S.Taylor steals draw at the death! Chelsea 2-2 Newcastle [includes match highlights].
Posted on May 15th, 2011 | 8 Comments |
Match highlights. I shall endeavour to update these with longer and better ones when they are available.
With Newcastle ensuring safety for the season, but incapable of securing European competition, and also with Manchester United finally securing the Premier League title yesterday, there should have been something of a ‘dead rubber’ feel about this game.
Though the long middle section of the game mostly lived up to the ‘dead rubber’ feel, the first ten minutes or so provided much excitement with Chelsea opening the scoring thanks to some poor defending, especially from a slightly sleepy Coloccomi on Newcastle United’s part. After a dangerous ball by Ivanovich running across the face of goal, the ball eventually went for a corner. Lampard whipped it in to the nearside post, with Fernando Torres picking it up to and helping it along into the six yard box. This enabled Chelsea’s Ivanovich to volley the ball past Krul in the Newcastle goal with his knee, and sadly, the Magpies were a goal down within three minutes!
Some Newcastle fans might have been forgiven for thinking that a fairly comprehensive beating would follow at this point, but fortunately it didn’t. Around seven minutes later, a mixture of gamesmanship, a fairly decent free kick, and finally a vital piece of luck in the form of Gutierrez’s backside insured that Newcastle’s early defensive mistake was soon cancelled out. John Terry’s foul on Peter Lovenkrands around twenty five yards from the Chelsea gave the Magpies a free kick. After a fair big of fannying around from Ryan Taylor in his preparation for the resulting set piece, during which I’m sure he managed to steal a few yards with the shot, he was ready. Taylor’s effort was decent enough, aimed low to the right hand corner of the goal. Though well covered by Cech in the Chelsea goal, he commited then found himself completely wrongfooted when the ball took a cruel and massive deflection for Chelsea via Guti’s jacksee, and Newcastle were even in what was a very exciting first ten minutes for what was supposed to be a something of a dead game for both sides.
The game was then resurrected in the final minutes however as a Lampard free kick was missed by Krul in the Newcastle United goal, leaving Alex to head the ball home at the back post.
At this stage, it looked like it was all over for the Magpies. However in the dying seconds of extra time, Newcastle’s Steven Taylor managed to leap like a salmon from a melee in the Chelsea box, connecting with a fine Nile Ranger header across the face if goal for a great finish to give the most exciting end possible to what had been a fairly dull encounter overall.
Howay the lads!
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry, Cole; Ramires, McEachran, Lampard; Anelka, Benayoun, Torres.
Subs: Turnbull, David Luiz, Essien, Drogba, Mikel, Malouda, Ferreira.
Newcastle (4-4-2): Krul; Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Jose Enrique; Gutierrez, Barton, Ryan Taylor, Ferguson; Shola Ameobi, Lovenkrands.
Subs: Soderberg, Smith, LuaLua, Ranger, Tavernier, Kuqi, Sammy Ameobi.
Referee: Lee Mason.
Post match interviews.
Newcastle United manager, Alan Pardew, sounds well pleased with the team’s performance overall with what was to some extent a “makeshift” side.
Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelloti, bemoans his isde’s lack of concentration.
Prepared for a loss and lack of inspiration from a depleted side, I was surprised and entertained by a
a side who gave it their all.
Not everyone had a good game, but everyone gave their best shot and deserved the draw.
I just don`t get this side ?
One never knows who will show up.
Well to days bench warmers and the kids, put on one of the sides best performances.
And you would have thought they were playing for something, instead of a basically a game that did`nt mean anything.
Go figure !