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Tag: Chelsea

  • Victor Moses lifts FA Cup with Chelsea at Wembley

     

    Super Eagles’ star, Victor Moses was in action for Chelsea on Saturday as they defeated Manchester united to win the FA Cup for the eight time.

    Eden Hazard’s first-half penalty proved the difference at the Wembley stadium.

    United improved in the second period and probably deserved an leveler. However, Thibaut   Courtois made some important saves to deny United  with Paul Pogba missing an absolute sitter

    Player rating for match shows that Moses who was in action for 90 minutes was a class of second best of players in the game that left  Jose Mourinho side defeated.

    Moses who was sent out in the last FA Cup final against Arsenal last year was today marked 6 in the same class with Fabrigas, Kante, Alonso, Hasard and Giroud in the players rating for the match.

    PLAYER RATINGS

    Chelsea: Courtois (8), Azpilicueta (6), Cahill (8), Rudiger (7), Moses (6), Fabregas (6), Kante (8), Bakayoko (6), Alonso (6), Hazard (8), Giroud (6).

    Subs: Morata (5), Willian (5).

    Man Utd: De Gea (6), Valencia (5), Smalling (6), Jones (5), Young (5), Herrera (6), Matic (6), Pogba (5), Lingard (5), Rashford (6), Sanchez (5).

    Subs: Mata (5), Lukaku (6), Martial (6).

    Man of the match: Eden Hazard

    Meanwhile Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho as said Chelsea did not deserve to win.

    His words, “I congratulate them because they won but I don’t think they deserved to win.

    “I congratulated them. I am Manchester United manager and I have to be respectful, not just because they are my previous club but because they are the opponents today but I think we deserved to win.

    “I am quite curious to know what you say or what people write because if my team plays like Chelsea did I can imagine what people would say. I am quite curious.

    “It was a bit hard for us to play without Lukaku against a team that defends with nine players. You need that presence. Every defeat hurts but I go home with the feeling we gave everything. No regrets.

    “Chelsea are not stupid. They know our team without Lukaku or Fellaini does not have a presence so putting eight or nine players in front of the box they knew they would be dominant in that direct football. We tried everything by other ways but they had a huge block of compacted players.

    “The image of the game is that David de Gea did not touch the ball. He touched the ball to grab it in the net.”

  • FA CUP: Moses eager to sing victory song at wembley

     

     

    Super Eagles and Chelsea forward Victor Moses says he has forgotten the disappointment of last year in the FA Cup and is determined to help the Blues sing victory song on Saturday.

    The former Wigan Athletic ace who is one of the players being tipped to shine at the World cup in Russia was handed the marching orders for diving in the encounter that ended 2-1 in favour of Arsenal. Moses however said all that now belongs to the past as another opportunity has presented itself for him to make amends on one hand and for the Blues to claim victory on the other.

    “It played on my mind a little bit but it’s happened. I can’t rewind it back now,” Nigeria international Moses said, reflecting upon a sapping end to his best campaign as a professional.

    “It’s just something that happens in football but you’ve got to move on.

    “It’s definitely the worst feeling I’ve experienced in my career. I want to be on the pitch to help my team-mates and it’s not nice.

    “But we’re back in another final and I’m looking forward to it.”

    Chelsea return to Wembley in contrasting shape to a year ago.

    The defending champions limped to fifth and Conte has fielded questions throughout the campaign over his future – a 3-0 thumping at Newcastle United on the final day of the Premier League season doing little to shake the impression the ex-Italy and Juventus coach’s tenure is drawing to a close.

    Moses sat that one out at St James’ Park and has urged a diligent focus from his team-mates with silverware at stake.

    “Every single one of us has got to stay focused, do what the manager asks of us to do on the pitch and try to win,” he said.

    “It’s always a tough game whenever we play United. They’ve got quality players and so have we.

    “The most important thing is to stay concentrated and make sure we win it.”

    Conte and Jose Mourinho’s tempestuous relationship means there will be plenty of focus on the dugouts this weekend, although Moses feels he has nothing to prove to a manager who did not give him the chances to shine granted by his current boss.

    “To be honest, I just want to play my football,” he added. “It’s nothing to do with Jose. I’m a Chelsea player and winning that final is the most important thing.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Giroud keen to extend ‘romance’ with Chelsea

    Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud is aiming to extend his love affair with the FA Cup as Antonio Conte’s men prepare to face Southampton in Sunday’s semi-final.

    Giroud lifted the trophy with Arsenal in 2014, 2015 and 2017 before his Stamford Bridge switch earlier this season and is hungry for more Wembley success with the Blues.

