Follow minute-by-minute commentary of the Premier League game between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday Jan 19, 2014, kick-off 16.00 (GMT).
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That's three: Eto'o completes his hat-trick against hapless United Photo: ACTION IMAGES
5:32PM GMT 19 Jan 2014
Email thom.gibbs@telegraph.co.uk
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with the answer to this question: What is history's most amusing dramatic
sudden decline?
18.00 More horror for United, then. It's getting quite difficult to see
a way out for them this season, or under David Moyes at all. How bad does it
have to get for them to admit defeat? They weren't appalling today, just a
million miles away from what's necessary to get results away against teams
of Chelsea's calibre. The home side were solid, professional and neutralised
the threats that United (alright, just Januzaj) were posing in the first
half. Samuel Eto'o is attempting to answer Geoff Shreeve's post match
questions in French, which I am right behind. That'll be all from this
liveblog. Thanks for your company, I'll talk to you again soon.
17.54 The Madness song plays. Here's Brad Wood with his
post-match thoughts:
Last week's swallow or swan didn't make a summer....or something. I still
stand by my assertion that a search should be underway for a replacement for
David Moyes. He may be a pleasant and honest individual but his track record
did not warrant being appointed manager of Manchester United. On top of that
he faced the perfect storm at Old Trafford; Sir Alex Ferguson had retired,
David Gill, the highly regarded chief executive had moved on and Moyes,
himself, rashly replaced the existing coaching staff. Add to all this the
fact that he inherited a team that was in need of urgent restructuring yet
the summer transfer opportunities were botched. That restructuring will be
more difficult now as the attraction of Old Trafford has surely diminished
for top class players. A strong horse will always be preferred to a weak
horse and unfortunately David Moyes will be regarded as a weak horse.
90+5 min Another horrendous United tackle! Rafael piles in, two footed, off the ground towards Matic. That was worse than Vidic's! And only brought about a yellow card for the United full back.
90+2 min Red card for Nemanja Vidic!
Dreadful, frustrated lunge at Hazard. Nasty business. Correct decision. This gives you a fairly good idea:
90+1 min We'll have four minutes of added time. Chelsea have 11 men in their own half. United look short of confidence and ideas as they attempt to pick them off.
88 min Time running out for United to make this exciting. Not been much since their goal to suggest that's going to happen. Here's Petr Cech
86 min Sickening symptom of modern football Nemanja Matic is on for Chelsea, Willian makes way after running the length of the most popular Proclaimers song.
85 min Hernandez has done well for United. Beautiful diagonal ball to spot Smalling heading towards the byline on the right. Smalling steers it back across goal to where Hernandez probably should be. Terry clears.
82 min United free kick 30 yards out. Carrick plays a shot pass to Rafael. Hmm... That's surely optimistic shot range, in this situation? Worked to Januzaj on the left whose cross is caught high and easily by Petr Cech.
80 min Eto'o makes way for Torres. Here's the former scoring his third, despite the best fouling efforts of Antonio Valencia:
78 min GOAL!! Chelsea 3 Man Utd 1 (Hernandez)A consolation? Or something slightly more exciting? Welbeck picks out Jones from the right, the midfielder cracks a low shot towards the bottom corner. It's mishit, but finds Hernandez, who applies a finishing touch. Some appeals for offside against Valencia from the Chelsea defence. Nope. Game on? Kind of? Maybe?
73 min It's as if Jose Mourinho has instructed his Chelsea team to treat the rest of the match as a defensive coaching session. They're deep and giving it to United every time they're on the ball. United are struggling to string more than five consecutive passes togethere or do anything of note in the final third. Kiran Kulkarni is mad as hell and he's not going to take it any more:
Could someone please remind Moyes there is no Intertoto cup anymore? The
closest thing to a hardworking playmaker in United's squad is Rooney, and
that is the most worrying thing at the moment because he is off to pastures
new. Moyes is in trouble no matter how much a certain Januzai or Nick Powell
might promise. Does CR7 fancy a move to Old Trafford now? Can't Woodword see
Cabaye? I don't think they need to break the bank or float United shares at
the Stock Exchange to get him.
