Closed Chelsea 1-0 Everton

[Barbara 15,149]

I'd love to see Hazard develop that side of his game. Think if he put his mind to it he could be world class at them. Like Bale was for Spurs.

Hazard did take a few - as far as I remember - and nothing impressive. But he doesn't take them often for it to be fair to assess him on that. The same applies to Oscar. But Willian and Lampard often take it and we should have better takers, especially as our attack is far from effective. For a team that isn't clinical in the finishing, set pieces should be a huge thing to make up for that. We're doing okay in the free-kick department imo. Scoring some goals, having some very dangerous chances created from it. But corners are a huge disappointment

Ivanovic scored from a corner against West brom recently albeit it was Luiz's flick which made that chance.

I mean straight from corner. Willian isn't good at all taking them. Lamps hasn't been creating much from it and when Mata was still here it wasn't anything worth mentioning (this season). I think our players should train it more often, especially as I said we have good headers that have been wasted lately.

[Shane 2,275]

Hazard did take a few - as far as I remember - and nothing impressive. But he doesn't take them often for it to be fair to assess him on that. The same applies to Oscar. But Willian and Lampard often take it and we should have better takers, especially as our attack is far from effective. For a team that isn't clinical in the finishing, set pieces should be a huge thing to make up for that. We're doing okay in the free-kick department imo. Scoring some goals, having some very dangerous chances created from it. But corners are a huge disappointment

I mean straight from corner. Willian isn't good at all taking them. Lamps hasn't been creating much from it and when Mata was still here it wasn't anything worth mentioning (this season). I think our players should train it more often, especially as I said we have good headers that have been wasted lately.

Yeah, Willian is awful at them. Don't see why he is still taking them. I'd let Oscar take more. I'd suggest Matic at his height he is another huge threat from set pieces.

[Mufassir08 2,400]

Barry gets a lot of credit from pundits but it's McCarthy who has impressed me more this season.Very composed on the ball,good defensively and very energetic.

[Jase 43,479]

Hazard did take a few - as far as I remember - and nothing impressive. But he doesn't take them often for it to be fair to assess him on that. The same applies to Oscar. But Willian and Lampard often take it and we should have better takers, especially as our attack is far from effective. For a team that isn't clinical in the finishing, set pieces should be a huge thing to make up for that. We're doing okay in the free-kick department imo. Scoring some goals, having some very dangerous chances created from it. But corners are a huge disappointment

I mean straight from corner. Willian isn't good at all taking them. Lamps hasn't been creating much from it and when Mata was still here it wasn't anything worth mentioning (this season). I think our players should train it more often, especially as I said we have good headers that have been wasted lately.

I believe the only goal we scored directly from a corner this season was Torres's first goal against Schalke in the Champions League. Otherwise, you'll have to go back to Ivanovic's goal against Benfica in the Europa League final for the last one.

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

Watched the last five minutes again and did a little screen capture

[Barbara 15,149]

[Sidzeret 2,257]

I just have a little feeling that at the end of the season we will look back at this game and think what a massive three points that was. Jose is going to win the league without a decent striker, would be one of his best achievements imo.

We almost ran out of time today. But this isn't gonna happen every match. We need to stomp our presence on the pitch. Now that'll be a great achievement. Hopefully, next season.

[Henrique 9,133]

It's nothing personal if I'm simply pointing out that you've also done something you're condemning others for. So I think you should take your own advice.

Not personal, but your last two posts were to discuss my behavior other than discuss the subject of the conversation between me and another person that was not you. Yeah, not personal. Get a life son.

[Starman60 1,343]

Phew !!!!! I think we used another "Get of of jail free" card today. Once again Ramires wins us a free kick in the dying minutes and we score. Up until then we huffed and puffed. But a win is a win so well done guys, and a clean sheet to boot.

[gabrimur 69]

Justice was done, we couldn't lose this game, these points are what count at the end.

[Barbara 15,149]

Well without the heat of the moment and the frustration that comes from knowing we could (and should) be doing better, that first half wasn't as bad as some of you made it out to be (I'm not saying your assessment is wrong, just that those things I've mentioned can affect a lot how we perceive a match and make it worse than it really was, as you 'lived' the moment with a lot of emotions).

As I'm watching a replay, knowing the score beforehand, I'm watching it coldly and coolly and I think we were actually good for the first 12 minutes or so. I've seen a few of you praising our defense, but all chances Everton created in the 1st half was because our defense wasn't that well positioned (except Azpili who I haven't found one fault in the first 45). I'm not taking a jab on them at all because Terry, Iva and especially Cahill were very good in many other situations, but we weren't flawlessly defending (imo) as implied.

