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Commentary

Chelsea Take all the Points

March 1, 2011 — by Sean

Luiz was lucky to have not picked up a second yellow

You’d have never known Chelsea were having a rough run of form with the way they turned around what looked to be a losing outing today. Statistics suggest they were producing more chances and even controlling the game, but the reality was that they were lucky to get out of the first half only a goal down.

United looked bright up top, and Chicarito, preferred to Berbatov at the start, was linking well with Rooney and Nani up the left (Fletcher on the right saw almost none of the ball in the opening period). On fifteen minutes United created a wonderful chance. The little Mexican pea turned well with the ball before sliding through Chelsea’s center and feeding an overlapping Evra, only for the Frenchman to play a ball just slightly in front of an onrushing Rooney unmarked inside the six.

Manchester continued to work up their left, while Chelsea were hampered in attack by their narrow formation. Ramires was working well enough on the right, but was locked in battle with Nani and Evra, and only when Anelka would move into the corner ahead of him did Chelsea find a way to get the ball into a crossing position. Malouda was constantly drifting inside and receiving the ball where Lampard might have been better placed. Though he had plenty of space to his left, and surely has a step on O’Shea sat in United’s right back, the French Guinean continuously tried to force the ball through the center of the defense.

Ferguson’s charges were first to strike, a revitalized Rooney working in tight space with Nani again from the left. David Luiz, the big Brazilian centerback who looks to be Chelsea’s best signing in some time, had been managing Rooney very well up to that point, but on the goal he was separated from his mark when Nani went past Ibramovic, forcing the Brazilian to readjust. Ibramovic, who had been holding his own against Nani, simply didn’t step quickly enough to his new assignment, leaving Rooney time to line up his shot and blast home from just outside the box. 1-0 to United and Chelsea didn’t look like they had a way back.

A couple of rouges

As is often the case for a team with a lack of scoring motion, a set piece created Chelsea’s best chance of the half. Lampard stepped into a stinging drive at the 39th minute that van der Sar simply couldn’t handle. Ivanovic crashed into the area, but only to see his clumsy attempts slapped away twice by the sprawling Dutchman.

After the match, when asked what Carlo Ancelotti said to them at the halftime break, Essien stifled a smile and suggested the Italian just said to come out and play harder. Whatever he said, it worked. The team was still without ideas, but damn if they weren’t being more aggressive. Luiz in particular was making his presence known. Not content with beating Rooney into the pitch, he also ran forward into attack, and looked about as graceful with the ball at the end of his long legs as does one Nicklas Bendtner.

It was the Brazilian’s quality of touch that brought the Blues back level. The buy from Benfica took a lofted cross on the half volley, and with Nani rushing to close him down stroked the chance low into the near post—game tied at ones and Luiz an instant legend at Stamford Bridge.

Ancelotti had more to do, introducing Drogba at the 60th minute for Anelka, who had been playing well underneath Torres. Someone had to go though, and Drogba’s presence is always welcome at the front, for his side at least. Vidic and Smalling had been having a tough time with Torres’ speed and now with Drogba pounding against them with fresh legs it wasn’t at all unexpected that the big Serb would become frustrated (he’d finish the game in the locker room, two yellows making a red after some particularly tough defending just outside the box).

A number of changes came for both sides, the most important of which being the Russian Yuri Zhirkov for an ineffectual Malouda. The midfielder hadn’t played since November, but rust was unapparent as he motored up the left. Within eight minutes of coming on he found himself in a quick exchange of passes that saw him into the box and over the leg of Smalling. Penalty to Chelsea and Lampard did not take chances, driving his shot with as much power as he could muster straight up the gut.

The game got a little scrappy right at the end and you always expect United to manufacture at least one good chance in the dying seconds, but nothing doing this time. Chelsea take all the points, moving ahead of Spurs and into fourth place while United remain four points ahead of Arsenal who have a game in hand.