Closed Chelsea 5-4 Manchester United (AET)

[manpe 10,861]

It only went to ET because of pretty stupid mistakes, their first 2 goals should have never happened. Even the commentators were saying, "Chelsea will not believe how they're down in this game" it also didn't help we kept missing chances, but some of those players had not played in a while so can't really blame them.

In the end they all gave it their all and made sure we didn't lose 2 in a row to Man utd, and for that alone, i'm happy.

Also championship team is pretty harsh on the United 11, except from the defenders, that team could challenge for a Europa League place. Just look at their strikers alone, certainly better than what most teams have.

That's what's worrying, it's become a norm for us to concede from stupid mistakes. Teams don't often picklock us when we are properly organized, we just hand them the opportunities on a silver plate. We lose our shape or heads in random situations.

It's probably a side effect of the philosophical transition, we can't expect our team to be amazing offensively while maintaing defensive integrity. It's frustrating but we will be relying on outscoring our opponents much more now than before. As long as we do that and points roll our way, I'm happy. But there will be periods when results won't be pretty, and we need to keep straight heads.

[Rambo 1,729]

Rambo kissing the badge..true blue!

[Reddish-Blue 2,509]

And guys open your eyes, Luiz is not good enough, he was awful again tonight, so many mistakes., when is he going to learn?

Also Sturridge was poor tonight, i don't care if he's not 100 percent fit, why is he still so fucking selfish?

As i stated earlier, that January transfer period when we bought Torres and Luiz was a total disaster.. we bought a striker who cant score, and a defender who cant defend... fucking great.

I thought Luiz was one of our better defenders in the opening games of this season. To be fair, our entire defence has been shocking since the Spurs game.

Maybe try Ivan in the centre with Cahill, & Azpi at RB?

[Henrique 9,133]

And guys open your eyes, Luiz is not good enough, he was awful again tonight, so many mistakes., when is he going to learn?

Also Sturridge was poor tonight, i don't care if he's not 100 percent fit, why is he still so fucking selfish?

As i stated earlier, that January transfer period when we bought Torres and Luiz was a total disaster.. we bought a striker who cant score, and a defender who cant defend... fucking great.

Sorry to be so downbeat, we won and i'm happy (even if it's against man united's second string team), but if we want to win the PL we have to sort this out.

Sturridge was good, and Luiz was also good.

Second goal was Cahill's fault, Luiz lost the ball in the middle of the field, and Cahill was unable to stop Hernandez. There was cover enough to stop United's player, but Cahill as usual react really slow.

Keep blaming Luiz, while our biggest problem in the defence is Cahill.

[Rambo 1,729]

What's with the Luiz bashing? Has he turned into Bosingwa 2.0? I really need those match links to see for myself lol

[Wxgba 306]

Was very impressed with Azpi. Yes, dodgy at times but that's expected. I like him. Has pace and can pass very well and looks pretty strong.

He's got a great cross on him as well. Imagine how good it would have been having him in the team when Drogba was here?

I thought Sturridge was decent today overall. People are just saying he had a bad game because of one selfish piece of play... Apart from that he led the line really well and got into great positions. His pass to Moses (which Victor unfortunately missed) was pretty sublime too.

Decent first start from Danny, I think he'll kick on from here.

Luiz... Uhhm. He had a horrible first half, but in the second half and extra time he looked a different player. Composed himself well, won a lot of headers and tackled well after half time. There's not much he could've done for the third goal, it was either him leaving it or taking Nani out for a penalty. It should've been stopped before.

Special mention to Anderson from United whom I thought was superb.

Oscar was also supreme in the double pivot, he is such a talent. I could see us playing Moses more often now because Oscar actually looks at home in the pivot.

Decent game, shouldn't have conceded four really... I hope this game and the few before enlightened to many how important JT is to us.

I agree with all your points. Sturridge is definitely a frustrating player to watch at times, but he's undoubtedly talented and can produce moments of magic. He grew in confidence as the game went on and started to lose his head during the latter stages as he was shooting from impractical angles and ranges. He wants to score goals though and he's eager to try and score which is refreshing. As selfish as some may think he is - I admit he can be at times - when he did get his head up and release the ball, he managed to create a few chances. Overall, I thought he played well considering it was his first start of the season.

As for Oscar, oh my... where do I begin? What a delight to watch. It was so refreshing to see him come on and take a more direct approach; running at players with pace. The same applies for Hazard, both of whom were exceptional when they were introduced. I was tempted to opt for Oscar as my man of the match but Moses just tipped it for me.

Moses was undoubtedly our best player in the first 45 - he was one of the few positives we could take out of the first half, for that matter. He's a natural winger that likes getting at players and likes running in behind. We've been desperate for such a long time it's really nice to see him revel out wide for us. With Hazard, Oscar and Mata all occupying the space in the middle of the pitch, it's good to see some width in our play from time to time. Thankfully, we have that now and that made a big difference today.

