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REFFEN' PAIN FOR AVRAM
ABOVE: Abramovich
24th September 2007
By Danny Fullbrook
Your Shout
CHELSEA’S controversial week took a turn for the worse where it matters most yesterday – on the pitch.
Goals from Carlos Tevez and Louis Saha condemned unlucky 10-man Blues to defeat in Avram Grant’s first game in charge.
John Terry’s team were already facing the toughest assignment possible by arriving at Old Trafford after a week of chaos at Stamford Bridge.
But then they were hit with a gut-wrenching sucker punch when John Obi Mikel was
harshly sent off after only 32 minutes.
With Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho all missing – and the Special One gone — referee Mike Dean’s decision basically wrecked any chance of a positive result.
Tevez took advantage with the first goal, and then Dean twisted the knife by awarding a soft penalty in the final minute after an outrageous dive by Louis Saha.
Clarke had to be dragged away by the fourth official as he tried to give the linesman a mouthful.
Struggled
Chelsea struggled to keep hold of their emotions throughout the game, which is perhaps no surprise given the ousting of their talismanic leader Jose Mourinho.
Apart from their inspirational manager being sacked, the squad had heated exchanges on Friday about the mess the club were in, and then new manager Grant travelled separately to the game because of the Jewish festival, Yom Kippur.
So the last thing they needed was to be reduced to 10 men so early in the game after battling their way into the contest.
The sending-off was simply ridiculous. Mikel lost control of the ball in the centre of midfield and as a result went clattering into Patrice Evra as he tried to make up for his mistake. His studs were showing slightly, and he only went
in with one foot which was not off the ground.
But Dean insisted it was two-footed and after showing the red, was surrounded by a pack of Chelsea players.
Mikel just could not believe it and took ages to leave the pitch with his head in his hands.
It was incredibly harsh and changed the complex of the game.
Price
Chelsea had been holding their own until that point, although they could have conceded a penalty when Joe Cole took Patrice Evra down in the penalty area. But they were put on the back foot and inevitably paid the ultimate price.
Tevez’s last goal in England was at the Stretford End, but in the colours of West Ham.
It was back in May, and like yesterday, came in injury-time at the end of the first half.
That goal, which effectively kept the Hammers in the Premier League, was another factor in persuading Sir Alex Ferguson to sign the Argentine hitman.
The goal against Chelsea was just as predatory. Until that point Tevez had struggled to get involved in the game.
He was playing deeper than Wayne Rooney, effectively in the hole.
But when a corner eventually found its way out to Ryan Giggs on the right, the wing wizard arced the ball back into the area with the outside of his left foot.
Tevez was the first to react, and his near-post header flew past the exposed Petr Cech for his first United goal.
It was a sucker punch, and as the whistle went for the break Chelsea’s response was for assistant manager Steve
Clarke to have a go at the referee in the tunnel.
United should really have given Chelsea a pasting and had a chance to humiliate the London side. But Terry and his team showed real spirit to keep United at bay as the game started to reach boiling point.
Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney clashed, with the United striker coming very close to getting sent off after being booked for dissent, and then crashing into the back of his England team-mate.
Clarke had to be dragged away by the fourth official as he tried to give the linesman a mouthful.
Then Sir Alex Ferguson lost the plot after a dangerous sliding tackle from Joe Cole on Cristiano Ronaldo, for which he could have been red-carded, but was only booked.
Penalty
United finally sealed victory in the last minute when they were awarded a penalty.
Tal Ben Haim made minimal contact on the Frenchman’s shin but he then threw himself to the floor as if he’d been shot.
Dean gave the penalty when he could have booked the striker for a dive, and then Saha took the ball from Ronaldo and beat Cech from the spot. United have moved into second with four Premier League wins on the trot, having scored two goals in a game for the first time since April when they beat Everton at Goodison Park.
Fergie feels they have got their rhythm back and can now go from strength to strength.
For Chelsea, they desperately have to regroup. At the moment they are facing meltdown.
Central to this will be Terry. He pushed his players over to the fans at Old Trafford to thank them for standing by them and now he has to help drag them off the floor.
But more worrying for Grant was the sight of Marco van Basten in the director’s box, one row behind the glum looking Roman Abramovich.
The Dutchman was at the game as a guest of United because he is a Nike ambassador. But any more defeats after one point in three games and he could soon be in the Chelsea dug-out as he is one of the major names the club have considered in the past as a replacement for Mourinho.
