Author: chelseafan

Chelsea took full advantage of a slip up by title rivals Manchester City to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table with a win at Aston Villa on Saturday. Goals from Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic gave the visitors the three points, while Jores Okore scored Villa’s first league goal in 11 hours, which was at least some consolation to the home fans.

Chelsea came into the game without their top scorer Diego Costa, who was serving the second of his three game suspension. It was Didier Drogba was the man who was chosen to lead the line, while Loic Remy had to settle for a place on the bench. Alongside Remy was Juan Cuadrado, the deadline day signing from Fiorentina.

It was well publicised before the game that Jose Mourinho was still waiting for his first win at Villa Park, but his side made the perfect start here as they came flying out of the traps. It was Hazard who gave the Blues the lead within eight minutes. Just days after winger Cuadrado arrived, it was the two first choice wide men who showed their quality early on here. Oscar found space and he fed Willian, who spotted the run of Hazard, and he set up the Belgian who opened the scoring with a deft finish.

That was the only goal of the first half, which gave Chelsea a significant advantage against the goal-shy home side. The Villains lacked a cutting edge for a while, and without their first choice striker, Christian Benteke, few gave them much of a chance of getting back into this one. But, as their goal drought stretched to 659 minutes, they produced an equaliser just minutes into the second half. New signing Carles Gil was in brilliant form all day, and it was his ball that set up Okore’s header which brought Villa level.

At this point it looked like Mourinho would be set for another disappointing trip to Villa Park, and it gave the home side all kinds of confidence. They took control of the game for the next few minutes, but the Blues managed to soon get back in control of affairs. Willian went close twice, but it was a surprising combination that led to Chelsea’s winner.

Cesar Azpilicueta troubled the Villa defence with his run into the box from the left flank, and his ball found fellow full back Ivanovic just inside the box. The Serbian caught the ball on the volley and fired home for his fifth goal in his last six starts against Aston Villa.

That result, coupled with the fact that Manchester City could only manage a 1-1 draw against Hull at the Etihad, meant Chelsea extended their lead to seven points at the top of the table, making this a crucial day in the title race. That’s given the Blues a strong lead at the top, and with City going to Stoke on Wednesday night, things might just get worse for the second placed side.

LCN Man of the Match: Branislav Ivanovic

Chelsea maintained their five point advantage at the top of the Premier League table after a hard fought draw with Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The Blues took the advantage in the first half through Loic Remy, but the Champions hit back moments later through David Silva. City dominated in the second half, but Jose Mourinho’s side held on to keep their lead at the top of the table.

The build up to the game was dominated by Diego Costa. The Spaniard was charged and banned in almost record time by the FA ahead of this one, ruling him out for three games. He wasn’t the only one to miss for this game, as Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis were injured against Liverpool on Tuesday night, and that ruled them out here. Andre Schurrle are Mo Salah have been linked with moves away, and neither of them were amongst the substitutes. That left the Blues with a very youthful bench, packed with academy players.

The game was close early on, with City just about dominating the possession. It was the home side who made who made the breakthrough just before half time. Willian’s cross found Eden Hazard on the left hand side of the box and he put the ball back across the six yard box right into the path of Remy, and he tapped in to give the Blues the lead.

That lead was short lived, as City hit back moments later. They dispossessed Nemanja Matic, and sent in a cross that Thibaut Courtois flapped at. It went straight to Sergio Aguero, whose shot was deflected in off David Silva. There were a few defensive mistakes in the build-up, which surely won’t please Mourinho.

The Blues were much more solid in the second half, as City put them under the cosh as they tried to close the gap to two points. Kurt Zouma in particular impressed, as he held his own against one of the best strikers in the league. Aguero didn’t get too many chances, barring the one that led to the goal.

Towards the end Chelsea didn’t venture far from the their own goal, and it seemed that the 120 minutes the Blues played on Tuesday had an effect, and City certainly looked the fitter side towards the end. One thing that did help them was the depth of their bench, as Chelsea only had two senior outfield players in reserve. Gary Cahill came on for Remy in the last 10 minutes, as Mourinho showed he was happy to take the point.

