Geneharper
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I'm really enjoying this. Your careful selection of images is a nice touch.
From Russia With Love: A Chelsea FC Story
- Thread starter xdannyw92
- Start date
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Chelsea Sign French Teenager Mbaye Niang
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of 16-year old French striker Mbaye Niang from Stade Malherbe Caen for a fee around £10m. The teenager is said to have a lot of potential and Pavel Glazkov wanted to be certain that he would be a Chelsea player as he developed his career. Niang, who will turn 17 in December, will join Chelsea on 1st January 2012. Glazkov is building a team for the future with signings of Kara Mbodj, Sime Vrsaljko and now Mbaye Niang. Glazkov spoke to the media about the signing today. "Mbaye is only young but I believe has has a lot to offer already to this Chelsea team. He is very fast and has already made a few appearances in the French League for Caen. I'm looking forward to seeing him in January."
This continues rumours as to Daniel Sturridge's departure to Manchester City. Sturridge was linked with the oil-rich club over summer and the papers have started stating he is to leave Chelsea during January. However Glazkov has also stated on this matter; "No, Daniel has a future here at Chelsea. He has played well this season scoring some important goals for us. He is a good player and I also look forward to his progression at the club."
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of 16-year old French striker Mbaye Niang from Stade Malherbe Caen for a fee around £10m. The teenager is said to have a lot of potential and Pavel Glazkov wanted to be certain that he would be a Chelsea player as he developed his career. Niang, who will turn 17 in December, will join Chelsea on 1st January 2012. Glazkov is building a team for the future with signings of Kara Mbodj, Sime Vrsaljko and now Mbaye Niang. Glazkov spoke to the media about the signing today. "Mbaye is only young but I believe has has a lot to offer already to this Chelsea team. He is very fast and has already made a few appearances in the French League for Caen. I'm looking forward to seeing him in January."
This continues rumours as to Daniel Sturridge's departure to Manchester City. Sturridge was linked with the oil-rich club over summer and the papers have started stating he is to leave Chelsea during January. However Glazkov has also stated on this matter; "No, Daniel has a future here at Chelsea. He has played well this season scoring some important goals for us. He is a good player and I also look forward to his progression at the club."
Loving this story, been following since the start. If you have time could you please look at my story http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...5373-fields-anfield-road-liverpool-story.html, you seem to know what you're doing when it comes to creating stories and I would love some feedback from you 
Thanks guys. There will be a short update soon for the first part of December, then I am going to be busy tomorrow with work but the second part of December should be up Thursday night. I hope you enjoy the following update and are looking forward to an action-packed December
December 2011 Part 1
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City
(Frank Lampard, Romelu Lukaku)
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Chelsea secured a massive result at the upper end of the table at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea had a terrible first half and was made worse when in-form, Dider Drogba, limped off injured to be replaced by youngster Romelu Lukaku. Man City piled the pressure on the London club, when Sime Vrsalkjo made a spectacular goal line clearance on his first game back from suspension. This spurred Chelsea to raise their game and 2 minutes before half time Frank Lampard pounced upon a loose pass from Lescott to score past Carlos Kameni.
Chelsea pushed on after the break, Lavezzi coming close on several occasions. Lavezzi was then involved again when his cross was smashed past into the back of the net by Romelu Lukaku who got his first league goal for Chelsea. Nasri could have pulled a goal back for Man City, but it wasn't to be as Glazkov's men continued to put pressure on the top of the table.
FA Cup Third Round Draw
Notable Ties
Macclesfield vs Chelsea
Man City vs Tottenham
Millwall vs Man Utd
Leicester vs Notts Forest
In Other News...
Chelsea have recalled Josh McEachran and Oriol Romeu ahead of a busy schedule in December. The midfielders have slotted well into Watford's side who have been struggling recently, the recall of the pair has caused Watford fans to worry further about their season. Also the groups of Euro 2012 have been drawn. England have drawn the 'group of death' alongside; Spain, Portugal and Turkey. Finally, Ramires has returned to training after a fractured arm.
European Champions League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
(Juan Mata)
Stefan Kiessling
Pavel Glazkov was furious in the post match press conference, slating the experienced players in his side in tonight's loss. He singled out John Terry, Ashley Cole and Fernando Torres as players who don't seem to be playing for a cause. Chelsea only finished top of Group B on their previous result in Germany, but the players didn't show any grit or determination all afternoon. Stefan Kiessling scored twice as Bayer Leverkusen settled in second place of Group B, with Juan Mata's strike the only highlight of Chelsea's night.
Barclays Premier League
Ewood Park
Blackburn 0-5 Chelsea
(Frank Lampard x2, Fernando Torres, Dider Drogba x2)
Frank Lampard
Chelsea's legendary midfielder led Chelsea to a huge win at Ewood Park. Lampard's 3rd minute penalty set the tone for the entire first half as Chelsea scored all 5 goals within the first half. Three goals were then scored in 9 minutes, Torres, Drogba and Lampard got his second between the 23rd and 32nd minute. Didier Drogba then got his second goal of the game on the 41st minute. Drogba now stands on 11 league goals this season, the most of any player. Nathaniel Chalobah made his league debut, coming on for John Terry, who didn't look to happy to be replaced by the 16 year old. However, it was Chelsea's impressive display that won the game, Lampard should have got his hat trick close to full time, but either way, he and his manager will be happy with his outing today.
European Champions League
First Knockout Stage
Pavel Glazkov: "I'm looking forward to facing AC Milan. They're going to be a big challenge for the club, we have a big dream of getting all the way to the final this year and you have to beat these sort of teams to get anywhere."
Barclays Premier League
St. James' Park
Newcastle 3-1 Chelsea
(Frank Lampard)
Demba Ba
Jose Bosingwa, Ashley Cole
Nine-men Chelsea were powerless to a superior Newcastle side who come into the game having beat Man Utd 3-0 a week earlier. Demba Ba caught John Terry in possession to score a good goal after 2 minutes. After half time John Terry was to blame again as Ivanovich was helpless to score an own goal. James Tomkins scored minutes later to put them 3 up. John Terry was dragged off the pitch by Pavel Glazkov who told him to go straight down the tunnel, to be replaced by Alex. Ivanovich came off for Boswingwa who managed to pick up two yellow cards in the space of 5 minutes. Frank Lampard scored again as a late consilation, but the add salt to the wound Ashley Cole picked up his second yellow of the game in injury time.
Pavel Glazkov had some strong words about his sides poor showing to the BBC after the game. "I am disgusted. No wonder this team is always in the news, the players think they're celebrities. I will be having very, very strong words with John, Ashley and Jose about their performances recently. I know we beat Blackburn 5-0, but the players don't understand that no-one has a divine right to win a game. We were beat by a good Newcastle team, credit to Tony Pulis who has turned the club around since arriving there. He beat me today tactically, but the players need to learn that if they are losing, they should stop that."
