The Sunday Times October 30, 2005
Chelsea 4 Blackburn 2: Lampard is world's best brags JoseDavid Walsh at Stamford Bridge JOSE MOURINHO walks into a press conference as John Wayne once ambled into a saloon. Within seconds, something happens. All it took yesterday was a straightforward question about Frank Lampard and his value to the Premiership leaders. It was an opportunity for the Chelsea gunslinger to lay down the law: “The player,” he said of Lampard, “is the best player in the world.”
Forget Ronaldinho, Robinho, Ronaldo, Shevchenko, Zidane and all the others. Mourinho knows better. Being Jose, he couldn’t offer the opinion without a touch of insolence. “You have to ask these top people of world football,” he said of those who dish out prestigious awards to the game’s finest, “what they’re doing on weekends?” Mourinho made sense. He wasn’t saying Lampard was more skilful than Ronaldinho or more powerful than Ronaldo but that he did more for Chelsea than the annual winners of world awards do for their clubs. Who can argue? Think of an afternoon, September 16, 2001 at White Hart Lane and the occasion of Lampard’s fourth game in Chelsea’s blue.
He went down in the penalty box, appeals for a penalty were turned down and after getting up, he accidentally collided with Spurs goalkeeper Neil Sullivan. Wrongly, he was given a yellow card, his second, and the dismissal brought the one-match ban that caused him to miss a game away to Fulham two weeks later. Now in his fifth season at Chelsea, that was the only Premiership game he didn’t start in almost four-and-a-half seasons with the Stamford Bridge club.
Yesterday was Lampard’s 157th consecutive game for the Blues. “There are some great players in the world,” added Mourinho, “no doubt about it, but they play one game every month or one day they are man of the match, the next day they don’t get a touch. This player is top in every game.”
If Lampard was a horse he would be sent to stud and made to reproduce but, for Mourinho, the Chelsea midfielder reproduces every week. Yesterday’s performance was typical; he provided the cross for the first and scored the second and third, and from midfield, he is the Premiership’s leading scorer.
Somebody asked Mourinho afterwards if he agreed this victory put Chelsea back on track. Nobody exaggerates the sense of being insulted better than “The Special One”. He shrugged his shoulders, raised his eyebrows and the body language screamed indignation. “Back on track? Back on track? Mama mia! Back on track. This was game No 40 without a defeat. This season, 10 wins and a draw: what do you say to Arsène Wenger after his team draws 1-1 with Tottenham? Back on track. Mama mia.”
Yet this was an important victory and when Joe Cole’s shot took a vicious deflection off Zurab Khizanishvili to wrong-foot Brad Friedel and put Chelsea 4-2 in front, Mourinho’s vibrant acclamation told us how the manager actually felt. Blackburn offered serious and organised opposition. On another day they might have got something but Chelsea were too good.
The leaders’ cause was helped by the dismissal from the dugout of Mark Hughes. Nine minutes into the second half, the Blackburn manager’s irritation with a few decisions by referee Mike Riley reached boiling point. After Tugay was harshly penalised for a foul on Michael Essien, Hughes tried but failed to get Riley’s attention.
Irritation turning to downright anger, he belted a kitbag with his right foot. It was not a day to reach boiling point because the fourth official was called Kettle, Steve Kettle, and he reported Hughes.
“I am a little bit confused why he sent me to the stands,” Hughes said. “I shouted three times to get the referee’s attention, couldn’t do it and then kicked the bag.”
So Hughes went backstage as Chelsea moved centre stage but it was his team’s refusal to lie down that gave us such a good match. Chelsea, too, produced a fine performance, epitomised by their fiercely positive start. The first goal came on 10 minutes. John Terry surged to reach Lampard’s corner and when the ball was cleared back to the England midfielder Blackburn’s defence was at sixes and sevens.
So much so that they left Didier Drogba alone in the six yards from goal and he comfortably scored with his head. The advantage was doubled four minutes later and, again, the goal was created from a corner. Terry again caused panic by going for the ball with such conviction that Andy Todd wrestled him illegally. Lampard belted the penalty into the corner of the net.
That kind of start would have killed off most teams at Stamford Bridge, not Blackburn. They inched their way back into the game and when Petr Cech failed to properly clear Morten Pedersen’s corner, Ricardo Carvalho was judged to have fouled Khizanishvili. Craig Bellamy scored easily from the spot.
Blackburn continued to improve and two minutes before the break, they equalised. An innocuous cross came Asier Del Horno’s way but instead of clearing, the Spaniard lazily turned a ball back to his goalkeeper.
Cech screwed his clearance five yards forward and into the air. Blackburn’s Shefki Kuqi then showed commendable composure in rising above Terry and intelligently directing his header to Bellamy, who stooped and scored decisively. Two-two and Chelsea were rattled.
They recovered, though. Lampard put his team back in front with an outstanding free kick. The ball swung dramatically from right to left, missed Terry’s head by inches and still flew into the corner of the net. Cole’s late goal gave Chelsea a margin of victory that might have been marginally flattering.
STAR MAN: Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
Player ratings: Chelsea: Cech 5, Gallas 6, Carvalho 6, Terry 7, Del Horno 5, Makelele 6, Wright-Phillips 5 (Robben 68min, 6), Lampard 8, Essien 7, Cole 7 (Gudjohnsen 78min, 6), Drogba 7 (Crespo 80min, 6)
Blackburn Rovers: Friedel 6, Neill 6, Khizanishvili 6, Todd 6, Gray 6, Emerton 5, Savage 6 (Mokoena 77min, 6), Tugay 7 (Reid 72min, 6), Pedersen 5, Bellamy 6, Kuqi 6 (Dickov 75min, 5)
Scorers: Chelsea: Drogba 10, Lampard 14 pen, 62, Cole 74
Blackburn Rovers: Bellamy 18 pen, 44
Referee: M Riley
Attendance: 41,553 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------People:
LAMPS' TON OF DE-LIGHT! CENTURY BOY FRANK SHOWS HE'S GOT A HEART OF GOALS CHELSEA 4 BLACKBURN 2Neil Silver
FRANK LAMPARD was told by a doctor at the beginning of the season that his heart was larger than normal. Chelsea fans already knew that.
The 27-year-old midfielder showed why he has been short-listed for the European Footballer of the Year award with another inspirational performance at Stamford Bridge which steadied the Chelsea ship and nipped any talk of a "crisis" firmly in the bud.
Lampard can now also add the name "centurion" to his many accolades, as he scored the two goals he needed to clock up a ton in club football.
Spirited Blackburn gave Chelsea a run for their money until they fell apart early in the second half after manager Mark Hughes was sent from the bench as a result of petty officialdom.
Lampard steered his team to three more points towards what is looking like a comfortable defence of their Premiership crown.
Chelsea looked to be home and dry as they raced into a two-goal lead inside the first 13 minutes courtesy of a Didier Drogba header and Lampard's penalty, but Craig Bellamy cut short the celebrations when he converted a penalty of his own after 18 minutes, then used his head to equalise two minutes before half-time.
That was the first time a Premiership team had put two goals past Chelsea this season and Jose Mourinho's men were temporarily rocking.
It all went pear-shaped for Hughes when the former Chelsea favourite was banished from the bench for kicking a kit bag.
Lampard stepped up to the plate yet again with a 30-yard free kick after 62 minutes which sailed over everyone and into the net, before Joe Cole wrapped up the win with a deflected shot after 75 minutes. Chelsea stated their intention after only 10 minutes when Lampard's left-wing corner was headed straight back to him by the Blackburn defence. When he whipped in another cross Drogba guided a header inside the far post.
It was just the start Chelsea needed at the end of a week under the microscope which saw them drop their first points of the season by drawing at Everton, then lose on penalties to Charlton in the Carling Cup.
Life got even rosier for the Blues when they were awarded a penalty three minutes later after Rovers skipper Andy Todd bundled over his opposite number John Terry. Lampard, who started the day as the Premiership's joint leading scorer with Ruud van Nistelrooy of Manchester United on eight goals, stroked the spot kick.
The landmarks continue to come for Lampard as this was his 157th consecutive League appearance - a Premiership record for an outfield player.
Having put five goals past Bolton in their previous league game at Stamford Bridge, it looked as if we might be about to witness another mauling, but Blackburn are pretty resilient these days and pulled a goal back after 18 minutes.
Referee Mike Riley pointed to the spot for the second time when Ricardo Carvalho caught Zuran Khizanishvili with a clumsy lunge.
Bellamy checked on his run-up to wrong-foot Petr Cech before slotting the ball in the bottom left corner. It wasn't as cheeky as a Robert Pires-Thierry Henry plot, but it clearly upset Chelsea's Czech goalkeeper.
That meant there was no repeat for Cech of a penalty save, which he did in the bitter Ewood Park clash last season.
Hughes was unhappy that Mourinho had accused his team of resorting to a "nasty" brand of football, so it would have been a sweet sensation watching Bellamy equalise two minutes before the break.
Asier Del Horno's header back toward Cech bounced at an awkward height which resulted in him slicing his attempted clearance into the air.
Shefki Kuqi reacted quicker than Terry to head the ball sideways and Bellamy kept his cool as he planted a downward header past the flailing Cech.
By letting in a second goal Cech and Chelsea had doubled the number they had conceded all season in just one half.
But normal service was resumed after the break. In the 54th minute, when Hughes was so angered by a decision which went against Rovers that he kicked the kit bag. Unfortunately, the fourth official ran to teacher by calling over Riley to tell him, and the referee banished Hughes.
Tugay caught Cole to concede a free kick 30 yards from goal on the Chelsea left, and when Lampard curled it towards the far post it missed everyone and crept into the net.
Cole tried his luck from 20 yards and the ball was deflected beyond Brad Freidel to seal another Chelsea win.
That is 40 matches unbeaten, and Arsenal's record of 49 is firmly in their sights.
CHELSEA: Cech 6 - Gallas 6, Terry 6, Carvalho 5, Del Horno 5 - Wright-Phillips 4 (Robben, 68mins, 6), Makelele 6, *LAMPARD 8, Essien 5, J Cole 7 (Gudjohnsen, 78mins, 6) - Drogba 7 (Crespo, 80mins).
BLACKBURN: Friedel 6 - Neill 6, Khizanishvili 6, Todd 6, Gray 6 - Emerton 6, Tugay 6 (Reid 72mins, 6), Savage 6 (Mokoena 77mins, 6), Pedersen 6 - *BELLAMY 8, Kuqi 6 (Dickov 75mins, 6). Ref: M Riley 6.
SHINER LAMPARD Who else could it be, after he scored twice to notch a ton of goals SHOCKER TREVOR KETTLEThe fourth official squealed on Mark Hughes, getting him sent from the dug-out MAGIC MOMENT Jose Mourinho ridiculed a suggestion after the game that this result meant Chelsea were back on track. They were never off it.
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Mirror:
GENIE OF THE LAMP Magic Frank's a class act CHELSEA...............4 Drogba, 10, Lampard (pen) 14, 62, Joe Cole 74 BLACKBURN.........2 Bellamy (pen) 18, 44 Anthony Clavane
WITH ten minutes to go Frank Lampard appeared to embark on a lap of honour - and the Chelsea faithful stood as one to salute another match-winning display by the England star.
In fact, Lamps had bizarrely assumed he was being subbed and the red-faced midfielder had to run back on to the pitch much to the amusement of both sets of fans.
But Lampard deserved his standing ovation. Jose Mourinho sarcastically claimed a national holiday would be declared when Chelsea finally lost a league game, such is the anti-Blues feeling in the country.
But the Portuguese coach should himself call for a "National Frank Lampard Day" to be celebrated in West London after the player almost single-handedly ensured the Chelsea juggernaut kept on rolling.
No wonder he's in the running for the coveted Ballon D'Or award. He scored twice yesterday, and made a third, to stake his claim for the best player in the world prize. To be Frank, if it wasn't for Lamps there might well have been rejoicing throughout the land as the big blue machine crashed, or at least got a bit of a prang, against Mark Hughes' men.
There was a 15-minute spell just after the interval when the visitors, who had come back from 2-0 down to draw level, looked up for a shock win.
But VC Day (Victory over Chelsea) will have to be postponed after normal business was resumed by the billionaire superstars - inspired by the brilliant Lampard, who chalked up his 100th goal of his Blues career in the process. At least the rest of the top flight know there are chinks in the the armour.
After drawing at Goodison last week and getting knocked out of the Carling Cup by Charlton they again showed signs of weakness yesterday.
But you can't accuse them of not being up for a fight. Prior to this clash, James Beattie claimed the best way to unsettle Chelsea was to rough them up a little.
This might have been true in the past but it's hard to bully the Blues out of their stride these days when they boast such tough nuts as Michael Essien and Didier Drogba.
It was in fact Joe Cole, of all people, who demonstrated this new steely side almost immediately after kick-off, hacking down hardman Lucas Neill - and being booked by referee Mike Riley.
Drogba was clearly relishing his aerial battle with Andy Todd and it came as no surprise when he left his marker to glance Lampard's left-flank cross past Brad Friedel to give the Champions an early lead. When Lamps himself sent Friedel the wrong way from the penalty spot minutes later - after Todd bundled over John Terry - it looked like game over.
But Rovers, who had won five of their previous six games, were not at the Bridge simply to make up the numbers.
They hit back immediately with another spot-kick, coolly converted by Craig Bellamy, after Ricardo Carvalho had brought down Zurab Khizanishvili in the box. Mourinho believes the only way to do well against Chelsea is through luck - and the visitors certainly made the most of theirs just before half-time.
It was a comedy of errors unworthy of Chelsea's reputation as the stingiest rearguard in the Premiership.
A terrible pass-back by Carvalho put Cech in all sorts of trouble but the keeper's attempted clearance was even more inept. Cech's woeful miskick was adroitly headed across goal by Shefki Kuqi for Bellamy to nod the ball over the line.
The Welshman has had a dramatic impact in the last few games. Since coming back from injury he's scored three times in as many games - and made all three Blackburn goals against Leeds in midweek.
