The TelegraphJohn Terry broken cheek blow for EnglandBy Julian BennettsChelsea (0) 0 Fulham (0) 0
They say it is more important to be a lucky manager than a good one. If that is the case then do not bank on Avram Grant being at Stamford Bridge for the long term as his first home game as Chelsea boss saw his captain, John Terry, suffer a fractured cheekbone, Didier Drogba, his primary goalscorer, sent off and two points lost as Fulham escaped with a goalless draw.
"It was not our best game," admitted Grant in a classic piece of understatement. "We need to improve and then we need to win. We need to score as well."
Indeed they do. But it is the fate of Terry which will worry both Grant and England head coach Steve McClaren most. In only the third minute the centre-half was injured in an aerial clash with Clint Dempsey.
Chelsea players claimed the use of an elbow by the American forward – a suggestion Sanchez described as "rubbish". Terry soldiered on until half-time but was unable to continue and will undergo surgery this morning. He will miss England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia, as well as Premier League and Champions League games for Chelsea.
The loss of Drogba through suspension will also hurt as Chelsea – who are now eight points behind leaders Arsenal – failed to hit the back of the net for the fourth successive league game.
Drogba will not find a large supply of sympathy, though, as his first yellow card was for arguing petulantly with referee Martin Atkinson, although the second, for a high foot, was unfortunate.
In contrast to Grant's downbeat demeanour, Sanchez, who has seen his team pick up only four points from the last 18, unsurprisingly preferred to concentrate on the positives.
"I would have settled for a point before the game but we really wanted to snatch it. We knew about their home record and we wanted to take it from them, but it wasn't quite to be."
Amid all of the furore – which included a protest outside the ground against the removal of Mourinho – it was easy to forget there was a game being played.
Grant had promised an attacking line-up and he did not disappoint, bringing Salomon Kalou into midfield as Drogba and Andrei Shevchenko were paired together up front.
In contrast Sanchez was afforded the luxury of keeping nearly the same side that drew 3-3 with Manchester City last week, although he recalled American goalkeeper Kasey Keller at the expense of Antii Niemi – the Finn paying the price for his side conceding an average of two goals a game so far this season.
Chelsea started well, pushing forward from the off with Kalou to the fore. Unfortunately the promising start only highlighted the disappointment of Shevchenko's Chelsea career to date. The £30 million man, who has only scored once this season, at least managed to interrupt the cries of "Jose Mourinho" as he sent a second-minute shot into the upper tier.
And after Dempsey went close with a header, Shevchenko – playing on his 31st birthday - hit a free-kick so weakly into the wall that there were boos and cries of "what a load of rubbish".
Shevchenko's confidence, fragile at the best of times, deserted him as his team struggled to create clear-cut chances. In truth the fare on offer was dire. If Abramovich sacked Mourinho for not providing attractive football, then Grant has a long way to go before his employer can be satisfied.
But Grant's side started the second half as they had the first and only a superb stop from Keller prevented them from taking the lead. Drogba sent a crossfield pass out to Joe Cole who, given time and space for the first time in the match, picked out the onrushing Kalou perfectly. It appeared that the Ivorian had to score, but Keller somehow flicked the ball on to the post and away.
Kalou then missed two headed chances and Joe Cole poked just wide, but Fulham grew in stature and were given added impetus by Drogba's sending-off. First substitute Hameur Bouazza lashed high and wide when put in a good position by fellow replacement Diomansy Kamara; then Petr Cech, in his only involvement in the game, foiled Paul Konchesky as the full-back broke through the middle.
The biggest scare came in the final minute as Cech watched helplessly when Dempsey's stud grazed Kamara's cross with the home defence absent without leave.
Defeat would have been harsh on Grant and his side. But, on a day when just about everything that could have gone wrong did, he must be thankful for small mercies.
Moment of the match: Kasey Keller's save from Salomon Kalou 60 seconds into the second period set the tone for the rest of the game. Kalou seemed certain to score from Joe Cole's cut-back but the American pushed the ball onto the post superbly. It was the closest Chelsea would come to breaking the deadlock and summed up their awful afternoon. Match rating: 5/10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mourinho's name rings out as Blues struggle
Duncan Castles at Stamford BridgeSunday September 30, 2007The Observer
Jose Mourinho may be embarrassingly opinionated, infuriatingly confrontational and unacceptably defensive, but he rarely failed to get results. Avram Grant may be softly spoken, politically correct and receptive to his owner's desire to field a five-man attack, but he is struggling for one.You pay off your manager, you make your choice. Grant appears a less intelligent selection by the match. Comprehensively outplayed by Manchester United six days previously, Chelsea contrived to draw with Fulham - a team who had triumphed just once in the Premier League this season and had not won a capital derby in 10 attempts.
Nor had Lawrie Sanchez's men managed a clean sheet until they travelled to Stamford Bridge, yet there was no great secret to how they extracted this one. Organised and resolute defensively, Fulham thwarted a Chelsea side long on attackers but short on the cohesion that was once their trademark.'I think it was not our best game, but it was not also a poor game, it was somewhere in the middle,' said Grant, who now lags seven points behind Arsenal, having played a game more. 'We created enough chances to win the game, but we didn't score. First we need to score, then we need to win. I think even with this gap anything can happen.'
Sanchez rightly emphasised how close three late chances had brought his team to ending Chelsea's 66-match home unbeaten league run. 'Anybody would settle for a point before they came,' he said. 'But when you're that close to knocking over their record, you're thinking: "Go on, let's take it."'
Grant is 'intelligent, witty, thoughtful and open and good to be with', according to chairman Bruce Buck's programme notes, and a manager fans will like if they 'give him support and confidence'. The Israeli was making every effort to appeal in his line-up, his latest version of the winger-oriented formation Roman Abramovich craves featuring Joe Cole and Salomon Kalou on the wings. Back from a knee injury, Didier Drogba ran ahead of the owner's favourite and birthday boy Andriy Shevchenko, but as the team were announced cheers for John Terry were mixed with jeers. In the stands a banner declared Mourinho 'simply the best'.
His former charges started at a rush, Cole crossing dangerously, Shevchenko lofting over wastefully. For Terry there was a hard elbow to the head from Clint Dempsey, treatment and a rant at the referee for not allowing him back on before Alexey Smertin shot on goal. Chelsea's captain was uncharacteristically lax in allowing Dempsey to drift off him for a free header soon after.
Fulham were concentrating on working their two banks of four, conscious of a defence who had continued to concede at an alarming rate under Sanchez. This despite the manager making his backline a priority for reinforcement over the summer, culling Liam Rosenior, Franck Queudrue and Zat Knight.
Shevchenko was doing his best to relax their replacements. Ceded a free-kick that others would have taken in the Mourinho era, the striker struck the ball weakly into Fulham's wall. Teed up by Claude Makelele on the edge of the area, his shot meandered towards Kasey Keller. Played in perfectly at the near post by Kalou, he volleyed wide from six yards.
The nervous home defenders regularly sought touch instead of controlling and at one throw-in, Tal Ben-Haim appeared to handle while clearing. This was not the studied control of Mourinho's teams, so adept at varying the pace of a game - pressing for a determined period, then holding possession to 'rest on the ball' for another. It was altogether more frantic; fundamentally less organised. The parts were the same, the machine was less oiled.
Chris Baird deftly tugged back Drogba as he stretched to convert. Again the referee delivered nothing, other than a yellow card for dissent. The second half was no better for Chelsea as Terry was forced out of the game, to be replaced by Alex. 'He wanted to continue,' said Grant, 'but I didn't want to take a risk. I didn't see it so well, but the players said it was an elbow.' There were fewer home fans to offer him sparse applause, as some had answered the call of a 'Bring Back Mourinho' leaflet campaign to walk out at the interval. The first chant of many who stayed was for their departed boss.
There were more boos from the Chelsea fans as Grant swapped Shevchenko for Claudio Pizarro, but it was safe to assume they were not annoyed at the Ukrainian's withdrawal. Drogba immediately drew another parry from Keller, then Kalou let his free header drift off target.
So it continued until Drogba lifted his studs high for an aerial ball and hit Baird's chest. Drogba saw the red card, and with limited complaint the captain's armband swapped owner for a second time. Grant showed some semblance of Mourinho-like adventure in bringing Florent Malouda on for Ashley Cole, but Fulham went closer as Petr Cech saved from Paul Konchesky The response of the home support? Mourinho's name, chanted loud and long.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Fans call for Special One as Roman's Shed stunt falls apartChelsea 0 Fulham 0
By IAN RIDLEY
Love him or loathe him, Jose Mourinho had presence. His Chelsea teams possessed it, too — mirroring his feisty, dominating persona. Now they look less fearsome and opposing teams are suddenly fancying their chances.
Indeed, with new manager Avram Grant swapping tracksuit for grey suit and wearing the look of a west London funeral director, there was something moribund about Chelsea yesterday.
From his perch in the what was formerly known as the Shed End, rather than those halfway-line executive boxes that cost £1 million a season, it will all have made grisly watching for Roman Abramovich.
Spirited Fulham profited as Chelsea made it four games without a goal or a win, leaving them to languish in seventh spot, their worst Premier League position for five years.
As if it was not bad enough hearing Mourinho's name sung around the ground, Abramovich watched as captain John Terry was unable to take his place for the second half after suffering a depressed fracture to his right cheekbone.
On his 31st birthday, Andriy Shevchenko,who has cost £1m for each of his years, lasted only 53 minutes.And on his return after injury, Didier Drogba was sent off 17 minutes from time for a second yellow card.
Early days it may be, but these are worrying times for Chelsea. The gap to Arsenal at the top is already eight points and injuries and suspensions are undermining them. The midweek trip to Valencia in the Champions League, presumably without Terry, is starting to look daunting.
"We can play better and they want to play better," said Grant. "But we need to improve a few things before we can think about the gap. We created seven or eight chances but we didn't score. We need to improve this."
Grant is in a tough position, particularly when it comes to Shevchenko who is an Abramovich favourite. It is almost embarrassing to watch such a great player floundering as his pace wanes, the movement on which he made his name is negated and his career winds down. Surely the owner and manager must concede that Mourinho was right about the striker.
In Chelsea's first home match since his departure, the support for Mourinho was initially muted. The banner proclaiming him "simply the best" was again on view but it took 11 minutes of the game before his name was chanted.
Perhaps what passes for a charm offensive at Stamford Bridge was having an effect.
Quite apart from Abramovich sitting among the fans, chairman Bruce Buck explained again in the match programme that the relationship with Mourinho had broken down. Terry, accused last week of undermining the manager — a story he vehemently denies — paid tribute in his own column.
But the only way for a new manager to earn the affection of supporters is with wins. Beating Hull in midweek in the Carling Cup helped but after losing at Aston Villa and Manchester United, Chelsea needed to get back on track in the league.
Woeful finishing cost them, however. The tone was set in the first minute when Shevchenko ballooned Salomon Kalou's low cross over the bar. Soon he was challenging Drogba for the same pass from Claude Makelele and assistant manager Steve Clarke was berating the Ukrainian from the touchline for not leaving the header to Drogba.
It got worse. From a free-kick 30 yards out, Shevchenko drove the ball low and straight into a two-man wall before turning another low cross from Kalou wide at the near post. When he did get a weak shot on target, the Fulham fans gave an ironic cheer.
With Drogba rusty, it was hard to see where a goal might come from. The big striker almost got on the end of Joe Cole's low cross and was subsequently booked for complaining that he had been held back by Chris Baird.
Perhaps Kalou would be the man. He went close at the start of the second half when he reached Joe Cole's low cross but Kasey Keller turned the ball on to a post. Kalou then missed a header at the near post from Ashley Cole's cross and another soon after.
After Drogba's dismissal, a second yellow for a high boot as Baird went to head the ball, Fulham began to scent three points. The robust Clint Dempsey — whose challenge on Terry early on had taken the England captain out of the game at half time — had headed a good chance wide before the break.
Now the chances were even more clear cut.
Paul Konchesky burst through and Petr Cech saved his shot with a foot. Substitute Diomansy Kamara then screwed a shot across goal and Dempsey narrowly failed to turn it home as Fulham finished strongly.
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Cech; Belletti, Ben Haim, Terry (Alex 46min), A Cole (Malouda 77); Makelele, Sidwell; J Cole, Shevchenko (Pizarro 54), Kalou; Drogba. Subs (not used): Cudicini, Ferreira. Booked: Drogba. Sent off: Drogba (74min).
FULHAM (4-4-2): Keller; Baird, Hughes, Bocanegra, Konchesky; Davies, Smertin (Murphy 82), Davis, Seol (Bouazza 73); Healy (Kamara 67), Dempsey. Subs (not used): Niemi, Kuqi. Booked: Davis.
Referee: M Atkinson (W Yorkshire). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Sunday TimesSeptember 30, 2007
Spectre of Jose Mourinho hangs over his team
The spectre of the departed manager hung over Stamford Bridge as the team he built were booed off the fieldDavid Walsh, chief sports writer WITH about five minutes left, and a minute or so after Paul Konchesky might have won the game for Fulham, the home crowd broke into their most passionate rendition of “Jose Mourinho” and Avram Grant stood forlornly, unable to effect the course of a game that had run away from his team. For a family in turmoil, this was an afternoon from hell.
When the game ended, a crescendo of boos rang out as Chelsea fans expressed their disappointment with the team’s performance, the result, and the fact that the team's 66-game unbeaten home run could so easily have been lost. What didn’t happen in three seasons under Mourinho could so easily have taken place in Grant’s first home game.
Consider this scenario from Roman Abramovich’s point of view. Bravely, he chose to sit in the Shed with his right-hand man Eugene Tenenbaum and by his presence there, he tried to say that like most in the 41,837 crowd, he was just another Chelsea fan. Yeah, right. When the crowd chanted “Jose Mourinho”, Roman did not add his voice but instead looked decidedly uneasy, even embarrassed.
When Andriy Shevchenko was replaced early in the second half, the owner didn’t appear to think it was a good move and, of course, when the fans booed at the end, Roman wasn’t really in the mood to join them. You wonder if he silently wondered about the sense of spending hundreds of millions for such strife? From the outside, you wonder whether his love of the club will survive the fans’ love of Mourinho?
Outside the ground, the disgruntled handed out leaflets asking the faithful to leave the match at halftime. “Given the price of ticket here,” someone said, “they had to be joking.” No one did leave and even if the game was far from a classic, it had a soap opera fascination as we wondered if Chelsea could dig themselves out of the hole and ended up watching as the hole just got bigger. Because the challenge for Chelsea was not so much Fulham but to move from a club in turmoil to a club in transition. It wasn’t as easy as you might think. Page three of the club programme carried a photograph of a smiling Mourinho, page five a message from the chairman, “Time To Look Forward”. Mourinho or the future? Which was it? Yesterday, it was far more about Mourinho.
In an interview on Chelsea televison, John Terry vigorously denied having anything to do the former manager’s departure, vowed to sue the two newspapers who said otherwise and said “the most important thing” was for everyone to give the new manager their full support. As for Grant, he sat in the front row of the dugout, leaning forward, seeming more absorbed in a dull match than anyone else in the ground. There were other signs that the guard has changed at the Bridge. Shevchenko played with more authority, as if he had been recently promoted. He popped up here and there, got plenty of possession and did little with it. There was no shortage of desire but his touch was unreliable and, these days, he lacks that little bit of zip needed to go past defenders.
How simple life would be if by just being more positive and more authoritative, Shevchenko could be more effective. It would be fun world if all Chelsea needed to banish the Blues was Grant’s call for a more attacking style. True to the new manager’s philosophy, Chelsea’s blue shirts got forward in great numbers but, alas, to no great effect.
Without Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Jon Obi Mikel and Michael Ballack, they struggled to create and the longer it went on, the more nervy everyone became and the more the family’s disharmony manifested itself. When Shevchenko twice lost possession in the space of 30 seconds early in the second half, the home crowd’s disaffection expressed itself in animosity towards the Ukrainian.
A minute later, the Stamford Bridge faithful broke into another chorus of “Jose Mourinho” and now it was like a family wedding ? all the unpleasant undercurrents were flowing across the surface and it all threatened to get ugly. Like a benign and well-meaning uncle, Grant replaced Shevchenko, Abramovich put his head in his hands, and interestingly, the Ukrainian almost enthusiastically accepted the manager’s call as he sped off.
But my goodness, it really was a bad day at the office for Chelsea. Didier Drogba sent off, Terry an injury victim and a reminder in that second half that a central defensive partnership of Tal Ben Haim and the Brazilian Alex might not be the best idea in the world. When Diomansy Kamara got a late and great chance to win the game at the death, it was because Chelsea’s defence had disintegrated.
Yet, when it was all over, you had to admire Grant’s equanimity. He said Chelsea weren’t at their best but neither were they at their worst, “somewhere in between”, he said. As for Shevchenko, “he’s a very good player but not at his best today”. Someone asked if he has been at his best this season, and the new head coach stayed as calm as ever. “We’ve played seven or eight games, you need 20 to 25 games before judging.”
The trick for Avram Grant will be to get 25 games.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------People:
30 September 2007STINGING THE BLUES MORE MISERY FOR ROMAN AS BOOS RING AROUND BRIDGETerry KOd and Drog off in hell dayCHELSEA 0 FULHAM 0 By Dave Kidd Avram Grant's traumatic start as Chelsea boss went from bad to worse last night.
His skipper John Terry broke a cheekbone in a clash with Fulham's Clint Dempsey... and Didier Drogba saw red as Grant's team fell further behind Arsenal in the race for the Premier League.
News that the Chelsea and England skipper will have an operation this morning, and faces around six weeks on the sidelines, capped a nightmare first home game in charge for Grant.
Striker Drogba was sent off for two bookable offences and his fellow hitman Andriy Shevchenko was hauled off early in the second half after another horror show as Chelsea failed to score in a fourth straight Premier League match for the first time in nine years.
Grant revealed his players were fuming at American striker Clint Dempsey for an alleged elbow on Terry after only four minutes. The central defender played on until half-time but was then taken to hospital for scans.
Grant said: "My players thought there was an elbow but I haven't seen it properly yet. John wasn't complaining at half-time or asking to be taken off but you cannot take a risk with head injuries." A Chelsea spokesman later confirmed: "John went to hospital and a scan showed a depressed fracture of his right cheek bone.
"He will see a specialist and then be operated on."
Fulham came close to ending Chelsea's 66-match unbeaten home league record when Diomansy Kamara and Paul Konchesky squandered clear late chances.
