Independent:
Chelsea 4 Peterborough United 1
Blues cruise through to FA Cup fourth round as John Terry sees red
Goals from Pedro, Michy Batshuayi and Willian helped fire the Blues to a comfortable home victory in the third round of the FA Cup
Ian Winrow at Stamford Bridge
John Terry’s hopes of re-establishing himself in Antonio Conte’s Chelsea line-up suffered a major setback when the centre-back was dismissed midway through the second half on his first appearance in two months.
Terry, who has been sidelined since early November with ankle and groin injuries, was sent off for bringing down Peterborough striker Lee Angol with a clumsy challenge midway through the second half when Chelsea were leading 3-0 through goals from Pedro, Michy Batshuayi and Willian, and in total control of this FA Cup tie.
The departure of the former England captain, 36, who is out of contract at the end of this season and was eager to make a good impression after being sidelined during his side’s surge to the head of the Premier League table, was quickly followed by a Peterborough goal, a side-foot effort from Tom Nichols, but while Grant McCann’s side were briefly lifted, a second Pedro goal snuffed out any chance of a difficult end to the game for Conte’s side. Chelsea saw out the game easily, although the final stages will have been far less comfortable for Terry.
Prior to Terry’s dismissal, Conte’s first experience of the FA Cup could hardly have gone more smoothly. The Italian made nine changes to the side that started the midweek defeat at Tottenham Hotspur that ended Chelsea’s run of 13 successive league wins, but after surviving an early scare, the Premier League side took control of the game and should have put the tie beyond reach by half-time.
Grant McCann, the Peterborough manager, had insisted his side would not be inhibited by the trip to Stamford Bridge and, having lost just one of their previous 13 games, the League One side’s confident start initially put Chelsea on the back-foot. Had Angol made more of an early, close range chance or centre-back Ryan Tafazolli not directed a free header wide, Conte’s side might have endured a more uncomfortable afternoon.
Instead, they were allowed to ease their way into the game with Pedro, one of only two players to retain his midweek starting spot, putting Chelsea ahead with a excellent 18th minute finish after Nathaniel Chalobah’s powerful shot had been parried by keeper Luke McGee. The Spain international showed impressive composure to collect the loose ball, evade on challenge, and direct his shot into the top corner of McGee’s goal.
Chelsea’s play became more fluent and Peterborough were fortunate Pedro was unable to repeat his earlier finish when presented with a similar opportunity, this time striking the bar from close range when confronted with an empty net. And the home side were again guilty of wasting a good opportunity, this time when Batshuayi betrayed his desire to make an impression by going for goal instead of taking the easier option of playing in Willian, much to Conte’s obvious frustration.
The second goal eventually came a minute before half time when Willian set Branislav Ivanovic free on the right hand flank, allowing the wing-back to deliver a cross towards Ruben Loftus-Cheek, whose lay-off enabled Batshuayi to make amends for his previous mistake and place a right foot shot beyond McGee.
An early chance for Loftus-Cheek after the break suggested there would be no let up for the visitors who found themselves falling further behind moments later when Pedro collected the ball wide on the left before finding Willian who found the corner of the goal from 20 yards out.
Peterborough were given hope when Terry brought down Angol as the forward pushed the ball past the defender and would have had a clear run on goal had Terry fallen in front of him to earn a red card. Nichols converted from close range but Pedfro’s 75th minute finish killed off the contest.
Chelsea (3-4-3): Begovic; Zouma, Terry, Cahill (Aina 57); Ivanovic, Fabregas, Chalobah, Pedro; Willian (Kante73), Batshuayi, Loftus-Cheek (Azpilicueta 69).
Subs: Eduardo, Hazard, Moses, Costa.
Peterborough United (4-4-2): McGee; Smith, Bostwick, Tafazoli, Hughes (Binnom-Williams 89); Maddison (Taylor 57), Lopes, Forrester, Edwards (Samuelson 57); Nichols, Angol.