Pavel Glazkov's comments have been widely supported by Chelsea fans, who believe there club have missed out on a good opportunity to go up to second place, only 4 points behind Man Utd with a game in hand. Fans outside Stamford Bridge said "Glazkov is right, Lampard should be captain not that joke of a man [John Terry]". Another stated, "Cole, Terry, Bosingwa, Bender should all be ashamed of how they played today. I've supported Chelsea for a long time and never seen a performance so bad."
Mid-December League Table
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City
(Frank Lampard, Romelu Lukaku)
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Chelsea secured a massive result at the upper end of the table at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea had a terrible first half and was made worse when in-form, Dider Drogba, limped off injured to be replaced by youngster Romelu Lukaku. Man City piled the pressure on the London club, when Sime Vrsalkjo made a spectacular goal line clearance on his first game back from suspension. This spurred Chelsea to raise their game and 2 minutes before half time Frank Lampard pounced upon a loose pass from Lescott to score past Carlos Kameni.
Chelsea pushed on after the break, Lavezzi coming close on several occasions. Lavezzi was then involved again when his cross was smashed past into the back of the net by Romelu Lukaku who got his first league goal for Chelsea. Nasri could have pulled a goal back for Man City, but it wasn't to be as Glazkov's men continued to put pressure on the top of the table.
FA Cup Third Round Draw
Notable Ties
Macclesfield vs Chelsea
Man City vs Tottenham
Millwall vs Man Utd
Leicester vs Notts Forest
In Other News...
Chelsea have recalled Josh McEachran and Oriol Romeu ahead of a busy schedule in December. The midfielders have slotted well into Watford's side who have been struggling recently, the recall of the pair has caused Watford fans to worry further about their season. Also the groups of Euro 2012 have been drawn. England have drawn the 'group of death' alongside; Spain, Portugal and Turkey. Finally, Ramires has returned to training after a fractured arm.
European Champions League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 1-2 Bayer Leverkusen
(Juan Mata)
Stefan Kiessling
Pavel Glazkov was furious in the post match press conference, slating the experienced players in his side in tonight's loss. He singled out John Terry, Ashley Cole and Fernando Torres as players who don't seem to be playing for a cause. Chelsea only finished top of Group B on their previous result in Germany, but the players didn't show any grit or determination all afternoon. Stefan Kiessling scored twice as Bayer Leverkusen settled in second place of Group B, with Juan Mata's strike the only highlight of Chelsea's night.
Barclays Premier League
Ewood Park
Blackburn 0-5 Chelsea
(Frank Lampard x2, Fernando Torres, Dider Drogba x2)
Frank Lampard
Chelsea's legendary midfielder led Chelsea to a huge win at Ewood Park. Lampard's 3rd minute penalty set the tone for the entire first half as Chelsea scored all 5 goals within the first half. Three goals were then scored in 9 minutes, Torres, Drogba and Lampard got his second between the 23rd and 32nd minute. Didier Drogba then got his second goal of the game on the 41st minute. Drogba now stands on 11 league goals this season, the most of any player. Nathaniel Chalobah made his league debut, coming on for John Terry, who didn't look to happy to be replaced by the 16 year old. However, it was Chelsea's impressive display that won the game, Lampard should have got his hat trick close to full time, but either way, he and his manager will be happy with his outing today.
European Champions League
First Knockout Stage
Pavel Glazkov: "I'm looking forward to facing AC Milan. They're going to be a big challenge for the club, we have a big dream of getting all the way to the final this year and you have to beat these sort of teams to get anywhere."
Barclays Premier League
St. James' Park
Newcastle 3-1 Chelsea
(Frank Lampard)
Demba Ba
Jose Bosingwa, Ashley Cole
Nine-men Chelsea were powerless to a superior Newcastle side who come into the game having beat Man Utd 3-0 a week earlier. Demba Ba caught John Terry in possession to score a good goal after 2 minutes. After half time John Terry was to blame again as Ivanovich was helpless to score an own goal. James Tomkins scored minutes later to put them 3 up. John Terry was dragged off the pitch by Pavel Glazkov who told him to go straight down the tunnel, to be replaced by Alex. Ivanovich came off for Boswingwa who managed to pick up two yellow cards in the space of 5 minutes. Frank Lampard scored again as a late consilation, but the add salt to the wound Ashley Cole picked up his second yellow of the game in injury time.
Pavel Glazkov had some strong words about his sides poor showing to the BBC after the game. "I am disgusted. No wonder this team is always in the news, the players think they're celebrities. I will be having very, very strong words with John, Ashley and Jose about their performances recently. I know we beat Blackburn 5-0, but the players don't understand that no-one has a divine right to win a game. We were beat by a good Newcastle team, credit to Tony Pulis who has turned the club around since arriving there. He beat me today tactically, but the players need to learn that if they are losing, they should stop that."
Pavel Glazkov's comments have been widely supported by Chelsea fans, who believe there club have missed out on a good opportunity to go up to second place, only 4 points behind Man Utd with a game in hand. Fans outside Stamford Bridge said "Glazkov is right, Lampard should be captain not that joke of a man [John Terry]". Another stated, "Cole, Terry, Bosingwa, Bender should all be ashamed of how they played today. I've supported Chelsea for a long time and never seen a performance so bad."
Mid-December League Table
lcummings15
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Looks a really good story, sounded a bit like real Chelsea with them being celebrities!
December 2011 Part 2
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 8-0 QPR
(Dider Drogba, Fernando Torres x5, David Luiz Juan Mata)
Fernando Torres
Chelsea were simply unstoppable at Stamford Bridge as they hit 8 goals past London rivals, QPR, with Fernando Torres bagging 5 goals to make the headlines on tomorrows papers. After the poor defeat at the weekend to Newcastle, Pavel Glazkov's side made a massive turn around in this game to destroy QPR. Didier Drogba got Chelsea 1-0 up inside 1 minute. Strike partner, Fernando Torres then got his first goal 2 minutes later. David Luiz headed in a Juan Mata corner, for Mata's second assist of the game. Torres struck again after 26 minutes and Juan Mata got a deserved goal to make sure Chelsea were 5-0 up before half time.
Many thought Chelsea would take their foot off the pedal in the second half; they didn't. Fernando Torres scored another 3 goals in the second half, with Ezequiel Lavezzi setting up each one. When the final whistle had gone the man of the match was an obvious choice. The Spanish striker doubled his league goals for the season in this game, after a poor start to his Chelsea career.
It was announced later that day that Neil Warnock was sacked as QPR manager. They currently lie bottom of the table with 9 points.