Chelsea were booed off after their dismal display, which owner Roman Abramovich watched from The Shed as a show of solidarity with fans after the unpopular sacking of Mourinho, but Chelsea's title ambitions are fading fast as they are already eight points behind leaders Arsenal, who have a game in hand.
Fans chanted for Mourinho and refused to sing Grant's name - although a planned walk out at half-time in support of the departed Portuguese, failed to materialise. Grant admitted: "We have to start scoring and winning very soon.
"We wanted to play positively and we did create seven or eight chances, which was the good thing, but we have to start taking those opportunities." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Chelsea 0 Fulham 0: Terry injured, Drogba sees red on black day for Blues
Life after Mourinho turns into nightmare for Grant as captain suffers fractured cheekbone and striker is sent off By Paul Newman at Stamford Bridge
It was a sight that summed up Avram Grant's plight. Chelsea's manager stood on the touchline in the final minutes, desperatelytrying to shout instructions to his team, only to have his words drowned out by the loudest chant of the afternoon from a previously subdued Stamford Bridge crowd. The sound of "Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho" echoed around the ground.
If Grant narrowly avoided the ignominy of losing his first home match after succeeding Mourinho, it was hard to imagine a more calamitous first day in front of his own supporters. John Terry, his captain, suffered a fractured cheekbone which is likely to keep him out for several weeks – he will have an operation today and looks certain to miss England's crucial Euro 2008 qualifying matches against Russia and Estonia next month – while Didier Drogba, his leadingstriker, was shown the red card for two bookable offences.
In the end Grant must have felt grateful to emerge with a point, even if the boos at the final whistle made it seem like a loss. Mourinho had been unbeaten in all his 60 home Premier League matches in charge of Chelsea, and it would have been a huge blow to his successor's credibility if he had started his Stamford Bridge career with a defeat.
Having lost away to Manchester United in Grant's first game in charge, Chelsea have now failed to score in their last four Premier League games, which have yielded just two points. A decent result away to Valencia in the Champions' League this week is now crucial, though Grant spoke with measured calm after the match. He insisted he was not overly concerned by the ground his team had lost in the title race, and said that nothing had surprised him in his new job.
"First we need to score, then we need to win," Grant said. "We created enough chances to win but did not score. There are things we can improve."
Putting the ball in the back of the net will be the first priority. Chelsea dominated this match for long periods and should have been leading comfortably when the game changed with Drogba's dismissal after 73 minutes. The Ivorian, handed the captain's armband after Terry failed to reappear for the second half following a collision with Clint Dempsey, had been needlessly booked for dissent in the first half and was shown his second yellow card when his raised boot caught Chris Baird in the face. Grant refused to criticise Drogbaafterwards, saying he would wait to see television replays before passing judgement.
Grant had taken off his other striker eight minutes into the second half. Mourinho's unhappiness with having Andriy Shevchenko foisted on him by Roman Abramovich was said to be a major cause of his fall-out with the club's owner, and on this evidence you could see the former manager's pointof view.
Shevchenko looked badly out of sorts, not quite knowing whether to play the Frank Lampard role, breaking from midfield, or to forage alongside Drogba. Two woefully inadequate free-kicks by the Ukrainian summed up his frustrations, and it was no surprise whenhe was taken off. "He was not at his best," Grant admittedafterwards.
Chelsea's play was particularlydisjointed in the opening 20 minutes, but Salomon Kalou and Joe Cole became increasingly influential down the flanks and the home side had more than enough chances to win. Kalou was at the centre of the best Chelsea attack of the first half, breaking down the left after good work by Drogba and Shevchenko, only for the latter to end the move by shooting wide of a post.
Kalou wasted an even better opportunity in the opening minutes of the second half. Joe Cole, released by Drogba's fine pass, delivered a perfect cross to the near post, only for Kalou to miss the ball completely. Kalou soon returned the compliment with a well-timed through-ball, but Joe Cole shot just wide of a post.
Fulham defended with spirit. Aaron Hughes and Carlos Bocanegra were rocks at the centre of defence, while Alexey Smertin and Steven Davis gave as good as they got in the centre of midfield.
Dempsey had the best early chance, heading wide from Smertin's cross, but Sanchez's men played a containing game until Drogba's departure gave them the incentive to push forward in the closing stages.
After 85 minutes Paul Konchesky, clean through, saw his shot saved by Petr Cech's feet, while Diomansy Kamara had another excellent opportunity four minutes later. Despite holding off Claude Makelele's challenge, the Senegalese striker screwed his shot just wide of a post.
"I said before the match that we'd win 1-0 and we should have done," Lawrie Sanchez, the Fulham manager, said afterwards. Sanchez believes his men are in a false position near the foot of the table, poor refereeing decisions having cost them vital points, and on this showing they have the all-round strengths to live with most opponents. As for Chelsea, there can be only one verdict: must do better.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
morning papers hull carling cup
The TimesSeptember 27, 2007
Salomon Kalou relieves some of the pressure as Chelsea find their cutting edgeHull 0 Chelsea 4
Matt Hughes
Avram Grant must have feared being fed to the sharks in the nearby aquarium after sitting through 36 scoreless minutes, but to his intense relief, Chelsea’s misfiring players finally showed that they, too, possess teeth after all. Scott Sinclair, Salomon Kalou and Steve Sidwell all scored their first goals of the season before the Ivory Coast striker added another to bring a satisfactory end to one of the most turbulent weeks in the club’s history.
After scoring one goal in their previous four matches, any evidence of a cutting edge is to be welcomed by Chelsea, although it would be wrong to assume that a comprehensive win over a team seventh bottom of the Coca-Cola Championship will cure all their ills. Hull’s aquarium is known as The Deep and Chelsea’s players will have driven past it last night well aware they have only just begun to clamber out of the huge hole the club have dug for them.
It is to the players’ credit that Chelsea’s team spirit has survived the trials and tribulations of the past seven days, though other problems remain. The uncertainty created by Grant’s failure to obtain a Uefa Pro Licence has not been resolved, the injured Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard have not been given comeback dates and the position of Andriy Shevchenko, an unused substitute last night, remains unclear. To add to the intrigue, Roman Abramovich was absent despite hiring ten bodyguards to guarantee his safety. “If he’s here, you say he picks the team and if he’s not, you say he’s unhappy,” Grant, the Chelsea manager, said. “He missed a good game.”
With a chill wind blowing in from the east, Shevchenko should have felt at home, though it was a strike partnership from warmer parts that secured the holders a place in Saturday’s fourth-round draw. Claudio Pizarro did a passable impression of Drogba by holding the ball up well and showed signs of developing a promising partnership with Kalou, who, after a frustrating start to the season, finally found his shooting boots. After seeing his team-mates score four goals for the first time since a 4-1 win over West Ham United in April, Shevchenko can hardly expect to regain his place for the West London derby against Fulham on Saturday.
Grant praised his players’ clinical finishing and neat build-up play, but Phil Brown, the Hull manager, was more taken with their togetherness and support for the manager. “The one thing I learnt from Chelsea tonight was their players believed in one another and trusted one another,” Brown said. “They proved a point and played for the manager.”
Chelsea’s energetic opening provided an early sign of their enduring spirit as they forced four corners in quick succession. If the final 20 minutes of Chelsea’s Champions League draw with Rosenborg last week had resembled an ice hockey match, as Knut Torum, the Norwegian’s side’s coach, claimed, then this was more like Pinball Wizard. Sidwell’s shot was cleared off the line by Sam Ricketts, Michael Essien’s volley was saved by Bo Myhill and the Ghana midfield player then blasted over the bar after a good run from Shaun Wright-Phillips.
After being besieged for five minutes, Hull showed good spirit themselves to turn the match into a compelling contest, with Jay-Jay Okocha linking well with his wingers, Stuart Elliott and Henrik Pedersen, though their resistance was broken as Chelsea took the lead in the 37th minute.
Juliano Belletti found Wright-Phillips in space down the right, with the England winger crossing for Scott Sinclair to score his first goal for the club on his first start of the season. The 18-year-old showed impressive composure given his inexperience, cutting in from the left to place a right-foot shot past Myhill.
With confidence restored, Chelsea dominated the second half after doubling their lead in the 48th minute, with Kalou exchanging a one-two with Pizarro before meeting his cross with a neat header. Whereas Chelsea’s second goal contained an element of poetry, their third, four minutes later, was the result of sheer power, with Sidwell almost bursting the back of the net with a right-foot shot from 25 yards. Kalou added a fourth late on and Wayne Bridge, the left back, provided more good news by making his first appearance of the season after ankle surgery, though the real tests are yet to come, as Grant admitted.
“All the goals came from combinations with passes between many players,” he said. “Our target is to score many goals and play attacking football. I want the team to play as much attacking football as they can.”
Hull City (4-4-1-1): B Myhill – S Ricketts, M Turner, W Brown, D Delaney (sub: A Dawson, 53min) – H Pedersen (sub: N Featherstone, 73), I Ashbee, D Livermore, S Elliott (sub: R Garcia, 53) – A Okocha – S McPhee. Substitutes not used: B Hughes, T Woodhead. Booked: Brown.
Chelsea (4-4-2): C Cudicini – J Belletti, T Ben Haim, J Terry, A Cole (sub: W Bridge, 65) – S Wright-Phillips (sub: J Cole, 48), M Essien (sub: C Makelele, 73), S Sidwell, S Sinclair – C Pizarro, S Kalou. Substitutes not used: Hilário, A Shevchenko.
Referee: C Foy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Chelsea back in winning mood
By Tim Rich
Hull City (0) 0 0 Chelsea (1) 4
Avram Grant's wife, a woman flamboyant enough to make Nancy Dell'Olio seem like Norma Major, presents her own television show in Israel, called True Questions.
Although her husband's fate will be determined by rather harder assignments than this, the question: "Will you be humiliated by Hull and sacked by the weekend?" was answered with an emphatic ''no". The response would, however, have had to be relayed to the Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, who decided an autumnal night in east Yorkshire was something he could do without. Grant smiled that he had missed a good game.
Abramovich was right to spare himself the journey. After Sunday's defeat by Manchester United, the former Chelsea captain, Marcel Desailly, had made an impassioned appeal for the club's supporters to remember that Chelsea had survived the departures of Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli; men who at the time had seemed as pivotal to Chelsea's future as Jose Mourinho.
This was the kind of victory that, had you woken from a week-long coma, you would assume came from a side still associated with him. In Mourinho's three seasons at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea never remotely looked like losing to lower-division opposition – and nor did they last night.
And yet not even when Salomon Kalou converted his second goal and Chelsea's fourth nine minutes from time did the travelling support mention Grant's name. Even when the match was long-since done you could hear a faint echo, sung to the Waltz of the Toreadors, of "Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho" dissolving into the night skies.
The "Special One" banner that Chelsea's supporters had rallied behind at Old Trafford on Sunday was not at the KC Stadium last night but the first and last chants were all about a man whose ghost dominates the club he has left in the way that Brian Clough and Kevin Keegan haunted Derby and Newcastle. At the Baseball Ground, Clough's successor, Dave Mackay, coped; at St James' Park, Kenny Dalglish did not. With the pick of Europe's coaches, from Guus Hiddink to Marco van Basten, standing in the shadows, Grant still needs more than 4-0 wins over sides who are 18th in the Championship.
Maybe it is time for perspective. This was the sixth time the cups had taken Chelsea to Humberside and they had sometimes arrived in a far worse state than now. Their 2-0 victory at Boothferry Park in 1982 was at the time Chelsea's ruinous debt was threatening to turn Stamford Bridge into a particularly expensive housing estate. This may be a crisis but there have been worse.
When Scott Sinclair drilled his shot with geometric precision into the corner of Bo Myhill's goal in the 37th minute, the crisis began to ease. And as Kalou headed into a virtually unguarded net, it was clear that the gulf between the two sides could not be spanned even by the sweeping girders of the Humber Bridge. After the 52nd minute, when Steve Sidwell hammered home his first goal in a Chelsea shirt, thoughts began to stray to Chelsea's last visit to Humberside under Vialli, which ended in a 6-1 rout in the FA Cup.
Although they carried their greatest threat when the game was irretrievably lost, Hull did exactly what might be expected of them. They began the night shooting fireworks into the chill night air and hired a rather splendid opera singer, who, for those still concerned by the Divorce of Jose, reeled off a number from The Marriage of Figaro and inevitably, Nessun Dorma, which was introduced as "a song about winning".
If Hull were to grab the most memorable victory in their history, then you imagined that Jay-Jay Okocha would have to play some part in it all. The great Nigerian sparked one flicker of the old brilliance, pulling back a pass that Stephen McPhee drove just over the bar.
That was the closest Hull were to come until they were three goals down. Their manager, Phil Brown, who got to know Grant when negotiating Tal Ben-Haim's transfer to Bolton as Sam Allardyce's assistant, thought Chelsea unlucky to have lost at Old Trafford and thought them clinical here.
Given the controversy that has surrounded the Chelsea captain, Grant was right to start with John Terry, who made one critical interception and then on the final whistle kissed his badge and threw his shirt into the crowd. Terry is not the sort of man to endure humiliation and he was not about to begin now.
Match details
Hull City: (4-5-1) Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown Delaney (Dawson 53); Pedersen (Featherstone 71), Ashbee, Livermore, McPhee, Okocha; Elliott (Garcia 53). Subs: Woodhead (g), Hughes. Booked: Brown. Chelsea: (4-4-2) Cudicini; Belletti, Ben Haim, Terry, A Cole (Bridge 65); Wright-Phillips (J Cole 49) Essien (Makelele 71), Sidwell, Sinclair; Kalou, Pizarro. Subs: Hilario (g), Makelele, Shevchenko.Goals: Sinclair 37, Kalou 48, Sidwell 52, Kalou 81. Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Hull City 0 Chelsea 4: Hull proves to be Grant's welcome break By Jason Burt
Victories like this were routine for Jose Mourinho – although he would have curled his lip as Chelsea kept attacking when the contest was over – but Hull away will forever have a place in the heart of his successor Avram Grant.
Not that he has found his way into the affections of Chelsea's supporters. There were songs for Mourinho, Frank Lampard and even Gianfranco Zola, but the Israeli? Nothing. It may take more than dismissing a side languishing 18th in the Championship, and fielding a weakened line-up, for that to happen.
But there was also an ironic chant of "boring, boring Chelsea" and Grant, charged with creating a more entertaining style, can be pleased with that. This was, after all, not just a would-be banana skin for the new manager, coming to grips with his elevation, but a whole crate of fetid, stinking fruit that could have been poured over his head with anything short of a resounding win.
The Carling Cup, of which Chelsea are the holders, was the first trophy won by Mourinho. Whether Grant is even still around for the final next spring, never mind reaching it, remains to be seen. But there was satisfaction in the performance and the goals even if owner Roman Abramovich was delayed and wasn't, apparently, able to fly north to take up one of the 24 seats reserved for his entourage.
"I think he missed a good game," said Grant, wary of accusations that it is his pay-master, not he, who is picking the team but emboldened by a vibrant performance to try a little wit of his own. "Our target is to score many goals and play attacking football," he added. It's the kind of statement that would have had Mourinho throwing his arms up in disgust. Surely, he would have said, the only target is winning? But, as he found out, that ultimately was not enough.
Grant awoke yesterday to claims that, after just one week in situ, his job had been offered to Marco van Basten. Chelsea responded robustly to that by denying any such thing, though such is their record of not being totally clear with the truth, so to speak, it was probably a waste of time doing so. But it backed the new man and he responded with a selection of intent and a first-choice core. He knew he could not lose so there was no rest for John Terry and his bruised toe or, after the events of last week, his bruised ego either.
There was, however, no place for Andrei Shevchenko, who found himself parked on the bench as Chelsea propelled Hull back with a succession of corners. It was a long way for the Ukrainian to travel to not take part although he could have been forgiven for rolling his eyes opportunities were wasted.
Hull gradually worked their way back into the match, prompted by the guile of Jay-Jay Okocha and, also, aided by a wretched performance by Ashley Cole. But nerves were steadied when Shaun Wright-Phillips – who later hobbled off although Grant claimed he was "fine" – pulled the ball back to Scott Sinclair. The 18-year-old calmly arced a right-foot shot into the corner of the net for his first Chelsea goal.
Immediately after the interval Chelsea struck again. It was a sweeping move with Claudio Pizarro nimbly picking out Salomon Kalou who attempted to head home but was beaten to it by the hapless Damien Delaney for an own goal. Suddenly Chelsea were on fire even if Hull's Ian Ashbee missed a glorious headed opportunity.
Another swift attack, with Ashley Cole and Pizarro combining down the left, ended with the ball being laid to Steve Sidwell who struck home a crisp drive from 25 yards. Terry had a header cleared off the line and then Joe Cole, an eager substitute, skipped down the left and picked out Kalou who side-footed in to complete the scoring.
The Hull manager, Phil Brown, was phlegmatic. "It was always going to be about Chelsea and Avram Grant," he said. "They've proved a point. Avram's got a great chance." It may not be a universally-held view but his prospects have certainly improved.
Hull City (4-2-3-1): Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Delaney (Dawson, 53); Ashbee, Livermore; Pedersen (Featherstone, 73), Okocha, Elliott (Garcia, 53), McPhee. Substitutes not used: Woodhead (gk), Hughes.
Chelsea (4-4-2): Cudicini; Belletti, Ben Haim, Terry, A Cole (Bridge, 65); Wright-Phillips (J Cole, 49), Essien (Makelele, 73), Sidwell, Sinclair; Kalou Pizarro. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Shevchenko.
Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chelsea rout kick-starts Grant era
Louise Taylor at the KC StadiumThursday September 27, 2007The Guardian
Jose who? Admittedly it was against a Championship side in the Carling Cup but a vibrant Chelsea performance suffused with goals and improvisational attacking suggested there just might be a life for the Blues post Mourinho after all.Moreover this new era may even include an extended managerial stay for Avram Grant, the Pro licence-less former Israel manager who choreographed Chelsea's first win in five games with a pleasingly fluent game plan far removed from Mourinho's hallmark conservatism.
It was the sort of tie his predecessor would conceivably have been happy to win by a one- or two-goal margin but, bolstered by his team's rapid counter-attacking, Grant marked his first victory with a bold mission statement. "That's the sort of football I want Chelsea to play, that's very much the goal," he said. "I'm happy with the performance. There were good combinations between many players, good passing and four goals."Indeed the only shame was that Roman Abramovich - who had booked a place in the directors' box, plus 10 more for his minders - was not there to see it. "I think he missed a good game," said Grant, who was unperturbed by occasional chants of "Jose Mourinho" from the away end. "Managers come and go but players want to play for the club," he shrugged.
