BlueLion.

In the long term, we can only really say that two or three youngsters will make the grade - we have some talented youngsters, like van Aanholt, but even he is unlikely to be given much of a future at the club. McEachran, Clifford and Bruma at this moment are probably the three players who are most likely to make the grade. Either way, those three have the potential to be good players indeed.

Shooting Fabregas was the most joyous feeling I've ever experienced.

Seeing Ramires perform as he is doing now gives me a huge sense of 'I told you so,' although I once also said Shevchenko would score 25 goals a season for us with ease

Arsenal will finish third in the end, and we shall laugh at them.

I'm not bothered about scoring three goals or otherwise, I'm bothered about winning. I'll happily take 1-0.

Hugely disappointing if true.

lmao! That was for not using coherent English

He's got himself yet another yellow card as well... one more and its a two-game suspension!

http://www.talkchelsea.net/birmingham-date-confirmed.html Following this weekend’s Carling Cup final on February 27th; a day where Chelsea were scheduled to play Birmingham at Stamford Bridge, the Premier League clash between the two sides has been rescheduled. The game will now take place on Wednesday 20 April, 2011, and will be sandwiched by a trip to West Brom the previous Saturday and a second successive home match – this time against Avram Grant’s West Ham. This makes April a make-or-break month for the champions, who now face the League Cup winners as well as Man City and Tottenham – though Chelsea fans can take solace that all of these games will be played at Stamford Bridge. With two Champions League quarter-final ties likely to be added to the month, April may well prove to be as season-defining a period as our run of just two wins in twelve towards the close of 2010. You can follow the Birmingham game in the TalkChelsea.net matchday threads! 

Even the Guardian failed to mention Torres' goal-that-wasn't, and failed to acknowledge it only took five cynical and blatant fouls before Vidic got a second yellow.

The Guardian's player ratings: Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/01/chelsea-manchester-united-player-ratings

Vidic sent off again after playing against Torres

Wankably happy.

Thanks for reading guys. Milan, your legend status might well be appearing in the end of season awards

Ancelotti bent Ferguson over and gave him a good dose of tactical rape this evening.

Some of you are either the harbingers or doom or wearing blue-tinted beer goggles. Cech - 6 - had very little to do. Wasn't going to save Rooney's effort, but he did everything else with conviction and without too much trouble. Ivanovic - 5 - I thought he had an off game, to be honest. Difficult circumstances for him though playing against such blinding pace and trickery, and he is getting reacquainted with the right-back role. Terry - 7 - he was exposed on a number of occasions, but he was commanding in the air and led from the back. Luiz - 7 - let's be realistic - he was very, very good, but he is a defender first and foremost. A wonderful goal, but he scares the shit out of me with some of the chances he takes. A quality act nonetheless. Cole - 6 - a par performance from Cole; shame he didn't have any real shots considering his recent good form at hitting the target Essien - 7 - Essien is back, ladies and gentlemen. Ramires - 9 - a real gem of a player. And to think some of us doubted him at the start of the season. Our campaign for player of the year is currently between three men; Cech, Terry and Ramires. Lampard - 7 - as with Essien, Lampard stepped his game up today. And he did that by doing the simple things; he was a threat form set-pieces and his passing was crisp and accurate. Malouda - 5 - a frustrating performance, considering he got himself into a few decent positions for a cross or shot. Might have scored early on as well - an improvement in an attacking ense nonetheless. Anelka - 6 - good movement, but he looked a little leggy. Torres - 6 - as with Anelka, he was let down by service from out wide, but his 'goal' was sublime. He's slowly getting there - as soon as one goes in, the proverbial avalanche begins Drogba, Zhirkov - 7 - both helped turn the game. Drogba looked seriously up for it.

If we lose to Blackpool on Monday after this, I'll kill myself

Why I'm happy: Rooney has still never won at Stamford BridgeFerguson's bitter response has made this victory feel even sweeterI won money on a successful bet Luiz would score a goal before TorresWin our game in hand and we're thirdWe could be nine points behind United with a game in hand by the end of Monday, should we beat Blackpool and Liverpool beat them.Arsenal are only six points aheadTottenham are cunts, and are back where they belong (Europa League!) Birmingham won the Carling Cup, LOL at Arsenal.Rooney is a cuntMy lucky shirt is still lucky

Thanks for reading and commenting, rep for you all! I'm particularly proud of this piece. I though for once rather than offer a diplomatic view, I'd lay into that purple-nosed bastard!