@JohnTerryPFA: Thanks to Pavel for stickin by me.. Great win
@JuanMata10: Fantasic! Well done Pavel and John for leading the team to this win
@JMcEchran46: What a win!!
Injury News
Chelsea's Frank Lampard will be out for up to 2 months after suffering a serious hip injury in training today. A club statement has said; "Chelsea's veteran midfielder and vice-captain, Frank Lampard, will today travel to Germany for specialist treatment on a serious hip injury. The club believe that it speaks for everyone when we wish Frank a speedy recovery in time to help Chelsea towards further glory this season and get into England's Euro 2012 squad."
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 3-0 Everton
(Dider Drogba x3)
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba continued his goalscoring run with a fantastic hat trick at Stamford Bridge on this one-sided Boxing Day clash. Chelsea seemed full of festive joy and got Chelsea off to a flying start after 21 minutes after his powerful header beat Tim Howard. Drogba got his second of the game after scrambling in a Ashley Cole cross. 5 minutes into the second half the Ivorian striker got his 15th league goal this season after a powerful strike after a perfect through ball from Raul Meireles, who played well coming into the squad after Lampard's injury. Drogba was substituted later on and received a standing ovation from the home fans as he was replaced by Romelu Lukaku.
Barclays Premier League
White Hart Lane
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Chelsea
Sven Bender
Sandro
The 10-men of Tottenham brushed aside Chelsea on New Years Eve. Adebayor's goal in the first half was enough to settle the tie, which saw Spurs leapfrog Chelsea into 2nd place. Sven Bender played well for Chelsea all game and showed plenty of determination. However, one player's heroics weren't enough as Chelsea succumbed to a dent in their title aspirations. Chelsea may have been unlucky to not recieve a penalty as Juan Mata was tripped by Dawson, yet the referee played on without looking twice. Sandro saw red early in the second half for a very late tackle on Raul Meireles, which saw him leave the pitch injured.
Chelsea Player of the Month
Frank Lampard
Lampard scored 4 goals during the month, most importantly against Manchester City
Barclays Premier League Table
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 8-0 QPR
(Dider Drogba, Fernando Torres x5, David Luiz Juan Mata)
Fernando Torres
Chelsea were simply unstoppable at Stamford Bridge as they hit 8 goals past London rivals, QPR, with Fernando Torres bagging 5 goals to make the headlines on tomorrows papers. After the poor defeat at the weekend to Newcastle, Pavel Glazkov's side made a massive turn around in this game to destroy QPR. Didier Drogba got Chelsea 1-0 up inside 1 minute. Strike partner, Fernando Torres then got his first goal 2 minutes later. David Luiz headed in a Juan Mata corner, for Mata's second assist of the game. Torres struck again after 26 minutes and Juan Mata got a deserved goal to make sure Chelsea were 5-0 up before half time.
Many thought Chelsea would take their foot off the pedal in the second half; they didn't. Fernando Torres scored another 3 goals in the second half, with Ezequiel Lavezzi setting up each one. When the final whistle had gone the man of the match was an obvious choice. The Spanish striker doubled his league goals for the season in this game, after a poor start to his Chelsea career.
It was announced later that day that Neil Warnock was sacked as QPR manager. They currently lie bottom of the table with 9 points.
@JohnTerryPFA: Thanks to Pavel for stickin by me.. Great win
@JuanMata10: Fantasic! Well done Pavel and John for leading the team to this win
@JMcEchran46: What a win!!
Injury News
Chelsea's Frank Lampard will be out for up to 2 months after suffering a serious hip injury in training today. A club statement has said; "Chelsea's veteran midfielder and vice-captain, Frank Lampard, will today travel to Germany for specialist treatment on a serious hip injury. The club believe that it speaks for everyone when we wish Frank a speedy recovery in time to help Chelsea towards further glory this season and get into England's Euro 2012 squad."
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 3-0 Everton
(Dider Drogba x3)
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba continued his goalscoring run with a fantastic hat trick at Stamford Bridge on this one-sided Boxing Day clash. Chelsea seemed full of festive joy and got Chelsea off to a flying start after 21 minutes after his powerful header beat Tim Howard. Drogba got his second of the game after scrambling in a Ashley Cole cross. 5 minutes into the second half the Ivorian striker got his 15th league goal this season after a powerful strike after a perfect through ball from Raul Meireles, who played well coming into the squad after Lampard's injury. Drogba was substituted later on and received a standing ovation from the home fans as he was replaced by Romelu Lukaku.
Barclays Premier League
White Hart Lane
Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Chelsea
Sven Bender
Sandro
The 10-men of Tottenham brushed aside Chelsea on New Years Eve. Adebayor's goal in the first half was enough to settle the tie, which saw Spurs leapfrog Chelsea into 2nd place. Sven Bender played well for Chelsea all game and showed plenty of determination. However, one player's heroics weren't enough as Chelsea succumbed to a dent in their title aspirations. Chelsea may have been unlucky to not recieve a penalty as Juan Mata was tripped by Dawson, yet the referee played on without looking twice. Sandro saw red early in the second half for a very late tackle on Raul Meireles, which saw him leave the pitch injured.
Chelsea Player of the Month
Frank Lampard
Lampard scored 4 goals during the month, most importantly against Manchester City
Barclays Premier League Table
January Transfer Window
Paper Talk
- Chelsea's Kara Mbodj is close to securing work permit
- Chelsea will also sign Mexican youngster Carlos Fierro from Chivas
- Liverpool will sign Christopher Samba for £9.75m
- Norwich are interested in former Aston Villa player, Ulises De La Cruz
- West Brom are looking to sign Tranquillo Barnetta
- Croatian defender, Darjo Srna will join Man City for a fee of over £10m
- Nicolas Otamendi is close to joining Chelsea for £13m
- Sevilla are looking to sign Chelsea's Jose Bosingwa
- Tottenham and Chelsea are in a bidding war for Lyon's Aly Cissokho
- Carlos Tevez is in for a shock move back to Man Utd
Paper Talk
- Chelsea's Kara Mbodj is close to securing work permit
- Chelsea will also sign Mexican youngster Carlos Fierro from Chivas
- Liverpool will sign Christopher Samba for £9.75m
- Norwich are interested in former Aston Villa player, Ulises De La Cruz
- West Brom are looking to sign Tranquillo Barnetta
- Croatian defender, Darjo Srna will join Man City for a fee of over £10m
- Nicolas Otamendi is close to joining Chelsea for £13m
- Sevilla are looking to sign Chelsea's Jose Bosingwa
- Tottenham and Chelsea are in a bidding war for Lyon's Aly Cissokho
- Carlos Tevez is in for a shock move back to Man Utd
January 2012
Barclays Premier League
Liberty Stadium
Swansea 0-2 Chelsea
(Ezequiel Lavezzi, Didier Drogba)
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Pavel Glazkov's side made a huge improvement in the second half. A goalless first half left little to look at, but the introduction of Romelu Lukaku and Ramires in the second half became the catalyst for a Chelsea revival. Ramires, who came on for Raul Meireles at half time, fed a lovely weighted ball into the path of Ezequiel Lavezzi who squeezed the ball past Michel Vorm at the near post. Swansea could have equalized through Danny Graham, but Petr Cech was on hand to make a good save. Swansea's captain, Alan Tate, was caught in possession in his own area when he was tackled by Lukaku who showed great work rate and found Didier Drogba to secure the 3 points for Chelsea.
