Match reports
The Times: “How Chelsea must hate Tottenham Hotspur. Beaten by them in the Carling Cup final at Wembley last month, it was the North London side who again thwarted their ambitions, this time in the Barclays Premier League and in an astonishing eight-goal extravaganza at White Hart Lane last night.”
The Guardian, Kevin McCarra: “Chelsea [...]
I’m not much of an art historian, but had Michelangelo been sacked from the Sistine Chapel gig for being a bit of a prima donna and generally annoying the Catholic hierarchy, I suspect the incumbent Pope wouldn’t have called in Luigi’s Painters and Decorators and asked them to whack a dollop or two of emulsion [...]
Match reports
The Times, Martin Samuel: “If this was a triumph for Jonathan Woodgate, Tottenham and Juande Ramos - who has been at White Hart Lane less than four months - it was a catastrophe for Chelsea’s regime under Avram Grant. There was nothing to suggest that Grant has advanced the club one iota since the [...]
There must have been a full moon sometime over the last few days. Everywhere you look this week, some very odd things have been happening (snow in Athens?) and there seem to have been hordes of delusional people hogging the headlines.
They’ve been prancing merrily around in our calm waters of reason when they should [...]
Match reports
Daily Telegraph, Tim Rich: “Avram Grant’s attempt to convince the world that Chelsea were not especially bothered by the Carling Cup sounded false from the moment it left his lips. Not since Don Revie constructed his all-white machine at Leeds has there been a club who have set out so remorselessly to win everything. [...]
- by Tony Glover · Permalink · 2213 views · 77 comments
- Tagged: Arsenal, Avram Grant, Chelsea, Claudio Pizarro, David Moyes, Everton, Joe Cole, Juliano Belletti, League Cup, Nicolas Anelka, Petr Cech, Ricardo Carvalho, Roman Abramovich, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Spurs
Match reports
Independent on Sunday, Nick Townsend: “After a match comfortably won with goals in each half, from Juliano Belletti and Wright-Phillips, who is thriving in a more central midfield role, no one should rule out Chelsea’s claim to the championship.”
Sunday Telegraph, Patrick Barclay: “In attack … Grant had devised an interesting formation which was almost [...]
- by Tony Glover · Permalink · 3610 views · 152 comments
- Tagged: Aaron Lennon, Alan Wiley, Ashley Cole, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Claude Makelele, Claudio Pizarro, Dimitar Berbatov, Florent Malouda, Joe Cole, Michael Ballack, Petr Cech, Premier League, Ricardo Carvalho, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Spurs, Tottenham Hotspur, Wayne Bridge
Chelsea lost their unbeaten record in pre-season yesterday afternoon when they went down 2-0 to Rangers at Ibrox. Nacho Novo struck from 20 yards on 86 minutes, and Filip Sebo made sure of the win just a minute later when his shot from a similar range deflected off Ricardo Carvalho and looped over substitute goalkeeper [...]
- by Nick Benfield · Permalink · 1687 views · 12 comments
- Tagged: Andriy Shevchenko, Arjen Robben, Ashley Cole, Chelsea, Claudio Pizarro, Daniel Alves, Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, Glen Johnson, Henrique Hilario, Ibrox, Joe Cole, John Terry, Jon Obi Mikel, Jose Mourinho, Pascal Chimbonda, Paulo Ferreira, Peter Kenyon, Petr Cech, Pre-season, Rangers, Ricardo Carvalho, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Spurs, Steve Clarke, Tal Ben Haim
Did the earth move? Was the season lit with fireworks? Did Andriy Shevchenko seduce you with silky skills? Did Didier Drogba’s drive and dynamism send shivers down your spine? Did the essence of Michael Essien send you into a dreamy haze?
Or did it seem like the interminable season from hell at times? Did you look [...]
- by Tony Glover · Permalink · 10676 views · 144 comments
- Tagged: Alex Ferguson, Andriy Shevchenko, Anfield, Arjen Robben, Arsenal, Ashley Cole, Asier Del Horno, Barcelona, Bobby Robson, Carlo Cudicini, Champions League, Chelsea, Claude Makelele, Claudio Ranieri, Didier Drogba, FA Cup, Frank Lampard, Geremi, Gianluca Vialli, Glenn Roeder, Graeme Souness, Henrique Hilario, Joe Cole, John Obi Mikel, John Terry, Jose Mourinho, Ken Bates, Kenny Dalglish, Kevin Keegan, Khalid Boulahrouz, Lassana Diarra, League Cup, Manchester United, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Paulo Ferreira, Peter Schmeichel, Petr Cech, Premiership, PSV Eindhoven, Reading, Real Madrid, Ricardo Carvalho, Roman Abramovich, Ruud Gullit, Salomon Kalou, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Spurs, Stamford Bridge, Tottenham Hotspur, Wayne Bridge, Wembley, William Gallas
Match reports
The Observer, Amy Lawrence: “Chelsea’s ruthless pursuit of Manchester United continued here, which is not surprising considering the hard facts: their winning sequence in the Premiership since they last conceded any ground (or even a goal for that matter ) - two-and-a-half months ago at Anfield - is daunting for any opponent.”
Sunday Telegraph, Patrick [...]
- by Tony Glover · Permalink · 2919 views · 29 comments
- Tagged: Aaron Lennon, Alex Ferguson, Andriy Shevchenko, Chelsea, Claude Makelele, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Harry Redknapp, Jermain Defoe, Joe Cole, John Terry, Jon Obi Mikel, Jose Mourinho, Martin Jol, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Paulo Ferreira, Petr Cech, Portsmouth, Premiership, Ricardo Carvalho, Salomon Kalou, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Spurs, Stamford Bridge, Tottenham Hotspur, Wayne Bridge
Match reports
The Guardian, Kevin McCarra: “If the first meeting had been enthrallingly spectacular, the replay of this FA Cup quarter-final intrigued with its element of surprise. No one could have anticipated the finish with which Andriy Shevchenko opened the scoring or the volley from Shaun Wright-Phillips that doubled Chelsea’s lead.”
The Times, Matt Dickinson: “Even [...]
- by Nick Benfield · Permalink · 4960 views · 43 comments
- Tagged: Aaron Lennon, Chelsea, Didier Drogba, Dimitar Berbatov, FA Cup, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Jon Obi Mikel, Jose Mourinho, Lassana Diarra, Martin Jol, Michael Ballack, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Spurs, Stamford Bridge, Tottenham Hotspur, White Hart Lane