BY PETER D.BERTIN
Chelsea sit on top of the perch, 7 points clear at the top of the table. Having overcome much adversity in the match yesterday to win at Stamford Bridge, they are well on the way to their fourth Premier league trophy. But with Manchester United gaining their typical end of season impetus, with wins over Tottenham, Liverpool, and the thrashing of Champions Manchester City, United were always going to be a tough team to beat. Both Chelsea and Manchester United have shown themselves as teams to reckon with. This time, Chelsea were lucky to win the game as United dominated most of the first and second half. United had 70% of the possession, but were unable to penetrate Chelsea’s world class defense.
POSSESSION
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United started on the front foot and had the majority of possession in the first period of the game. With their makeshift defense, McNair & Chris Smalling were competent in their positions and the high line of defense was keeping the likes of mid fielders, Hazard, and Oscar at bay. 70% possession at Stamford Bridge and not score goes to show you to level of Chelsea.
Fabregas seemed to be playing high up the pitch in line of the defense with Didier Drogba. This was ineffective at first, and made it difficult for the likes of Nemanja Matic and Kurt Zouma to get into the game. But after 20 minutes of dominating Chelsea, Rooney’s shot appeared to go in, but it actually clipped the side netting. McNair also came close with his ambitious effort, which just went past the post. The first controversy came when Fabrigas picked up a header from Branislov Ivanovic, who handled the ball in the penalty box. Both the referee and his assistant failed to spot the hand ball, which was careless and shambolic, as the purpose of a referee having an assistant, is for at least one of them to always see what is actually happening. It didn’t matter much for Chelsea, as they soon scored in the last minute of the match.
VICTORY
Chelsea fans were singing victoriously, when Man United’s defender, Patrick McNair, showed his attacking prowess with 3 good shots at goal, all of which were impressively saved. United’s attack was sustained, as they put pressure on the best team in the premiership, but they couldn’t find the goal.
Chelsea’s tight defense helped them survive, and win. They are nearly there, just 6 points and two games away. They are 11 points ahead of Man U, 10 points ahead of Arsenal. It is obvious where the trophy is going. The electric atmosphere in the stadium reflected this strong anticipation of overall victory, as it is almost predictable that Chelsea are heading to their fourth trophy in premiership football.
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