Transfer News
Chelsea have completed a double signing of Porto's Nicolas Otamendi and Inter Milan's Lorezno Crisetig. The Argentini, Otamendi, has 15 caps for Argentina and has made 29 appearances for Porto, scoring 7 goals in his time at the club. The centre back joins Chelsea for a fee off £13m. Lorenzo Crisetig leaves Inter Milan, aged 18, for £1.4m. The young Italian midfield has stated his ambition of playing in the worlds biggest league being the main factor for his departure. They join Mbaye Niang at the club who is Chelsea's other signing this winter.
FA Cup Third Round
The Moss Rose
Macclesfield 0-3 Chelsea
(Romelu Lukaku x2, Mbaye Niang)
Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku's brace and Mbaye Niang's debut goal saw Chelsea into the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Chelsea team, which had four debutants, went 1-0 up after 32 minutes, when Ezequiel Lavezzi's cross was met by the head of Romelu Lukaku. Josh McEachran was then dragged down in the area in first half stoppage time. The spot-kick was converted by Romelu Lukaku for his second of the game. Chelsea kept the ball well in the second half. Crisiteg played well in midfield and his ball through to Lukaku put him in a good position to give Mbaye Niang, 17 years old, his first Chelsea goal in his first game.
FA Cup Fourth Round Draw - Notable Ties
Chelsea v Yeovil
Arsenal v Newcastle
Man City/Tottenham v West Brom/Sunderland
Burnley v Wigan
Carling Cup Semi Final 1st Leg
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 2-0 Portsmouth
(Ezequiel Lavezzi, Ashley Cole)
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Portsmouth had little to offer at Stamford Bridge and will hope for a better result at home. Chelsea thought they were 1-0 up when Torres scored after 3 minutes, however the linesman flagged correctly for offside. It wasn't long before Chelsea got the break through when Lavezzi scored his second goal in three games from the right wing. Lorenzo Crisetig, who kept his place in the side, limped off before half time to be replaced by Sven Bender. It was later announced he will be out for 5 weeks with a sprained ankle. Mbaye Niang and Didier Drogba replaced Torres and Lukaku in the second half and Niang was hauled down for Chelsea to win a penalty on the 73rd minute. Surprisingly, Ashley Cole stepped up to take the kick but sent the keeper the wrong way to win the game for Chelsea.
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 4-0 Fulham
(Romelu Lukaku x2, Juan Mata x2)
Juan Mata
Romelu Lukaku started today due to Drogba's participation in the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast and put in a great shift as the promising youngster scored two great goals. Lukaku smashed Chelsea into the lead from a Fernando Torres pass after 37 minutes. Sime Vrsaljko's cross was then met by Lukaku's header after half time to double the lead. Juan Mata then turned up the heat on Fulham and scored an amazing brace to put Chelsea 4-0 up. Lukaku should have scored a hat-trick if it wasn't for Mark Schwarzer making an incredible save.
Barclays Premier League
Molineux
Wolves 2-3 Chelsea
(Raul Meireles, Romelu Lukaku, Daniel Sturridge)
Raul Meireles
Chelsea came from 2 goals behind to win at Wolves in a brilliant game that pitted the title challengers and relegation candidates. Wolves would have been 2-0 up before half time, but an outstanding long-range effort from Raul Meireles ensured Chelsea were only a goal behind Wolves at the break. Romelu Lukaku equalised on the 59th minute after a great cross from Juan Mata. Sturridge replaced Fernando Torres, who had a poor game, and scored to give Chelsea the win. Sturridge's first goal of the season was enough as Chelsea hung on to win 3-2.
Transfer News
Chelsea have signed French left-back, Lucas Digne from Lille for £1.7m. He is expected to be in the squad for Chelsea's next two games against Portsmouth and Yeovil. Lucas Piazon has also joined Chelsea. A deal already confirmed by the squad last season, before Pavel Glazkov was hired as manager. It'll be interesting to see if the Brazilian will fit into Glazkov's plans.
Carling Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg
Fratton Park
Portsmouth 1-2 Chelsea (1-4)
(Tal Ben Haim OG, Juan Mata)
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Chelsea reached the League Cup final with ease as they beat Portsmouth with ease. Chelsea knew the job was to see out the game and a defensive-looking side seemed comfortable throughout the game. Tal Ben Haim's own goal put Chelsea ahead as he scuffed a clearance after Lavezzi's cross. Portsmouth levelled the scores through David Norris after 89 minutes. But Portsmouth's eagerness to get another didn't pay off as Juan Mata ran from his own half to score a good solo effort. Chelsea will play either West Ham or Aston Villa in the final. Villa won the first leg 2-0.
Carling Cup Final
Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Aston Villa matched Chelsea's results perfectly 2-0 and 2-1 against West Ham. Villa will look to keep the trophy in Birmingham after their fierce rivals, Birmingham City won it last season. Chelsea have won the trophy three times since Villa last won it in 1996.
FA Cup Fourth Round
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 6-0 Yeovil
(Daniel Sturridge x2, Mbaye Niang x3, Josh McEachran)
Daniel Sturridge
Chelsea swept aside Yeovil to progress in the FA Cup. Sturridge got Chelsea off to a good start, latching on to Gael Kakuta's pass to score. Mbaye Niang swiftly followed to make it 2-0, however the French teenager missed a penalty. Minutes later Niang got his second goal and Chelsea got another penalty before half time, which Niang scored this time to complete a first half hat trick. Sturridge got his second of the game in the second half and minutes before the end of time McEachran scored a beautiful volley after Ibrahim Affelay teed him up.
FA Cup Fifth Round Draw
Chelsea v Man City
Chelsea will have to defeat the holders, Man City, if they are to progress any further in this seasons FA Cup. Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd are all still in the competition.
