Blues Back in Business

Chelsea started the defence of their Premiership title in convincing fashion on Sunday, with a 3-0 home victory over Manchester City. The Blues opened the scoring in the eleventh minute when Arjen Robben’s free kick was won in the air by Chelsea’s club captain, John Terry, whose downward header left City’s goalkeeper, Nicky Weaver, stranded on the line, as the ball flew into the left side of the goal. Chelsea increased their lead in the twenty sixth minute, as Robben passed the ball to Michael Essien, whose delicate touch found Frank Lampard unmarked, who turned and fired a low long range drive, which took a deflection off Richard Dunne, before finding the back of the net. With City reduced to ten men in the sixty third minute, when Bernardo Corradi was sent off by referee, Steve Bennett, following a second offence for a challenge on Essien, the inevitable was to follow, as Chelsea grabbed their third goal in the seventy ninth minute, as link up play between Robben and Wayne Bridge, produced a carefully measured cross, that was met by a flying header from Didier Drogba, that sailed into the right hand corner, leaving Weaver helpless as City were left to count the costs of being outplayed by the reigning champions.

“We played very well, defensively perfect, the intensity of our game was very high, the quality of our passing game was very good, we scored three goals, we could have scored four or five easily, I think that we had the chances to do it, and we beat a good team, for me Man City is a good team, but we played very well,” commented Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho.

Referring to the fact that Chelsea’s next two away games are against teams that they had lost to last season, with trips to Middlesbrough and Blackburn, Mourinho felt that winning the opening fixture will give confidence to the team, as he continued:

“Not winning this game at home, would put some more pressure for us to play away and have responsibility to win, so I think this is good. My doubt now is are we fit enough to play three matches in a row, have we enough players in condition to play, three matches in one week, that’s my doubt. But the attitude was great, the quality was very good and I think every supporter goes home happy with the points but also with the way the team performed.”

Manchester City manager, Stuart Pearce, was left to pick up the pieces, and defend a dismal display by his team, as he commented:

“Whichever way you look at it, our season probably won’t be dictated by how well or badly we do at places like Stamford Bridge, it will be more dictated to how we do against the teams that are going be around us. But I thought we scrapped away very well, you go down to ten men at places like this, and you’ve got a big problem on your hands, they keep possession of the ball very well, your at full stretch at places like Chelsea, there’s no doubt about that, I found that out over the years, playing wise and certainly managerial wise, so I was pleased with the endeavour the players put in, we need to be sharp and focused again on Wednesday, and obviously we wish Chelsea the best.”