Saturday.

“I was worried when they equalised [through Andy Mangan] but we go through and Didier played a massive part in that,” added Mourinho. “Hopefully he will be good for the weekend but we will have to see because right now his character is stronger than his body.”

LCN Man of the Match: Filipe Luis

A stoppage time equaliser from Robin van Persie prevented Chelsea from opening up a six point gap at the top of the Premier League table. The Blues took the lead in the second half through Didier Drogba, but after a solid defensive display they saw Branislav Ivanovic sent off, which gave United a free kick and allowed Van Persie the space to equalise.

The Blues were again without Diego Costa, despite Mourinho saying he had a small chance of playing, the Spaniard didn’t even make the bench. Loic Remy was also out after the injury he suffered in the Champions League in midweek, so Didier Drogba made his first Premier League start since returning to the club in the summer. Thibaut Courtois came back in for Petr Cech in goal, while Gary Cahill returned to the side after being rested in midweek.

The first half was a cagey affair, with United slightly edging it. Courtois had to be at his best to deny the home side on a few occasions. The Blues could have had a penalty in the first half, when not one, but two Chelsea players seemed to be fouled from a corner. Marcus Rojo and Chris Smalling looked to have John Terry and Ivanovic in a headlock, which looked more of a foul than the controversial one given against Ryan Shawcross last week.

The game was brighter in the second half, and Chelsea opened the scoring just eight minutes in. Chelsea got a corner after Eden Hazard was denied by David De Gea after a good passing move. Fabregas swung the corner in, and Drogba lost his marker Rafael and produced a header that was akin to his famous equaliser in the 2012 Champions League final.

The Blues dropped deeper after that goal, and John Obi Mikel replacing Oscar signalled how Chelsea intended to finish the game. United had the lion’s share of the possession but they didn’t have too many clear chances. The Blues looked to shut up shop when they brought on Kurt Zouma for Willian, but just seconds later Ivanovic received a second yellow card. Both of the cards were harsh, something about which Jose Mourinho was clearly angry after the game.

That gave United a wide free kick, which was put in by Di Maria and caused problems in the Chelsea box. The ball dropped to Van Persie, and he lashed the ball home past a helpless Courtois, costing Chelsea two points.

After the game, Jose Mourinho praised his side, but he refused to discuss Ivanovic’s red card to avoid getting in trouble. “The second half was much better. From the start of the first half we showed we wanted to win. In the second half we didn’t give them chances they wanted. To come here to Old Trafford the way we did – it was fantastic to my boys.

“The red card, I was seeing it coming. If I have to speak about the second yellow I have to speak about lots of things; the penalty that Ivanovic should have been given, the accumulation of yellow cards, the throw-ins. I know I speak always with my heart and get in trouble.”

LCN Man of the Match: Nemanja Matic

Chelsea recorded their biggest ever Champions League win against Maribor at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday to take up a commanding position at the top of Group G. Goals from Loic Remy, Didier Drogba, John Terry, a brace from Eden Hazard and an own goal from Mitja Viler helped the Blues on their way. Remy was forced off with injury shortly after scoring, and he is now a doubt for the game against Manchester United on Sunday.

The Blues started the game with several changes from the weekend, with Filipe Luis replacing Cesar Azpilicueta, Kurt Zouma coming in for Gary Cahill and Petr Cech replacing Thibaut Courtois. Despite those changes, the Blues got off to a great start through Remy, who was played in by John Terry. Remy ran off the last man, stopped and found the bottom left hand corner. He pulled up with a groin injury shortly after, and was replaced by Drogba.

Drogba got the second goal, as he went against Jose Mourinho’s orders and stepped up to take the penalty when Ales Mertelj was judged to have handled in the box. Drogba’s penalty was almost a carbon copy of his Champions League winning penalty in Munich.

The Blues went further ahead when they hit Maribor on the counter. Eden Hazard, who was in fantastic form throughout, picked up the ball and ran in at the visitors’ defence. Fabregas overlapped and picked the ball up, and squared it in for captain John Terry to poke home.

Just after half time Chelsea went further in front, when Hazard, who was desperately looking for a goal, forced an own goal. Filipe Luis sent a low cross in which evaded everyone in the box. Hazard picked the ball up on the right hand side and looked to pick out Didier Drogba, but his cross was deflected in off Viler. The Blues then had to survive a scare, when Agim Ibahimi missed a penalty. Ibahimi was brought down in the box by Matic, but his penalty hit the post and went wide.

Mourinho took off Oscar and Fabregas, and replaced them with youngsters Dom Solanke and Nathan Ake, and both slotted in seamlessly. The referee went on to give his third penalty of the match, with Branislav Ivanovic going down a little too easily in the box. Hazard finally got his goal from the spot, capping off a fantastic night for the Belgian.

