Chelsea Story - A Stamford Bridge Legacy at Last

[samillyroy]

Shakhtar Donetsk 0 - 1 Chelsea
Tuesday 18th October 2011

Fernando Torres' early goal was enough to seal an important win for Chelsea.

Chelsea did enough to seal victory this afternoon after a tough game in the Ukraine. Fernando Torres scored with a fine finish after 3 minutes to give Chelsea the lead and they managed to hold on for the rest of the game.


Chelsea got into their stride quickly, playing some lovely passes and they were rewarded when neat build up play found Torres on the edge of the box and he hammered home right footed into the bottom corner.

Chelsea then sat back and made Shakhtar force the issue, breaking when possible with the pace of Malouda and Sturridge on the flanks. Shakhtar played the ball forward nicely but all too often the final ball was lacking and Chelsea were able to push back on them.

In the second half Shakhtar were the dominant side as they started to feed their wing backs Srna and Rat with space for crosses, and Petr Cech was forced on a number of occasions into some fine stops.

Chelsea had to remove Torres after an hour when it looked as though he suffered a foot injury, and his substitute Kalou looked lively on the right flank, giving Razvan Rat a torrid end to the game.

But despite pushing, Shakhtar were unable to find an eqauliser and Chelsea went back to England with a vital 3 points which puts them top of Group H

"It was a professional performance from the boys today, Fernando did brilliantly with that first goal and from there we put on a fine defensive display to ensure the 3 points.
"We've looked at Fernando's injury and it doesn't look too serious though he may still miss the game against Norwich at the weekend. I expect him to be back in time for the league clash with Stoke."

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cole, Terry, Alex, Mikel, Ramires, Lampard, Malouda, Torres (Kalou 62), Sturridge (Anelka 79)
Unused subs: Turnbull, Luiz, Mata, Drogba, McEachran

Goalscorers: Torres (3)

Shakhtar: Pyatov, Srna, Rakitskyi, Chygrynskyi, Rat, Stepanenko (Sammir 71), Mkhatiryan (Dentinho 85), Jadson, Willian, Alex Teixeira, Eduardo (Seleznyov 71)
Unused subs: Antonov, Kryvtsov, Aghahowa, Luiz Adriano


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[samillyroy]

Norwich (20.) v Chelsea (2.)
Barclays Premier League Matchday 9

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KEY PLAYER

Drogba is in devastating form in the Premier League having ammassed 5 goals in 5 starts. He will be looking to terrorise a vulnerable Norwich defence this afternoon and they will have to be on top of their game to stop him.

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MATCH NEWS

Michael Essien is out although Alex is doubtful after picking up a knock against Shakhtar in mid-week. Salomon Kalou is also missing after picking up an injury in training on Thursday.

Jed Steer and Korey Smith are both definities to miss the game this afternoon.

MATCH PREVIEW

Chelsea go into this match in decent form, having won their last two games and will be looking to add to Norwich's dismal start to Premier League life - 8 losses in 8 games. The divison's best attack come up against the worst defence in what is predicted to be as one sided a game as any this season. But the Chelsea manager is having none of it.

"They've struggled so far this season but it only takes one match to turn a season around and why not this one? The most dangerous opponent is a cornered one and Norwich have nothing to lose this afternoon where as we have a lot.
"We will be vigilant this evening and I will be playing a strong squad. We are capable of winning but it is also neccessary that we do in order to progress so we have to be professional."

 

[cfc12345]

Go on Didier make your season even better and theirs even worse!

 

[ClumziToby]

Great story so far mate, apart from the 6-0 win against the Red men , I'm following!

 

[samillyroy]

Norwich City 0 - 1 Chelsea
Saturday 22nd October 2011

Nicolas Anelka's second goal of the season was enough to see off Norwich.

Nicolas Anelka's early goal was enough to give Chelsea the three points this afternoon, though they might have scored more. The Blues dominated the first half but Norwich gave them several scares in the second, and were thanking their lucky stars when Grant Holt's header was ruled for offside.

Chelsea took the lead after just 3 minutes when Josh McEachran played in Anelka who slammed home a brilliant strike from 25 yards. It was exceptional technique from the Frenchman who is still trying to prove his worth to the coaching staff.

His rare start up front with Drogba was blossoming in the first half as they caused all sorts of problems in the Norwich penalty box, but both were denied by the woodwork before half time came as Chelsea began cursing their luck.

