Barclays Premiership - Match 14
 

Season 2008-2009

CHELSEA

0 v 0

NEWCASTLE UNITED

       
     
  Date: Saturday 22nd November 2008
  Venue: Stamford Bridge
  Kick Off: 3:00pm (BST)
  Australian Live TV: Foxsports 1 via viewers choice
  Attendance: 41,660
  Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)
     

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Ashley Cole, Mikel, Joe Cole (Ballack 82), Deco, Lampard, Malouda (Kalou 72), Anelka

Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Sinclair, Bridge, Ferreira, Mineiro
  Booked: None
   

Newcastle: Given, Beye, Coloccini, Bassong, Jose Enrique, Gutierrez (N'Zogbia 76), Guthrie, Butt, Duff, Martins (Ameobi 61), Owen

Subs Not Used: Harper, Cacapa, Edgar, LuaLua, Carroll
  Booked: Gutierrez, Guthrie
     
 

Post Match Comments:

 Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari:
"We played 70% of the game in the opponent's half and we tried 10 times to score a goal. They didn't try to make anything against us.

"Who won today? Newcastle because they came here to draw with us. The players tried but it is not the day for us.

"The man on the pitch is the boss. I didn't like this referee today but he's the referee and if he said it is offside it is offside. Finish."
Listen to Luiz Felipe Scolari in full

Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear:
"It was a magnificent performance and about the best we've played as a team. Shay Given pulled off some great saves but as a team it was as good as it gets.

"I don't think Chelsea created a clear-cut chance. Our commitment was magnificent. We've drawn at Manchester United and Chelsea. It's not bad is it?

"I'm delighted with the performance and we can go on from this."
Listen to Joe Kinnear in full

  
     
  BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match:
Newcastle's Shay Given (8.13 on 90 minutes)		  
     
 

 
     
  Match Report:  
  Chelsea are enjoying a successful season, on top of the table and playing fluent exciting football. Newcastle United on the other hand are suffering a painful season, languishing at the tail end of the table and playing poor football. Understandably then, the prospect of facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was a rightfully daunting one. It had been seven long years since Newcastle had even taken a point from Chelsea at their home ground, and more than triple that since we had beaten them there.

The latter was certainly not threatened on this occasion but encouragingly the counter was reset on the former, with Newcastle taking an encouraging point out of a match that was entertaining if only for the determination that Newcastle showed in repelling long torrid periods of Chelsea possession.

Surprisingly the opening 2 minutes belonged to Newcastle with some positive football moving them deep into the Chelsea half, but it was not to last with the next 20 minutes almost totally belonging to the home team. When Newcastle did manage to interject and wrestle possession away from the men in blue it was usually only long enough to clear the ball downfield before resetting for the next impending wave. It was that one-sided, and Chelsea very nearly had their reward when the lively Florent Malouda clipped a floating ball into the box in anticipation of Frank Lampard's run. The England midfielder met the ball perfectly and put his header on target. Thankfully Shay Given was on hand to save with an excellent piece of goalkeeping.

Perhaps buoyed by still being level on the scoreboard Newcastle eventually managed to hold some meaningful possession later in the first half. In some ways though it was a double edged sword, as the further they furrowed into the Chelsea half the more space opened at the back. Chelsea's right fullback Bosingwa particularly enjoyed the space, overlapping very deep into the Newcastle half. It made it a very busy time for Jose Enrique who received no meaningful defensive assistance from Damien Duff. Given that he was frequently defending against both Bosingwa and Joe Cole the Spaniard's defense held up surprisingly well.

Newcastle did manage to create a decent chance late in the first half, with Obafemi Martins playing a sublime through ball into the path of Jonas Gutierrez. The Argentine broke deep into the Chelsea box before sliding a pass back towards the near post. Martins was almost on hand to receive the pass but some quality backrushing Chelsea defence did enough to break down the play.

Particularly noteworthy was the defensive performance of Seb Bassong in the opening half. He was decisive and powerful in the air, dealing with several searching balls into the box, whilst always holding his position well and marking his man. Coloccini seemed the weaker of the two, unsure of himself in the air and at one point badly beaten on the ground.

In the second half Chelsea again dominated possession, but Newcastle seemed to have grown in confidence in defense. Coloccini lifted substantially and was outstanding. Bassong continued with his excellent display from the first half. Our defense worked together, and amazingly got quality assistance from our midfield - Damien Duff even made a successful tackle!

There was only really one clear-cut chance for Chelsea in the second half. It came in the 90th minute when Nicky Butt glanced a header over Coloccini, with the ball falling to Michael Ballack at the back post. Damien Duff was retreating in defense and his pressure was enough to force Ballack into shooting wide into the side netting, much to my relief. To have lost the match at that point would have been a cruel blow.

Joe Kinnear's obvious favouritism towards Damien Duff is a little absurd, with Kinnear again leaving fellow Irishman Duff on the pitch at the expense of Argetine Jonas Gutierrez. N'Zogbia was the obvious choice to come on, injecting some fresh legs into the game, though it has since become apparent that N'Zogbia would like to leave in favour of playing more than he is currently. Personally I would favour having N'Zogbia in the side over Duff, though with his track record it's unlikely Kinnear will change his tune on that front. Shola Ameobi was also a second half substitute replacing Obafemi Martins. Ameobi did his job quite well, with his height and bulk an added bonus when dealing with Chelsea set-pieces.

Overall it was a solid team performance. Our second half was an improvement over the first with everyone in the team performing their roles competently. Though the point doesn't immediately improve our position on the table it's effectively a bonus and could well prove to be important later in the season. What we can also take out of this is a growing confidence that will hopefully bring some wins our way.		  
     
 

AUSSIE MAGS By DjBigK