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Chelsea cantered to a convincing victory at the Causeway Stadium tonight with Carlton Cole impressing in the first hour and Jir
Jaro?ik scoring twice late on.
The game started with an emotional minute’s silence to respect and mourn the dead and injured in last Thursday’s bomb atrocities
in London. Chelsea had walked out with Terry and Lampard parading the Premiership trophy.
The team kicked off in the 4-3-3 shape of last season: Gudjohnsen continuing his midfield role but on the left of the three, with
Grant holding and Jaro?ik on the right. It was Grant’s first start in a first team shirt and he won some tackles early on and
delivered the first shot of the season which he screwed wide from outside the area.
Up front Carlton Cole led the line. At left-back Del Horno was full of hand signals in the first few minutes to express how he was
trying to play, and curled in one dangerous cross.
Gudjohnsen had a free-kick alertly held by goalkeeper Talia after ten minutes and then should have scored when set up by Carlton
Cole and Duff, but lacked sharpness in chipping the goalkeeper.
The most dramatic action came at the other end when a Nuno Morais error allowed Nathan Tyson through on goal and his powerful drive
was brilliantly held by Cudicini diving low to his left.
Chelsea created chances despite the lack of more than a week’s work: Gudjohnsen belted a Duff cross and Talia saved exceptionally
well, diving to his left, and then Del Horno headed wide when well placed.
Midway through the first-half when the ball went out of play referee Paul Taylor stopped play for a water break. Have you ever seen
that before? How sensible!
The lead was grabbed after 29 minutes, Duff taking Carlton Cole’s square pass and from the left driving low and hard across Talia,
the goalkeeper getting his arm to the ball but not stopping it.
Three minutes later Cole pounced himself when his own header bounced off the bar and Gudjohnsen headed it down to him, and he
volleyed home.
At half-time Jos Mourinho handed out a number of congratulatory slaps, most notably to Gudjohnsen and Carlton Cole. His team had
had six shots on target and nine corners.
The second-half kicked off with Cech in goal, Johnson shifting to centre-back and Ferriera, Gallas and Jonas Elmer all coming on. In
midfield Tiago replaced Grant, and Lampard came on for Gudjohnsen, and in attack Robben swapped with Duff. The two Coles and Jaro?ik
stayed on, the latter performing the midfield holding role.
Carlton Cole quickly set up Joe who sliced wide the easiest chance of the game, and then the England midfielder weaved his way to
the by-line and scooped a cross over the keeper but it was cleared from the line.
Next Jaro?ik blasted a volley from outside the area that brought the best out of the flying Talia once more. Once again there had
been good approach play by Carlton Cole.
Wycombe made a couple of substitutions ten minutes into the half and one of them, Charlie Griffin who had replaced Tommy Mooney,
rose impressively and headed in a left-wing cross. But a minute later Robben raced through alone from Tiago’s pass to sweep the
ball past Talia for the third.
Filipe Morais immediately replaced a tired looking Carlton Cole, taking up his normal right-wing position which meant that Joe Cole
switched to centre-forward. Six minutes later Watt went on for Johnson. Soon after a Lampard special from over 20 yards battered
Talia’s fists with ferocious movement. Then sloppy Wycombe play gifted the ball to Robben whose control was exemplary and shot spot
on, but Talia recovered to palm away.
The fourth goal was coming and it was blasted in by Jaro?ik after Robben had destroyed the right-back and crossed. Midway through
the half the final substitution was made, Phil Younghusband going on for Joe Cole.
With 14 minutes left Wycombe sent on former England midfielder Rob Lee. Morais was robbed of a possible goal when his volley from
Robben’s cross struck Lampard, but Cech had to make a diving save from Russell Martin on the edge of the area.
Robben continued to penetrate and create and looked in good nick. But it was Jaro?ik who claimed the fifth, an individual effort
which he achieved with a little luck and a lot of perseverance.
Compare this to the 1-1 draw after a week’s training with Oxford Utd one year ago, and things have started well.
by Neil Barnett |
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