71 min Better spell from United. More hilarity at the back for Chelsea, with Cech nearly conceding in farcical fashion, controlling a backpass he should have leathered and giving Chicharito invitation to nick it off him. Cech saves himself with a high element of fortune, slipping as he attempts to backheel the ball away. It ends up looking extremely skilful, but it almost certainly wasn't.
69 min John Obi Mikel is on for Chelsea! Goal time... Oscar makes way. Some high-level farce at the back from Chelsea to keep things marginally interesting, Cahill clearing into Ramires's backside and Cech scrambling back as the ball briefly looks like creeping in. Wide. Decent corner from United, Welbeck heads it wide of the other post. Twitter is LAUGHING at you, United:
<noframe>Twitter: Donavan Pullen - <a href="http://www.twitter.com/thomgibbs" target="_blank">@thomgibbs</a> tell you what now is the time for United to bring in A.V.B.</noframe>
67 min Chelsea looking simultaneously content with this lead, and entirely capable of doubling it. Nothing sticking up front on the rare occasions they're getting it forward. Januzaj has faded to the point of anonymity in this half.
64 min Hazard eases past Smalling with a simple shimmy and ensures his shot takes the dreaded deflection, off Carrick this time. Over on this occasion, and the resulting corner it too long.
62 min Turning into a stroll for Chelsea. They've not been exhilarating, but look very good, which is more than enough to secure a three goal lead against Manchester United at the moment. Here's that banner Henry Winter was telling you about:
Does it bother anyone else that "reasons" are being measured as an amount of money?
60 min Willian, doing lots of excellent nuisance-making running today, feeds Ramires 25 yards from goal. His shot is hit with power. Slightly too much, in fact. It's over.
59 min United's fans still making all of the noise. At what point will they tire of this (excellent) defiance and turn on their team/manager? It's the owners attacting their ire at the moment, says Henry Winter:
<noframe>Twitter: Henry Winter - <a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=hash&q=%23mufc" target="_blank">#mufc</a> fans holding up banner: &ldquo;&#163;600m reasons your time is up. Glazers out now. MUFC&rdquo;</noframe>
56 min Javier Hernandez crosses himself as he comes on for Ashley Young. I'm not a big fan of athletes prominently displaying their religious beliefs , but I can sort of empathise with Chicharito on this occasion...
54 min Everything going for Chelsea. Ashley Young handles in front of the Shed. Those in it that support Chelsea scream for a free kick. Phil Dowd gives it them. Here's Andy Holgate:
Eight games now against the top six and united have managed 5 points. It's
not the lesser teams they have a problem with.
I think Andy means "it's not just the lesser teams..."
51 min The most amusing part of Eto'o's third goal was that Valencia was basically giving the Cameroon striker a bear hug from the moment the corner was taken, and Eto'o still managed to get in front of him to make it 3-0. Pathetic defending. Smalling's on for an injured Evra for Manchester "Please just make it stop" United. Here's Eto'o getting ahead of Vidic to score the second:
49 min GOAL!! Chelsea 3 Manchester United 0 (Eto'o)Eto'o does excellently to win a corner for United after some aggressive ball-keeping from Oscar. It's swung on to Gary Cahill's head who powers it to De Gea. He's not got a hope of holding it and Eto'o pokes it home. That, my liveblog fans, is a hat-trick.
48 min Gary Neville says that Chicharito was doing a warm-up "without his overcoat and pants on" at half time. A case of no fur coat and no knickers? In any case, he's still on the bench at the moment. United do little with a free kick wide on the left.
46 min United emerged early for the second half, presumably in a misguided bid to get it all over with as quickly as possible. Chelsea kick off and kick off well.
16.49 Watching United is reminding me of watching QPR last season. That's how bad they are. Which is to say, they're not actually that bad. They're just underperforming horribly. They shaded that half and should have had at least a goal, but defensive naivety has been predictably punished by a far more competent team. Januzaj has been so excellent that they go into the second half with a little hope, but it wasn't looking good at 1-0 and it's even worse a further goal down. See you in 15.
