Walsall 4-1

Independent:

Walsall vs Chelsea match report: Kenedy scores first goal as Blues cruise into fourth round
Kevin Garside

In times of trouble there is nothing like a trip to Walsall to restore the equilibrium. Chelsea’s first appearance in defence of the Capital One Cup was for them a soothingly unremarkable affair. No law suits resulted and there was no overtly sharp practice from Brazilian-born strikers.
Apart from a slip in concentration when James O’Conner fired an unexpected riposte to goals from Ramires and Loïc Rémy, Chelsea and their manager Jose Mourinho could not have enjoyed a more serene experience.
That is not to say Chelsea were not made to work for the passage into the next round. Walsall were never less than industrious. Only that the difference in class between the sides afforded a measure of control Chelsea have not enjoyed in defence of their Premier League title.  
Kenedy’s first goal for the club, a crisp finish from a tight angle after being fed in neatly by Ruben Loftus-Cheek restored Chelsea’s two-goal advantage early in the second  half.
With 20 minutes remaining Pedro and Nemanja Matic were introduced, and to demonstrate his value the latter danced through the Walsall defence in added time to embroider the perfect cameo with a brilliant fourth
The game was 10 minutes old when Ramires headed the opener. It might have been two or three by then, easing what had been another troubled day off the pitch for Chelsea.
Whatever embarrassment Eva Carneiro’s likely legal dispute with the club might generate, whatever anger lingered at the retrospective loss of Diego Costa for three matches, the pitch was a rare oasis of calm for Chelsea.
There was even a start for Radamel Falcao, who was unlucky not to score in the 19th minute with a shot Walsall skipper Adam Chambers hacked off the line.
The visit of Chelsea was the reward for victories over Forest and Brighton. A capacity Banks’s Stadium produced what were forecast to be record gate receipts, which was the real result for third-tier Walsall.
The second goal Chelsea threatened arrived five minutes before the break, Rémy racing on to a pass from Ramires and smashing it into the roof of the net.
It was richly deserved but counter-productive, since Chelsea wrongly assumed their work for the half was done. With 45 minutes on the clock James O’Connor was quickest to the rebound off Asmir Begovic and turned the ball into the net.

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Guardian:

Rogue sprinkler fails to disrupt Chelsea flow in victory over Walsall
Paul Wilson

José Mourinho could do with a few more incident-free games such as this. Controversy has dogged Chelsea’s every step this season though a passage to the fourth round of the Capital One Cup was achieved with few alarms, even if play was interrupted in the second half when a pitch sprinkler went off of its own accord.
“We were strong, I’m happy with the result,” the Chelsea manager said. “Walsall play good football, they are not what you expect from a League One team, but I think we showed we did not come here to make mistakes. We could not afford that. When you make a start to the season like we have done you cannot lose to a side from League One.”
Chelsea could have taken the lead as early as the third minute when Ruben Loftus-Cheek created a shooting opportunity for Kenedy with a weighted pass. The initial shot was blocked but the rebound rolled invitingly into the path of Ramires, who had the whole of the goal to aim at and should have scored, only for Neil Etheridge to get down to his left to save.
The same two visiting players combined to make amends with the opening goal on 10 minutes, Kenedy sending over a deep cross from the left for an unchallenged Ramires to score with his head at the far post. While Ramires is not renowned for his heading ability or his finishing the opportunity that opened up in front of him would have been difficult to miss.
The League One side tried to get back into the game but found the going difficult against a Chelsea team that showed several changes. Eden Hazard, Pedro and Nemanja Matic were all on the bench, yet as each player Mourinho brought in had either a point to prove or a reputation to make Chelsea played from the off as if they meant business.
Radamel Falcao certainly has a point to prove after his disappointing spell at Manchester United but could not finish convincingly enough when given the chance to double Chelsea’s lead mid-way through the first half.
When Ramires played him clean through with a defence splitting pass Falcao could not beat the goalkeeper in a one-on-one situation, allowing Etheridge to take the pace off the shot so that James O’Connor could run round and complete a clearance off the line. Falcao was slightly unlucky with his next chance just before the interval, controlling a Mikel John Obi pass neatly before getting in a shot off balance, only to see Paul Downing head out from under his own crossbar.
Milan Lalkovic went close for the home side after beating Branislav Ivanovic on the left touchline, cutting in purposefully but finding only the side-netting with a shot from the edge of the area. Things began to look bleak for the Saddlers when Chelsea extended their lead four minutes from the interval.
Walsall left far too much space for Loïc Rémy to exploit on the right, and once Ramires had spotted his run and laid the ball into his path the striker lashed a rising shot from a narrow angle emphatically into Etheridge’s top corner.
The home side managed an almost instant reply, however, after Ivanovic conceded a free kick just outside the area. Asmir Begovic managed to parry Lalkovic’s stinging shot, but could do nothing to prevent O’Connor’s scuffed follow-up creeping across the line to give the underdogs hope.
The respite turned out to be brief. Just eight minutes into the second half Chelsea restored their two-goal advantage through Kenedy’s first goal for the club, a composed finish from six yards out after Mikel, impressive for a change, had muscled Rico Henry off the ball following a Walsall throw-in in their own half. Apart from Falcao falling over in the act of taking a free kick then hitting the roof of the stand with a shot from near the penalty spot the most fun the crowd had after that was an out of control water hydrant at one corner of the pitch briefly halting play. Walsall’s spirits hardly needed any more dampening, though rather cruelly Pedro came on to add a fourth goal in stoppage time that led to a slightly flattering final scoreline.

