Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United (Lampard[p])

Chelsea prove title credentials
Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0
By Jason Burt in The Independent
01 December 2003

The eyes had it. For much of this intense, high-tempo clash Claudio Ranieri was rolling his at every minor blemish - such is his passionate commitment to the cause - but in the end the animated Italian was able to do exactly what he had dreamed of.

His gaze met Sir Alex Ferguson's not just as an equal but as a victor. Eyeball to eyeball. Whether or not he will be the Manchester United manager's better come the end of the season only time will tell. United are a dangerous team to dismiss. Experience has taught the Premiership that, especially with the autumn leaves on the ground. But this victory - by another single goal, another clean sheet (astonishingly their sixth in succession) - elevated Chelsea to the top of the pile and pumped up an already inflated local expectation. Don't be fooled by its slenderness, or the Chelsea coach's histrionics. The team that is worth an awful lot were worthy winners.

Chances were spurned, opportunities passed, in a committed encounter and yet it was a penalty, correctly garnered after a hairline decision by Roy Keane not to withdraw from a probably needless challenge, that settled it. In the end the champions got what they deserved. There was a conservatism to their play which betrayed the club's attacking instincts. Their claws were withdrawn and, with that, disappeared much of their menace.

Most concerning of all for Ferguson is that they appeared a team more in transition than their hosts, who are very definitely contenders - and, last night, were installed as the bookmakers' favourites.

Although it was United who rotated their line-up to a greater extent after the efforts of qualifying for the next stage of the Champions League, it was Ranieri, again, who sprung the surprise. Damien Duff - his most potent attacking weapon - was left on the substitutes' bench. A bench worth ?5m, by the way, twice the value of United's.

That Ranieri was then able to introduce the Irishman just before the hour mark simply confirmed the opulence at his disposal. Chelsea started and finished nervously. In between they were impressive nerveless, and never more so than when Lampard dispatched the winning penalty. Such is the midfielder's soaring confidence that he took the kick, in the absence of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. His strike was low to Tim Howard's left. It was awarded after Cole burst onto a clever pass by Hernan Crespo only for the ball to run away. Keane, however, carried on and his outstretched leg checked his opponent's momentum. The tumble was extravagant but the referee was correct.

Until then Keane had been the most potent presence. United flowed through him. Twice Carlo Cudicini was sold short with Ryan Giggs crowded out and then Diego Forlan narrowly failing to intercept. But after the goal United retreated. Mario Melchiot threw himself at a deflected shot only for Howard to parry and then Cole, hurtling through, scooped the ball over.

In a bizarre moment the home side started the second half with 10 men - Geremi caught out as he changed his boots. It was the only mistake they made. United were looking increasingly forlorn - Van Nistelrooy's body language betraying a collective discomfort with only Mikael Silvestre providing any defensive cohesion. Their paucity was confirmed by a Forlan free-kick which was hacked appallingly into the side-netting. Then John O'Shea broke down the left and crossed for Van Nistelrooy, whose spin and shot was executed with bewildering speed only for the ball to strike William Gallas's leg and dart wide.

But the victory was Chelsea's and, at the end, their substitutes flooded the pitch. United will come again but with a fifth successive league victory and no goals conceded since the loss to Arsenal in October, Chelsea have hit the front as clear-eyed contenders in a three-horse race.

Goals: 1-0 (Lampard, pen 29).

Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2): Cudicini 6; Melchiot 5, Gallas 7, Terry 8, Bridge 5; Lampard 8, Makelele 7, Cole 7 (Duff 58, 6), Geremi 7; Mutu 7 (Hasselbaink 79), Crespo 5 (Gronkjaer 60, 5). Substitutes not used: Ambrosio (gk), Desailly.

Manchester United (4-4-2):: Howard 7; G Neville 6, Ferdinand 5, Silvestre 7, O'Shea 5; Giggs 7, Keane 7, P Neville 4 (Kleberson 77), Fortune 4 (Ronaldo 72, 5); Forlan 5, Van Nistelrooy 5. Substitutes not used: Carroll (gk), Butt, Bellion.

Bookings: Chelsea: Cole, Melchiot, Lampard, Mutu. Man Utd: Keane.

Referee: A Wiley 4 (Burntwood).

Man of the match: Lampard.

Attendance: 41,932.
30 November 2003 22:45


Chelsea convert doubters with kaleidoscope of power
By Paul Hayward in The Telegraph

No 38-game season turns on a single match, but this one confirmed a startling truth. Chelsea have more lethal, plot-altering players than Manchester United. QED: their duel for the Premiership title is not solely about quotas of talent. Imponderables will play their part in May: character, desire, tradition, resilience and team spirit.

