Arsenal 0-0

Independent:

Blues close in on Premier League title after fiery stalemate
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 0
SAM WALLACE

Jose Mourinho has the Premier League in the proverbial headlock and the day is not too far away when the canvas will be slapped, the submission offered and Chelsea can get on with celebrating the fourth championship of the Roman Abramovich era. In the meantime, there is no point pretending that the last days of their campaign is the great spectacle that the English football sells itself as around the world.
Nevertheless, here is something compelling about Chelsea’s ruthlessness, the way in which their defence seemed to multiply into 15, 20, 25 blue shirts all ready to block, tackle or head away the few attempts Arsenal had on goal. Like a terrifying dystopian army that simply multiplies every time an attack is launched on it, Mourinho’s Chelsea of 2015 have overwhelmed the rest.
The switch has been flicked from artistic to strategic, to borrow Mourinho’s own analogy, and from the sleek vintage sports car of the early part of the season his team are now the monster truck with the outsized wheels of last few weeks, riding roughshod over the rest. Nevertheless, the outstanding defensive performances need to be duly noted and there were few better than John Terry whom Mourinho said played his best game for Chelsea under his management.
Cesc Fabregas is booked for an alleged dive in the Arsenal area Cesc Fabregas is booked for an alleged dive in the Arsenal area No team turns counter-attack into a useful, time-guzzling period of sterile possession like Chelsea. No team is so well-drilled in simply doing what it has to do. Mourinho and Chelsea have earned the right over the course of the season to come to the Emirates, with six games left, and play for a draw, but it would have been so much better if they had needed to win.
At the final whistle the home fans sang, “boring, boring, Chelsea”, and yet, as with everything else, Mourinho had his response prepared for that eventuality. “I think ten years without the title, that’s boring,” he said, momentarily slipping back into full sneer.
With five points remaining between them and the league title, Chelsea cannot clinch it at Leicester City on Wednesday, but they can do so against Crystal Palace a week today. In the meantime, a 13 game between Arsene Wenger and the coach who has plagued his last decade ends without the first victory for the Arsenal manager, whose team tried to win the game with varying levels of competence.
It told you much that Arsenal’s best chance of the game came in injury-time at the end of the game when the substitute Danny Welbeck failed to get on the end of a cross from Nacho Monreal. They had just one shot on target all game, as opposed to the three mustered by Chelsea.
When the final whistle went Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill celebrated together with the kind of joy normally reserved for goals. Ivanovic sailed closest to the wind with two fouls on Alexis Sanchez that could have been bookings before he was cautioned for the third, but Chelsea had their quibbles with the referee too.
If ever there was a Mourinho team to win a Mourinho championship in the gritty dog-days of April then it was this one. His two favourite strikers, Diego Costa and Loic Remy, injured. His third, the old warhorse Didier Drogba, just not up to pulling the plough any longer. And no thought given to promoting the teenage prodigy Dominic Solanke, despite having talked him up pre-match.
Jose Mourinho was vocal on the sidelines Jose Mourinho was vocal on the sidelines Instead, he picked Oscar to do the centre-forward’s job, proof, if ever, that the position in Mourinho’s teams is not necessarily about scoring goals. In the first half, Drogba was on the bench thinking about the old days against Arsenal while Chelsea swarmed the midfield. Sometimes Willian or Eden Hazard would offer their displaced Brazilian team-mate Oscar some support but most of the time he was up there on his own, like a chemistry teacher covering a drama class.
The first half was the usual master-class of containment from Chelsea who threw themselves in front of everything that dropped in their own box and still created the best chances themselves.
Dider Drogba, off the bench, failed to add yet another goal to his tally against Arsenal Dider Drogba, off the bench, failed to add yet another goal to his tally against Arsenal There were two penalty claims for Chelsea in the first half, or one and a half to be scrupulously fair to Michael Oliver. The first was decided by that age-old referee’s protocol that if the attacker gets to the ball first it matters not how ruthlessly he is assaulted by the out-rushing goalkeeper. In this case, David Ospina took out Oscar in the Wrestlemania fashion and got away with it.
Cesc Fabregas’ ball clipped over the top had been woefully misjudged by Laurent Koscielny and Oscar lifted the ball over the goalkeeper and towards goal where Hector Bellerin was able to get round to head it away. The Chelsea man required treatment in the aftermath of the collision, a bang to the head hard enough to cause him to forget his new position.
No penalty given and much wry smiling from Mourinho. Then, halfway through the first half, Fabregas dinked a ball past Santi Cazorla in the area and went over the leg stretched out by the Arsenal man to retrieve the ball. There was undoubtedly contact, but halfway through his act of exaggeration, Fabregas appeared to be consumed by the embarrassment of his deception and it became a farce.
Arsenal felt they should have had a penalty of their own in the first half Arsenal felt they should have had a penalty of their own in the first half He was booked, although there was a case, albeit small, for a foul. Arsenal appealed for a Cazorla shot on 32 minutes that struck the arm of Gary Cahill but there was little the Chelsea man could do about it. The best chance of the first half was a ball sneaked through the Arsenal defence by Willian which Ramires tapped meekly at Ospina
Fabregas was booed half-heartedly for much of the game on his first return to Arsenal as a Chelsea player. Then, when he was substituted in the last minutes, he chanced a conciliatory applause to the home fans and found that it was reciprocated around much of the ground.
At half-time Drogba replaced Oscar, sent to hospital suffering from suspected concussion and in the second half there was scarcely a chance worthy of the mention until the frantic later stages with Welbeck and Theo Walcott introduced. Even then, Chelsea looked dangerous on the counter-attack and Arsenal gave the impression that they were ensnared in the trap that Mourinho had set for them.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ospina; Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin (Welbeck, 76), Cazorla; Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez; Giroud (Walcott, 84).
Substitutes not used: Szczesny (gk), Debuchy, Gibbs, Wilshere, Flamini.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic; Ramires, Willian (Cuadrado, 90), Fabregas (Zouma, 82), Hazard; Oscar (Drogba, ht).
Substitutes not used: Cech (gk), Luis, Mikel, Loftus-Cheek.

Booked: Arsenal Coquelin, Cazorla, Monreal Chelsea Fabregas, Willian, Ivanovic
Referee: M Oliver.
Attendance: 60,066
Man of the match: Terry
Rating: 5

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Guardian:

Arsenal deny Chelsea but José Mourinho’s side edge closer to title
Arsenal 0 - 0 Chelsea
Daniel Taylor at the Emirates Stadium

By the end, there was the unmistakable feeling that all Arsenal were doing was delaying the inevitable. The earliest Chelsea can win the title now is at home to Crystal Palace next Sunday and, if not then, the following week against Liverpool. The only question is when the coronation happens but the real detail is that the victory parade has already been arranged for 25 May – and there was nothing Arsenal could do here to make that feel even the slightest bit premature.
Instead, we had the result that everybody could probably have predicted when they saw José Mourinho had started with a team devoid of an orthodox centre-forward. Chelsea, once again, showed their qualities of structure and defensive organisation and it is now five games since Arsenal last managed a goal against them. Arsène Wenger has still not beaten Mourinho in 13 attempts and Chelsea stubbornly refused to be drawn into the kind of match that would suit their opponents.
“Boring, boring Chelsea,” Arsenal’s supporters taunted. Mourinho came prepared into his press conference. “Boring?” he asked. “Ten years without a title – that’s boring.”
As put-downs go, it was one of his better ones. Yet he could hardly deny Chelsea’s conservatism. The tactic was to keep at least half a dozen players behind the ball and insure themselves against the counterattack, Wenger’s weapon of choice. Chelsea are grinding their way to glory but, boy, they are good at these smothering techniques.
John Terry made it seem implausible he was not even on the shortlist for the PFA Player of the Year award, leading Mourinho to describe it as the greatest performance he had seen from his captain. César Azpilicueta excelled at left-back and at the final whistle the fist-pumping told its own story. Branislav Ivanovic launched himself into the air. Terry let out a cry of pent-up emotion. Gary Cahill embraced Azpilicueta. That sturdy quartet of thou-shall-not-pass defenders punched the sky and screamed their delight in a collective appreciation of their own work.
Did Chelsea come for the scoreless draw? No, Mourinho always wants to win but the priority was certainly to hold the fort – and there is no better team in England when it comes to subduing high-calibre opponents. It is the first time Wenger’s team have dropped points at home since November and we have to go back to the previous February to find the last occasion they did not score a league goal at home. Mesut Özil, Alexis Sánchez and their other danger men had lots of the ball but there was always that formidable bank of blue shirts ahead of them.
The paradox, perhaps, is that Chelsea could also reflect the game might have turned out very differently but for the moment, a quarter of an hour in, that provided the game’s biggest controversy. David Ospina, Arsenal’s goalkeeper, was certainly fortunate not to be punished after charging from his goalline, missing the ball and clattering into Oscar. Héctor Bellerín prevented Oscar’s looping effort from bouncing into the goal and Chelsea had every right to argue it should have been a penalty.
Wenger admitted afterwards his team had been lucky but Chelsea lose an element of sympathy because of the other occasions they resorted to deceptions to try to win a penalty. Oscar can just about be given the benefit of the doubt after an optimistic fall in front of Bellerín but Cesc Fàbregas deserved all the condemnation that came his way when he wafted his leg in the direction of Santi Cazorla, then plopped to the ground in the vain hope that the referee, Michael Oliver, might be conned. All of Mourinho’s grievances will be undermined as long as his players try it on this way.
Arsenal had complaints of their own bearing in mind the incident later in the first half when Cahill’s left arm blocked Cazorla’s goal-bound shot inside the penalty area. Özil was Arsenal’s greatest threat in the first half. Aaron Ramsey’s link-up play with the overlapping Bellerín was another feature but, with less of the ball, Mourinho’s team still created the best chances of that period. Fàbregas’s pass for Oscar’s opportunity was the outstanding moment and, seven minutes before the interval, Ramires ought to have done better after Willian’s pass.
Oscar had to go off at half-time, taken to hospital and still suffering the effects of the collision with Ospina, and Didier Drogba took over as their centre-forward to give the team a more orthodox look.
Fàbregas took up a more attacking position and Willian switched to the right, with Ramires dropping inside to partner Nemanja Matic. Yet their tactics rarely deviated. At one point Willian led a promising break and there was only Drogba and Fàbregas who showed the faintest interest in supporting their colleague. The rest hung back.
Fàbregas had a mixed afternoon on his first game back at his old club. A lot of passes were misplaced and, in the worst moments, it felt as if the protective mask he is wearing to protect a broken nose must be hampering his vision.
Fàbregas eventually removed it after one lapse. There were boos every time he touched the ball and, unforgivably, one Arsenal supporter decided the minute’s silence for the forthcoming 30th anniversary of the Bradford City fire was an appropriate time to abuse an old favourite. Equally, many applauded him when the Spaniard was substituted late on.
The more important matter for Chelsea was that they had edged another point closer to where they want to be. The substitute Danny Welbeck could not adjust his feet quickly enough with a stoppage-time chance and Chelsea’s celebrations at the end were so jubilant it said one thing: they knew.
Man of the match John Terry (Chelsea)

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Telegraph:

Arsenal 0 Chelsea 0:
Jose Mourinho shuts out Gunners to edge team closer to the title
By Henry Winter,

