Showing posts with label Ivanovic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ivanovic. Show all posts
Premier League, Stamford Bridge – Chelsea 4 (Torres 14, Lampard 22, Hazard 31, Ivanovic 76) Norwich 1 (Holt 11).
Chelsea cemented top spot in the Premier League with an attacking masterclass, romping to a 4-1 win over Norwich at Stamford Bridge.
Grant Holt gave struggling Norwich an early lead against the run of play after 11 minutes, but Fernando Torres levelled three minutes later, before Frank Lampard and Eden Hazard scored delightful goals to put the Blues comfortably ahead after half an hour.
In the second half it might easily have been a rout as Oscar, Juan Mata and Hazard took centre-stage, but in the end Chelsea managed only one more, a sumptuous volley from Branislav Ivanovic 76 minutes in.
The Blues will finish the weekend four points clear at the top of the table, while Norwich remain stranded near the foot of the league.
Roberto di Matteo’s decision to include both Ashley Cole and John Terry stole the headlines, but it was his attacking combination which had more of an impact on the match.
With the unbeaten league leaders hosting the winless Canaries, only one result looked likely, but Holt’s early strike gave the Blues an early scare.
It was a well-worked move – Wes Hoolahan running unchecked before picking out Sebastian Bassong in the box, who nodded down for Holt to rifle past Petr Cech.
But the lead was short-lived. Torres, who had spurned an early chance with hesitancy after being played in over the top, got on the end of a cross from Ivanovic and glanced past John Ruddy to level.
Chelsea kept attacking, and the second came after Torres attempted an overhead kick. It was blocked – but straight into the path of Lampard, whose finish was clinical.
The Blues were not watertight at the back and Norwich did have their chances – Alexander Tettey had got into a great position up front only to completely misjudge his header.
But it left them exposed to the counter-attack, and they were undone for the third by a superb break led by Mata. The Spaniard went most of the length of the field laying on a deft through ball for Hazard, who knocked it first-time into the corner.
The chances rained down during the second half – Holt, along with Hoolahan the bright spots in a tame display for Norwich, nodded just wide at the far post for the visitors before Chelsea resumed normal service.
There were at least two clear penalty chances that the Blues were denied – Hazard was bodychecked by Leon Barnett chasing a lost cause of a ball, while Terry’s shirt was clearly pulled by Martin when he tried to head in at the far post late on.
Meanwhile Oscar tested Ruddy out from distance, Mata almost rounded off a flowing team move with a finish past the Norwich keeper, while Torres came close on a number of occasions.
Despite the combination of attacking talent, Chelsea’s only goal of the half came from a defender.
Oscar put in the cross from the left-hand side, Mata flicked it back in towards the middle, and Ivanovic with all the poise of a striker crashed the ball in at the near post.
Ivanovic may be a right-back, but with six Premier League goals in 2012, he has only been outscored by Fernando Torres (eight) and Frank Lampard (seven) for the Blues this year.
Norwich avoided further damage on the scoresheet, but with their next Premier League fixture pitting them against Arsenal, Chris Hughton's task of getting a first Premier League win with the Canaries looks a tricky one.
For Chelsea, who were able to give a late Premier League debut to Cesar Azpilicueta and a first top flight appearance of the season for Oriol Romeu, the team look in great shape, despite the notable off-field distractions, going into the international break.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Juan Mata (Chelsea) – To stand out in an attacking midfield boasting Oscar and Hazard says something about the calibre of Mata’s performance.
Chelsea survived an almighty scare to beat promoted Reading 4-2 in a topsy-turvy Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea survived an almighty scare to beat promoted Reading 4-2 in a topsy-turvy Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge.
The European champions appeared to be cruising when Frank Lampard converted an 18th-minute penalty to cap a dominant early spell for the hosts.
But a Pavel Pogrebnyak header - his first goal for the club - levelled on 25 minutes, with the Championship champions edging ahead soon afterwards when a blunder from Petr Cech allowed Danny Guthrie to open his Reading account.
Chelsea were struggling and looked bereft of ideas but, after a smart tactical switch by Roberto Di Matteo midway through the second half, they drew level when another goalkeeping error from Adam Federici saw Gary Cahill net from distance.
