Chelsea
A Fair Result
Remy Scores!
By Gary Watton
February 2 2015
Considering the fact that the hosts had endured a bruising, two-hour epic cup tie against northern foes, Liverpoo, only four nights earlier, then a share of the spoils against the English champions, Manchester Mercenaries, was by no means a mean achievement. Furthermore, the league leaders had to make do without the dynamic duo of Costa and his reliable supplier Fabregas, so perhaps it was understandable that Jose opted for his customary safety first approach to the proceedings. In truth this was a match that neither team wanted to lose, and so the final result is probably a case of glass half empty, glass half full.
Anyhow, a hearty congratulations are extended to the French connection of Loic Remy and Kurt Zouma. For much of the season, they have had to content themselves as fringe players. However, both really stepped up to the mark on this big occasion, with 'Happy' Zouma deservedly being awarded the man of the match while Monsieur Remy more than adequately filled the considerable void vacated by the absence of our regular gunslinger and enfant terrible, Diego Costa. That great pundit, Danny Murphy, has labelled Zouma as the new Marcel Desailly. Let's hope that he's right. The signs are certainly promising, though a little worrying for the displaced and inconsistent Gary Cahill. Elsewhere, it would be wrong to blame the goalkeeping mishap of Courtois for the home team 'only' achieving a draw. However, the league leaders really never did anywhere near enough to warrant maximum points. Instead their performance was the modern, footballing equivalent of a Joe Bugner, soaking up punches and still thriving in the adversity of the situation.
Finally, it was good to see the returning hero Frank Lampard bow out without a goal but still receive a much-deserved reception, as he bade farewell to the faithful. I would have liked it if he had swapped shirts, say with his old mucker JT, and then waved goodbye and applauded his old supporters in a Chelsea top. Surely his current employers and new supporters could have granted him that concession. Oh well, au revoir super Frank.
Next on the league agenda is Aston Villa away. They were a fly in the ointment last March, and Villa Park has not always been a happy hunting ground. To make matters worse, the Villa have just been thumped five-nil by the in-form Gooners. One can imagine that they will come out with a rocket or two up their backsides and produce a much-improved performance against the west Londoners. This is ominous. Mind you, the away team will also have to deliver a lot more than they did in their one-one stalemate. A win is a must, especially as Manchester Wannabes merely have to cope with the visit of struggling Hull City.
CHELSEA 1 Manchester City1; half time: 1-1. Saturday 31st January 2015.
CHELSEA goal scorer: Remy
CHELSEA team: Courtois, Ivanovic, Terry, Zouma, Azpilicueta, Matic, Ramires, Oscar, Willian, Remy, Hazard. Used substitutes: Drogba, Cahill, Loftus-Cheek.
CHELSEA LEADING SCORERS:
Costa - 17 goals
Hazard - 12 goals
Oscar - 7 goals
Drogba - 6 goals
Remy, Schurrle and Terry - 5 goals
Fabregas - 4 goals
Ivanovic, Matic, Ramires, and Willian - 3 goals
Cahill and Zouma - 2 goals
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02/02/2015 09:54
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