And hearts were in mouths just after the second half when Grant Holt headed home James Vaughan's cross, only to see it ruled correctly for offside seconds later. Norwich plucked away looking for an equaliser and had Chelsea penned back at points but the game turned when defender Mikael Dorsin inexplicably headbutted Ashley Cole in an off the ball incident.

From there it was Chelsea's game to lose and the Blues failed to relinquish their lead, instead playing the ball around harmlessly in the midfield to secure a vital three points.

"I think everyone was expecting a drubbing here today but we knew that they would be up for this game. In the end an exceptional piece of skill from Nico has won us the game and we're delighted for him, he's been working ever so hard in training.
"I can't have many complaints about the manner of the victory, we dominated possession and chances and would have been unlucky to draw the game. They did cause us some problems in the second half, but full credit to my lads for sticking out when we were under some real pressure."

Norwich: Ruddy, Martin, de Laet (Whitbread 79), Zwaanswijk, Dorsin, Crofts, Fox, Bennett (Surman 45), Johnson, Holt, Vaughan (Morison 67)
Unused subs: Rudd, Barnett, Tierney, Ayala

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Cole, Terry, Luiz, Romeu, Meireles (Mikel 67), Lampard (Mata 86), McEachran, Anelka, Drogba (Lukaku 69)
Unused subs: Turnbull, Ferreira, Ivanovic, Torres

Goalscorers: ​Anelka (5)​

 

[samillyroy]

Chelsea v Sunderland
League Cup 4th Round

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KEY PLAYER

NICKLAS BENDTNER
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The on-loan Arsenal man considers himself one of the best strikers in the world. He's not exactly proven that in his career but he joins Sunderland in an attempt to kick-start this prophecy. Strong in the air and decent technically, he will certainly be one of their main threats tonight.

MATCH NEWS

Michael Essien is Chelsea's only absentee.

Sunderland have defensive problems with trio Titus Bramble, John O'Shea and Victor Caceres all out with injuries.

MATCH PREVIEW

The last time these two teams met in September, Chelsea ran out 7-0 victors after entirely out-performing their Wearside opponents. Since then, Sunderland have gone on a run of 3 wins in 3, including an impressive 1-0 victory against Manchester City, meaning Chelsea cannot rest on their laurels.

"This is a different side to the one we beat 7-0 last month. I think they've learnt from some of the errors in that game, and clearly going on a 3 match winning streak shows the character they have in that club so we will be very vigilant indeed.
"As for our Carling Cup policy, we will be giving some of the youngsters a run out for this game, indeed. Josh may not start after playing at the weekend but I would like to see Romelu getting another start in this competition because I feel he has earned a place in training. This is a game I would very much like to win and we will be approaching in a very positive manner."

 

[samillyroy]

just got a friggin crash dump so I will be editing the results of the Shakhtar and Norwich games as they change on FM. won't be doing it tonight though, sorry guys! I was 3-0 up against Sunderland too, and young Conor Clifford had scored a screamer
thanks toby, and sorry but we had to teach them scousers a lesson

 

[samillyroy]

Chelsea 3 - 1 Sunderland
Wednesday 26th October 2011

Juan Mata put on a man of the match display and scored his second goal of the season.

A youthful looking Chelsea side went through to the next round of the Carling Cup following a dominant performance against Sunderland this afternoon. Mata opened the scoring before Lukaku doubled the lead with a fine finish. Bendtner pulled one back for Sunderland after a mistake by Cech before Terry won the game for Chelsea.


The Blues gave a start to 19 year old Conor Clifford in the centre of midfield and he impressed the onlooking manager as he combined well with Ramires to dominate possession. The two of them powered Chelsea forward for the first goal, with Ramires playing the final pass into Juan Mata who slotted underneath Gordon.

And the scoreline was doubled minutes later when Chelsea broke from a Sunderland attack. Daniel Sturridge picked up the ball and ran out the two centre backs before playing the ball into space for Lukaku who struck a fine finish with his left foot into the top corner of the net - his first Chelsea goal.

Chelsea continued to dominate possession but Larsson was also a handful from set pieces. And Sunderland's goal came from one of his free-kicks. It was whipped in with his right foot to Brown who forced the ball goalwards and Cech dropped it right at the feet of Bendtner who made no mistake.

But it was a false dawn for Sunderland as Chelsea made it 3-1 when John Terry buried a Juan Mata corner to settle the tie. To make matters worse for Sunderland, Cattermole was dismissed for ungentlemanly conduct in the second half - his second red against the Blues of the season. With a number of youngsters playing the Chelsea manager will be pleased that they overcame a full-strength Sunderland side.