I don't think it was a great performance from us, by any stretch of the imagination, but courtesy of spirit and desire we managed to pull it back not once, not twice, but three times - credit to the players for not giving up and keeping on fighting. It paid dividends and now we look to be favourites for the cup.

KTBFFH.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Sturridge was good, and Luiz was also good.

Second goal was Cahill's fault, Luiz lost the ball in the middle of the field, and Cahill was unable to stop Hernandez. There was cover enough to stop United's player, but Cahill as usual react really slow.

Keep blaming Luiz, while our biggest problem in the defence is Cahill.

But Luiz should not be losing the ball there, if he hadn't we simply would not have conceded.

I don't see what Cahill did wrong, he was in his position but Chicarito had managed to get between him and Mikel, hard for him to do anything, except bring him down and get a red.

[bababoom 4,478]

Sturridge was good, and Luiz was also good.

Second goal was Cahill's fault, Luiz lost the ball in the middle of the field, and Cahill was unable to stop Hernandez. There was cover enough to stop United's player, but Cahill as usual react really slow.

Keep blaming Luiz, while our biggest problem in the defence is Cahill.

I know you're Brazilian and all, but you got to be fucking joking.

Luiz is a defender, why is he losing the ball in the middle of the field? Cahill was left by himself.

Our biggest problem in defence is Cahill? what the fuck? Luiz constantly makes mistakes, he has no self awareness, he makes rash decisions, and his positioning is poor.

Cahill might not be the most glamorous footballer, he doesn't have Luiz' hair, skills, or the funny personality, but you can bet he's a better DEFENDER.

[Henrique 9,133]

But Luiz should not be losing the ball there, if he hadn't we simply would not have conceded.

I don't see what Cahill did wrong, he was in his position but Chicarito had managed to get between him and Mikel, hard for him to do anything, except bring him down and get a red.

Cahill was too wide. I mean, Luiz had the ball, every player that has the ball can lose it, so Cahills position was not the best for this kind of situation. If you have a GK that will take a free kick, then one player stays in front of the goal to avoid a goal from long distances.

[Strike 7,492]

Sturridge was good, and Luiz was also good.

Second goal was Cahill's fault, Luiz lost the ball in the middle of the field, and Cahill was unable to stop Hernandez. There was cover enough to stop United's player, but Cahill as usual react really slow.

Keep blaming Luiz, while our biggest problem in the defence is Cahill.

that makes no sense. cahill was left for dead. he's not a super human to judge where chicharito is gonna run, cover him and cut out the pass. Luiz had a stinker. Period. People need to stop excusing Luiz for his mistakes. 2 years after signing on, you can't excuse elementary errors. classic example - rushing out from his defence line at the attacker - he did that 4-5 times during the game and won the ball just once - when Welbeck showed too much of the ball to Luiz. also, the nani goal was too easy for united. luiz and bertrand exploited with luiz chasing shadows again.he made 4-5 long passes yesterday and as far as i remember 1 went out for a throw in, 2 of them went to a red shirt with no chelsea player in sight. don't think any of the passes were completed. on top of that, he rushed out of defence again and got caught out. it has happened in 3 games this season. can't ignore the fact that luiz is ticking time bomb

cahill was solid yesterday. the best performer in defence hands down. Excellent tackle on Nani towards the end reminiscent of his tackle on Bale last season. capped his performance

[Joker10 946]

Sturridge completed 50/56 passes and was rarely displaced in possession, which is a huge contrast from our other striker. I am quite frustrated with how our attacks are destroyed because of our other striker poor touches and over dribbling.

[Henrique 9,133]

I know you're Brazilian and all, but you got to be fucking joking.

Luiz is a defender, why is he losing the ball in the middle of the field? Cahill was left by himself.

Our biggest problem in defence is Cahill? what the fuck? Luiz constantly makes mistakes, he has no self awareness, he makes rash decisions, and his positioning is poor.

Cahill might not be the most glamorous footballer, he doesn't have Luiz' hair, skills, or the funny personality, but you can bet he's a better DEFENDER.

I know you are english and all, but you must be joking, Cahill is avarage as a player and as a defender. The way Hernandez played with him before Nani scored the third goal was pathetic. Thats very common with Cahill.

Despite Luiz mistakes, I can bet without him our defence would be worst. Terry+Cahill is the worst combination when can have in the defence.

[Strike 7,492]

I know you are english and all, but you must be joking, Cahill is avarage as a player and as a defender. The way Hernandez played with him before Nani scored the third goal was pathetic. Thats very common with Cahill.

Despite Luiz mistakes, I can bet without him our defence would be worst. Terry+Cahill is the worst combination when can have in the defence.

while conveniently ignoring the fact that luiz was sidetracked like a headless chicken in the build-up to that goal... yes, cahill has made basic errors too but no excuse to vilify cahill and defend Luiz. Luiz has been MUCH worse than Cahill any way you look at it.