This was the perfect London day for Chelsea to remind everyone that the league is a marathon not a sprint, that the title is won because of ­powers of endurance and psychological strength. From start to within sight of the finishing line, Chelsea have been consistently resilient, redoubtable defensively and creative when required. They took another huge stride towards the title here as Arsenal hit the wall called John Terry.
Leading by example, Chelsea’s captain was immense, making interception after interception, nipping in to see off danger emanating from Héctor Bellerín, Alexis Sánchez and Mesut Özil twice as Arsenal raised their game in vain late on.
Terry so dominated Olivier Giroud that the Frenchman was taken off, prompting Thierry Henry to remark on Sky that Arsenal need “a top-quality centre-forward to win the league next season”. An Arsenal legend so revered he has his own statue outside the ground, Henry also added that his old team “need another centre-back and defensive midfielder” if they were to challenge Chelsea next season.
Arsenal boast some exceptional players, especially in the front six while the full-backs, Bellerín and Nacho Monreal, were good again here. Their problem is as much psychological and tactical. They need more belief in the toughest contests. They require more nous at times, from avoiding gung-ho attacking when 2-1 down against Monaco in the first leg to more tactical fluidity against Chelsea.
Mourinho’s side are so well drilled that speed in transition is needed to catch them out. Arsenal’s build-up, although frequently pleasing on the eye, was sometimes too elaborate when a rapier thrust might have brought more reward. The pacy Danny Welbeck could have been brought on earlier to trouble Terry and Gary Cahill.
Arsenal have enjoyed a good few months domestically, have reached the FA Cup final, and clearly have improved since last season but they lack that touch of intelligence and devilment to take them to the next level. “Boring, boring Chelsea” came the chant from the home fans, rather ignoring the elegance of Eden Hazard this season, the presence of five other Chelsea players in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year and the fact that the champions-elect have scored four more goals than Arsenal in the league. “We’re going to win the league,” came the riposte from the Chelsea fans.
Mourinho’s retort was even sharper. “I think ‘boring’ is 10 years without a title,’’ he said, maintaining his feud with Wenger, whose side last lifted the Premier League trophy in 2004. Wenger has still to defeat Mourinho in 13 attempts now. “Oh Arsène Wenger, we want you to stay,” the Chelsea fans crowed.
The difficult truth for Wenger is that Chelsea are better balanced, appreciating the importance of prevention as well as invention and are 10 points clear despite being hamstrung by Diego Costa’s injury. Mourinho hopes Costa could return in time for the trip to Leicester City on Wednesday or the April 29 home game with Crystal Palace when Chelsea could seal the title. They will be worthy winners and their rivals, Arsenal included, need to put up a more substantial, sustained challenge. Ten points is quite a gap.
There was a hint of desperation in the abusive chants of Arsenal fans by the end. “S--- club, no history,” they sang towards the away corner. “Where’s your European Cup?” came the inevitable reply.
As the game wound down, frustration could also be detected in some of the ­Arsenal challenges, a series of tactical fouls to break up Chelsea counters: Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla on Hazard and Monreal on Ramires. All three Arsenal players were booked but the worst challenge came in the first half from their keeper, David Ospina, who piled in to Oscar, Chelsea’s unlikely centre-forward. Running on to a magnificent Cesc Fabregas pass, Oscar lifted the ball goalwards over Ospina, who kept going, and smeared Oscar across the ground.
Chelsea have an experienced medical staff and it was a surprise that Oscar continued. He sustained concussion, which apparently did not become clear until later, when he was removed at the break and whisked to hospital. The Football Association has convened a panel of medical experts to look into head injuries and it cannot meet soon enough on this evidence. Events here were also another reminder of the need for football to trial video technology. It was a clear penalty but Michael Oliver ignored the offence. Mourinho immediately complained to the fourth official, Lee Mason. “F--- off, Mourinho” came the chant from hundreds of Arsenal fans behind the away dugout.
Mourinho just smiled and shook his head in disbelief at Oliver’s leniency towards Ospina. The challenge, almost a juddering linebacker’s block, would have guaranteed a free-kick anywhere else on the pitch.
Oliver angered Chelsea again when Fabregas scampered into the Arsenal area and collapsed when challenged by Cazorla. The contact, knee to knee, was minimal, and Fabregas pushed out his right leg towards Cazorla before dropping to earth. Again Mourinho was bemused by Oliver’s reaction, who this time brandished a yellow card for simulation. Arsenal fans, who booed their former player frequently, particularly enjoyed that.
The booking Fabregas received for a supposed diving defence at St Mary’s in December, when the Chelsea No?4 was clearly caught by Matt Targett, had begun Mourinho’s campaign about a “campaign” against his team.
Arsenal themselves felt they should have had a penalty after 33 minutes. Bellerín cut the ball back from the right, Cazorla fired goalwards and his shot hit the left arm of the sliding Cahill. Arsenal appealed loudly for a handball but Oliver waved play on, much to the hosts’ frustration.
The game was evenly poised, and entertaining despite the dearth of goals. Chelsea should have taken the lead with eight minutes of the half remaining. Hazard guided Willian down the inside-left channel and the Brazilian, who rivalled Terry for man of the match, then delivered a terrific pass, threaded through Arsenal’s back-pedalling defence to his compatriot Ramires. Chelsea’s No?7 took a touch to control the ball but his second was weak, the ball poked at Ospina, who saved with ease.
Arsenal concluded the half with a couple of chances, Sánchez shooting wide and then Mesut Özil sending his drive straight into the arms of Thibaut Courtois. The second half lacked the intensity of the first.
Drogba replaced Oscar but the focus remained on another Chelsea warhorse, Terry, protecting his goal with some well-timed clearances.
Wenger gambled, withdrawing his holding midfielder Francis Coquelin and sending on Welbeck with 14 minutes remaining. The England international arrowed a ball to the near-post which Courtois pushed away. Welbeck then went central as the ineffectual Giroud was replaced by Theo Walcott. Mourinho tried to close the game down, sending on Kurt Zouma, for Fabregas, who left the field to some jeers but also plenty of applause from Arsenal supporters. Then came the final whistle, and the partying started amongst those in blue.

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Mail:

Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea:
Jose Mourinho remains unbeaten for 13th game against Arsene Wenger as Blues extend lead at the top

MARTIN SAMUEL

George Graham, from his perch in the stand, would in his own way have loved it. Not seeing Arsenal fail to overcome Chelsea, of course. Just the manner in which the opponents executed their game plan.
Chelsea didn’t need to win here. They just didn’t want to lose. So, after half-time, Jose Mourinho threw a big blue blanket over the action in the way that Graham did, on occasions, in his time at Arsenal. Some of those players were still living off those lessons years later, when Arsene Wenger won the Double with them.
Until Mourinho gave the order to shut it down, the match had been highly entertaining. A few opportunities at either end, the standard smattering of vain penalty appeals. Everyone ticked off with referee Michael Oliver, both teams looking capable of victory.
But that leaves matters to chance and Mourinho is no longer in chance-giving mode. So he sent on Didier Drogba for Oscar — who had played 30 minutes despite suffering a blow to the head and was said to have concussion — and despite this additional attacking presence the fun was over.
Wenger is still without a win over Mourinho in 13 meetings. Chelsea kept possession, held Arsenal at arm’s length and defended in a masterly fashion, particularly captain John Terry, whose exclusion from the six-man shortlist for PFA Player of the Year looks more ridiculous with each match Chelsea close down on the way to the inevitable.
If Graham permitted himself an inner half-smile it was because this was a performance that reminded of his Arsenal — resilient, commanding, unbending, uncaring. The home crowd enjoyed a few robust choruses of ‘Boring, boring Chelsea’ at the end but the champions-elect were too busy celebrating to notice.
The bottom line is this: all the teams that complain about the football Chelsea are playing had their chance to stop it and did not.
Arsenal lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Win that game and there would have been four points between the teams going into this. Win that and Chelsea might not have been able to adopt such a high-risk, rope-a-dope policy.
Win that and a late Arsenal goal here could have taken the difference to a point. Instead, Chelsea held out knowing that, even if Arsenal got lucky, the worst that could happen would be a seven-point differential.
It was worth the gamble to just dig in and let Arsenal slam themselves against a brick wall. So that’s what they did. Graham would have done the same. Needing to win by two at Liverpool on the last day of the 1988-89 season, he told his players not to get sucked into playing open football, and not to worry if it was 0-0 at half-time. They still had 45 minutes to score. Arsenal won the league with close to the last kick of the season.
That, however, is not Mourinho’s style. He is a front-runner, who likes to get his team to a commanding position and then bring the shutters down. To do that, however, requires nerve — and Mourinho has plenty in his captain, Terry.
No doubt when Graham looks at Terry he sees an echo of his own man, Tony Adams — the last defensive leader of similar authority in the English game. Terry epitomised Chelsea’s spirit and not just when sweeping up effortlessly as Mesut Ozil stood over a clear shot at goal.
He was magnificent. Marshalling, filling in, standing tall, staying strong. For all of Eden Hazard’s qualities, the second phase of this campaign has been built from the back and, despite Arsenal’s pressure, never did they convince as an attacking force. Mourinho said this was Terry’s best game for him. High praise indeed.
In an echo of last week’s win over Manchester United, Chelsea often conceded possession to Arsenal while preventing them doing much worthwhile with it. A rare exception came when Willian, who was immense in the ground he covered, caught Laurent Koscielny with a high boot. Thibaut Courtois for once came up short, patting at the free-kick which fell to Per Mertesacker. He showed why he is a centre half, however, screwing his shot wide.
The first half was marked by a series of penalty appeals, although Chelsea’s, in particular, were strange ones. Both times they had a case but instinct suggested Michael Oliver called them right.
In the 15th minute, a lovely through pass by Cesc Fabregas put Oscar clear. He outpaced Arsenal’s back line and deftly chipped the advancing goalkeeper, David Ospina. As the ball made its way to the goal, Ospina’s desperate rush took him into Oscar at full force.
It looked a complete accident. Yet when has that ever been an excuse in other areas of the pitch? If a player hit his opponent after the ball has gone in the centre circle, it is a foul. He cannot use momentum as an excuse.
Yet Ospina got away with it, and Arsenal, too, as Hector Bellerin cleared off the line. By the version of the rules that apply in the penalty area, though, it would have seemed harsh had Ospina been found guilty, not least because he would also have been sent off, even though the collision later ended Oscar’s participation.
The next appeal had merit, too, of sorts. Without doubt, Santi Cazorla’s outstretched leg was a mistake and his efforts to retract it may not have been entirely successful. Equally, Fabregas sought to establish greater contact, jerking out his left leg to deliberately catch Cazorla and accentuate the impression of a trip. Oliver’s yellow card for simulation seemed reasonable in the circumstances.
Arsenal were aggrieved after 34 minutes but, again, to play on seemed the fairest decision. It was a neat move, Alexis Sanchez picking out Bellerin on the right, his cross being met with a low shot from Cazorla. The ball struck Gary Cahill’s leg as he lunged full-length to block, flipping up to strike him plainly on an arm. Yet Cahill’s arm was not in an unnatural position, and he could do little about the trajectory of the ball. Outrage followed when Oliver didn’t bite, but it was misplaced.
It would be wrong, however, to view the first half merely as a succession of moans and grudges. This was, initially, a fast, highly skilled game between teams who are expected to contend for the title next season.
There were chances at both ends and Ramires had the best of them when he was put through by a beautiful pass from Willian. It was crying out for a striker’s finish, but Ramires’s little poke was never going to trouble any goalkeeper, and certainly not one in the form of Ospina.
There will be the usual bus-parking guff after this, of course, as there always is when Chelsea tough it out. The fact is, however, no team go 10 points clear just by shutting games down. They go 10 clear by being the best attacking team, and then defending that lead. Chelsea have shown control over both facets of the game and that isn’t easy. Ask George Graham.

