Chelsea 4-2 Reading: You Were Warned - Extreme Hazard's
Hazard's On
By Since66
August 23 2012
I know it is early days but after last night's thrilling and at times frustrating 4-2 win over ‘new-boys’ and championship champions Reading at The Bridge, Chelsea are top of league, six points clear of Utd, Tottingham and Liverpool. Also lagging behind are Corporate City by five points, by three points Money Citeh and Saturday’s opponents Newcastle United.
Chelsea started off in scintillating fashion with Mata and in particular Hazard running the show, causing Reading all sorts of problems with their movement, control, passing and an array of flicks and tricks.
Had their shooting been on the same level Chelsea would have been out of sight.
Chelsea took the lead when Hazard was up ended by Gunther in the box and up stepped Super Frank, who didn’t have the best of games, to smash in a second successive penalty to take his Chelsea goals tally to 188, 14 away from club record scorer Bobby Tambling’s total of 202.
On twenty-five minutes Reading equalised with their first meaningful attack of the game when new signing Pogrebnyak out-jumped Cahill to loop a header over Cech.
Four minutes later Reading took a shock lead when Cechie Boy spilled Guthrie’s free-kick and all Cech could do whilst curled in the foetal position was to watch the ball spin fiercely over the line.
From the moment Reading equalised, Chelsea were a different team.
From the free-flowing team at the beginning of the game, Chelsea became nervous, afraid of making mistakes and racked up a number of misplaced passes in record time. Had Pearce’s header gone in instead of over the bar, it would have been goodnight, lights out and will the last one out please lock the door.
For Chelsea to get back into the game it was going to take a ‘bit of genius’ or a huge slice of luck.
Thank you Adam Federici.
Gary Cahill’s speculative shot from 30 yards was powerful enough, but all Federici could do was to palm the ball in the net.
Chelsea’s third came from Torres who tapped home from an Ashley Cole cross and even I have to say Torres was offside, especially as my seat in the Matthew Harding is right in eye-line, then deep into stoppage time, Hazard unselfishly set-up Ivanovic for Chelsea’s fourth after Federici went walkabout when Reading had a last ditch corner.
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry (c), Cole, Mikel (Sturridge 68), Lampard, Ramires (Oscar 57), Hazard, Mata (Meireles 84), Torres.
Goals: Lampard pen 18, Cahill 69, Torres 81, Ivanovic 90
Reading: Federici, Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte, McCleary (Robson-Kanu 85), Karacan (Le Fondre 71), Leigertwood, McAnuff (c), Guthrie, Pogrebnyak (Hunt 77)
Goals: Pogrebnyak 24, Guthrie 29
Booked: Karacan 57, Pogrebnyak 64
NEXT UP: Newcastle United (H), Saturday 25th August 2012, K.O. 5.30pm
2012 CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE, 2012 FA CUP WINNERS
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Very impressed with Hazard and his interaction with Mata. I think we should see some superb football this season.
Sturridge - after initially being selfish and getting a bollocking from the crowd also made the difference.
Bring on Newcastle!
"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.