At the end of a day when Chelsea denied reports that they were considering appointing Marco van Basten in Grant's stead, Mourinho's successor felt sufficiently confident to make seven changes from the side that lost at Manchester United on Sunday.
Grant's team looked eager from the off and might easily have taken a quick lead. The Israeli has not exactly enjoyed the best of luck with refereeing decisions during his short time in charge and must have been frustrated to see his side denied a clear penalty for handball in the third minute when Hull's left-back, Damien Delaney, sneakily stretched out a hand to palm Salomon Kalou's shot wide.
The visitors also forced a flurry of corners but, when Jay-Jay Okocha began reminding everyone that he can still pass a bit and deliver a mean dead ball, John Terry was required to make a couple of important headed clearances.
Phil Brown, Hull's manager, had asked his players to "dare to dream" and, inspired by the influential Okocha, they gradually began enjoying some protracted periods of possession and might even have taken the lead if Stephen McPhee had not angled an inviting headed chance wide. Poor McPhee would later spurn a similarly promising opening after an Okocha cross wrong-footed Terry and Tal Ben Haim.
Scott Sinclair's finishing proved far more precise as the left-sided winger accelerated seamlessly to meet Shaun Wright-Phillips' square ball across the box and promptly sidefoot beyond the helpless Bo Myhill, who was unsighted by Terry's presence in an arguably offside position.
Brown's hitherto resilient defence had failed to register the danger when Wright-Phillips exchanged slick passes with Juliano Belletti before cutting in from the right and centring for Sinclair's first senior goal for Chelsea. Loaned to Plymouth last season, Sinclair has long been tipped for great things by Mourinho and looks ready for a chance in the Premier League.
It was the first truly chilly night of autumn in east Yorkshire but Grant must surely have felt beautifully warm when Chelsea began the second half with a second goal rather generously credited to Kalou. In reality it appeared more of an own-goal on the part of Delaney, who seemed to head Claudio Pizarro's delicately chipped cross into his own net after jumping for the ball with Kalou.
There was no doubt about the identity of the next scorer though, Steve Sidwell claiming his first goal for Chelsea since arriving from Reading in the summer, his drive struck with the outside of a boot from about 22 yards.
Although Okocha curled a free-kick inches wide, Chelsea highlighted their superiority when their substitutes Joe Cole and Wayne Bridge exchanged passes down the left before the former centred for Kalou to turn and beat Myhill with a neat, first-time, left-foot finish. "A lesson in quality," said Brown. "And I thought Chelsea played for their manager tonight."---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Hull 0-4 Chelsea: Kalou double gets Grant off the mark
By NEIL ASHTON
Jose Mourinho singled out Scott Sinclair for special praise when he made his final farewells at the training ground last week.
'You can be a star,' he told the youngster during an emotional exchange in the changing room and last night he lived up to his billing with the goal that temporarily took the pressure off Avram Grant.
The name of the Carling Cup holders is in the hat for Saturday's fourth-round draw and that is all that counts after they survived their 400-mile round trip to Hull.
Phil Brown's side, 18th in the Championship, made a fist of it, but Sinclair swept Hull aside with a 37th-minute effort. They finished off the job when Hull left-back Damien Delaney headed into his own net three minutes after the break, Steven Sidwell scored his first goal for the club with a long-range strike and Salomon Kalou converted an incisive pass from Joe Cole.
It means Grant is off the hook for the time being, but Saturday's visit of west London rivals Fulham promises to be a far bigger test.
Grant made seven changes to the side who lost to Manchester United on Sunday, but there was still a familiar feel about this Chelsea lineup.
Skipper John Terry, along with Michael Essien, Carlo Cudicini and Shaun Wright-Phillips, are all part of the fabric of the club and they were expected to carry Chelsea into the fourth round.
They were stuttering before Mourinho left the club last Wednesday, but there has been little to suggest that Grant is capable of steadying the ship. Chelsea are five points off the pace in the Premier League and the new manager will need more than a good run in the Carling Cup to sweet-talk Chelsea's sceptical supporters.
Grant believes he can transform the team's fortunes. He left Andriy Shevchenko, lethargic and heavylegged at Old Trafford, on the bench and paired Claudio Pizarro with Kalou up front.
Kalou had the first chance of the game when Terry's header fell kindly to him inside the penalty area, but his half-volley appeared to strike the arm of Hull defender Delaney. Referee Chris Foy initially believed Tigers keeper Boaz Myhill had turned his effort around the post, but television replays suggested that Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty.
It was a let-off for Hull, but Brown's side were playing without fear. Jay-Jay Okocha, who played under the Hull chief when he was assistant manager at Bolton, had a typically flamboyant effort turned around the post.
Some of Hull's players are still tuning into his wavelength after his surprise arrival on Humberside, but he is the classiest player to have worn this club's colours.
He might have lost his pace, but he will never lose the tricks of the trade and he was determined to go through the whole repertoire in front of an expectant home crowd.
Okocha's early effort settled Hull's nerves, but they lacked the final ball. David Livermore and Stuart Elliott probed down each wing, but Chelsea's defence was always a yard quicker to the ball.
Terry, who has been the bedrock of Chelsea success over the last three years, provided the towering clearances whenever Hull threatened to expose their fragile confidence.
Chelsea were not without chances in a first half that was evenly contested.
Wright-Phillips, recalled to the team after being surprisingly axed last Sunday, shot wildly over the crossbar and Pizarro's goalbound flick was turned away for a corner.
Steven Sidwell, who had made just two appearances for the club, excelled in the centre of midfield, but Hull had their own share of outstanding performers.
Hull skipper Ian Ashbee was full of running, but there were stellar performances from Wayne Brown and Michael Turner at the heart of Hull's defence.
Myhill, among the best keepers in the Championship, saved well at the feet of the oncoming Wright- Phillips, but there was nothing he could do about the opener.
Hull were too slow to react when Wright-Phillips exchanged passes with Juliano Belletti from a corner and Sinclair timed his run from the left to perfection.
Wright-Phillips executed the pass across the penalty area and Sinclair sidefooted home Chelsea's opener.
Hull responded when McPhee connected with Okocha's cross from the right, but Cudicini was relieved to see his crisply taken effort clear the bar.
Hull collapsed like a pack of cards after the break. Delaney appeared to meet Pizarro's cross first to head the ball past his own keeper under pressure from Kalou and they were out of the competition when Sidwell scored his first goal for the club.
The Chelsea midfielder has taken time to settle at Stamford Bridge, but he was mobbed by team-mates when his 25-yard strike beat Myhill.
It was a stunning effort from the Chelsea midfielder, but Hull were no match for the visitors last night.
Particularly when Joe Cole cut in from the left and side-footed a perfect pass for Kalou to score the fourth nine minutes from time.
HULL CITY (4-4-2): Myhill 7; Ricketts 6, Brown 8, Turner 7, Delaney (Dawson 53min, 6); Livermore 6, Ashbee 7, Okocha 7, Elliott 6 (Garcia 53, 6); Pedersen 6 (Featherston 73, 6), McPhee 6.
Booked: Brown.
CHELSEA (4-4-2): Cudicini 6; Belletti 6, Ben Haim 6, Terry 7, A Cole 6 (Bridge 65, 6); Wright-Phillips 7 (J Cole 49, 7), Essien 6 (Makalele 73, 6), Sidwell 7, Sinclair 7; Pizarro 6, Kalou 6.
Man of the match: Steve Sidwell.
Referee: C Foy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun:Hull City 0 Chelsea 4 By IAN McGARRYSeptember 27, 2007 HAVING weathered the Jose Mourinho storm, Avram Grant looked into the eye of the Tigers last night and escaped unscathed.
The new Chelsea boss won his first match since taking over to see Blues safely into round four.
It was a favourite competition for Grant’s predecessor — with the Portuguese coach having won it twice.
The last time was in February when Mourinho famously gave Roman Abramovich a five-finger salute to remind him how many trophies he’d won.
No doubt, the billionaire owner would have also been pleased with last night’s display. Not so pleasing, though, was the still fervent support for the departed Mourinho from the hardcore of Blues fans.
But Scott Sinclair and Steve Sidwell got first strikes for the club and Salomon Kalou headed home in between. He also smashed home a fourth nine minutes from time.
After a nervy start and seven changes from the team which lost at Old Trafford, it was just what the doctor ordered.
In the past, the Blues squad for games like this would have been light on stars. The teamsheet for this was anything but. Only Sinclair could be classed as one for the future. Skipper John Terry was there as was Ashley Cole and Michael Essien. Apart from the injured players, only Petr Cech and Florent Malouda were excluded.
The biggest shock was Andriy Shevchenko — replaced by Claudio Pizzaro — being left on the bench.
Essien took less than two minutes to cause Grant to lose his rag though when he passed short to Jay-Jay Okocha. Luckily for Chelsea, Hull’s brilliant Nigerian fluffed the opening.
Kalou then had a volley well blocked by Hull No 1 Boaz Myhill and the Tigers survived.
Terry must have hoped for a quiet night on Humberside but was called on several times to clear his lines.
Sam Ricketts found Steve McPhee with a perfect cross but the striker steered a free header wide. Okocha was running riot and released Stuart Elliot whose cross was hacked clear.
Shaun Wright-Phillips should have put Chelsea in front but fired straight at Myhill. He did better after 37 minutes setting up Sinclair who curled home.
Three minutes after the break Kalou made no mistake although he and defender Damien Delaney met Pizarro’s cross together.
Grant immediately withdrew Wright-Phillips and put on Joe Cole with the message to kill the game.
The players took the call to heart and four minutes later it was 3-0 through Sidwell’s 20-yarder.
Hull’s spirit did not falter and Henrik Pedersen, Okocha and Ian Ashbee went close. Even when Kalou fired in a lovely left-foot shot their heads did not drop.
One win means Grant can breathe a little easier — at least until Saturday when they face a much tougher test at home to Fulham.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror:
GRANT'S SINCING FEELING Scott gives new boss his first win Hull 0 Chelsea 4
Simon Bird 27/09/2007
Jose Mourinho helped Chelsea to victory last night - seven days after losing his job.
The former boss's final act at Chelsea's training ground last Thursday was to hug youngster Scott Sinclair and tell him: You'll be a big star one day.
And feeding off that boost from his departing boss, the 18-year-old stepped up to the first team last night, grabbed his first goal for the club, and gave new manager Avram Grant his first win.
The 18-year-old sent Chelsea on the way to a comprehensive victory, Chelsea's first in five games. Grant has been told to deliver goals and more exciting football by owner Roman Abramovich.
AdvertisementWell, the goals certainly came quickly once Hull's resistance had been broken. The next test is to reproduce this finishing against Premiership opposition. Bathborn Sinclair, controversially poached from Bristol Rovers two years ago, set Chelsea up for an easy win with his 38th minute curler.
Three minutes after the break Salomon Kalou scrambled in a cross from Claudio Pizarro to make it a cruise for the visitors after an uncomfortable first half.
Four minutes later Steve Sidwell rifled in his debut goal for his new club from 25 yards.
And Kalou tucked away his second of the evening in the 81st minute with his left foot from Joe Cole's cross.
It may have only been Hull City, a lowly Championship club, in the Carling Cup, but for Grant it was a vital win to settle the club after a hellish week when the figure of Mourinho has loomed large.
One down side for Chelsea was Shaun Wright-Phillips limping out of the game in the second half with an injury that England boss Steve McClaren will be concerned about.
Abramovich wasn't at the KC Stadium and missed the banner warning the Russian: "This club is ours and not your toy." The opening goal of Grant's new regime came seven minutes before half-time, and settled a performance that reflected the uncertainty at the club.
Shaun Wright-Phillips whipped a low ball across the box which left Hull's retreating defence flat-footed. Sinclair collected the ball on the right edge of the area and curled a side-footed effort through a host of bodies into the far corner.
It was only Chelsea's second goal in their last five games.
It was the Championship strugglers, and Jay-Jay Okocha, who produced the early tricks, flicks and chances, that required some well-timed defensive blocks to repel. Chelsea treated the game with respect by fielding the likes of John Terry, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien when under normal circumstances they would have been rested for an early round Carling Cup tie.
Grant's men were busy in defence as Henrik Pedersen sent a header just wide.
Chelsea right-back Juliano Belletti also needed to be sharp in snuffing out a Stephen McPhee chance as Hull took the game to the Blues.
Geordie Stuart Elliott was next to threaten down the left with an excellent cross and McPhee blazed another chance over. But once Sinclair broke the deadlock, Hull's hopes of an upset were well and truly crushed.
Hull: Myhill, Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Delaney, Okocha, Ashbee, Livermore, Elliott, McPhee, Pedersen.
Chelsea: Cudicini, Belletti, Ben-Haim, Terry, Ashley Cole, Wright-Phillips, Essien, Sidwell, Kalou, Sinclair, Pizarro.
40% POSSESSION 60%
3 SHOTS ON TARGET 11
7 SHOTS OFF TARGET 1
2 OFFSIDES 5
5 CORNERS 13
11 FOULS 16
1 YELLOW CARDS 0
0 RED CARDS 0
AT TENDANCE: 23,543
Man Of The Match: Kalou ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Salomon Kalou relieves some of the pressure as Chelsea find their cutting edgeHull 0 Chelsea 4
Matt Hughes
Avram Grant must have feared being fed to the sharks in the nearby aquarium after sitting through 36 scoreless minutes, but to his intense relief, Chelsea’s misfiring players finally showed that they, too, possess teeth after all. Scott Sinclair, Salomon Kalou and Steve Sidwell all scored their first goals of the season before the Ivory Coast striker added another to bring a satisfactory end to one of the most turbulent weeks in the club’s history.
After scoring one goal in their previous four matches, any evidence of a cutting edge is to be welcomed by Chelsea, although it would be wrong to assume that a comprehensive win over a team seventh bottom of the Coca-Cola Championship will cure all their ills. Hull’s aquarium is known as The Deep and Chelsea’s players will have driven past it last night well aware they have only just begun to clamber out of the huge hole the club have dug for them.
It is to the players’ credit that Chelsea’s team spirit has survived the trials and tribulations of the past seven days, though other problems remain. The uncertainty created by Grant’s failure to obtain a Uefa Pro Licence has not been resolved, the injured Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard have not been given comeback dates and the position of Andriy Shevchenko, an unused substitute last night, remains unclear. To add to the intrigue, Roman Abramovich was absent despite hiring ten bodyguards to guarantee his safety. “If he’s here, you say he picks the team and if he’s not, you say he’s unhappy,” Grant, the Chelsea manager, said. “He missed a good game.”
With a chill wind blowing in from the east, Shevchenko should have felt at home, though it was a strike partnership from warmer parts that secured the holders a place in Saturday’s fourth-round draw. Claudio Pizarro did a passable impression of Drogba by holding the ball up well and showed signs of developing a promising partnership with Kalou, who, after a frustrating start to the season, finally found his shooting boots. After seeing his team-mates score four goals for the first time since a 4-1 win over West Ham United in April, Shevchenko can hardly expect to regain his place for the West London derby against Fulham on Saturday.
Grant praised his players’ clinical finishing and neat build-up play, but Phil Brown, the Hull manager, was more taken with their togetherness and support for the manager. “The one thing I learnt from Chelsea tonight was their players believed in one another and trusted one another,” Brown said. “They proved a point and played for the manager.”
Chelsea’s energetic opening provided an early sign of their enduring spirit as they forced four corners in quick succession. If the final 20 minutes of Chelsea’s Champions League draw with Rosenborg last week had resembled an ice hockey match, as Knut Torum, the Norwegian’s side’s coach, claimed, then this was more like Pinball Wizard. Sidwell’s shot was cleared off the line by Sam Ricketts, Michael Essien’s volley was saved by Bo Myhill and the Ghana midfield player then blasted over the bar after a good run from Shaun Wright-Phillips.
After being besieged for five minutes, Hull showed good spirit themselves to turn the match into a compelling contest, with Jay-Jay Okocha linking well with his wingers, Stuart Elliott and Henrik Pedersen, though their resistance was broken as Chelsea took the lead in the 37th minute.
Juliano Belletti found Wright-Phillips in space down the right, with the England winger crossing for Scott Sinclair to score his first goal for the club on his first start of the season. The 18-year-old showed impressive composure given his inexperience, cutting in from the left to place a right-foot shot past Myhill.
With confidence restored, Chelsea dominated the second half after doubling their lead in the 48th minute, with Kalou exchanging a one-two with Pizarro before meeting his cross with a neat header. Whereas Chelsea’s second goal contained an element of poetry, their third, four minutes later, was the result of sheer power, with Sidwell almost bursting the back of the net with a right-foot shot from 25 yards. Kalou added a fourth late on and Wayne Bridge, the left back, provided more good news by making his first appearance of the season after ankle surgery, though the real tests are yet to come, as Grant admitted.
“All the goals came from combinations with passes between many players,” he said. “Our target is to score many goals and play attacking football. I want the team to play as much attacking football as they can.”
Hull City (4-4-1-1): B Myhill – S Ricketts, M Turner, W Brown, D Delaney (sub: A Dawson, 53min) – H Pedersen (sub: N Featherstone, 73), I Ashbee, D Livermore, S Elliott (sub: R Garcia, 53) – A Okocha – S McPhee. Substitutes not used: B Hughes, T Woodhead. Booked: Brown.
Chelsea (4-4-2): C Cudicini – J Belletti, T Ben Haim, J Terry, A Cole (sub: W Bridge, 65) – S Wright-Phillips (sub: J Cole, 48), M Essien (sub: C Makelele, 73), S Sidwell, S Sinclair – C Pizarro, S Kalou. Substitutes not used: Hilário, A Shevchenko.
Referee: C Foy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Chelsea back in winning mood
By Tim Rich
Hull City (0) 0 0 Chelsea (1) 4
Avram Grant's wife, a woman flamboyant enough to make Nancy Dell'Olio seem like Norma Major, presents her own television show in Israel, called True Questions.
Although her husband's fate will be determined by rather harder assignments than this, the question: "Will you be humiliated by Hull and sacked by the weekend?" was answered with an emphatic ''no". The response would, however, have had to be relayed to the Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, who decided an autumnal night in east Yorkshire was something he could do without. Grant smiled that he had missed a good game.
Abramovich was right to spare himself the journey. After Sunday's defeat by Manchester United, the former Chelsea captain, Marcel Desailly, had made an impassioned appeal for the club's supporters to remember that Chelsea had survived the departures of Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli; men who at the time had seemed as pivotal to Chelsea's future as Jose Mourinho.