Subs: Tyler, Ball, Inman, Chettle.
=====================
Guardian:
John Terry sees red but comfortable Chelsea ease past Peterborough
Chelsea 4 - 1 Peterborough
FA Cup Stamford Bridge
David Hytner at Stamford Bridge
John Terry was laughing when the referee, Kevin Friend, jogged over to him in the 67th minute. Chelsea were home and hosed against Peterborough United from League One on the back of goals from Pedro, Michy Batshuayi and Willian but Terry had just botched his last-man challenge on Lee Angol and he must have known what was coming.
Perhaps the smiles were out of embarrassment or simply the ludicrous nature of the situation. Kurt Zouma, playing his first game since February of last year, had been unable to cut out a through-ball and when Angol dropped his shoulder and darted to his left he found that Terry had thrown himself at his feet.
Angol had nowhere to go but down and over Terry and, despite the old warrior’s protestations – and those that would follow from Antonio Conte – Friend took the correct decision to dismiss him. When the red card came out Terry’s face fell.
It had been his first appearance since 5 November and only his eighth of the season. He did not envisage it finishing like this. When he finally trudged off, after a matey-looking conversation with Friend, it was difficult to ignore the feeling that we were witnessing the countdown to the end for Terry at Stamford Bridge.
He has been unable to break into the Chelsea team that have surged to the top of the Premier League table and misjudgments like this one will not convince Conte to reinstate him or put trust in the club’s captain in the longer term. Zouma came through the full 90 minutes after his lengthy knee injury lay-off while Conte has recalled Nathan Aké from his loan spell at Bournemouth. The manager said Aké could provide an option on the left or in the centre of his preferred back three.
Terry is now 36, his contract will expire in the summer and there has been no talk as yet of a renewal. There may still be more matches for him this season – perhaps, in the FA Cup – but, at the very least, Terry faces an anxious wait to see what the club have planned for him.
Terry’s sending-off was the headline detail of a high-tempo FA Cup win for Chelsea. Peterborough gave their 6,000 travelling fans something to bellow about when Michael Smith’s low cross was touched on by Angol and Tom Nichols swept past Asmir Begovic. It was a moment that everybody connected to the club will cherish for some time.
Peterborough carried the fight to the home side; they did not come merely to sit deep and frustrate, and Grant McCann, the manager, could talk with pride at how his team, who sit ninth in League One, had performed.
They started well and a big moment came in the eighth minute when Angol prodded at Begovic from three yards out, after Marcus Maddison’s cross. The Chelsea goalkeeper blocked. The visitors also threatened when Ryan Tafazolli glanced wide from a 13th‑minute corner.
But Chelsea were a cut above. Pedro restored their three-goal advantage after Nichols’s goal and the final margin of victory could have been more handsome such was their dominance. They created not only fistfuls of chances but fistfuls of clear ones.
Batshuayi had been keen to mark only his fourth start for Chelsea with a goal and there were times when he looked a little too keen. On 39 minutes he had eyes only for the shot inside the area, even though Willian was better placed to his right, and he ended up being crowded out. Willian was frustrated. So too was Conte. But last summer’s £33m signing from Marseille got what he craved just before the interval.
Batshuayi’s goal followed smart work from Willian and a four-on-two Chelsea break, which seemed remarkable at that point of the tie. Branislav Ivanovic crossed and, when Ruben Loftus-Cheek set the ball up, Batshuayi drilled a low shot into the corner.
Conte made nine changes from the league defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last Wednesday and he said he was happy with the performances of his younger players Zouma, Nathaniel Chalobah, Loftus-Cheek and Batshuayi – together with the substitute, Ola Aina.
Pedro was one of the two survivors in the starting XI from White Hart Lane and his first goal was beautifully taken – a fizzing shot into the far, top corner after Luke McGee had beaten out Chalobah’s shot.