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Mirror:

Arsenal 0-0 Chelsea: Mourinho prolongs unbeaten run against Wenger in frantic goalless draw
By Dave Kidd

The Blues boss made it 13 games without defeat to Wenger, meaning his side are one step closer to the Premier League title
The only surprise was that Jose Mourinho did not pull out a baton and conduct the chorus of frustration which resounded around what he regards as Arsene Wenger’s “academy of failure”.
The cries of “boring, boring Chelsea”, the shrill whistles and the catcalls must have sounded like a symphony to the man who has turned anti-football into an art form.
John Terry’s fist-pumping and screaming at the final whistle said it all. Chelsea knew this was the clincher.
Mourinho hailed this as his captain’s finest ­performance during the five seasons they have worked together.
He has been immense. His failure to make the PFA Player of the Year six-man shortlist quite laughable.
Terry will not care too much for individual honours now that his fourth title medal is in the bag.
On London Marathon day, Mourinho’s men were heading up the Mall, ready to be wrapped in tinfoil.
They are champions-elect and will be sworn in next Sunday if they win at Leicester on Wednesday, then overcome Crystal Palace at the Bridge.
The Blues have led from the front and, save for a brief mid-season stumble, they have barely faltered.
Chelsea have not won a league match by more than a single goal since a 5-0 romp at Swansea in January. But they have not even conceded a goal from inside their own half this month, only Charlie Adam’s 65-yarder crossing their line. Pretty soon it’ll take a falling meteorite.
Wenger has never beaten Mourinho in 13 attempts; which is no hoodoo, simply the natural order of things. Had Arsenal broken down the Blues here, there was a feeling it might have benefited them in next season’s title race if not this.
But despite Chelsea starting without a recognised striker, the Gunners barely laid a glove on them. The visitors recorded three decent penalty shouts to their hosts one in the first half, then pulled down the shutters.
This was Mourinho’s first visit to the Emirates since his “specialist in failure” jibe at Wenger – and also Cesc ­Fabregas’ first return to the club which nurtured him.
When Mourinho substituted the Spaniard in the 90th minute, it was as if he wanted the booing to reach a crescendo. It was, though, his only bum note of the afternoon – the midfielder actually received applause among the abuse.
Fabregas began in a protective face mask, with Oscar masquerading as a false nine. And the Brazilian might have earned two first-half spot-kicks – first when he was upended by a brush from Hector Bellerin, then when he was flattened by Arsenal keeper David Ospina.
Oscar lobbed Ospina before being clattered, only to see Bellerin head away close to the line. Referee Michael Oliver showed ­clemency to the Colombia keeper and Oscar was withdrawn at half-time with suspected ­concussion.
By the time Fabregas was harshly booked for diving in the Arsenal box as Santi Cazorla dangled a leg to impede him, Chelsea might have had three spot-kicks inside 23 minutes.
Then it was the hosts’ turn to plead, when Gary Cahill blocked Cazorla’s shot with a raised arm – only his point-blank proximity earning him the benefit of the doubt. Willian slipped Ramires through but his fellow Brazilian shot straight at Ospina.
Didier Drogba, the Gunners’ one-time nemesis, was brought on for Oscar but the old legend is fading badly.
Terry admitted it had been too open for Mourinho’s liking in the first half and, after the break, Chelsea were back on message, grinding it out.
There were half-chances for Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil, while Danny Welbeck forced one save with a deflected shot but that was all.
The Blues are champions. And they’ll never get bored of crowing about it.

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Express:

Arsenal 0 - Chelsea 0: The finishing line is drawing near for dominant Blues
By MATTHEW DUNN

The free-flowing determination to take the game to the opposition in waves of hopeful enterprise; the resolute determination and organisation of a side sullenly committed to not losing.
Ten irretrievable points that now separate first from second in the Premier League or the gnat's whisker that you would struggle to fit between the two sides on display at the Emirates yesterday.
A manager used to winning, and one who is a "specialist in failure".
Well "vive la difference" on all those counts! Because it was the clash of philosophies, styles and managerial approaches which made the 90 minutes so absorbing for the neutral and point towards a thrilling 2015/16.
In the short term, though, it was the clash between David Ospina and Oscar that will prove the bigger talking point.
Cesc Fabregas played the inviting through-ball, Oscar timed his run perfectly off the heel of Hector Bellerin, got to the ball first and toe-poked it over the out-rushing Arsenal goalkeeper.
Ospina's reckless momentum continued to carry him into the Chelsea striker, completely wiping out the Brazilian even before he could have known that Bellerin's Usain-Bolt pace would get him back in time to head the ball to safety from under the crossbar.
After treatment, he staggered uncertainly on his feet but soldiered on till half-time, when a more considered medical examination than was possible pitch-side dictated a precautionary trip to hospital.
Already discussion had begun in earnest as to how a referee such as Michael Oliver, fast becoming one of the more astute officials in the game, had failed to give such an obvious penalty.
The more important debate in the coming days, however, will centre around how football can continue to take chances, irrespective of any of the medical niceties, on allowing a player who clearly was a candidate for a bad concussion to continue for a further 26 life-threatening minutes.
Oscar's eventual withdrawal was to change the character of the game. Didier Drogba's more obvious threat in the second half proved little compensation for the mesmerising options Chelsea had offered as soon as they launched each first-half counter attack.
With no recognisable no. 9, Oscar, Eden Hazard and occasionally Willian each took their turns in an absorbing carousel of talent.
The frantic to-and-fro was as much a test for the officials as it was for the defences.
Oscar seemed to stumble rather than get caught by Bellerin in the eighth minute; likewise Fabregas went looking so hard for contact with his trailing foot after 24 minutes that a booking for simulation could be entirely justified.
At the other end, Chelsea had to breathe a sigh of relief when Arsenal had a penalty shout of their own before the break.
Mourinho has drilled his defence so well in blocking shots legitimately that these days they bounce around like the armless Black Knight in Monty Python's The Holy Grail when any opponent is primed to shoot.
However, when Santi Cazorla met Bellerin's pull-back with a goal-bound effort, Cahill's arm was uncharacteristically high in the air when the ball struck it.
At the very least, it was an invitation to Oliver to give a penalty and red card. Thankfully, in keeping with common sense if not necessarily the modern letter of the law, it was one the referee politely declined.
A moment of individual brilliance might have claimed the spoils, but in the end it was a day for the brilliant spoilers.
Terry, in particular, was once again turning in the sort of performance which it would just be easier for the FA – given his baggage and exile – if he didn't.
"Enough, now, John," they must be thinking. "You're 34. Stop embarrassing the English game by remaining this good."
Arsenal, who could have snatched all three points with a bit more composure in front of goal late in the game, were also uncharacteristically solid defensively – a hard lesson they have learned from their Monaco Champions League debacle.
They retreated as a well-drilled back-four straight from the pages of Fever Pitch and, with the unselfish Francis Coquelin and inspirational Santi Cazorla happy to lend a hand, it gives them a solid foundation on which to build for next year.
And that was the most edifying conclusion of all, yesterday.
The point-gap between Arsenal and Chelsea is now one fewer than it was way back on October 18. Arsenal lost the title in the first eight games and have never recovered.
But on the evidence of yesterday, next year may be different. Vive! to that.

ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ospina 6; Bellerin 6, Mertesacker 7, Koscielny 6, Monreal 6; Cazorla 8, Coquelin 6 (Welbeck 77, 6); Ramsey 7, Ozil 6, Sanchez 7; Giroud 6 (Walcott 84). Booked: Coquelin, Ramsey, Cazorla, Monreal. NEXT UP: Hull City (a) Saturday, PL

CHELSEA (4-1-4-1): Courtois 6; Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Terry 9, Azpilicueta 7; Matic 8; Ramires 7, Fabregas 6 (Zouma 90), Willian 7 (Cuadrado 90), Hazard 6; Oscar 6 (Drogba 45, 6). Booked: Fabregas, Willian, Ivanovic. NEXT UP: Leicester (a) Wednesday, PL
REFEREE: Michael Oliver (Cheshire)

==============

Star:

Arsenal 0 Chelsea 0: Blues close in on title with goalless draw against Gunners
THEY say it's a marathon, not a sprint. But it's becoming a stroll for Chelsea.
By Paul Brown

While a record 37,500 were pounding the streets of the capital yesterday, the Blues were marching on slow but steady towards a title which is already theirs in all but name.
Even the London Marathon was closer. Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge only won that by five seconds.
This race has been over for a long time. Chelsea came for a draw and got it. Their lead at the top of the table is still 10 points.
Nobody else can win the championship. They can only lose it from here - and it would take the biggest collapse in Premier League history.
Arsenal made a fight of it, and at times it was a typical derby, littered with crunching tackles and controversy.
Jose Mourinho has never lost to Arsene Wenger and it's been five years since Arsenal last beat Chelsea here.
In the end controversy won out over quality, with Chelsea denied three penalties and Arsenal denied one of their own, while Cesc Fabregas was booked for diving on his return to his old club.
The draw means Chelsea can't now win it at Leicester on Wednesday. But it only delayed the inevitable.
With their lead at the top so big, there was no reason to risk rushing Diego Costa back.
But it was still a surprise to see Oscar lead the line for Chelsea, who started with Didier Drogba on the bench.
He wanted a penalty early on after being played in by Fabregas, a scandalous omission from the PFA team of the year, but replays proved there was minimal contact.
Chelsea signalled their intent by fouling Alexis Sanchez at every opportunity, with Branislav Ivanovic particularly lucky to escape punishment for an ugly hack at the Chilean.
Arsenal showed they could dish it out as well as take it though when Francis Coquelin decked Eden Hazard by barging into the Belgian.
The Gunners had won nine in a row and reached the FA Cup final going into the game and looked right up for the battle.
Mourinho's decision to play Oscar almost paid off when he beat David Ospina to a Fabregas pass only to see his volley cleared off the line by Hector Bellerin.
The Blues boss wanted a penalty as Ospina took the Brazilian out on the follow-through - leaving Oscar with mild concussion - but referee Michael Oliver was unmoved.
Then it was Fabregas' turn to go down in the box, under a tackle from Santi Cazorla. He made the most of it, and got booked as a result. But there was contact.
Chelsea survived a penalty claim themselves when Cazorla's effort bounced up and hit Gary Cahill's hand. His arm was raised, but it was ball-to-hand from point blank range.
Ramires should have put the Blues ahead when he was played in by Willian but snatched at his shot and Ospina saved.
Chelsea were in full lockdown mode for most of the second half and Arsenal had no answer.
Per Mertesacker and Cazorla sliced half-chances wide, Danny Welbeck had a shot saved, and Chelsea survived a goalmouth scramble in stoppage time. But that was about it.
The home fans were singing "Boring, boring Chelsea!" well before the final whistle.
But their team only managed two meaningful shots on target all game.
The finish line is in sight for Chelsea. It won't be long now.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ospina 6; BELLERIN 7, Koscielny 6, Mertesacker 6, Monreal 6; Cazorla 6, Coquelin 6 (Welbeck 77); Ramsey 5, Ozil 6, Sanchez 6; Giroud 5 (Walcott 83). Subs: Szczesny, Debuchy, Gibbs, Wilshere, Flamini.
UP NEXT: Hull (a) Premier League, Saturday
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois 7; Ivanovic 6, Cahill 6, TERRY 8, Azpilicueta 6; Matic 7, Fabregas 6 (Zouma 90); Ramires 6, Willian 7 (Cuadrado 90), Hazard 6; Oscar 7 (Drogba 46, 6). Subs: Cech, Luis, Mikel, Loftus-Cheek.
UP NEXT: Leicester (a) Premier League, Wednesday
Referee: Michael Oliver 6
Your turn: Who was the last man to score a hat-trick in a Arsenal v Chelsea game?
STAR MAN: John Terry - No better organiser
STAR SHOCKER: Arsene Wenger - Still winless against Mourinho
Match: 2