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 4-1 Manchester United
(Romelu Lukaku x2, Fernando Torres, Ramires)
Juan Mata
There are no words that can describe the joy on the faces of Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge today. Manchester United, who are top of the table, were given a thrashing as Chelsea went in 3-0 at half time. Romelu Lukaku continued his fantastic form when he headed in Juan Mata's cross. Lukaku then got his second in the same manner, Mata's cross and his header. Juan Mata destroyed Man United down the left wing and was involved again when he cut the ball back to Fernando Torres, who got his first goal since his 5 against QPR. Chelsea pressed United more after the break and Ramires scored a long range effort to put Chelsea 4-0 up. Wayne Rooney scored a late consolation goal, but the Blues were brilliant and Pavel Glazkov's team look well within a title shout this season.
Pavel Glazkov wasn't afraid to show his delight after Chelsea's big win today. "I'm proud of the lads who played today. Everyone put in a brilliant shift and I am happy for the fans who came today. We can still win this league. We have won all our home games this season, I think 10 out of 10. The team put United on the back heel straight away and Romelu and Juan's partnership today was like they have known each other all their life."
Chelsea fans outside of Stamford Bridge after the game were delighted with the victory. One Chelsea fan said, "Glazkov is a brilliant manager, he beat Sir Alex with his tactics today and his team selection. Everything was spot on, come on Chelsea!
Chelsea Player of the Month
Romelu Lukaku
7 goals throughout the month. He has come in for Didier Drogba and been prolific upfront. His brace against Man Utd will go down in club history.
Barclays Premier League Table
The league table is now looking as it was predicted. Chelsea's game in hand against Stoke could put them 1 point behind Manchester United. Wolves, QPR and Blackburn are in danger of going down.
And Finally...
The transfer window shut without any Deadline Day madness at any Premier League club. Man City signed Darijo Srna and Spurs signed Aly Cissokho during the month. Whilst Stoke City signed David Beckham after he left LA Galaxy.
Pavel Glazkov was named Barclays Manager of the Month, whilst Romelu Lukaku won Barclays Young Player of the Month. The 36 year old Russian manager masterminded Chelsea to wins against Swansea, Fulham and Wolves before beating Manchester United 4-1. Romelu Lukaku scored a single goal againt Fulham and netted braces againt Wolves and Manchester United.
Barclays Premier League
Liberty Stadium
Swansea 0-2 Chelsea
(Ezequiel Lavezzi, Didier Drogba)
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Pavel Glazkov's side made a huge improvement in the second half. A goalless first half left little to look at, but the introduction of Romelu Lukaku and Ramires in the second half became the catalyst for a Chelsea revival. Ramires, who came on for Raul Meireles at half time, fed a lovely weighted ball into the path of Ezequiel Lavezzi who squeezed the ball past Michel Vorm at the near post. Swansea could have equalized through Danny Graham, but Petr Cech was on hand to make a good save. Swansea's captain, Alan Tate, was caught in possession in his own area when he was tackled by Lukaku who showed great work rate and found Didier Drogba to secure the 3 points for Chelsea.
Transfer News
Chelsea have completed a double signing of Porto's Nicolas Otamendi and Inter Milan's Lorezno Crisetig. The Argentini, Otamendi, has 15 caps for Argentina and has made 29 appearances for Porto, scoring 7 goals in his time at the club. The centre back joins Chelsea for a fee off £13m. Lorenzo Crisetig leaves Inter Milan, aged 18, for £1.4m. The young Italian midfield has stated his ambition of playing in the worlds biggest league being the main factor for his departure. They join Mbaye Niang at the club who is Chelsea's other signing this winter.
FA Cup Third Round
The Moss Rose
Macclesfield 0-3 Chelsea
(Romelu Lukaku x2, Mbaye Niang)
Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku's brace and Mbaye Niang's debut goal saw Chelsea into the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Chelsea team, which had four debutants, went 1-0 up after 32 minutes, when Ezequiel Lavezzi's cross was met by the head of Romelu Lukaku. Josh McEachran was then dragged down in the area in first half stoppage time. The spot-kick was converted by Romelu Lukaku for his second of the game. Chelsea kept the ball well in the second half. Crisiteg played well in midfield and his ball through to Lukaku put him in a good position to give Mbaye Niang, 17 years old, his first Chelsea goal in his first game.
FA Cup Fourth Round Draw - Notable Ties
Chelsea v Yeovil
Arsenal v Newcastle
Man City/Tottenham v West Brom/Sunderland
Burnley v Wigan
Carling Cup Semi Final 1st Leg
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 2-0 Portsmouth
(Ezequiel Lavezzi, Ashley Cole)
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Portsmouth had little to offer at Stamford Bridge and will hope for a better result at home. Chelsea thought they were 1-0 up when Torres scored after 3 minutes, however the linesman flagged correctly for offside. It wasn't long before Chelsea got the break through when Lavezzi scored his second goal in three games from the right wing. Lorenzo Crisetig, who kept his place in the side, limped off before half time to be replaced by Sven Bender. It was later announced he will be out for 5 weeks with a sprained ankle. Mbaye Niang and Didier Drogba replaced Torres and Lukaku in the second half and Niang was hauled down for Chelsea to win a penalty on the 73rd minute. Surprisingly, Ashley Cole stepped up to take the kick but sent the keeper the wrong way to win the game for Chelsea.
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 4-0 Fulham
(Romelu Lukaku x2, Juan Mata x2)
Juan Mata
Romelu Lukaku started today due to Drogba's participation in the African Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast and put in a great shift as the promising youngster scored two great goals. Lukaku smashed Chelsea into the lead from a Fernando Torres pass after 37 minutes. Sime Vrsaljko's cross was then met by Lukaku's header after half time to double the lead. Juan Mata then turned up the heat on Fulham and scored an amazing brace to put Chelsea 4-0 up. Lukaku should have scored a hat-trick if it wasn't for Mark Schwarzer making an incredible save.
Barclays Premier League
Molineux
Wolves 2-3 Chelsea
(Raul Meireles, Romelu Lukaku, Daniel Sturridge)
Raul Meireles
Chelsea came from 2 goals behind to win at Wolves in a brilliant game that pitted the title challengers and relegation candidates. Wolves would have been 2-0 up before half time, but an outstanding long-range effort from Raul Meireles ensured Chelsea were only a goal behind Wolves at the break. Romelu Lukaku equalised on the 59th minute after a great cross from Juan Mata. Sturridge replaced Fernando Torres, who had a poor game, and scored to give Chelsea the win. Sturridge's first goal of the season was enough as Chelsea hung on to win 3-2.
Transfer News
Chelsea have signed French left-back, Lucas Digne from Lille for £1.7m. He is expected to be in the squad for Chelsea's next two games against Portsmouth and Yeovil. Lucas Piazon has also joined Chelsea. A deal already confirmed by the squad last season, before Pavel Glazkov was hired as manager. It'll be interesting to see if the Brazilian will fit into Glazkov's plans.