Gary Cahill had hit the post on six minutes with an extravagant back-heeled flick from a corner while Pedro rattled the crossbar after jinking inside following Loftus-Cheek’s pass.
Chelsea had other chances in the first half through Terry, Batshuayi and Willian and more after the break through Loftus-Cheek, Chalobah and Batshuayi. Willian’s goal came when he cut inside and shot into the far corner while Pedro got his second after an exchange with Batshuayi and a precision low shot.
“When you change nine players it’s not easy to find quickly your idea of football, but it happened,” Conte said. “I saw a lot of positive things. We won as a team and that is the most important thing.”
========================
Telegraph:
Chelsea 4 Peterborough United 1:
John Terry's red card on return could go long way to determining his future
Matt Law
A John Terry red card used to be a major headache for Chelsea, but on this occasion it may well have helped make up the minds of those responsible for deciding whether or not the defender plays on for the club past the end of this season.
With Chelsea top of the Premier League without Terry in the team or even on the substitutes’ bench, it already looked most unlikely that the 36-year-old would be offered an extension to his contract that expires this summer.
This time last year, Terry publicly revealed that there had been no talks over a new deal and suggested that last season was likely to be his final hurrah with the club.
The interview ensured that Terry’s name was sung by the Chelsea faithful at every remaining game and the club eventually relented and handed their “captain, leader, legend” a new deal.
But if Terry’s intention was to use his first start since October to show Chelsea that he should be kept on once again, then it went horribly wrong.
The day had already started badly for Terry and his Chelsea prospects, as the club confirmed that left-footed defender Nathan Ake had been recalled from his loan at Bournemouth.
And it got much worse in the 67th minute, when Terry capped what had been a rusty performance against League One opposition by getting his marching orders.
Kurt Zouma, returning from almost a year out, failed to cut out a low pass from Peterborough captain Chris Forrester, which sent Lee Angol scampering towards goal. Unable to catch the visiting striker, Terry produced what could only be described as a rugby tackle to bring him down.
Terry appeared to be laughing as he was called over by Kevin Friend, but the referee did not see the funny side as he produced a red card.
Fortunately for Terry and Chelsea, the tie was effectively over by that point and Antonio Conte’s team progressed to the fourth round thanks to a brace from Pedro and goals from Willian and Michy Batshuayi.
Asked about Terry’s red card, the head coach, Conte, said: “It wasn’t right, this decision. He didn’t take the opponent and, behind John, there was Ivanovic, to cover him.
“It’s a pity because to take a red card is not good. You have to respect the ref’s decision, but, in this case, maybe we will do an appeal.”
On Terry’s future, Conte added: “We are in January. It’s important to make this decision together with the club and not alone. I am pleased for John because he is showing me great commitment, when I ask him to play, when he doesn’t play, because he is helping me a lot. It’s important to continue in this way.”
Conte, though, confirmed Terry faced greater competition to win back a regular place in Chelsea’s three-man defence from the recalled Ake. “I recall Ake because I think he is showing he is ready to stay in the squad,” said Conte.
“He gives me an important option because we are playing with three central defenders. He can play on the left or in the middle and we must see in training if he can play at wing-back.”
After it emerged Chelsea are considering a surprise bid for Swansea City striker Fernando Llorente, Conte had stated that Batshuayi, who is wanted on loan by West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Swansea, Lille and Sevilla, needed to make the most of his fourth start since his £33 million move from Marseille.
Those words appeared to weigh heavily on the 23-year-old for much of the first half as he looked to be trying too hard to score.
But two minutes before half-time, Batshuayi got the goal he craved. Willian played a good pass out to Branislav Ivanovic, whose cross was cushioned by Ruben Loftus-Cheek for the Belgian to pick his spot.
Batshuayi’s goal doubled Chelsea’s lead, as Pedro, standing in at left wing-back, had opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a super strike after cutting back on to his right foot.
Despite the fact the Premier League leaders went in at the break with a two-goal cushion, League One Peterborough had caused the Chelsea defence some problems.