"It's a top win for us and I'm delighted with some of the youngsters performances. Lukaku was dominant up front and caused all sorts of problems whilst Bertrand looked very assured at left back. There's a lot of interest in young Conor at the moment, so he may be going out on loan but I think he could have a future at this club.
"We're happy to go through in this tournament and we will look to go on and win it. Rest assured I will be giving chances to the youngsters throughout."

Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Terry, Ivanovic, Bertrand, Mikel (Luiz 74), Clifford, Ramires, Mata, Lukaku, Sturridge
Unused subs: Turnbull, Malouda, Cole, Lampard, Torres, Drogba

Goalscorers: Mata (11), Lukaku (14), Terry (39)

Sunderland: Gordon, Brown, Turner (Bardsley 45), Bramble, M'Bengue, Cattermole, Vaughan, Sessegnon, Larsson, Wickham (Richardson 45), Bendtner
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[samillyroy]

Chelsea (2.) v Stoke City (16.)
Barclays Premier League, Matchday 10


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KEY PLAYER

PETER CROUCH

The England man is looking to stake a claim for a position in the side going into the EURO 2012, and so far he's been doing well in that respect. 8 goals in 13 games is a good record for any striker and he will cause Chelsea problems this evening.

MATCH NEWS

Chelsea will only be without Michael Essien.

Stoke City on the other hand will be without centre-backs Ryan Shotton and Matthew Upson who is a doubt with illness.

MATCH PREVIEW

Stoke have had a dissapointing start to their season and will be hoping to get at least a point at Stamford Bridge tonight. Of course it will be no mean feat as Chelsea have won every game at home so far this season, scoring an incredible 19 goals and conceding none in 4 games.
The Blues manager talked about this record and also the fact that these two sides have drawn each other in the Quarter-Finals of the League Cup:

"Stoke have still got plenty of class players in their ranks and will definitely cause us problems tonight. We are growing in confidence at the moment and our record at the Bridge speaks for itself, and I think great credit has to go to the fans for that.
"Playing them in the quarter-final at the Britannia Stadium will be a very tough game but it's certainly one we're looking forward to and relishing. We'll be giving chances to the young lads again of course and I think it'll be a great test for them."

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[samillyroy]

Chelsea 2 - 0 Stoke City
Saturday 29th October 2011

Frank Lampard's second-half penalty turned the game in Chelsea's favour.

Chelsea punished Stoke in the second half with a decent home performance. Fernando Torres was brought down in the box at the beginning of the second half and Lampard stepped up to tuck home the resultant penalty before David Luiz headed home a Meireles corner in injury time to settle the match.

The Blues started with Drogba and Torres up front, but the two were unable to break down a battling Stoke backline. Meireles probably went closest in the first half with a driving shot just outside the box, but it clipped the post and went out.

It took until the second half for Chelsea's dominance to pay off, as Torres made space in the box before being brought down by former Blue Robert Huth. Frank Lampard stepped up and slammed home his 5th goal of the season from the spot to give Chelsea the advantage.

With the game drawing to a close, Chelsea were content to keep the ball in front of their formidable backline and in the end grabbed a second when David Luiz rose highest to head home Raul Meireles corner in injury time. A comfortable win draws Chelsea to a point behind leaders Arsenal.

"The lads were never going to lose this game, I can hardly remember Stoke having a chance. We defended well but I thought we were a bit sloppy in the final third and our decision making wasn't it's best. But Frank stepped up and showed composure to give us a win we thoroughly deserved.
"Stamford Bridge is becoming a fortress again and we have put on some magnificent shows here already this season. The next match here against Tottenham will be a huge test and it's one we're really looking forward to."

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Cole, Terry, Luiz, Mikel, Lampard, Meireles, Mata (Malouda 74), Drogba, Torres (Sturridge 74)
Unused subs: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Lukaku, Alex, Anelka

Goalscorers: Lampard (pen 56), Luiz (90+1)

Stoke City: Sorensen, Ruud, Shawcross, Huth, Woodgate (Higginbottham 45), Palacios, Wilson, Pennant (Zenden 64), Etherington (Wilkinson 45), Crouch, Jones

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[samillyroy]

Chelsea v Shakhtar Donetsk
Champions League Group H

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MATCH NEWS

Chelsea have a full squad to pick from this evening.

