Chelsea-Sunderland: Chelsea’s Focus On Home Form Pays Off

Chelsea went into this one looking for their first win, in what will need to be a new home run and you’d have thought Sunderland would be a little more optimistic than they were last week.

As it turned out though, much to Roy Keane’s annoyance, his side didn’t have much to offer.

Chelsea had some frustrating moments here and there, but made the best of their stuttering start, and could’ve made the breakthrough with a stunning Deco shot, if the bar hadn’t got in the way.

Credit to Chelsea for plugging away though, because they were about to have a 30 minute spell during which they’d score five goals.

The first one came after a lovely bit of footwork from the often missed Joe Cole, who’s drive went under the keeper for Alex to pop in Chelsea’s landmark goal. The second, which also should have gone to Alex, started with a lovely ball from Deco on the edge of the area, followed by great awareness by Frank Lampard to set up Nicolas Anelka.

 

However, the ball had come off Alex and was clearly going in although a clearly offside Anelka decided to risk the decision and nick it on the line anyway. Obviously a striker’s instinct but a bit unfair on Alex, who’d been causing Sunderland all sorts of problems as the extra man in the box.

 

Just after the half-hour mark, the unfortunate new rule that requires Chelsea to have at least one player go off injured each game, came into play when Ashley Cole was replaced by Wayne Bridge. We’re so used to it now that we just carried on regardless.

 

Deco, who looked like he’s getting there in terms of fitness again, has such a great understanding with Frank Lampard and their link up play at times was a pleasure to watch. Joe Cole gave Chelsea an added dimension in attack, and after he’d gone off again mid-week, gave us a lot more quality in his 70 minute spell than I could’ve hoped for.

 

Sunderland seemed happy to sit back with ten men behind the ball ,while Chelsea were stringing the passes together patiently waiting for the next goal, which came as Lampard fizzed the ball in to Malouda, with Anelka in a better position, unselfishly settled for assisting Anelka’s second just on half-time.

 

The second half just carried on from the first really, except Roy Keane was now watching from the stands having been sent off for daring to question the official’s eyesight during the break.

 

Keane had every right to question a decision about our second goal, although I think even without it, it was clear we were always going to win the game comfortably, not that the home crowd appeared to notice, because at this time I thought they were a right let down—too busy eating their prawn sandwiches to worry about making a noise eh Roy?

 

Lampard got Chelsea’s fourth, and his 100th, five minutes after the break, and any concerns I’d expressed about us not being creative enough to break teams down at home seemed a bit of a nonsense.

 

Anelka, who’d looked a lot more lively in this game, completed his hat-trick two minutes later with a ball that definitely wiped its feet as it looped over the keeper, and Chelsea’s goal rout was complete.

 

It’s fair to say Chelsea definitely took their foot off the pedal at that stage, and I’m sure with 25 minutes still to play, Scolari would’ve been expecting even more goals, but with Roma coming up mid-week, I won’t be quite so critical of their decision to take it easy.

 

All in all, a good enough performance where Chelsea didn’t need to get out of second gear against a poor Sunderland side, and yet were still able to put five goals in the back of the net as well as demonstrate the odd bit of exhibition stuff to boot.

 

Keane, who’d left both Cisse and Diouf on the bench, amid rumours that he’d fallen out with the pair of them, might need to ask himself whether it was really worth cutting off his nose to spite his face.

 

After the game, the Sunderland manager said: “We were outclassed by a top, top team. When you’re losing 5-0 and Didier Drogba comes on you know you’re in trouble.”

 

More amusingly, the manager who seems to have an unusual amount of respect for the team everyone else loves to hate stated: “I had a really good view for the second half though.”