Maybe it was the appearance of Clive Woodward and Lawrence Dallaglio before kick-off that obliged us to think beyond mere market valuations. The England rugby coach and No 8 know all about the ruthless application of talent.

Surely one of the lessons of their conquest last weekend was that great teams develop a winning mentality - a compulsion to oppress the opposition. It took 3.5 months for Chelsea to convince us that they possess the necessary hunger and aggression but now they have. The short route is to defeat the champions: to control and pester them, and not just to out-shine.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd are so far clear of the fourth-placed team that Fulham might as well be in Chukotka - the Siberian province where Roman Abramovich pulled on the robes of governor until the growing perils of Russian politics persuaded him to return to civilian garb.

On paper, the Roman legions are worth more than Sir Alex Ferguson's battle-hardened warriors. But transfer values never won a championship. Money is not the issue now. If you picked an all-star XI from yesterday's teams, there would be more blue Subbuteo men than red.

The best 11 players from the 27 who took part were: Cudicini, Gary Neville, Terry, Gallas, Silvestre; Lampard, Makelele, Keane, Giggs; Van Nistelrooy and Mutu. The balance is six Chelsea and five Man Utd.

This is being kind to United, and excludes a virtual shadow side of blue wannabes who would not diminish a combined team. The north-south alliance would not weaken much - if at all - from having to accommodate Damien Duff, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Marcel Desailly, Jesper Gronkjaer or Emmanuel Petit.

When clubs exert terror-by-substitutes-bench, you know they mean business. But running a talent-meter across Chelsea's squad was never the way to measure their title-winning credentials. The hard part was knowing how well and how quickly Claudio Ranieri could assimilate so many new big names from such an array of cultures.

Give him a medal. Abramovich's executive toys are emphatically not the Harlem Globetrotters. They are more Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. They come not to impress with gilded price tags and jollies for 400 of the owner's friends. They come to win.

Ranieri asked for time to achieve this mass integration. But, unlike most campaigns, it was over before Christmas. Chelsea have lost just two of their 22 matches in all competitions (against Besiktas at home and Arsenal away). First they bought the players, then they acquired the state of mind.

Equally Ranieri now has a range of tactical options to deal with every challenge. Only once - at home to Besiktas, when he baffled his players by deploying three central defenders - has his tactical thinking seriously undermined his own team. At Highbury, they performed admirably and were undone by a rare goalkeeping howler. Against United, they started with a midfield diamond but then clipped on wings when Duff and Gronkjaer came on for Joe Cole and Hernan Crespo.

Part of Ranieri's skill was to buy a range of match-altering talents and to avoid repetition. Even United looked disorientated by the kaleidoscopic power of Ranieri's squad.

So now Chelsea head the table for the fourth time this season and have persuaded those hard-hearts, the bookmakers, to chalk them up as championship favourites. In November alone, they have beaten Lazio 4-0 away, put five past Newcastle, guaranteed their place in the Champions League knock-out stage and impaled Ferguson's United, who are in one of their pedestrian phases. Quiet autumns have become a feature of United's domestic campaigns. The turbos tend to come on after Christmas.

For neutrals, Chelsea's impressive assent breaks the old United-Arsenal duopoly. There is more to look at now and more food for thought. Those who accuse Abramovich of monumental vulgarity forget that Chelsea have been playing high-stakes poker since the Glenn Hoddle era.

Extravagance is objectionable only when it buys flashy, empty things. But Ranieri has these players working harder than a chain gang. The wider Premiership-watching public have no grounds for directing their jealousy at the Premiership's most expensive team.

My own reading of their impressive form is that Abramovich's wealth has stunned even the most egotistical Chelsea player into obedience. Money, on this scale, can make a Premiership millionaire feel like a pauper. Even Hasselbaink has stopped moaning. His body language is unrecognisable from six months ago. Squad rotation is no longer the virus in the hardware.

Bad news for Arsenal, and 'the Manchester', as Ranieri kept calling them. Good news for English football.

The Big Game

Veron is doubtful. But I would like him to start if fit. We are much more fluid and creative with him around, though he also gives Maka more work to do with his silly giveaways.

I'd like to take the game to them. Don't see a substantial problem with playing both Duff and Gronk (if Veron cannot make it). But I suspect it will be Cole to fill in for Veron again.

Also hope Guddy will start. He usually plays well against Manure, and is the most creative of our strikers. Either Guddy-Mutu or Guddy-Crespo will do for me. Mutu-Crespo doesn't seem to work very well. As for JFH, I hope he is soon offloaded and Mika brought back. Mika has done enough to show that he's of Prem standard.

Chelsea 0-0 Sparta Prague

Veron injured, so Cole took his place in the diamond midfield. Melchiot stood in for the suspended Johnson.

Dominated the game with 63% possession, and Sparta didn't have a single shot on target. But without Veron the attack was significantly less fluid, although we did create enough chances to win the game.