I won't be able to watch the second half til tomorrow, but I guess that first half wasn't half bad when watching it half a day later (how many times did I write the word half in the last sentence? lol).

Hazard was good and Willian wasn't as bad as I've read either. Oscar was beyond poor, but I don't think Lampard was very far from him either. He didn't have a good match at all (Lamps). Oscar should be benched, end of it. It's better to have him fresh for march and april rather than burn him out even further.

[The Skipper 20,593]

You should give a better answer to my post, because you know that what I said was something really different from what you are saying, and I know you understand english well enough to understand what I was saying. I would say you answer was the political one, some words lacking substance, and yet words that get some votes.

I was in a bit of a rush tbh, but I still think Willian was pretty poor today. It's not double standards because I personally think I have rated Willian fairly this season and that this was one of his off games. His effort was there as always but he really struggled in the final third.

Like I said, Hazard wasn't amazing or poor, he was average, and I think Willian was slightly worse than him, that's all. I think Hazard gave a bit more in the final third, hence why I rate his performance slightly above Willian's.

[CHOULO19 24,332]

random question and observation: when was the last time we scored a goal from a corner? Or at least when our corners were dangerous to opposition?

I've seen a couple of them early in the match and let's be honest. Oscar, Mata, Willian, Lampard all had taken plenty of corners for us this season and not one of them stands out. For some teams corners are such a dangerous weapon and we have such great headers (Terry, Iva, Cahill), it's really disappointing that our corners more often than not - like 90% lately - come to nothing, not due to the opposition defense or even us wasting assists, but simply to the ball never being well placed in the box by whoever takes the corner...

Iva vs WBA? Cahill also hit the post from a corner vs CIty, and JT got one cleared off the line recently as well IIRC, and we did just score a 93rd minute winner from a great set-piece delivery

But yea, I agree with the rest of your post. Frank lacks the consistency in his delivery from corners that he used to have and the rest just seem to either hit the first man every time or over hit it outside the box. WIth Mata gone, we really don't have a corner delivery specialist.

I always wondered about Luiz maybe taking them...

[The Skipper 20,593]

Barry gets a lot of credit from pundits but it's McCarthy who has impressed me more this season.Very composed on the ball,good defensively and very energetic.

He's very underrated. Ran the show in the first half with Barry.

[petre.ispirescu 4,928]

haha, that pause from Jose at 00:46. I think he wanted to say: "and because I know our strikers are shit". Just found a diplomatic way to say it

http://www.dailymotion.com/unCFCTV#video=x1d298k

[The Mak 4,459]

Not personal, but your last two posts were to discuss my behavior other than discuss the subject of the conversation between me and another person that was not you. Yeah, not personal. Get a life son.

Woah, calm down Charlie. What are you freaking out for? It's just a forum, stop being so serious. Enjoy your life

[Liquidator 5,176]

Still absolutely buzzing off this, brilliant way to win it. Don't think Stamford Bridge has gone so mad celebrating a goal like that since Torres vs City and Drogba vs Barca before that. We really ground that result out and it is good that we are showing we can do that because we dropped too many points from similar positions last season. Obviously we need to improve, but Everton are a very good and well-organized side, I expect us to be far better against Fulham next week.

On a final note, John Terry you sir are brilliant. Even if he hadn't scored he still would have been my man of the match. Its like watching him back in 2005/06- just unstoppable and so solid. Shows what the Fat Spanish Waiter knows by benching him last season. He won absolutely everything and most important of all was that goal. Mourinho might be 'one of us' but this guy really, really is. He absolutely loves this club like the fans. We could spend millions on the best centre back in the world but we wouldn't get from them what we get from JT and Lamps week in week out. Superb.

[Barbara 15,149]

Iva vs WBA? Cahill also hit the post from a corner vs CIty, and JT got one cleared off the line recently as well IIRC, and we did just score a 93rd minute winner from a great set-piece delivery

But yea, I agree with the rest of your post. Frank lacks the consistency in his delivery from corners that he used to have and the rest just seem to either hit the first man every time or over hit it outside the box. WIth Mata gone, we really don't have a corner delivery specialist.

I always wondered about Luiz maybe taking them...

Iva against WBA was a Luiz flick. But good one about Cahill. Who assisted that chance?

The point remains, it's already round 26 (in addition to the Cups) and we have to go search our memory to find a worth mentioning corner... We should be doing better.

I don't think we're doing bad in free-kicks, but corners we've been wasting our good headers with half-arsed corners easily deflected by opposition. We need someone to step up, doesn't matter who.

As for Mata, he wasn't that great this season - but poor thing is having an off season all-around, he was awesome in the last two.