City of course had the stronger bench, and their big substitution saw the introduction of the only man who could rival Costa for headlines this week. Frank Lampard came off the bench against his former club, and he was given a warm welcome by the Stamford Bridge faithful, but he was unable to help his new side seize victory.

In end, this point certainly helps Chelsea more than City. They’re still five points clear in the title race, and they were second best in the second half. Without Costa and Fabregas, this really wasn’t a bad result for the Blues.

LCN Man of the Match: Kurt Zouma

Chelsea booked their place in the League Cup final with an extra time victory over Liverpool in an incident packed game. The game was goalless after 90 minutes and the scores were locked at 1-1 on aggregate (away goals not counting double until after extra time), before Branislav Ivanovic sprung up to head in the only goal early in the first period of extra time. Liverpool were unable to find a response, so Chelsea progress to the final on March 1st.

The Blues returned to a strong side after fielding a rotated team for the Bradford game at the weekend. The one shock was Gary Cahill missing out, with Kurt Zouma coming in. This had been something fans were clamouring for, although it seemed to be a decision based more on Zouma’s pace than Cahill’s recent form.

Zouma was tested right from the off, and he had a difficult time of things early on as he was targeted by Raheem Sterling. He did make a few good challenges, and he grew in to the game. Chelsea also grew in to the game, and they should have had a penalty in the first half when Diego Costa was brought down by Martin Skrtel. Costa was in the middle of a storm after he was accused of stamping on Skrtel earlier in the game.

Chelsea had Thibaut Courtois to thank at times in the first half, as he stopped Liverpool going ahead on several occasions. Come the second half, the Reds were thanking the referee for keeping them in it. Jordan Henderson and Lucas were both lucky not to see second yellow cards for bookable offences, while the referee was all too happy to book Blues players.

Chelsea dominated in the second half, but neither side really had too many clear cut chances. It was a cagey affair, but everything changed just minutes in to extra time. Chelsea won a free kick at the edge of the area, but Lucas didn’t receive a yellow card for his foul on Eden Hazard. Mourinho was busy complaining about that to the fourth official, and consequently he missed Branislav Ivanovic getting on the end of the free kick to score the crucial opening goal.

Liverpool should have equalised in extra time through Jordan Henderson, but he headed wide with the goal at his mercy. Both sides traded counter attacks after that, but in the end Ivanovic’s goal was enough to seal a first League Cup final appearance since 2008.

The victory did come at a cost, with Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis both having to come off injured during the game. On top of that the players had to complete 120 minutes, with a huge game against Manchester City to come on Saturday. They’ve still booked a place in a Wembley final, so that should be worth the sacrifice.

LCN Man of the Match: Thibaut Courtois

Chelsea threw away a 2-0 lead in an embarrassing display as they crashed out of the FA Cup against Bradford on Saturday. It will be a result that will go down in history for both the League One side and the FA Cup in general. Gary Cahill and Ramires put the home side ahead, but Bradford roared back with goals from Jon Stead, Felipe Morais, Andy Halliday and Mark Yeates sending them through.

Jose Mourinho fielded a second string side with one eye on the League Cup semi against Liverpool on Tuesday. Youngster Andreas Christensen was among those given a chance, while Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas were all given a rest. With a huge gap between these sides, Mourinho would have expected his second string to come through comfortably.

And early on, they did. Petr Cech was at his best to deny Bradford, before the Blues took the lead. Gary Cahill flicked the ball home from a corner to put Chelsea ahead. Ramires made it 2-0 late in the first half, slotting home after a lung busting run and trading passes with Mo Salah. They looked to be comfortably heading into the next round, but somehow they collapsed.

From the home side’s point of view, things took a turn for the worse just minutes after their second goal, as Stead pulled one back for Bradford. He found himself unmarked at the edge of the box, and his shot was too powerful for Cech to keep out. The defending there was poor, but things were just about to get a whole lot worse.