"Despite Luiz mistakes" - how many more mistakes can we watch him make? almost 2 years since he signed now. he's regarded as first-choice by RDM. no where near being a top defender

[Sheva. 5,373]

Cahill was too wide. I mean, Luiz had the ball, every player that has the ball can lose it, so Cahills position was not the best for this kind of situation. If you have a GK that will take a free kick, then one player stays in front of the goal to avoid a goal from long distances.

Watch it again and you will see Cahill was in his position while Mikel was going back to cover Luiz, but Luiz lost the ball before Mikel could even get back, so Hernandez just ran through - if Luiz was back there, it would not have happened.

[bababoom 4,478]

I know you are english and all, but you must be joking, Cahill is avarage as a player and as a defender. The way Hernandez played with him before Nani scored the third goal was pathetic. Thats very common with Cahill.

Despite Luiz mistakes, I can bet without him our defence would be worst. Terry+Cahill is the worst combination when can have in the defence.

Are you that blind you cant see Luiz' mistakes?

Can you explain this; how come Luiz makes the same mistakes even when he's paired with Terry?

In nearly every BIG game so far this season Luiz has made a mistake, whether it be his positioning, misjudging interceptions, overplaying, or just giving the ball away.

[Rmpr 8,977]

I think our defense system has to improve. We were the best defense in England early on. Since then, we conceded 2 vs Juve, 2 vs Spuds, 2 vs Shak, 3 vs Utd and 4 vs Utd. At the beginning of the season, the double pivot was not working, now I think the problem lies on the back 4 and on high pressure with our attacking players. Each game people try to pin-point and blame one specific player. However, I honestly think it is a team issue.

I agree that our center backs have to step up a bit. Neither JT, Luiz nor Cahill are at their best. I dont believe we should buy a new cb though. They are certainly not crap and they will improve. We still have some 2-3 years left in Terry, we also have some promessing young talents and a new player will only make our Captain retire sooner and retard the development of the Academy. If, and only if, Terry says he will retire next season or so (which I dont believe), we should buy a replacement.

Ivanovic and Cole havent look sharp lately. I am 100% sure they will get their form back. Not a problem at all.

The double pivot has impressed me a lot. Mikel and Rambo doing an excellent job, Romeu did not have a good game but we all know he has quality and Oscar proved he can deliver. I am worried what will Lampard's role be, I am concerned we are witnessing his last year.

No coments needs to be made about Emboaba. Absolutely amazing working rate. Really proud of our little brazilian boy.

Hazard, Mata, Sturridge and Torres. I do not want them tracking back, they need to be in the right positions (specially for counters). I want them pressuring the opposition defense a lot more though. If you look at the 2nd half of ET, they did an amazing job there. I know it is impossible to do it all the time, but they can do it more often. It immensely helps our team if the opposition's midfield/attack receives long balls or bad passes.

Well, that is my view on our defense system. I feel that RDM only needs to make some adjustments and spend a little more time training it. We must try to stop losing the ball so much, must be more careful. At least the problem does not lie on set pieces (they take more time and are harder to fix).

[Strike 7,492]

Go watch the game again, there's only one real selfish moment from Sturridge, apart from that I can't see what else you're trying to complain about. People need to lay off him, it's his first start all season and he had a decent game where he scored with a tidy finish, nearly had an assist as well. Caused havoc with his pace upfront. He's not as sharp as he could be obviously due to lack of game time but that was a decent outing by Sturridge.

agree.. he was bashed on twitter as far as i know but i don't think it was deserved criticism. true, he was up against a bunch of schoolboys but fletcher and anderson were basically playing as CB's and he had virtually no support in the first half. held the ball well and spread the play around better than torres. 50/56 passes completed is brilliant (citation needed) and latched onto more than 1 long ball.

[Hybrid Angel 2,130]

I actually didn't watch the game and I was at University. But, I guess it sounds like it was a great match and I knew Sturridge is going to score and he didn't put me down

Fuck Gigs .... almost broke moses's leg at the last minutes.

[Rmpr 8,977]

I know you're Brazilian and all, but you got to be fucking joking.

Mate, I did not like that. It is some kind of prejudice.

Me being a brazilian does not effect my judgement. I will judge what I see on the pitch, no matter nationality. Does it mean you are biased when you speak about english players?

This, 'you are brazilian and all that' is fucking stupid. Sorry...

[Strike 7,492]

I think our defense system has to improve. We were the best defense in England early on. Since then, we conceded 2 vs Juve, 2 vs Spuds, 2 vs Shak, 3 vs Utd and 4 vs Utd. At the beginning of the season, the double pivot was not working, now I think the problem lies on the back 4 and on high pressure with our attacking players. Each game people try to pin-point and blame one specific player. However, I honestly think it is a team issue.

no way. we had 4 cleansheets but against Wigan (where we were battered for 75 minutes), QPR, Stoke and Newcastle (only performance to take credit for) apart from that we have been shocking

but i agree with the other part. its a team-issue. we are not recovering our defensive shape quickly enough.

Notice how the fullbacks are rushing to get back to the defensive line and how the midfield is distorted leaving wide empty spaces

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