Match report is up - If you enjoy Sir Alex Ferguson being slagged off, I recommend you give it a read. Purple-nosed cunt.

Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United FA Premier League - Tuesday 1 March 2011 - Stamford Bridge David Luiz and Frank Lampard scored as Chelsea came from behind to achieve a famous victory over Premier League leaders Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. In a pulsating encounter that will no doubt prove a wonderful advertisement for Premier League football as well as a huge turning point in the title race, Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea side demonstrated the same balance of grit, determination and flair that saw them win the Double last term - leaving purple-nosed Sir Alex Ferguson fuming at the final whistle. Wayne Rooney fired the visitors ahead in stunning fashion after half an hour to demonstrate their intent - to achieve what may well prove to be their 19th domestic title - but a Chelsea response that was led by a brilliant first Chelsea goal by defending David Luiz, who smashed home a sumptuous volley ten minutes into the second half, defined the stuff of true champions as the Blues recorded a famous victory. Yury Zhirkov and Didier Drogba soon entered the fray and turned the screw; Drogba's fire and commitment galvanising the home support, whilst Zhirkov earned the game-winning penalty with twelve minutes remaining after he was cynically hacked down inside the area. Chelsea might have extended their lead as the game drew to a thrilling, end-to-end conclusion; but whilst Petr Cech saved well from Fabio da Silva, Zhirkov saw a wicked drive turned onto the post by Vidic's thigh before Essien was denied at the death. And a sending off for United's Serbian captain curtailed United, who were consigned to just their second league defeat this term. In an encounter that will no doubt be named the 'Battle of Stamford Bridge,' there was little between the two teams - but Chelsea looked nothing like a side fifteen points behind their rivals at the start of play. Ancelotti's men performed the better; they showed greater desire, commitment and passion, and on a night decided by clinical finishing, it was fitting that Frank Lampard should dispatch his 78th minute penalty which such aplomb; particularly on the anniversary of Peter Osgood's death. The King's radiance permeated through the Stamford Bridge turf, and whilst a swashbuckling opening ten minutes was somewhat muted by a lacklustre Chelsea showing leading up to the break, there can be no denying the Blues' attacking endeavours saw them warrant a victory that has massive implications for the title race. Arsenal fans will celebrate this inadvertent favour from their London rivals, but with third place achievable with a victory in the Blues' game in hand over Manchester City, faint hopes of Premier League glory should neither be abandoned nor enhanced by a single triumph over Sir Alex's charges. A simply magnificent game, United were restricted by an excellent Chelsea rearguard - and indeed the visitors should have found themselves behind early on when Torres expertly dispatched a volley into the top corner. Unfortunately, pushing inside the area cut celebrations short, and Stamford Bridge's fervent atmosphere was muted when Rooney gave the visitors a deserved half-time lead when he lethally fired past Cech from range. That goal came as a result of lackadaisical and haphazard Chelsea defending - ironic considering the rock-solid nature of the Blues' backline for most of the game. Such a mistake would not be made again; with United's next best opportunities a brace of Rooney efforts well wide of the far post and a Fabio effort bundled away by Petr Cech. A similar story was brewing at the opposite end, as positive attacking intent was let down by a lack of incision at crucial moments. Yet somehow van der Sar maintained United's slender advantage when he pulled off a miraculous triple save to stop both Ivanovic and Torres from bundling the ball home to restore parity. But a second half performance that demonstrated exactly why Chelsea are champions saw the Blues win over doubting supporters again. To a man, Chelsea were fantastic, and backed by a crowd buoyed by Luiz's superb equaliser after a superb flick-on by Ivanovic, there was no doubting Chelsea were the side looking for the three points the most. That target was achieved when Zhirkov's burst into the box resulted in a controversial decision by referee Martin Atkinson, especially after David Luiz had escaped retribution when he should have been given a second yellow card. Instead, Lampard lashed home the spot-kick to send Stamford Bridge into raptures and to rile Sir Alex and send his nose a slightly darker shade of violet. A