The Blues were kicking themselves going in level at half-time because they really should have killed off their opponents at 2-0.
First Essien tried to pass the ball into the net from 15 yards out and Asier Del Horno botched a completely free header in front of goal.
Talking of kicking, Hughes was sent off by the over-fussy Riley after striking out at a bag on the touchline when Tugay was unfairly penalised in a clash with Essien.
But Lampard came to the rescue just after an hour's play with a free-kick which evaded every player and curled into the net. Another lucky goal - a Cole shot which deflected off Todd - made it 4-2 and then Lamps fully-deserved his ovation.
Between August 1992 and August 2003 Chelsea failed to beat Blackburn in 10 Premiership matches at Stamford Bridge. Blackburn won five, while the others were drawn.
MAN OF THE MATCH FRANK LAMPARD Who else? The England midfielder had another superb game, scoring two and crossing for Drogba to score another. RATINGS
CHELSEA: Cech 6, Gallas 6, Carvalho 6, Terry 7, Del Horno 7, Makelele 7, Essien 7, LAMPARD 9, Wright-Phillips 6 (Robben 6), Cole 8 (Gudjohnsen 6), Drogba 6 (Crespo 6).
BLACKBURN: Friedel 7, Gray 7, Todd 6, Khizanishvili 8, Neill 7, Pedersen 6, Kuqi 6 (Dickov 5), Tugay 6 (Reid 6), Savage 6 (Mokoena 6), Emerton 5, Bellamy 8.
MANAGERS: Mourinho 8; Hughes 7 REFEREE: M Riley 5
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Observer:
Mourinho bluster fails to disguise Chelsea's fallibility
Jamie Jackson at Stamford BridgeSunday October 30, 2005The Observer
Frank Lampard is the best player in the world and Blackburn had just one shot on goal. So reckoned Jose Mourinho after a sloppy display ended with a margin that should fool no-one. Yes, Chelsea deserved the win, but as Mark Hughes said, 'they couldn't work us out' in the first half. Blackburn were a threat because having conceded early they continued to sniff and took their opportunities. Two of them resulted in goals and the Chelsea boss, inevitably yet disrespectfully, claimed that by the break 'we had scored four goals'.
Hughes will feel there was a missed opportunity to turn Chelsea over. Having gone two behind early, his side deserved to have the happier half-time break. Yet once the players returned the Welshman took just eight minutes to get himself sent from the bench. It was needless.
'I don't know if that had any input on the game,' he said, before admitting: 'It doesn't make my job easier.' Blackburn conceded minutes later through Lampard's free-kick, which missed John Terry and goalkeeper Brad Friedel but not the goal.
Hughes viewed that from the stands because frustration at a challenge on Shefki Kuqi was followed by a convincing right-foot connection with a physio bag. The fourth official, Trevor Kettle, had already been arguing with the Blackburn manager and proved his jobsworthness by calling Mike Riley over. Hughes grabbed his mobile phone and disappeared.
Last week's results represented the closest Mourinho has come to a wobble, with the two dropped points at Everton last Sunday preceding the champions' exit from the Carling Cup on penalties. As in all things, this was relative of course. But a draw at Everton then defeat - however Mourinho dressed up the Charlton reverse in his programme notes - was the biggest domestic question asked of Chelsea since Claudio Ranieri left. Here, playing the side they faced following their sole Premiership defeat a year ago, the response, initially, was positive with an opening 15 minutes that gained them their advantage.
Joe Cole now seems to have consistent sharpness and end product - 'he had a great game' agreed Mourinho - and it was his intelligent running that posed Chelsea's early threat down the left as a sublime stretch ensued with Didier Drogba's opener.
First Lampard's corner was returned to him and this time he found the striker who finished easily. Then Ricardo Carvalho broke up a Blackburn attack on the edge of his area. Asier Del Horno fed it out and when Lampard played a sliding pass along the turf, it eventually came to Michael Essien. His shot disappointed but Chelsea quickly had a penalty.
Terry was grounded by Andy Todd and Lampard converted. 'He is the best player in the world. But only in this country is that recognised,' insisted his manager. Although that may be debatable, Lampard was the player who ensured Chelsea turned this around.
But before that came casualness not usually associated with Mourinho's side. They were culpable by the break of failing to kill Blackburn off. Correct, Jose? 'No. I had nothing to say at half-time. Just keep playing the same way.' The logic was questionable but away from the dictaphones Mourinho will surely work on defending of set-pieces that was again problematic here: Blackburn's first corner became a penalty when poor defending resulted in Carvalho impeding Zurab Khizanishvili. Craig Bellamy calmly said thank you. And then repeated that two minutes from half-time following a Petr Cech mis-kick.
Hughes' side received five yellow cards and his own ejection. came in a period when Stamford Bridge teemed with boos as a series of Blackburn players, including that reliable pantomime villain Robbie Savage, fell to the ground. Cole followed Lampard's hundredth league strike with a deserved goal but Hughes will feel a point at least was lost. Dickov and Kuqi should have scored.
'Back on track? Back on track?' Mourinho indignantly responded when asked about the week's end. 'There is ten points difference. Ten games with one draw. Back on track?'
The gap is actually nine but with Manchester United a further four back Mourinho may now add more value to his opening-day win over second-placed Wigan.
Man of the match: Frank Lampard - Rescued his side with crucial third goal following Chelsea's wobble and, throughout, provided the requisite calm added to the class of his passing and clever runs. Looked to be coming off for Crespo but his importance was underlined by Mourinho going to the touchline to ensure he stayed on.
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Independent:
Peerless Lampard at the double to thwart Blackburn fightback Chelsea 4 Blackburn Rovers 2 By Nick Townsend at Stamford Bridge Published: 30 October 2005 "When we fail, there will be a national holiday in the country," Jose Mourinho had mischievously declared beforehand, and just for a moment Blackburn Rovers sensed they were on the cusp of inspiring happiness and rejoicing throughout the land.
Chelsea, champions and champions-elect, had first swaggered into a two-goal lead, then staggered, felled by a brace of Craig Bellamy sling-shots in a first half in which Rovers had, according to their manager Mark Hughes, "dominated the game and caused them problems". It required Frank Lampard to unsheath his blade of deadly intent and set about these audacious interlopers.
A goal direct from a free-kick just after the hour - a 10th of the season for the Premiership's leading scorer - was the most tangible evidence of his impact. Yet those goals merely encapsulated a performance of great maturity, vision and tenacity, one for which his manager will have been mightily grateful.
Asked for an estimation of the midfielder who has illuminated most of his 157 consecutive Premiership games (only two short of David James's record), Mourinho retorted sharply: "You should ask the top people in world football, responsible for these beautiful trophies, the Golden Boot and the Gold Ball [Ballon D'Or] what they're doing at weekends, because Frank Lampard wins nothing."
The Chelsea manager added: "There are some great players in the world of football, no doubt. But other players may have one good game a month, are man of the match in one game then don't get a touch in the next. Lampard is the best in every game. He is the best in the world."
By the time he had established a 3-2 advantage, Chelsea's cause had been aided by the dismissal to the stands of Hughes. There is history, of course, between these sides. Mourinho had described Blackburn in his programme notes as being "very aggressive ... they try to control the pace and emotion of the game". Not exactly the most placatory of language.
Hughes, who understandably professed himself "very encouraged" by his team's first-half display, was ordered out of the dug-out by referee Mike Riley after engaging in a contretemps with the fourth official, Trevor Kettle, as his side were pulled up for successive free-kicks. Eventually Hughes vented his anger on a nearby kitbag. Kettle summoned Riley, and after the manager's dismissal his side swiftly capitulated, sustaining a defeat which extends Chelsea's unbeaten Premiership run to 40 games.
"I don't know whether it [the sending-off] had any influence, but it doesn't make it easy when you're sent to the stand," Hughes said. "I'm still confused why. I wasn't happy with a couple of decisions. The ref ignored me, so I kicked the bag. We had five bookings, and it was never that kind of game. Maybe his views were shaped by the comments in the programme."
Chelsea were rampant in the first few minutes. Lampard's cross after a corner was played back to him, found the head of the poorly marked Didier Drogba and he steered the ball across Brad Friedel for the opener.
By the 13th minute, Chelsea had increased their advantage. Andy Todd held John Terry in the area as a cross was delivered and Riley was left with no option but to award the spot kick.
Lampard drove the penalty past Friedel with a ferocity which demonstrated his desire to put the game quickly beyond Blackburn, particularly with Tuesday's away Champions' League game against Real Betis in mind.
He was foiled in that endeavour four minutes later when Ricardo Carvalho caught Zurab Khizanishvili in the area, Craig Bellamy deceiving Petr Cech from the spot. Heartened, Rovers provoked uncertainty within the home back-line, and one inventive move ended with Brett Emerton forcing a diving save.
As half-time beckoned, Rovers equalised. From Chelsea, the team who once prided themselves on their secure defence, it was an horrendous aberration. It appeared innocuous when Asier Del Horno attempted a headed back-pass but Cech sliced his clearance. Shefki Kuqi outjumped Terry to head the ball back across the goal and Bellamy nodded it into the net.
Only for Lampard to flex his muscles. After his free-kick curled past Friedel, Joe Cole's long-range attempt was deflected off Khizanishvili for the fourth.
So, what constitutes a crisis here? Well, clearly not an away draw to the then bottom side followed by a Carling Cup exit on penalties. Both must now be considered minor blemishes on the features of a newly emboldened Chelsea as they march on, Lampard in the vanguard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph:
Lampard double ends talk of Chelsea 'crisis'
By Patrick BarclayChelsea (2) 4 Blackburn (2) 2
Crisis? What crisis? Held at Everton last weekend, knocked out of the Carling Cup at Charlton in midweek, Chelsea reacquainted themselves with the pleasure of victory at the expense of a far-from-disgraced Blackburn, whose recovery from a two-goal deficit made for terrific entertainment. Matches like this, in which the leaders can take nothing for granted, are what the Premiership is supposed to be about.
There might even have been a tense finish but for a chance spurned by Craig Bellamy - it would have given him a hat-trick - a couple of minutes after Joe Cole had somewhat fortunately obtained Chelsea's fourth with the aid of a deflection. As it was, a more significant pair of goals were those from Frank Lampard; with a penalty and a free-kick he advanced his total for the season to 11, all but one of them in the Premiership. And we are not even out of October.
Claudio Ranieri, who signed him, was here to watch another man-of-the-match display by the England midfielder - after confiding to friends that he would not be the next manager of Hearts. Despite the enthusiasm with which Ranieri had been talking about the job on Friday, it is understood that the Scottish Premier League leaders were not impressed enough with the Italian to consider meeting his high financial aspirations. So, on his way home, he paid a second visit in as many weeks to the club who replaced him with Jose Mourinho some 17 months ago.
On the previous occasion when Ranieri dropped in, Chelsea beat Bolton 5-1, and given that yesterday's visitors were also from Lancashire they may have taken his presence as ominous. But it was a different sort of afternoon. While Bolton had the thrill of enjoying a lead before they were thrashed, Chelsea took Rovers by the scruff of the neck and refused to let go until they thought superiority had been established. Prematurely, it transpired. For 13 minutes, during which Chelsea scored twice, Blackburn were penned in their own half. The pressure was ferocious. Even conceding a corner - statistics have proved this is not a very hazardous thing to do, for all the excitement it produces - proved lethal. First the ball was returned to Lampard near the flag and, when he crossed, Didier Drogba did not even have to jump as he glanced a header wide of Brad Friedel, so flimsy was the challenge of Lucas Neill. Andy Todd, by contrast, did too much when John Terry advanced for another corner, holding down the Chelsea captain; Lampard drove home the penalty.
Shortly afterwards, and less satisfyingly for Mourinho, Chelsea themselves failed to deal with a corner and gave away a penalty. Zurab Khizanishvili contested a loose ball and was fouled by Ricardo Carvalho, leaving Bellamy to do the rest. We then saw a reprise of Chelsea's magnificent early spell: high-speed attacks orchestrated by Lampard, Claude Makelele and Michael Essien. But they no longer subjugated Blackburn, for whom Brett Emerton raised morale by thrusting forward, playing an accidental one-two with Makelele and making Petr Cech drop sharply on a low shot.
It all went wrong for Cech, however, when, endeavouring to hoof clear Asier Del Horno's pass back, he sliced the ball horribly into the air. Shefki Kuqi got the better of Terry and laid the ball across goal for Bellamy to nod past the scrambling goalkeeper. Chelsea had been breached twice in a Premiership match for the first time since they visited Arsenal nearly 11 months ago. And the atmosphere engendered was sustained into the second half, which was only a few minutes old when Mark Hughes, who had been protesting furiously at Mike Riley's decisions, was ordered up the tunnel by the referee on the advice of the fourth official, Trevor Kettle.
Chelsea regained their advantage after Tugay had become the second Blackburn player cautioned in a minute (Morten Gamst Pedersen was the other). Lampard whipped in the free-kick and it soared over a thicket of keen heads before nestling in the far corner of Friedel's net.
When Cole, receiving from Makelele, strode on, shot and saw the ball veer off Todd past a flat-footed Friedel, it seemed all over. But that would not have been the case had Bellamy, served the ball by Emerton only with only Cech to beat, made proper contact; instead his effort bobbled over the bar. Still Chelsea could not relax, but they kept working and might even have got another through substitute Eidur Gudjohnsen, who was just off target.
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Sunday, October 30, 2005
Thursday, October 27, 2005
morning papers charlton cc
Guardian:
Charlton crack Chelsea's fortress
Simon Burnton at Stamford BridgeThursday October 27, 2005The Guardian
Charlton added a glorious chapter to their frequently embarrassing history in this competition last night when they beat the champions and league leaders on penalties to secure their progress to the fourth round; one more win would constitute their greatest ever run in the League Cup in all its guises.If victory tasted unfamiliar to Charlton, defeat was no less unexpected for their hosts. Not since Arsenal won 2-1 here in February 2004, towards the end of Claudio Ranieri's spell in charge, has any team wearing anything but blue celebrated on the Stamford Bridge turf. Mourinho might not believe that Charlton won, but there was no denying the feeling of their players and fans as the cup holders tumbled out at the earliest possible opportunity.