With just 15 minutes to go former Chelsea academy player Morais hit home an equaliser as he found himself completely free in the box too. Mourinho’s side seemed to have utterly forgotten the concept of marking, with runners having an absolute field day. As the defenders followed the ball, they were all at sea when it came across to Morais, and he had little work to do to level the scores.

You’d expect a response after that, and the Blues’ reaction was full scale attack. It’s tough to say if that was something decided by the manager or the players, but either way it cost them. They had a couple of minor chances to avoid a replay, but then they fell behind. Once again the players were drawn to the ball like moths to a flame, abandoning all positions and throwing the shape of the team into disarray. That left Halliday in all kinds of space at the edge of the box, and he was able to sweep the ball past Cech to send the visiting fans wild.

Once again, Chelsea threw themselves forward looking for an equaliser. When Bradford then got the ball and came forward, they were once again all out of position. They were in such poor shape that somehow Stead managed to tee up Yeates whose run was unmarked, despite there being five Chelsea defenders in the box. There was a limp effort to try and dispossess Yeates, but he tapped home from close range to cap a great day for the travelling support, and an awful one for the Premier League leaders.

Chelsea’s League Cup semi final is finely balanced going into the second leg next week, after the two sides couldn’t be separated at Anfield. Eden Hazard gave the visitors the lead from the spot in the first half, but Raheem Sterling equalised in the second. The hosts then turned up the pressure, but they couldn’t find the winner to put themselves ahead going into the second leg on Tuesday.

Before the game, Thibaut Courtois returned to the side after recovering from the finger injury that’s kept him out recently, with Petr Cech dropping to the bench. The only other change was John Obi Mikel coming in for Oscar, with Cesc Fabregas taking up a more advanced role.

That set up hinted that Chelsea were planning on playing a more defensive style here, and that showed with Liverpool having most of the ball early on. They put the Blues defence under pressure, and Thibaut Courtois had to race to the left touchline to clear the ball when he was closed down in possession. It was certainly a nervy early start for the visitors, but they grew in to the game slowly.

Liverpool handed the lead on a platter after a quarter of an hour, when Emre Can brought down Eden Hazard in the box. It was the Belgian who stepped up to the spot, and he coolly tucked away the penalty to give Chelsea the lead, and a possibly important away goal.

That was the only goal of the opening half, and despite not having too many chances, the away side were actually good value for the lead. Things did change after half time though. We have seen Jose Mourinho sit back on 1-0 leads a few times this season and pay for it, and you got the feeling the same was happening after half time. The Reds came flying out in the second half looking for an equaliser.

Liverpool’s tempo was far higher, and they took the game to Chelsea, and they started to find a way through the defence that had held pretty firm in the first half. They finally got the breakthrough when the defensive shield of Nemanja Matic and Mikel parted. Mikel was out of position, and he was slow tracking back when Sterling picked the ball up in space. The entire Chelsea defence backed off the youngster, leaving him free to slot a fine effort into the bottom corner.

Steven Gerrard hit the post with a spot from just outside the box soon after as Liverpool went on the hunt for a winner. Substitute Adam Lallana came closest, as his volley looked destined for the net, but Courtois pulled off a fantastic save while the winger ran off celebrating prematurely. The Belgian keeper was superb all night, and he played a big part in keeping the scores level. This result means it’s still all to play for in the second leg next week.

LCN Man of the Match: Thibaut Courtois

Chelsea opened up a five point gap at the top of the Premier League table with a thumping win over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium. The Blues got off to a flyer with Oscar scoring in the first minute. Diego Costa added two more goals, before Oscar scored again. Andre Schurrle came off the bench to wrap up an impressive win for the visitors.

Thibaut Courtois once again missed out having not fully recovered from a finger injury, with Petr Cech continuing in goal. Mourinho picked a strong side, and he showed no intention of resting players ahead of the trip to Anfield on Tuesday. Felipe Luis came in for Cesar Azpilicueta at left back.