This was the kind of victory that, had you woken from a week-long coma, you would assume came from a side still associated with him. In Mourinho's three seasons at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea never remotely looked like losing to lower-division opposition – and nor did they last night.
And yet not even when Salomon Kalou converted his second goal and Chelsea's fourth nine minutes from time did the travelling support mention Grant's name. Even when the match was long-since done you could hear a faint echo, sung to the Waltz of the Toreadors, of "Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho" dissolving into the night skies.
The "Special One" banner that Chelsea's supporters had rallied behind at Old Trafford on Sunday was not at the KC Stadium last night but the first and last chants were all about a man whose ghost dominates the club he has left in the way that Brian Clough and Kevin Keegan haunted Derby and Newcastle. At the Baseball Ground, Clough's successor, Dave Mackay, coped; at St James' Park, Kenny Dalglish did not. With the pick of Europe's coaches, from Guus Hiddink to Marco van Basten, standing in the shadows, Grant still needs more than 4-0 wins over sides who are 18th in the Championship.
Maybe it is time for perspective. This was the sixth time the cups had taken Chelsea to Humberside and they had sometimes arrived in a far worse state than now. Their 2-0 victory at Boothferry Park in 1982 was at the time Chelsea's ruinous debt was threatening to turn Stamford Bridge into a particularly expensive housing estate. This may be a crisis but there have been worse.
When Scott Sinclair drilled his shot with geometric precision into the corner of Bo Myhill's goal in the 37th minute, the crisis began to ease. And as Kalou headed into a virtually unguarded net, it was clear that the gulf between the two sides could not be spanned even by the sweeping girders of the Humber Bridge. After the 52nd minute, when Steve Sidwell hammered home his first goal in a Chelsea shirt, thoughts began to stray to Chelsea's last visit to Humberside under Vialli, which ended in a 6-1 rout in the FA Cup.
Although they carried their greatest threat when the game was irretrievably lost, Hull did exactly what might be expected of them. They began the night shooting fireworks into the chill night air and hired a rather splendid opera singer, who, for those still concerned by the Divorce of Jose, reeled off a number from The Marriage of Figaro and inevitably, Nessun Dorma, which was introduced as "a song about winning".
If Hull were to grab the most memorable victory in their history, then you imagined that Jay-Jay Okocha would have to play some part in it all. The great Nigerian sparked one flicker of the old brilliance, pulling back a pass that Stephen McPhee drove just over the bar.
That was the closest Hull were to come until they were three goals down. Their manager, Phil Brown, who got to know Grant when negotiating Tal Ben-Haim's transfer to Bolton as Sam Allardyce's assistant, thought Chelsea unlucky to have lost at Old Trafford and thought them clinical here.
Given the controversy that has surrounded the Chelsea captain, Grant was right to start with John Terry, who made one critical interception and then on the final whistle kissed his badge and threw his shirt into the crowd. Terry is not the sort of man to endure humiliation and he was not about to begin now.
Match details
Hull City: (4-5-1) Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown Delaney (Dawson 53); Pedersen (Featherstone 71), Ashbee, Livermore, McPhee, Okocha; Elliott (Garcia 53). Subs: Woodhead (g), Hughes. Booked: Brown. Chelsea: (4-4-2) Cudicini; Belletti, Ben Haim, Terry, A Cole (Bridge 65); Wright-Phillips (J Cole 49) Essien (Makelele 71), Sidwell, Sinclair; Kalou, Pizarro. Subs: Hilario (g), Makelele, Shevchenko.Goals: Sinclair 37, Kalou 48, Sidwell 52, Kalou 81. Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Hull City 0 Chelsea 4: Hull proves to be Grant's welcome break By Jason Burt
Victories like this were routine for Jose Mourinho – although he would have curled his lip as Chelsea kept attacking when the contest was over – but Hull away will forever have a place in the heart of his successor Avram Grant.
Not that he has found his way into the affections of Chelsea's supporters. There were songs for Mourinho, Frank Lampard and even Gianfranco Zola, but the Israeli? Nothing. It may take more than dismissing a side languishing 18th in the Championship, and fielding a weakened line-up, for that to happen.
But there was also an ironic chant of "boring, boring Chelsea" and Grant, charged with creating a more entertaining style, can be pleased with that. This was, after all, not just a would-be banana skin for the new manager, coming to grips with his elevation, but a whole crate of fetid, stinking fruit that could have been poured over his head with anything short of a resounding win.
The Carling Cup, of which Chelsea are the holders, was the first trophy won by Mourinho. Whether Grant is even still around for the final next spring, never mind reaching it, remains to be seen. But there was satisfaction in the performance and the goals even if owner Roman Abramovich was delayed and wasn't, apparently, able to fly north to take up one of the 24 seats reserved for his entourage.
"I think he missed a good game," said Grant, wary of accusations that it is his pay-master, not he, who is picking the team but emboldened by a vibrant performance to try a little wit of his own. "Our target is to score many goals and play attacking football," he added. It's the kind of statement that would have had Mourinho throwing his arms up in disgust. Surely, he would have said, the only target is winning? But, as he found out, that ultimately was not enough.
Grant awoke yesterday to claims that, after just one week in situ, his job had been offered to Marco van Basten. Chelsea responded robustly to that by denying any such thing, though such is their record of not being totally clear with the truth, so to speak, it was probably a waste of time doing so. But it backed the new man and he responded with a selection of intent and a first-choice core. He knew he could not lose so there was no rest for John Terry and his bruised toe or, after the events of last week, his bruised ego either.
There was, however, no place for Andrei Shevchenko, who found himself parked on the bench as Chelsea propelled Hull back with a succession of corners. It was a long way for the Ukrainian to travel to not take part although he could have been forgiven for rolling his eyes opportunities were wasted.
Hull gradually worked their way back into the match, prompted by the guile of Jay-Jay Okocha and, also, aided by a wretched performance by Ashley Cole. But nerves were steadied when Shaun Wright-Phillips – who later hobbled off although Grant claimed he was "fine" – pulled the ball back to Scott Sinclair. The 18-year-old calmly arced a right-foot shot into the corner of the net for his first Chelsea goal.
Immediately after the interval Chelsea struck again. It was a sweeping move with Claudio Pizarro nimbly picking out Salomon Kalou who attempted to head home but was beaten to it by the hapless Damien Delaney for an own goal. Suddenly Chelsea were on fire even if Hull's Ian Ashbee missed a glorious headed opportunity.
Another swift attack, with Ashley Cole and Pizarro combining down the left, ended with the ball being laid to Steve Sidwell who struck home a crisp drive from 25 yards. Terry had a header cleared off the line and then Joe Cole, an eager substitute, skipped down the left and picked out Kalou who side-footed in to complete the scoring.
The Hull manager, Phil Brown, was phlegmatic. "It was always going to be about Chelsea and Avram Grant," he said. "They've proved a point. Avram's got a great chance." It may not be a universally-held view but his prospects have certainly improved.
Hull City (4-2-3-1): Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Delaney (Dawson, 53); Ashbee, Livermore; Pedersen (Featherstone, 73), Okocha, Elliott (Garcia, 53), McPhee. Substitutes not used: Woodhead (gk), Hughes.
Chelsea (4-4-2): Cudicini; Belletti, Ben Haim, Terry, A Cole (Bridge, 65); Wright-Phillips (J Cole, 49), Essien (Makelele, 73), Sidwell, Sinclair; Kalou Pizarro. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Shevchenko.
Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chelsea rout kick-starts Grant era
Louise Taylor at the KC StadiumThursday September 27, 2007The Guardian
Jose who? Admittedly it was against a Championship side in the Carling Cup but a vibrant Chelsea performance suffused with goals and improvisational attacking suggested there just might be a life for the Blues post Mourinho after all.Moreover this new era may even include an extended managerial stay for Avram Grant, the Pro licence-less former Israel manager who choreographed Chelsea's first win in five games with a pleasingly fluent game plan far removed from Mourinho's hallmark conservatism.
It was the sort of tie his predecessor would conceivably have been happy to win by a one- or two-goal margin but, bolstered by his team's rapid counter-attacking, Grant marked his first victory with a bold mission statement. "That's the sort of football I want Chelsea to play, that's very much the goal," he said. "I'm happy with the performance. There were good combinations between many players, good passing and four goals."Indeed the only shame was that Roman Abramovich - who had booked a place in the directors' box, plus 10 more for his minders - was not there to see it. "I think he missed a good game," said Grant, who was unperturbed by occasional chants of "Jose Mourinho" from the away end. "Managers come and go but players want to play for the club," he shrugged.
At the end of a day when Chelsea denied reports that they were considering appointing Marco van Basten in Grant's stead, Mourinho's successor felt sufficiently confident to make seven changes from the side that lost at Manchester United on Sunday.
Grant's team looked eager from the off and might easily have taken a quick lead. The Israeli has not exactly enjoyed the best of luck with refereeing decisions during his short time in charge and must have been frustrated to see his side denied a clear penalty for handball in the third minute when Hull's left-back, Damien Delaney, sneakily stretched out a hand to palm Salomon Kalou's shot wide.
The visitors also forced a flurry of corners but, when Jay-Jay Okocha began reminding everyone that he can still pass a bit and deliver a mean dead ball, John Terry was required to make a couple of important headed clearances.
Phil Brown, Hull's manager, had asked his players to "dare to dream" and, inspired by the influential Okocha, they gradually began enjoying some protracted periods of possession and might even have taken the lead if Stephen McPhee had not angled an inviting headed chance wide. Poor McPhee would later spurn a similarly promising opening after an Okocha cross wrong-footed Terry and Tal Ben Haim.
Scott Sinclair's finishing proved far more precise as the left-sided winger accelerated seamlessly to meet Shaun Wright-Phillips' square ball across the box and promptly sidefoot beyond the helpless Bo Myhill, who was unsighted by Terry's presence in an arguably offside position.
Brown's hitherto resilient defence had failed to register the danger when Wright-Phillips exchanged slick passes with Juliano Belletti before cutting in from the right and centring for Sinclair's first senior goal for Chelsea. Loaned to Plymouth last season, Sinclair has long been tipped for great things by Mourinho and looks ready for a chance in the Premier League.
It was the first truly chilly night of autumn in east Yorkshire but Grant must surely have felt beautifully warm when Chelsea began the second half with a second goal rather generously credited to Kalou. In reality it appeared more of an own-goal on the part of Delaney, who seemed to head Claudio Pizarro's delicately chipped cross into his own net after jumping for the ball with Kalou.
There was no doubt about the identity of the next scorer though, Steve Sidwell claiming his first goal for Chelsea since arriving from Reading in the summer, his drive struck with the outside of a boot from about 22 yards.
Although Okocha curled a free-kick inches wide, Chelsea highlighted their superiority when their substitutes Joe Cole and Wayne Bridge exchanged passes down the left before the former centred for Kalou to turn and beat Myhill with a neat, first-time, left-foot finish. "A lesson in quality," said Brown. "And I thought Chelsea played for their manager tonight."---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Hull 0-4 Chelsea: Kalou double gets Grant off the mark
By NEIL ASHTON
Jose Mourinho singled out Scott Sinclair for special praise when he made his final farewells at the training ground last week.
'You can be a star,' he told the youngster during an emotional exchange in the changing room and last night he lived up to his billing with the goal that temporarily took the pressure off Avram Grant.
The name of the Carling Cup holders is in the hat for Saturday's fourth-round draw and that is all that counts after they survived their 400-mile round trip to Hull.
Phil Brown's side, 18th in the Championship, made a fist of it, but Sinclair swept Hull aside with a 37th-minute effort. They finished off the job when Hull left-back Damien Delaney headed into his own net three minutes after the break, Steven Sidwell scored his first goal for the club with a long-range strike and Salomon Kalou converted an incisive pass from Joe Cole.
It means Grant is off the hook for the time being, but Saturday's visit of west London rivals Fulham promises to be a far bigger test.
Grant made seven changes to the side who lost to Manchester United on Sunday, but there was still a familiar feel about this Chelsea lineup.
Skipper John Terry, along with Michael Essien, Carlo Cudicini and Shaun Wright-Phillips, are all part of the fabric of the club and they were expected to carry Chelsea into the fourth round.
They were stuttering before Mourinho left the club last Wednesday, but there has been little to suggest that Grant is capable of steadying the ship. Chelsea are five points off the pace in the Premier League and the new manager will need more than a good run in the Carling Cup to sweet-talk Chelsea's sceptical supporters.
Grant believes he can transform the team's fortunes. He left Andriy Shevchenko, lethargic and heavylegged at Old Trafford, on the bench and paired Claudio Pizarro with Kalou up front.
Kalou had the first chance of the game when Terry's header fell kindly to him inside the penalty area, but his half-volley appeared to strike the arm of Hull defender Delaney. Referee Chris Foy initially believed Tigers keeper Boaz Myhill had turned his effort around the post, but television replays suggested that Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty.
It was a let-off for Hull, but Brown's side were playing without fear. Jay-Jay Okocha, who played under the Hull chief when he was assistant manager at Bolton, had a typically flamboyant effort turned around the post.
Some of Hull's players are still tuning into his wavelength after his surprise arrival on Humberside, but he is the classiest player to have worn this club's colours.
He might have lost his pace, but he will never lose the tricks of the trade and he was determined to go through the whole repertoire in front of an expectant home crowd.
Okocha's early effort settled Hull's nerves, but they lacked the final ball. David Livermore and Stuart Elliott probed down each wing, but Chelsea's defence was always a yard quicker to the ball.
Terry, who has been the bedrock of Chelsea success over the last three years, provided the towering clearances whenever Hull threatened to expose their fragile confidence.
Chelsea were not without chances in a first half that was evenly contested.
Wright-Phillips, recalled to the team after being surprisingly axed last Sunday, shot wildly over the crossbar and Pizarro's goalbound flick was turned away for a corner.
Steven Sidwell, who had made just two appearances for the club, excelled in the centre of midfield, but Hull had their own share of outstanding performers.
Hull skipper Ian Ashbee was full of running, but there were stellar performances from Wayne Brown and Michael Turner at the heart of Hull's defence.
Myhill, among the best keepers in the Championship, saved well at the feet of the oncoming Wright- Phillips, but there was nothing he could do about the opener.
Hull were too slow to react when Wright-Phillips exchanged passes with Juliano Belletti from a corner and Sinclair timed his run from the left to perfection.
Wright-Phillips executed the pass across the penalty area and Sinclair sidefooted home Chelsea's opener.
Hull responded when McPhee connected with Okocha's cross from the right, but Cudicini was relieved to see his crisply taken effort clear the bar.
Hull collapsed like a pack of cards after the break. Delaney appeared to meet Pizarro's cross first to head the ball past his own keeper under pressure from Kalou and they were out of the competition when Sidwell scored his first goal for the club.
The Chelsea midfielder has taken time to settle at Stamford Bridge, but he was mobbed by team-mates when his 25-yard strike beat Myhill.
It was a stunning effort from the Chelsea midfielder, but Hull were no match for the visitors last night.
Particularly when Joe Cole cut in from the left and side-footed a perfect pass for Kalou to score the fourth nine minutes from time.
HULL CITY (4-4-2): Myhill 7; Ricketts 6, Brown 8, Turner 7, Delaney (Dawson 53min, 6); Livermore 6, Ashbee 7, Okocha 7, Elliott 6 (Garcia 53, 6); Pedersen 6 (Featherston 73, 6), McPhee 6.
Booked: Brown.
CHELSEA (4-4-2): Cudicini 6; Belletti 6, Ben Haim 6, Terry 7, A Cole 6 (Bridge 65, 6); Wright-Phillips 7 (J Cole 49, 7), Essien 6 (Makalele 73, 6), Sidwell 7, Sinclair 7; Pizarro 6, Kalou 6.
Man of the match: Steve Sidwell.
Referee: C Foy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun:Hull City 0 Chelsea 4 By IAN McGARRYSeptember 27, 2007 HAVING weathered the Jose Mourinho storm, Avram Grant looked into the eye of the Tigers last night and escaped unscathed.
The new Chelsea boss won his first match since taking over to see Blues safely into round four.
It was a favourite competition for Grant’s predecessor — with the Portuguese coach having won it twice.
The last time was in February when Mourinho famously gave Roman Abramovich a five-finger salute to remind him how many trophies he’d won.
No doubt, the billionaire owner would have also been pleased with last night’s display. Not so pleasing, though, was the still fervent support for the departed Mourinho from the hardcore of Blues fans.
But Scott Sinclair and Steve Sidwell got first strikes for the club and Salomon Kalou headed home in between. He also smashed home a fourth nine minutes from time.
After a nervy start and seven changes from the team which lost at Old Trafford, it was just what the doctor ordered.
In the past, the Blues squad for games like this would have been light on stars. The teamsheet for this was anything but. Only Sinclair could be classed as one for the future. Skipper John Terry was there as was Ashley Cole and Michael Essien. Apart from the injured players, only Petr Cech and Florent Malouda were excluded.
The biggest shock was Andriy Shevchenko — replaced by Claudio Pizzaro — being left on the bench.
Essien took less than two minutes to cause Grant to lose his rag though when he passed short to Jay-Jay Okocha. Luckily for Chelsea, Hull’s brilliant Nigerian fluffed the opening.
Kalou then had a volley well blocked by Hull No 1 Boaz Myhill and the Tigers survived.
Terry must have hoped for a quiet night on Humberside but was called on several times to clear his lines.
Sam Ricketts found Steve McPhee with a perfect cross but the striker steered a free header wide. Okocha was running riot and released Stuart Elliot whose cross was hacked clear.
Shaun Wright-Phillips should have put Chelsea in front but fired straight at Myhill. He did better after 37 minutes setting up Sinclair who curled home.
Three minutes after the break Kalou made no mistake although he and defender Damien Delaney met Pizarro’s cross together.
Grant immediately withdrew Wright-Phillips and put on Joe Cole with the message to kill the game.
The players took the call to heart and four minutes later it was 3-0 through Sidwell’s 20-yarder.
Hull’s spirit did not falter and Henrik Pedersen, Okocha and Ian Ashbee went close. Even when Kalou fired in a lovely left-foot shot their heads did not drop.
One win means Grant can breathe a little easier — at least until Saturday when they face a much tougher test at home to Fulham.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror:
GRANT'S SINCING FEELING Scott gives new boss his first win Hull 0 Chelsea 4
Simon Bird 27/09/2007
Jose Mourinho helped Chelsea to victory last night - seven days after losing his job.