Robert Huth was twice the villain, setting up Charlton's equaliser for Darren Bent and then missing Chelsea's second penalty. Unlike their opponents Charlton had not practised their shoot-out techniques but it did not stop them from scoring from each of their five spot-kicks, Bryan Hughes scoring emphatically to decide the game.In the last 10 years, Charlton have lost on nine occasions in this competition to teams below them in the league at the time. While Chelsea are above their Addicks - and everyone else - in the Premiership, it is not by much. Charlton are second and this result continued a stunning start to the season. But even with Chelsea using the occasion to rotate several members of their bulging squad few people - including perhaps the visitors themselves - truly believed an upset was likely.
The match started at great tempo and with equally impressive quality, the sides taking it in turns to rampage forward. An even opening came to an end after 10 minutes when Chelsea fashioned the first clear chance, Paulo Ferreira stinging the palms of Stephan Andersen with a 15-yard drive after Eidur Gudjohnsen found him in space.
Slowly, inevitably, Chelsea started to create some momentum. From Wayne Bridge's excellent deep cross Hernán Crespo headed back across goal but just wide, then the Argentinian was played through by Michael Essien. Perhaps the best chance came in the 37th minute when Arjen Robben's left-wing corner found Huth unmarked, but the German headed well wide of goal. It was a warning, and it was not heeded. Four minutes later another inswinging corner from the Dutchman found Chelsea's other centre-back, and John Terry headed home.
At the other end Bent was finding himself increasingly isolated against the Chelsea defence. Helpfully Huth created the equaliser for them, his hopelessly short back-header in first-half stoppage time presenting Bent with a simple finish that he took expertly.
The second half started much like the first, with a period of intense and equal sparring ending with Chelsea starting to impose their superiority. Five minutes after the break Terry threatened to restore their lead in unlikely style, with a first-time left-foot shot from 20 yards drifting narrowly wide.
Few would have expected the centre-back to score in those circumstances, but the same could not be said of Gudjohnsen when Robben played him in after 57 minutes. The Iceland international ran into the penalty area but shot too close to Andersen and the ball bounced to safety.
At the other end Bent continued to scurry about, more in hope than expectation. But when Huth is on the pitch there is always hope, and the German almost played his team into further trouble in the 69th minute. Another weak back-pass, this time with his right boot, encouraged Bent to hare goalwards but this time Carlo Cudicini got to the ball first.
With 15 minutes of normal time remaining Alan Curbishley brought on Jay Bothroyd, and with Bent finally enjoying some support Charlton became considerably more threatening. Extra time passed in a frenetic if unrefined blur, the home side no longer quite so dominant even if Didier Drogba did manage to miss an outstanding chance in the 100th minute. From Frank Lampard's right-wing free-kick the substitute headed tamely at Andersen from eight yards out.
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Independent:
Chelsea 1 Charlton Athletic 1Charlton win 5-4 on penalties Charlton find magic formula as shoot-out stuns holders Chelsea By Sam Wallace Published: 27 October 2005 It has taken English football 36 matches, 120 minutes and 10 penalty kicks but around 10.30pm last night Charlton Athletic proved what the rest feared might never be possible: that Jose Mourinho and his Chelsea team can be beaten at Stamford Bridge. The margin was nothing more than Bryan Hughes's final penalty, the competition only the Carling Cup, but it was a shot that will echo around a nation beaten into submission by the Premiership champions.
The fall guy of the piece was Robert Huth who gave away the ball for Darren Bent's equaliser and struck his penalty close enough to Stefan Andersen for the Charlton goalkeeper to palm away. When the pile of red shirts that had descended upon Hughes after his match-winning penalty had cleared, when Mourinho had led his team down the tunnel all that Chelsea had lost was their right to defend the trophy they won in February. The rest, however, have gained a measure of hope.
Mourinho altered his team to fit the importance of this competition but it was still a Chelsea side that, by its manager's admission, was good enough to beat Charlton Athletic. Like so few teams who fall a goal behind at Stamford Bridge, however, Alan Curbishley's side refused to give in - and their equaliser to John Terry's 41st-minute header invited an increasingly desperate Chelsea response. They may not have started with all their most celebrated names on the pitch, but Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Joe Cole were there by the end.
As Huth had a double shot blocked among the Charlton penalty area traffic with 22 minutes of extra time played, as Lampard's overhead kick sailed over. Curbishley said that he surveyed his penalty-taking options and realised that most of his best had been substituted. "Bent said he wanted the first and Bryan was confident enough to take the last," he said, "it was filling in the three in between that was difficult."
They were Jay Bothroyd, Matt Holland and Hermann Hreidarsson and none of Charlton's five let their manager down. It was when Huth stepped up to take the second of his side's five penalties that the great blue beast that is devouring the record books quivered for the first time and the German, whom Drogba described in the match programme as the club's best penalty-taker, had his shot saved.
History will record a draw but for a man as addicted to competition as Mourinho this will represent the end of a remarkable run at Stamford Bridge. Beyond that, this was his last domestic defeat since the loss to Newcastle United in the FA Cup in February and the exit from the Carling Cup is the only blemish on this season apart from the Champions' League draw with Liverpool and Sunday's Premiership stalemate at Goodison with Everton.
The Chelsea manager said that he had "no complaints" about the performance of his players and maintained that he had not been plunged into one of those moods where "you want to go into your dressing-room and kill half a dozen".
Mourinho could just about bring himself to congratulate Charlton on a famous victory but as he contemplated the siege his team had laid to their goal in the closing stages added that he thought the conquerors of Stamford Bridge "were lucky". Mourinho said: "They defended everything and fought hard and took the game to penalties. Once you reach penalties it comes down to the goalkeeper, a mistake by Robert and anything could happen. But I have no complaints about my players. We faced the game seriously. I played that team because I felt some of my players deserved to play and other deserved a rest.
"We prepared properly for this match, we took it seriously and we practised penalties this week. Each player took eight penalties and Robert scored all eight against three different goalkeepers."
After an 11th-minute shot from Paulo Ferreira had been beaten away by Dean Kiely in Charlton's goal and Hernan Crespo had looped a header just shy of the post from Arjen Robben's cross - it fell to Terry to open the scoring with four minutes left in the first half.
The rearrangement of the Chelsea captain's nose by Everton's James Beattie on Sunday did not prevent him from out-jumping Hughes and directing a header in for his first goal of the season.
As the fourth official raised the board to indicate a minute's injury time, Mourinho had already disappeared into the tunnel when Luke Young sent a harmless header over the Chelsea back four. Huth stooped to direct it back to Carlo Cudicini and barely grazed his forehead on the ball. Chasing behind him, Bent needed only one touch to direct his ninth goal of the season past the stranded Cudicini.
By the end, Mourinho had unleashed the full might of his substitutes' bench upon Charlton but Curbishley's side refused to buckle. Danny Murphy was outstanding in midfield, behind him Hreidarsson and Talal El Karkouri kept the champions out - after that, holding their nerve in the penalty shoot-out seemed like the easy part.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cudicini; Ferreira, Terry, Huth, Bridge (Lampard, 60); Essien; Wright-Phillips (Cole, 60), Geremi, Gudjohnsen, Robben; Crespo (Drogba, 83).
Substitutes not used: Cech (gk), Diarra.
Charlton (4-5-1): Andersen; Young, Hreidarsson, El Karkouri, Powell; Rommedahl (Thomas, 64), Holland, Murphy (Kishishev, 82), Ambrose (Bothroyd, 73), Hughes; Bent.
Substitutes not used: Kiely (gk), Spector.
Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).
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Sun:
Chelsea 1 Charlton 1 By SUN ONLINE REPORTER
(Charlton win 5-4 on penalties)
ROBERT HUTH'S double blunder sent Chelsea to their first defeat of the season.
The German defender gifted Charlton their equaliser, then made the only penalty shoot-out miss, as the hard-grafting visitors stole into the Carling Cup last 16.
John Terry headed home Arjen Robben's 41st minute corner as the Blues defied seven changes to their side by clicking quite smoothly.
But, when Huth cocked up a back-header to Italian keeper Carlo Cudicini just before the break, the dangerous Darren Bent nipped in for his ninth of the season.
Sunday's 1-1 draw at Everton had ended Chelsea's 100% Premiership start to the season.
And they appeared determined to make amends for the blip as Charlton goalkeeper Stephan Andersen was pressed into action as early as the 10th minute.
Right-back Paulo Ferreira, who has failed to start the last four games, let fly with a ferocious 20-yard shot that Andersen did well to punch away to safety.
England left-back Wayne Bridge, impressive in his first start since breaking an ankle against Newcastle in the FA Cup last February, appeared to show no ill-effects from his long lay-off.
The first quarter, predictably enough, was all Chelsea as Shaun Wright-Phillips and Michael Essien probed the Addicks' defence in search of an opening.
In the 22nd minute a sweeping move down the left-flank almost brought the home side an opening goal.
Robben, having a quiet game by his own standards, cleverly fed the overlapping Bridge.
And the full-back's perfect cross was headed narrowly wide by Hernan Crespo.
Essien, though, was booked for a foul on Bent as the England striker strode purposefully towards the edge of the area.
Three minutes later Charlton's Bryan Hughes found himself in Alan Wiley's notebook for pushing Eidur Gudjohnsen.
The visitors, nine points behind Chelsea at the top of the Barclays Premiership, finally tested Cudicini when Dennis Rommedahl hit a speculative effort into the Italian's hands from 25 yards.
But generally the Addicks, second in the Premiership, rarely troubled Terry and Huth in the home defence.
The unmarked Huth should have done better with a header from Robben's corner but the German directed the ball well wide of Andersen's left-hand upright.
Terry showed him how it should be done in the 41st minute when he nodded firmly in from eight yards to give Chelsea the lead in this third round tie.
But Huth made a dreadful error on the stroke of half-time to gift Charlton an equaliser.
The German tried to head the ball back to Cudicini but he did not apply enough power and Bent nipped in to fire past the stranded Italian.
Terry was only a foot away from scoring his second in the 50th minute when his left-foot volley just veered away from Andersen's right-hand post.
Two minutes later, as Chelsea's tempo increased once more, Wright-Phillips sent a low drive wide of the target as Charlton found it difficult to stem the blue tide.
Another delightful three-man move almost brought the success they craved in the 56th minute when Robben and Crespo shared passes before the Dutchman threaded the ball into the path of Gudjohnsen on the edge of the penalty area.
A goal appeared to be the only outcome but Andersen dived low to his left to save the Icelandic striker's shot and keep the scores level.
On the hour Frank Lampard and Joe Cole replaced Bridge and Wright-Phillips.
And it was the former who had the most impact with two typical long-range shots - one flying just over the crossbar in the 74th minute and the other into the arms of Andersen three minutes later.
Charlton introduced both Jay Bothroyd and Radostin Kishishev into the action as they sensed an opportunity to steal a memorable victory.
Indeed, five minutes from time Cudicini had to punch Bothroyd's stinging shot behind.
But the stalemate meant extra-time and then penalties.
Charlton scored all five through Bent, Bothroyd, Matt Holland, Hermann Hreidarsson and Hughes.
But Huth, second to go for the Blues, saw his spot-kick saved by Andersen to send Charlton through.
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Telegraph:
Charlton end Chelsea record By Henry Winter (Chelsea (1) 1 Charlton Athletic (1) 1 Aet: 90 min 1-1; Charlton win 5-4 on pens
Chelsea's grip on the Carling Cup was ended in dramatic fashion by a feisty Charlton Athletic side at Stamford Bridge. Put on the spot by Alan Curbishley's busy men, Chelsea failed to keep their nerve during the penalty shoot-out.
Despair: John Terry after losing in the shoot-out When Robert Huth missed, Bryan Hughes was the hero for Charlton with the decisive penalty.
The holders were held over two hours of interesting, if hardly compelling football, by a Charlton side brimming with pace, organisation and self-belief. Despite falling behind to a John Terry header, Charlton hit back through Darren Bent's ninth goal in 11 games.
Chelsea controlled large swathes of this third-round tie but the Premiership's second-best side refused to fade and matched the Premiership pace-setters all the way to the dead-ball denouement.
Before the familiar sights of a headed goal from Terry and Bent's slick finish, the Bridge had been treated to two rarities: Frank Lampard limbering up along the touchline, within touching distance of Wayne Bridge, who was making a welcome return to competitive action after eight months in the purgatory of physiotherapy.
Until Bent's dramatic interception just before the break, the force was mainly with Chelsea. The holders should really have been two goals clear by the interval, even without the playmaking talents of Lampard, who started on the bench alongside Joe Cole and Didier Drogba.
Arjen Robben was his usual mercurial self, creating chances out of nothing or disappearing down cul de sacs like a learner driver. Yet the Dutchman displayed his deftness in possession after 22 minutes, playing a neat reverse-pass down the inside-left channel for Bridge to chase. The full-back's cross was superb, perfectly weighted to clear Charlton's central defence and drop towards Hernan Crespo.
The Argentinian rose well and headed the ball back, from right to left, but fractionally wide of Andersen's post, the incident carrying echoes of Christian Vieri's hear-miss for Italy against England in Rome in 1997. Charlton's noisy following breathed a sigh of relief.
Alan Curbishley's side failed to learn from this escape. Chelsea had quickly spotted the visitors' vulnerability to balls flighted in from the flanks. Robert Huth eluded his marker at one corner to send a header skimming wide. Again Charlton ignored the warning. Five minutes from the turnaround, Chelsea broke through. Again Robben bent over a corner that caused chaos in the Charlton area.
Shoddy marking will have irritated such a perfectionist as Curbishley. The Charlton manager will have been frustrated that Terry in particular was not picked up. By the time Talal El Karkouri had seen the danger it was too late, the untroubled Terry powering in to head past Andersen from 10 yards.
