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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.