The former boss's final act at Chelsea's training ground last Thursday was to hug youngster Scott Sinclair and tell him: You'll be a big star one day.
And feeding off that boost from his departing boss, the 18-year-old stepped up to the first team last night, grabbed his first goal for the club, and gave new manager Avram Grant his first win.
The 18-year-old sent Chelsea on the way to a comprehensive victory, Chelsea's first in five games. Grant has been told to deliver goals and more exciting football by owner Roman Abramovich.
AdvertisementWell, the goals certainly came quickly once Hull's resistance had been broken. The next test is to reproduce this finishing against Premiership opposition. Bathborn Sinclair, controversially poached from Bristol Rovers two years ago, set Chelsea up for an easy win with his 38th minute curler.
Three minutes after the break Salomon Kalou scrambled in a cross from Claudio Pizarro to make it a cruise for the visitors after an uncomfortable first half.
Four minutes later Steve Sidwell rifled in his debut goal for his new club from 25 yards.
And Kalou tucked away his second of the evening in the 81st minute with his left foot from Joe Cole's cross.
It may have only been Hull City, a lowly Championship club, in the Carling Cup, but for Grant it was a vital win to settle the club after a hellish week when the figure of Mourinho has loomed large.
One down side for Chelsea was Shaun Wright-Phillips limping out of the game in the second half with an injury that England boss Steve McClaren will be concerned about.
Abramovich wasn't at the KC Stadium and missed the banner warning the Russian: "This club is ours and not your toy." The opening goal of Grant's new regime came seven minutes before half-time, and settled a performance that reflected the uncertainty at the club.
Shaun Wright-Phillips whipped a low ball across the box which left Hull's retreating defence flat-footed. Sinclair collected the ball on the right edge of the area and curled a side-footed effort through a host of bodies into the far corner.
It was only Chelsea's second goal in their last five games.
It was the Championship strugglers, and Jay-Jay Okocha, who produced the early tricks, flicks and chances, that required some well-timed defensive blocks to repel. Chelsea treated the game with respect by fielding the likes of John Terry, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien when under normal circumstances they would have been rested for an early round Carling Cup tie.
Grant's men were busy in defence as Henrik Pedersen sent a header just wide.
Chelsea right-back Juliano Belletti also needed to be sharp in snuffing out a Stephen McPhee chance as Hull took the game to the Blues.
Geordie Stuart Elliott was next to threaten down the left with an excellent cross and McPhee blazed another chance over. But once Sinclair broke the deadlock, Hull's hopes of an upset were well and truly crushed.
Hull: Myhill, Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Delaney, Okocha, Ashbee, Livermore, Elliott, McPhee, Pedersen.
Chelsea: Cudicini, Belletti, Ben-Haim, Terry, Ashley Cole, Wright-Phillips, Essien, Sidwell, Kalou, Sinclair, Pizarro.
40% POSSESSION 60%
3 SHOTS ON TARGET 11
7 SHOTS OFF TARGET 1
2 OFFSIDES 5
5 CORNERS 13
11 FOULS 16
1 YELLOW CARDS 0
0 RED CARDS 0
AT TENDANCE: 23,543
Man Of The Match: Kalou ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, September 24, 2007
morning papers man utd away
The Times September 24, 2007
Chelsea made to suffer by Mike Dean’s deficienciesManchester United 2 Chelsea 0Martin Samuel, Chief Football Correspondent
Mike Dean had some big calls to make at Old Trafford yesterday. It really would have spoilt it had he got one right. He gave a penalty that was not; missed a penalty that was; sent off a player that did not deserve it; merely cautioned one that did. When Sir Alex Ferguson describes a red card to an opposition player as harsh, it would suggest an extreme miscarriage of justice. If the jury is out on the new Chelsea manager, Avram Grant, it is because the performance of the referee ruled this match a mistrial.
Chelsea were not particularly impressive, but the dismissal of John Obi Mikel for a tackle that was at worst recklessly overenthusiastic in the 31st minute, ended the match as a fair contest. Denied their two most significant attacking players in Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard, Chelsea were already struggling to contain Manchester United; once reduced to ten men it made the first goal a matter of time, and roughly 14 minutes later one duly arrived.
The only reason to withhold sympathy for Chelsea, who, with 11 points from seven games are experiencing their worst spell since the stewardship of Gianluca Vialli in the 2000-01 season, is the fact that before Dean had wrongly dismissed Mikel, he had also failed to spot a certain penalty when Joe Cole clumsily hacked Patrice Evra down in the penalty area. As the second half unfolded, the calamities continued. Joe Cole could easily have followed Mikel to the dressing-room for taking out Cristiano Ronaldo, late, from behind and with no chance of winning the ball. Louis Saha looked to have played Dean for a patsy when winning a penalty in the 88th minute, making the most of minimal contact from Tal Ben Haim and collapsing to the ground as if picked off by a stadium sniper.
In this way, Dean ensured that few are any the wiser about Grant or his regime. Had he continued to hold United to a goalless draw, what would he have done to win the game late on? Would understandable early caution have given way to a more expansive style? Would he have thrown a second striker on, perhaps moved away from the 4-3-3 blueprint of José Mourinho? We must wait and see; the dead hand of Dean killed the game, as surely as Grant’s solemn demeanour and a series of hangdog touchline expressions are doing no favours for Chelsea’s hopes of sending a global brand around the world, after the departure of the handsome, smartly attired and compelling José Mourinho.
Grant had little to crack a smile about, once Dean ripped a hole in his solidly-constructed midfield, by showing Mikel a straight red card for a tackle that warranted at most a yellow, if that. Mikel’s tackle on Evra may have looked two-footed from Dean’s angle, but replays showed Mikel led with one and mistimed his arrival only slightly.
It looked much worse than it was, but experienced professional referees such as Dean are there to judge such things and five dismissals in his past seven matches suggests a certain overeagerness. The reaction of the United players, particularly Wayne Rooney, did not help, though. For obvious reasons he, more than anyone, should have known better.
As should Joe Cole when, in the seventeenth minute, he chased Evra back into Chelsea’s penalty area from along the flank, before attempting a diving tackle that took the ball, but only after removing the player first. As the crowd roared for a penalty, Dean signalled a firm negative in front of the Stretford End. Full marks for bravery, zero for accuracy. Anyone can take the ball if the man can be sent airborne, too, and Chelsea could have been a goal down almost 30 minutes before Carlos Tévez opened the scoring.
Even that goal, his first of the season, was not without controversy. Dean’s assistant showed that two minutes of injury time would be played at the end of the first half, but there were more than three additional minutes on the clock when Tévez met a perfect cross from Ryan Giggs at the near post to glance the ball past Petr Cech.
And that, really, was that. A shot by Giggs over the bar in the 58th minute aside, the second half consisted of little more than bookings and unsuccessful Chelsea substitutions - Claudio Pizarro looking even more cumbersome than Andriy Shevchenko and Shaun Wright-Phillips seeming about as far away from an England player as it is possible to be, without turning into Michael Ricketts – punctuated by the odd howler from Dean.
His final lowlights comprised the decision to book Joe Cole for a tackle on Ronaldo that was considerably worse than Mikel’s hit on Evra and the penalty given to Saha for a small touch from Ben Haim, followed by a dive that appeared to make even his manager uncomfortable. Saha converted from the spot, underlying rough justice as the theme for the day.
United were much the better team and deserved the win, incredibly the first time since April 28 that Ferguson’s team have scored more than a single goal in a game. Chelsea’s premium performer was Cech, whose first-half display in goal was exceptional, including saves from Rooney, Michael Carrick, Tévez and a quite stunning stop after a glancing header from Nemanja Vidic.
Chelsea, by contrast, were ineffectual and the continued inclusion of Roman Abramovich’s favourite, Shevchenko, is doing little to increase their chances of scoring. He had a shot travel over after eight minutes and pulled off an exquisite turn six minutes later, which caused Evra and Vidic to run into each other, but these were party tricks, when his club needed a star turn. He was replaced by Salomon Kalou after 58 minutes to the surprise of nobody.
At the end, Abramovich stood and applauded warmly as if what he had seen was a big improvement. It was nothing of the sort. Chelsea were predictable and uninspiring, as they have been for much of the season; the only change was that this time it was agreed widely that they also had the referee to blame. In a bizarre way, while being stitched up by Dean, the new manager might also have been a little lucky he was there.
AVRAM WATCH
Team selection Grant would have to be a cross between Rinus Michels and Arsène Wenger to fulfil the demand for beautiful football, but on this evidence he is closer to José Mourinho. Sprang a surprise by dropping Salomon Kalou for an extra midfield player, although, in the circumstances, it was justified. 3 Mourinhos out of 5
Substitutions Grant showed that he is his own man. Andriy Shevchenko was bravely removed after 58 minutes and he took a gamble by putting on Shaun Wright-Phillips and Claudio Pizarro in search of an equaliser. The manager was unable to get his side back into the game, but he was not responsible for losing it, either. 3/5
Tactics If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then maybe Grant liked Mourinho after all. The Israeli’s tactics were reminiscent of his predecessor’s, if not more conservative, with Chelsea’s 4-1-4-1 formation designed to smother Manchester United. As the home side dominated entirely, they cannot be deemed a success. 2/5
Touchline demeanour With his ill-fitting tracksuit, Grant resembles a provincial PE teacher in contrast to Mourinho’s slick corporate lawyer, and their approach to management appears equally different. Whereas Mourinho ranted and raved, Grant was either sat in the dugout or standing silently with arms folded, offering little in the way of inspiration. 2/5
Specialness To judge from the fact that the travelling supporters refused to chant his name – singing instead for Mourinho and Steve Clarke – Chelsea fans are still to be convinced. The home supporters taunted them with “Where is the Special One?”. After this, Chelsea fans may be wondering the same. 2/5 Matt Hughes
Manchester United 2 Tévez 45, Saha 90 (pen) Chelsea 0
How they rated
Manchester United 4-2-3-1
E van der Sar 6 W Brown Y 7 R Ferdinand 8 N Vidic 7 P Evra 6 M Carrick 7 P Scholes 6 C Ronaldo 7 C Tévez 7 R Giggs 7 W Rooney Y 7 Substitutes L Saha (for Tévez, 78min) Not used Nani, G Piqué, J O’Shea, T Kuszczak Next: Birmingham City (a)
Chelsea 4-1-4-1
P Cech 8 P Ferreira 6 T Ben Haim 6 J Terry Y 6 A Cole 7 M Essien 6 C Makelele 6 J O Mikel R 5 J Cole Y 5 A Shevchenko 5 F Malouda 6 Substitutes S Kalou 5 (for Shevchenko, 58), S Wright-Phillips 4 (for Malouda, 68), C Pizarro (for J Cole, 75) Not used C Cudicini, Alex Next: Fulham (h)
Referee M Dean Attendance 75,663 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:Man Utd quick to capitalise on Chelsea vacuumBy Henry Winter
Manchester United (1) 2 Chelsea (0) 0
On the day that "Avram Who?" became "Avram Why?", Chelsea lost a player, two goals and three points to compound the disaster of losing the inspirational Jose Mourinho. If they are to rebuild for the future, Chelsea must appoint a more substantial successor to Mourinho than Avram Grant, who possesses neither the leadership skills nor the coaching licence.
As Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich sat alone with his thoughts in a deserted directors' box at the break, serenaded by United chants of "You've Lost Your Special One", even the Russian oligarch must have acknowledged that success comes to those who employ high-class managers and then leave them alone. Arsene Wenger's vibrant Arsenal lead the Premier League followed by Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, who are beginning to find their elegant stride.
Chelsea supporters must surely hope that Grant is merely a caretaker while they await the arrival of a heavyweight manager such as Fabio Capello or Marcelo Lippi or even that bright, young Teutonic thing, Jurgen Klinsmann. The unexplained presence of Marco van Basten, the highly admired Holland coach, in the smart seats must have excited Chelsea followers.
Visitors were greeted by local wags with "We hear it's cold down at Chelsea – it is Minus One but it is a Special One!" Mourinho's departure was certainly mourned by the away fans, who signalled their displeasure with chants and banners. "Jose Mourinho – Simply The Best" read one.
Chelsea fans' lack of respect for Grant was brutally obvious in their sustained chant of "Stevie Clarke's Blue And White Army", showing support for the team, and a loyal club servant, but deliberately omitting the new manager. The second line of "We Hate Tottenham" has been construed in some quarters as a coded criticism of Abramovich, who is Jewish.
In fairness to Abramovich's contentious appointment, Grant made a few decent decisions. After an hour, he removed Abramovich's favoured one, Andrei Shevchenko, who ran hard but was largely ineffectual. Before John Obi Mikel's dismissal forced Chelsea to sit deep and rely on counter-attacks, Grant's side pushed forward in numbers. Equally encouraging was Chelsea's new-found refusal to hound the hapless referee Mike Dean.
Yet Grant lacks presence and he cut a lonely figure in the dug-out, with swathes of empty seats around him, watching the dispiriting events of the first half unfolding in front of him. Not for the first time in recent days, Chelsea found themselves a man down in controversial circumstances.
When Mikel over-ran the ball in midfield after 30 minutes, Patrice Evra slid in for a routine piece of mopping up. Angered by his own carelessness, Mikel carried through with his right boot slightly raised, making contact with little Evra, who went somersaulting through the air. Brandishing a red card, Dean called the challenge "two-footed", although Mikel's left foot made no contact. "There was intent, and he could have hurt the boy, but it was still harsh for him to go," said Ferguson. "Some referees would have let it go."
Grant emerged from the dug-out, indicating that Chelsea should switch from 4-1-2-2-1 to 4-4-1 with Shevchenko isolated in attack. The ball inevitably came largely into United's domain. One Giggs free-kick was brilliantly met by the excellent Nemanja Vidic, who beat Terry to power a header goalwards. Petr Cech saved superbly, echoing his feat in the first minute when he had pushed away Wayne Rooney's curling shot.
Chelsea's keeper was beaten deep into stoppage time. In the wake of a Ryan Giggs corner, the busy Wes Brown headed the ball back down the inside-right channel to the Welsh winger. Chelsea froze. Shevchenko should have closed down Giggs. Terry should have tracked Tevez's run towards the near post. Giggs bent the ball in with the outside of his left foot, Tevez escaped Terry and nipped ahead of Cech to score with a wonderful flicked header. United fans turned and did 'chin up' signals to Abramovich.
Yet Chelsea did not fall apart, although Joe Cole was fortunate to stay on the field, following a spiteful and deliberate targeting of Ronaldo's right Achilles. The Portuguese sorcerer fortunately retained all his limbs but Ferguson lost his temper, giving Dean a blast of the famous hair-drier. "These are the kind of tackles that put players out of the game," railed Ferguson later. "It was a clear red card, but he only got a yellow."
Dean soon erred again, gifting United the softest of penalties two minutes from time. When Louis Saha drifted inside Tal Ben Haim, the defender made contact but it was minimal. Saha, though, reacted as if he had been hit by a knuckle-duster rather than feather-duster, and went down in embarrassingly exaggerated fashion.
The penalty earned, Saha jumped up and calmly slotted the dead ball past Cech. "I have seen our penalty and that was harsh," said Ferguson. It was the first time his side had struck twice in a game since April, and the good times are clearly rolling again for United. Chelsea have some good players – they just need a good manager.
Man of the match
Carlos Tevez (Manchester Utd)
One goal from six efforts Created one scoring chance Lost possession just four times ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:Manchester United 2 Chelsea 0: Mikel red card upstages Grant to leave Abramovich bemused By Sam Wallace
Having a friend like Roman Abramovich must be a wonderful thing indeed, especially when he dishes out the kind of job that obscure coaches with precious little relevant experience do not usually get. The hitch for Avram Grant yesterday was that for all the marvellous things his new pal can do, he cannot influence opponents, fickle fate or even referees. Not yet anyway.
Played one, lost one is the record of the new Chelsea manager although on the final whistle yesterday Abramovich leapt to his feet and applauded in the directors' box rather than turning on his heel and walking out in a huff. A few minutes later he and his entourage set off, Sopranos-style, for the changing room presumably to reassure Grant that he was still in a job. Now Abramovich has the manager he wants, it is just the results that are a problem.
No points but at least Grant had plenty of excuses when Abramovich pushed open the door. Specifically, they will have focused upon the referee Mike Dean who made two erratic decisions, the first when he failed to award a penalty to Manchester United for Joe Cole's crude challenge on Patrice Evra on 17 minutes. Then, more crucially from Grant's point of view, there was the poorly-judged dismissal of John Obi Mikel on 32 minutes for a challenge on Evra that was worth of a booking yet ended up tipping the balance of the match.
Judging Grant's impact on Chelsea will take longer than this one game which had to be viewed through the prism of the upheaval of the last six days, the absence of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba and Dean's unique take on the match. The referee also allowed Carlos Tevez an extra 30 seconds of the allotted first half injury-time to score United's first goal, and awarded a late penalty to Louis Saha. The Frenchman was certainly guilty of embellishment, if not an outright con, in his tangle with Tal Ben Haim.
The new Chelsea manager has not levered himself into the centre of Abramovich's private court of confidantes without some sense of the politicking required to survive there. That much was evident in the way he flicked aside the questions about his coaching qualifications and shrugged off the opportunity to skewer Dean completely as his predecessor would no doubt have done. To say Grant lacks Jose Mourinho's combative instincts would be an understatement.
That even the Chelsea supporters seem unsure, and divided, as to who is to blame for the situation their club find itself in was evident in their songs. Mourinho was barely afforded a mention after a few early blasts of his name and, in the appropriate style of a totalitarian regime, Grant's existence was simply denied altogether. The chant of "Steve Clarke's blue and white army," was the Chelsea supporters' unusually oblique way of voicing an opinion on their new manager.
There was not really the great outpouring of love that Mourinho might have expected or hoped for. The only aspect of the whole saga the Chelsea fans seemed wholeheartedly agreed upon was the usual uncomplimentary chant about chief executive Peter Kenyon that is the fall-back option in times of crisis. The United fans lent their voices to that one as well.
A strange afternoon, which left Chelsea's billionaire Russian owner with that usual non-plussed expression and, no doubt, the nagging doubt that he may have to chuck another £200m at putting this show back on the road. Without Drogba, and Lampard, this is a very ordinary Chelsea team who even Mourinho would have struggled to make rise to the occasion yesterday. Chelsea held their own for the first 30 minutes but with Mikel's dismissal, United took over.