But, the best was yet to come from Hazard, as he got on the end of a great ball from Nathan Ake, took the ball down beautifully and then twisted and turned between defenders before firing home. It was a fantastic goal, showing the ruthlessness that Hazard needs to step up to the next level.

Chelsea are now five points clear of third placed Maribor, and they could wrap up qualification for the next round with a win in their next Champions League game, which is away to Maribor in two weeks’ time.

LCN man of the match: Eden Hazard

Chelsea maintained their five point advantage at the top of the table despite Cesar Azpilicueta’s red card, thanks to goals from Oscar and Cesc Fabregas. The Blues were without front man Diego Costa, but they survived that setback and a late rally from the home side as they kept up their unbeaten start to the season.

The Blues had Loic Remy making his first Premier League start for the club in place of Costa, who is rumoured to be out for the next three weeks. Despite that, they opened the scoring after just six minutes when Brazilian Oscar rifled home a 25 yard free kick. The midfielder has been in stellar form of late and topped it off with this goal, showing he isn’t feeling the effects of his long trip to China last weekend.

Chelsea went down to 10 men later in the half, when left back Azpilicueta was sent off. Just three minutes later the Eagles’ Damien Delaney was shown a second yellow card and both sides were even once again. Just inside the second half, Cesc Fabregas doubled the visitors’ advantage. The Spaniard played a neat one-two with Eden Hazard before playing another with Oscar, slicing through the defence, and then finished wit consummate ease. After the game manager Jose Mourinho described the goal as, “scandalously good”.

But Palace pushed hard for the points late on in the game. They’ve looked solid in recent weeks under new manager Neil Warnock, and they carried on their tough reputation here. Wilfred Zaha pushed past Chelsea defender Filipe Luis to set up Campbell who swept the ball home in the 90th minute. The home side continued to push in to stoppage time, but Chelsea held out as they picked their seventh win from eight games so far this season.

After the game Jose Mourinho praised his side, and he also repeated a trick from last season. When asked what they lacked after their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace last season, the manager wrote, “Balls”, on a note pad. After today’s game, when asked what his side had gained over the summer, he wrote, “Big Balls”. Showing the Portuguese isn’t always as moody and steely faced as some try to make out.

Mourinho explained his scribble by saying, “The way we imposed our game is what I mean. In the way they play, they are better than us. If we come here and don’t impose our game, we have no chance. From minute one to 94, we did that. We were always in control. We played a fantastic game and when it was 10 versus 10, it made it even easier. The second goal was a scandal, it was unbelievably good!”

When asked if his side are now champions elect, he replied that nothing was decided yet. “In another sort of League, I could already say we WILL be champions,” said Mourinho. “In the Premier League, I can only say that we can be.”

LCN man of the match: Oscar

Chelsea maintained their unbeaten Premier League record as they won a fiery encounter against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. A penalty from Eden Hazard and yet another goal from Diego Costa helped the Blues to victory in a match the home side were never in danger of losing.

It was far from the best performance of the season from Chelsea, but they did more than enough to get the job done. They ended Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the season, coped with the surprising physicality of the match and had to do it after Thibaut Courtois was substituted after a clash with Alexis Sanchez.

Jose Mourinho came into this game with an unbeaten record in his 12 meetings with Arsene Wenger. Wenger’s frustration at that record was evident here, as he shoved Mourinho during an altercation after Gary Cahill’s heavy challenge on Sanchez.

The Arsenal players seemingly responded from that point onwards, becoming more physical than they have been in many years. They ultimately paid the price for that, when Laurent Koscielny brought down Eden Hazard in the box during a mazy dribble from the Belgian. Unlike Arsenal and their manager, Hazard kept his calm and opened the scoring with a great penalty. He sent Szczesny the wrong way, giving the keeper the eyes and opening his body up at the last moment.

The Blues went in at half time with the lead, but it wasn’t as comfortable as they may have liked. That was mainly down to the lack of chances in the game. There were only three shots on target in the 90 minutes, all of those falling to Chelsea players. The Blues did press in the second half looking for the second goal to wrap up the points, and as they did Diego Costa became less isolated and grew into the game.

He showed some neat footwork to play in Hazard whilst surrounded by Arsenal players, but the Belgian saw his shot fly over the bar. In the end the second goal came from a Chelsea counter attack. With the Arsenal defence pushed high, the Blues won the ball back in midfield and Fabregas looked up and played a fantastic ball over the top for Diego Costa to run on to. Costa latched on to it, and lifted the ball over the helpless Szczesny in goal for his ninth Premier League goal of the season.

After the game Jose Mourinho praised his team while trying his best to draw a line over the Wenger incident. “It was a difficult game,” noted Mourinho. “They started better than us, but Eden gave us the penalty and the first goal and the game could have finished there if it had been a red card. At the end of day they had more of the ball than us but we had the chances so we scored two goals, we won and I am happy we beat a good team.”