==============

Man Utd 1-0

Independent:


Chelsea 1 Manchster United 0

By MICHAEL CALVIN

Eden Hazard proves the difference as Blues close in on Premier League title

Hazard's first-half finish was enough to secure victory and mean Chelsea need six points to win the title


Chelsea have not lost since New Year’s Day, and will approach next Sunday’s visit to Arsenal with an understandable degree of confidence. They are ten points clear, with eminently winnable games against Leicester City, Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland to come.

Since this is the time of the year when football’s gong shows take centre stage, the onus was on Eden Hazard to justify the acclamation.  The best players, the most revered marquee signings, dominate such occasions by instinct and inclination.

He has answered doubts about his workrate, having increased the ground he covers during an average match from 9.5km to 10.2km. He was central to Chelsea’s strategy of coping with United surfeit of possession and hitting them on the break.

His decisive goal, seven minutes from half time, was a mixture of precision and incision. He ran on to Oscar’s back heel, and his awareness of space and time enabled him to wait for the perfect moment to slide the ball between De Gea’s legs.

Louis Van Gaal screamed into the face of fourth official Craig Pawson, who stood at the mouth of the tunnel, that Terry had fouled Falcao just inside the United half in the build up. His post-match handshake with Mourinho was a notably stern formality. Chelsea know United will be a different proposition next season.

United’s monolithic commercial department had evidently missed a trick, given the speed at which tee shirts, depicting Angel Di Maria as Rodney and Louis Van Gaal as Del Boy, were flying off the roadside stalls. The tagline - “this time next year we’ll be champions” – was a cross between a wish and a demand.

The outcome of Chelsea’s trade-off between fulfilment and popularity was as pre-ordained as the game plan. They are quite happy to be regarded as charmless champions, since its suits the myth of their victimhood. They are Millwall manqué, rebels with regal pretensions.

Mourinho was, of course, charm personified beforehand. He even got Manuel Pellegrini’s name right, the ultimate give away since his studied sympathy for the City manager’s plight signalled his lack of threat and status. Van Gaal is an entirely different platter of Dutch deep-fried meatballs.

All new managers proclaim a clean slate and promise reputations have been consigned to history, but his United team mirrors meritocratic principles.  Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini, fragile beauty and unkempt beast, began well to reinforce their reinvention as big time players in a big match team that had lost only once in eight previous meetings with the top six.

The presence of Kurt Zouma in midfield was a backhanded compliment to Fellaini’s threat as he played off the recalled Radamel Falcao. Wayne Rooney dropped deeper, and clearly considered himself the orchestrator. He forgot to be a finisher.

Paddy McNair brought the ball intelligently out of defence in the fifth minute, before finding Young, whose pass inside Branislav Ivanovic was met by the overlapping Luke Shaw. He had the presence of mind to roll a pass into the path of the unmarked Rooney, but his left footed shot from just inside the penalty area went wide.

The ball hit the stanchion behind the goal and bounced along the net, which rippled and provided enough of an optical illusion for David De Gea to turn to celebrate with the travelling fans in the Shed, at the other end of the ground.

It was the sort of fixture which attracted the Premier League tourists. One classic specimen, more suited to polo in the park than a barney at the Bridge, wore salmon pink trousers and suede elbow patches on his sweater. At least as the drama of the game deepened, the atmosphere was suitably vibrant.

De Gea, subject of further speculation he has succumbed to Real Madrid’s courtship rituals, was relatively untroubled, apart from a peerless punch under pressure from John Terry and a marginal handball call on the edge of his own area.

Chelsea may lack  the edge of Carlo Ancelotti’s title winners in 2010, who recorded league doubles against United, Arsenal, and Liverpool, but no one can deny their resilience, and ability to strike with speed and calmness on the break.

Fabregas, last seen in a face mask following a Dick Turpin performance at QPR, excelled in a number ten role which gave Hazard room to ,manoeuvre . Chelsea’s problem was further forward, since Didier Drogba has reached the stage of marginal decline in which he is taunted by visions of his former self.

The Drogba of old would have galloped on to a pass of the quality provided by Nemanja Matic, eleven minutes into the second half. He had the strength to hold off Chris Smalling but his shot was delayed and deflected. Hazard sensed an opportunity, and hooked the ball against the top of the upright.

Falcao, as underwhelming as ever, hit the outside of the upright as time ticked away. United’s fans got a measure of retaliation in, by suggesting Mourinho “wanted to come” to Old Trafford, but he is enjoying life at Stamford Bridge, thanks very much.



Chelsea: (4-2-3-1) Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Zouma, Matic; Oscar (Ramires 67), Fabregas (Mikel 91), Hazard (Willian 93); Drogba.

Manchester Utd: (4-1-4-1) De Gea; Valencia, Smalling, McNair, Shaw (Blackett, 80); Herrera; Mata (Januzaj, 70), Fellaini, Rooney, Young (Di Maria, 70); Falcao.

Referee: Mike Dean

Man of the match: Hazard (Chelsea)

Match rating: 6/10


============


Guardian:

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard sinks Manchester United to bring title closer

Daniel Taylor


There really can be no doubt now that when the ribbons are attached to the Premier League trophy the light blue of Manchester City will be replaced by a darker shade of the same colour. José Mourinho’s team are ticking off the challenges and their lead is now 10 points. With half a dozen games to go, the residents of Fulham can expect a letter advising them of plans for an open-top bus parade.

For long spells it was a conservative and restrained performance, but there is an expertise ingrained in this Chelseateam about the art of winning through structure, stubbornness and get-the-job-done know-how and, when the opposition makes an error, being absolutely clinical. It also helps they have a left-sided attacker, Eden Hazard, who could feasibly finish the season with a clean sweep of the player-of-the-year awards.

Hazard’s contribution has been immense and it was his goal, late in the first half, that gave Chelsea the opportunity to show their qualities of endurance. The ovation when he was substituted told its own story and it was not long afterwards that Mourinho was out of his dugout demanding more noise. His team could settle everything by winning their next two matches, against Arsenal and Leicester, and Mourinho was clearly just going through the motions when he insisted it was wrong to assume the title was heading to Stamford Bridge.

Tactically, he said, the game had been “exactly what we wanted” and his eulogy did stray dangerously close to sounding like a victory speech. “I’m the one that knows how fantastic it was. JT was amazing. Azpilicueta was the best player on the pitch. Matic worked like an animal. Zouma put Fellaini outside the game. The No11 [Didier Drogba] was another animal, fighting against two kids with the age to be his sons. And Hazard was what we know. Eden had that magic.”

Mourinho seemed pretty pleased with himself too bearing in mind the tactical straightjacket that meant all of United’s better performers recently – not just Fellaini but also Ashley Young, Juan Mata and Ander Herrera – were subdued. Radamel Falcao did strike the post in the second half but the player of old would have converted that chance and Louis van Gaal took everyone by surprise when he described it as United’s best performance of the season. The exaggeration was complete when he said Chelsea had not even managed a single chance in the first half. Hazard’s goal came in the 38th minute.

Mourinho’s first trick came before kick-off when huge jets of water started to cascade and the playing surface was drenched to the point the ball could actually be seen splashing in certain areas. The idea, plainly, was to slow down the game, though United did start brightly and moved the ball quickly during the early exchanges. Not long before Hazard stuck his shot between David de Gea’s legs, the possession statistics had flashed up that Chelsea had seen only 30% of the ball. Hazard’s goal arrived just at the point Stamford Bridge was starting to feel a little anxious.

Van Gaal could be seen remonstrating with the fourth official, Craig Pawson, after the goal because he was convinced there had been a foul by John Terry in the buildup. It was rare to see the Dutchman in that finger-pointing pose but his anger would be more accurately directed at his players. Chris Smalling’s pass out of defence was the first problem, in keeping with a recurring theme when the centre-half is on the ball. Falcao had Terry closing in from behind and as soon as Chelsea’s captain came away with the ball the away team were vulnerable. Oscar’s backheel was measured perfectly to leave Hazard scampering into the penalty area and the Belgian drew De Gea out of his goal before slotting in his shot.

Chelsea had looked short of ideas until that point, attacking only sporadically despite the presence of the promising but raw Paddy McNair in United’s defence and a new round of injury issues affecting Van Gaal’s thinking. Luke Shaw’s surging runs from left-back were a prominent feature.

Antonio Valencia had the same ambitions on the opposite side and, early on, Wayne Rooney really ought to have done better with one of Shaw’s cutbacks, managing only to hit the stanchion behind the goal. The chance fell to Rooney’s left foot and, for all his qualities, England’s captain rarely excels when the ball is on that side.

Chelsea stuck rigidly to their tactics once they had taken the lead, determined not to lose their shape and restricting themselves to counter-attacks. Drogba got away at one point and when his shot flicked off Smalling it looped over De Gea to drop at the far post. Hazard tried an improvisational hook-shot but could only turn a bouncing ball against the post. That apart, De Gea was seldom threatened.

The old Falcao might have buried the chance that came to him later on, after spinning away from Zouma, but Ander Herrera deserved his yellow card after flicking out his foot to try to manufacture a penalty from Gary Cahill’s challenge. The final whistle came soon afterwards and Chelsea celebrated like champions in waiting, however much their manager insisted he was taking nothing for granted.


==================



Telegraph:


Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0

Eden Hazard strikes again as hosts close in on title

Jason Burt


Chelsea now have one hand on the Premier League trophy - and used the other to fend off an irrepressible Manchester United who were desperately unfortunate to lose this encounter which put a brake on their own resurgence.

There was no champagne football from Jose Mourinho's side apart from the brilliance of Eden Hazard - this was park-the-bus, get-the-job-done- but the corks will soon be popping. A 10-point lead at the helm of the table with six games to go appears insurmountable and with it a third league title under Mourinho even if they would appear set for a more formidable challenge from this developing United side next season. But that is for the future.

The fear was that with injuries and depletions a stalemate could evolve which would suit both sides, but that danger was swept away inside four minutes. Wayne Rooney should have scored. It came as Luke Shaw, recalled with left-backs injured, overlapped down the flank and cut the ball back to Rooney.