United? It was easy to forget them at times as the whole Chelsea plot took another absorbing twist. They are now second in the Premier League, just two points behind Arsenal with Chelsea in disarray and Liverpool's gloss wearing thin. Yet Sir Alex Ferguson – by far the most angry man in the entire stadium – was still chasing the fourth official around the coaching area and demanding the dismissal of Joe Cole in the closing stages.
It would be easy to say that life is simpler now for the champions but they have problems of their own, especially the enduring question of whether Tevez and Wayne Rooney are really compatible. The latter also worked himself into a snorting rage in the closing stages, pointlessly targeting Ashley Cole with a particularly bad challenge despite the fact that he had already been booked.
United faced a new Chelsea team which was much like the old Chelsea team – 4-5-1 with Andrei Shevchenko lumbering around on his own up front – but they never really dominated the away side even with the one-man advantage. The sending off came in innocuous circumstances as Mikel slightly overran the ball in midfield and, out of embarrassment, went in on Evra with one set of studs showing. United's players were quick to surround Dean but even they looked surprised when he produced a red.
Before then Joe Cole had, in his own box, brought down Evra with a tackle that was first man and then ball and deserved a penalty. Ironically for Mourinho it was exactly the kind of tracking-back duties that he spent three years imploring the midfielder to undertake. United's break came in the 48th minute of the first half, a corner recycled to Ryan Giggs on the right who hit a brilliant cross with the outside of his right foot for Tevez to head in.
Grant tried to advance some notion of independence in the second half when he substituted the woeful Shevchenko for the equally ineffectual Salomon Kalou. No signs of disapproval were discernible among Abramovich and his stone-washed denim brigade in the directors' box. Rooney let off a bit of steam by stepping all over Claude Makelele. Then Joe Cole scythed down Cristiano Ronaldo and Ferguson's temper exploded.
The challenge on Saha by Ben Haim was clumsy but not criminal and the Frenchman did a good job of his anguished expression and arched-back dive to win the penalty. The spot-kick was sent straight down the middle by Saha to tie things up. No matter, seemed to be the mood from Chelsea, the whole project starts again from today. It could prove to be another expensive experiment.
Goals: Tevez (45) 1-0; Saha pen (89) 2-0.
Manchester United (4-4-2): Van der Sar; Brown, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs; Rooney, Tevez (Saha, 79). Substitutes not used: Kuszczak (gk), Nani, Pique, O'Shea.
Chelsea (4-5-1): Cech; Ferreira, Terry, Ben Haim, A Cole; Essien, Makelele, Mikel, J Cole (Pizarro, 76), Malouda (Wright-Phillips, 69); Shevchenko (Kalou, 59). Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Alex.
Booked: Manchester United Rooney, Brown; Chelsea J Cole, Terry.
Sent off: Mikel (32).
Referee: M Dean (Wirral).
Man of the match: Essien---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------United have last laugh as Blues are undone by man in black
Kevin McCarra at Old TraffordMonday September 24, 2007The Guardian
The contrast with the Jose Mourinho era took the expected form. Avram Grant's Chelsea lost to Manchester United, a failing almost unknown when the Portuguese was in charge. Football, admittedly, is too complex ever to be covered by that sort of bald summation. Yesterday, for instance, the outcome must have been affected by the dubious red card for the visitors' midfielder Mikel John Obi when the match was goalless.Once United had scored, with Carlos Tevez notching his first goal for the club, Chelsea enjoyed no more than a meaningless rally. Sir Alex Ferguson's side remembered to keep ample numbers behind the ball and spirited breaks by the visitors petered out, with no genuine saves required of Edwin van der Sar. Those seeking to have their emotions stirred were best advised to keep their eyes on the referee.
The most that can be said for Mike Dean is that he was entitled to show a red card and to give a penalty. The official, though, will not be pardoned for making those decisions in incidents that did not merit them. While Mikel overreacted after losing control of the ball in the 32nd minute, the stretching challenge that bit into Patrice Evra's left ankle merited a caution instead of the third dismissal of his Chelsea career.There was no relation between the real incident and the two-footed lunge indicated by Dean. Penalty rulings were equally haphazard. With less than a minute to go Tal Ben Haim, face to face with Louis Saha, made the merest contact with the substitute and the Frenchman, cocking a snook at the laws of physics, fell forward. His conscience did not distract him from converting the penalty.
Grant, as different from his pre- decessor at Stamford Bridge as the rest of the human race, later made his complaints without attempting an amateur's impersonation of an esoteric Mourinho tirade. His side, on other occasions, had sinned and been absolved by Dean. Joe Cole did foul Evra inside the penalty area in the 18th minute, yet the offence went unrecognised. The same Chelsea midfielder got off, too, with a caution for a cynical foul on Cristiano Ronaldo after 74 minutes when there was no intent or prospect of getting the ball.
All things considered, a just verdict may have been reached by accident. The opener came through a rare piece of artistry that merited some reward. Even then, however, Dean could be faulted. Two minutes of first-half stoppage time had been completed, but the referee let play continue after Chelsea had dealt with a corner.
Wes Brown knocked the ball accurately towards Ryan Giggs on the right and the veteran bent it exquisitely towards the near post with the outside of his left foot. Tevez beat Petr Cech to the cross and headed his first goal for United from close range.
The Argentinian had a productive day, roaming and linking when United went on the attack, yet it is at least as relevant that Ferguson's team have racked up a fifth consecutive clean sheet. They might not look as if they are related to the effervescent line-up that won the Premiership title last season, and Arsenal are the sole team in the top flight who can be recommended wholeheartedly for style and excitement, but United rise to second place in the table.
The Old Trafford side will be thrilling sooner or later. They can barely help but do so when such talents are available to them. After two minutes, Wayne Rooney cut inside Ben Haim and Cech had to pull off an outstanding fingertip save to thwart his curling drive. United did hint at reserves of creativity at times and, for instance, it was only the tightness of the angle that stopped them from scoring when Giggs put a volley over after Rooney's cross had gone beyond the reach of Cech.
Chelsea should not allow their grievances to distract them from their faults. Some are accounted for by the injuries to Ricardo Carvalho, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, but a lot of money had still been laid out on the footballers who did take part. Whenever funds are discussed, the conversation turns to the £30m Andriy Shevchenko.
The Ukrainian's wish to make a fresh start was apparent and his work was laudable, good enough for Roman Abramovich to applaud warmly when Shevchenko went off after an hour. None the less, he lacked the predatory trait that made him worth such a hefty price in bygone times.
United were prudent after the interval. In a generally dull contest people such as Michael Carrick caught the eye. The midfielder, who has lost status in the England squad, passed better yesterday than he has previously in this campaign.
Chelsea, who last won when they beat Portsmouth on August 25, badly need to mount a comeback of their own. Grant made minor alterations yesterday to Mourinho's tactics but the Israeli will have to pull off remarkable feats before supporters bin the "Jose Mourinho - simply the best" banner raised yesterday.
After a difficult month or two, he was back to his normal self and used the ball reliably and well.
Man of the match: Michael Carrick
After difficult month or two, he was back to his normal self and used the ball reliably and well.
Best moment A long diagonal ball in the 58th minute which was fired high by Giggs.
Four decisions that shaped the game
The penalty that was but wasn't given ...
Joe Cole recklessly scythes down Patrice Evra just inside the penalty area. Replays show that Cole got the man not the ball but the referee, Mike Dean, ignores calls for a spot-kick.
The penalty that wasn't but was given ...
Tal Ben Haim's boot makes the slightest of touches with Louis Saha. The United striker theatrically goes to ground and Dean points to the spot. Saha scores to make it 2-0.
The red card that was given ...
Mikel John Obi's two-footed lunge on Evra misses the ball but takes out the defender. Referee Dean has no hesitation in punishing the challenge with a straight red card for dangerous play.
The red card that wasn't
Joe Cole is the unpunished villain once again as his rash sliding challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo sends the Portuguese winger sprawling. But the tackle goes unpunished, to Sir Alex Ferguson's dismay.
Attendance: 75,663.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Tevez the wrecker on Grant's big dayManchester United 2 Chelsea 0
by IAN LADYMAN
Manchester United deepened Chelsea's early-season misery on a bad-tempered and controversial afternoon at Old Trafford yesterday.
Three days after the departure of Jose Mourinho, new Chelsea coach Avram Grant saw his team slip five points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal as goals from Carlos Tevez and Louis Saha gave United victory.
But the game was riddled with disputes as referee Mike Dean harshly sent off John Obi Mikel for a late tackle on Patrice Evra and then appeared to play too much added time at the end of the first half — allowing Tevez to score the crucial first goal from a Ryan Giggs cross.
Dean could easily have sent off Joe Cole for a second-half tackle that United manager Sir Alex Ferguson claimed might have ended Cristiano Ronaldo's career and then gave United a late penalty when Saha appeared to dive after the slightest touch from Chelsea defender Tal Ben Haim.
Afterwards, new Chelsea coach Grant, who is confident of obtaining a UEFA Pro Licence by the end of the year, suggested his team could have won had it not been for Dean's performance.
Grant said: "The referee tried his best but he made three big mistakes.
"Sir Alex can be more than happy with the referee's performance.
"Too many strange things happened today.
"There was the sending-off that was not a sending-off, then he played three minutes of added time instead of two and then there was the penalty at the end.
"Maybe it's a coincidence that these things happened or maybe I am naive.
"But the fact is that the decisions affected the result.
"I have every respect for Alex, but you can imagine what his reaction would have been had these same decisions gone against his team."
Mikel's dismissal seemed harsh and Chelsea confirmed last night they have already appealed in a bid to get the Nigerian's automatic three-match ban overturned.
But Cole could also have been sent off in the second period for what appeared a deliberate kick on Ronaldo's ankle.
Ferguson said: "The tackle by Joe Cole was the kind that could have put a player out of the game.
"Cristiano gets this all the time and it's not right.
"But the referee gave Cole a yellow card simply because he had already given a red card to one of their players. He wanted to balance it out.
"The actual sending-off was a bit harsh. There was intent there and he could have hurt the lad. But it's harsh.
"A lot of referees wouldn't have given it.
"The penalty was also a bit harsh. But I think that made up for the one that he should have given us in the first half.
"Maybe there was some balancing out there, too.
"But the decisions did not affect the result of the match.
"We were the better team and we looked as though we had got a bit of our confidence back.
"I am delighted. We were the better team and are beginning to look a bit more like our old selves again."
United's win takes them up to second in the Premier League table behind Arsenal. This was their fifth victory on the bounce after an uncertain start to the season.
For Grant, the size of the task ahead is clear.
Not only will some Chelsea players need convincing he is the man to take the club forward, but he must try to win over the supporters who sang Mourinho's name and draped a banner across the front of the away section, reading: "Jose Mourinho — Simply the best".
Chelsea later made the bizarre claim that Sky Television were responsible for the banner, something the company later denied.
Grant said: "It is not a problem for me. I appreciated his (Mourinho's) achievements as a coach.
"He did good things here. I remember that.
"This just shows our supporters remember that too and that they are good supporters.
"I have only been here for three days so there are no songs for me yet!
"Maybe after a couple of years there will be. I respect him (Mourinho) and enjoyed working with him.
'But give me some time and we will see what happens. I want to do the best for Chelsea.
"We are five points back but that is not a problem for us.
"The base of Chelsea is good but every coach has his own style. Over time, you will see mine."
Grant has been told by the Premier League that he has 12 weeks to obtain the licence he needs to coach in this country.
Last night, a Chelsea spokesman said there are precedents that suggest Grant should be given one on the back of his experience.
"The spokesman said: "If it doesn't happen that way then, as long as he has started the course within the 12 weeks, he will be OK.
"All the processes are under way and we are confident there will not be a problem."
Tevez's headed opener came two-and-a-half minutes into added time, even though the fourth official had indicated there would just be two extra minutes.
But Ferguson said: "I am delighted Tevez got his first goal. He will be a great signing for us." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun:Man Utd 2 Chelsea 0
By SHAUN CUSTISSeptember 24, 2007 ONE of the abiding images during the final weeks of Jose Mourinho’s reign was a disgruntled Roman Abramovich stomping out of Villa Park before the final whistle.
Here in the Old Trafford coliseum the margin of defeat was exactly the same — but this first outing under new boss Avram Grant got the thumbs up from Roman as he stayed to applaud manically at the end.
How Mourinho would have loved such unequivocal support.
Clapping dutifully alongside were chairman Bruce Buck and director Eugene Tenenbaum.
Chief executive Peter Kenyon, once of United and sat a row in front, was no doubt joining in too.
Abramovich is throwing his lot in with the compliant Grant, certainly in the short-term, whether the fans like it or not. And you can be sure they will find a way to obtain the proper coaching qualifications.
The sight of Dutch legend Marco van Basten, sat in the row behind the Chelsea billionaire, was a red herring apparently. He was present as a guest of United, although it is well known he is hugely admired by some of Roman’s advisors.
It would be unfair to draw sweeping conclusions about new Chelsea from this performance because the Blues had to play nearly an hour with 10 men after the 32nd-minute dismissal of Mikel John Obi.
Referee Mike Dean was one person Roman was definitely not applauding for what was a harsh sending off which effectively killed a muchanticipated game as a proper contest.
Mikel had run the ball too far and as he stretched to retrieve the situation, he went in foot up on Patrice Evra while at the same time trying to pull out of the challenge at the very last second.
It was not a great challenge but it was a yellow card at worst. Instead Dean came straight out with the
red. Mikel got the bird from the home fans who have not forgotten how, having signed for United, he had his head turned by a better offer from Chelsea and went through a legal minefield to secure a move to Stamford Bridge.
Grant reckoned the ref made three mistakes — the sending off, playing beyond two minutes of added time at the end of the first half which allowed Carlos Tevez to score, and giving United a penalty at the end.
He neglected to mention a terrible tackle by his own Joe Cole on Cristiano Ronaldo which was more of a red-card offence than Mikel’s and an early foul by the same Cole on Evra which looked a stick-on penalty.
United manager Alex Ferguson had it about right when he argued Dean spent the afternoon balancing his mistakes. The ref had a bit of a nightmare.
There was a feeling disgruntled Chelsea might get a thumping so cheesed off were they with Mourinho’s departure. And when Petr Cech had to make an early world-class save from Wayne Rooney the signs were ominous.
But Chelsea’s commitment could not be faulted and midfield man-mountain Michael Essien put in a display which said it does not matter who the manager is, those in the Blue shirt have a duty to perform.
The visiting Chelsea fans were lost in a wave of confusion about the week’s events. They sang a couple of times for Mourinho and cheered skipper John Terry’s name despite claims his row with Mourinho was a factor in the manager’s departure.
They also chanted “Stevie Clarke’s blue and white army” in deference to the first-team coach and former Chelsea player who has become part of the furniture at Stamford Bridge and is now assisting Grant. Nothing for Abramovich or Grant though. Mikel’s misdemeanour meant Chelsea could only hope to hang on for a draw. With United having failed to score more than once in their previous games this season, there was a chance.
But as the clock ticked on past the two minutes of time added at the end of the first half, Ryan Giggs struck a cross with the outside of his left foot and Tevez dived in front of Cech to head in — his first goal for the club.
Rooney was booked for a foul on Ashley Cole and then did his best to even up the sides when he ploughed into Cole again and was fortunate to escape with a warning.
With a minute left, sub Louis Saha turned into the box, Tal Ben Haim flicked out a leg and the United man went down as if shot.
Dean bought it and Saha showed his amazing powers of recovery to slot the spot-kick straight down the middle.
Chelsea have not won any of their last four games and are sixth in the table. While United are not wholly convincing, they have won their last five matches without conceding a goal to sit second behind Arsenal.
Now Mourinho has gone it is back to Fergie v Wenger again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror:NO JOSE AND NO MERCY BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE LIFE AFTER MOURINHO MAN UTD 2 CHELSEA 0 FROM OLD TRAFFORDUnited and blunder ref Dean pile on the misery for Chelsea
Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer 24/09/2007
No Room for sympathy, no place for sentiment, as Old Traf ford revelled in Chelsea's week of misery.
Sir Alex Ferguson made the most of Stamford Bridge disarray in the wake of Jose Mourinho's exit as his side ominously shifted into gear, moving up to second place by scoring more than one for the first time all season.
Chelsea had spent the week shooting themselves in the foot, the worst possible preparation for a game that always has so much at stake.
Last night, though, they found themselves scalped by The Apache, as Carlos Tevez scored his first United goal, and undermined by referee Mike Dean twice over.
AdvertisementDean will surely accept he was wrong to send off John Obi Mikel and make a difficult job nigh-on impossible for Avram Grant and that he was conned by Louis Saha's blatant dive for the clinching penalty in the death throes of the game.
United, for all Fergie's claims to the contrary, are still not firing on all cylinders - but they remain supremely confident about their final destination.
Chelsea, by contrast, are a ship cut adrift without a rudder, listing precariously, buffeted by every passing wind and wave, holed, perhaps fatally, below the water-line.
They have suffered their worst Premier League start since 2000-01.
The most damaging blows, however, have been the selfinflicted ones, the decision taken by Roman Abramovich, whose lop-sided grin as he sat a row in front of Marco Van Basten in the directors' box appears a fixture on his face.
Abramovich alone bears responsibility for the shambles he has created. Even though Grant pointed an accusatory finger at Mr Dean - nowhere near as aggressively as Fergie's claim that Joe Cole's foul on Cristiano Ronaldo could have ended the winger's career - this was a victory handed to United on a plate.
Chelsea were, unfortunately, down to 10 men from the 32nd minute. Sure, Mikel could have pulled out as he lost control of the ball and let it run to Patrice Evra. But it was clear that the Nigerian went in with one foot, not the two the referee insisted he had seen as justification for the red card he produced.
Yet even before that there was an inevitability about the direction of the match, in which the impressive Michael Carrick pulled the strings. Petr Cech was forced into a flying leap to deny Wayne Rooney - later to be sidetracked by a spat with Ashley Cole that saw him teeter on the disciplinary brink once again.
Andriy Shevchenko, clapped off by the owner after an hour as the Chelsea fans gave an altogether different verdict, was the catalyst for so much of the breach between Abramovich and Mourinho.
But surely the Sheva of old, the man Chelsea thought they were buying for £30million, would have been more alert when Michael Essien teased the ball through the six-yard box from the right.
Then Mr Dean saw nothing wrong with England midfielder Cole's desperate tackle after he allowed Evra beyond him and into the box. But Chelsea's gameplan, whatever it was, went out of the window as Mikel's over-exuberance was harshly punished and it became finger in the dyke time.