Chelsea's jubiliations were short-lived. When Huth injected too little power in a back-header towards Carlo Cudicini, Bent was in like a flash, seizing on the ball as it rolled into the box and despatching a firm left-footer past the exposed Cudicini.
Stirred by Mourinho, Chelsea really went for Charlton, Terry sending a left-footed volley wide before Andersen spread himself athletically to save from Eidur Gudjohnsen. Lampard arrived on the hour, replacing Bridge.
As the minutes passed, so the temperature rose and the increasingly excellent Hermann Hreidarsson and Cudicini exchanged all manner of unpleasantries. Cudicini's fingers, rather than his mood, were stung four minutes from the end of normal time when Jay Bothroyd let fly.
Extra time brought the unedifying spectacle of Terry going in late on Andersen, bundling the keeper over the line after Drogba had threatened. Chelsea's captain was deservedly cautioned. His central-defensive accomplice, the hefty Huth, then twice smashed in shots which Charlton's defence did well to block as the game headed towards its climax.
Match details
Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cudicini; Ferreira, Huth, Terry, Bridge (Lampard, 60); Essien; Geremi, Gudjohnsen; Wright-Phillips (J Cole, 60), Robben; Crespo (Drogba, 82). Subs: Cech (g), Diarra. Booked: Essien, Geremi, Terry. Charlton Athletic (4-2-3-1): Andersen; Young, El Karkouri, Hreidarsson, Powell; Holland, Hughes; Rommedahl (Thomas, 64), Murphy (Kishishev, 81), Ambrose (Bothroyd, 73); Bent. Subs: Kiely (g), Spector. Goal: Bent (44). Booked: Hughes. Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).
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Times:
Chelsea suffer shoot-out bluesBy Matt Hughes Chelsea 1 Charlton Athletic 1(aet; 1-1 after 90min; Charlton win 5-4 on pens) AFTER he claimed victory following a draw at Everton there was trepidation in the air as José Mourinho walked out of Stamford Bridge as a loser for the first time last night, but the Chelsea manager took the penalty shoot-out defeat to Charlton Athletic with good grace. It cannot have been easy for Mourinho to lose his 36-match unbeaten home record in a game that Chelsea controlled, but despite claiming they were unlucky to lose there were no sour grapes, not the merest hint of a whine. If he was searching for scapegoats he should look no farther than Robert Huth, who gifted an equaliser to Darren Bent and missed the crucial penalty kick after a desperately poor performance, but Mourinho shunned the blame game. Instead he praised Charlton’s resolve as Alan Curbishley’s side followed on from where Everton had led the way, showing that with organisation, mental strength and a little dose of luck the champions are mortal after all. For the last 10 minutes of extra time in particular, the visiting team’s spirit was summoned from the trenches as, with Talal El Karkouri hamstrung, they held on valiantly with ten men.
“I went to give congratulations to Charlton as they won, but I believe we were the best team,” Mourinho said. “We had chances to win in the 90 minutes and during extra time. They were lucky but defended well and fought all the time.
“Out of the four competitions this is the least important but that’s not why we lost. The first goal was a mistake and the penalty was a mistake, but human beings make mistakes. I’m sad but not disappointed.”
Huth’s penalty miss, which was saved by Stephan Andersen, the goalkeeper, before Charlton went on to score five out of five with Bryan Hughes converting the crucial one, was not his only mistake on a horrendous evening, but Mourinho leapt to his defence. There were anguished looks among Chelsea fans when the towering defender stepped up to take the home side’s second penalty, but such a meticulous manager as Mourinho does not improvise. The 21-year-old had drilled eight out of eight in training on Tuesday but lost his nerve at the crucial moment.
“It was a mistake by Robert but with penalties anything can happen,” Mourinho said. “I have no complaints from my players. It’s not one of those days when you go into the dressing-room and want to kill half a dozen.
“We practised penalties and in the last few days have practised penalties a dozen times. In eight penalties Robert scored eight out of eight against three different goalkeepers. I’m sad to be out of the competition but have no complaints against my players or against myself. Robert is a good player and I trust him.”
Curbishley also had problems recruiting penalty takers after Dennis Rommedahl and Danny Murphy had been substituted, but those pressed into service did their manager proud.
“It was a struggle to get five players to take penalties as some of our takers had come off,” Curbishley said. “Two of them were coerced but we managed to do it. We’ve shown that Chelsea were human but they knew that anyway.”
The rest of the Barclays Premiership will also take heart at Chelsea’s first home reverse since a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in February 2001, although those expecting an imminent collapse in the league are likely to be disappointed. After John Terry had given Chelsea the lead with a 41st-minute header it looked like being service as usual but Charlton showed great courage to strike back immediately, Huth making a hash of a back-header to Carlo Cudicini to present Darren Bent with his ninth goal of the season.
Huth by name, hoof by nature.
Chelsea dominated much of the second half, with the introduction of Frank Lampard, a substitute, after an hour giving them extra impetus, but the visiting team hung on valiantly. Perhaps Charlton deserve to be second in the table after all.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): C Cudicini — P Ferreira, J Terry, R Huth, W Bridge (sub: F Lampard, 60min) — Gérémi, M Essien, E Gudjohnsen — S Wright-Phillips (sub: J Cole, 60), H Crespo (sub: D Drogba, 83), A Robben. Substitutes not used: P Cech, L Diarra. Booked: Essien, Gérémi, Terry, Drogba.
CHARLTON ATHLETIC (4-5-1): S Andersen — L Young, T El Karkouri, H Hreidarsson, C Powell — D Rommedahl (sub: J Thomas, 65), M Holland, D Murphy (sub: R Kishishev, 82), B Hughes, D Ambrose (sub: J Bothroyd, 72) — D Bent. Substitutes not used: D Kiely, J Spector. Booked: Hughes.
Referee: A Wiley.
Charlton crack Chelsea's fortress
Simon Burnton at Stamford BridgeThursday October 27, 2005The Guardian
Charlton added a glorious chapter to their frequently embarrassing history in this competition last night when they beat the champions and league leaders on penalties to secure their progress to the fourth round; one more win would constitute their greatest ever run in the League Cup in all its guises.If victory tasted unfamiliar to Charlton, defeat was no less unexpected for their hosts. Not since Arsenal won 2-1 here in February 2004, towards the end of Claudio Ranieri's spell in charge, has any team wearing anything but blue celebrated on the Stamford Bridge turf. Mourinho might not believe that Charlton won, but there was no denying the feeling of their players and fans as the cup holders tumbled out at the earliest possible opportunity.
Robert Huth was twice the villain, setting up Charlton's equaliser for Darren Bent and then missing Chelsea's second penalty. Unlike their opponents Charlton had not practised their shoot-out techniques but it did not stop them from scoring from each of their five spot-kicks, Bryan Hughes scoring emphatically to decide the game.In the last 10 years, Charlton have lost on nine occasions in this competition to teams below them in the league at the time. While Chelsea are above their Addicks - and everyone else - in the Premiership, it is not by much. Charlton are second and this result continued a stunning start to the season. But even with Chelsea using the occasion to rotate several members of their bulging squad few people - including perhaps the visitors themselves - truly believed an upset was likely.
The match started at great tempo and with equally impressive quality, the sides taking it in turns to rampage forward. An even opening came to an end after 10 minutes when Chelsea fashioned the first clear chance, Paulo Ferreira stinging the palms of Stephan Andersen with a 15-yard drive after Eidur Gudjohnsen found him in space.
Slowly, inevitably, Chelsea started to create some momentum. From Wayne Bridge's excellent deep cross Hernán Crespo headed back across goal but just wide, then the Argentinian was played through by Michael Essien. Perhaps the best chance came in the 37th minute when Arjen Robben's left-wing corner found Huth unmarked, but the German headed well wide of goal. It was a warning, and it was not heeded. Four minutes later another inswinging corner from the Dutchman found Chelsea's other centre-back, and John Terry headed home.
At the other end Bent was finding himself increasingly isolated against the Chelsea defence. Helpfully Huth created the equaliser for them, his hopelessly short back-header in first-half stoppage time presenting Bent with a simple finish that he took expertly.
The second half started much like the first, with a period of intense and equal sparring ending with Chelsea starting to impose their superiority. Five minutes after the break Terry threatened to restore their lead in unlikely style, with a first-time left-foot shot from 20 yards drifting narrowly wide.
Few would have expected the centre-back to score in those circumstances, but the same could not be said of Gudjohnsen when Robben played him in after 57 minutes. The Iceland international ran into the penalty area but shot too close to Andersen and the ball bounced to safety.
At the other end Bent continued to scurry about, more in hope than expectation. But when Huth is on the pitch there is always hope, and the German almost played his team into further trouble in the 69th minute. Another weak back-pass, this time with his right boot, encouraged Bent to hare goalwards but this time Carlo Cudicini got to the ball first.
With 15 minutes of normal time remaining Alan Curbishley brought on Jay Bothroyd, and with Bent finally enjoying some support Charlton became considerably more threatening. Extra time passed in a frenetic if unrefined blur, the home side no longer quite so dominant even if Didier Drogba did manage to miss an outstanding chance in the 100th minute. From Frank Lampard's right-wing free-kick the substitute headed tamely at Andersen from eight yards out.
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Independent:
Chelsea 1 Charlton Athletic 1Charlton win 5-4 on penalties Charlton find magic formula as shoot-out stuns holders Chelsea By Sam Wallace Published: 27 October 2005 It has taken English football 36 matches, 120 minutes and 10 penalty kicks but around 10.30pm last night Charlton Athletic proved what the rest feared might never be possible: that Jose Mourinho and his Chelsea team can be beaten at Stamford Bridge. The margin was nothing more than Bryan Hughes's final penalty, the competition only the Carling Cup, but it was a shot that will echo around a nation beaten into submission by the Premiership champions.
The fall guy of the piece was Robert Huth who gave away the ball for Darren Bent's equaliser and struck his penalty close enough to Stefan Andersen for the Charlton goalkeeper to palm away. When the pile of red shirts that had descended upon Hughes after his match-winning penalty had cleared, when Mourinho had led his team down the tunnel all that Chelsea had lost was their right to defend the trophy they won in February. The rest, however, have gained a measure of hope.
Mourinho altered his team to fit the importance of this competition but it was still a Chelsea side that, by its manager's admission, was good enough to beat Charlton Athletic. Like so few teams who fall a goal behind at Stamford Bridge, however, Alan Curbishley's side refused to give in - and their equaliser to John Terry's 41st-minute header invited an increasingly desperate Chelsea response. They may not have started with all their most celebrated names on the pitch, but Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Joe Cole were there by the end.
As Huth had a double shot blocked among the Charlton penalty area traffic with 22 minutes of extra time played, as Lampard's overhead kick sailed over. Curbishley said that he surveyed his penalty-taking options and realised that most of his best had been substituted. "Bent said he wanted the first and Bryan was confident enough to take the last," he said, "it was filling in the three in between that was difficult."
They were Jay Bothroyd, Matt Holland and Hermann Hreidarsson and none of Charlton's five let their manager down. It was when Huth stepped up to take the second of his side's five penalties that the great blue beast that is devouring the record books quivered for the first time and the German, whom Drogba described in the match programme as the club's best penalty-taker, had his shot saved.
History will record a draw but for a man as addicted to competition as Mourinho this will represent the end of a remarkable run at Stamford Bridge. Beyond that, this was his last domestic defeat since the loss to Newcastle United in the FA Cup in February and the exit from the Carling Cup is the only blemish on this season apart from the Champions' League draw with Liverpool and Sunday's Premiership stalemate at Goodison with Everton.
The Chelsea manager said that he had "no complaints" about the performance of his players and maintained that he had not been plunged into one of those moods where "you want to go into your dressing-room and kill half a dozen".
Mourinho could just about bring himself to congratulate Charlton on a famous victory but as he contemplated the siege his team had laid to their goal in the closing stages added that he thought the conquerors of Stamford Bridge "were lucky". Mourinho said: "They defended everything and fought hard and took the game to penalties. Once you reach penalties it comes down to the goalkeeper, a mistake by Robert and anything could happen. But I have no complaints about my players. We faced the game seriously. I played that team because I felt some of my players deserved to play and other deserved a rest.
"We prepared properly for this match, we took it seriously and we practised penalties this week. Each player took eight penalties and Robert scored all eight against three different goalkeepers."
After an 11th-minute shot from Paulo Ferreira had been beaten away by Dean Kiely in Charlton's goal and Hernan Crespo had looped a header just shy of the post from Arjen Robben's cross - it fell to Terry to open the scoring with four minutes left in the first half.
The rearrangement of the Chelsea captain's nose by Everton's James Beattie on Sunday did not prevent him from out-jumping Hughes and directing a header in for his first goal of the season.
As the fourth official raised the board to indicate a minute's injury time, Mourinho had already disappeared into the tunnel when Luke Young sent a harmless header over the Chelsea back four. Huth stooped to direct it back to Carlo Cudicini and barely grazed his forehead on the ball. Chasing behind him, Bent needed only one touch to direct his ninth goal of the season past the stranded Cudicini.
By the end, Mourinho had unleashed the full might of his substitutes' bench upon Charlton but Curbishley's side refused to buckle. Danny Murphy was outstanding in midfield, behind him Hreidarsson and Talal El Karkouri kept the champions out - after that, holding their nerve in the penalty shoot-out seemed like the easy part.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cudicini; Ferreira, Terry, Huth, Bridge (Lampard, 60); Essien; Wright-Phillips (Cole, 60), Geremi, Gudjohnsen, Robben; Crespo (Drogba, 83).
Substitutes not used: Cech (gk), Diarra.
Charlton (4-5-1): Andersen; Young, Hreidarsson, El Karkouri, Powell; Rommedahl (Thomas, 64), Holland, Murphy (Kishishev, 82), Ambrose (Bothroyd, 73), Hughes; Bent.
Substitutes not used: Kiely (gk), Spector.
Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).
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Sun:
Chelsea 1 Charlton 1 By SUN ONLINE REPORTER
(Charlton win 5-4 on penalties)
ROBERT HUTH'S double blunder sent Chelsea to their first defeat of the season.