Unmarked, with time and space, the United captain steadied himself and slotted his shot wide. Not that far wide – David de Gea even celebrated in the United goal believing his team-mate had scored – but wide enough. Rooney knew he should have hit the target.

But it signalled United’s intent and soon afterwards Shaw’s low shot was blocked by Nemanja Matic. There did not appear to be a period of adjustment for the visitors, buoyed through their recent string of restorative victories, even if they had shuffled their pack with Rooney deployed more deeply in midfield although it was Ander Herrera who took the holding role.

Chelsea also strove. A chance opened up for Cesc Fabregas – pushed into the No  10 role as Mourinho shored up his midfield to counter the threat of Marouane Fellaini by using Kurt Zouma – but De Gea saved his poked shot with his legs. From the corner Didier Drogba headed over.

The game crackled with intent and it was United who began to take a degree of control. They began to dominate possession; were winning the challenges and recycling the ball and looked to press home their advantage.

Chelsea’s frustrations grew. The dominant chant came from United supporters goading Mourinho. “Jose Mourinho, you wanted the job,” they sang.

Drogba was struggling to lead the line and Chelsea could not gain a foothold as Herrera and Rooney conducted matters through the United midfield. Such was their dominance that United surely had to press home their advantage. They did not. It was Fellaini who had to be alert, as Chelsea broke, to steal in ahead of Oscar inside the six-yard area after a clever back-heel by Fabregas. That move also involved Eden Hazard – and where there was the Belgian there was hope for Chelsea.

They broke again, from a poor United free-kick, with Branislav Ivanovic bravely heading on to Oscar, who crossed deep. The ball dropped on the edge of the penalty area and was cleared by the onrushing De Gea – with his hand, just outside the area. De Gea had kept his arm down but certainly used it although that was only clear through replays. The assistant referee was unsighted by the covering Antonio Valencia. De Gea could, indeed should, have been sent off.

United did not escape, though. Soon afterwards Falcao was too easily shrugged off the ball by John Terry – Van Gaal protested that it was a foul – and Oscar eventually back-heeled into the path of Hazard, whom Herrera failed to track. Hazard ran on and easily slipped the ball between De Gea’s legs into the net. Chelsea, improbably, were ahead.

Just before half-time Falcao almost stole in, after fine build-up by United, but Thibaut Courtois was alert to flick the ball away for another corner.

It capped a miserable half for the Colombian who had also tussled with Terry by the touchline after another challenge but he emerged, early, along with the rest of the United team for the resumption. Mourinho also took his seat early. He will have been pleased with the stickability shown by his players and the edge given by Hazard.

And it was Hazard again surging forward from his own half, evading Rooney’s lunge – fortunately for Rooney - and lifting his team again as Chelsea attempted to increase their lead and United attempted to work their way back into contention.

But then it was almost over. Herrera, horribly, drove the ball straight to Matic who immediately released Drogba. Not so long ago the striker would have sprinted away but Chris Smalling scampered back. Even then Drogba lifted the ball over De Gea and there was Hazard. The angle was tight but he still nudged the ball against the post before it was hacked away.

Ivanovic tripped Shaw and from the free-kick the ball was pulled back to the United defender whose side-footed shot was deflected away. Paddy McNair then forced a block from Courtois with a powerful, swerving drive, with Matic beating Fellaini to the rebound, before Shaw again surged forward, again surged around Ivanovic only for Juan Mata - who had endured a frustrating return to Stamford Bridge - to struggle to keep his effort on goal under control. It bounced onto the roof off the net.

Once more the pressure increased. Again Shaw cleverly stepped forward to pick out Fellaini who chested the ball down to Rooney. Again the shot was deflected narrowly wide before Falcao drove an effort past the post and Rooney failed to get enough elevation in a chip to drift the ball over Courtois. Still the visitors persevered and Gary Cahill was quick enough to block Falcao's first-time shot.

Van Gaal acted. He changed both his wide attackers although he resisted the temptation to push Rooney further forward given that United continued to dominate in midfield. Finally Falcao did wriggle free, superbly turning Zouma, only to strike the angle of post and cross-bar. It just would not happen for Falcao or for United with Herrera booked for a dive as he sought a penalty.



===============


Mail:


Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United: Eden Hazard strikes as Jose Mourinho's men take another step towards the Premier League title


By Rob Draper for The Mail on Sunday


Two more games; that’s all it will take. Two more games and Jose Mourinho will have confirmed his mastery of the Premier League with a third title in five attempts at the trophy and Chelsea will be crowned champions.

The clue that this was the decisive game was in the manic nature of the second half. Not on the pitch, but on the touchline. Mourinho and his assistant Rui Faria were up and down with unusual intensity, even for them, waving players back with the most extravagant gestures when they lost the ball.

Hold on to this lead, was the implicit message, and a huge step will have been taken to the ultimate goal. In fact, as One Step Beyond played at the end of the game and the players congregated in the centre circle, there was a sense that the celebrations were already in swing.

Two more games of course have to be won and that includes a visit to Arsenal next week. But there can be little doubt as to the destination of the title after this result. The hard work of the winter has been done.

Mourinho was haveing none of it of course, rightly so, insisting they need eight points. They need nine, actually, to be sure, but beat Arsenal next week and then they will need just three more. ‘If the celebration is because we beat one the biggest clubs in the world, I understand that,’ he said. ‘If the celebration is because the players gave everything to win that game and they feel the result of the work they did this week, then I also understand that.

‘But if they are celebrating something more than that – not at all. It’s three points. Every point we get is one step in the title direction but no more than that.’

Yet though Chelsea were on the back foot for much of the game, though Manchester United did play well, the champions elect were worth their win not least in the fact that they were more or less in control of their destiny and they had the outstanding player on the pitch in Eden Hazard.

When he nut-megged David De Gea for the opening goal, it was as though the race to be player of the season – they are both shortlisted for the award - had become a personal feud. The finish was both ruthless and decisive, an indication of how far he has grown.

But he was not alone. The team approached their task with the cold, quite professionalism required of champions; not all titles are won at a canter with a spring in the step. Sometimes getting across the line is enough hand.

Louis van Gaal felt his team, shorn of Michael Carrick, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind, deserved more. ‘I’m very proud of my team,’ he said. ‘We played the best match this season but in football you can lose in spite of you being the better team.

‘It's amazing how we have played here. When you have seen the statistics, it's unbelievable that the result is 1-0. We count it that we have made a big step forward in our process. But for the fans, they have lost. And Manchester United have lost.

‘We were always in our opponent's half. In spite of the difference and despite Chelsea's defensive organisation, we have created more chances. That's an unbelievable performance – but, read the score.’

Mourinho had the perfect riposte to that. ‘The game was exactly what we wanted. When we manage to play the game we want to play, it's fantastic. The game was exactly what we were working for the game to be. The team was fantastic.’

The truth was somewhere inbetween those two analyses. Mourinho would not have wanted the challenge Gary Cahill made in the final moments of added time, in which Andre Herrera trailed his leg into the clumsy tackle and fell.

Herrera received a yellow card for diving – and Mourinho made much play of how his players might have been accused had they done the same – but another referee might easily have given a penalty.

Likewise when Luke Shaw, a constant worry to Branislav Ivanonic, played in Radamel Falcao and he smashed the ball against the post on 76 minutes, that would not have been in the Mourinho game plan. Nor the moment when Shaw found Rooney in the fourth minute and the captain curled the ball wide when he really should have scored.

That said, though United dominated midfield with Ander Herrera and Wayne Rooney, Chelsea had the better chances. Having conceded much of the possession, John Terry muscled Falcao off the ball – a foul according to van Gaal – and found Oscar on 37 minutes, whose impudent back heel saw Hazard set off like with an intent that would not be denied. His touch and finish was that of a man wholly sure of himself.

Herrera then blotted his copy book, with a wayward pass on 53 minutes, seized on by Didier Drogba, sprinting goal-wards. Chris Smalling made enough of a nuisance of himself to ensure that shot was deflected over David de Gea. Hazard was on hand, tearing in at far post, but, unable to break his stride for a simple finish, he instead flicked the ball and hit the post.

Nevertheless, you were left marvelling at the Belgian. He reminds you of Robert Pires when Arsenal were closing in on the title in 2002. It isn’t just that his speed terrorises or that his skill is above that of almost every player on the pitch. It is his state of mind that is so dangerous, that intuitive confidence great players possess; the knowledge that they have the capacity to change the game at any point. He did just that.



====================


Mirror:

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United:

Blues have one hand on the title as Eden Hazard fires them 10 points clear

John Cross


United can count themselves unlucky as Louis van Gaal’s men played well and Radamel Falcao hit the post late on, but Mourinho's side did enough

Eden Hazard kept Chelsea stumbling towards the title with a priceless winner at Stamford Bridge.

It was hardly the most convincing display but Hazard once again provided the extra quality as Chelsea ground out a victory over injury-hit Manchester United.

United can count themselves unlucky as Louis van Gaal’s men played well and Radamel Falcao hit the post late on which would have earned them an equaliser.

But United - missing key men Michael Carrick and Danny Blind - just did not create enough chances as Chelsea manned the barricades and held onto Hazard’s 38th minute winner.

Chelsea were also missing big players, they also look tired and it said much about Jose Mourinho’s approach that he used Kurt Zouma as an extra midfielder to try and frustrate United.

While we were trying to figure out which formations both teams were playing, United keeper David De Gea provided one of the comedy moments of the season.

Wayne Rooney put a glorious chance wide after just four minutes, the ball hit the stanchion behind and the United fans celebrated when the net rippled.

De Gea turned away in delight, punched the air - and then looked back in disappointment. That clip will make a few sporting blooper shows.

United were steady, strong and the better team in the first half but they did not put Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois under enough pressure.

Chelsea did not offer much going forward either as Didier Drogba looked isolated and lost as he filled in up front for the injured Diego Costa and Loic Remy.

But when Chelsea put together their best move of the first half they made a breakthrough after 38 minutes.

John Terry bundled Radamel Falcao off the ball, Cesc Fabregas found Oscar and his back heel put in Hazard who raced clear into the United penalty box.

De Gea edged off his line but stood up and Hazard had to keep his nerve before slipping the ball past the United keeper to put Chelsea ahead.

It showed why Hazard is so many people’s Player of the Year because, even when Chelsea are not at their best, he can provide a decisive moment of quality.

United kept going and turned the game into a war of attrition as they pushed Chelsea further back.

Chelsea were left trying to play on the break and nearly went further ahead after 54 minutes. Drogba’s shot was deflected off Chris Smalling, the ball looped over De Gea and Hazard somehow back heeled the ball onto the post.

United kept pressing without creating enough clear cut chances. Luke Shaw’s through ball put in Falcao who went through but smashed his shot against the outside of the post.

In the end, Chelsea scrapped and battled to hold on for another victory which edges them ever closer to the title even if they appear to be running on empty as they approach the run-in.



=================


Express:


Chelsea 1 - Man United 0: Brilliant Eden Hazard gives Jose Mourinho a perfect 10

Eden Hazard struck on the 38th minute to give Chelsea the lead before half time

The Blues can wrap up a first title in five years with wins at Arsenal next Sunday and at Leicester three days later.