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Telegraph:

Walsall 1 Chelsea 4  Kenedy makes his presence felt as holders ease through

Matt Law

Jose Mourinho was hoping for a big performance from one of his famous names, but it was Kenedy, full name Robert Kenedy Nunes do Nascimento, who shined for Chelsea and not Radamel Falcao.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho may have missed out on some of his more familiar summer transfer targets, but the £6.3million the Blues paid Fluminense for Kenedy looks like money well spent on the evidence of his first start for the club.
He scored one goal, set up another, and put Falcao in the shade with a performance full of creativity and energy against a spirited Walsall side. Ramires, Loic Remy and substitute Pedro were also on target as holders Chelsea set-up a Capital Cup fourth-round clash against Stoke City.
Falcao’s night was summed up by a second-half free-kick he took, which ended up with on-loan striker slipping on to his backside and the ball bobbling embarrassingly to the grateful Walsall wall.
Mourinho rested Eden Hazard and Oscar, and handed a first start to Brazilian teenager Kenedy, who caused the home defence all kinds of problems.
Kenedy had already created one chance for Ramires before the pair combined again to open the scoring for the Blues. Kenedy got away down the left and lofted a high cross to the back post that Ramires headed into the net.
Ramires was also involved in Chelsea’s second goal four minutes before half-time, when he passed to Remy and the Frenchman smashed a first-time shot past Walsall goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
Walsall are second in League One, losing just once, and were certainly no pushovers during the first period with former Chelsea trainee Milan Lalkovic particularly dangerous.
The home support thought Lalkovic had levelled the scores in the 26th minute after he had beaten Branislav Ivanovic, but the midfielder’s shot hit the side-netting.
It was also Lalkovic who took the free-kick that forced Walsall’s goal on the stroke of half-time and gave the home support hope that the Saddlers could still cause a shock.
Asmir Begovic saved Lalkovic’s set piece, but James O’Connor reacted quickest to slot the rebound into the net from a tricky angle.
Chelsea could have been out of sight by then, with Falcao squandering three good chances. The Colombian replaced Diego Costa, who started his three-match retrospective ban while the Blues wait for the Football Association’s written reasons and consider their next move.
Ramires sent Falcao through on goal, but his chip over Etheridge did not have enough power on it and O’Connor cleared off the line.
Falcao had another effort cleared off the line, this time by the head of Paul Downing, and Remy fired over the bar.
The Colombian’s third first-half chance came in the 40th minute, when he slid in to try to convert a Baba Rahman cross but Etheridge got to the ball first.
As expected, captain John Terry had been brought back in after spending the victory over Arsenal on the substitutes’ bench. He went into referee Lee Mason’s book shortly after half-time for kicking the ball away.
But Kenedy quickly extinguished any hopes of a Walsall upset shortly before the sprinklers were turned on. John Obi Mikel played the ball into the impressive Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who found Kenedy and the Brazil international placed the ball through the legs of Etheridge and into the net.
Play was then stopped when a rogue sprinkler at the Chelsea end started covering the pitch and some unfortunate Walsall fans in water, much to the amusement of the away supporters who sang ‘is there a fire drill?’
Kenedy deservedly received a standing ovation from the Chelsea travelling supporters, when he was replaced by Pedro with just over 20 minutes remaining. Not taking any risks, Mourinho also sent on Nemanja Matic to take over from Loftus-Cheek.
Walsall kept plugging away for what would have been another consolation goal, but Sam Mantom sent a volley wide and Pedro put the icing on the cake for Chelsea with a clinical finish.