Rybka will be missing for this afternoon's game, as will Brazilian striker Dentinho who played in the first game.

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MATCH PREVIEW

Chelsea edged the first match between these two teams but it is bound to be a different story today. Fernando Torres' goal was enough to seperate the two teams but it was a very close encounter and Shakhtar will be looking to boost their chances of qualification with a good result here tonight. A win for Chelsea, meanwhile, will all but guarantee them qualification to the knock out stages.

"We'll be going all out for the win tonight and with the home crowd behind us, I'm positive we can get it if we play to our best. We've done well with not collecting injuries so far and it's a bonus that I can mix the squad about a bit.
"We want to bury this tonight and all but qualify for the next round. That was the minimum objective at the start of the campaign and I'm confident we can do that tonight."

 

[samillyroy]

Chelsea 3 - 1 Shakhtar Donetsk
Wednesday 2nd November 2011

Drogba put in an inspired display and scored his 100th goal for the club.

Chelsea took Shakhtar to pieces today with a dominating home display. Daniel Sturridge scored a poacher's goal to give the Blues the lead before Drogba's stunning 30 yard free kick doubled the advantage. Lampard nodded in a third before Shakhtar scored a late consolation.

The Blues were dominant from the off and marked their intentions with some great passing moves. Ramires started in the middle with Lampard and the two of them showed great energy to link the play between Mata and Mikel in front of the defence.

On one such counter-attack, Lampard brought the ball forward before finding Cole wide on the left who swung in a superb early cross to find Daniel Sturridge who slid into score his 3rd goal of an impressive season.

Drogba then produced a moment of individual brilliance when he curled in his 100th Chelsea goal from 30 yards right into the near corner of the net. It was a remarkable finish and one fitting of such an excellent player.

Chelsea pushed on in the second half and made the scoreline reflect the performance even more when Lampard first headed goalwards and then nodded in the parry from Pyatov over the line to the joy of the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Darijo Srna then scored a fine finish from 18 yards to pull one back for the Ukrainians but they were already down and out and face an uphill task to qualify after Olympiakos won both ties against Plzen.

"It's a first rate display from the boys. I left out Torres because I want him in the squad for Saturday and the two lads up front repaid my faith magnificently. I thought Sturridge was a nuisance for them all game and is showing real promise.
"We've all but qualified now, so our next objective is to win this group which I think is well within our capabilities. If we achieve that I will be a happy man going into January."

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Cole, Mikel, Lampard (Meireles 79), Ramires, Mata, Drogba, Sturridge (Kalou 68)
Unused subs: Turnbull, Bosingwa, Malouda, Luiz, Torres

Goalscorers: Sturridge (41), Drogba (56), Lampard (76)

Shakhtar: Pyatov, Srna, Rat (Kryvtsov 65), Rakitskyi, Chygrynskyi, Mkhitaryan (Alex Teixeira 77), Stepanenko, Jadson, Willian, Sammir (Kravets 57), Seleznyov
Unused subs: Antonov, Adriano, Eduardo, Gryschuk

Goalscorers: Srna (85)
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[samillyroy]

Wigan Athletic (14.) v Chelsea (2.)
Barclays Premier League Matchday 11


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KEY PLAYER

JAMES McCARTHY

Rumoured to be a transfer-target for Chelsea, talented young midfielder James McCarthy is the fulcrum of Wigan's midfield. Good on the ball, intelligent and with a tremendous attitude, he will be key to whether or not Wigan stay in the Premier League this season.

MATCH NEWS

Chelsea have a full squad to pick from for this game, apart from the unregistered Michael Essien.

Wigan on the other hand have a number of absences from the first team. Defender Steve Gohouri will miss out through suspension, whilst full back Patrick van Aanholt is ineligible. Emerson Boyce, Hugo Rodellega, Ronnie Stam and Antolin Alcaraz are all out injured and will miss this game.

MATCH PREVIEW

Wigan's injury problems could be key in this game as their defence will have to resort to the bare bones of their squad. Chelsea, with no injuries and in great form, are huge favourites for this game but naturally they will have to be wary of the threat they pose up front. The manager talked about the upcoming international break and his aims when the squad returns:

"This is a tough away fixture and we will be approaching it with caution as our teams have come here in the past and struggled. I have the bonus of having a full squad ready to pick from so we are looking for a good performance.
"The international break probably comes at a good time as we've had a number of games at the moment and it gives us a chance to regroup before that massive game against Tottenham. I think when we come back, we want to put ourselves in a good league position going into December and I also want to win our Champions League group outright."

