QPR 1-0 Chelsea

[Blue Armour 4,165]

Hear, hear. Now that some of the anger has died down for me, I can really focus on the heroic performances of our veteran players. 9 men bossed the game for pretty much the entire 2nd half. I must applaud the grit and professionalism of these men. Normally, I am against remonstrating with the referee, but when egregious injustices are being committed left and right, I think it is perfectly fine to show indignation and outrage.

Yeah..wish Didier had kept also his head and at least stayed on the pitch...we could have got more than just a result for this game

[theoteho 6]

very dissapointing match yesterday... i hope chris foy know what he have done yesterday was wrong...

good point for avb with his 9 man tactical defending and attacking more than 1st half..really amazing tactic

luiz really good at the 2nd half he's just like a beast hungry of goals

[LDN Blue 7,903]

we are so bad in handling bad referees and their decision , once we get a Foy like referee , instead of playing it safe , harsh tackles are flying everywhere and we start complaining.

After the soft penalty on luiz was given to QPR we should have played it safe , and watched our tackles but IMO we are too naive in that area always giving referees opportunities to fuck us up .

Indeed. Looking back now, even though Foy was unbelievably harsh, we were still accountable for ill-disciplined play.

[Milan 17,835]

But Chelsea almost pulled off a remarkable second-half comeback. They countered their numerical disadvantage by condensing space with constant effort and endeavour and, amazingly, put QPR on the back foot. Chelsea gambled at every opportunity and Neil Warnock's men did not help themselves by making poor passing selections and getting caught in possession instead of working the ball calmly and making Chelsea chase from flank to flank.Petr Cech made only one crucial second-half safe.

Attacking intent André Villas-Boas positioned his team cleverly after they had been reduced to nine men. It was a gamble to leave so much space in behind, but QPR could not capitalise. Photograph: Graphic

David Luiz and John Terry took it in turns to surge forward and support Nicolas Anelka, who missed a great chance from Branislav Ivanovic's cross. It was hectic stuff but amid the mayhem the nine-man system deployed by André Villas-Boas shone. He left one up field in Anelka and as well as asking his two centre-backs to support him, also deployed Frank Lampard and Raul Meireles in semi-forward, narrow positions, reducing the distance between Chelsea's defence and attack. With Mikel John Obi shielding, Ivanovic and Ashley Cole were also allowed to play as semi-wingers, giving the visitors a refreshing attacking shape despite being down to nine players.

For 45 second-half minutes, this game felt like the last five minutes of a typical league match in which a team have to throw the kitchen sink at the opposition in order to get a goal. It was incredible that Chelsea came so close to snatching an equaliser, and in defeat their manager displayed shades of José Mourinho during his time at the club; that of a brave tactical transformer.

guardian.co.uk

[dodojojo 510]

Indeed. Looking back now, even though Foy was unbelievably harsh, we were still accountable for ill-disciplined play.

And having a very flat start and generally looking less than threatening even when we had 11 men on the pitch. As great was the fight in the 2nd half, Chelsea have no one to blame but themselves before Boswinga was sent off (the one egregiously bad decision we can lay at Foy's door). The 2nd red just made it mission impossible.

Chelsea lost their heads in the first half and even a brilliant spirited 2nd half couldn't overcome it.

[Kez 2,727]

My thoughts on this game have probably already been shared by other members. Ref was a disgrace, Bos should never have been sent off, Drogba cannot complain with that, but you have to question what on earth was going on through his head when his team are down to 10 to go in 2 footed on someone. Stupidity at it's best.

Luiz made some very very clumsy tackles, stupid to push the guy in the back in the box he's obviously going to look for the pen, we were lucky to finish the game with even 9 men because Luiz was very close to getting sent off. The ref just looked to want to book every single one of our players his decisions were so unfair and surely we should of had a penalty as well for something similar on Luiz. He made it obvious he was favouring QPR in his decisions.

Aside from the ref we were the better team in the second half with 9 men, had we had all men on the field we'd of battered them. So close to getting the equaliser. There was no shame in how we performed in the second half.

Bring on April so we can send the fuckers down!

Also fair play to AVB. Legend.

[manpe 10,855]

Seeing the second half fills me with confidence... AVB strikes me as a man with a plan, he even has a working plan for 9 v 11. The slow start to first half was nothing special, we are known as a 2nd half team and I'm sure with 11 players we would have won.. their 1-0 lead shouldn't have even been, since there was a foul on Luiz before going into the box, and even then that fucker dived and that was a really soft call. Should've been a yellow card to the dive fucker, and in all honesty to Luiz too for the later dive.

Bosingwa, not a red in a million years. Free-kick max for pulling SWP's shorts, but there is no way ref could've seen that unless it was the linesman staring at SWP's balls.

Drogba is a real bitch, going all Rooney again a la Torres... and then has the right to hush Mikel. Drogs is supposed to be a BEAST. At least we have Torres back now, not gonna miss him much anyway tbh the way he's been playing. But in that game it was a really reckless thing to do, at least one call that the ref got spot on.

Oh and Lampard, what a man. He ran his socks off, a real super effort. The same goes to Cole and Luiz. After Anelka missed his header, Lampard clearly showed his frustration by kicking the post and once when he headed wide he was visibly annoyed with himself. A real legend with pure passion, he as a true blue and a club legend didn't want to lose to those dirty fucks and you could see it. The english boys will be really blood thirsty in the home fixture. I can see Lampsy running them ragged next time.