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Mail:

Ramires, Loic Remy, Kenedy and Pedro strikes secure Blues' Capital One Cup fourth round spot
By Matt Barlow

After the dirty tricks and the lady vanishes, Chelsea will have been grateful for more signs that their showman Jose Mourinho might be getting his act back together.
Mourinho did not look like satisfied man as he fumed about Diego Costa's ban but his team eased into the fourth round of the Capital One Cup with a solid display and goals from Ramires, Loic Remy, Kenedy and Pedro.
He said the loss of Costa was certain to 'hurt' his team, and Radamel Falcao backed up those words as he misfired on a wet Wednesday in Walsall.
Falcao had two efforts cleared from the goal line and blazed a glorious chance so high over the bar that it hit the Banks's ale sign on top of the stand behind the goal.
The Colombian, on loan from Monaco, brought the house down when he slipped taking a free-kick, and succeeded in merely scooping the ball into the air and only just cleared the wall.
It threatened to turn into one of those nights. A pitch sprinkler burst into life during the second-half, and the Chelsea fans sang: Is there a fire drill?
But in truth there was only one brief moment of alarm for the Barclays Premier League champions.
It came just before half-time when centre-half James O'Connor struck for Walsall, reducing the lead to 2-1, just before half-time and offering hope to the League One team.
The Banks's Stadium buzzed with belief during the break and memories were rekindled of Chelsea's FA Cup demise at the hands of Bradford in January.
Mourinho's team had led 2-0, on that occasion, only to concede before the interval and lose 4-2.
'It was not easy,' said the Chelsea boss. 'When you start with bad results in the league as we did you cannot lose against a League One team. You can do that when the league form is fantastic.
'To lose against a League One team now would not be good for us. We don't need those feelings. I'm happy with the results and I'm happy with the players.'
Kenedy scored the vital third, a goal his vibrant performance deserved. Signed this summer for £6.7million from Fluminense, the teenage Brazilian created an early chance for Ramires, which was saved by goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
When Kenedy and Ramires combined again, Chelsea were ahead. Ramires arrived at the back-post to head in from close range. It was a simple goal and reflected the early dominance of the top-flight visitors.
Falcao almost stretched the lead. Released by Ramires, the Colombian clipped a shot over Etheridge but the 'keeper managed to make a partial block, which was enough for O'Connor to recover and clear from the line.
Falcao was denied again before half-time. Having wriggled past Etheridge inside the penalty box his effort, turned on goal from an acute angle from was headed off the line by Paul Downing.
After a torrid start, Walsall grew in confidence as the first-half developed and produced some patches of pleasing football.
'We never lost the philosophy or the way we try to play,' said boss Smith. 'At times we were very good.'
Chelsea's second, created by Ramires and converted emphatically by Remy before the interval, ought to have soothed any anxieties, but the home team responded quickly.
Begovic was unable to hold a free-kick from Milan Lalkovic and centre-half O'Connor pounced on the rebound. He did not connect cleanly but squeezed a shot past Chelsea's goalkeeper and two defenders, sliding across the goal.
There would be no heroic comeback. Mourinho's team performed well in the second half.
Pedro Rodriguez came off the bench to score the fourth and quell a spirited finish from Walsall.
The holders were into round four, on their way to Stoke and back in the old routine. Three wins in eight days, despite the storms around Costa, Gabriel and Eva Carneiro.
THE LOWDOWN ON KENEDY
So, who is Kenedy?
Robert Kenedy Nunes do Nascimiento, to give him his full name, is a 19-year-old attacking midfielder who Chelsea signed from Brazilian side Fluminense this summer.
Is he any good?
Well, he has long been part of the Brazil youth set-up, and was top scorer in the U17 South America Championships in 2013. He has seven caps and a goal for Brazil’s Under 20s.
What type of player is he?
He is left footed, but can be destructive coming in off the right side. A creative player who scores goals, the 19-year-old loves to dribble and his long range shooting is a big asset.

