MATCH REPORT: Etoo robs Hildebrand and grabs a second to leave the Blues on brink of knockout stages...Chelsea 3 - Schalke 0 Perhaps someone stirred the spirit of Peter Osgood, the legendary striker who died seven years ago and is interred beneath the penalty spot at the Shed End. Is Ossie back to help in a time of need? Certainly something is spooking out the goalkeepers in that penalty area. First there was Cardiffs David Marshall, who was robbed of the ball by Samuel Etoo as the goalkeeper bounced it and prepared to kick from his hands. Then there was Joe Harts rush of blood and communication breakdown, which presented Chelsea with a late win and cost the England goalkeeper his place in the Manchester City team. We can add to that list Timo Hildebrand, Schalke keeper and German international, who was also out-witted by Etoo. Chelsea had been misfiring for half an hour when Hildebrand rolled the ball out before him and casually surveyed the 21 other players on the pitch. Or at least he surveyed some of them. He failed to notice to Etoo, lurking to his right, crouching, sprung and ready to explode in a sprint for the ball if Hildebrand continued to dither. And dither he did. By the time the keeper had finally got around to swinging his boot at the ball, his kick merely slammed into Etoo and rebounded as if remote controlled into the net. With this turn of fortune, Chelsea were on their way to total control of Group E. A point in their next game in Basle will take them into the last 16 and any win from the final two games and they will top the group, thus cleansing the ignominy of this time last year, when they became the first champions to go out at the group stage. Even Roman Abramovich seemed satisfied as he strolled across the pitch and towards the dressing room after the game. Etoos strange goal had soothed the anxiety generated by defeat at Newcastle. A little of the pressure lifted from what had threatened to be an awkward fixture and poor Hildebrand became a figure of fun for the crowd to toy with for the rest of the evening. ‘Whooooooaaaaaaaaah,’ they would roar whenever the ball came into his orbit and at one point, full-back Atsuto Uchida actually ushered Etoo out of range as he threatened to ambush the goalkeeper again. Etoo pounced for the second, nine minutes after the break, this time a somewhat more orthodox and lethal finish - the type associated with this veteran centre forward - after neat footwork and an astute pass by Willian. Demba Ba added a third, seven minutes from time, and there were strong performances at the back from John Terry and Gary Cahill and a fine display in goal by Petr Cech, who made one crucial save low to his right from Julian Draxler with the score at 1-0. Demba Ba scored Chelseas third goal after a long ball from Gary Cahill and some neat passes on the edge of the Schalke box - click here for more in our match zone ‘My favourite players are the players who win matches for me, not the ones who lose matches for me,’ said Jose Mourinho. Having made six changes to avenge his fury after Newcastle, the manager needed a win. Frank Lampard, David Luiz, Ashley Cole and Juan Mata were all stuck on the bench, Fernando Torres was out injured - scans yesterday suggest he will be out for at least three weeks - and Eden Hazard sat behind the bench in his leather jacket. Hazard, who was in France on Sunday to watch his former club Lille beat Monaco, was late back and missed an important training session, according to Mourinho. This was his punishment. With Cole still struggling with the rib injury he first suffered in September, Cesar Azpilicueta deputised again at left back, as he did in Gelsenkirchen when Chelsea also won 3-0. Both teams had something to prove last night but the Londoners started sloppily and Schalke opened with greater intensity than they delivered in the first game. Draxler swept a shot narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area and then Adam Szalai, who engaged in a physical duel with Terry, was equally close to the same corner soon after. Chelsea seemed unable to match to the tempo set by the visitors and unable to get playmaker Oscar onto the ball. Christian Fuchs darted in from the left and lashed a low drive across goal and wide on the other side. Schalke manager Jens Keller spun on the spot in frustration. He had seen three good opportunities missed and must have realised Mourinhos team would solve their problems. Perhaps he had a feeling mistakes were lurking in his own side. Azpilicueta caught Draxler in possession deep in his own territory and drew the foul. Draxler was booked and Andre Schurrle whipped the free-kick towards the top corner, only to see it pawed away by Hildebrand, who was then caught out by Etoo. The striker looks much sharper than when he first arrived from Anzhi Makhachkala in August and he ran straight to his manager to celebrate and Mourinho seemed keen to take some of the credit as they shared a joke. ‘It was not a surprise for me that he arrived here not in the best condition after two years in Anzhi,’ said Mourinho. Now, step by step, hes growing. Hes 32, but fit and slim. Not a heavy boy. Hes intelligent of course. Goals give confidence. The first one was a “fox” goal. The second goal was a very good collective goal: Willians choice was fantastic, Ramires run to give him an extra option was fantastic, and Samuels movement was excellent.’ Two substitutes combined for the third with a pass from Lampard to Ba who converted it with a smart volley. It was his first goal since the FA Cup semi-final in April. If the strikers are going to start scoring goals, Ossie can rest again. MATCH FACTS Chelsea *(4-2-3-1): Cech 6, Ivanovic 6, Azpilicueta 6, Mikel 6, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Willian 7, Ramires 8, Etoo 7 (Ba 77), Oscar 6 (Lampard 81), Schürrle 7 (De Bruyne 78) Manager: Mourinho 7 Subs not used: Cole, Luiz, Mata, Schwarzer Goals: Etoo 31, 54, Ba 83 Schalke (4-2-3-1): Hildebrand 5, Uchida 6, Aogo 6, Neustädter 7, Höwedes 6, Matip 6, Draxler 6 (Clemens 62, 6), Jones 7, Szalai 6, Boateng 6 (Kolasinac 77), Fuchs 6 (Meyer 67) Manager: Keller 6 Subs not used: Fährmann, Hoogland, Santana, Ayhan Booked: Draxler, Uchida, Jones Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen 6 Man of the match: Ramires Attendance: 40,000 STAMFORD BRIDGE MATCH ZONE With Ashley Cole still feeling his rib injury and left on the bench by Jose Mourinho last night, Southampton’s 18-year-old Luke Shaw could receive a senior call-up for England on Thursday. Manager Roy Hodgson, who was watching at Stamford Bridge, will be announcing his squads for the friendlies at Wembley against Chile on November 15 and Germany four days later. Former Chelsea caretaker manager Rafa Benitez is ready to return to Stamford Bridge to sign right back Cesar Azpilicueta for Napoli. Azpilicueta played on the left against Schalke. Paulo Ferreira, one of Jose Mourinho’s first Chelsea disciples, received a big welcome at half-time. The Portugal defender retired this summer after nine fine years at Stamford Bridge. @GeneUS
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 01:36:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015