Crespo's header from a Duff cross crashed against the crossbar. Mutu ran down the rebound and poked it out of the goalkeeper's hands towards Crespo, he slammed it in from close range but was ruled offside. Video replays make that decision seem doubtful.

Second half was more of the same, and we hit the post again. A Geremi freekick found Terry, who headed in across goal. Gallas rushed in and somehow failed to tap it across the line, the ball finally crashing off the far post.

Mutu had a chance to win it at the death when Guddy put him through with a ball over the top. But he uncharacteristically shot wide.

Duff was excellent throughout, Cole and Lampard average, Makalele immense as usual, which was why our defence was rarely threatened. Very impressed with Mutu's workrate. This is why he should start Prem matches, because his energy is well suited to the "English game". Contrastingly JFH tends to wait for the ball to come to him. I love it when Eidur plays as well, because his intelligence brings new playmaking skills to the team, and he is by far the most productive of the strikers with his passes. But we have that supreme goal-poacher Crespo, so EG is often passed over.

We have qualified, so now it remains to grab first place in the group. Besiktas drew with Lazio in Rome.

Southampton 0-1 Chelsea (Melchiot)

Wet and scrappy match. First half was abysmal, neither side creating clear-cut scoring chances. Chelsea sprung out quickly at them early in the second half, Melchiot bombing forward in the way Ranieri likes his fullbacks to, catching Le Saux off guard to bury the layoff from JFH. But Soton had a spate of dominance near the end, when Fernandes sent a long range shot just whisking over with Cudicini beaten, and Philips horrendously missing a clear header from two yards out. Not a good performance, but we keep pace with Arse and Manure. With Brum losing and Charlton drawing, the gap between the top three and the rest is now nine points.

I will feel very sorry for Soton if Strachan leaves for Leeds, because I think they deserve him much more than Leeds do. He has transformed them from annual relegation candidates to an upper mid-table team, well-organised and spirited. But more importantly I hate Leeds.

Piece of fascinating trivia:
The table after 13 games last season was
Liverpool 30
Arsenal 29
Everton 23
Chelsea 23
Man Utd 22

Two suicide attacks in Istanbul in the space of one week, during which Turkey lost to Latvia (pop. 2 mil) in the Euro 2004 playoffs over two legs. 1-0 down after first away leg, 2-0 up at home but let the Latvians equalise. Morning after they leave, blasts tear apart the British consulate and HSBC (27 dead so far).

So UEFA now have to rearrange all the matches to be played in Turkey, one of which was ironically moved to Turkey from Israel because of security concerns. We have Besiktas away to come, and the club has rejected their allocation, but it seems doubtful that it will be played in Turkey anyway.

Deja vu, the disaster at Hapoel Tel Aviv? Many fans have not "forgiven" those six players for not travelling. Soxy, Eidur, Petit, Dessa....?

Chelsea 5-0 Newcastle United (Johnson, Crespo, Lampard[p], Duff, Gudjohnsen)
From Soccernet:
Claudio Ranieri rewarded his heroes of Rome by shelving his tinkering for the first time this season - and his Chelsea players responded by dishing out a 5-0 hammering on Newcastle.

Just as the Italian giants were emphatically beaten on Tuesday, losing 4-0, the 10-man Tynesiders were torn to shreds by the buoyant Blues at Stamford Bridge in another rout.

And, embarrassingly for United boss Sir Bobby Robson, this game was over as a contest before referee Paul Durkin had even put the half-time whistle to his lips.

Another Chelsea victory - their ninth in 12 league games - keeps Ranieri's men alongside Arsenal and Manchester United in the thick of the Premiership title race.

It was an afternoon to forget for Sir Bobby, whose side were toothless in attack in the absence of Alan Shearer, out with a throat infection.

Glen Johnson started the landslide, hammering home his first ever league goal in the 25th minute.

Further Chelsea goals in the 39th and 42nd minutes effectively clinched victory.

Hernan Crespo tapped in from six yards and Frank Lampard drilled home from the penalty spot after Adrian Mutu was hauled back by Andy O'Brien - who was sent off for a professional foul.

The rout was completed by Damien Duff, in the 78th minute, and Eidur Gudjohnsen six minutes later.

It was the first time this season that Ranieri, dubbed 'The Tinkerman', had named an unchanged starting XI - meaning William Gallas made his 100th Chelsea appearance - a decision which paid off handsomely.

Duff had been on target early on after Frank Lampard's nod-down but Shay Given saved well.

England midfielder Lampard had an attempt of his own after eight minutes but his strike from distance swerved just the wrong side of the post.

As the first period reached the half-way point, the teams were continuing to jab at each other rather than aim full-blown punches.