Terry said: “I think we are doing enough. We are still getting results and that’s the mark of champions. It would be nice to get it done soon.”

This was the day when the team that played like champions surrendered that title to the side that didn't.

Chelsea, under the cosh for so long yesterday to opponents who deserved far more than they got, will almost certainly claim the crown sooner rather than later.

With a lead that is now 10 points - plus more of the luck they enjoyed yesterday - Chelsea are surely as good as champions already. And they certainly will be if they win their next two games.

Louis van Gaal, meanwhile, was left to regret the stumbling start to a season that could have ended so much better if this was anything to go by. The United boss got his excuses in early having to make three forced changes, but the Dutchman could have no complaints about the way his side played yesterday.

In fact, Wayne Rooney - playing deep - fluffed a glorious chance after just three minutes when Luke Shaw found him in oceans of space.

Paddy McNair had another effort turned away by Thibaut Courtois soon afterwards as well. There was little doubt, even then, about who was ruling the roost here.

More than 20 minutes passed before Chelsea got anywhere near David de Gea's goal, which gives you some idea of how dominant United, with Rooney pulling most of the strings, were at that stage.

Hardly any wonder, really, that Jose Mourinho looked a worried prowler on the touchline - until the 38th minute that is.

Oscar, relatively anonymous up until then, produced a bit of Brazilian back-heel magic that caught United napping and set Eden Hazard on his way to score a champion goal.

The Twitter devotees went a bit barmy afterwards, blaming Radamel Falcao for losing the ball beforehand. But let's be fair here and not take anything away from what Oscar and Hazard did afterwards. It was poetry in motion.

The fact that on the balance of play Chelsea simply didn't deserve it is neither here nor there. The goal was superbly set up end even more excitingly executed. And it's exactly why Mourinho's men are where they are. They ground out a first-half lead without playing anywhere near their best.

The sort of stuff champions are made of, eh?

To be fair, there wouldn't have been a lot Van Gaal could have said to his players at half time. Apart from conceding the goal they had hardly put a foot wrong.

Having said that Chelsea could, and probably should, have been two up 10 minutes after the restart when they hit United on the break with a move that saw Didier Drogba beat De Gea, only to watch as Hazard hit the bar with the loose ball that followed.

A younger man than Drogba might well have done the business himself if he had got the legs.

Credit to United, though, they made a real fist of this one.

Courtois had to make a desperate save to deny Ander Herrara and the speedy Shaw also caused Chelsea all sorts of problems down that left flank. And Falcao, whose season has been such an up and downer so far, was denied the chance to make it alright when he rattled the bar instead of the net at a time when an equaliser would have been so deserved.

United left at the end looking justifiably crestfallen.

Chelsea celebrated like the champions they almost certainly will be. And with a hug of congratulations for everyone of them from their old mate Juan Mata.



====================


Star:


Man Utd 0: Hazard's first-half strike edges Blues closer to Premier League glory


The visitors made their intentions clear from the first minute of the game and immediately took the contest to the Premier League leaders.

And they had a glorious chance to take the lead in fourth minute of the game through Wayne Rooney.

But unfortunately for the travelling United fans, the England captain's left-footed effort went narrowly wide of Thibaut Courtois right-hand post.

The Red Devils, who went into the contest on the back of six consecutive league victories, continued to dominate the game and stretched Jose Mourinho's side on several occasions.

But despite dominating the hosts they struggled to create any clear-cut chances.

And they were punished for their failure to capitalise on their dominance in the 37th minute when Eden Hazard was put through on goal by Oscar.

The Belgian international, who had found the back of the net 18 times prior to today's match, raced onto a neat flick from the Brazilian and cooly slotted the ball past the onrushing David de Gea.

United started the second period the same way they did the first and continued to have the majority of the ball.

But they should've found themselves two nil down in the 55th minute when Hazard - who was nominated for the PFA Young Player and Player of the Year awards this week, got on the end of a parried shot from Didier Drogba.

However, the 24-year-old let the visitors off the hook as he somehow contrived hit the crossbar from two yards out.

Radamel Falcao, who started up-front ahead of United skipper Rooney, nearly levelled the scores for visitors in the 77th minute after being put through on Courtois goal.

But unfortunately for the Colombian, who has only found the back of the net four times this season, his effort from inside the penalty box hit the crossbar.

Van Gaal's men piled forward in the latter stages of the game in an attempt to rescue an unlikely point.

But despite their late surge they were unable to find an equaliser which meant the Blues moved one step closer to winning the title.

QPR 1-0

Independent:

Man in the mask Cesc Fabregas secures vital win in Premier League title race
 
QPR 0 Chelsea 1

Glenn Moore


Very rarely in the 700 matches of Roman Abramovich’s ownership have Chelsea managed only one shot on target, but that was all they needed to take another stride closer to the fourth Premier League title of the Russian’s reign.

Abramovich was present in west London to see his team gain their 438th win since he bought Chelsea in 2003. It was undeserved and undistinguished, with little of the stylish football he wants, but at this stage it is all about getting over the finishing line. With Chelsea seven points clear with a game in hand, it is now a matter of when, not if, they are champions.

It was not until the 88th minute that Cesc Fabregas, who had barely played a pass right all afternoon, sweetly steered his shot through a crowd of players into the bottom corner of Rob Green’s goal. It was a shattering blow for Queen’s Park Rangers, who had worked tremendously hard in pursuit of the victory they needed to climb out of the league’s bottom three.

They might have got it had Thibault Courtois not proved rather harder to beat from eight yards than he was from 66 last week. The Belgian made a stunning save from Matt Phillips just after the hour mark as Rangers built up a head of steam.

Referring both to Charlie Adam’s freak goal for Stoke City, and to last month’s error that handed Abel Hernandez a goal, Chelsea’s manager, Jose Mourinho, said: “Courtois was there for us, but I told him that after Hull and Charlie Adam we needed him to give us a couple of points, and he did that.”

Mourinho added: “We were fortunate. We controlled them very well, but they closed [pressed] very, very well, were very organised defensively and gave us a difficult match in terms of our creation. If we’d had to go home with a point, we would have [taken that]. But every time I was champion, I remember a couple of matches my team won in the last minute. A little light that shines for the team that are going to be champions.”

The ray of hope that shone for Rangers’ caretaker manager, Chris Ramsey, after picking up four points from two away games last week dimmed with this seventh successive home defeat. “I’m sick because I think we could have given the fans a big boost by getting a point against a top, talented team,” he said. “It’s horrible. This game is almost like failing your driving test, when you’re so close but you fail it. You’d like that time back. But that’s the cruel game we play in.”

Rangers are two points from a position of safety and with trips to Liverpool and Manchester City in their remaining five games desperately need to regain the home form of autumn. “We need to turn this ground back into a fortress,” said Ramsey, but their last win in Shepherd’s Bush was in 2014.

Loftus Road had a fortress feel to it, but Chelsea are not easily intimidated. Mourinho brushed aside reports that Branislav Ivanovic had been hit by an object as his players celebrated their winner with the comment: “If it is a pound, put it in your pocket; if it is a chocolate, eat it”.

Branislav Ivanovic is hit by a lighter thrown from the crowd after the goal Branislav Ivanovic is hit by a lighter thrown from the crowd after the goal  Ramsey condemned the throwing of the missile, apparently a cigarette lighter. “We don’t want any objects thrown on the pitch,” he said. “We know the hostilities between fans can sometimes go too far and if that is the case we’d like to make sure that’s not somebody who is encouraged to come back into the club.”

John Terry was unfazed by the abuse hurled in his direction. This was his first game here since being found guilty by the Football Association (though not the courts) of racist behaviour towards Anton Ferdinand. With Anton long gone and Rio Ferdinand having largely disappeared from view at QPR, Terry was spared an encounter with either brother, instead enjoying one of those physical battles he relishes with Bobby Zamora, a boyhood team-mate at the renowned Senrab club.

Didier Drogba had a rare 90-minute outing after Loïc Rémy suffered a calf strain in training. Rémy should be fit to face Manchester United next week, which will be a relief to Mourinho, given Diego Costa’s hamstring problem and how rusty Drogba looked.

From the start it was clear a swirling wind and bobbly pitch would hinder Chelsea’s passing, as did QPR’s high-tempo pressing game.

“It was difficult to create, very difficult,” said Mourinho, who did not help by omitting Oscar in favour of Ramires’ deployment as a shield in front of Fabregas and Nemanja Matic. With Eden Hazard drifting in off the left, and Willian from the right, Chelsea were very narrow. This played into the hands of a QPR team that plays three central midfielders in the midfield four.

Consequently, aside from a mishit cross by Willian that surprised Green and struck the near post after seven minutes, Chelsea struggled to threaten. Unfortunately for the spectacle, so did QPR.

There were occasional chances. Ramires put a Drogba cross over, Courtois parried Charlie Austin’s 20-yard shot and an Ivanovic cross was headed over at the far post by an unmarked Fabregas. QPR were more offensive in the second period and Courtois, besides his superb reflex stop from Phillips, also had to deny Clint Hill and Austin.

Green needed only to tip over a miscued clearance by Hill. He had been more troubled by kicking into the wind than by Chelsea and, as a draw loomed, a sliced clearance went to Hazard. The Belgian was forced wide but cut in, played a one-two with Oscar, then teed up Fabregas.

When the final whistle went a distraught Green sat on his haunches for a long time before launching the match ball angrily into the stand but, as Ramsey pointed out, he was not the only Ranger at fault.

“I’m not blaming Rob. It wasn’t one of his best kicks, but we had a long time to defend that properly and we didn’t. All that running everyone did went to waste,” said Ramsey.



=================


Guardian:

Chelsea’s Cesc Fàbregas strikes to snatch late win at numbed QPR

QPR 0 - 1 Chelsea

Dominic Fifield at Loftus Road


This is the kind of result on which fates can seem settled. Chelsea’s victorious players had gathered in front of the away support in the upper tier of the School end at the final whistle, punching the air in triumph as they celebrated the retention of a seven-point lead which has edged the Premier League title ever closer. While they rejoiced, their opponents dragged themselves from the turf in utter disbelief, the west London divide gaping wider than ever.

QPR will have been numbed by this loss, all the optimism generated by an upturn in away form and 88 minutes of industry and aggression having been undone at the last. Rob Green’s sliced clearance from hand barely stretched 20 yards outside his penalty area for Eden Hazard, of all people, to collect and dart forward. The Belgian was permitted to exchange passes with Oscar, the home defence suddenly ramshackle, before pulling back for Cesc Fàbregas to place the game’s only goal inside the post. Chris Ramsey sank to his haunches, head in hands and agony etched across his face.

The implications for his team, still two points beneath the cut-off and facing a fortnight’s hiatus in their campaign, are grim. Chelsea’s pursuit of their own more glittering prize simply seems more relentless in the aftermath of a victory chiselled from an awkward and fractious occasion.

José Mourinho admitted his team had been blessed with good fortune, prising the game’s decisive goal with their only shot on target. “I feel sorry for QPR because they worked so hard,” he said. “They didn’t let us play better and did their job very well. But every time I was a champion, I remember a couple of matches my team won in the last minute. A little light shines for the team that are going to be champions.”

Roman Abramovich, up in the stand, was peering out through designer sunglasses with the implications of the result rather than the performance enough to have dazzled.