The West London side then took the lead in controversial circumstances with 10 minutes remaining when an offside-looking Fernando Torres tapped in Ashley Cole's low cross after a lovely passing move.
Reading went gung-ho in search of a late equaliser and, in the fifth minute of injury time, Chelsea added a fourth when Federici was stranded after coming up for a corner, Branislav Ivanovic rolling the ball into the empty net after Eden Hazard had broken free.
The victory means Chelsea go top of the fledgling Premier League for a few days at least, although that could change at the weekend. Reading boss Brian McDermott, meanwhile, must decide whether he can trust Federici at this level after the Australian cost his side two possible victories in succession.
The Wednesday evening clash, moved from next week due to Chelsea’s European Super Cup duties, was a chance for the Blues to play their first competitive home fixture following their Champions League heroics last May.
They started like contenders, dominating possession from kick-off as Reading’s touches were limited to the occasional interception and a Federici save from Ramires.
Torres almost opened his season account with a wonder goal, nutmegging and rounding defenders for fun before seeing his finish blocked by a sliding Alex Pearce, but the hosts were able to take the lead soon afterwards when Hazard tricked Chris Gunther into a rash challenge, referee Lee Mason pointing to the spot.
Lampard solidified his position as second-highest penalty scorer in Premier League history with a smart drive into the bottom left, his 39th from the spot, although some way off record holder Alan Shearer (56).
But from that point onwards Chelsea fell to pieces, a combination of poor defending and a fading midfield contributing to a speedy demise.
That Reading had been forced to attack after conceding was largely irrelevant – both their goals were eminently avoidable.
The first came thanks to hesitant defending from John Terry, who was dragged out of position to cover Cole but failed to close down Gareth McLeary. His fine cross picked out Pogrebnyak, who easily beat Cahill to a flicked header that evaded Cech and nestled in the top left.
That was shoddy, but Reading’s second was unforgivable. Terry gave away a needless free-kick on the left-hand edge of the Chelsea penalty area, but Cech should have easily held on to Guthrie’s daisy cutter – not only did the Czech keeper fail to gather his shot, he palmed it into his own net in what will be considered one of the howlers of the season.
Pearce should have added a third before half time but he somehow failed to make contact with an excellent Ian Harte free-kick, despite being unmarked with just Cech to beat; Torres repaid the favour at the other end, although it was a more difficult header from between Pearce and Kaspars Gorkss.
Chelsea were toiling badly, in shell-shock following that quickfire Reading double, but also struggling in the middle of the park with both Ramires – only recently recovered from illness – and Juan Mata below par.
But Di Matteo should be credited for a pair of substitutions which changed the balance of the game: first Oscar replaced compatriot Ramires, immediately giving the hosts more dynamism in midfield; then Daniel Sturridge came on for John Obi Mikel, adding a more direct width to Chelsea’s attacks and crucially allowing Hazard to adopt a more central role.
The Belgian won Chelsea’s first game of the season at Wigan, and he did so again – even when his team struggled, the former Lille playmaker was fleet of foot and thought as he won free-kicks for fun.
He was now making the team tick and, having moved into the middle, forced a decent stop from Federici after a long passing move that sparked the turning point in the match.
After good play from Oscar, Torres saw another effort blocked, this time by Pearce, and seconds after Sturridge entered the fray Chelsea were level.
Cahill has a fondness for getting forward and scoring spectacular long-range efforts, but Federici should have stopped his swerving drive on 70 minutes – the error was not as bad as Cech’s, nor his own against Stoke at the weekend, but he got two strong hands on the ball and should have kept it out.
A Chelsea victory was inevitable as they lay camp in the Reading half, Mata firing a low drive through the yellow shirts with Federici a spectator, but the finish fizzing wide of the post.
They snuck ahead soon afterwards but there was a heavy dose of offside about Torres when he crept in unmarked to tap home a low Cole cross that managed to evade Reading’s defence and keeper.
It was a wonderful team passing move - Mata's through ball to Cole a particular delight - but close inspection of the replays showed Torres to be a fraction offside, although it was tight.
With 10 minutes remaining, Reading were forced into an unnatural all-out attack mode and they could have drawn level after some good late pressure, Harte’s late free-kick deflected behind for a corner.