Carling Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg
Fratton Park
Portsmouth 1-2 Chelsea (1-4)
(Tal Ben Haim OG, Juan Mata)
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Chelsea reached the League Cup final with ease as they beat Portsmouth with ease. Chelsea knew the job was to see out the game and a defensive-looking side seemed comfortable throughout the game. Tal Ben Haim's own goal put Chelsea ahead as he scuffed a clearance after Lavezzi's cross. Portsmouth levelled the scores through David Norris after 89 minutes. But Portsmouth's eagerness to get another didn't pay off as Juan Mata ran from his own half to score a good solo effort. Chelsea will play either West Ham or Aston Villa in the final. Villa won the first leg 2-0.
Carling Cup Final
Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Aston Villa matched Chelsea's results perfectly 2-0 and 2-1 against West Ham. Villa will look to keep the trophy in Birmingham after their fierce rivals, Birmingham City won it last season. Chelsea have won the trophy three times since Villa last won it in 1996.
FA Cup Fourth Round
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 6-0 Yeovil
(Daniel Sturridge x2, Mbaye Niang x3, Josh McEachran)
Daniel Sturridge
Chelsea swept aside Yeovil to progress in the FA Cup. Sturridge got Chelsea off to a good start, latching on to Gael Kakuta's pass to score. Mbaye Niang swiftly followed to make it 2-0, however the French teenager missed a penalty. Minutes later Niang got his second goal and Chelsea got another penalty before half time, which Niang scored this time to complete a first half hat trick. Sturridge got his second of the game in the second half and minutes before the end of time McEachran scored a beautiful volley after Ibrahim Affelay teed him up.
FA Cup Fifth Round Draw
Chelsea v Man City
Chelsea will have to defeat the holders, Man City, if they are to progress any further in this seasons FA Cup. Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd are all still in the competition.
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 4-1 Manchester United
(Romelu Lukaku x2, Fernando Torres, Ramires)
Juan Mata
There are no words that can describe the joy on the faces of Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge today. Manchester United, who are top of the table, were given a thrashing as Chelsea went in 3-0 at half time. Romelu Lukaku continued his fantastic form when he headed in Juan Mata's cross. Lukaku then got his second in the same manner, Mata's cross and his header. Juan Mata destroyed Man United down the left wing and was involved again when he cut the ball back to Fernando Torres, who got his first goal since his 5 against QPR. Chelsea pressed United more after the break and Ramires scored a long range effort to put Chelsea 4-0 up. Wayne Rooney scored a late consolation goal, but the Blues were brilliant and Pavel Glazkov's team look well within a title shout this season.
Pavel Glazkov wasn't afraid to show his delight after Chelsea's big win today. "I'm proud of the lads who played today. Everyone put in a brilliant shift and I am happy for the fans who came today. We can still win this league. We have won all our home games this season, I think 10 out of 10. The team put United on the back heel straight away and Romelu and Juan's partnership today was like they have known each other all their life."
Chelsea fans outside of Stamford Bridge after the game were delighted with the victory. One Chelsea fan said, "Glazkov is a brilliant manager, he beat Sir Alex with his tactics today and his team selection. Everything was spot on, come on Chelsea!
Chelsea Player of the Month
Romelu Lukaku
7 goals throughout the month. He has come in for Didier Drogba and been prolific upfront. His brace against Man Utd will go down in club history.
Barclays Premier League Table
The league table is now looking as it was predicted. Chelsea's game in hand against Stoke could put them 1 point behind Manchester United. Wolves, QPR and Blackburn are in danger of going down.
And Finally...
The transfer window shut without any Deadline Day madness at any Premier League club. Man City signed Darijo Srna and Spurs signed Aly Cissokho during the month. Whilst Stoke City signed David Beckham after he left LA Galaxy.
Pavel Glazkov was named Barclays Manager of the Month, whilst Romelu Lukaku won Barclays Young Player of the Month. The 36 year old Russian manager masterminded Chelsea to wins against Swansea, Fulham and Wolves before beating Manchester United 4-1. Romelu Lukaku scored a single goal againt Fulham and netted braces againt Wolves and Manchester United.
Yeah I'm really impressed. Normally I play Drogba as AF and Torres as poacher, with Sturridge and Lukaku alternating games as subs. But cause Drogba is at African Cup of Nations I've bought Lukaku in as AF and he's banging them in haha. Mbaye Niang looks good already too 4 goals in his first 2 games haha.
wonderkid360
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Really good story
Glazkov Spurs on Blues
Chelsea manager, Pavel Glazkov, has called his Chelsea players to strive to be the best they can for the remainder of the season. The Russian manager has labelled this February as, "the month that will change our season." Chelsea face Bolton, Stoke and Wigan in the Premier League, an away trip to the San Siro to play AC Milan in the Champions League, a home tie against Man City in the FA Cup and finish the month playing Aston Villa in the League Cup final at Wembley. Chelsea will play 2 games every week of the month and Glazkov has shown his determination to finish the month on a high.
"February is going to be a difficult month. We have a lot of games to play in a very short space of time. We play AC Milan and Manchester City in the same week and these are massive games for us. I have full faith in my team, they are a brilliant group of men. I am fully confident in John's ability to lead the side to a trophy by the end of the month and still be within a chance of a quadruple. Don't put it past it because this is what we deserve."
Chelsea are currently sitting 3rd in the Barclays Premier League with a game in hand. Winning the game in hand can put them 1 point behind leaders Manchester United.
Chelsea manager, Pavel Glazkov, has called his Chelsea players to strive to be the best they can for the remainder of the season. The Russian manager has labelled this February as, "the month that will change our season." Chelsea face Bolton, Stoke and Wigan in the Premier League, an away trip to the San Siro to play AC Milan in the Champions League, a home tie against Man City in the FA Cup and finish the month playing Aston Villa in the League Cup final at Wembley. Chelsea will play 2 games every week of the month and Glazkov has shown his determination to finish the month on a high.
"February is going to be a difficult month. We have a lot of games to play in a very short space of time. We play AC Milan and Manchester City in the same week and these are massive games for us. I have full faith in my team, they are a brilliant group of men. I am fully confident in John's ability to lead the side to a trophy by the end of the month and still be within a chance of a quadruple. Don't put it past it because this is what we deserve."
Chelsea are currently sitting 3rd in the Barclays Premier League with a game in hand. Winning the game in hand can put them 1 point behind leaders Manchester United.