HALF TIME
45+2 min We're into the second minute of the two which will be added on by decree of the KING. (Richard Scudamore).
45 min GOAL!! Chelsea 2 Manchester United 0 (Eto'o)United clear the corner well enough but fail to deal with the aftermath. United trot forward, Ramires works the ball back out wide for Hazard, his low ball finds Eto'o in a dangerously empty box. He only needs a suggestion of a finish to direct it past De Gea. Where were the markers? Well worked from Chelsea, though. Ramires, particularly.
45 min It's option "b" for Januzaj, who hits the wall instead. High on Valencia's body, and it deflects behind for a corner.
44 min David Luiz stands over a free kick around 25 yards out on the left, so the ball is definitely about to go into the upper tier behind the goal.
42 min Oscar nearly scores! Another Eto'o deflection, this time on a pass inside to Oscar. Hangs up in the air, Oscar watches it all the way and attempts an overhead kick. Decent connection, but it's just over.
41 min This is a delightful performance from Januzaj, a flower that has grown from a pot of dirt. Insultingly executed nutmeg on Ivanovic to find Evra in the area, but his cross is blocked.
37 min Welbeck should score! Patient build-up from United, Januzaj beats his man with ease again, Ivanovic this time on the left. Finds another perfectly servicable low ball into the six yard box, Welbeck's there but can't get a proper contact on it and Cech gathers at the second attempt. Not good enough. A question from Marc Melander:
United fans are deluded to think that Mourinho was ever coming anywhere
near Old Trafford. SAF haunting his every move and no money for the 6-8
players they need = no chance. And anyway, what sort of message are they
giving Moe Moyes with such foolishness ?
35 min Ashley Young takes a necessary booking as Ramires muscles past him towards the right flank. For a team without any wingers Chelsea are finding plenty of width, mainly through Ramires playing positively and Oscar drifting all over.
34 min Harsh free kick awarded against Hazard for an invisible foul on Valencia. Mourinho flounces around in his technical bunker. Here's a blurry wealthy man in the immediate aftermath of some success for his plaything:
32 min If there is hope for United it lies in Adnan Januzaj. He's one on one with Luiz in the box. The Brazilian reckons he can muscle off Januzaj from the ball with persistence. The Kosovan/Belgian/Brit just does enough quick tricks to send his marker somewhere else, and gets a low cross in. Past Cech, but no-one on the end of it for United.
30 min It's on the counter that Chelsea look most dangerous. Plenty going down their right-hand side, but Eto'o follows Oscar and the ball into that area like a member of an Under-9s team. "BUNCHING! YOU'RE BUNCHING!" yells an angry father from the sidelines. Oscar, with no-one in the middle, is forced into a doomed shot. Well wide.
28 min Some of the livebloggers thought that was in! Evra cracks a shot at goal from 25 yards and the net ripples. Unfortunately some of the livebloggers have a questionable ability to follow the flight of a football, as that went behind via the outside of the side netting. Here's your friend and mine Bill Hargreaves:
Whilst declines are as interesting as success stories to study, I think, I
find them quite sad as much as amusing, although the decline of the pompous
can raise a short-lived smile, I suppose. SAF cuts quite a tragic figure at
the moment, I think.
If you suffer from acronym blindness I will tell you that Bill is referring to Sir Alex Ferguson.
25 min Battle developing between Luiz and Rafael, Luiz standing his ground and clattering his compatriot after Rafael controlled poorly and attempted to recover the ball. Chelsea break shortly afterwards after a well-timed sideways pass from Hazard. Ivanovic is spare on the overlap down the right, but his optimistic shot is over. Here's Samuel Eto'o in the process of scoring the opener:
23 min Hammered low across the six yard box. No-one in red gets anything on it. Worrying. Fortunately for them there's no-one in blue to apply a close-range finish either. It's recovered on the other side, and Hazard's chipped cross goes behind for a goal kick.
22 min First stirrings from Eden Hazard wide on the left. He glides past Vidic then Rafael like he's powered by a far more powerful fuel than both. Evans sticks a leg out at his cross. It's a corner.
21 min The bitter and fuirious United bench get excited about a heavy challenge from Luiz on Rafael right in front of them. David Moyes suggests an elbow might have been involved via the medium of mime. Don't think he's right, but it was overly physical, and Luiz is booked.
17 min GOAL!! Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0 (Eto'o)A combination of unfortunate and very poor for United. They've been comfortable but now find themselves behind to a hugely fortuitous goal. Eto'o shoots from just inside the box on the right-hand side, and the ball takes a character-altering deflection off Evans which send it looping hopelessly over De Gea. Previously he beat Phil Jones with embarrassing ease. Some own brand stepovers completely baffled Jones, who wasn't applying any detectable pressure, and Eto'o got himself into the clear without having to really try.
15 min Jose Mourinho being goaded by the noisy United following in the Shed End:
<noframe>Twitter: Paul Hayward - "Jose Mourinho, you wanted this job," sing Man Utd fans. Not quite. He was already heading back to Chelsea.</noframe>
Liveblog sub-question A: Teams whose most famous stand now house away supporters?
13 min Chelsea coming into the game a little more, mostly on the break. Not much in the way of pressure in the space in front of United's back four, Willian bringing the ball forward at pace without much bother. Shoots with fury, takes a big deflection but results in a clean catch for De Gea.
11 min Jones attempts to defend a Ramires drive with the ball by pointing at the Brazilian. He's unsurprisingly unbothered by this, and gets a shot away from outside the box. It's a weak effort, saved with ease by De Gea.
9 min Januzaj drifting around behind Welbeck without a care or tactical instruction in the world. United still bossing it, they've had 73 per cent of possession so far. Marginal moment of concern as Jones loses it and Hazard and Luiz gallop forward together. Luiz runs into Jones, but that's a Chelsea free kick, apparently. This man will be reasonably pleased so far:
7 min Eto'o offers some meek appeals for a foul wide on the Chelsea right. Phil Dowd literally doesn't care. Bit of reassuring possession now for Chelsea, though. Luiz dropping deep to aid the back four passing it around in their own half.
5 min This is sluggish from Chelsea. All five midfielders doing a reasonable-enough job of putting pressure on their equivalents in the United ranks, but possession has been given away cheaply more or less every time the home team have had it. Oscar the latest to play a poor pass towards no-one that gives the ball back to United.
4 min United perform the corner equivalent of artisan bread. Over-intricate and disappointing short affair. Cleared by the first man, and someone's offside anyway. Booo.
2 min All United so far. Bright, energetic start from the visitors, and that's close from Ashley Young! Trades passes with Welbeck on the edge of the box and skips around the outside of the beaten Ivanovic. Young tries to fire it across Cech into the bottom corner but the keeper saves with his legs.
1 min United kick off, reasonably well. They're back!
15.53 Martin Tyler has deployed his "AND IT'S LIVE" a full seven minutes before the game is due to kick off. There is a great disturbance in the force... Fortunately Sky have plenty of betting adverts to show us. Oh HANG ON. My compter's clock is four minutes slow. This is a disaster. Forget everything I've told you about the time in the past two updates. A correctly-timed kick-off is imminent.
15.51 The teams are in the tunnel. Way ahead of time, it should be noted. This is clearly going to be the mother of all warm-ups...
15.49 Eden Hazard isn't doing a very good job of hiding his contempt for the lone striker he'll be playing behind this afternoon:
15.45 From centre back, reading left, Chelsea's defenders have the squad numbers 24, 26, and 28. Ivanovic letting the side down at right back with his conventional choice of number two. If Willian (22) was playing there instead we'd be in sequential even number dreamland. I am a very lonely man.
15.43 Sky sensibly don't give David Moyes the "talk us through your embarassingly straightforward 4-4-1-1" treatment. They settle for a straight interview, which is still a bit heavy on the plucky underdog tone the new United manager can't seem to shake:
We've been a bit short since after Christmas, but getting Phil Jones and
Ashley Young back is important to us. Hopefully Wayne and Robin aren't too
far away. We're going to try and win it. We've worked hard on trying to stop
Oscar, Hazard and Willian but also on looking to score draws. We'll have a
go at it and try and win.
15.38 The line-ups have reinforced what we thought at the beginning of the day. This looks like a foregone conclusion. Paul Hayward thinks as much:
<noframe>Twitter: Paul Hayward - 3rd time in 5 games that Luiz has started in central midfield for Chelsea but Matic ready to take over. On paper Man Utd look out-gunned.</noframe>
<noframe>Twitter: Paul Hayward - Man City lead Man Utd 63 goals to 35 (league). And United trying to save their season without Rooney and Van Persie. Would test any manager.</noframe>
15.30 Sky are trialling a bold new pre-match initiative in which they ask the managers to give away their tactics by "talking them through" their line-ups. Geoff Shreeves asks Jose Mourinho how he's asked his team to line up. Mourinho replies: "Normal". Nicely done. "Your pundits can tell you more." Then some desparate guff from Shreeves about the miracle that is Ramires and Luiz having different personalities despite being from the same country. Wasn't the hope that BT and Sky would inspire to one another to great new heights. The uncomfortable segment concludes ends with Shreeves thanking Mourinho and Mourinho saying "that'll be £10,000." Once again, nicely done.
15.25 It's an email, and you'll be delighted to learn that it's from your friend and mine Shane O'Leary:
I can't thank you enough for posing a question that allows me to type the
words Chicory Tip, obviously the real answer is Torres, but that's no fun at
all.
For the benefit of our younger readers, I believe Shane is referring to this mob:
15.20 Not much on that United bench to get excited about, is there? What do they do if they're behind with 10 minutes left? Release the Tom Cleverley. Not seen much from Shinji Kagawa to suggest he's anything more than a football hipster's convenient theoretical solution to United's problems. Hernandez isn't much cop these days either, right? Chelsea, meanwhile, have Juan Mata in reserve. Which almost makes up for Fernando Torres...
15.15 Official Worst Thing About Football 2013, the half n' scarf, is in proud un-purchased attendance outside Stamford Bridge this afternoon:
15.05 Here are your line-ups:
Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Ramires, David Luiz; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Eto’o
Subs: Schwarzer, Cole, Mikel, Matic, Lampard, Mata, Torres.
Manchester United: De Gea; Rafael, Evans, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Jones, Young; Januzaj; Welbeck.
Subs: Lindegaard, Giggs, Smalling, Hernandez, Cleverley, Fletcher, Kagawa
Referee: Phil Dowd
15.03 Samuel Eto'o starts for Chelsea ahead of Fernando Torres. Full-line ups imminent.
15.00 This afternoon's retro highlights are brought to you, in glorious low definition, by the year 1999:
14.45 Henry Winter wrote about Adnan Januzaj, Manchester United's incresingly important man, in this morning's paper. Here are some of his words:
United possess a versatile attacker, a dynamic drifter who can play left,
right or central. Popping up on the right against Spurs, Januzaj played one
of the passes of the season to release Welbeck for his consolation goal,
placing the ball invitingly behind Vlad Chiriches.
On Sunday, Januzaj turns his talents on Chelsea’s defence. The hosts’ head coach, Jose Mourinho, marvelled at the teenager’s maturity. “Fantastic player, fantastic player,’’ said Mourinho.
“He’s not 18, he’s 25. This is the kind of player who is not 18, he’s 25. So mature, so mature, and so comfortable, very good. He’s a very good player with great conditions to have a long-term career at United. I don’t know the boy individually, I’m not in his ‘day by day’ but it looks like he has everything.’’
His defensive awareness still requires work. His diving tendencies must be eradicated. Of his five cautions this season, three have been for simulation for tumbling while roughly in the same postcode as Sunderland’s John O’Shea, for falling through thin air when anticipating contact from West Ham’s James Collins that never came and then collapsing when colliding with Spurs’ Danny Rose.
When Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement, the outgoing manager gave Januzaj one piece of advice – “work hard”. He has the time and the hunger to grow into a very special player. He’s only 18.
Read Henry Winter's full Adnan Januzaj article by clicking on those blue ordered letters you've just read.
14.30 Is Demba Ba going to be on the receiving end of a surprise start for Chelsea this afternoon? Probably not, but his post of some inspiring words on Instagram have prompted a few theories that he'll be preferred to Torres:
14.00 Afternoon liveblog fans.
There have plenty of recent emissions about this being an exceptionally exciting Premier League season.
It's anyone's to win (if by "anyone's" you mean "more than two teams'") the supposed Natural Order of the league has been disturbed hugely by Manchester United becoming roughly equivalent to Southampton, and there are about eight bad teams but not one that's truly dreadful.
So why does this game feel a bit drab? Partly because doubly rank outsiders United look a write-off for the forseeable future and Chelsea are a less attractive prospect than Arsenal and Manchester City in full flight.
But I think it's mainly because it's the endgame of this season, rather than its past or present, that people are excited about. If current trends continue we'll have a potential final day three-way for the title, and every relegation place undecided ahead of the last round of games.
Thanks to the Sky-led packaging of football as product we're content to deem the whole season "exciting" on the basis of some non-guaranteed delayed gratification, a dramatic two-hour final episode
We're impatient because it's 2014 and, you know, internet, and all we want to do is to skip to May 11 and a hyper-ventinaliting Paul Merson by gorging on the interim football in one sitting like it's a series of Breaking Bad. It's hard to enjoy the present when the dominant narrative is "this is going to be amazing in about two month's time."
What I would find exciting today is a surprise Manchester United victory. And not just because I'm a QPR fan. Don't worry, bias-accusors, I dislike both of these teams equally.
David Moyes's not-great but not quite as bad as people have made out side are overdue for a response. And Moyes pulled off backs-to-the-walls away performances when unfancied many times before. Everton drew at Arsenal and Manchester City last season.
For Chelsea it's an afternoon to turn grind into glitter. A comprehensive victory here is extremely conceivable, given the improving working relationship developing between key trio Willian, Oscar and Eden Hazard.
What will happen? Who knows. I will guarantee one thing. I will tell you all about it if you stay here.
Team news to follow, stay tuned.
11.15 The boy Thom Gibbs will be here from 14.00 to talk you through this afternoon's match at Stamford Bridge and what will either be further humiliation or sudden salvation for David Moyes. Or a draw.
Join him then, and read this lovely preview in the meantime:
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Chelsea v Manchester United
Stamford Bridge
Kick-off: 16.00 GMT.
TV: Live, Sky Sports 1, Highlights, BBC ONE Match of the Day2.
Chelsea (Possible, 4-2-3-1): Cech; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Cole; Luiz, Ramiers; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Torres.
Out: Van Ginkel (knee).
Tests: Ivanovic (knee), Lampard (calf).
United (Possible, 4-2-3-1): De Gea; Rafael, Smalling, Vidic, Evra; Fletcher, Carrick; Valenica, Januzaj, Kagawa; Welbeck.
Out: Fellaini (wrist), Ferdinand, Jones (both knee), Rooney (groin), Van Persie (thigh), Young (shoulder).
Referee: Phil Dowd. Matches: 15, R0 Y65.
Betting: Home 4-5, Away 10-3, Draw 13-5.
Team News
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard could return from a calf injury for Sunday's Premier League clash with Manchester United.
Right-back Branislav Ivanovic only returned to training on Friday following a knee problem and is unlikely to figure.
New signing Nemanja Matic has been added to the squad but boss Jose Mourinho has said he will not start.
Meanwhile, United strikers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie will again be missing.
Rooney has at least started running again, whilst Van Persie should return to training on Monday after nearly six weeks on the sidelines.
United are looking for their sixth win out of seven in the Premier League but Moyes has never won a head-to-head meeting with Jose Mourinho.
Match Notes
Jose Mourinho christened himself ‘the Godfather’ on his return to Chelsea and Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United exit.
He is yet to lose to a Premier League title rival this season and a victory on Sunday will raise more questions over whether David Moyes can fight it out with the very best.
While Moyes struggles to strengthen the United squad, Mourinho brought central midfielder Nemanja Matic back to Stamford Bridge this week.
Stat of the game: United have won only five of their 20 games in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.
Matt Law's prediction: Chelsea 2
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