Marcus Maddison picked out Angol unmarked in the Chelsea penalty area in the eighth minute, but his volley was straight at Asmir Begovic. Ryan Tafazolli headed wide from a Maddison corner.
Conte appeared to use the half-time break for a quick trip to the Chelsea megastore as he remerged for the second period wearing a white club-branded waterproof jacket and a blue baseball cap.
While members of the press box debated his choice of clothing, Loftus-Cheek should have added a third goal when Batshuayi set up the England Under-21 midfielder, who rolled the ball wide.
It took only until the 52nd minute for Chelsea to kill the tie, however, as Willian received the ball from Pedro and cut in from the left to send a shot low into the net.
Terry’s dismissal forced Conte into a reshuffle and, as 10-man Chelsea were adjusting, Tim Nichols pulled a goal back in front of the 6,000 visiting Peterborough fans.
Any dreams of what would have been one of the great FA Cup fightbacks were crushed four minutes later as Pedro scored again.
Peterborough manager Grant McCann said: “For 15 minutes, I thought we were very good. The difference in the game was they were clinical, we weren’t. It was a good learning curve for our boys. I don’t think we came here and disgraced ourselves.”
========================
Mail:
Chelsea 4-1 Peterborough: Pedro nets a brace to kill off the Posh with a red card for John Terry the Blues' only blemish
By Sami Mokbel
Normal service resumed for Chelsea. Not, though, for captain John Terry.
The Blues routinely dispatched of League One Peterborough to help heal the wounds of Wednesday's loss at Tottenham.
But the pain of a personally disappointing season goes on for Terry, who was shown a straight red card on his first start for the club since October. The Chelsea skipper pleaded with referee Kevin Friend after his foul on Lee Angol.
'I didn't touch him', he told the official. Terry knew what was coming, though. He was the last man, he knows the consequences.
With his first-team chances in the Premier League minimal thanks to Antonio Conte's now settled back-three of Gary Cahill, David Luis and Cesar Azplicueta, the Chelsea captain will find some comfort in the fact his side eased into he fourth round.
Because the way Chelsea are motoring in the league at them moment; the FA Cup is likely to be Terry's main source of action this season.
Despite the resounding scoreline, Peterborough were far from embarrassed here. As manager Grant McCann promised in the build up to this FA Cup third round tie, the League One side gave this a good go.
And their positivity should be applauded. But in the end, it proved their undoing as they were caught by two first-half counter attacks.
Chelsea were ruthless; sensing when their opponents were weak before pouncing decisively on their prey to ensure they returned to winning ways after the loss at White Hart Lane - which ended their 13 match unbeaten league run.
On his FA Cup debut, Blues boss Conte rang the changes for the visit of Peterborough; making nine in total - including a rare start for skipper Terry, whilst Kurt Zouma made his return from a serious knee injury.
The Italian manager has bigger fish to fry, of course. Despite Wednesday's loss at Tottenham, the Blues remain the team to beat in the title race.
Peterborough, though, were hoping to pounce on any seeds of doubt in Chelsea's mind following that loss at White Hart Lane and fielded a strong starting XI including 18-year-old Jay Da Silva Lopes - the teenager England are trying to snatch from under Portugal's nose.
And the League One outfit certainly weren't overawed by the challenge in front of them as the caused the Premier League leaders as host of problems. But in the end, they were handed a crash course in the perils of living the big boys.
On an ordinary day, Michael Smith would may got away with his misplaced pass into Lopes in the 18th minute. But this wasn't an ordinary day. Conte's side were ruthless in the execution of their counter attack.
In the end it was Pedro who scored, expertly finishing past Luke McGee, who did well to stop Nathaniel Chalobah's effort moments prior.
It was a harsh lesson for Smith and his team who, with a bit of luck, could easily have been ahead before Pedro struck.
