MATCH REPORT: CHELSEA 4 SWANSEA CITY 2 KANA MUCHINDITI NDINE OBSESSION NE CHELSEA, HAAAAAA LET IT BE CZ NDOIDA ENDE INODADISA HAHAHAHA STRESS FREE ZONE!!! SUMMARY A Diego Costa hat-trick&a debut goal for Loic Remy saw the Blues come from behind to maintain our 100% start to the season. It looked as though we were going to be in for a difficult afternoon when John Terry put through his own net after 10mins to give Swansea the lead. However,after gradually forcing our way back into the game,we were level on the stroke of half-time when Diego Costa headed home,&when the striker added 2 more after the break we were in control of the game. Remy,who had replaced Diego Costa,then added a 4th with a well-taken strike from an Oscar pass,before Jonjo Shelvey reduced the deficit late on. We remain top of the Premier League table ahead of next weekend’s visit to champions Man City,but immediate attention now turns to the Champions League,&Wednesday’s opener vs Schalke. TEAM NEWS Jose Mourinho made 2 changes to the side which won a 9-goal thriller at Goodison Park in our previous Premier League outing,with Andre Schurrle&Oscar coming in for Willian&Ramires. Elsewhere,the back 4 remained unchanged,while Nemanja Matic&Cesc Fabregas retained their places in midfield. Eden Hazard,who missed a Belgium friendly last week,started wide on the left-hand side,with Diego Costa passed fit to start as the lone striker. Loic Remy,our most recent acquisition,started on the substitutes’ bench. FIRST HALF Ahead of kick-off,there was an impeccably observed minute’s appreciation for our Life President Lord Attenborough,who passed away on 24 August. The applause produced by everybody inside the stadium was a fitting tribute to a true Chelsea supporter,&as was the case at Everton,both sets of players wore black armbands as a mark of respect. The Blues were on the front foot inside the opening couple of minutes,with Eden Hazard spraying a delightful ball into the path of Branislav Ivanovic. His low cross was intended for Schurrle,but Swansea were able to get it away to safety. At the other end,a Wayne Routledge volley fizzed inches over the top of Thibaut Courtois’s bar after John Terry had headed away a Nathan Dyer delivery. With both teams going into the match having won their opening 3games,there was no shortage of confidence&belief on display,with players all over the pitch happy to get on the ball&look to influence proceedings. 10mins into the game it was Swansea who took the lead with a goal that was cruel in its execution. Ki Sung-Yueng slipped it in behind the Blues defence into the path of the overlapping left-back Neil Taylor,whose teasing delivery across the face of goal made it difficult to deal with. Terry,retreating for the Blues,attempted to hook his right foot around the ball&clear,but the skipper was unable to get enough on it&watched on helplessly as it flew past Courtois&into the empty net. Having taken the lead it was the visitors looking the far more dangerous of the 2 sides,with the Blues struggling to get a grip on the midfield area. 8mins after the 1st goal Swansea almost extended their advantage when Routledge bent a strike beyond Courtois from the corner of the penalty area,but thankfully it dropped inches past the post. Hazard looked the player most likely to create an opening,&it was from 1 of his trademark runs we were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box,the Belgian scythed down by Jordi Amat,who was shown the 1st yellow card of the afternoon. Fabregas&Oscar stood over the ball,but the Spaniard’s effort was straight at the wall,allowing Swansea to clear. As the half-hour mark approached we were beginning to see more of the ball;another driving Hazard run culminated in another yellow card,this time for Jonjo Shelvey,&from the resulting free-kick Schurrle forced Lukasz Fabianski into a smart stop. Oscar headed over from an Ivanovic cross after the slightest of touches from Ashley Williams had made it difficult for the Brazilian,who then saw a low drive saved by Fabianski. The pressure was beginning to increase on the Swansea goal&Hazard was next to go close,dragging a strike narrowly wide after exchanging passes with Fabregas. A minute before the break we were back on level terms,finally profiting from 1 of a number of corners in quick succession. Fabregas swung in the delivery&Diego Costa,under pressure inside the box,managed to get enough on it&steer his header beyond Fabianski. It was the 25yrs-old’s 5th goal for the Blues,ensuring he becomes only the 2nd player in our history,along with John (Jack) Meredith,to score in his 1st 4games for the club. SECOND HALF Mourinho made 1 change at the break,with Ramires replacing Schurrle. The introduction of the athletic midfielder saw the Blues change shape,as the Brazilian slotted in alongside Matic&Fabregas in a 4-3-3 formation. Diego Costa saw a goal-bound effort deflected over the bar as we looked to gain the early ascendancy,before Hazard saw a low drive saved by Fabianski. 10mins into the 2nd half,however,we were in front courtesy of a goal of the highest quality. Fabregas&Hazard,whose ever-improving on-field relationship provides plenty of cause for optimism,exchanged passes inside the Swansea penalty area. The Spaniard drove to the by-line,&looking up,rolled it into the path of Diego Costa who expertly guided the ball into the roof of the net with a deft left-footed strike. As the players celebrated,both Hazard&Fabregas,along with the goalscorer,received the plaudits for the part they had played,&rightly so. If the game had been turned on its head courtesy of Diego Costa’s brace,there remained plenty of work to do. Swansea continued to threaten in the attacking 3rd,&Bafetimbi Gomis should have equalised after being put clean through by Taylor. Courtois stood tall,&just about did enough as the striker clipped his effort wide of the far post. The Blues had been looking far more threatening after the break,however,&it was 3-1 in the 66th minute,with Diego Costa completing his hat-trick to put us in control of the contest. There appeared little on when the ball was worked to Ramires on the edge of the box; his shot lacked power&didn’t appear to be threatening,but with the Swansea defence caught napping,Diego Costa pounced on the loose ball&fired past Fabianski,sparking jubilant scenes inside Stamford Bridge. 5mins after scoring his 3rd,the Spanish intnl was withdrawn,with Remy coming on for his Chelsea debut&the departing striker unsurprisingly receiving a magnificent ovation from the home supporters. Remy’s 1st touch was nearly 1 to savour,as the Frenchman took a Hazard pass in his strike&sent a dipping left-footed strike inches over the bar. The 3rd goal appeared to have deflated the Garry Monk’s side,who were beginning to tire physically&mentally. It was no surprise when the 4th goal came,&it was Remy adding his name to the scoresheet. A wonderful solo run by Hazard took 2 Swansea defenders out of the picture as he careered into the penalty area; the Belgian then rolled it back into the path of Oscar who in turn found Remy. The substitute took it 1st time&dispatched his strike with aplomb,giving Fabianski no chance as the ball whistled into the bottom corner. Swansea pulled 1 back 5mins from time when Bony released Shelvey,who rolled his strike beyond the advancing Courtois to reduce the deficit. Remy went close again in added time &we were able to navigate the final few minutes with minimal fuss to make it 12points from 12. Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas (Salah 81); Schurrle (Ramires h/t), Oscar, Hazard; Diego Costa (Remy 71). Unused subs: Cech, Filipe Luis, Zouma, Willian. Scorers Costa 44, 55 and 66, Remy 80 Swansea (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Rangel, Amat (Fernandez h/t), Williams, Taylor; Shelvey, Ki; Dyer, Sigurdsson, Routledge (Montero 66); Gomis (Bony 75). Unused subs: Tremmel, Emnes, Tiendalli, Carroll, Bony. Scorers Terry (own goal) 10, Shelvey 85 Booked Amat 25, Shelvey 31, Taylor 51 Crowd 41,400 Referee Kevin Friend
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 18:33:53 +0000
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