And Luiz, what a man. That wasn't a penalty and he really was full of anger and dedication. Take note Drogba, you vent your anger in the game by giving everything, not earning pointless reds and not fighting with everyone.

Man of the match from Chelsea's side, for me, was Super Frank.

[bluephoenix 1,125]

He was injured.

grrrrr online streaming !!

[Dylan_91 90]

If im being honest the ref wasn't as bad as everyone says he was. Every single decision was 50/50 (apart from Drogbas sending off). Bosingwa probably should have been sent off considering johnny evans was sent off for something similar against city, and before anybody says terry was gonna get back, he wasnt. He was behind the play and SWP is too fast for him. It just wasn't our day but to say the ref is a disgrace is kinda stupid. Every decision was arguably correct. If it was the other way round i think everyone on here would be praising the ref. Sorry

[Ray. 217]

I think we could have and should have picked up a point yesterday. Very impressed with the way we performed when we were down to 9 men, that just showed how we were the better team.

[Shak 22]

Bosingwa probably should have been sent off considering johnny evans was sent off for something similar against city

Bosingwa made a fair challenge. There was a bit of pushing and pulling from both SWP and Bosingwa..and both of them fell at the same time...the ref didn't even see it clearly..so i dont know how he gave a red card. It should have been a free-kick and a yellow card, nothing more.

[Dylan_91 90]

Bosingwa made a fair challenge. There was a bit of pushing and pulling from both SWP and Bosingwa..and both of them fell at the same time...the ref didn't even see it clearly..so i dont know how he gave a red card. It should have been a free-kick and a yellow card, nothing more.

So it was a fair challenge but should still have been a yellow card and a free kick? Doesn't make sense. Sorry but in my opinion swp pulled him slightly which happens all the time, however bosingwa stupidly pulled him over.

[manpe 10,855]

Bos pulled his shorts, that's automatically a foul... not a red card though

[Wxgba 306]

After some careful consideration, I've come to the conclusion that, although I was raging at the time, Bosingwa's red is justifiable. Foy may have been lacking some common sense sending him off, but he was refereeing to the rulebook all day long. Well, at least when it concerned us he did. Wright-Phillips was through on goal, and would have been able to produce a shot on goal had Bos not hauled him down, therefore denying him a goalscoring opportunity. Seeing Cech's positioning, it would have been difficult for SWP to score, but the decisions aren't made on the likelihood of scoring per se.

When down to ten men, and even nine, we were still, by far, the better side. We were unlucky to come away from the game with nothing. On another day, we'd have hit about five or six against them, because they were woeful at best. Although they entered the top-half after the game on Sunday, there's no way they'll be there come the end of the season. They'll be in, or around, the relegation zone. A poor side, with a bunch of overpaid, erratic and controversial players. That only leads to one thing... disaster.

Enough of QPR anyway, that's done with now. Bring on Arsenal.

[francozola 2,040]

If im being honest the ref wasn't as bad as everyone says he was. Every single decision was 50/50 (apart from Drogbas sending off). Bosingwa probably should have been sent off considering johnny evans was sent off for something similar against city, and before anybody says terry was gonna get back, he wasnt. He was behind the play and SWP is too fast for him. It just wasn't our day but to say the ref is a disgrace is kinda stupid. Every decision was arguably correct. If it was the other way round i think everyone on here would be praising the ref. Sorry

Yes I agree that every decision that he gave was 50/50. I can see why he gave the QPR pen and Bos red even if I don't agree with either. But at least I can see why he gave them. But what about the decisions that he didn't give? I.E. our 3 penalty appeals? Luiz's was a stonewall pen. And Lamps' should have been a penalty too. Where's the fucking consistency?

[Dylan_91 90]

Bos pulled his shorts, that's automatically a foul... not a red card though

So was Johnny Evans not a sending off then because he only pulled his shirt? He was last man it had to be a sending off no matter what type of foul it was.

[Dylan_91 90]

Yes I agree that every decision that he gave was 50/50. I can see why he gave the QPR pen and Bos red even if I don't agree with either. But at least I can see why he gave them. But what about the decisions that he didn't give? I.E. our 3 penalty appeals? Luiz's was a stonewall pen. And Lamps' should have been a penalty too. Where's the fucking consistency?

I agree that they could have been pens but are very rarely given. Luiz's foul was much easier to see and more blatant and was therefore given. If every shirt pull in the box was given there'd be 10 pens every game. Thats what i mean by 50/50 sometimes theyre given, sometimes theyre not but we need to stop calling the ref a disgrace and accept it. we've had games like this where everythings gone our way and nobody goes mad at the ref then do they? Im just being honest unlike most people here

[manpe 10,855]

So was Johnny Evans not a sending off then because he only pulled his shirt? He was last man it had to be a sending off no matter what type of foul it was.

Haven't seen Evans's sending off. Terry was there to cover... although in retrospect it was a 50/50 call, still think the penalty and the red for Bosingwa were too soft (although by the rulebook it was a red if you don't consider Terry to be covering). Fair enough, let him do it, but do it for both teams ffs... he was biased towards QPR. And like AVB said, many of the small decision went against us also, not only the big decisions. He was biased beyond belief, totally controlled by the home crowd.