February 2012
Barclays Premier League
Reebok Stadium
Bolton 0-3 Chelsea
(Daniel Sturridge x2, Romelu Lukaku)
Daniel Sturridge
Raul Meireles
A masterful first half from Chelsea got a new month off to a good start. Daniel Sturridge got on the end of a Lavezzi's pass to put the Blues 1-0 up after 37 seconds. John Terry came off injured after 6 minutes following a collision with Chris Eagles. It was later confirmed Terry only suffered bruising to his leg. The loss of the captain did little to know Chelsea off their stride as Sturridge doubled his, and Chelsea's, lead after 15 minutes from Romelu Lukaku's shot/cross. It was Lukaku who then got Chelsea's third goal and put them 3-0 up before half time. After the break a moment of madness from Raul Meireles saw him sent off after hacking down Nigel Reo-Coker with an ugly, two-footed, challenge. Chelsea saw the game out with 10 men as Bolton had little to offer throughout the match.
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 5-0 Stoke City
(Romelu Lukaku x2, Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, Mbaye Niang)
Juan Mata
Chelsea moved up to second place in the Barclays Premier League, only 1 point behind Manchester United, with a comprehensive win against Stoke City. Ashley Cole captained the side, without John Terry through injury, and straight away Lukaku continued his amazing form with a tap in following Ezequiel Lavezzi's silky footwork and cross. Juan Mata fed a ball into Fernando Torres, who rounded Thomas Sorensen and scored to put the Blues 2-0 up. Juan Mata then got a goal of his own as he connected with a low cross from Ezequiel Lavezzi. The strike force of Mata, Lukaku, Torres and Lavezzi continued to devastate the Stoke defence in the second half. Romelu Lukaku bagged his second goal after Mata's cross. Mbaye Niang replaced Fernando Torres to make his league debut for the club and with 3 minutes left, Juan Mata played the young striker through on goal and score with an incisive finish.
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 2-0 Wigan
(Romelu Lukaku, Daniel Sturridge)
Daniel Sturridge
Chelsea struggled to overcome a Wigan side who played well despite the result. Two goals at the end of each half were enough to see Chelsea go top of the table as both Manchester sides drew in the earlier kick offs. The only down side to this result is left-back, Ashley Cole, suffered broken ribs in a challenge with Mohamed Diame and the left back will miss up to 4 weeks of action. Wigan pushed Chelsea throughout the game and the Blues' defence stood solid before Lukaku headed them into the lead. After half time it could have been 2-0 as David Luiz's header was disallowed as he was judged to foul a Wigan player. Daniel Sturridge came on late to replace Lukaku and secured the win for Glazkov's men as they went top of the table.
European Champions League First Knock Out Round
San Siro
AC Milan 3-0 Chelsea
Pato
Ramires
In a post-match press conference, Pavel Glazkov singled out Ramires as "letting the team down", after his early red card. AC Milan took the lead after a long range shot from Mathieu Flamini. Shortly after Ramires took down Zlatan Ibrahimovich with an ugly challenge and he was correctly shown a straight red card. The Russian manager looked less than pleased as Ramires walked off the pitch and down the tunnel. Ramires is the 6th Chelsea player to be shown a red card throughout the season. The rain continued to pour in Milan and Robinho got the Italian club 2-0 up before half time. The introduction of Didier Drogba, who returns after being at the African Cup of Nations, seemed to show a little more resilience in the Chelsea side. However, as Chelsea pushed for an away goal, Milan caught the 10-men on the break as Pato made it 3-0 to the Italian side.
FA Cup 5th Round
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City
(Carlos Kameni OG)
Nicolas Otamendi
A war of words between managers, Pavel Glazkov and Roberto Mancini, hyped this game up as one of the biggest FA Cup matches in decades. Mancini slated Chelsea's playing style, resulting in Glazkov stating his disbelief of what Mancini said and responding by questioning his suitability as the manager of Man City. The match began slowly as the two managers urged their team on. Eventually, it was City who were the masters of their own downfall. Ezequiel Lavezzi's corner was sliced away by Pablo Zabaleta, however his connection with the ball was poor and hit off Nigel de Jong, whose jerky clearance hit straight at Carlos Kameni and rolled into the net. The rest of the game saw a long, drawn-out, midfield battle. Carlos Tevez came close for Man City, but the defence of Chelsea remained solid, Otamendi and Lucas Digne both played well to help Chelsea into the quarter finals of the FA Cup, knocking out the holders.
FA Cup Quarter Final Draw
Chelsea will travel to either Wigan or Fulham in the FA Cup. Manchester United are the only other top side in the competition and will face either Everton or Newcastle. Leicester beat Liverpool 3-2 and are rewarded with a home tie with Bolton Wanderers.
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 4-0 Sunderland
(Romelu Lukaku x3, Didier Drogba)
Romelu Lukaku
Lee Cattermole
Another big win for the Blues as they moved 4 points clear at the top of the table. Chelsea piled the pressure on throughout the first half, but it took 42 minutes before they broke through the Sunderland resistance. Romelu Lukaku scored with a powerful shot and minutes later he got his second after an error from Sunderland keeper, Kieren Westwood. Three minutes after the break, Raul Meireles was unfairly tackled and Didier Drogba smashed in the free kick. Juan Mata was knocked over by John O'Shea in the area. Romelu Lukaku, who was on his hat-trick, stepped up and scored his 13th league goal of the season. Lee Cattermole then lost his temper late on and was shown a straight red card by Stuart Attwell.
After the game, the Sunderland board decided to sack Steve Bruce. They find themselves 16th in the table, only 4 points above the relegation zone. Alex McLeigh and Glen Roeder are the favourites to take the job.
Carling Cup Final
Wembley
Ezequiel Lavezzi ran the show at Wembley and helped Chelsea collect their first piece of silverware under Pavel Glazkov's reign. It took a goal-crazy first half and a penalty shoot out to decide the eventual winners. Petr Cech saved three Aston Villa penalties to win his side the Carling Cup, before Frank Lampard, making his return from injury, scored the winning penalty.
Chelsea Player of the Month
Romelu Lukaku - Again
7 league goals in only 4 games. The Belgian teenager picks up the award again.
Barclays Premier League Table
4 wins in 4 games over the month, and the two Manchester clubs dropping points, puts Chelsea top of the table at the end of February. QPR and Blackburn look destined to play in the Championship next season. The whole of the bottom half could also be dragged into the scrap. West Brom, Liverpool and Arsenal are battling it out for a European place as the top 4 seem certain to be in the Champions League next year.
Chelsea Steal Monthly Awards
Chelsea's successful month was held in high regard by the league's sponsors as all three awards went to Chelsea personnel. Pavel Glazkov won the Barclays Manager of the Month award for the second consecutive month. Romelu Lukaku's amazing form saw him win Barclays Player of the Month and finally, 20 year old Sime Vrsaljko won Barclays Young Player of the Month.