MATCH FACTS
WALSALL 4-1-4-1: Etheridge 6; Demetriou 5.5, O'Connor 7, Downing 6.5, Henry 6; Chambers 5.5 (Flanagan); Morris 6, Mantom 6, Sawyers 6, Lalkovic 6 (Forde); Cook 6 (Baxendale).
Subs not used: MacGillivray, Taylor, Preston, Kinsella. Bookings: Chambers, Forde.
Manager: Dean Smith 6.
CHELSEA 4-3-3: Begovic 6; Ivanovic 5.5, Cahill 6, Terry 6, Rahman 6; Ramires 8, Mikel 6.5, Loftus-Cheek 6 (Matic); Remy 6.5, Falcao 5 (Djilobodji), Kenedy 7.5 (Pedro).
Subs not used: Blackman, Aina, Traore, Hazard. Bookings: Mikel, Terry
Manager: Jose Mourinho 6
Man of the match: Ramires
Referee: Lee Mason Att: 10,525

FULL CAPITAL ONE CUP FOURTH ROUND DRAW
Manchester City v Crystal Palace
Liverpool v Bournemouth
Manchester United v Middlesbrough
Everton v Norwich
Southampton v Aston Villa
Sheffield Wednesday v Arsenal
Hull v Leicester
Stoke v Chelsea
*Ties to be played on the week commencing October 26

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Mirror:

Walsall 1-4 Chelsea: Kenedy stars as Blues put Diego Costa wrangle behind them to cruise through
By Dave Kidd

The Brazilian scored one and assisted another as Ramires, Loic Remy and Pedro made it a comfortable night for Jose Mourinho's men
Jose Mourinho does enjoy a conspiracy theory - so he’ll have loved the Kenedy assassination of little Walsall.
Chelsea’s manager is said to be raging at Sky TV again for supposedly provoking the three-match ban handed to Diego Costa.
But he found another less troublesome Brazilian-born player to ease the raging sewage storms surrounding Stamford Bridge.
Kenedy, the 19-year-old winger signed from Fluminense this summer, scored one and made another on his first Chelsea start as the Capital One Cup holders booked a last-16 visit to Stoke.
Despite the controversy over Costa’s suspension for his antics against Arsenal and the looming legal battle over the departure Dr Eva Carneiro, Chelsea have kick-started their season with three straight wins in a week.
Mourinho said: “It was not easy but we showed we were not here to make mistakes and throw away a competition. When you start with bad results as we did, you cannot lose against a League One team.
“You can do that when the league is fantastic but now it would not be good for us. We don’t need those feelings.
“Kenedy played well. He had a calf pain, so had to take him off but it was a nice performance and good experience for him.”
Walsall tried everything to stop the Premier League champions – even a rogue sprinkler which delayed the match by two minutes as it jetted water on to the pitch early in the second half.
But Kenedy laid on the opener for Ramires and netted the third himself, with Loic Remy and Pedro also scoring.
Radamel Falcao looked out of sorts – suggesting that Costa’s absence for matches against Newcastle and Southampton could prove costly.
Yet compared to their previous meeting with a League One side - the 4-2 FA Cup home defeat by Bradford last season - this was smooth.
The Saddlers are flying in League One but were slow out of the traps and Ramires had a shot saved by Neil Etheridge even before he nodded home a tenth-minute cross from fellow Brazilian Kennedy.
Falcao was denied by goal-line clearances from James O’Connor and Paul Downing before Ramires slid an angled pass to Remy, who thumped into the roof of the net.
Yet Chelsea were given a jolt in first-half injury-time when Branislav Ivanovic conceded a free-kick 25 yards out and Milan Lalkovic’s dead-ball effort was pushed out by Asmir Begovic for O’Connor to roll home the rebound.
After the break, John Terry was booked for kicking the ball away but frustrations were eased when Kenedy nutmegged Etheridge to score from a Ruben Loftus-Cheek pass and Pedro added a gorgeous individual effort in injury-time.
Player ratings