From that final set piece Chelsea completed the comeback, Federici giving chase after Torres cleared the corner but left no chance against Hazard, who zipped away down the right before unselfishly handing Ivanovic an easy finish, Gunther the only Reading player able to get back in time but outnumbered by the hosts.
It added a sheen to an unconvincing win but with two wins in two matches Chelsea have laid a marker as they attempt to convert last season’s cup form into a convincing league threat.
Chelsea got their Premier League campaign off to a winning start with a 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium.
Branislav Ivanovic and Frank Lampard had the European champions two goals up within seven minutes of the kick-off after a blistering early start orchestrated by their marquee summer signing, Eden Hazard.
The Belgian playmaker laid on the through ball from which Ivanovic went on to score his first goal since Chelsea's 2-1 win over Wigan back in April before winning the penalty which Lampard converted soon afterwards.
The rest of the game was not exactly the sort of dominant performance befitting of Chelsea's status as the reigning European champions, with several uncertain moments at the back and Wigan spurning some decent chances, but Roberto Di Matteo will just be satisfied to get a first win as the London club's full-time manager under his belt.
Hazard was the only one of Chelsea three summer signings to start at the DW, with Oscar starting on the bench and Marko Marin not included in the squad. Defender Ivan Ramis had a Wigan debut to forget as he was outwitted by Hazard for both of Chelsea's goals.
Chelsea's joint-biggest away win in the Premier League came at the DW Stadium almost two years ago to the day, and their fast start had many wondering if another drubbing was on the cards.
With just two minutes on the clock Hazard turned in the centre circle and rolled a ball into the path of Branislav Ivanovic's galloping run. The Serb defender charged into the area and coolly finished past goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi.
Ivanovic was allowed to play in his club's opener despite getting sent off in last weekend's Community Shield due to that showpiece no longer being classified as a first-team match by the FA, and Chelsea reaped the rewards of that administrative adjustment.
Ramis was the player Hazard spun around before setting up Ivanovic's opener, and the Spaniard was again undone by the Chelsea man's poise and skill after five minutes when he tripped the Belgian inside the area to concede a clear penalty.
Frank Lampard hammered his strike from 12 yards low and underneath Al Habsi's dive to register a seventh goal on the opening day of a season in his career, one behind Alan shearer's Premier League record of eight.
After that early blitz, Wigan began to see more of the ball but they were unable to fashion many chances. The home side felt they should have had a penalty when Petr Cech appeared to catch the ball just outside the area, but none of the officials were sure enough to penalise the Chelsea keeper.
Victor Moses, reportedly a target for Chelsea, tested Cech with a well-struck effort from a wide angle that the keeper met with strong hands, but the Czech should have been beaten in first-half injury time. Maynor Figueroa played Franco Di Santo through on goal, but the former Chelsea striker's hesitation was costly as Cech and David Luiz combined to deny the forward.
For all the attacking talent Chelsea now have on their books, Fernando Torres is the only out-and-out striker at their disposal, but the Euro 2012 golden boot winner was unable to open his account for the season. He came close to scoring after showing great strength to battle his way into the area and trickle to ball past Al Habsi, but Ramis was on hand to clear it off the line.
Both Oscar and Wigan's new striker Arouna Kone looked lively after they were both introduced midway through the second half. Brazilian attacker Oscar fired wide with a low shot from range while Kone enjoyed lots of good interplay with fellow substitute Jordi Gomez, who fired a spectacular overhead kick off target with five minutes of the 90 remaining.
Individual errors from Ashley Cole and Cech could have proved costly on another day, but Wigan were unable to capitalise and Chelsea sealed their 12th win in 15 league meetings against the Latics.
Premier League leaders Chelsea came from behind to beat Blackburn 2-1 in a pulsating encounter at Ewood Park, Branislav Ivanovic's late header the difference between the sides.
Benjani headed Rovers in front in the 21st minute to stun the visitors but six minutes before the break Carlo Ancelotti's side were back level thanks to Nicolas Anelka's close-range finish.
Both sides traded chances in a second half full of energy and endeavour, but it was Chelsea who were the more clinical as a galling miss from substitute Jason Roberts was immediately followed by a fine finish from Ivanovic six minutes from time.
A minute's silence was impeccably observed in remembrance of former England and Blackburn Rovers captain Ronnie Clayton, who died earlier this week at the age of 76, and a vociferous atmosphere followed it at kick-off.