But Chelsea did send United crashing to the canvas after 24 minutes with a thunderous strike by Johnson.

The teenage right-back loitered with intent at the far post as Wayne Bridge skipped into space on the opposite flank and whipped over a cross.

The ball evaded Mutu and Crespo in the middle but fell to Johnson. He calmly chested it down and smashed it over Given's attempted block and into the roof of the net.

It was the first league goal of the former West Ham man's career, with his only other strike in Chelsea's Champions League qualifier against Zilina in August.

United hit back with Shola Ameobi stretching but just unable to connect with Lee Bowyer's flick, and Robert's header saved by Carlo Cudicini.

But the visitors fell apart as half-time neared and conceded two goals in three minutes to fall 3-0 behind.

First, after 39 minutes, Titus Bramble failed to clear Johnson's cross. Duff shot and Crespo nipped in to tap home his sixth goal of the season.

Mutu then raced onto a long pass and was pulled back by O'Brien as he attempted to beat the onrushing Given to the ball.

The Romanian frontman tumbled inside the penalty area and referee Paul Durkin, after checking with his linesman, awarded a spot-kick and sent off defender O'Brien for a professional foul.

Lampard smacked home his fifth of the season from 12 yards.

Duff threatened again just after the hour but his driven cross from the right was intercepted by Bramble.

The United centre-back, at fault for Chelsea's second goal, got it right this time and hammered the ball into the stand behind the goal.

Number four arrived after 78 minutes after errors by Given and United sub Steve Caldwell.

The keeper's botched clearance fell to Duff, who skipped round Caldwell and smacked a swerving shot into the bottom corner.

The fifth came six minutes from time when Bridge's cross picked out the unmarked Gudjohnsen and he headed home from six yards.

Lazio 0-4 Chelsea (Crespo, Gudjohnsen, Duff, Lampard)

Lazio without key players Stam, Peruzzi (both injured) and Oddo (suspended thanks to Gronk). As predicted both Veron and Crespo started against their former club, 4-4-2 with Mutu partnering Crespo and Duff on the left.

Chelsea started well, the Lazio midfield playing much like they did in the first leg, nice crosses but losing the ball easily on the ground. Sole goal of first half came when Sereni deflected Veron's free-kick into Crespo for an easy goal.

Lazio fought back and had the better of the rest of the half, winning a lot of corners and sending in threatening crosses. Corradi sent a clear header wide, Stankovic had an acrobatic shot at goal saved, Mutu did well to charge down a freekick from a dangerous position. Terry improvised and just cleared the ball with a desperate back-kick after Simone Inzaghi flicked it on to his onrushing teammate.

Chelsea missed the best chance of all just before the break, when Mutu and Crespo broke away into good positions into the box. Mutu's pass found Crespo with space between the two central defenders, but he attempted a back-flick from close range which Sereni saved.

Mijhailovic was up to his dirty tricks, first kicking at Mutu when he was on the ground and then spitting in his face in reaction to a perceived elbow from the same player. He is likely to get a long ban for that. However, I must admit his delivery at set-pieces is one of the best I have ever seen.

Lazio came out strong again at the start of the second half, winning a string of corners again. Almost immediately Cudicini was forced into an excellent double save, but shortly after certain events upset their momentum. Duff had switched to the right and was chopped down by Mijhailovic (who was beaten for pace) twice in the space of a minute, each time earning the Serb a yellow card. After he went off Lazio continued pressing forward well for the next five minutes, but there was much more space for Chelsea's attackers now. Gronk on for Mutu, then Guddy on for Crespo. Gronk sent a shot just wide of the far post. Duff was also enjoying the increased space and sent in a low cross that both Crespo and Gronk managed to miss. Lampard surged forward more often and turned several circles while in possession of the ball in the box, to my frustration, until he finally hit a low shot to Sereni's right, and Guddy tapped in the rebound.

Lazio took off Albertini and threw on Claudio Lopez, worsening their defensive situation. Duff got the goal he deserved with a low curving shot to Sereni's left amidst a bunch of white shirts. Lampard provided further icing as he tapped in the rebound from Guddy's volley.

The victory was soured by a silly action from Glen Johnson, who earned a second booking by throwing away the ball near the end of the match. CR was furious and blasted him as he trudged off the pitch.

Franco was in the Stadio Olimpico and walked round the pitch with a big grin and much applause after the match. We are now 3 points clear of Besiktas, with Lazio and Sparta both four points behind at 5 points.

Just before the match I dreamt that we lost 2-3, and was still so shaken by that experience that I was more relieved than joyful as the real match unfolded.

Chelsea 4-2 Notts County (JFH, Gudjohnsen[2], Mildenhall, Baldry, Cole)

Everton 0-1 Chelsea (Mutu)