Match report from The Independent:
Chelsea's home guard supply ammunition for Gudjohnsen
BY Steve Tongue at Stamford Bridge
24 October 2004
Mark Hughes, a former Chelsea hero, endured a wretched return to west
London yesterday, his new club producing a performance every bit as
limply ineffective as Wales had done for him against England earlier
this month. Unlike that occasion, the scoreline here reflected the
gulf between the teams, as Jose Mourinho's newly Anglicised side
finally scored the goals they have been threatening for some time.
Eidur Gudjohnsen claimed the first two of them in the space of two
minutes to open up the game, completing his hat-trick from the penalty
spot before Damien Duff reluctantly rubbed it in against his old club.
Mourinho had decided it was time to freshen up the side after the dull
midweek tie against CSKA Moscow, bringing a genuine English flavour by
adding Glen Johnson and Scott Parker for the first time this season.
With Joe Cole, John Terry, Wayne Bridge and Frank Lampard, that made
six home players, five of them Londoners. All played their part; the
midfield triumvirate of Cole - who operated just behind Gudjohnsen -
Lampard and Parker controlled much of the build-up; Johnson got
forward from right-back more threateningly than Paulo Ferreira ever
does, while Terry and Bridge were solid against an admittedly
lightweight attack.
The wild Rovers, outplayed all over the pitch, have won only one game
this season - including a League Cup tie against Bournemouth - and
will be bottom of the table by tea-time today if Southampton take at
least a point from their home game with Birmingham. After this second
successive 4-0 defeat, Hughes said: "The goals-against column tells
the story. We need to be more resolute defensively. I understood it
was a difficult job but the last two results have hurt us." The verbal
squabbling between Michael Gray and Brett Emerton just before the
finish suggested that morale is as low as confidence.
All this on what Blackburn had hitherto regarded as their favourite
ground. In the hi-tech world of modern football, there would seem to
be little place for such unscientific factors as hoodoos, yet they
arrived with an extraordinary enough record at Stamford Bridge to have
the home supporters, if not the team, feeling a touch of apprehension
until the breakthrough was made. In 10 previous Premiership visits,
they had recorded five victories and five draws, remaining unbeaten
since the almost forgotten days of a First Division play-off in 1988.
But all good things must come to an end, which is hastened with
performances as feeble as this. Just as the visitors were thinking
they might survive until half-time, Parker supplied Cole for a deft
lob over the last defender, Gudjohnsen side-footing a volley past Brad
Friedel. His second strike two minutes later, from the same
inside-right position, was much firmer, driven across the goalkeeper
after taking Lampard's long diagonal pass on his chest.
Earlier there had been little more than a series of threatening
crosses, mostly from the right-hand side, while at the other end Youri
Djorkaeff's occasional touches came to nothing. The only moment to
excite Blackburn's rain-sodden supporters was a shout for a penalty
when Paul Dickov went down challenging for a corner-kick played low
into the area.
There was less argument about Graham Poll's decision five minutes into
the second half, when Gudjohnsen was clearly tripped by Craig Short as
he moved clear on to Cole's little flick. The Icelander's ice-cool
spot-kick left no room for debate either, though there was some
discussion about whether Short should have been sent off. Referees
increasingly seem to be taking the compassionate view that a penalty
is punishment enough. "Boring, boring Chelsea" was now the home
crowd's ironic chant. "Have you won the Premier League?" was the best
the visiting support could manage. Not yet.
Hughes tried to inject some physical presence into his attack by
replacing Dickov and Djorkaeff by the more powerful Jay Bothroyd and
Jon Stead, but Steven Reid's drive after 66 minutes, comfortably
fielded by Petr Cech, was their first shot of any note. Mourinho's
substitutions gave Alexei Smertin, Cole and Gudjohnsen a rest, and
Tiago, Mateja Kezman and Arjen Robben a run - the latter for the first
time in the Premiership. The exciting Dutchman added another
dimension, almost scoring within a few minutes of coming on. Duff,
whose place he threatens, then had a shot deflected wide, collected
the subsequent corner and drove it fiercely past his old colleague
Friedel for the fourth goal.
Even Kezman fancied his chances against this defence and he almost
opened his account at last with 10 minutes to play, turning Robben's
pass against the bar. Friedel foiled him again before the end, but,
that apart, it was a perfect day for Mourinho, who said: "Now we can
look at the Manchester United-Arsenal game with a smile because every
outcome has a positive side."