Rovers boss Sam Allardyce welcomed back Christopher Samba and Ryan Nelsen in defence, while Alex returned for the visitors after missing the win over Wolves with a thigh strain and Ivanovic was preferred to Jose Bosingwa at right-back.
Chelsea began the game the brighter, and the visitors could have been in front inside seven minutes had an unmarked Didier Drogba not mistimed his leap after a sublime delivery was whipped over by Ivanovic from out on the right.
Two minutes later Blackburn had a golden opportunity to net the opener: Brett Emerton raced clear beyond Alex, but the Australian lacked conviction and dallied on the ball to allow the defender to make a timely intervention.
Petr Cech then came into his own with two stunning saves in as many minutes. The first of them spared the goalkeeper's blushes after he slipped before managing to tip Mame Diouf's tantalising effort wide. The 28-year-old followed that with a fine reflex block to deny Benjani after the forward had hurtled through on goal.
Chelsea had gone 301 minutes without conceding a Premier League goal when they failed to clear a corner and El-Hadji Diouf dinked a delightful delivery back into the box for Benjani to rise and beat Cech with a precise header.
Gael Givet sustained an ankle injury following a clash with Drogba midway through the first half, and his replacement Martin Olsson was partly culpable for Chelsea's equaliser in the 39th minute. The visitors produced a sweeping move as a long ball from Cech was taken down by Malouda, whose raking diagonal pass was headed into the path of Anelka by Drogba - and the Frenchman duly finished with aplomb from 12 yards.
The injured Benjani was replaced by Roberts at the break. A very scrappy opening to the second half followed as both sides failed to settle into their rhythm.
Fabio Capello sat alongside Blackburn chairman John Williams for the second half, and the England boss would have been more impressed with Phil Jones's robust challenges in midfield than the fluidity of either side's play.
But Chelsea sprung into action on the hour mark as Michael Essien found Yuri Zhirkov, who hurtled into the Blackburn box from the left and fired a low, fizzing shot towards the near corner of the net only for Paul Robinson to parry the ball wide superbly.
Two minutes later Mame Diouf inexplicably failed to turn the ball into the net at the back post as the midfielder latched on to Morten Gamst Pedersen's exquisite delivery from the left - deflecting the ball wide with Cech stranded.
Ancelotti introduced Daniel Sturridge at the expense of Malouda late on, but it was at the other end that the best chance fell late on: Mame Diouf picked out Roberts with an unerring delivery, but somehow the forward fired wide with just Cech to beat.
Chelsea made Roberts and Blackburn pay for such profligacy as Ivanovic ghosted in at the back post to head past Robinson from Zhirkov's dinked delivery out on the left, and the finish was clinical.
The three points see Ancelotti's side assume a five-point cushion at the top of the Premier League table, as Arsenal moved second with a win while Manchester City lost to Wolves.
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is fit to return for Wednesday's Premier League game at bottom club Portsmouth but defender Branislav Ivanovic will be sidelined for a month.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti also said Ashley Cole was back in light training after breaking his left ankle at Everton at the start of February and he expected the England defender to return to the first team before the end of the season.
Czech Republic keeper Cech has been out since he was carried off on a stretcher with a calf injury in the Champions League last-16 first leg match at Internazionale on February 24.
Third-choice keeper Ross Turnbull, who has played the last three games, will drop to the bench against Portsmouth. Ancelotti also said he expected second-choice Henrique Hilario to be fit again for Saturday's home game against Aston Villa.
Serbia defender Ivanovic, who has played at full-back for most of the season, limped off with knee ligament damage midway through Sunday's 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers.
"Ivanovic is an important player for us," Ancelotti said.
"He is out for one month but we hope to recover him before this period.
"Fortunately we have Yuri Zhirkov recovered so we can put Paulo Ferreira at right-back and Zhirkov at left-back."
Chelsea, who have 65 points from 30 matches, have a game in hand on Manchester United and can move within one point of the Premier League leaders by winning on Wednesday.
"The mood was not good after the Blackburn game because when we don't win we are disappointed," said Ancelotti, who believes a points tally of 86 will win the title.
"But we have a possibility to come back (strong) tomorrow."