They may actually have gained more psychologically from a narrow late success in a derby than if they had stamped some authority on the contest early on and won comfortably. Fàbregas’ reward had actually been secured two minutes from time, the Spaniard removing the protective face mask – worn after a clash with Stoke’s Charlie Adam eight days earlier which had left him with a broken nose – as he raced to the corner, pursued by joyous team-mates.

Those celebrations were interrupted as objects rained down upon them, Branislav Ivanovic struck on the neck by a cigarette lighter, with plastic bottles and coins among the other debris flung at them. “If somebody threw a pound, put the pound in your pocket and go,” Mourinho said. “If it’s a chocolate, eat it. No problem.” This was not a day to stoke further controversy; Chelsea had secured the reward that counted most of all.

They achieved their win despite being blunted, both by QPR’s eager energy and their own injury problems. Diego Costa remains hamstrung, while Loïc Rémy – formerly of these parts and a scorer of winning goals in his current team’s previous two matches – had succumbed to a “small injury” to his calf.

The hope is he will have returned to contention in time for the visit of Manchester United on Saturday, with another derby at second-placed Arsenal to follow. In that pair’s absence, Didier Drogba led the line at 37, his goal threat minimal even if the effort and commitment could never be questioned. Willian hit a post with a cross that caught in the wind, but the visitors carried little punch until Green’s slice offered relief.

QPR were not afforded the same generosity by Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian had been beaten from 65 yards against Stoke but was back to his best here, his form confirmed by an instinctive save to deny Matt Phillips as the winger shot goalwards on the turn. “I’d told Thibaut that after Hull and Charlie Adam we needed him to give us a couple of points,” said Mourinho, “and he did that.” The home side must have feared the worst when that effort was saved, Courtois having already saved twice, from Charlie Austin and Clint Hill.

The home side had offered the more coherent threat, their menace built on the tigerish industry of Sandro and Joey Barton in central midfield, but the derby had been horribly scrappy on a scarred surface which suggested stalemate. “We’ve ended up devastated,” Barton said. “We still have a number of games and feel our destiny is in our hands, and if we play like that we will be fine. But you could see what it meant to Chelsea to win that game.”

The post-match celebrations were those of champions elect. The title creeps ever closer to a return to Stamford Bridge.

Man of the match Joey Barton (QPR)


===============

Telegraph:

Cesc Fabregas's late winner at QPR steers Chelsea closer to the title

By  Matt Law


Wearing a protective mask after breaking his nose in the victory over Stoke City, Cesc Fabregas played for 87 minutes at Loftus Road like he had a restricted view.

The Spaniard’s normally superb passing was off-target, he sent a close-range header over the crossbar and got caught in possession on more than one occasion.

But then in the 88th minute, Fabregas finally got something right and it might just be the goal that put Chelsea out of reach in the Premier League title race.

Chelsea had not managed a single shot on target until Fabregas placed a first-time shot into the net from an Eden Hazard pass and maintained his team’s seven point lead over second-placed Arsenal.

Fabregas has run games for Chelsea on numerous occasions and has been one of the signings of the season, but this was not one of his vintage performances. It was, however, one of his most vital interventions.

A draw would have given in-form Arsenal hope that they could still catch Chelsea at the top, but, with a game in hand, Jose Mourinho’s men now look uncatchable.

It will only hurt Arsenal more that their slim hopes were broken by their former captain and a man Arsene Wenger passed up the chance to re-sign last summer.

Fabregas left Arsenal for Barcelona because he wanted trophies. Thanks to his goal on Sunday, the midfielder is poised to finish his first season back in England at Chelsea with a Premier League title and the Capital One Cup.

Having recovered from the forearm smash from Charlie Adam that had broken his nose a week earlier, Fabergas embodied the spirit and determination within the Chelsea squad that will get them over the line.

They were happy to scrap it out with QPR and fight fire with fire against Chris Ramsey’s physical team. Gary Cahill and John Terry put their bodies on the line time and again, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made at least three vital saves.

No wonder Ramsey sank to his knees with his head in his hands as Fabregas celebrated his winner. Despite good results against West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa, QPR remain in the bottom three and have played a game more than most of their relegation rivals.

Just as alarmingly for Ramsey is the fact QPR have now lost seven successive home games in all competitions. That trend will have to stop if the Hoops are to stage any kind of meaningful fight against going down.

QPR goalkeeper Rob Green had not had a proper save to make until he gifted Chelsea their winner with an appalling attempted clearance that fell at the feet of Hazard.

Hazard swapped passes with substitute Oscar before laying the ball on a plate for Fabregas, who celebrated by removing his mask and dodging missiles thrown from the frustrated QPR supporters.

The coins and lighters descending from the stands did not deter Fabregas and his Chelsea team-mates from celebrating like they had put one hand on the Premier League trophy at the final whistle.

Roman Abramovich watched his 700th game as Chelsea owner from the sun-bathed directors’ box in black sunglasses. It was largely a forgettable experience, but the billionaire will cherish a first title since 2010.

Mourinho will be allowed to strengthen his squad even further by Abramovich at the end of the season and a striker is likely to be on the list of Chelsea targets.

With Diego Costa injured and Loic Remy missing out with a minor calf problem sustained in training on Saturday, Chelsea had to rely on 37-year-old veteran Didier Drogba against QPR.

Drogba has not scored for Chelsea since the defeat to Newcastle United at the start of December and is finally beginning to look his age. A frustrating game for the Ivorian was summed up by a yellow card he was shown after losing possession on the edge of the QPR area.

Willian hit the post early on with a mishit cross, but, otherwise, it was QPR who created the better openings for most of the game.

Cahill was forced to make a goal-saving clearing header when a Matt Phillips cross seemed destined for the head of Steven Caulker and top scorer Charlie Austin tested Courtois with a well-struck 44th-minute shot.

Austin was inches from connecting with a Phillips cross moments after the break and Courtois was forced to make a save from Clint Hill, before the Belgian prevented QPR breaking the deadlock from their best move of the match.

Bobby Zamora drilled in a low cross from the right that found Phillips and he produced an excellent turn and shot that Courtois palmed around the post.

Chelsea’s players were quick to acknowledge the contribution of Courtois, who had more than made up for the fact he had been beaten from 60-plus yards by Adam against Stoke.

Mourinho may well have considered replacing Fabregas as he looked at ways of trying to find a winner, but the 27-year-old has made himself one of a new generation of Chelsea untouchables and landed a decisive blow of his own.



QPR (4-4-2)
 Green 5, Isla 7, Onuoha 7, Caulker 7, Hill 7, Phillips 7, Barton 7, Sandro 6, Henry 6, Zamora 7, Austin 7
Substitutes: Kranjcar (on for Sandro, 81) 6. Hoilett (on for Zamora, 83). Dunne (on for Isla, 90) 6.

CHELSEA (4-1-4-1)
 Courtois 8, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Azpiliceuta 7, Matic 6, Willian 7, Ramires 6, Fabregas 7, Hazard 6, Drogba 5
Substitutes: Oscar (on for Ramires, 56) 5. Cuadrado (on for Willian, 80) 6. Zouma (on for Fabregas 90) 6.

Man of the match: Thibaut Courtois.


==================


Mail:

QPR 0-1 Chelsea:

Cesc Fabregas sinks unlucky Rangers as he scores with visitors first shot on target in 88th minute to win game

By Neil Ashton


They had only one shot at it, with the masked raider wriggling clear of security in the 88th minute and making his way into the penalty area undetected.

This was the second London heist in a week, with the Loftus Road imposter easily identifiable when he whipped off his head gear in front of QPR’s stunned supporters.

Cesc Fabregas was the diamond when he worked the opening, following the carefully laid out plans of Eden Hazard and substitute Oscar to pull off this unlikely job for Chelsea. The finish called for precision.

Jose Mourinho’s team are within inches of the silverware — the Barclays Premier League crown — after this dramatic game of smash and grab.

Rob Green had been on guard throughout, but the crestfallen Rangers keeper made the mistake that allowed Chelsea to extend their lead at the top of the table again. You snooze, you lose.

It was an important victory for Mourinho, keeping Arsenal at arm’s length by recording their 22nd victory of the season in the Premier League. ‘We have been at the top throughout,’ he declared.

Where they rank among the great teams to win the title, such as the Manchester United vintages (1999 and 2009) or Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ (2004) — is of no concern to the Portuguese.

Chelsea’s manager has put together a team to win the league, grinding down the opposition until they eventually lift the trophy, probably later this month. They are relentless, we know that.

Here at Loftus Road they were met with the resistance of their noisy neighbours QPR, surviving the screams and shouts from the stands to stretch their lead over Arsenal to seven points.

They will meet at the Emirates on April 26, but Chelsea are equipped to survive the sternest and stiffest tests that domestic competition can throw at them.

Even Arsene Wenger knows a title-winning team when he sees one.

Chelsea had only one shot on target, an improbable statistic for a team that can call upon the dancing feet of Hazard, Willian, substitute Oscar and Fabregas.

Chelsea were careless in possession, knocked out of their rhythm by the boisterous presence of Karl Henry, Sandro and the bristling figure of Joey Barton strung out across the QPR midfield.

This defeat feels tough on them because anyone who can sedate Nemanja Matic and Ramires over the course of 90 minutes probably deserves a bit more. The pair were over-run in that Chelsea midfield.

Rangers have found an outlet in the willing, emerging figure of Matt Phillips down their right flank. They have to use and abuse him to stand a chance of staying up.

He looked to be their one chance of making something happen, a shuttlecock on that halfway line as he flitted in and out of Chelsea’s half. Cesar Azpilicueta will be glad to see the back of him.

So will Gary Cahill, the Chelsea defender who bravely intercepted Phillips’s dangerous first-half crosses from that cultured right boot. Phillips was a menace on that wing.

He had a massive chance to put Rangers in front at the start of the second half, denied by the anticipation of Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois when the Belgian moved to his left to turn the shot away for a corner.

When that failed, Rangers went old school, lofting balls into the box in the hope that forwards Bobby Zamora or Charlie Austin would get their head onto one of them.

Even against Chelsea captain John Terry and the commanding presence of Cahill, the agricultural approach almost worked.

Terry was hammered by QPR fans, choking on the abuse from the stands because of his exchange here with their former centre half Anton Ferdinand in October 2011.

Chelsea’s captain has learned to deal with it, but the trip to Loftus Road is possibly as poisonous as it gets for Terry. He can take his medicine.

Rangers were shooting from anywhere, with Austin’s looping effort falling neatly into Courtois’ arms from long range and later drawing a stunning save to the keeper’s right with another poke from distance.

Even Barton shanked an effort wide of Courtois’ goal when he was put clean through after the break. They gave this a right, old-fashioned go.

Loftus Road was a bear pit, with just under 20,000 Rangers crammed into this stadium to watch them match their west London rivals for blood and guts. Under manager Chris Ramsey, they have renewed their faith.

Rangers have given themselves a chance of getting out of the mess at the foot of the table after that handsome 4-1 win at West Brom earlier this month, followed by a 3-3 draw with Aston Villa.

There is a noticeable shift in mentality, pulling together as they approach the final five games — West Ham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle and Leicester — of the season. Three are winnable.

Chelsea are masters at this, calling on the pedigree of Hazard, in his 100 appearance in the Premier League, Oscar and the timing of Fabregas to secure this narrow win.