Nemanja Vidic beat John Terry to a Ryan Giggs free-kick and bring a save from Cech, who then kicked away Rooney's nearpost delivery.
And 30 seconds beyond the two extra minutes that had been signalled, United struck.
Giggs made the most of the second opportunity to deliver from wide on the right and Tevez threw himself in front of Cech at the near post to divert home.
Tevez wheeled away, pointing one finger in the air to the Stretford End, aware he had got the monkey off his back, scoring 12 games faster than it took him to net his first for West Ham.
Chelsea never looked like recovering. Giggs ran behind Paulo Ferreira, catching his volley flush but was unable to keep it on target. Ferreira stopped Ronaldo getting on the end of Rooney's subtle sandwedge and Cech saved from the Portuguese ace's free-kick, as Ferguson launched a touchline tirade aimed at Joe Cole.
But a minute from time, Mr Dean intervened again, falling for Saha's tumble as he brushed into Tal Ben Haim's leg, and allowing the Frenchman to drill home from 12 yards.
Old Trafford rocked with delight and the roof would have come off if Saha had hit the target after getting in behind the Chelsea defence in added time.
For United, though, another dagger had been stuck in Chelsea's exposed guts. Arsenal will see a familiar shape looming in their wing-mirrors too.
After the Mourinho era, has normal service been resumed?
54% POSSESSION 46%
9 SHOTS ON TARGET 0
8 SHOTS OFF TARGET 3
0 OFFSIDES 0
10 CORNERS 1
13 FOULS 17
2 YELLOW CARDS 2
0 RED CARDS 1
ATTENDANCE: 75,663
Man Of The Match: Carrick
Chelsea made to suffer by Mike Dean’s deficienciesManchester United 2 Chelsea 0Martin Samuel, Chief Football Correspondent
Mike Dean had some big calls to make at Old Trafford yesterday. It really would have spoilt it had he got one right. He gave a penalty that was not; missed a penalty that was; sent off a player that did not deserve it; merely cautioned one that did. When Sir Alex Ferguson describes a red card to an opposition player as harsh, it would suggest an extreme miscarriage of justice. If the jury is out on the new Chelsea manager, Avram Grant, it is because the performance of the referee ruled this match a mistrial.
Chelsea were not particularly impressive, but the dismissal of John Obi Mikel for a tackle that was at worst recklessly overenthusiastic in the 31st minute, ended the match as a fair contest. Denied their two most significant attacking players in Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard, Chelsea were already struggling to contain Manchester United; once reduced to ten men it made the first goal a matter of time, and roughly 14 minutes later one duly arrived.
The only reason to withhold sympathy for Chelsea, who, with 11 points from seven games are experiencing their worst spell since the stewardship of Gianluca Vialli in the 2000-01 season, is the fact that before Dean had wrongly dismissed Mikel, he had also failed to spot a certain penalty when Joe Cole clumsily hacked Patrice Evra down in the penalty area. As the second half unfolded, the calamities continued. Joe Cole could easily have followed Mikel to the dressing-room for taking out Cristiano Ronaldo, late, from behind and with no chance of winning the ball. Louis Saha looked to have played Dean for a patsy when winning a penalty in the 88th minute, making the most of minimal contact from Tal Ben Haim and collapsing to the ground as if picked off by a stadium sniper.
In this way, Dean ensured that few are any the wiser about Grant or his regime. Had he continued to hold United to a goalless draw, what would he have done to win the game late on? Would understandable early caution have given way to a more expansive style? Would he have thrown a second striker on, perhaps moved away from the 4-3-3 blueprint of José Mourinho? We must wait and see; the dead hand of Dean killed the game, as surely as Grant’s solemn demeanour and a series of hangdog touchline expressions are doing no favours for Chelsea’s hopes of sending a global brand around the world, after the departure of the handsome, smartly attired and compelling José Mourinho.
Grant had little to crack a smile about, once Dean ripped a hole in his solidly-constructed midfield, by showing Mikel a straight red card for a tackle that warranted at most a yellow, if that. Mikel’s tackle on Evra may have looked two-footed from Dean’s angle, but replays showed Mikel led with one and mistimed his arrival only slightly.
It looked much worse than it was, but experienced professional referees such as Dean are there to judge such things and five dismissals in his past seven matches suggests a certain overeagerness. The reaction of the United players, particularly Wayne Rooney, did not help, though. For obvious reasons he, more than anyone, should have known better.
As should Joe Cole when, in the seventeenth minute, he chased Evra back into Chelsea’s penalty area from along the flank, before attempting a diving tackle that took the ball, but only after removing the player first. As the crowd roared for a penalty, Dean signalled a firm negative in front of the Stretford End. Full marks for bravery, zero for accuracy. Anyone can take the ball if the man can be sent airborne, too, and Chelsea could have been a goal down almost 30 minutes before Carlos Tévez opened the scoring.
Even that goal, his first of the season, was not without controversy. Dean’s assistant showed that two minutes of injury time would be played at the end of the first half, but there were more than three additional minutes on the clock when Tévez met a perfect cross from Ryan Giggs at the near post to glance the ball past Petr Cech.
And that, really, was that. A shot by Giggs over the bar in the 58th minute aside, the second half consisted of little more than bookings and unsuccessful Chelsea substitutions - Claudio Pizarro looking even more cumbersome than Andriy Shevchenko and Shaun Wright-Phillips seeming about as far away from an England player as it is possible to be, without turning into Michael Ricketts – punctuated by the odd howler from Dean.
His final lowlights comprised the decision to book Joe Cole for a tackle on Ronaldo that was considerably worse than Mikel’s hit on Evra and the penalty given to Saha for a small touch from Ben Haim, followed by a dive that appeared to make even his manager uncomfortable. Saha converted from the spot, underlying rough justice as the theme for the day.
United were much the better team and deserved the win, incredibly the first time since April 28 that Ferguson’s team have scored more than a single goal in a game. Chelsea’s premium performer was Cech, whose first-half display in goal was exceptional, including saves from Rooney, Michael Carrick, Tévez and a quite stunning stop after a glancing header from Nemanja Vidic.
Chelsea, by contrast, were ineffectual and the continued inclusion of Roman Abramovich’s favourite, Shevchenko, is doing little to increase their chances of scoring. He had a shot travel over after eight minutes and pulled off an exquisite turn six minutes later, which caused Evra and Vidic to run into each other, but these were party tricks, when his club needed a star turn. He was replaced by Salomon Kalou after 58 minutes to the surprise of nobody.
At the end, Abramovich stood and applauded warmly as if what he had seen was a big improvement. It was nothing of the sort. Chelsea were predictable and uninspiring, as they have been for much of the season; the only change was that this time it was agreed widely that they also had the referee to blame. In a bizarre way, while being stitched up by Dean, the new manager might also have been a little lucky he was there.
AVRAM WATCH
Team selection Grant would have to be a cross between Rinus Michels and Arsène Wenger to fulfil the demand for beautiful football, but on this evidence he is closer to José Mourinho. Sprang a surprise by dropping Salomon Kalou for an extra midfield player, although, in the circumstances, it was justified. 3 Mourinhos out of 5
Substitutions Grant showed that he is his own man. Andriy Shevchenko was bravely removed after 58 minutes and he took a gamble by putting on Shaun Wright-Phillips and Claudio Pizarro in search of an equaliser. The manager was unable to get his side back into the game, but he was not responsible for losing it, either. 3/5
Tactics If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then maybe Grant liked Mourinho after all. The Israeli’s tactics were reminiscent of his predecessor’s, if not more conservative, with Chelsea’s 4-1-4-1 formation designed to smother Manchester United. As the home side dominated entirely, they cannot be deemed a success. 2/5
Touchline demeanour With his ill-fitting tracksuit, Grant resembles a provincial PE teacher in contrast to Mourinho’s slick corporate lawyer, and their approach to management appears equally different. Whereas Mourinho ranted and raved, Grant was either sat in the dugout or standing silently with arms folded, offering little in the way of inspiration. 2/5
Specialness To judge from the fact that the travelling supporters refused to chant his name – singing instead for Mourinho and Steve Clarke – Chelsea fans are still to be convinced. The home supporters taunted them with “Where is the Special One?”. After this, Chelsea fans may be wondering the same. 2/5 Matt Hughes
Manchester United 2 Tévez 45, Saha 90 (pen) Chelsea 0
How they rated
Manchester United 4-2-3-1
E van der Sar 6 W Brown Y 7 R Ferdinand 8 N Vidic 7 P Evra 6 M Carrick 7 P Scholes 6 C Ronaldo 7 C Tévez 7 R Giggs 7 W Rooney Y 7 Substitutes L Saha (for Tévez, 78min) Not used Nani, G Piqué, J O’Shea, T Kuszczak Next: Birmingham City (a)
Chelsea 4-1-4-1
P Cech 8 P Ferreira 6 T Ben Haim 6 J Terry Y 6 A Cole 7 M Essien 6 C Makelele 6 J O Mikel R 5 J Cole Y 5 A Shevchenko 5 F Malouda 6 Substitutes S Kalou 5 (for Shevchenko, 58), S Wright-Phillips 4 (for Malouda, 68), C Pizarro (for J Cole, 75) Not used C Cudicini, Alex Next: Fulham (h)
Referee M Dean Attendance 75,663 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:Man Utd quick to capitalise on Chelsea vacuumBy Henry Winter
Manchester United (1) 2 Chelsea (0) 0
On the day that "Avram Who?" became "Avram Why?", Chelsea lost a player, two goals and three points to compound the disaster of losing the inspirational Jose Mourinho. If they are to rebuild for the future, Chelsea must appoint a more substantial successor to Mourinho than Avram Grant, who possesses neither the leadership skills nor the coaching licence.
As Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich sat alone with his thoughts in a deserted directors' box at the break, serenaded by United chants of "You've Lost Your Special One", even the Russian oligarch must have acknowledged that success comes to those who employ high-class managers and then leave them alone. Arsene Wenger's vibrant Arsenal lead the Premier League followed by Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, who are beginning to find their elegant stride.
Chelsea supporters must surely hope that Grant is merely a caretaker while they await the arrival of a heavyweight manager such as Fabio Capello or Marcelo Lippi or even that bright, young Teutonic thing, Jurgen Klinsmann. The unexplained presence of Marco van Basten, the highly admired Holland coach, in the smart seats must have excited Chelsea followers.
Visitors were greeted by local wags with "We hear it's cold down at Chelsea – it is Minus One but it is a Special One!" Mourinho's departure was certainly mourned by the away fans, who signalled their displeasure with chants and banners. "Jose Mourinho – Simply The Best" read one.
Chelsea fans' lack of respect for Grant was brutally obvious in their sustained chant of "Stevie Clarke's Blue And White Army", showing support for the team, and a loyal club servant, but deliberately omitting the new manager. The second line of "We Hate Tottenham" has been construed in some quarters as a coded criticism of Abramovich, who is Jewish.
In fairness to Abramovich's contentious appointment, Grant made a few decent decisions. After an hour, he removed Abramovich's favoured one, Andrei Shevchenko, who ran hard but was largely ineffectual. Before John Obi Mikel's dismissal forced Chelsea to sit deep and rely on counter-attacks, Grant's side pushed forward in numbers. Equally encouraging was Chelsea's new-found refusal to hound the hapless referee Mike Dean.
Yet Grant lacks presence and he cut a lonely figure in the dug-out, with swathes of empty seats around him, watching the dispiriting events of the first half unfolding in front of him. Not for the first time in recent days, Chelsea found themselves a man down in controversial circumstances.
When Mikel over-ran the ball in midfield after 30 minutes, Patrice Evra slid in for a routine piece of mopping up. Angered by his own carelessness, Mikel carried through with his right boot slightly raised, making contact with little Evra, who went somersaulting through the air. Brandishing a red card, Dean called the challenge "two-footed", although Mikel's left foot made no contact. "There was intent, and he could have hurt the boy, but it was still harsh for him to go," said Ferguson. "Some referees would have let it go."
Grant emerged from the dug-out, indicating that Chelsea should switch from 4-1-2-2-1 to 4-4-1 with Shevchenko isolated in attack. The ball inevitably came largely into United's domain. One Giggs free-kick was brilliantly met by the excellent Nemanja Vidic, who beat Terry to power a header goalwards. Petr Cech saved superbly, echoing his feat in the first minute when he had pushed away Wayne Rooney's curling shot.
Chelsea's keeper was beaten deep into stoppage time. In the wake of a Ryan Giggs corner, the busy Wes Brown headed the ball back down the inside-right channel to the Welsh winger. Chelsea froze. Shevchenko should have closed down Giggs. Terry should have tracked Tevez's run towards the near post. Giggs bent the ball in with the outside of his left foot, Tevez escaped Terry and nipped ahead of Cech to score with a wonderful flicked header. United fans turned and did 'chin up' signals to Abramovich.
Yet Chelsea did not fall apart, although Joe Cole was fortunate to stay on the field, following a spiteful and deliberate targeting of Ronaldo's right Achilles. The Portuguese sorcerer fortunately retained all his limbs but Ferguson lost his temper, giving Dean a blast of the famous hair-drier. "These are the kind of tackles that put players out of the game," railed Ferguson later. "It was a clear red card, but he only got a yellow."
Dean soon erred again, gifting United the softest of penalties two minutes from time. When Louis Saha drifted inside Tal Ben Haim, the defender made contact but it was minimal. Saha, though, reacted as if he had been hit by a knuckle-duster rather than feather-duster, and went down in embarrassingly exaggerated fashion.
The penalty earned, Saha jumped up and calmly slotted the dead ball past Cech. "I have seen our penalty and that was harsh," said Ferguson. It was the first time his side had struck twice in a game since April, and the good times are clearly rolling again for United. Chelsea have some good players – they just need a good manager.
Man of the match
Carlos Tevez (Manchester Utd)
One goal from six efforts Created one scoring chance Lost possession just four times ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:Manchester United 2 Chelsea 0: Mikel red card upstages Grant to leave Abramovich bemused By Sam Wallace
Having a friend like Roman Abramovich must be a wonderful thing indeed, especially when he dishes out the kind of job that obscure coaches with precious little relevant experience do not usually get. The hitch for Avram Grant yesterday was that for all the marvellous things his new pal can do, he cannot influence opponents, fickle fate or even referees. Not yet anyway.
Played one, lost one is the record of the new Chelsea manager although on the final whistle yesterday Abramovich leapt to his feet and applauded in the directors' box rather than turning on his heel and walking out in a huff. A few minutes later he and his entourage set off, Sopranos-style, for the changing room presumably to reassure Grant that he was still in a job. Now Abramovich has the manager he wants, it is just the results that are a problem.
No points but at least Grant had plenty of excuses when Abramovich pushed open the door. Specifically, they will have focused upon the referee Mike Dean who made two erratic decisions, the first when he failed to award a penalty to Manchester United for Joe Cole's crude challenge on Patrice Evra on 17 minutes. Then, more crucially from Grant's point of view, there was the poorly-judged dismissal of John Obi Mikel on 32 minutes for a challenge on Evra that was worth of a booking yet ended up tipping the balance of the match.
Judging Grant's impact on Chelsea will take longer than this one game which had to be viewed through the prism of the upheaval of the last six days, the absence of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba and Dean's unique take on the match. The referee also allowed Carlos Tevez an extra 30 seconds of the allotted first half injury-time to score United's first goal, and awarded a late penalty to Louis Saha. The Frenchman was certainly guilty of embellishment, if not an outright con, in his tangle with Tal Ben Haim.
The new Chelsea manager has not levered himself into the centre of Abramovich's private court of confidantes without some sense of the politicking required to survive there. That much was evident in the way he flicked aside the questions about his coaching qualifications and shrugged off the opportunity to skewer Dean completely as his predecessor would no doubt have done. To say Grant lacks Jose Mourinho's combative instincts would be an understatement.
That even the Chelsea supporters seem unsure, and divided, as to who is to blame for the situation their club find itself in was evident in their songs. Mourinho was barely afforded a mention after a few early blasts of his name and, in the appropriate style of a totalitarian regime, Grant's existence was simply denied altogether. The chant of "Steve Clarke's blue and white army," was the Chelsea supporters' unusually oblique way of voicing an opinion on their new manager.
There was not really the great outpouring of love that Mourinho might have expected or hoped for. The only aspect of the whole saga the Chelsea fans seemed wholeheartedly agreed upon was the usual uncomplimentary chant about chief executive Peter Kenyon that is the fall-back option in times of crisis. The United fans lent their voices to that one as well.
A strange afternoon, which left Chelsea's billionaire Russian owner with that usual non-plussed expression and, no doubt, the nagging doubt that he may have to chuck another £200m at putting this show back on the road. Without Drogba, and Lampard, this is a very ordinary Chelsea team who even Mourinho would have struggled to make rise to the occasion yesterday. Chelsea held their own for the first 30 minutes but with Mikel's dismissal, United took over.
United? It was easy to forget them at times as the whole Chelsea plot took another absorbing twist. They are now second in the Premier League, just two points behind Arsenal with Chelsea in disarray and Liverpool's gloss wearing thin. Yet Sir Alex Ferguson – by far the most angry man in the entire stadium – was still chasing the fourth official around the coaching area and demanding the dismissal of Joe Cole in the closing stages.
It would be easy to say that life is simpler now for the champions but they have problems of their own, especially the enduring question of whether Tevez and Wayne Rooney are really compatible. The latter also worked himself into a snorting rage in the closing stages, pointlessly targeting Ashley Cole with a particularly bad challenge despite the fact that he had already been booked.
United faced a new Chelsea team which was much like the old Chelsea team – 4-5-1 with Andrei Shevchenko lumbering around on his own up front – but they never really dominated the away side even with the one-man advantage. The sending off came in innocuous circumstances as Mikel slightly overran the ball in midfield and, out of embarrassment, went in on Evra with one set of studs showing. United's players were quick to surround Dean but even they looked surprised when he produced a red.
Before then Joe Cole had, in his own box, brought down Evra with a tackle that was first man and then ball and deserved a penalty. Ironically for Mourinho it was exactly the kind of tracking-back duties that he spent three years imploring the midfielder to undertake. United's break came in the 48th minute of the first half, a corner recycled to Ryan Giggs on the right who hit a brilliant cross with the outside of his right foot for Tevez to head in.
Grant tried to advance some notion of independence in the second half when he substituted the woeful Shevchenko for the equally ineffectual Salomon Kalou. No signs of disapproval were discernible among Abramovich and his stone-washed denim brigade in the directors' box. Rooney let off a bit of steam by stepping all over Claude Makelele. Then Joe Cole scythed down Cristiano Ronaldo and Ferguson's temper exploded.