On Wenger, Mourinho said, “For me, it is over. But the technical area is very clear – I have mine, he has his and he cannot come to mine, especially to put pressure on the referee to give a red card to my player. So I just told him ‘leave my technical area and don’t come back please’.”

LCN Man of the Match: Eden Hazard

Chelsea jumped to the top of their Champions League group with a 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon. A first half goal from Nemanja Matic gave the Blues their first win of the season in Europe, but they missed several chances and had a few let-offs with Sporting having opportunities to level it up.

The game was eerily like the last Champions League game against Schalke, with the Blues taking the lead and then missing some clear cut chances to make things easier for themselves. After that, Sporting pushed for a goal and they came close to getting it. In the end, it finished 1-0 and Chelsea lead by two points from Schalke and Maribor, who shared a 1-1 draw in Germany.

From the off Chelsea dominated the game, with Diego Costa going through one on one with Rui Patricio, and the Sporting doing enough to deny the red-hot striker. That pattern continued, with Andre Schurrle somehow sending Eden Hazard’s pull back wide when he had the goal at his mercy.

The Blues finally took the lead through the unlikeliest of players in defensive midfielder Matic, who had a very good game. Cesc Fabregas swung in the free kick from the left hand side, and Matic rose at the back post to loop a header over Patricio and in to the net. The Blues continued to press, but they went in to the break at 1-0.

They saw more opportunities go begging after the interval, with impressive movement and build up play being wasted by poor finishing. At this level you can’t really get away with that, so they’ll have to improve on that if they are to go far in Europe, and they’ll need to do better in their meeting with Arsenal at the weekend.

Chelsea had more opportunities on goal, with Matic playing a wonderful pass through the Sporting defence for Oscar, but he couldn’t get to the ball in time to apply the much needed finish. Jose Mourinho brought John Obi Mikel on to try and tighten the game up, but it didn’t really work. Filipe Luis and Mohammed Salah both missed good chances, while at the other end shots from Nani and Freddy Montero came close for the hosts.

Thibaut Courtois had some saves to make but he was never really challenged, but the lack of a second goal made this game more of a worry. The missed chances have slightly taken away from the end result, and an away win in Europe really should be celebrated rather than criticised.

The Blues have now gone top of Group G, and with two games against Maribor next up, they should be able to get a good grip on the group now and move closer to a spot in the last 16. The focus for Chelsea now will be on the weekend meeting with Arsenal, as they look to strengthen their position domestically before the next Champions League game in three weeks’ time.

LCN Man of the match: Nemanja Matic

Chelsea stayed at the top of the Premier League table after a convincing 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday. Goals from Oscar, Diego Costa and Willian handed the Blues the three points, which keeps them three points above second-placed Southampton (who also won) in the table.

It was no more than Chelsea deserved, as they controlled the match from the off, keeping Villa at arm’s length. An early Oscar goal put the Blues in front, and after that Villa sat back and looked to limit the score and break on the counter. But second half goals from Costa and Willian meant the result was a comfortable victory, and it gave Villa their second consecutive 3-0 defeat.

Jose Mourinho’s side started the game with a much-changed side from the League Cup game against Bolton in midweek. Diego Costa was one of the eight changes made for this game as Chelsea named a much stronger XI. However, it was then man who scored the winner against Bolton who started off brightest here.

Oscar was in brilliant form in the first half, controlling almost everything in the midfield. He opened the scoring after just seven minutes, tapping home after Willian had a shot saved by Brad Guzan.

Despite pushing for more, Chelsea went in to the break just 1-0 up but they deserved more. They doubled their lead in the second half when Diego Costa scored for the third consecutive home game. After some good interplay outside the box, Cesar Azpilicueta sent a cross in for Costa to head home, giving him his eighth league goal of the season.

Willian rounded off the win with just over ten minutes to go, wrapping up the triumph for the Blues. Costa was involved again, he jinked past some defenders and sent a shot in, which was saved by Guzan, but the ball then bounced off Cissokho and fell perfectly for Willian. The Brazilian had no problems tapping it in to pick up his first goal of the season.

After the game, Jose Mourinho praised his side, while saying how difficult the Premier League was as a league. “I think everything was under control, we played very well,” he said. “The second and third goal killed the game. Six matches in the Premier League. We are playing well and scoring goals. Every game in the Premier League, it’s possible for a top team to lose. We have different people scoring goals. We are not perfect, we have to improve in every area, but we are doing well.”

On Diego Costa, Mourinho said that he will be taking a break from training in order to make the game against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night. “He’s doing almost nothing in training, he’s resting,” Mourinho said. The Spaniard is still struggling with a hamstring injury he picked up last season, although you wouldn’t have known on this performance.

LCN Man of the Match: Oscar