ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Cardiff 1
Chelsea 2
LONDON • Football can be a cruel game at times. With less than 10 minutes remaining, Cardiff were leading 1-0 and the mood in the away end was mutinous.
"We want (Maurizio) Sarri out" reverberated loud and clear, so much so that it was tempting to wonder whether Chelsea's manager was fighting to hold on to his job.
How quickly things can change. By the time the final whistle was blown yesterday, the Chelsea fans were celebrating a 2-1 victory that kept alive their hopes of a top-four finish, leaving the Welsh side crestfallen.
The killer goal was Cesar Azpilicueta's equaliser in the 84th minute. It should never have been allowed to stand as the Chelsea captain was clearly offside as he nodded home Marcos Alonso's flick-on.
Neil Warnock was furious, which is often the case although on this occasion, it was impossible not to feel sympathy for the Cardiff manager.
A goal like Azpilicueta's will not be allowed to stand next season when the Video Assistant Referee technology is introduced in the Premier League.
That, however, is no help to Cardiff, who remain five points adrift of safety after Ruben Loftus-Cheek headed in Willian's cross to complete their misery.
ALL WRONG
The linesman must be looking at that and thinking 'he's offside', but he doesn't. What an earth can he be looking at? No one is obstructing his view. He's clearly offside.
GRAEME SOUNESS, former Liverpool manager and Sky Sports pundit, on Cesar Azpilicueta's equaliser in the 84th minute which was clearly offside.
Chelsea could not have been more fortunate - this victory and performance were about as unconvincing as it gets.
For all the Blues' possession in the first half, it had been hard to see where a goal would come from.
There was no real pattern to their play, certainly no tempo to it, and a glaring lack of creativity whenever they got deep into Cardiff territory.
Everything felt so slow and pedestrian, exasperating the travelling fans, whose patience snapped after 33 minutes when the first "F*** Sarri-ball" chant broke out in the away end followed by "Super Frank Lampard".
The team sheet had not helped the Italian's cause. His surprise decision to "rest" Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante, both of whom started on the bench, raised eyebrows before a ball was kicked.
There was also no league start for Callum Hudson-Odoi. In truth, the three of them could have been forgiven for feeling relieved to have played no part in a soporific opening 45 minutes.
The breakthrough arrived within less than a minute after the break and, in keeping with Chelsea's performance, it was Cardiff who took the lead.
Harry Arter whipped a low cross into the area and Victor Camarasa, who stood about 16 yards out, connected with a first-time volley that flew past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Cue more anger among the Chelsea fans, who started to call for Sarri to be dismissed.
Hazard was then brought on for Pedro, followed by Loftus-Cheek for Jorginho, whose only notable contribution was a yellow card in the first half for a cynical foul.
The former's introduction at least injected a little life into Chelsea, yet they still struggled to carve out chances until the equaliser six minutes from time.
Alonso glanced the ball on and an offside Azpilicueta headed in from inside the box before Loftus-Cheek broke Cardiff hearts with the added-time winner.
THE GUARDIAN
Your lender wants to ensure that there's always enough money in your account to pay the bills when they're due. Lenders usually require you to keep a little extra money in your escrow account at all times in case your taxes or premiums go up or you're late with a payment in the month a bill comes due.
Bank Error in Your Favor? But Can You Keep the Cash?
Neymar denies raping woman in Paris luxury hotel, dad calls
Jurgen Klopp vowed this season was just the "first step" for his Liverpool team as he congratulated Manchester City on pipping his side to the Premier League title on Sunday. Liverpool beat
Klopp: Premier League near-miss is only Liverpool's 'first step'
Feb 27 (Reuters) - Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku rediscovered his finishing touch in fine fashion, scoring a superb goal in each half to help them to a 3-1 Premier League win at Crystal
Football: Lukaku double inspires Man United to 3-1 win at Palace
Football: Valencia chairman Murthy says King's Cup victory
Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci has shockingly claimed that teammate Moise Kean must take some of the blame for inciting racist abuse from Cagliari fans during Tuesday's 2-0 win.
Leonardo Bonucci says 'no to racism' after Juventus team-mate
The Times says that English football's experiment with VAR "descended into chaos" during the Spurs-Rochdale clash. if you can't explain a new law or procedure in a sentence, or quicker
Mic up Premier League referees - f*ck the swearing - Football365
Soccer Football - Premier League - Cardiff City v Everton - Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Britain - February 26, 2019 Everton's Gylfi Sigurdsson celebrates scoring their second goal with Bernard
Football news - Gylfi Sigurdsson double helps Everton sink
Antoine Griezmann struck again as Atletico Madrid kept the pressure on Barcelona at the top of La Liga by beating in-form Getafe 2-0 on Saturday.
Griezmann on target again as Atletico edge closer to Barca
Football: Man City end Liverpool's unbeaten run, cut lead to
Women's Football in Singapore is with Putri Nur Sazali and 5 others. ST Young Star Award: Queensway Secondary's history-maker Putri Nur Syaliza keeps feet firmly on ground.
Queensway Secondary School, 2A Margaret Drive, Queenstown (2019)
Kevin De Bruyne has joked that Eden Hazard is already in Madrid with Chelsea set to confirm the Belgian's departure. Real Madrid have finally agreed an initial €100 million (£88.5m) fee for
Real Madrid set to bid €120m for Eden Hazard - We Ain't Got
chelsea Chelsea hold on against Brighton to consolidate top four EPL spot. Chelsea moved three points clear of London rivals Arsenal, who were beaten at Southampton.
Chelsea hold on against Brighton to consolidate top four spot
0 comments:
Post a Comment