The challenge on Saha by Ben Haim was clumsy but not criminal and the Frenchman did a good job of his anguished expression and arched-back dive to win the penalty. The spot-kick was sent straight down the middle by Saha to tie things up. No matter, seemed to be the mood from Chelsea, the whole project starts again from today. It could prove to be another expensive experiment.
Goals: Tevez (45) 1-0; Saha pen (89) 2-0.
Manchester United (4-4-2): Van der Sar; Brown, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs; Rooney, Tevez (Saha, 79). Substitutes not used: Kuszczak (gk), Nani, Pique, O'Shea.
Chelsea (4-5-1): Cech; Ferreira, Terry, Ben Haim, A Cole; Essien, Makelele, Mikel, J Cole (Pizarro, 76), Malouda (Wright-Phillips, 69); Shevchenko (Kalou, 59). Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Alex.
Booked: Manchester United Rooney, Brown; Chelsea J Cole, Terry.
Sent off: Mikel (32).
Referee: M Dean (Wirral).
Man of the match: Essien---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------United have last laugh as Blues are undone by man in black
Kevin McCarra at Old TraffordMonday September 24, 2007The Guardian
The contrast with the Jose Mourinho era took the expected form. Avram Grant's Chelsea lost to Manchester United, a failing almost unknown when the Portuguese was in charge. Football, admittedly, is too complex ever to be covered by that sort of bald summation. Yesterday, for instance, the outcome must have been affected by the dubious red card for the visitors' midfielder Mikel John Obi when the match was goalless.Once United had scored, with Carlos Tevez notching his first goal for the club, Chelsea enjoyed no more than a meaningless rally. Sir Alex Ferguson's side remembered to keep ample numbers behind the ball and spirited breaks by the visitors petered out, with no genuine saves required of Edwin van der Sar. Those seeking to have their emotions stirred were best advised to keep their eyes on the referee.
The most that can be said for Mike Dean is that he was entitled to show a red card and to give a penalty. The official, though, will not be pardoned for making those decisions in incidents that did not merit them. While Mikel overreacted after losing control of the ball in the 32nd minute, the stretching challenge that bit into Patrice Evra's left ankle merited a caution instead of the third dismissal of his Chelsea career.There was no relation between the real incident and the two-footed lunge indicated by Dean. Penalty rulings were equally haphazard. With less than a minute to go Tal Ben Haim, face to face with Louis Saha, made the merest contact with the substitute and the Frenchman, cocking a snook at the laws of physics, fell forward. His conscience did not distract him from converting the penalty.
Grant, as different from his pre- decessor at Stamford Bridge as the rest of the human race, later made his complaints without attempting an amateur's impersonation of an esoteric Mourinho tirade. His side, on other occasions, had sinned and been absolved by Dean. Joe Cole did foul Evra inside the penalty area in the 18th minute, yet the offence went unrecognised. The same Chelsea midfielder got off, too, with a caution for a cynical foul on Cristiano Ronaldo after 74 minutes when there was no intent or prospect of getting the ball.
All things considered, a just verdict may have been reached by accident. The opener came through a rare piece of artistry that merited some reward. Even then, however, Dean could be faulted. Two minutes of first-half stoppage time had been completed, but the referee let play continue after Chelsea had dealt with a corner.
Wes Brown knocked the ball accurately towards Ryan Giggs on the right and the veteran bent it exquisitely towards the near post with the outside of his left foot. Tevez beat Petr Cech to the cross and headed his first goal for United from close range.
The Argentinian had a productive day, roaming and linking when United went on the attack, yet it is at least as relevant that Ferguson's team have racked up a fifth consecutive clean sheet. They might not look as if they are related to the effervescent line-up that won the Premiership title last season, and Arsenal are the sole team in the top flight who can be recommended wholeheartedly for style and excitement, but United rise to second place in the table.
The Old Trafford side will be thrilling sooner or later. They can barely help but do so when such talents are available to them. After two minutes, Wayne Rooney cut inside Ben Haim and Cech had to pull off an outstanding fingertip save to thwart his curling drive. United did hint at reserves of creativity at times and, for instance, it was only the tightness of the angle that stopped them from scoring when Giggs put a volley over after Rooney's cross had gone beyond the reach of Cech.
Chelsea should not allow their grievances to distract them from their faults. Some are accounted for by the injuries to Ricardo Carvalho, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, but a lot of money had still been laid out on the footballers who did take part. Whenever funds are discussed, the conversation turns to the £30m Andriy Shevchenko.
The Ukrainian's wish to make a fresh start was apparent and his work was laudable, good enough for Roman Abramovich to applaud warmly when Shevchenko went off after an hour. None the less, he lacked the predatory trait that made him worth such a hefty price in bygone times.
United were prudent after the interval. In a generally dull contest people such as Michael Carrick caught the eye. The midfielder, who has lost status in the England squad, passed better yesterday than he has previously in this campaign.
Chelsea, who last won when they beat Portsmouth on August 25, badly need to mount a comeback of their own. Grant made minor alterations yesterday to Mourinho's tactics but the Israeli will have to pull off remarkable feats before supporters bin the "Jose Mourinho - simply the best" banner raised yesterday.
After a difficult month or two, he was back to his normal self and used the ball reliably and well.
Man of the match: Michael Carrick
After difficult month or two, he was back to his normal self and used the ball reliably and well.
Best moment A long diagonal ball in the 58th minute which was fired high by Giggs.
Four decisions that shaped the game
The penalty that was but wasn't given ...
Joe Cole recklessly scythes down Patrice Evra just inside the penalty area. Replays show that Cole got the man not the ball but the referee, Mike Dean, ignores calls for a spot-kick.
The penalty that wasn't but was given ...
Tal Ben Haim's boot makes the slightest of touches with Louis Saha. The United striker theatrically goes to ground and Dean points to the spot. Saha scores to make it 2-0.
The red card that was given ...
Mikel John Obi's two-footed lunge on Evra misses the ball but takes out the defender. Referee Dean has no hesitation in punishing the challenge with a straight red card for dangerous play.
The red card that wasn't
Joe Cole is the unpunished villain once again as his rash sliding challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo sends the Portuguese winger sprawling. But the tackle goes unpunished, to Sir Alex Ferguson's dismay.
Attendance: 75,663.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Tevez the wrecker on Grant's big dayManchester United 2 Chelsea 0
by IAN LADYMAN
Manchester United deepened Chelsea's early-season misery on a bad-tempered and controversial afternoon at Old Trafford yesterday.
Three days after the departure of Jose Mourinho, new Chelsea coach Avram Grant saw his team slip five points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal as goals from Carlos Tevez and Louis Saha gave United victory.
But the game was riddled with disputes as referee Mike Dean harshly sent off John Obi Mikel for a late tackle on Patrice Evra and then appeared to play too much added time at the end of the first half — allowing Tevez to score the crucial first goal from a Ryan Giggs cross.
Dean could easily have sent off Joe Cole for a second-half tackle that United manager Sir Alex Ferguson claimed might have ended Cristiano Ronaldo's career and then gave United a late penalty when Saha appeared to dive after the slightest touch from Chelsea defender Tal Ben Haim.
Afterwards, new Chelsea coach Grant, who is confident of obtaining a UEFA Pro Licence by the end of the year, suggested his team could have won had it not been for Dean's performance.
Grant said: "The referee tried his best but he made three big mistakes.
"Sir Alex can be more than happy with the referee's performance.
"Too many strange things happened today.
"There was the sending-off that was not a sending-off, then he played three minutes of added time instead of two and then there was the penalty at the end.
"Maybe it's a coincidence that these things happened or maybe I am naive.
"But the fact is that the decisions affected the result.
"I have every respect for Alex, but you can imagine what his reaction would have been had these same decisions gone against his team."
Mikel's dismissal seemed harsh and Chelsea confirmed last night they have already appealed in a bid to get the Nigerian's automatic three-match ban overturned.
But Cole could also have been sent off in the second period for what appeared a deliberate kick on Ronaldo's ankle.
Ferguson said: "The tackle by Joe Cole was the kind that could have put a player out of the game.
"Cristiano gets this all the time and it's not right.
"But the referee gave Cole a yellow card simply because he had already given a red card to one of their players. He wanted to balance it out.
"The actual sending-off was a bit harsh. There was intent there and he could have hurt the lad. But it's harsh.
"A lot of referees wouldn't have given it.
"The penalty was also a bit harsh. But I think that made up for the one that he should have given us in the first half.
"Maybe there was some balancing out there, too.
"But the decisions did not affect the result of the match.
"We were the better team and we looked as though we had got a bit of our confidence back.
"I am delighted. We were the better team and are beginning to look a bit more like our old selves again."
United's win takes them up to second in the Premier League table behind Arsenal. This was their fifth victory on the bounce after an uncertain start to the season.
For Grant, the size of the task ahead is clear.
Not only will some Chelsea players need convincing he is the man to take the club forward, but he must try to win over the supporters who sang Mourinho's name and draped a banner across the front of the away section, reading: "Jose Mourinho — Simply the best".
Chelsea later made the bizarre claim that Sky Television were responsible for the banner, something the company later denied.
Grant said: "It is not a problem for me. I appreciated his (Mourinho's) achievements as a coach.
"He did good things here. I remember that.
"This just shows our supporters remember that too and that they are good supporters.
"I have only been here for three days so there are no songs for me yet!
"Maybe after a couple of years there will be. I respect him (Mourinho) and enjoyed working with him.
'But give me some time and we will see what happens. I want to do the best for Chelsea.
"We are five points back but that is not a problem for us.
"The base of Chelsea is good but every coach has his own style. Over time, you will see mine."
Grant has been told by the Premier League that he has 12 weeks to obtain the licence he needs to coach in this country.
Last night, a Chelsea spokesman said there are precedents that suggest Grant should be given one on the back of his experience.
"The spokesman said: "If it doesn't happen that way then, as long as he has started the course within the 12 weeks, he will be OK.
"All the processes are under way and we are confident there will not be a problem."
Tevez's headed opener came two-and-a-half minutes into added time, even though the fourth official had indicated there would just be two extra minutes.
But Ferguson said: "I am delighted Tevez got his first goal. He will be a great signing for us." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun:Man Utd 2 Chelsea 0
By SHAUN CUSTISSeptember 24, 2007 ONE of the abiding images during the final weeks of Jose Mourinho’s reign was a disgruntled Roman Abramovich stomping out of Villa Park before the final whistle.
Here in the Old Trafford coliseum the margin of defeat was exactly the same — but this first outing under new boss Avram Grant got the thumbs up from Roman as he stayed to applaud manically at the end.
How Mourinho would have loved such unequivocal support.
Clapping dutifully alongside were chairman Bruce Buck and director Eugene Tenenbaum.
Chief executive Peter Kenyon, once of United and sat a row in front, was no doubt joining in too.
Abramovich is throwing his lot in with the compliant Grant, certainly in the short-term, whether the fans like it or not. And you can be sure they will find a way to obtain the proper coaching qualifications.
The sight of Dutch legend Marco van Basten, sat in the row behind the Chelsea billionaire, was a red herring apparently. He was present as a guest of United, although it is well known he is hugely admired by some of Roman’s advisors.
It would be unfair to draw sweeping conclusions about new Chelsea from this performance because the Blues had to play nearly an hour with 10 men after the 32nd-minute dismissal of Mikel John Obi.
Referee Mike Dean was one person Roman was definitely not applauding for what was a harsh sending off which effectively killed a muchanticipated game as a proper contest.
Mikel had run the ball too far and as he stretched to retrieve the situation, he went in foot up on Patrice Evra while at the same time trying to pull out of the challenge at the very last second.
It was not a great challenge but it was a yellow card at worst. Instead Dean came straight out with the
red. Mikel got the bird from the home fans who have not forgotten how, having signed for United, he had his head turned by a better offer from Chelsea and went through a legal minefield to secure a move to Stamford Bridge.
Grant reckoned the ref made three mistakes — the sending off, playing beyond two minutes of added time at the end of the first half which allowed Carlos Tevez to score, and giving United a penalty at the end.
He neglected to mention a terrible tackle by his own Joe Cole on Cristiano Ronaldo which was more of a red-card offence than Mikel’s and an early foul by the same Cole on Evra which looked a stick-on penalty.
United manager Alex Ferguson had it about right when he argued Dean spent the afternoon balancing his mistakes. The ref had a bit of a nightmare.
There was a feeling disgruntled Chelsea might get a thumping so cheesed off were they with Mourinho’s departure. And when Petr Cech had to make an early world-class save from Wayne Rooney the signs were ominous.
But Chelsea’s commitment could not be faulted and midfield man-mountain Michael Essien put in a display which said it does not matter who the manager is, those in the Blue shirt have a duty to perform.
The visiting Chelsea fans were lost in a wave of confusion about the week’s events. They sang a couple of times for Mourinho and cheered skipper John Terry’s name despite claims his row with Mourinho was a factor in the manager’s departure.
They also chanted “Stevie Clarke’s blue and white army” in deference to the first-team coach and former Chelsea player who has become part of the furniture at Stamford Bridge and is now assisting Grant. Nothing for Abramovich or Grant though. Mikel’s misdemeanour meant Chelsea could only hope to hang on for a draw. With United having failed to score more than once in their previous games this season, there was a chance.
But as the clock ticked on past the two minutes of time added at the end of the first half, Ryan Giggs struck a cross with the outside of his left foot and Tevez dived in front of Cech to head in — his first goal for the club.
Rooney was booked for a foul on Ashley Cole and then did his best to even up the sides when he ploughed into Cole again and was fortunate to escape with a warning.
With a minute left, sub Louis Saha turned into the box, Tal Ben Haim flicked out a leg and the United man went down as if shot.
Dean bought it and Saha showed his amazing powers of recovery to slot the spot-kick straight down the middle.
Chelsea have not won any of their last four games and are sixth in the table. While United are not wholly convincing, they have won their last five matches without conceding a goal to sit second behind Arsenal.
Now Mourinho has gone it is back to Fergie v Wenger again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mirror:NO JOSE AND NO MERCY BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE LIFE AFTER MOURINHO MAN UTD 2 CHELSEA 0 FROM OLD TRAFFORDUnited and blunder ref Dean pile on the misery for Chelsea
Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer 24/09/2007
No Room for sympathy, no place for sentiment, as Old Traf ford revelled in Chelsea's week of misery.
Sir Alex Ferguson made the most of Stamford Bridge disarray in the wake of Jose Mourinho's exit as his side ominously shifted into gear, moving up to second place by scoring more than one for the first time all season.
Chelsea had spent the week shooting themselves in the foot, the worst possible preparation for a game that always has so much at stake.
Last night, though, they found themselves scalped by The Apache, as Carlos Tevez scored his first United goal, and undermined by referee Mike Dean twice over.
AdvertisementDean will surely accept he was wrong to send off John Obi Mikel and make a difficult job nigh-on impossible for Avram Grant and that he was conned by Louis Saha's blatant dive for the clinching penalty in the death throes of the game.
United, for all Fergie's claims to the contrary, are still not firing on all cylinders - but they remain supremely confident about their final destination.
Chelsea, by contrast, are a ship cut adrift without a rudder, listing precariously, buffeted by every passing wind and wave, holed, perhaps fatally, below the water-line.
They have suffered their worst Premier League start since 2000-01.
The most damaging blows, however, have been the selfinflicted ones, the decision taken by Roman Abramovich, whose lop-sided grin as he sat a row in front of Marco Van Basten in the directors' box appears a fixture on his face.
Abramovich alone bears responsibility for the shambles he has created. Even though Grant pointed an accusatory finger at Mr Dean - nowhere near as aggressively as Fergie's claim that Joe Cole's foul on Cristiano Ronaldo could have ended the winger's career - this was a victory handed to United on a plate.
Chelsea were, unfortunately, down to 10 men from the 32nd minute. Sure, Mikel could have pulled out as he lost control of the ball and let it run to Patrice Evra. But it was clear that the Nigerian went in with one foot, not the two the referee insisted he had seen as justification for the red card he produced.
Yet even before that there was an inevitability about the direction of the match, in which the impressive Michael Carrick pulled the strings. Petr Cech was forced into a flying leap to deny Wayne Rooney - later to be sidetracked by a spat with Ashley Cole that saw him teeter on the disciplinary brink once again.
Andriy Shevchenko, clapped off by the owner after an hour as the Chelsea fans gave an altogether different verdict, was the catalyst for so much of the breach between Abramovich and Mourinho.
But surely the Sheva of old, the man Chelsea thought they were buying for £30million, would have been more alert when Michael Essien teased the ball through the six-yard box from the right.
Then Mr Dean saw nothing wrong with England midfielder Cole's desperate tackle after he allowed Evra beyond him and into the box. But Chelsea's gameplan, whatever it was, went out of the window as Mikel's over-exuberance was harshly punished and it became finger in the dyke time.
Nemanja Vidic beat John Terry to a Ryan Giggs free-kick and bring a save from Cech, who then kicked away Rooney's nearpost delivery.
And 30 seconds beyond the two extra minutes that had been signalled, United struck.
Giggs made the most of the second opportunity to deliver from wide on the right and Tevez threw himself in front of Cech at the near post to divert home.
Tevez wheeled away, pointing one finger in the air to the Stretford End, aware he had got the monkey off his back, scoring 12 games faster than it took him to net his first for West Ham.
Chelsea never looked like recovering. Giggs ran behind Paulo Ferreira, catching his volley flush but was unable to keep it on target. Ferreira stopped Ronaldo getting on the end of Rooney's subtle sandwedge and Cech saved from the Portuguese ace's free-kick, as Ferguson launched a touchline tirade aimed at Joe Cole.
But a minute from time, Mr Dean intervened again, falling for Saha's tumble as he brushed into Tal Ben Haim's leg, and allowing the Frenchman to drill home from 12 yards.
Old Trafford rocked with delight and the roof would have come off if Saha had hit the target after getting in behind the Chelsea defence in added time.
For United, though, another dagger had been stuck in Chelsea's exposed guts. Arsenal will see a familiar shape looming in their wing-mirrors too.
After the Mourinho era, has normal service been resumed?
54% POSSESSION 46%
9 SHOTS ON TARGET 0
8 SHOTS OFF TARGET 3
0 OFFSIDES 0
10 CORNERS 1
13 FOULS 17
2 YELLOW CARDS 2
0 RED CARDS 1
ATTENDANCE: 75,663
Man Of The Match: Carrick
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