wholly predictable response from Ferguson came after an admittedly controversial penalty kick won by Yury Zhirkov allowed Lampard to duly dispatch his seventh goal of an injury-beset season and seal a memorable and pivotal victory for the champions. Ferguson berated the officials and his opponents, claiming "that Chelsea aren't out of the title race if they keep getting decisions like that," before going on to cite how his team were "hard done-by." Even an absolute neutral would find it difficult to keep a straight face in the wake of a statement that was smothered with such cheek, bias and audacity. Of course, it would be foolish to think Sir Alex would acknowledge blatant hard luck against the defending champions - a Torres goal ruled out for alleged pushing in the box must have came at a point where the United manager's glasses had steamed up after getting a little hot under the collar; especially since they are without both senior centre backs for their trip to Anfield on Sunday. With Nemanja Vidic's ultimate dismissal, five cynical fouls must have escaped his attention, as Ferguson demonstrated his best Arsene Wenger impression - clearly he didn't see it. A frank assessment can be drawn from the pattern of the match - United had the better of the first half, and Chelsea dominated after the interval. The hosts by far had the better of the opportunities, and only a combination of luck, wonderful goalkeeping by veteran stopper Edwin van der Sar and the width of a post kept the score respectable for the team many expect to win the Premier League title this season. What was not respectable, however, was Ferguson's response. In fact, it was down-right rude, and such immature and spiteful comments were smeared in a thick layer of trademark Ferguson hypocrisy. Maybe Sir Alex was a little furious that in the wake of a match dominated by the thuggery of Wayne Rooney for a disgusting elbow on Wigan's James McCarthy and the latest in a long line of Ashley Cole wrongdoings, he was outdone by Chelsea's Italian tactician - Carlo Ancelotti. Or perhaps he was simply fearful that Chelsea - a side supposedly out of the title race - still cling to a microcosm of hope that they may make up a defecit which may be reduced to nine points should they win their upcoming game-in-hand against Birmingham. Further hope can be drawn from the need for United to visit the Emirates, as well as Anfield on Sunday - meaning that a crunch game at Old Trafford in May could possibly see Chelsea harbouring faint title hopes and thus representing something of a respectable defence of their Premier League title. Pragmatic thinker or otherwise, it does not take an advanced knowledge of mathematics to realise thoughts suggesting the title is not yet out of reach may still bear some truth to them. However, realistically thinking - let's just be glad in knowing we have wrestled fourth place back from Tottenham - and further evidence of a Chelsea revival of sorts can be drawn from the romantic thought of third place being just a single win away. The title remains an improbability, but in a game where hope and expectation are often amalgamated in a blur created by blind faith, it would be premature to think Chelsea are out of the race, yet also nothing more than wishful thinking to say they may wrestle the trophy from the prying hands of Ferguson and Wenger. A proverbial two fingers in the faces of Messrs Redknapp and Mancini seems a more achievable target - but whilst we believe, we can still dream. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz (Bosingwa 80), Terry ©, Cole; Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Malouda (Zhirkov 70); Anelka (Drogba 60), Torres. Man United (4-4-1-1): Van der Sar; O'Shea, Smalling, Vidic ©, Evra (Fabio 80); Fletcher, Carrick, Scholes (Giggs 70), Nani; Rooney; Hernandez (Berbatov 70). The TalkChelsea.net man of the match was Chelsea's number 7, Ramires.

Absolutely. Let's not forget the incredible luck they had in the first half with the triple save van der Sar made. We could have won 5-1 tonight, but that matters not one bit - sleep well knowing the champions played the best, and won. Pint of vodka and a pound of charlie to celebrate!!!

I put a cheeky pound on him to score his first CFC goal before Torres at 17/1... Neither am I mate, just think its incredibly harsh to say he had a poor game when his movement was once again first-rate. That first goal is moments away. FUCKING DAMN RIGHT.

Considering your views on certain footballers, as well as this ridiculous sentiment, I am glad to say you are not part of Chelsea's coaching staff.

Turned down penalty appeals. Red card. Hard done by the referee? About time United fans suffered that, CUNTS. I'm so happy I think I popped a boner when Luiz scored xD