    Chelsea’s title defence never really got off the ground this season and they remain five points off the top four despite beating Burnley on Thursday but Giroud knows the importance of fighting for cup success.

    “I signed here to win trophies. If I win it again, it would be my fourth FA Cup in five years,” said the Frenchman, whose side would face Manchester United or Tottenham in the final if they beat relegation-threatened Southampton.

    “I want to carry on the good momentum because I was unbeaten at Wembley with Arsenal and I want to do it with Chelsea too.

    “Of course the FA Cup is very important. Since I have been in England everyone talks about the Premier League but the FA Cup is massive as well. I understand that and I really want it for the fans.”

    Giroud, 31, said Chelsea could compete strongly in the Premier League next season despite the disappointments of the current campaign but the club want to finish the season on a high.

    The forward lined up in a front two with Alvaro Morata at Turf Moor, a combination that showed signs of promise without either man getting on the scoresheet.

  • Mourinho pays tribute to old rival Wenger

    Jose Mourinho once called Arsene Wenger a “specialist in failure’’ but, after the Arsenal manager announced he was stepping down at the end of the season, there was only respect.

    Asked by reporters on Friday whether he regretted some of his behaviour towards the Frenchman over the years, the Manchester United boss suggested the question betrayed a lack of understanding.

    “You are not a manager. You are not a player of course,” he said.

    Read Also: Wenger Quit Notice: He is leaving a big shoe -Kanu

    “You do not know the way we respect each other, even when sometimes it looks like in some moments we don’t.

    “In the end, probably the ones that respect each other more are the ones that have the problems,” added the Portuguese.

    “It is power against power, it is quality against quality, it is ambition against ambition.”

    Wenger, 68, announced on Friday that he would end a near 22-year reign at the north London club, during which he has become Arsenal’s most successful manager.

    Mourinho’s rivalry with Wenger dates from the younger manager’s arrival at Chelsea as a self-proclaimed “Special One’’ in 2004.

    In 2005, the Portuguese famously labelled the Frenchman a “voyeur” after becoming annoyed at comments from him about his Chelsea team.

    By 2014, when the “specialist in failure’’ comment was made, the rivalry had become so heated.

    Wenger even pushed Mourinho as the pair clashed in the technical area during a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

    On Friday, Mourinho said he hoped Wenger did not retire from football.

    “If he’s happy I’m happy. If he’s sad, I’m sad,” he declared. “I always wish the best for my opponents.

    “Mr Wenger and Arsenal were for many, many years the biggest rivals of Sir Alex Ferguson’s era. I’m pretty sure that we as a club will show Mr Wenger the respect he deserves.”

    Mourinho, an English Premier League title winner with Chelsea, recognised what Wenger had achieved.

    “For us football people, the real football people, who are the ones inside the four lines, playing, or the managers… the football people don’t have short memories,” he said.

    “I know what it means, three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, what he did in Japan and France…

    “What he brought to French football and what he gave to Arsenal in the period without Premier Leagues, the transition from stadium to stadium.

    “We know what he did,” he said.

    NAN

     

  • Moses sees four minutes action in Chelsea win

     

    Super Eagles winger Victor Moses was a very late substitute with just four minutes action as Chelsea survived initial scare to win 2-3 away to Southampton on Saturday.

    The Nigeria international was thrown into the game in the 86th in place of Eden Hazard at a time when both teams were cautiously playing to see off regulation time.

    Southampton had started on a no nonsense note hitting target in the 21st minute thanks to Serbian import Dušan Tadić.  The homers maintained the lead till the end of the first half and on resumption of hostilities in the second half increased the tally in the 60th minute. It was however Olivier Giroud who came off the bench that flagged off the table turning push scoring in the 70th minute after enjoying an assist from  Marcos Alonso.  Hazard found his scoring boot in the 75th minute before Giroud again hit target to hand the Blues a 3-2 victory.

    Chelsea looked destined to suffer a sixth defeat from nine league outings when Jan Bednarek put Saints 2-0 up after an hour, but Antonio Conte’s decision to throw Giroud on from the bench proved a masterstroke.

    Despite appearing to be in the ascendancy early on, Chelsea’s lack of craft meant Southampton were comfortable, and that encouragement ultimately led to the home side breaking the deadlock.

    Ryan Bertrand did well down the left before setting up Dusan Tadic for a straightforward fourth goal of the season.

    Chelsea were not much better immediately after the restart and, after failing to heed a warning courtesy of Shane Long, the Saints’ lead was doubled thanks to a fine finish from Bednarek, who was making his first start for the club.