The German defender gifted Charlton their equaliser, then made the only penalty shoot-out miss, as the hard-grafting visitors stole into the Carling Cup last 16.
John Terry headed home Arjen Robben's 41st minute corner as the Blues defied seven changes to their side by clicking quite smoothly.
But, when Huth cocked up a back-header to Italian keeper Carlo Cudicini just before the break, the dangerous Darren Bent nipped in for his ninth of the season.
Sunday's 1-1 draw at Everton had ended Chelsea's 100% Premiership start to the season.
And they appeared determined to make amends for the blip as Charlton goalkeeper Stephan Andersen was pressed into action as early as the 10th minute.
Right-back Paulo Ferreira, who has failed to start the last four games, let fly with a ferocious 20-yard shot that Andersen did well to punch away to safety.
England left-back Wayne Bridge, impressive in his first start since breaking an ankle against Newcastle in the FA Cup last February, appeared to show no ill-effects from his long lay-off.
The first quarter, predictably enough, was all Chelsea as Shaun Wright-Phillips and Michael Essien probed the Addicks' defence in search of an opening.
In the 22nd minute a sweeping move down the left-flank almost brought the home side an opening goal.
Robben, having a quiet game by his own standards, cleverly fed the overlapping Bridge.
And the full-back's perfect cross was headed narrowly wide by Hernan Crespo.
Essien, though, was booked for a foul on Bent as the England striker strode purposefully towards the edge of the area.
Three minutes later Charlton's Bryan Hughes found himself in Alan Wiley's notebook for pushing Eidur Gudjohnsen.
The visitors, nine points behind Chelsea at the top of the Barclays Premiership, finally tested Cudicini when Dennis Rommedahl hit a speculative effort into the Italian's hands from 25 yards.
But generally the Addicks, second in the Premiership, rarely troubled Terry and Huth in the home defence.
The unmarked Huth should have done better with a header from Robben's corner but the German directed the ball well wide of Andersen's left-hand upright.
Terry showed him how it should be done in the 41st minute when he nodded firmly in from eight yards to give Chelsea the lead in this third round tie.
But Huth made a dreadful error on the stroke of half-time to gift Charlton an equaliser.
The German tried to head the ball back to Cudicini but he did not apply enough power and Bent nipped in to fire past the stranded Italian.
Terry was only a foot away from scoring his second in the 50th minute when his left-foot volley just veered away from Andersen's right-hand post.
Two minutes later, as Chelsea's tempo increased once more, Wright-Phillips sent a low drive wide of the target as Charlton found it difficult to stem the blue tide.
Another delightful three-man move almost brought the success they craved in the 56th minute when Robben and Crespo shared passes before the Dutchman threaded the ball into the path of Gudjohnsen on the edge of the penalty area.
A goal appeared to be the only outcome but Andersen dived low to his left to save the Icelandic striker's shot and keep the scores level.
On the hour Frank Lampard and Joe Cole replaced Bridge and Wright-Phillips.
And it was the former who had the most impact with two typical long-range shots - one flying just over the crossbar in the 74th minute and the other into the arms of Andersen three minutes later.
Charlton introduced both Jay Bothroyd and Radostin Kishishev into the action as they sensed an opportunity to steal a memorable victory.
Indeed, five minutes from time Cudicini had to punch Bothroyd's stinging shot behind.
But the stalemate meant extra-time and then penalties.
Charlton scored all five through Bent, Bothroyd, Matt Holland, Hermann Hreidarsson and Hughes.
But Huth, second to go for the Blues, saw his spot-kick saved by Andersen to send Charlton through.
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Telegraph:
Charlton end Chelsea record By Henry Winter (Chelsea (1) 1 Charlton Athletic (1) 1 Aet: 90 min 1-1; Charlton win 5-4 on pens
Chelsea's grip on the Carling Cup was ended in dramatic fashion by a feisty Charlton Athletic side at Stamford Bridge. Put on the spot by Alan Curbishley's busy men, Chelsea failed to keep their nerve during the penalty shoot-out.
Despair: John Terry after losing in the shoot-out When Robert Huth missed, Bryan Hughes was the hero for Charlton with the decisive penalty.
The holders were held over two hours of interesting, if hardly compelling football, by a Charlton side brimming with pace, organisation and self-belief. Despite falling behind to a John Terry header, Charlton hit back through Darren Bent's ninth goal in 11 games.
Chelsea controlled large swathes of this third-round tie but the Premiership's second-best side refused to fade and matched the Premiership pace-setters all the way to the dead-ball denouement.
Before the familiar sights of a headed goal from Terry and Bent's slick finish, the Bridge had been treated to two rarities: Frank Lampard limbering up along the touchline, within touching distance of Wayne Bridge, who was making a welcome return to competitive action after eight months in the purgatory of physiotherapy.
Until Bent's dramatic interception just before the break, the force was mainly with Chelsea. The holders should really have been two goals clear by the interval, even without the playmaking talents of Lampard, who started on the bench alongside Joe Cole and Didier Drogba.
Arjen Robben was his usual mercurial self, creating chances out of nothing or disappearing down cul de sacs like a learner driver. Yet the Dutchman displayed his deftness in possession after 22 minutes, playing a neat reverse-pass down the inside-left channel for Bridge to chase. The full-back's cross was superb, perfectly weighted to clear Charlton's central defence and drop towards Hernan Crespo.
The Argentinian rose well and headed the ball back, from right to left, but fractionally wide of Andersen's post, the incident carrying echoes of Christian Vieri's hear-miss for Italy against England in Rome in 1997. Charlton's noisy following breathed a sigh of relief.
Alan Curbishley's side failed to learn from this escape. Chelsea had quickly spotted the visitors' vulnerability to balls flighted in from the flanks. Robert Huth eluded his marker at one corner to send a header skimming wide. Again Charlton ignored the warning. Five minutes from the turnaround, Chelsea broke through. Again Robben bent over a corner that caused chaos in the Charlton area.
Shoddy marking will have irritated such a perfectionist as Curbishley. The Charlton manager will have been frustrated that Terry in particular was not picked up. By the time Talal El Karkouri had seen the danger it was too late, the untroubled Terry powering in to head past Andersen from 10 yards.
Chelsea's jubiliations were short-lived. When Huth injected too little power in a back-header towards Carlo Cudicini, Bent was in like a flash, seizing on the ball as it rolled into the box and despatching a firm left-footer past the exposed Cudicini.
Stirred by Mourinho, Chelsea really went for Charlton, Terry sending a left-footed volley wide before Andersen spread himself athletically to save from Eidur Gudjohnsen. Lampard arrived on the hour, replacing Bridge.
As the minutes passed, so the temperature rose and the increasingly excellent Hermann Hreidarsson and Cudicini exchanged all manner of unpleasantries. Cudicini's fingers, rather than his mood, were stung four minutes from the end of normal time when Jay Bothroyd let fly.
Extra time brought the unedifying spectacle of Terry going in late on Andersen, bundling the keeper over the line after Drogba had threatened. Chelsea's captain was deservedly cautioned. His central-defensive accomplice, the hefty Huth, then twice smashed in shots which Charlton's defence did well to block as the game headed towards its climax.
Match details
Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cudicini; Ferreira, Huth, Terry, Bridge (Lampard, 60); Essien; Geremi, Gudjohnsen; Wright-Phillips (J Cole, 60), Robben; Crespo (Drogba, 82). Subs: Cech (g), Diarra. Booked: Essien, Geremi, Terry. Charlton Athletic (4-2-3-1): Andersen; Young, El Karkouri, Hreidarsson, Powell; Holland, Hughes; Rommedahl (Thomas, 64), Murphy (Kishishev, 81), Ambrose (Bothroyd, 73); Bent. Subs: Kiely (g), Spector. Goal: Bent (44). Booked: Hughes. Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire).
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Times:
Chelsea suffer shoot-out bluesBy Matt Hughes Chelsea 1 Charlton Athletic 1(aet; 1-1 after 90min; Charlton win 5-4 on pens) AFTER he claimed victory following a draw at Everton there was trepidation in the air as José Mourinho walked out of Stamford Bridge as a loser for the first time last night, but the Chelsea manager took the penalty shoot-out defeat to Charlton Athletic with good grace. It cannot have been easy for Mourinho to lose his 36-match unbeaten home record in a game that Chelsea controlled, but despite claiming they were unlucky to lose there were no sour grapes, not the merest hint of a whine. If he was searching for scapegoats he should look no farther than Robert Huth, who gifted an equaliser to Darren Bent and missed the crucial penalty kick after a desperately poor performance, but Mourinho shunned the blame game. Instead he praised Charlton’s resolve as Alan Curbishley’s side followed on from where Everton had led the way, showing that with organisation, mental strength and a little dose of luck the champions are mortal after all. For the last 10 minutes of extra time in particular, the visiting team’s spirit was summoned from the trenches as, with Talal El Karkouri hamstrung, they held on valiantly with ten men.
“I went to give congratulations to Charlton as they won, but I believe we were the best team,” Mourinho said. “We had chances to win in the 90 minutes and during extra time. They were lucky but defended well and fought all the time.
“Out of the four competitions this is the least important but that’s not why we lost. The first goal was a mistake and the penalty was a mistake, but human beings make mistakes. I’m sad but not disappointed.”
Huth’s penalty miss, which was saved by Stephan Andersen, the goalkeeper, before Charlton went on to score five out of five with Bryan Hughes converting the crucial one, was not his only mistake on a horrendous evening, but Mourinho leapt to his defence. There were anguished looks among Chelsea fans when the towering defender stepped up to take the home side’s second penalty, but such a meticulous manager as Mourinho does not improvise. The 21-year-old had drilled eight out of eight in training on Tuesday but lost his nerve at the crucial moment.
“It was a mistake by Robert but with penalties anything can happen,” Mourinho said. “I have no complaints from my players. It’s not one of those days when you go into the dressing-room and want to kill half a dozen.
“We practised penalties and in the last few days have practised penalties a dozen times. In eight penalties Robert scored eight out of eight against three different goalkeepers. I’m sad to be out of the competition but have no complaints against my players or against myself. Robert is a good player and I trust him.”
Curbishley also had problems recruiting penalty takers after Dennis Rommedahl and Danny Murphy had been substituted, but those pressed into service did their manager proud.
“It was a struggle to get five players to take penalties as some of our takers had come off,” Curbishley said. “Two of them were coerced but we managed to do it. We’ve shown that Chelsea were human but they knew that anyway.”
The rest of the Barclays Premiership will also take heart at Chelsea’s first home reverse since a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in February 2001, although those expecting an imminent collapse in the league are likely to be disappointed. After John Terry had given Chelsea the lead with a 41st-minute header it looked like being service as usual but Charlton showed great courage to strike back immediately, Huth making a hash of a back-header to Carlo Cudicini to present Darren Bent with his ninth goal of the season.
Huth by name, hoof by nature.
Chelsea dominated much of the second half, with the introduction of Frank Lampard, a substitute, after an hour giving them extra impetus, but the visiting team hung on valiantly. Perhaps Charlton deserve to be second in the table after all.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): C Cudicini — P Ferreira, J Terry, R Huth, W Bridge (sub: F Lampard, 60min) — Gérémi, M Essien, E Gudjohnsen — S Wright-Phillips (sub: J Cole, 60), H Crespo (sub: D Drogba, 83), A Robben. Substitutes not used: P Cech, L Diarra. Booked: Essien, Gérémi, Terry, Drogba.
CHARLTON ATHLETIC (4-5-1): S Andersen — L Young, T El Karkouri, H Hreidarsson, C Powell — D Rommedahl (sub: J Thomas, 65), M Holland, D Murphy (sub: R Kishishev, 82), B Hughes, D Ambrose (sub: J Bothroyd, 72) — D Bent. Substitutes not used: D Kiely, J Spector. Booked: Hughes.