It was their first chance, the only time in this game when they properly opened up the central defensive pairing of Steven Caulker and Nedum Onuoha.

The man in the mask was there to finish the job, scoring in the league for the first time since Chelsea won 2-0 on the road at Stoke on December 22. ‘It’s like failing a driving test,’ admitted QPR’s manager.

Here at Loftus Road, Fabregas turned out to be the getaway driver.


====================


Mirror:
 
QPR 0-1 Chelsea: Late Cesc Fabregas strike keeps the Blues on course for the title

By Darren Lewis
 

The man in the mask ensures Jose Mourinho's men keep their seven point lead over Arsenal in second place

Another week, another daring heist in London.

Far from making a swift getaway, however, the architects toasted the spoils in full view of the watching nation.

With Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in the stands and the Queens Park Rangers players in despair, John Terry joined Didier Drogba and Branislav Ivanovic to punch the air in front of the 1,700 away supporters.

They all knew this was a triumph worth far more than just the three points.

Boss Jose Mourinho said later: “Every time I was champion, I remember a couple of matches my team won in the last minute. A little light that shines for the team that are going to be ­champions.”

He is right to start counting his chickens again.

The Champions elect pulled this off without star striker Diego Costa, without his deputy Loic Remy – also injured – and with Cesc Fabregas widely regarded as being nowhere near the serial thriller who ripped it up during the first half of the season.

Yet Fabregas finished as the matchwinner and Mourinho’s team were left closing in on a fifth top-flight title.

The manner of this victory was just so brutal, so cruel and so very Chelsea. Even Arsenal, who have done so well to rack up those eight wins in a row, must have been left ­frustrated. Against a spirited QPR side enjoying a revival, Chelsea were being dominated.

They did not manage a single shot on target for 88 minutes – against a team third from bottom of the table. Mourinho’s men were alarmingly sluggish, lead-footed, and looked as though they were about to leave the door ajar for a late title challenge.

Then, one shot, one goal. And Rangers were gone.

It is the second week in a row that the labouring Blues have been bailed out by a mistake from the opposing keeper. Last week it was Stoke’s Asmir Begovic whose poor clearance was seized upon by Eden Hazard who set up Remy to score. This week Hoops keeper Rob Green saw his poor kick caught in the swirling wind and seized upon by Hazard.

The Belgium winger sent Oscar down the left, Fabregas burst forward from midfield and the ball ended up in the bottom corner. With two minutes left.

QPR boss Chris Ramsey slumped to his knees with his head in his hands. His players, who had done so superbly, were left shellshocked.

In truth, they only had themselves to blame. They had their chances to finish off the league leaders and could
not do it.

To be fair, they had come up against a keeper in fantastic form in Thibaut Courtois, who somehow pulled off an incredible save to deny Matt Phillips on 63 minutes.

Courtois also kept out Charlie Austin’s screamer just before half-time.

And Phillips will regret not looking up to see Bobby Zamora unmarked in the box as he raced down the left and into a cul-de-sac deep into the second half.

The Hoops, chief among them man-of-the-match Joey Barton, simply did not deserve to be on the losing side.

They served notice here – on the back of an impressive win at Stoke and a hard-fought point at Aston Villa – that they will be a force to be reckoned with as the relegation dogfight reaches its climax.

But Chelsea simply found a way to win yet again.

It is just what Jose Mourinho teams do.


================


Express:


Masked maestro Cesc Fabregas edges Chelsea closer to title after Rob Green horror show

IT WAS brutal, it was cruel, it was utterly ruthless. It was Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea to the core.

By Tony Banks


One shot on target in the entire match, from a player who had arguably been their worst performer all afternoon, and the points were Chelsea’s.

Their lead at the top of the Premier League this morning is back to seven points, and it was hard to escape the feeling that this was the kind of ominous result that wins titles.

Cesc Fabregas wore a mask to protect his broken nose, and he will not have wanted this display to have been too visible either – until the 88th minute, when he pounced on Eden Hazard’s neat pass after Robert Green’s dreadful kick, to drill home the only goal of the game.

It was one of Chelsea’s poorest performances of the campaign, and Mourinho afterwards admitted his team were lucky. But that will not matter this morning. A win is a win.

“Yes, we were fortunate,” said Mourinho. “It was a typical 0-0 game. We controlled QPR very well, kept them far from our penalty area.

“But they were very organised and gave us a difficult match. Obviously I’m very happy because we kept good emotional control. We never lost our balance. If we had had to go home with a point, we would have. But we scored at a crucial moment.

“Every time I have won a championship, I remember a couple of games where my team won in the last minute. It is a little light that shines for the team that are going to be champions. It’s not normal for a team to be top of the league since day one. That is the team that deserves all the credit.”

Chelsea found themselves battered and hassled by a Rangers side in desperate trouble at the wrong end of the table from the start at Loftus Road – and it was an assault that never let up. Their creative players, Fabregas, Hazard and Willian, simply never got a moment’s peace. Until, crucially, those final few moments.

Chris Ramsey’s side had a lucky early escape when Willian’s cross bounced back off the near post, but chances were few and far between in a frenetic, horribly scrappy match. The most notable moment was when Charlie Austin shoved John Terry to the floor, to the joy of the crowd.

The fact that Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was probably their best player on the day said everything. The Belgian shrugged off the embarrassment of being beaten by Charlie Adam’s wonder goal last week to put in a commanding display. First he saved Austin’s 20 yard shot, and then grabbed Clint Hill’s dipping drive.

His best effort, though, was a superb twisting save to push Matt Phillips’ shot round the post after he pounced on Bobby Zamora’s cross. Had that gone in, things might have been very different.

But well though Rangers played, they simply could not find that ruthless finishing touch. And Chelsea did as they won at Loftus Road for the first time since 1996.

But Green, so often Rangers’ saviour this season, will have nightmares about the moment that cost his team so dearly. His kick out, with two minutes left and a precious point still in their grasp, was skied horribly straight to Hazard, of all people.

The Belgian dribbled to the byeline, exchanged passes with Oscar, and laid the ball back for Fabregas to slot his shot home low through a forest of legs. Green, the QPR goalkeeper, was distraught.

At the final whistle, Chelsea’s players celebrated in front of their fans, fists clenched, embracing Courtois. They knew this had been a gritted-teeth, sinews-stretched to the limit performance. And they knew what it meant. Seven games left now, and the finishing line is almost in sight.

Ramsey said: “I’m really disappointed. I’m not blaming Robert Green. It wasn’t one of his best kicks, but we had a long time after that to defend that situation properly.

“Rob is going to be down because he’s a top player. If he had not been in the form he has been, we wouldn’t be anywhere near surviving.”


QPR (4-4-2): Green 6; Isla 6 (Dunne 90 6), Caulker 6, Onouha 6, Hill 6; Phillips 7, Barton 7, Sandro 7 (Kranjcar 80 6), Henry 7; Zamora 7 (Hoilett 83 6), Austin 7.

Booked: Zamora, Sandro.

Next Up: West Ham (h) Sat April 25 PL

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Courtois 8; Ivanovic 6, Cahill 6, Terry 7, Azpilicueta 7; Ramires 7 (Oscar 56 6), Matic 6; Willian 7 (Cuadrado 79 6), Fabregas 6 (Zouma 90 5), Hazard 6; Drogba 6.

Booked: Drogba.

Goal: Fabregas 88.

Next Up: Man Utd (h) Sat April 18 PL

Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands).


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Star:


QPR 0 Chelsea 1: Late Cesc Fabregas strike sinks relegation threatened QPR

CESC FABREGAS masked his face and Chelsea’s shortcomings today.

By David Woods, Chief Football Writer
 

His match winning strike in the 88th minute was the ONLY attempt on target by the champions elect.

The win restored their seven-point lead over second place Arsenal and broke unlucky QPR’s hearts.

The reaction at the final whistle of skipper John Terry and right-back Branislav Ivanovic, who punched the air, proved just how important victory was to them as they close in on the title.

Wearing a protective mask - after having his nose broken in a clash with Stoke’s Charlie Adam - Fabregas was more sorrow than Zorro until riding to the rescue at the end.

The midfielder had been poor all match, with sloppy passes galore as Jose Mourinho’s men struggled to adapt with Didier Drogba up front, rather than the injured Diego Costa or Loic Remy.

That he had cause to whip off his mask and dash the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of Chelsea fans was down to a howler from Rangers goalkeeper Rob Green.

His terrible clearance went up into the air but only 20 yards downfield straight to Eden Hazard.

The Belgium star had also been way off his A-game as well. But this time was sharp, alert and burst forward, cutting in from the left.

After playing a one-two with Oscar, Hazard teed up Fabregas who sidefooted low past Green, with the home defence failing to close him down.

It was cruel on relegation-threatened Rangers, whose manager Chris Ramsey sank to the ground and buried his head in his hands at the loss of a vital point in the fight against relegation.

Roman Abramovich wore sunglasses to watch his 700th game as Chelsea owner.

But there was nothing bright about his star-studded team’s performance in the west London derby.

The first half was so awful, a sleep mask from Rangers owner Tony Fernandes’ AirAsia seemed more in order.

Willian did at least hit the post in the seventh minute, with a cross which almost deceived Green.

But the most exciting moments were when Charlie Austin strong-armed John Terry to the ground in the 39th minute, then forced Thibaut Courtois into a fine save soon after.

We had to wait until the 64th minute for another serious threat on goal.

Matt Phillips turned Nemanja Matic superbly to create space, following a Bobby Zamora cross. But Courtois produced a stunning reflex stop to paw away his left-foot shot.

The winger had his head in his hands, earning himself a consoling cuddle from team-mate Sandro.

Austin then had two successive attempts at goal in a scramble, the first hitting Gary Cahill’s arm, the second straight at Courtois.

It was just the prelude to a Fab finish for Chelsea.

That sparked a furious response from some home fans who hurled a bottle and a cigarette lighter as he celebrated taking another step towards the title with his team-mates.

Ivanovic was hit on the head but will probably take it, safe in the knowledge Chelsea now need 12 points from their last seven games to be certain of the title.

Following yesterday’s fortunate win, there now looks no chance of the Blues chucking it in.

As for second-from-bottom Rangers, after a sixth straight home defeat in the league, they must now wait 12 days to play West Ham at home.

But following this gutsy display all is not lost - not just yet anyway.


QPR (4-4-2): Green 5; Isla 6 (Dunne 90), Caulker 7, Onouha 7, Hill 6; Phillips 7, Sandro 6 (Kranjcar 81), BARTON 8, Henry 6; Austin 7, Zamora 7 (Hoilett 83). Subs: McCarthy, Traore, Grego-Cox, Comley

UP NEXT: West Ham (h), Premier League, Saturday April 25

CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): COURTOIS 8; Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Azpilicueta 7; Ramires 6 (Oscar 56, 6), Matic 6; Willian 7 (Cuadrado 80), Fabregas 6 (Zouma 90), Hazard 6; Drogba 6. Subs: Cech, Luis, Mikel, Brown

UP NEXT: Manchester United (h), Premier League, Saturday

REFEREE: Andre Marriner

STAR PLAYER: JOEY BARTON Captain led by example

STAR SHOCKER: ROB GREEN Awful kick proved costly

Match rating: 1