    It was only after Giroud’s introduction in the 61st minute that Chelsea took charge, as the France international scored twice either side of an emphatic Eden Hazard finish to wrap up an unlikely victory to leave Southampton in the bottom three

    Saturday’s clash might as well pass for some form of rehearsal as both teams again go head to head at Wembley next week in their FA Cup semi-final.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Alonso declares Spurs clash a must win

     

    Marcos Alonso has warned that Chelsea risk falling out of the top finish if they fail to beat London rivals Tottenham at the Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

    Last season’s champions are fifth in the league table with 56 points, five points behind Spurs as both teams bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

    The spain international admitted that the tie will not be a tea party but added that the homers must go the extra mile to ensure that they pull a victory in Sunday’s clash.

    ‘It’s not over until it is mathematically impossible, but it would be very difficult for sure if we lost,’ Alonso told the media.

    ‘It is definitely a must-win game. Here at Chelsea, we have to fight until the end for every target we can achieve, and next year we have to be in the Champions League. On Sunday, we have to get a win,’he insisted

    Tottenham have not beaten Chelsea away since 1990, when former England striker Gary Lineker scored the winning goal in a 2-1 league victory.

    However, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are unbeaten in the Premier League in 2018, with seven victories and three draws, and go into the mouthwatering clash high on confidence.

    ‘I don’t think the past will have an influence. I don’t like stats, I think it will be a different game and we will have to give everything and be fully focused to get the three points,’ Alonso added.

    ‘It’s a massive game. We have a very important target, which is arriving at the end of the season in the top four.

    Tottenham could be without their injured top scorer Harry Kane but Alonso said Chelsea’s defenders cannot afford to let their guard down.

    ‘Kane is a very important player for them, that’s for sure. But I think they are a very good side physically, with some quality players, and I think it will be a very tough game even without him.’

    Kane is stepping up his recovery from an ankle injury he picked up in this month’s 4-1 win at Bournemouth and will be assessed before the match.

  • PSG ready to offer Conte £10m deal

     

    Paris Saint-Germain are set to offer Antonio Conte £10million a season in an attempt to convince the Italian to leave Chelsea this summer and have already held talks with his representatives about replacing Unai Emery.

    Emery, who was appointed in 2016, is almost certain to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of this season, having failed to mount a serious challenge for the Champions League following their exit in the first knockout round against Real Madrid last month.

    According to Corriere dello Sport, PSG president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has made Conte his No 1 target and is ready to table a huge deal to prise him away from Stamford Bridge.

    Jose Mourinho, Diego Simeone and Massimiliano Allegri are also high on Al-Khelaifi’s shortlist to replace Emery – though he is aware it will be harder to tempt them to move from their respective clubs.

    Conte is already earning a reported £9.5m a season at Chelsea, so PSG will only be willing to give him a small increase in salary.

    However, the Italian boss is frustrated at the club and thought to be interested in delving into a new challenge.

    Conte’s relationship with the Chelsea board has deteriorated this season following the 48-year-old’s public claims they have failed him in the transfer market, which has subsequently placed his future at the club in doubt.

    He will sit down with the board next month to discuss his future with Chelsea in fifth position in the Premier League and only capable of winning the FA Cup.

    If he was to join PSG at the end of the season the expectations will be to deliver success in Europe, something he has never done as a manager.

    Emery has led the Parisians to top of the Ligue 1 table, 17 points clear of Monaco, but this parochial triumph has not persuaded the board to retain their faith in him, with the thinking that the club has not progressed enough under him on the European stage.

    Despite the high expectations and pressure that comes with the territory of taking over at PSG, Conte will undoubtedly be interested with the club also prepared to hand him freedom in the transfer market.

    The Chelsea boss has however also been linked with the Italy post. It is understood he is keen to remain in club football with Roberto Mancini and Carlo Ancelotti set to battle it out for the job, but has been placed top of their shortlist.

    Alessandro Costacurta, Italian football federation vice-commissioner, said last month that the Chelsea manager is Italy’s top choice as national coach. ‘I haven’t chosen yet but I think Conte is the one who could do the best,’ he said. ‘I’ll definitely talk with him in a couple of months.’

  • Better late than never for Alonso after Spain call-up

    Marcos Alonso is keen to prove himself at international level after the Chelsea defender earned his first senior Spain call-up for the upcoming friendlies against Germany and Argentina.

    The left-back has featured in 40 of the London side’s 49 total fixtures this season, with his solid form rewarded by a place in Coach Julen Lopetegui’s 24-man squad.

    The last international appearance for the 27-year-old Alonso, who joined Chelsea in 2016, was for the Spanish under-19 team in 2009.

