Punch Eto’o’s hat-trick sinks United JANUARY 20, 2014 BY AGENCY REPORTER Etoo Samuel Eto’o’s hat-trick saw Chelsea to a 3-1 win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday that piled pressure on the Premier League champions. This result left title-holders United 14 points adrift of leaders Arsenal with 16 league games of the season remaining and six off a place in the Champions League. Their seventh league loss this term also turned the spotlight back on David Moyes, the successor chosen by Alex Ferguson, British football’s most successful manager, to replace him following his retirement at the end of last season. “We did not deserve to be 2-0 down at half time,” Moyes told the BBC. “We had a little bit of bad luck with the first one (goal) but we can’t blame anyone else but ourselves for the other two. “We did not defend well enough and did not get a chance like Chelsea got to score, so we can only blame ourselves for that,” the Scot added. However, the former Everton manager insisted: “We will keep going. We showed a lot of good things today.” Victory left Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea within two points of Arsenal. “I think it is a big win and deserved, yes,” Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho told the BBC. “They (United) started better than us, they had a good initiative. “The second half was different. For 25-30 minutes we had very good control until we dropped back and they reacted with pride,” explained the Portuguese boss after his 100th Premier League win as a manager. “The second goal was the killer in the box I know from many years ago and it looks like Samuel Eto’o is coming back,” added Mourinho, who managed the forward when they were both at Inter Milan. Eto’o gave Chelsea a 17th minute lead when his shot from just outside the box deflected off Michael Carrick. The 32-year-old veteran Cameroon striker made it 2-0 on the stroke of half time when, following Gary Cahill’s centre, he smashed the ball home from six yards out. United, without injured strikers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, were 3-0 behind four minutes after the interval when more lax defending from a set-piece allowed Cahill a free header. His effort was blocked by United goalkeeper David de Gea but, barely a yard away, Eto’o reacted first and made no mistake as he become the first Chelsea player to score a hat-trick against United since Seamus O’Connell in 1954. Javier Hernandez, on as a substitute for Ashley Young, pulled a goal back 12 minutes from time. But that was as good as it got for United whose misery was compounded when captain Nemanja Vidic was sent off in stoppage time for a rash challenge on Eden Hazard, with Rafael de Silva then fortunate to escape a red card for an equally wild lunge on Cahill.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 07:58:16 +0000