Chelsea’s trip to the Liberty last season was a struggle, but Oscar made sure this time would be easier by opening the scoring early on. Gylfi Sigurdsson gave the ball away and the Brazilian was right on to it, before hammering an effort in from just outside the box. That summed up Swansea’s day, as they were sloppy against a ruthless Chelsea side.

The second goal came after 20 minutes, with Cesc Fabregas, Oscar and Willian playing some neat passing football around the Swansea area. Once again it was Fabregas who got the assist, as he found Costa who was free in the box, and he applied the finish to double the lead. Strangely, in a game were Chelsea scored five, that was Fabregas’ only assist of the day.

That may have been down to how helpful the Swansea defenders were, as their uncharacteristic misplaced passes led to a few goals. That happened for the third one, as Fernandez gave the ball away to Costa who had just the keeper to beat, and he provided the finish that extended the lead.

The game was completely over by half time, when the Blues extended their lead even further. Costa turned provider this time when Willian fed him the ball on the right hand side. He looked up and found the run of Oscar, who swept the ball home to score his second of the game, and put the result here beyond doubt.

A response from Swansea was to be expected in the second half, and they looked more solid after the break. The second period couldn’t quite match up to the action packed first, and inevitably there were changes made with an eye on the game on Tuesday. Fabregas, Costa and Willian all made way, with Ramires, Loic Remy and Schurrle coming on.

It was Schurrle who had the biggest impact, when he finished off the scoring with the fifth goal. Branislav Ivanovic played a one-two with Eden Hazard and then he cut the ball back across the box into the path of Schurrle, who tapped home from close range. Next up for the Blues are two big games, with Liverpool away coming on Tuesday, before the clash against Manchester City on Saturday.

LCN Man of the Match: Diego Costa

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

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 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

Chelsea could only manage a draw at Southampton in their final game of 2014, but they still remain top of the Premier League table heading in to the New Year. Saido Mane put the hosts ahead, before Eden Hazard equalised just before half time. Referee Anthony Taylor was in the firing line after the game, as he booked Cesc Fabregas for diving in the penalty area, despite it looking as though the Spaniard had been fouled.

The Blues came to the south coast just two days after playing West Ham, and they had to make several changes to that side. John Obi Mikel came in for Oscar, leaving Fabregas playing further forward in the number 10 position. Willian was replaced by Andre Schurrle, while Filipe Luis replaced Cesar Azpilicueta at left back.

Those changes may have affected the rhythm of the team as the Saints started off the better of the two sides. The home side were rewarded for that positive start just after a quarter of an hour when Mane went through on goal and lifted the ball over the helpless Thibaut Courtois. The forward’s pace seemed to have the beating of the visitors’ central defenders, something Saints’ boss Ronald Koeman said was a weak point in this Chelsea team.

With the league leaders pushing for an equaliser, they managed to go in level at the break, after Hazard scored with just seconds left in the half. Fabregas provided his 13th assist of the season by playing a fantastic ball over the top to the Belgian who then glided past half of the hosts’ backline before firing home.

The second half saw Willian come on for Schurrle, as Jose Mourinho’s charges went in search of the lead. He was infuriated after seeing his side have a penalty claim turned down when Fabregas looked to have been tripped by the right leg of Matt Targett, but the referee gave the Chelsea man a yellow card, apparently for diving.

Chelsea were handed an advantage when Southampton went down to 10 men, with Morgan Schneiderlin receiving two yellow cards, but the Saints managed to hang on after the dismissal, earning a point to keep their place in the top four.

After the game, Mourinho left no one in any doubt about his feelings on referee Anthony Taylor’s performance. He told the press after the game, “There is a campaign against Chelsea I don’t know why there is this campaign and I do not care. Everybody knows it was a penalty. The referee made a mistake, people make mistakes and he made a big mistake. He is a good referee and a good guy, he is young, he has years and years of football ahead of him but it is a big mistake.”

Despite that draw, the Blues remain three points clear at the top of the Premier League, and they kick off 2015 with a potentially tough trip to rivals Tottenham on New Year’s Day.

LCN Man of the Match: Cesc Fabregas