    “Whether it’s late or not, the important thing is that I’m here,” Alonso said.

    “My focus was on doing well at Chelsea and this was a welcome surprise. This is a reward for the work I’ve done in recent years… I’m thrilled and looking forward to this experience.

    Read Also: Alonso: Gerrard good enough for Spain team

    “It’s a chance to prove myself and for me to adapt quickly to the side, and hopefully, to return to the national team more times.”

    Should Alonso earn his first cap, he would follow in the footsteps of both his grandfather and father in representing Spain at senior level.

    Spain will travel to face World Cup holders Germany in Duesseldorf on Friday before hosting Argentina at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid on Tuesday.

    “They’re two very important matches to prepare for what’s to come. They’re nice games, against the world champions and the runners-up, special for any player,” Alonso added.

    NAN

  • Moses confident of victory against Man. City

    Moses confident of victory against Man. City

     

    Chelsea face Manchester City on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium, and Nigerian Winger, Victor Moses believes that the blues has all it takes to fight for victory.

    In an interview with the Premier League News, Moses said that the top four remains the priority of Chelsea, and they will achieve that, beginning with a victory against red-hot Manchester City.

    “We just want to take this game, and do the best that we can do. We just need to stay hungry, and try not to concede. We have a lot of chances, and we hope to finish in the top four.

    “The game on Sunday is going to be interesting.

    Chelsea  lost 2-1 to Manchester United at the Old Trafford last weekend, with Romero Lukaku and Jesse Lingard cancelling out Willian’s  lead for the Blues, with Manchester City crushing Arsenal 3-0 at the Emirates on Thursday, with Louryn Sane, Bernando Silva and David Silva sealing the victory.

    The blues fell 1-0 to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge with Kelvin De Brune, getting the lone goal in September 2017.

    Manchester City is currently leaders of the English Premier League, with 75 points, as against Chelsea’s 53 who are currently fifth on the table, 22 points behind their opponents, Man. City.

     

  • Bayern hammer Besiktas, Chelsea hold Barcelona

    Bayern hammer Besiktas, Chelsea hold Barcelona

    Bayern Munich did not spare their visitors Besiktas from Turkey in the first leg of the UEFA Champions Round of 16 at the Allianz Arena, as they banged five goals behind them.

    In London, Chelsea and Barcelona ended up 1-1, with Lionel Messi seizing on a defensive error to put the Catalans at an advantage in the second leg at Camp Nou.

    Four of Bayern’s  goals were scored in the second half, with Thomas Mueller and Robert Lewandowski recording a brace each.

    Mueller had opened scoring in the 43 minute, 27 minutes after Besiktas defender  Domagoj Vida had been red-carded after tripping Bayern’s striker  Lewandowski.

    Vida was sent off for the foul because he was the last man to contain the Bayern offensive.

    Eight minutes after play resumed in the second half, Kingsley Corman scored for Bayern, making the scoreline 2-0.  Mueller struck again in the 66th minute for his brace of the day and Bayern’s third. Then Lewandowski slammed two goals in the 79th and 88th minute.

    The hosts dominated the match, with 66 per cent possession and 12 shots on target. Besiktas, playing with 10 men for 74 minutes,  only managed one shot on target. And it was in vain.

    At London’s Stamford Bridge,  Lionel Messi struck for the first time in nine games against Chelsea.

    Willian’s fine strike just after the hour mark had put Chelsea in command after earlier hitting both posts in the first half.

    However, one moment of carelessness cost Chelsea dear as Andres Iniesta intercepted Andreas Christensen’s pass to tee up Messi to swing the balance of the tie in Barca’s favour 15 minutes from time.

    The English champions must now score when they travel to the Camp Nou on March 14 to have any chance of making the last eight.

    Chelsea manager Antonio Conte sprang a surprise before kick-off by leaving out both Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata with Eden Hazard instead operating in the middle of a front three featuring Willian and former Barca winger Pedro Rodriguez.

    And it was Hazard who sent the first warning that Barca were in for an uncomfortable evening when he fired just over from 20 yards five minutes in.

    Antonio Rudiger also headed just wide in a positive opening from the hosts, but it was Barca who had the first clear chance on 16 minutes.

    Chelsea constantly tried to surround Messi with three or four blue shirts to limit the Argentine’s threat, but he dug out a cross to the far post where an unmarked Paulinho headed wide.

    Barca then went on to dominate possession for a large spell of the first half with their control of the ball reaching 80 percent at one stage.

    However, the visitors lacked penetration before the break and were lucky to go in level at half-time.