Barclays Premier League
Reebok Stadium
Bolton 0-3 Chelsea
(Daniel Sturridge x2, Romelu Lukaku)
Daniel Sturridge
Raul Meireles
A masterful first half from Chelsea got a new month off to a good start. Daniel Sturridge got on the end of a Lavezzi's pass to put the Blues 1-0 up after 37 seconds. John Terry came off injured after 6 minutes following a collision with Chris Eagles. It was later confirmed Terry only suffered bruising to his leg. The loss of the captain did little to know Chelsea off their stride as Sturridge doubled his, and Chelsea's, lead after 15 minutes from Romelu Lukaku's shot/cross. It was Lukaku who then got Chelsea's third goal and put them 3-0 up before half time. After the break a moment of madness from Raul Meireles saw him sent off after hacking down Nigel Reo-Coker with an ugly, two-footed, challenge. Chelsea saw the game out with 10 men as Bolton had little to offer throughout the match.
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 5-0 Stoke City
(Romelu Lukaku x2, Fernando Torres, Juan Mata, Mbaye Niang)
Juan Mata
Chelsea moved up to second place in the Barclays Premier League, only 1 point behind Manchester United, with a comprehensive win against Stoke City. Ashley Cole captained the side, without John Terry through injury, and straight away Lukaku continued his amazing form with a tap in following Ezequiel Lavezzi's silky footwork and cross. Juan Mata fed a ball into Fernando Torres, who rounded Thomas Sorensen and scored to put the Blues 2-0 up. Juan Mata then got a goal of his own as he connected with a low cross from Ezequiel Lavezzi. The strike force of Mata, Lukaku, Torres and Lavezzi continued to devastate the Stoke defence in the second half. Romelu Lukaku bagged his second goal after Mata's cross. Mbaye Niang replaced Fernando Torres to make his league debut for the club and with 3 minutes left, Juan Mata played the young striker through on goal and score with an incisive finish.
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 2-0 Wigan
(Romelu Lukaku, Daniel Sturridge)
Daniel Sturridge
Chelsea struggled to overcome a Wigan side who played well despite the result. Two goals at the end of each half were enough to see Chelsea go top of the table as both Manchester sides drew in the earlier kick offs. The only down side to this result is left-back, Ashley Cole, suffered broken ribs in a challenge with Mohamed Diame and the left back will miss up to 4 weeks of action. Wigan pushed Chelsea throughout the game and the Blues' defence stood solid before Lukaku headed them into the lead. After half time it could have been 2-0 as David Luiz's header was disallowed as he was judged to foul a Wigan player. Daniel Sturridge came on late to replace Lukaku and secured the win for Glazkov's men as they went top of the table.
European Champions League First Knock Out Round
San Siro
AC Milan 3-0 Chelsea
Pato
Ramires
In a post-match press conference, Pavel Glazkov singled out Ramires as "letting the team down", after his early red card. AC Milan took the lead after a long range shot from Mathieu Flamini. Shortly after Ramires took down Zlatan Ibrahimovich with an ugly challenge and he was correctly shown a straight red card. The Russian manager looked less than pleased as Ramires walked off the pitch and down the tunnel. Ramires is the 6th Chelsea player to be shown a red card throughout the season. The rain continued to pour in Milan and Robinho got the Italian club 2-0 up before half time. The introduction of Didier Drogba, who returns after being at the African Cup of Nations, seemed to show a little more resilience in the Chelsea side. However, as Chelsea pushed for an away goal, Milan caught the 10-men on the break as Pato made it 3-0 to the Italian side.
FA Cup 5th Round
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City
(Carlos Kameni OG)
Nicolas Otamendi
A war of words between managers, Pavel Glazkov and Roberto Mancini, hyped this game up as one of the biggest FA Cup matches in decades. Mancini slated Chelsea's playing style, resulting in Glazkov stating his disbelief of what Mancini said and responding by questioning his suitability as the manager of Man City. The match began slowly as the two managers urged their team on. Eventually, it was City who were the masters of their own downfall. Ezequiel Lavezzi's corner was sliced away by Pablo Zabaleta, however his connection with the ball was poor and hit off Nigel de Jong, whose jerky clearance hit straight at Carlos Kameni and rolled into the net. The rest of the game saw a long, drawn-out, midfield battle. Carlos Tevez came close for Man City, but the defence of Chelsea remained solid, Otamendi and Lucas Digne both played well to help Chelsea into the quarter finals of the FA Cup, knocking out the holders.
FA Cup Quarter Final Draw
Chelsea will travel to either Wigan or Fulham in the FA Cup. Manchester United are the only other top side in the competition and will face either Everton or Newcastle. Leicester beat Liverpool 3-2 and are rewarded with a home tie with Bolton Wanderers.
Barclays Premier League
Stamford Bridge
Chelsea 4-0 Sunderland
(Romelu Lukaku x3, Didier Drogba)
Romelu Lukaku
Lee Cattermole
Another big win for the Blues as they moved 4 points clear at the top of the table. Chelsea piled the pressure on throughout the first half, but it took 42 minutes before they broke through the Sunderland resistance. Romelu Lukaku scored with a powerful shot and minutes later he got his second after an error from Sunderland keeper, Kieren Westwood. Three minutes after the break, Raul Meireles was unfairly tackled and Didier Drogba smashed in the free kick. Juan Mata was knocked over by John O'Shea in the area. Romelu Lukaku, who was on his hat-trick, stepped up and scored his 13th league goal of the season. Lee Cattermole then lost his temper late on and was shown a straight red card by Stuart Attwell.
After the game, the Sunderland board decided to sack Steve Bruce. They find themselves 16th in the table, only 4 points above the relegation zone. Alex McLeigh and Glen Roeder are the favourites to take the job.
Carling Cup Final
Wembley
Ezequiel Lavezzi ran the show at Wembley and helped Chelsea collect their first piece of silverware under Pavel Glazkov's reign. It took a goal-crazy first half and a penalty shoot out to decide the eventual winners. Petr Cech saved three Aston Villa penalties to win his side the Carling Cup, before Frank Lampard, making his return from injury, scored the winning penalty.
Chelsea Player of the Month
Romelu Lukaku - Again
7 league goals in only 4 games. The Belgian teenager picks up the award again.
Barclays Premier League Table
4 wins in 4 games over the month, and the two Manchester clubs dropping points, puts Chelsea top of the table at the end of February. QPR and Blackburn look destined to play in the Championship next season. The whole of the bottom half could also be dragged into the scrap. West Brom, Liverpool and Arsenal are battling it out for a European place as the top 4 seem certain to be in the Champions League next year.
Chelsea Steal Monthly Awards
Chelsea's successful month was held in high regard by the league's sponsors as all three awards went to Chelsea personnel. Pavel Glazkov won the Barclays Manager of the Month award for the second consecutive month. Romelu Lukaku's amazing form saw him win Barclays Player of the Month and finally, 20 year old Sime Vrsaljko won Barclays Young Player of the Month.