Had Lee Angol's point blank effort from Marcus Maddison's cross dropped a yard either side of Asmir Begovic then Peterborough would have taken an eighth minute lead.
Likewise, had Maddison shown greater composure with his strike from the edge of area after Gwion Edwards roasted Branislav Ivanovic down the left then Posh would have been in dreamland. Instead, they were pondering what might have been as Chelsea killed off the tie before half-time.
McGee was having one of those days underdog goalkeepers tend to have on FA Cup third round day; saves from Terry, Batshauyi, Gary Cahill, and Willian kept Peterborough in the mix.
Similarly, fortune, or rather ineptitude, was on their side in the 32nd minute as Pedro, inexplicably, missed a glaringly open goal from six yards after Ruben Loftus-Cheek's square pass.
But Batshauyi, handed a rare chance to impress by Conte, handed Chelsea a two-goal lead just before the break, thumping home Loftus-Cheek's pass after another rapid Chelsea breakaway.
Prior to his strike, it hadn't been an afternoon to remember for the Belgian, his manager visibly agitated by his striker's performance in the technical area.
Posh were hanging in their - just. Had Kevin Friend shown Peterborough skipper Chris Forrester a red instead of a yellow card in the 23rd minute for a nasty-looking lunge on Cesc Fabregas then the second half could have been a car crash.
If it wasn't for wasteful finishing and more fabulous goalkeeping from McGee then it would have been.
Not learning their lesson from the first half, Loftus-Cheek fired narrowly wide after Lopes was dispossessed by Fabregas inside his own half.
Willian, though, wasn't so profligate in the 52nd minute as he rammed his low effort past McGee after Fabregas and Pedro combined to set the Brazilian up.
It would have been four just two minutes later if McGee hadn't somehow got a hand to Chalobah's shot.
And the away side were handed a slight glimmer of hope in the 67th minute as Terry was handed his marching orders for his professional foul on Angol as he tried to cover for Zouma's failed attempts to cut out Forrester's pass.
Indeed, three minutes later Tom Nichols pulled one back for Peterborough, tapping home from close range after Angol's mishit shot.
But Pedro ended any late Chelsea jitters with his second of the afternoon five minutes later, stroking home from the edge of the area as Chelsea eased through to the next round.
GRAHAM POLL'S OFFICIAL LINE
Kevin Friend was correct to dismiss John Terry despite the former England captain's protest of innocence.
Peterborough's Lee Angol was clean through with a clear and obvious goal scoring opportunity with just Terry to get past.
The Blues captain went to ground which resulted in Angol tripping over him.
Terry claimed he had slipped but intent wasn't relevant. The fact that his prone body stopped his opponents progress meant Friend had no option but to get his red card out.
Terry has had limited chances to play first team football this season and his suspension will continue that.
Chelsea (3-5-2): : Begovic 6.5; Zouma 6.5, Terry 5.5, Cahill 6.5 (Aina 57. 6,5); Ivanovic 6.5, Fabregas 7, Chalobah 7, Pedro 8.5; Willian 7 (Kante 73, 6), Batshuayi 6.5, Loftus-Cheek 7.5 (Azpilicueta 69, 6).
Unused subs: Hazard, Moses, Costa, Eduardo.
Bookings: Fabregas
Sent off: Terry 66
Goals: Pedro 18, 75, Batshuayi 44, Willian 53
Manager: Antonio Conte 7
Peterborough (4-4-2): McGee 8; Smith 6.5, Bostik 6, Tafazolli 6; Maddison 6 (Taylor 57, 6), Da Silva 6, Forrester 6, Edwards 6.5 (Samuelson 58, 6), Hughes 6 (Binnom-Williams 83, 6); Nichols 6.5, Angol 6.5.
Unused subs: Ball, Tyler, Inman, Chettle.
Bookings: Tafazolli, Forrester
Goals: Nichols 70
Manager: Grant McCann 6
Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire) 6.5
Att: 41,003
MOM: Pedro
No comments:
Post a Comment