Blackburn 0-2 Chelsea

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Blackburn Rovers 0-2 Chelsea F.C.

November 9 2008, Premier League, Ewood Park, Blackburn



Nicolas Anelka scored twice to ensure Chelsea remained top of the Premier League.

With Liverpool crushing West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at Anfield the previous day, the Blues knew nothing but a victory would be sufficient at they headed for a rain-soaked Ewood Park. Thunder storms throughout the day had saturated the pitch and conditions had gradually worsened, but Chelsea did not let the elements get the better of them as they powered past Paul Ince's side.

They would have had the chance to take the lead early on, but the Blues were not awarded a penalty when Anelka was apparently taken down by a late challenge from Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson. However they went into the break with a one-goal lead thanks to Anelka's thigh, as he steered home a Bosingwa effort that crept over the goal line. Chelsea had found Robinson in stunning form and it took a special chip from Anelka to wrap up the victory in the second half.

Midfielder Frank Lampard was delighted with his side's display, saying that the Blues put in a 'professional performance,' a sentiment echoed by assistant manager Ray Wilkins, who insisted that 'despite the conditions, both sides performed really well.'

With Michael Essien, Ashley Cole and Michael Ballack all long-term absentees, Wayne Bridge retained his place in the starting eleven and Nicolas Anelka started up front despite the return to fitness of Didier Drogba; a sign of faith in the Frenchman from the Chelsea staff. Blackburn were without both Benedict McCarthy and Roque Santa Cruz, so Jason Roberts began as the lone frontman in what would be an exciting and tense affair.

With the rain coming down heavily, it was Chelsea's attacking play that benefitted more from the atrocious conditions than the hosts. They had a penalty shout inside of 4 minutes when Anelka latched onto a poor back-pass and burst into the Blackburn box, only to be hacked down by Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson. No penalty was awarded, and Luiz Felipe Scolari - on his birthday - was denied the perfect opportunity for his side to bounce back from a mid week performance to forget in Rome.

The decision infuriated Chelsea even more moments later and Robinson pulled off a decent save to deny Anelka. The Frenchman had been lively throughout the opening exchanges and his downwards header from a Bosingwa cross from the right was blocked by the legs of Robinson at the near post. Two minutes later, he again denied Chelsea with his legs; this time blocking John Mikel Obi's back post effort. Frank Lampard troubled the England goalkeeper again with a drive from long-range, but Robinson was well-positioned and tipped the ball around the post. Robinson's face said it all - it was covered in muddy water and his lime green shirt was filthy with only 19 minutes on the clock.

However, despite Chelsea's early dominance, the best chance of the first 30 minutes fell to Blackburn. Breaking in a flash, it took a magnificent one-handed save from Petr Cech to deny Carlos Villanueva’s well-struck shot from 10 yards. It was a stunning piece of play from both teams, and Cech's stop is certainly a contender for save of the season come May.


Petr Cech was in dominating form at Ewood Park, making stunning saves from Villanueva and Roberts.

Robinson continued to frustrate Chelsea with a great diving save to deny Anelka, who cleverly jinxed his way into a scoring position with a smart turn in the area. Robinson pushed the ball beyond the post as both goalkeepers demonstrated their worth in a matter of seconds.

It was going to take something completely brilliant to breach the Blackburn goal, and it took something ridiculously fortunate from a Chelsea perspective to break the deadlock. Bosingwa's effort from all of 40 yards brushed off the knee of Anelka and trickled over the line, but with Robinson and company all appealing for hand ball, it appeared for a moment that the goal would not be given, but Anelka's persistence was not to be denied and he was awarded the goal. Replays initially proved inconclusive, however Anelka's hands were at his side and any contact with the ball would have been accidental.

Aaron Mokoena came on before the end of the half as Chelsea went into the interval with a lead that their first half performance had warranted. Despite tricky conditions and a saturated pitch, the Blues were performing brilliantly and showing their ability to pull their sleeves up and get down and dirty - quite literally.

Paul Ince knew his side needed to play more positively and brought on Matt Derbyshire up front in place of Keith Andrews. The home side had been limited to just one clear chance in the first half, but their overall play had left a lot to be desired in an attacking sense, and their display in the second half was much-improved. The rain had eased off, but areas of the Ewood Park pitch were absolutely drenched and the ball was becoming bogged down, but despite the conditions both sides showed commitment to attack.

It was the home side who had the best chance of the first passages of play. Jason Roberts left John Terry for dead with a deft touch inside the penalty area, but Cech had read the striker's ploy brilliantly and by the time the former Wigan man had the opportunity to set his sights on goal, the orange-jerseyed goalkeeper was at the striker's feet and brilliantly parried away.

Chelsea killed the game off on 67 minutes when Anelka netted his 10th goal in 12 Premier League games. Lampard burst into the box before feeding the ball into the path of the Frenchman who sublimely chipped the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper to ensure the three points headed back to Stamford Bridge. It was Anelka's sixth goal in his last three league matches and underlined his importance to the Chelsea system.

Lampard rattled the crossbar with a 35 yard free kick that Robinson did well to tip onto the bar, and Mokoena wasted a great chance for a grandstand finish when he fluffed his volleyed effort. Anelka spurned a chance for consecutive league hat tricks after being put through brilliantly by Lampard; shooting straight at Robinson, but it was a good day for the Blues as Arsenal defeated Manchester United 2-1 at the Emirates - a result that means Chelsea are now eight points ahead of the defending Champions.
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Blackburn: Robinson, Simpson, Khizanishvili, Nelsen, Olsson, Grella (Mokoena), Warnock, Villanueva, Andrews (Derbyshire), Pedersen, Roberts (Fowler)

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Bridge, Lampard, Mikel, Deco (Ferreira), Kalou (Belletti), Anelka, Malouda.

Attendance: 20,670

Star Men: Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard