Premier League
Chelsea 1 Ba 28
West Bromwich Albion 0
 |
| Chelsea striker Demba Ba, left, scores the opening goal against West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge. |
There was a smattering of homemade cardboard placards, and
even one banner that looked as if it had been professionally produced, to
accompany the usual choruses of disdain directed at the dugout. And yet, at the
final whistle, Rafael Benítez could reflect with relative satisfaction upon an
afternoon that had initially felt destined to be fraught.
Chelsea had eased beyond West Bromwich Albion, who have made
a habit of guillotining the west London club's managers in recent times, and
the interim's team are restored to third place, if potentially only for 24
hours. As at Middlesbrough in midweek the most vociferous chants – the bellowed
command to "stand up if you hate Rafa", or the reminders that
"we know what you are, interim manager, we know what you are" – were
reserved for the latter stages. But, while he will still be simmering at the
indignity, the Spaniard might grudgingly put up with such abuse if it does not
disrupt his side's progress.
They had benefited from West Brom's lack of ambition, any
nervousness that might have gripped the home side early on eased by opponents
sitting deep and rarely encroaching themselves into enemy territory. It was
only during the last 10 minutes that the visitors really threatened to wound
the European champions, Petr Cech turning over a Peter Odemwingie free-kick and
then reacting smartly to push away César Azpilicueta's inadvertent flick from
the resultant corner. Yet those felt like isolated ripostes amid Chelsea
possession. The scoreline hardly reflected their superiority.
The hosts' attacking trio of Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and, in
particular, Oscar dazzled in spells, the young Brazilian's touch a delight as
he maintained his impressive recent form. He might have scored in the opening
attack of the contest, Ben Foster pushing away a shot from point-blank range
with the goalkeeper, now available again for England and watched here by Roy
Hodgson, later well positioned to gather Oscar's close-range header. Foster's
shot-stopping would catch the eye all afternoon.
Yet he was partly at fault for the goal that confirmed
Chelsea's dominance. Frank Lampard and Oscar exchanged passes at a corner
played short just before the half-hour mark, the Brazilian swinging over a
centre to the far post which Foster misjudged for David Luiz to nod back across
goal. Demba Ba side-footed into the unguarded net to register a first goal
since mid-January and Chelsea had their lead.
The goal should have provoked further rewards, but Jonas
Olsson and Liam Ridgewell blocked from Oscar and Azpilicueta, and Mata's radar
was slightly skew-whiff when he glimpsed a sight of goal. Foster's denial of
Oscar's volley 12 minutes from time was outstanding as Chelsea so craved their
breathing space. That would not come, and there were those flurries of anxiety
as the end approached but, from the sentiment of the crowd to the hosts'
victory, this actually all ended up feeling rather routine.
|
Chelsea
01 Cech
02 Ivanovic
03 Cole
04 David Luiz
28 Azpilicueta
07 Ramires
08 Lampard
10 Mata (Mikel -
90' )
11 Oscar
17 Hazard Booked
(Moses - 80' )
29 Ba (Torres -
87' )
Substitutes
22 Turnbull
24 Cahill
26 Terry
34 Bertrand
12 Mikel
13 Moses
09 Torres
|
West Bromwich Albion
01 Foster
02 Reid
03 Olsson
06 Ridgewell
23 McAuley
Booked
05 Yacob
(Rosenberg - 82' )
07 Morrison
17 Dorrans
(Thomas - 71' )
21 Mulumbu
09 Long
32 Fortune
(Odemwingie - 62' Booked )
Substitutes
13 Myhill
28 Jones
30 Tamas
14 Thomas
43 Brown
08 Rosenberg
24 Odemwingie
|
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