Chelsea Snatches 4th Spot from the Magpies!

Hey!

So, it's been an interesting week for Chelsea, with a disappointing 2-0 elimination to Liverpool in the Carling Cup quarterfinals (but hey... Manchester United lost to Crystal Palace 2-1, so I'd imagine they'd also have to be a bit worried) (it's also the Carling Cup... so...yeah), and then a 3-0 away win over Newcastle yesterday morning (!), meaning that we've successfully regained our position at 4th spot (only 3 points behind Tottenham, who have a game in hand against Everton). 

Daniel Sturridge celebrates his goal with teammate Ramires in yesterday's game against Newcastle.

I'm also glad to report that www.hasandrevillasboasbeensackedyet.com is still reporting "no." Hopefully that continues (I think that as long as we don't lose against Valencia this week then he'll be fine). 

So, to the Newcastle game. 

Although Chelsea scored 3 goals (courtesy of Didier Drogba, Saloman Kalou, and Daniel Sturridge) and recorded a much-needed clean sheet, the score-line absolutely does not remotely reflect the actual intensity of the game. David Luiz (oh god) came incredibly close to getting tossed out in the 4th minute for tackling Demba Ba from behind just outside the box. Arguably, he should have been given a red card, but instead got off with a yellow (seems to happen often, eh?), and you can believe me, Alan Pardew is furious. Mike Dean (yesterday's referee) has since admitted that he made an error and that David Luiz should have been thrown out immediately. If this had happened, the entire course of the game would have completely changed. Unfortunately, Luiz seems to be looking more and more like a liability on the field rather than an asset, and in my opinion, if Alex is fit to play on Tuesday, he should be the one starting against Valencia. Chelsea cannot afford to have holes in the defense or be playing with 10 men in that game, which could prove to be the do-or-die game for André Villas-Boas. Alex can defend well, and usually puts in a consistent performance. Also, if he plays well then it will boost his player value for the January transfer window (he might be off to Juventus in exchange for Milos Krasic). 

Here was the lineup for yesterday's match (4-3-3):

Subs: Turnbull, Bosingwa, Bertrand, Meireles (Lampard 61'), Kalou (Mata 75'), Torres (Drogba 79').

NOTABLE CHELSEA PLAYERS:

- Didier Drogba: Showed why he's still one of the best strikers in the Premier League with a powerful header off Mata's cross in the 38th minute.

- David Luiz: See the above rant.

- Daniel Sturridge: Played very well, and on any other keeper he could have had at least 3 goals, but Tim Krul's ridiculous shot-stopping ability was a crucial factor there.

- Saloman Kalou: In his 100th appearance as a substitute for Chelsea (the first person ever to do this), he scored a nice goal from 10 yards out after Torres' attempt on goal did not work out. Wants to sign a new contract with Chelsea only if he is guaranteed more playing time. Maybe his performance yesterday turned some heads?

NOTABLE NEWCASTLE PLAYERS:

- Tim Krul: Oh. Wow. This guy is incredible. Actually. He saved a well-taken penalty by Frank Lampard, and denied Daniel Sturridge quite a few times before finally getting beaten in the 92nd minute. (although this was after his two central defenders both got taken off injured, so there was nothing he could really do about that one or Kalou's). 

MATCH OVERVIEW:

In the 4th minute David Luiz came extremely close to crippling his team by tacking Demba Ba just outside the box. He received a yellow card, but everyone involved has now agreed that it should have been a red. Luiz was extremely lucky to get off with just a booking. In the 14th minute, Yohan Cabaye, the Toon's centre midfielder, brought down Daniel Sturridge in the box to earn Chelsea a penalty. Frank Lampard stepped up to take it (as usual) and drove in a decent shot to the lower-right-hand corner, which was saved by Tim Krul! That guy is actually ridiculous – definitely one of the best keepers in the EPL right now. Things began to turn unfortunate for Newcastle when their captain and centre-back, Fabricio Coloccini, got injured in the 28th minute and had to be substituted for James Perch. In the 38th minute, a Chelsea throw-in allowed Mata to send in a nice cross for Drogba, who drove home a powerful header to put the visitors up 1-nil. Throughout the first half, Daniel Sturridge unleashed a flurry of shots, all miraculously saved by Tim Krul. Newcastle were also extremely unlucky – quite a few of their shots hit the post/crossbar. After quite a few substitutions in the second half (Meireles for Lampard, Kalou for Mata, and Torres for Drogba), as well as a yellow card to Daniel Sturridge, Chelsea struck again, this time through Saloman Kalou. After a Newcastle attempt on goal, Torres initiated a counter-attack which saw his shot get rebounded back to him. He passed it off to Kalou, who then scored from 10 yards out. In the 92nd minute, Ramires sent the ball through for Sturridge, who went through the entire Newcastle defense and scored, finally ending his game-long battle with Tim Krul.

Final score: Chelsea 3-0 Newcastle.

MATCH STATISTICS:

                                             Newcastle                    Chelsea

Ball Possession (%)                   56                               44

Shots (on target)                      15(3)                           21(10)

Corners                                      6                                 5

Crosses                                     15                               10

Fouls Committed                       7                                 6

Yellow Cards                             2                                  3

Red Cards                                  0                                  0

Offsides                                     2                                  2

Highlights of the Newcastle game.