Referee: A Wiley.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
morning papers everton away
Guardian: Chelsea falter at last as Moyes shows muscle Richard Williams at Goodison Park Monday October 24, 2005 The Guardian In the old prizefighting adage you box a slugger and you slug a boxer. Recognising that Jose Mourinho's Chelsea are acknowledged masters of their noble art, David Moyes sent out Everton with instructions to ruffle the visitors' composure. His reward was a point, only his side's fourth of the season, after a furiously physical game from which Mourinho's side will count themselves lucky to have escaped with no more damage than the ending of their run of nine successive victories since the start of the season The contest between two intelligent young managers, situated at opposite ends of the Premiership, made for a compelling spectacle. Everton's muscularity set the tone of the first half, in which James Beattie's 36th-minute penalty gave them the lead. Chelsea's more cerebral approach dominated after the interval, with Frank Lampard's 25-yard drive providing the equaliser in the 50th minute. Mourinho felt his side merited a victory. "Maybe I look a bit stupid," he said, "but I go home thinking that we won three points. We scored two good goals. Normally when you conceded one goal and score two, you win." He was referring to Didier Drogba's emphatic strike after 62 minutes, disallowed by the linesman, who had spotted Eidur Gudjohnsen several yards offside inside the penalty area, clearly within the eyeline of Everton's goalkeeper. Mourinho may have been the only spectator in the ground who did not immediately assume that Gudjohnsen was interfering with play. "Even if the linesman has a doubt," he said, "he has to give the advantage to the attacking team. They also have instructions to wait until the last moment before putting up the flag. His went up like a rocket." Moyes endorsed the referee's decision and felt his own team could have been awarded a second penalty with eight minutes left, when Marcus Bent's right-wing cross rebounded from John Terry's superstructure. Whereas the referee, Mark Clattenburg, adjudged the ball to have hit the Chelsea captain's chest, Moyes thought it had struck Terry's arm. But this was, in any case, a good day for Moyes, generally regarded as the Premiership's brightest young manager until Mourinho's arrival a year ago. Modelling his approach on the cold-eyed passion of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Scot seemed destined for great things until Everton's disastrous start to this season took the bloom off his reputation. This resilient display was the reward for a positive approach, if not a particularly progressive one. Moyes had noted Chelsea's weakness against the high ball in the opening quarter of their Champions League match against Real Betis on Wednesday. For the visit of the league leaders he made four changes, notably bringing Beattie and Duncan Ferguson in to replace Bent and James McFadden up front. The return of Ferguson in particular provided a clear signal of Everton's intentions. Anticipating his opposite number's thoughts, Mourinho took advantage of a training-ground injury to Ricardo Carvalho to bring Robert Huth, the young German giant, into the centre of his defence. If any doubts existed about the nature of the contest, they were answered in a five-minute period midway through the opening half. First Terry took a bang on the nose from the back of Beattie's head. Then Shaun Wright-Phillips needed treatment for a clash of heads with Nuno Valente. Finally Beattie jumped into a challenge with Claude Makelele and caught the Frenchman on the back of the head with the sole of his boot. Although Chelsea were putting together a selection of silky moves in the pauses between the outbreaks of trench warfare, Everton seemed to be holding the initiative. After 35 minutes Wright-Phillips paid a high price for his lack of physical presence when he lost possession to Tim Cahill inside his own half and chased the Everton man back towards goal, ignoring the covering presence of Huth and comprehensively mistiming his tackle inside the area. This was the first time in two years that a penalty had been awarded in a league match at Goodison and Beattie, with only one league goal since his transfer in January, had no hesitation in marching to the spot. An apparently nerveless strike went in off the underside of the bar. Mourinho made no tactical changes at the interval but Chelsea came out in a more alert and aggressive frame of mind. The equaliser, nevertheless, came without warning. Asier Del Horno's throw-in from the left, of questionable legitimacy, looked to be directed towards Makelele but the proximity of Clattenburg seemed to confuse the issue and the ball ran to Lampard, who let it roll before unleashing a drive that dipped and swerved beyond Nigel Martyn's left hand. It was his 25th goal of the calendar year, for club and country, and on another day he might have had two or three more. "I thought Frank Lampard was stunning," Moyes said with the generosity of a man seeing dark clouds disperse. "Every time he picked up the ball I thought he was going to be a threat. But Chelsea have got so many good players that you can't plug all the gaps. They're the best team in Europe and I have to give my players a lot of credit for making a game of it today. If we can maintain that level of performance, hopefully we'll be back." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Independent: Mourinho rages at referee as Chelsea juggernaut is halted Everton 1 Chelsea 1 By Sam Wallace Published: 24 October 2005 They have not yet been stopped but after nine games of Premiership domination, of crushing victories and swashbuckling comebacks, the daunting progress of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea juggernaut has at last been slowed. Their nine-game run of victories this season came to an end at Goodison Park yesterday but it was not declared over without an outspoken protest from Mourinho over a winning goal denied to Didier Drogba. The Chelsea manager had watched his side recover from a one-goal deficit dealt them by James Beattie's 36th-minute penalty and, after a second-half equaliser from Frank Lampard, saw a goal by his Ivory Coast striker just after the hour ruled out by referee Mark Clattenberg for offside. It provoked outrage from Mourinho, who even suggested the official should take the example of referee Rob Styles, who apologised to Chelsea for not awarding a penalty against Aston Villa last season. The move in question had been orchestrated by Lampard, who nudged a ball through the Everton line from outside the penalty area. Waiting was Drogba, who struck his shot out of the reach of Nigel Martyn. While television replays revealed the striker to be on-side his team-mate Eidur Gudjohnsen clearly was not, although whether his presence was judged to be interfering with the passage of play was left to Clattenberg's interpretation. "I am going home thinking we won three points," Mourinho said. "We scored two great goals, one was a fantastic shot, the other was a magnificent move through the middle. The second was a clear goal - if the linesman has doubts he has to give the advantage to the attacking team. There were no doubts for me - at the time and on the pitch it was a big mistake." He may hope for an apology, but Mourinho will not be able to rescue a start to the season of nine wins and a draw, which means that the record set by Bill Nicholson's Tottenham in 1961 of 11 straight victories halted there after 34 matches, Liverpool's 1987-88 run of 29 games went the same way and three years ago Wayne Rooney's goal ended an Arsenal run of 30 games. It will be little consolation for Mourinho who, unusually for the Chelsea manager, saw his team more than a little bullied by the side at the bottom of the Premiership for much of the first half. Duncan Ferguson and the impressive James Beattie proved difficult for Mourinho's defence to marshal and, although John Terry and Robert Huth matched those two strikers challenge by challenge, there was a fresh uncertainty to Chelsea's distribution. They were not permitted to build their attacks in the normal methodical fashion, there was pressure applied to Claude Makelele and the usual tempo of Chelsea's advance was disrupted. Shaun Wright-Phillips and Asier del Horno were presented with meaningful chances by Frank Lampard but failed to take them and the penalty that Chelsea conceded before the interval saw them in an uncharacteristic state of confusion. It was Wright-Phillips, caught in possession by Tim Cahill, who chased back without discipline and clipped the Australian midfielder's legs just as he crossed into the penalty area. Until then, Everton had not threatened Petr Cech's goal other than a David Weir header that the goalkeeper punched clear. With the memory of his disastrous sending-off after just eight minutes into this fixture last season, Beattie placed a confident penalty-kick high into the net For at least 30 minutes yesterday the Everton striker will have contemplated what his penalty would have meant for the Premiership had Everton been able to defend their lead and they reached the interval with it still intact. Half-time, however, has of late been the point at which Mourinho has transformed his side and, although this time there were no substitutions, it was a very different Chelsea side that emerged from the tunnel to take control of the match. Perhaps Cahill's injury, picked up in a clash with his own team-mate Tony Hibbert, was the key to the shift in power in the midfield but there could be no denying the enormous influence that Lampard wielded in the second half. This match had quickly become his show and in the fifth minute of the second half he allowed a throw-in from the left to run across his body before striking his ninth club goal of the season inside Nigel Martyn's left post. It became a simple matter of keeping Chelsea out in the closing stages as Mourinho switched to a 4-4-2 formation with Hernan Crespo and the influential Gudjohnsen up front and sent on Arjen Robben to test out the right side of Everton's defence. When Mourinho had finished protesting against Drogba's disallowed goal in the 63rd minute, he paid tribute to his side, who had "dominated the second half and had not stopped running until the last second." Moyes could not celebrate any change in his side's status as the Premiership's bottom team but in response to Mourinho's protests over Drogba's disallowed goal did offer one of his own. Substitute Marcus Bent's late shot appeared to strike John Terry on the arm, although all appeals were waved away. Goodison Park roared in disapproval but after the start to the season they have endured they treated this draw like a victory. Goals: Beattie (pen, 37) 1-0; Lampard (50) 1-1. Everton (4-4-2): Martyn; Hibbert, Yobo, Weir, Valente (Ferrari, 45); Kilbane, Cahill (Davies, 70), Neville, Arteta; Ferguson (Bent, 7, Beattie. Substitutes not used: Wright (gk), McFadden. Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Gallas, Huth, Terry, Del Horno; Makelele; Wright-Phillips (Gudjohnsen, 5, Lampard, Essien, Cole (Robben, 66); Drogba (Crespo 71). Substitutes not used: Ferreira, Cudicini (gk). Booked: Everton: Arteta, Ferrari. Chelsea: Drogba, Huth. Referee: M Clattenberg (Tyne and Wear). Man of the match: Beattie. Attendance: 36,042. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sun: Everton 1 Chelsea 1 CHELSEA dropped their first points of the season as Everton began their survival push. Blues boss Jose Mourinho had warned that the Toffees would be no pushover at Goodison Park, claiming David Moyes' men will finish in mid-table. And he was proved right as the Premiership's bottom side threatened a massive shock. James Beattie sent the Goodison crowd wild with a first-half penalty after Tim Cahill was brought down by Shaun Wright-Phillips. But that sparked the inevitable Chelsea onslaught which saw them secure a point thanks to yet another Frank Lampard howitzer. The reigning champions went all out for the win but were frustrated time and again by Everton's dogged resistance. Everton make a habit of breaking runs. In 1969 they ended Leeds’ 34-match record, in 1988 Liverpool’s 29-game spell was ruined and in 2002 Arsenal’s 30-match effort was ended. Now Chelsea’s nine-match winning streak has gone the same way. And had John Terry been penalised for handball late in the game when he charged down a Marcus Bent drive, Evertonians could have been celebrating a hugely unlikely victory. Mourinho came prepared for an Goodison Park aerial bombardment, with big defender Robert Huth in for his first start of the season alongside skipper Terry. Everton had record signing Beattie in their side for the first time since the opening day of the season, the £6million man having shaken off toe and leg muscle injuries. The hosts also welcomed back Tony Hibbert to defence and Mikel Arteta in midfield after injuries, with Simon Davies, James McFadden, Bent and Matteo Ferrari all dropped to the bench. A blistering start to the game saw Everton go close when Arteta’s corner found David Weir unmarked 10 yards out and his header was palmed away by Petr Cech. Arteta and Hibbert then both fired in dangerous crosses which just failed to get a decisive touch. Wright-Phillips and Lampard both saw efforts flash wide, but Everton were still trying to go forward and when Cahill got past the former Manchester City star down the left, the tackle that followed from the little winger had the stadium in uproar. Wright-Phillips did not need to lunge in, there was plenty of cover around him, but his tackle caught Cahill inches inside the box and referee Mark Clattenburg pointed straight at the spot. Beattie rifled the spot-kick in off the underside of the bar - only the fourth goal Chelsea have conceded in the league this season. Everton lost Nuno Valente just before the break with an ankle knock while Cahill was also forced off with an injury. The home fans knew precisely what Chelsea are capable of after their destruction of Bolton last week when they were behind at the break. And they were right to be wary because five minutes into the second half Lampard lashed in a 25-yard shot for the equaliser, the ball dipping past Martyn’s left hand. Drogba found the net moments later but it was ruled out as Eidur Gudjohnsen was offside. Arjen Robben and Hernan Crespo were thrown on as the Stamford Bridge side went for the throat. Simon Davies launched a 25-yard effort that Cech dropped. While Marcus Bent was denied a penalty when Terry threw himself at a shot in the box which referee Clattenburg adjudged to have hit the England man’s chest. TV replays clearly showed it was the top of Terry's arm. Martyn then saved from Lampard and Michael Essien as Chelsea's march towards the title was temporarily halted. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Telegraph: Everton defy the might of Chelsea to kickstart season By Henry Winter Everton (1) 1 Chelsea (0) 1 The billionaire's club were embarrassed by the fired-up blue-collar workers of the people's club as a welcome bout of democracy broke out in the Premiership yesterday. In front of a jubilant Goodison Park audience, the winning spree of Roman Abramovich's Chelsea foundered on the industry of Everton and particularly James Beattie, who gave a performance rich in running, tackling, competing and scoring. Hailed by Jose Mourinho as "a team of fighters", Everton were terrific here, as strong and up-tempo as they had been anaemic so far this term. Only the brilliance of Frank Lampard, who ran Beattie close as man of this entertaining match, could deny Everton, his equaliser another long-range classic. His sixth goal in October for club and country, Lampard's strike was his 25th of a prolific 2005. "Lampard was stunning at times," said Everton manager David Moyes, "not just with the goal, but with all his work." His watching father, Frank senior, who travels all over, certainly gets value for his petrol money. But it will be the bottom club smiling most. In preventing Chelsea moving closer to Tottenham Hotspur's record 11-game winning start to a season (1960-61), Everton were not reliant solely on Beattie. Duncan Ferguson was a towering presence in attack, conducting an aerial engagement with Robert Huth that could have been overseen by air-traffic control at John Lennon International. Mikel Arteta and Tim Cahill brought guile to midfield where Phil Neville was his usual busy and spiky self. Behind him, Joseph Yobo was outstanding at centre-half. But it was Beattie who earned most of the praise, not simply for a cool penalty but for tracking back to close Asier del Horno down in the dying, nervy seconds. "This is a massive point," said Beattie. "We are bottom of the league, but we showed what we are made of. The manager says the season starts here, hopefully we can climb the table, which we should do with the talent in the dressing-room." Moyes was understandably delighted. "He showed everyone what we hoped James Beattie would be," said Moyes. "With a work-rate like that, he will never be questioned. We had to work hard against the best team in Europe. That will give us a lot of confidence. The players have raised the bar. There is now a standard that they have to play to week in, week out." Everton's captain, David Weir, must have shouted heads when the toss was made. Running on adrenalin, raining high balls on to Chelsea's defence, Everton really rattled the champions, particularly in a first half that had Goodison on its feet in appreciation of the sweat-soaked effort of Moyes' men. Lampard and Shaun Wright-Phillips went close but, with the clock showing eight minutes from the break, Everton went for the jugular. Wright-Phillips endured a hapless and hugely expensive minute, first losing possession to Tim Cahill and then bringing him down as the Australian nipped into the box. Gwladys Street screamed for a penalty. Here was Beattie's redemption moment, a chance to banish all the criticism and months of frustration as he toiled in the gym after injury. "I didn't feel any pressure on the penalty," said Beattie. "Their players were trying to say things to me but I just went off and got ready." He turned, ran in and drilled the ball high into the net. Champions by name, champions by nature, Chelsea refused to be cowed, and hit back after the customary inspirational half-time talk from Mourinho. Within five minutes they were level. If the goal's origin was strange, the finish was sensational. Del Horno's throw-in technique has aroused questions over its legitimacy before, partly because he lowers his head and delivers a fast and flat throw. The ball raced through to Lampard, who sent it flying through the air past Nigel Martyn from 30 yards. The very model of the modern all-round midfielder, Lampard junior then almost created the winner, when his through ball was turned in brilliantly by Didier Drogba. The linesman, Chris Sarginson, signalled an offside against Eidur Gudjohnsen, a seemingly correct decision that angered Mourinho. "Officials are told to wait but his flag was up immediately, like a rocket," said the Portuguese. "Nobody was offside. It was a clear goal. The referee won't be happy when he sees that big mistake. We leave here with a bad taste in our mouths." Moyes' evidence could be deemed tainted by partiality but he did have reason on his side. "Gudjohnsen is in a position where he would affect play," said the Everton manager. "He's right in the middle of goal. That constitutes being in an offside position. Anyway I thought we could have had a penalty when John Terry leaned into the ball." There appeared contact, but the linesman deemed it more chest than arm by Terry. Mourinho ignored this appeal but still brought up mention of Arsenal's spot-kick shenanigans from the previous day. "Arsenal have so many penalties through the season, they have to do tricks," said Mourinho, whose prediction that Chelsea should have retained title by Christmas does not appear complete fantasy. Maybe Boxing Day. And Everton will still be fighting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Times: Chelsea come up short of perfection By Oliver Kay Everton 1 Chelsea 1 GROWN MEN EMBRACED in the Gwladys Street End, unable to contain their delight at the rebirth of a proud club fallen on hard times, while the white-shirted figures on the pitch exchanged doleful looks. It was only as the dust settled and the euphoria died down that the realisation sunk in that nothing, or at least very little, had changed. Everton were still bottom of the Barclays Premiership and Chelsea still nine points clear at the top. Such an assessment is harsh on Everton, who could claim to have won back a little self-belief as well as a valuable point yesterday, but a little perspective is needed when it comes to analysing Chelsea’s first dropped points of the season. If it could be described as a stumble or a slip-up, it seemed no more consequential than the type that might be inflicted by a loose paving stone on the high street. What is important is that, after falling behind to James Beattie’ s 37th-minute penalty, José Mourinho’s team recovered, regained their composure and proceeded to strut their stuff as impressively as ever. In desperation, the rest of the Premiership might seize upon this as evidence that Chelsea are beatable, but, if that were the case, would they not have been beaten? This had all the ingredients for an upset — and Sir Alex Ferguson was heard whispering on Friday that this might finally be the weekend when they slipped up — but Chelsea, through their quality, discipline and sheer bloody-mindedness, did not allow it to happen. They equalised through Frank Lampard five minutes into the second half and would have claimed a tenth consecutive league win had the linesman not ruled a seemingly legitimate goal by Didier Drogba offside. “It’s normal to drop points,” Mourinho said once he had dropped his faintly amusing claim that his team, by virtue of Drogba’s “goal”, had won the game 2-1. “We should have dropped points in the first game against Wigan. Dropping points is part of the game. Only this weekend Manchester United drop points at home, Liverpool drop three points away from home and Arsenal, well, they didn’t drop points, but . . . ,” he said, drifting off as if to suggest that he no longer takes the 2004 champions seriously. Goodison Park has been a graveyard for lengthy unbeaten runs down the years. It was here, in front one of the country’s most passionate crowds, that some of the greatest teams in English football history were brought to their knees, however temporarily — the all-conquering Leeds United side of 1968-69, the wonderful Liverpool team of 1987-88 and most recently an Arsenal team who had looked imperious as they started their defence of the title in 2002 — but Chelsea had no intention of adding their name to the list of scalps. Only once did Chelsea lose concentration against awkward and highly motivated opponents, but that was once too often for Mourinho’s liking. Shaun Wright-Phillips dithered and was beaten to a loose ball by Nuno Valente and, although the winger briefly regained possession, he only compounded his initial error as he lost the ball and hacked down Tim Cahill just inside the penalty area. Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spot and Beattie did the rest, crashing the ball in off the crossbar with rare confidence for a player who had scored just one Premiership goal in nine months since joining the club. It was only Everton’s second goal of the Premiership campaign and their first in 628 minutes of football. The relief that it brought around Goodison Park was almost palpable, perhaps not least on the touchline. Taking players on outward-bound courses often seems to be the last refuge of a desperate manager, but David Moyes had evidence here that his team-bonding break in the Lake District was working. Portrayed in one newspaper on Saturday as being up a particularly notorious creek without a paddle, Everton seemed reinvigorated, their sheer vigour unsettling their well-heeled opponents. There were signs that using two target men, Beattie and Duncan Ferguson, unsettled the visiting defence, but, with Chelsea, these things tend to be relative. Mourinho, always one step ahead, used Robert Huth at centre half and the German, matching Ferguson inch for inch, perhaps just about shaded the aerial contest. “There was a problem with (Ricardo) Carvalho and I knew this was the kind of game it would be,” the Chelsea manager said. “It was better to play Huth against Ferguson and Beattie.” Other individuals contests all over the pitch were just as keenly fought. Phil Neville and Cahill enjoyed their tussle with Michael Essien and Lampard in the heart of the action, while Mikel Arteta and Asier Del Horno, two proud sons of Spain’s Basque Country, exchanged tackles and blows on the fringes. The only area where there was a visible lack of fight was in Chelsea’s front-line, where Wright-Phillips was disappointing and Joe Cole frustrated while Drogba, however well-marshalled by Joseph Yobo and David Weir, at times seemed to lack the heart for the battle. Drogba, in fact, was starting to look like a liability early in the second half, picking up a yellow card for crashing into Tony Hibbert and Arteta in quick succession, when Chelsea forced their way back into the game. Claude Makelele was obstructed by the referee as he went to control Del Horno’s throw-in, but the ball ran loose to Lampard, who took aim in familiar fashion from 25 yards and sent a fierce shot swerving past Nigel Martyn into the bottom corner, his ninth goal from midfield in a season that is barely two months old. Not bad for a player who, to quote Sven-Göran Eriksson, is a slow starter. By that stage, Everton, inevitably, had begun to tire. They had a reasonable penalty appeal in the closing stages when a Marcus Bent shot struck John Terry’s upper arm, but that was an isolated attack, with Chelsea, driven forward by Lampard and given fresh impetus by the perceptive forward play of Eidur Gudjohnsen, the only team who were threatening to win the game. In the end, Everton hung on — and deservedly so, in view of their endeavour — but they will need much more of the same if they are to fight their way out of trouble. As for Chelsea, normal service is likely to be resumed at home to Blackburn Rovers next Saturday. Human after all? Well, yes, but for the rest of the Premiership, not nearly human enough.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
morning papers betis home
The Guardian : Rampant Chelsea in full command Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge Thursday October 20, 2005 There are many ways of approaching a match at Stamford Bridge but all of them lead to defeat. Those who counsel a daredevil attitude towards clashes with Chelsea should keep such advice to themselves for a while. Real Betis tried it and were ultimately destroyed as Jose Mourinho's team gave a perfectly paced display to go top of Group G. Rivals dare not let their minds dwell on the horrible thought that Chelsea had merely been ticking over during the flawless start to the Premiership and a measured opening in European competition. The meter is now rattling to keep pace with the scoring and there have been 13 goals in Chelsea's last three fixtures. This game did have its peculiarities, with Betis's ambition squelched by a horrible mistake from their goalkeeper Antonio Doblas on the edge of the interval to put them 2-0 down, but the coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer was not brazen enough to curse his luck. He had witnessed the might, in particular, of a midfield whose impact will make bodies shudder and minds waver. The tackling from Michael Essien in particular was excruciatingly comprehensive and he would switch from aggression to finesse in an instant once the ball was in his custody. Didier Drogba continues to be more erratic but his overall contribution is profound and he will be uncontainable if the service to him stays at this level. With the 4-0 lead men such as Drogba had helped to construct, Chelsea were relaxed enough to give the youngster Lassana Diarra his debut as a substitute. Even beforehand, though, Mourinho had been confident enough to act on a whim. Carlo Cudicini between the posts? Surely the impeccable manager had not got this match confused with a League Cup-tie. Mourinho does like to give the Italian the occasional outing in place of Petr Cech and, this time, Cudicini could be sure of Mourinho's absolute faith in him. This, despite the outcome, could never have been a night to dawdle in his goalmouth. Betis have a vigorous impulse to attack. In the fourth minute a Joaquín free-kick flew wide after a deflection off Frank Lampard and, from the corner, Claude Makelele needed to kick away Juanito's header at the far post as a vexed Mourinho noted a weakness at set pieces. Betis flowed in open play as well, with a slick touch from the Brazilian forward Ricardo Oliveira enough to strand Ricardo Carvalho in the 17th minute so he could drill a drive that Cudicini held. Chelsea, admittedly with more concern than usual, had none the less protected themselves. They had even kept calm enough to spot opportunities of their own. Shaun Wright-Phillips had taken a pass from Joe Cole in the second minute to move away from Oscar López and rip a drive wide from the wing. Cole, again from the right, would strike a low shot that, like a premonition of goalkeeping frailty to come, cannoned back off Doblas. Having coped with the Betis flurry, Chelsea scored economically after Fernando Varela had fecklessly lost possession. Essien was predatory, striding on and releasing Drogba to slip home a finish. The Ivorian was to be stopped only by the David Rivas foul that ended his night. Three minutes before half-time, Betis's plight became irrecoverable. Lampard meant to test the goalkeeper with his inswinging free-kick from the left but must have been astounded by the way Doblas flunked the exam, dropping the ball so that Carvalho, virtually standing on the line, could be certain of only the second goal of his Chelsea career. Team-mates commiserated with the goalkeeper, surely realising they were sharing the sorrow of an inevitable defeat. After 59 minutes, Chelsea were under-standably and attractively relaxed as they scored a third. Makelele seized the ball and passed through the middle for Drogba's replacement Hernán Crespo. He laid it off to Essien, who set up Cole to plant a painstaking finish into the net. Five minutes later, Lampard switched play to the right and Wright-Phillips, crossing a bouncing ball perfectly on the run, invited Crespo to finish with a strong header. Chelsea's performance had progressed from durable to irresistible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Independent: Chelsea 4 Real Betis 0 Chelsea warn Europe as Crespo crowns night of creative artistry By Sam Wallace Published: 20 October 2005 The scale of Real Betis's destruction could hardly have been grander, their dismissal more brutal, and yet for Jose Mourinho it appears that this kind of display is simply to be expected. Hernan Crespo's fourth goal last night brought an ecstatic Stamford Bridge to its feet once again to salute their team - down on the touchline, the Chelsea manager scarcely bothered to look up from his notes. Mourinho could be excused for saying that he had seen it all before, and with 13 goals in Chelsea's last three matches there was a distinctive sense of déjà vu about another performance of astonishing control and conviction by the Premiership champions. Driven on by the peerless Michael Essien in midfield, they had secured the victory by half-time and are now joint top of Group G with Liverpool on seven points. The fate awaiting the bottom side in the Premiership, Everton, at Goodison Park on Sunday hardly bears contemplation. Mourinho was asked whether there was a flaw in this performance, but his protestation that his side had appeared uncertain around set pieces in the early stages was the only criticism he could raise. Chelsea took the lead through Didier Drogba on 24 minutes and from that point their Spanish opposition simply crumbled under the onslaught of a side that never hesitates when presented with a wounded opponent. The debate about Chelsea's utilitarian approach to winning football matches, the lack of colour in their early season victories, now feels just about as redundant as the Betis defence looked last night. After the 4-1 defeat of Liverpool, the 5-1 crushing of Bolton Wanderers and this victory, Mourinho said that he could not guarantee that there would not be another period when his side did not score many goals. "But I think everyone knows now that we want to score goals," he added. "Sometimes it is not possible. We don't need to send a message to anyone, we just want to achieve our targets." Last night it looked remarkably easy. Essien was a formidable contender in the centre of midfield, alongside him Joe Cole delivered a performance of the highest quality and in goal Mourinho even gave a rare game to Carlo Cudicini. It was a source of some discussion before the match that Cudicini's father Fabio had decided against a trip to London to watch his son in favour of attending Milan against PSV Eindhoven. Cudicini Snr was right - apart from the early stages his son was barely troubled. Betis picked up where Bolton had left off on Saturday, trying - albeit unsuccessfully - to break their hosts down from a series of set pieces and corners. Claude Makelele cleared off the line while Ricardo Oliveira lunged a moment too late at a cross from the left from Joaquin. A delicate pass to Edu on 20 minutes eluded three Chelsea defenders but he could not twist in time to connect for a shot. At that point, Drogba's touch had looked at its unpredictable worst: his connection with Shaun Wright-Phillips' 18th-minute cross was so poor that the ball looped away from goal. The striker's second opportunity, however, was taken with some enthusiasm. A loose ball in the Betis midfield turned up at the feet of Essien and after two strides he released a ball through the back four that Drogba stroked past the Betis goalkeeper Antonio Doblas for Chelsea's first. To concede one goal at Stamford Bridge is to live dangerously, to concede a second is to all but give up hope and Chelsea's second, just a minute before the interval, was a goal that will live with Doblas for the rest of his career. Frank Lampard's free-kick from the left was fumbled horribly by the goalkeeper and gave Ricardo Carvalho the simplest chance to poke in Chelsea's second. As Bolton also discovered to their detriment on Saturday, Mourinho's Chelsea are just as daunting after half-time. The third goal his team scored did at least have Mourinho out of his seat. Makelele's pass into substitute Crespo was laid off to Essien and he fed Cole on the left who gathered the ball into his stride on the edge of the area before weighting a curling shot inside Doblas' left post. Liberated from any concerns of a Betis revival, Chelsea added a fourth on 64 minutes. Lampard found Wright-Phillips on the right and he hooked back a cross that Crespo headed in from close range. Mourinho looked up briefly but not even another rout could distract him from explaining his orders to substitute Eidur Gudjohnsen. It was Gudjohnsen who almost added a fifth on 77 minutes, but his shot was stopped first by Doblas and then, when the rebound bounced back to him, the post. In the meantime Mourinho felt comfortable enough to send on Lassana Diarra, 20, a £2m signing from Le Havre, for his debut. Even in the final minutes, Essien was still driving through the Betis midfield signalling what the rest of Europe must fear most about Chelsea: that they are still yet to reach their very best. Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cudicini; Gallas, Carvalho, Terry, Del Horno; Makelele (Diarra, 76); Wright-Phillips (Gudjohnsen, 67), Essien, Lampard, Cole; Drogba (Crespo, h-t). Substitutes not used: Cech (gk), Geremi, Ferreira, Huth. Real Betis (4-4-2): Doblas; Lopez Xisco, (h-t), Juanito, Rivas, Melli; Varela, Rivera, Miguel Angel (Assuncao, 55), Edu; Joaquin, Oliveira. Substitutes not used: Contreras (gk), Dani, Arzu, Capi, Nano. Referee: T Hauge (Norway). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sun: Chelsea 4 Real Betis 0 By SUN ONLINE REPORTER CHELSEA'S passage into the knockout phase of the Champions League now looks assured after a magnificent victory over Real Betis. Jose Mourinho had pinpointed two wins against the Spaniards as pivotal to their progress in the competition and the first half of the job was carried out with ease. Early on the Spaniards looked lively, full of invention and goalscoring intent. But it wasn’t long though before the Chelsea machine began to crank itself into gear. Shaun Wright-Phillips evaded his marker and delivered a measured cross into the six-yard box where Didier Drogba was inches away from applying the finishing touch. The Ivory coast hitman soon made amends - making Betis pay dearly for giving the ball away cheaply in midfield. Fernando Varela presented the ball to Michael Essien in the centre circle. The Ghanaian international supplied the perfect pass into the penalty area for Drogba to thread the ball under the body of the advancing Doblas in the 24th minute. A minute before the interval and Real’s hopes evaporated completely thanks to another present - this time courtesy of ’keeper Doblas. He kindly dropped Frank Lampard’s free-kick at the feet of Ricardo Carvalho on his own goal line and the Portuguese defender smashed the ball home. Not even the loss of Drogba at half-time could upset Chelsea’s evening. He felt the full force of a David Rivas tackle just before the break and was replaced at half-time by Hernan Crespo. In the 59th minute, Chelsea put the game beyond the reach of their opponents. The prime mover was the impressive Essien who delivered the perfect ball into the path of England midfielder Cole. The youngster despatched a right-foot shot into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of penalty area. But the best was yet to come. It arrived five minutes later courtesy of a stunning three man move. Lampard’s 30-yard pass over the top of Melli’s head was met by Wright-Phillips who half-volleyed the ball into the six-yard box for Crespo to head home from point blank range. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Telegraph: Essien engineers a scintillating show by Chelsea By Henry Winter Chelsea (2) 4 Real Betis (0) 0 Driven on by the heavyweight talent that is Michael Essien, Chelsea were so strong at Stamford Bridge last night that they could have turned back the Thames, let alone disappointing visitors from Seville. Betis played the weakening bull to Essien's vibrant matador. The Ghanaian midfielder, who had displayed a beastly streak with that nasty weekend challenge on Bolton Wanderers' Tal Ben Haim, gave a master class in the real midfield arts here, putting the Spaniards to the sword. He created Didier Drogba's first, and then watched admiringly as Ricardo Carvalho nudged home Chelsea's second. Inspired by Essien, Jose Mourinho's side refused to slacken their pace and their all-action No 5 soon set up Joe Cole before Hernan Crespo applied the final touch with the fourth. The Group G points safely under lock and key, Mourinho gave a debut to the man bought as Claude Makelele's long-term deputy, Lassana Diarra, a summer recruit from Le Havre. Such was Chelsea's control, Mourinho could have brought on the Chelsea Pensioners without risk of losing a goal. Irresistible in possession, brimming with counter-attacking verve, Mourinho's big blue machine seized control of the game with two first-half goals, both courtesy of unforgiveable Betis mistakes. Chelsea are such voracious workers, such brutal exploiters of flaws that the Spaniards' lack of concentration at critical moments bordered on the suicidal. The blunders of Seville began after 24 minutes when Fernando Varela, a right-sided midfielder, transferred the ball across the halfway line without checking to see if a blue shirt was lying in wait. Essien, strong of eye as well as body, saw the wayward pass quicker than anyone, and was on it like a flash. Ignoring the pause option, Essien pressed the fast-forward button, driving through the middle, green-and-white shirts melting away. Aware of Shaun Wright-Phillips' scampering run down the right, Essien used the Englishman as a decoy and instead slid the ball towards Drogba, Ghana meeting Ivory Coast. The Shed held their breath. Some fans probably prepared to take evasive action. Drogba can be as much miss as hit, yet he never stops showing for the ball, never stops trying his luck. Eight minutes earlier, the muscular front-man had missed a chance so close in it was almost across the line. Yet no nerves ate away at Drogba as he confidently controlled Essien's pass and then shot calmly past the advancing Antonio Doblas. Drogba's celebrations were typically unrestrained, albeit too close to Betis' support. It reflected well on his popularity that he was immediately surrounded by delighted team-mates. Having kept faith with Drogba during a barren phase, Mourinho is being handsomely repaid, although the striker was soon shaken by a spite-filled challenge from David Rivas on his left ankle and failed to reappear after the break. Such are Chelsea resources that Crespo immediately sped on to lead the line with gusto. By then, Chelsea were two goals to the good. Again, mistakes cost Betis dear. First Melli fouled the lively Joe Cole deep in Betis territory. Frank Lampard, hitherto quiet by his high standards, injected venom into a free-kick which stung Doblas' hands. As the keeper fell back over the line, he dropped the ball and there was Carvalho, a centre-half showing the predatory instincts and positioning of a seasoned centre-forward, knocking the ball home. The Spanish were shocked by these bolts from the blue, embarrassed by their frailty. Just before the hour mark, Miguel Angel was borne away on a stretcher after failing to stop the charging bull that was Essien. Moments later, Essien came calling again, seizing on Crespo's clever lay-off, muscling his way down the inside-right corridor before guiding the ball expertly to his left and to the receptive feet of Cole. He shimmied one way, then the other, wrong-footing Betis' defence and opening up a window of opportunity. Cole's right foot then came down into the ball, sending it on an unstoppable 25-yard journey into the visitors' net. Brilliant. There was more, sensationally so. Lampard transferred the ball superbly out wide to Wright-Phillips, whose response was marvellous. Making good ground, the England flier then drove in a perfect cross, the ball rising so invitingly for Crespo that it could have been embossed. The Argentine made no mistake with a simple headed finish. Betis were stunned, their night of despair by the Thames compounded when Joaquin was unfairly cautioned for diving after being caught by Asier del Horno's challenge. He should have earned a trip to the penalty-spot; instead Joaquin made his way only into the referee's book. Betis departed humiliated. "Adios, adios, adios," followed them out of the Bridge. Match details Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cudicini; Gallas, Carvalho, Terry, Del Horno; Makelele (Diarra, 75); Essien, Lampard; Wright-Phillips (Gudjohnsen, 66), J Cole; Drogba (Crespo h-t). Subs: Cech (g), Geremi, Ferreira, Huth. Booked: Wright-Phillips, Gallas. Real Betis (4-2-3-1): Doblas; Melli, Juanito, Rivas, Oscar Lopez (Xisco, h-t); Rivera, Miguel Angel (Assuncao, 55); Varela, Joaquin, Edu; Oliveira. Subs: Contreras (g), Dani, Arzu, Capi, Nano. Booked: Rivas, Varela, Joaquin, Xisco, Rivera. Referee: T Hauge (Norway). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Times: Mourinho's marauders turn on the style to sink Spaniards By Matt Dickinson, Chief Football Correspondent Chelsea 4 Real Betis 0 IT WAS direct, as it tends to be with Chelsea, but it was as beautiful as any goal that will be scored this season. It was also the thirteenth strike in three matches for a team that may still be answering the style critics after three European Cups, six domestic championships and 100 goals a season. Chelsea’s remorseless power-play will never be to everyone’s taste, but if it is true that the best football can be set to music, the orchestra should have struck up a symphony last night when Frank Lampard received the ball in the 64th minute and hit a 50-yard pass out to the right flank. Shaun Wright-Phillips was already scurrying towards the byline. Perhaps he was too tired to control the ball — he came off moments later — but the winger hit his cross first-time on the run. On another occasion it might have ended up in somebody’s lap, but he caught it sweetly and the ball arrowed off his boot with such piercing accuracy that Hernán Crespo should have been standing in the penalty area with an apple on his head. The Argentina forward did not have to move an inch to nod his team’s fourth of the night. Call them scoring, scoring, Chelsea. The English champions have won 11 of their 12 matches this season, drawing the other, and, increasingly, they are battering opponents such as poor, shell-shocked Real Betis. There was brilliance on view in West London, particularly in that final flourish, but it may take the visit of Barcelona, Real Madrid or AC Milan to set the stadium on edge. Against the rest, victories are coming too easily. Chelsea were in such control by the end that they started greedily hogging chances, Joe Cole and Michael Essien choosing to shoot when Crespo was screaming for a tap-in. Essien had excelled but, knowing José Mourinho, he will still have taken his players to task for wasting opportunities. Ever the perfectionist, he managed to find fault last night. “When we played against Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers, they had players of 1.85, 1.90 and 2 metres in Peter Crouch, but we had no problems at set-pieces,” he said. “So I don’t accept against Betis, who don’t have a player over 1.85, that we had difficulties in the first 15 minutes.” There was indeed an early flurry of opportunities for the Spaniards and, if one had gone in, questions might have been asked of Mourinho’s choice of goalkeepers. Petr Cech had been rested to give a start to Carlo Cudicini, but it hardly amounted to weakening his team — he has to pick Glen Johnson to do that — and it was to prove an irrelevance by the finish. Chelsea survived those fleeting scares and a familiar tale unfolded. Betis made mistakes and Mourinho’s men, ruthless as ever, made their opponents pay dearly. Didier Drogba scored the first, atoning for a terrible miss a few minutes earlier when he allowed Wright-Phillips’s cross to bounce off his shin. Stamford Bridge groaned, but it was soon saluting the Ivory Coast forward. Under pressure from Claude Makelele, Alberto Rivera tried to pass across midfield, but the ball was intercepted by the rampaging Essien. Driving forward with power and purpose, he found the Betis defence in disarray. Drogba had peeled away from his marker and he applied a composed side-footed finish. The intention for Betis must have been to regroup at the interval, but, with only a minute to the break, they found themselves 2-0 behind after a calamitous mistake by Antonio Doblas, the goalkeeper. Lampard’s free kick was seemingly overhit, but Doblas dropped the ball straight at Ricardo Carvalho’s feet. The defender had the good grace to look embarrassed by the simplicity of his one-yard tap-in. If it was a desperate end to the half, worse was to come for Betis. Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, the coach, bravely threw on another attacker, but he might have been better advised to send out his team to cling to the two-goal deficit. Pacy up front but terribly porous at the back, they could not handle Chelsea’s power on the counter-attack. Shortly before the hour, Essien was set free once more and, in a reprise of the first goal, created the havoc from which one of his team-mates could benefit. This time it was Cole who received the pass and, after delaying his shot for what seemed like an age, curled the ball into the bottom corner from 20 yards. While he ran off to celebrate — he dedicated the goal to his father, George, who is recovering in hospital after a heart attack — John Terry raced to congratulate the creator. A fine goal, it was to be eclipsed five minutes later when Crespo, on for the injured Drogba, scored the last. Humiliation for Betis was completed when Joaquín was booked for diving even though there seemed to be contact from Asier Del Horno, his international team-mate. CHELSEA (4-3-3): C Cudicini — W Gallas, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Del Horno — M Essien, C Makelele (sub: L Diarra, 76min), F Lampard — S Wright-Phillips (sub: E Gudjohnsen, 67), D Drogba (sub: H Crespo, 46), J Cole. Substitutes not used: P Cech, Gérémi, P Ferreira, R Huth. Booked: Wright-Phillips, Gallas. REAL BETIS (4-2-3-1): A Doblas — Óscar López (sub: Xisco, 46), J Gutiérrez, D Rivas, Melli — A Rivera, Miguel Ángel (sub: M Assunção, 56) — F Varela, Joaquín, Edu — R Oliveira. Substitutes not used: P Contreras, Dani, Arzu, Capi, Nano. Booked: Rivas, Varela, Joaquín, Xisco, Rivera. Referee: T Hauge (Norway). Chelsea's 'Bison' shows Betis his better side By Matt Hughes JOSÉ MOURINHO may have borrowed a few of Alastair Campbell’s press conference practices in glossing over Michael Essien’s dubious disciplinary record, but no one could question his assessment of last night’s performance. The man known as the Bison was an absolute beast, displaying pace, power and panache in creating two goals and dominating the midfield. Although reluctant to admit it, Mourinho should be grateful to the FA that the Ghana midfield player will be available to play in Chelsea’s next three Barclays Premiership matches after the governing body decided not to upgrade his yellow card for an awful tackle on Tel Ben Haim, of Bolton Wanderers, at the weekend. “For me, Essien was the man of the match,” he said. “He was the best player, won every challenge in midfield and gave a different pace to the game. He was too strong for them. He was crucial on the first and the third goals and it was his best game for Chelsea. Overall, his performance was amazing.” Essien can be something of a bruiser, having been sent off twice this year while playing for Lyons, though last night he was on his best behaviour, even shying away from a confrontation with Alberto Rivera after a late tackle from the Spaniard on Didier Drogba. The only area of his game that the 22-year-old needs to improve is his aerial ability, surprisingly suspect given his physique, as was shown in the tenth minute when he headed wide an inch-perfect cross from Asier Del Horno. On the ground, though, Essien is imperious, an incredible athlete with a tough tackle but a range of passing to rival the best midfield strollers. Although inventive going forward, Real Betis proved porous at the back and Essien carved them open at will, releasing Shaun Wright-Phillips with a wonderful through-ball in the eighteenth minute only for Drogba to make a mess of the resultant cross. It is possible to teach a Drog new tricks, though, and six minutes later there was no let-off, the Ivory Coast striker taking advantage of another Essien through-ball to give Chelsea the lead. Essien was even more dominant in the second half, creating a good chance for Wright-Phillips before another angled pass released Joe Cole for the third. He could even have scored himself, blasting over the bar after accelerating from a collision he had no right to win, though not even the churlish Chelsea manager complained. Despite ignoring a few facts, Mourinho obviously did his homework after all.
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