ABOVE: Abramovich
24th September 2007
By Danny Fullbrook
Your Shout
CHELSEA’S controversial week took a turn for the worse where it matters most yesterday – on the pitch.
Goals from Carlos Tevez and Louis Saha condemned unlucky 10-man Blues to defeat in Avram Grant’s first game in charge.
John Terry’s team were already facing the toughest assignment possible by arriving at Old Trafford after a week of chaos at Stamford Bridge.
But then they were hit with a gut-wrenching sucker punch when John Obi Mikel was
harshly sent off after only 32 minutes.
With Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Ricardo Carvalho all missing – and the Special One gone — referee Mike Dean’s decision basically wrecked any chance of a positive result.
Tevez took advantage with the first goal, and then Dean twisted the knife by awarding a soft penalty in the final minute after an outrageous dive by Louis Saha.
Clarke had to be dragged away by the fourth official as he tried to give the linesman a mouthful.
Struggled
Chelsea struggled to keep hold of their emotions throughout the game, which is perhaps no surprise given the ousting of their talismanic leader Jose Mourinho.
Apart from their inspirational manager being sacked, the squad had heated exchanges on Friday about the mess the club were in, and then new manager Grant travelled separately to the game because of the Jewish festival, Yom Kippur.
So the last thing they needed was to be reduced to 10 men so early in the game after battling their way into the contest.
The sending-off was simply ridiculous. Mikel lost control of the ball in the centre of midfield and as a result went clattering into Patrice Evra as he tried to make up for his mistake. His studs were showing slightly, and he only went
in with one foot which was not off the ground.
But Dean insisted it was two-footed and after showing the red, was surrounded by a pack of Chelsea players.
Mikel just could not believe it and took ages to leave the pitch with his head in his hands.
It was incredibly harsh and changed the complex of the game.
Price
Chelsea had been holding their own until that point, although they could have conceded a penalty when Joe Cole took Patrice Evra down in the penalty area. But they were put on the back foot and inevitably paid the ultimate price.
Tevez’s last goal in England was at the Stretford End, but in the colours of West Ham.
It was back in May, and like yesterday, came in injury-time at the end of the first half.
That goal, which effectively kept the Hammers in the Premier League, was another factor in persuading Sir Alex Ferguson to sign the Argentine hitman.
The goal against Chelsea was just as predatory. Until that point Tevez had struggled to get involved in the game.
He was playing deeper than Wayne Rooney, effectively in the hole.
But when a corner eventually found its way out to Ryan Giggs on the right, the wing wizard arced the ball back into the area with the outside of his left foot.
Tevez was the first to react, and his near-post header flew past the exposed Petr Cech for his first United goal.
It was a sucker punch, and as the whistle went for the break Chelsea’s response was for assistant manager Steve
Clarke to have a go at the referee in the tunnel.
United should really have given Chelsea a pasting and had a chance to humiliate the London side. But Terry and his team showed real spirit to keep United at bay as the game started to reach boiling point.
Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney clashed, with the United striker coming very close to getting sent off after being booked for dissent, and then crashing into the back of his England team-mate.
Clarke had to be dragged away by the fourth official as he tried to give the linesman a mouthful.
Then Sir Alex Ferguson lost the plot after a dangerous sliding tackle from Joe Cole on Cristiano Ronaldo, for which he could have been red-carded, but was only booked.
Penalty
United finally sealed victory in the last minute when they were awarded a penalty.
Tal Ben Haim made minimal contact on the Frenchman’s shin but he then threw himself to the floor as if he’d been shot.
Dean gave the penalty when he could have booked the striker for a dive, and then Saha took the ball from Ronaldo and beat Cech from the spot. United have moved into second with four Premier League wins on the trot, having scored two goals in a game for the first time since April when they beat Everton at Goodison Park.
Fergie feels they have got their rhythm back and can now go from strength to strength.
For Chelsea, they desperately have to regroup. At the moment they are facing meltdown.
Central to this will be Terry. He pushed his players over to the fans at Old Trafford to thank them for standing by them and now he has to help drag them off the floor.
But more worrying for Grant was the sight of Marco van Basten in the director’s box, one row behind the glum looking Roman Abramovich.
The Dutchman was at the game as a guest of United because he is a Nike ambassador. But any more defeats after one point in three games and he could soon be in the Chelsea dug-out as he is one of the major names the club have considered in the past as a replacement for Mourinho.
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