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[cfc12345]

Lampard cant stop scoring it seems! keep up the good work

 

[samillyroy]

Wigan Athletic 0 - 3 Chelsea
Saturday 5th November 2011

Frank Lampard's seventh goal of the season made up for his missed penalty.

Both teams missed penalties in this game, but it was Chelsea who came out victorious - and by some distance. Drogba teed up Torres for Chelsea's first before tapping in one of his own. Gary Caldwell missed a penalty for Wigan before Lampard missed one of his own but made up for it by scoring a powerful effort from 18 yards.

Chelsea started brilliantly, scoring after 5 minutes when Drogba flicked on Mata's through ball for Torres who had acres of space and time to finish low into the bottom corner. It was his fifth goal of the season.

Drogba then pounced on Gary Caldwell's error to double Chelsea's advantage before the Scottish centre-back had the chance to redeem himself from the spot when Paulo Ferreira brought down Maloney needlessly. He failed to capitalise though as Cech dived to his left to save.

The Blues continued their dominance into the second half and looked to have the chance to make it three when McEachran was felled in the box but Lampard's effort struck the crossbar.

Figueroa was then sent off for a shocking challenge before Lampard finished low to make up for his earlier miss and keep Chelsea hot on Arsenal's heels.

"Arsenal are in great form, but the only thing we can do now is carry on winning games and hope they slip up at some point. Arsene Wenger is a superb manager and is doing brilliant things there and it's a challenge that all of us are relishing.
"Today was a great performance and I thought Torres and Drogba were magnificent up front together. This is something that we will definitely be seeing more of in the coming games as they appear to be forming a deadly partnership."

Wigan: Al Habsi, Piscu, Caldwell, Figueroa, McCarthy (Watson 57), Diame, McArthur (di Santo 45), Moses, Sammon (Langley 45), Thomas, Maloney
Unused Subs: Arason, Jones, Dmitrov, Mason

Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Cole, Terry, Luiz, Romeu, Lampard, Meireles (Clifford 80), McEachran, Torres (Sturridge 65), Drogba (Lukaku 65)
Unused Subs: Turnbull, Bertrand, Mikel, Malouda

Goalscorers: Torres (9), Drogba (11), Lampard (83)
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[samillyroy]

cfc12345 - he certainly can't, and there's another for him thanks mate, we're doing well but it's a massive game against tottenham next. will do live text so keep updated.

 

[samillyroy]

Chelsea (2.) v Tottenham Hotspur (6.)
Barclays Premier League Matchday 12
LIVE TEXT COMMENTARY

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KEY PLAYER

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GARETH BALE

Bale is in devastating form having scored 10 goals already this season from left midfield. Fast becoming one of the most feared wingers in the world, the young Welshman has bags of pace and technical ability in abundance. Chelsea will have to silence him to be victorious today.

MATCH NEWS

Chelsea's Conor Clifford picked up a knock for the Ireland Under-21s and will miss out, while Romelu Lukaku also picked up an injury playing for Belgium.

Tottenham suffered arguably worse, with Michael Dawson, Steven Pienaar and Jermaine Defoe, Vedran Corluka and most importantly Gareth Bale all miss this game with injuries.

MATCH PREVIEW

Top Goalscorers (Premier League)

Tottenham		Chelsea
Emmanuel Adebayor	7	Didier Drogba	6
Gareth Bale	6	David Luiz	5
Rafael van der Vaart	1	Frank Lampard	4

It's a huge London derby this weekend and no mistake. Chelsea sit second in the league after a superb run of form and have the best home record in the division. Tottenham sit in the sixth but have much higher ambitions and will be looking to make a point at Stamford Bridge tonight. With Chelsea minor favourites for the game, how big a loss will Petr Cech prove to be?

"We've done okay injury wise coming back from that international break, whereas Tottenham will be dissapointed to lose Gareth Bale. He is a top player and they will certainly miss him today.
"Tottenham are a world class side and I've said from the beginning that they will be in their challenging come the end of the season. They've got top, top players and we're going to have to perform at our very best to overcome them tommorow. But I have faith in my lads - if there's one thing they have in abundance, it's character."

 

[cfc12345]

Come on you blues !

 

[samillyroy]

Just played to the end and lost 3-1 before I got a crash dump :\ Will not be doing that all again tonight so will have to wait until tommorow evening after uni. Cheers for following

 

[celtictillidie]

Nice story mate I'll follow