Walsall: Etheridge 5; Demetriou 6, Downing 7, O’Connor 7, Henry 6; Chambers 6 (Flanagan, 68 min, ); Morris 7, Mantom 6, Sawyers 6, Lalkovic 7 (Forde, 68 min, ); Cook 5 (Baxendale, 88mins).
Chelsea: Begovic 6; Ivanovic 5, Cahill 7, Terry 6, Rahman 7; Mikel 5, Ramires 8; Remy 7, Loftus-Cheek 7 (Matic, 5, 65 min), Kenedy 8 (Pedro, 65 min, 6); Falcao 4 (Djilobodjl, 90).

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Star:

Walsall 1 Chelsea 4: Ramires, Remy, Kenedy and Pedro send Blues into fourth round
CHELSEA’S samba stars stepped forward to mark John Terry’s milestone recall.
By Dave Armitage

Brazilian aces Ramires and Kenedy weighed in with goals as their legendary skipper stepped up to make his 650th start for the club.
There was no Doctor Eva and no Diego Costa as boss Jose Mourinho set about brightening up another gloomy few days for his struggling side.
Costa’s controversial suspension and the Eva Carneiro saga were hardly ideal preparation for a potentially tricky third round tie.
But when Ramires headed Chelsea into a 10th-minute lead it was no more than they deserved.
It had been one-way traffic up to that point with Kenedy causing all sorts of problems down the left before picking out Ramires lurking at the far post and the midfielder netted with a tumbling header.
Walsall keeper Neil Etheridge, a former Stamford Bridge youth team keeper, had done well to keep Chelsea out until then.
With only 68 seconds on the clock, he had to move smartly, rushing out from his goal to smother at the feet of Radamel Falcao.
Then Etheridge came to the rescue again with a good save at the foot of his left-hand post to smother a Ramires shot.
Dean Smith’s League One side battled away but were struggling to hold the determined Premier League champions.
They looked like they had extended their lead in the 19th minute when Ramires sent Falcao racing clear with a measured pass.
Etheridge was beaten by Falcao’s shot but got enough on it to slow it on its way in and James O’Connor scrambled back to make a superb clearance off the line.
But Walsall fought the tide and showed they weren’t prepared to just be brushed to one side.
And they came close to levelling in the 27th minute when former Chelsea forward Milan Lolkovic left Branislav Ivanovic trailing and homed in on goal.
He hit the side netting with an angled shot but two minutes later they threatened again when Asmir Begovic was forced to pluck a Jason Demetriou cross off the head of Sam Mantom.
But it was only a temporary respite and Ramires was again in the thick of things as the visitors extended their lead four minutes before half-time.
He set up Loic Remy with another deadly pass and the French ace thumped the ball into the roof of the net.
But just as it looked as if things were careering away from them, Walsall hit back right on the stroke of half-time when O’Connor cashed in from a free-kick.
Lalkovic thumped the ball goalwards and when Begovic could only parry it away at full stretch, O’Connor was waiting to clip the ball back across goal and into the far corner of the net.
That must have made the home dressing room a lot brighter at the interval but their jubilation was short-lived.
Kenedy scored a third in the 52nd minute with a well-drilled shot through the legs of Etheridge after being sent away by Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
And sub Pedro completed a comfortable night for Mourinho when he brilliantly carved his way through to the edge of the penalty area before netting a low shot in added time.

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