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Middlesbrough 3 - 0 Chelsea
Middlesbrough
Goalscorers: Rochemback 2: Downing 45: Aiyegbeni 68
Squad: Schwarzer, Parnaby, Riggott, Southgate, Pogatetz, Morrison (Boateng 39), Mendieta (Davies 92), Doriva, Rochemback, Downing, Aiyegbeni (Hasselbaink 90)
Unused Substitutes: Jones, Maccarone
Chelsea
Squad: Cech, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas (Maniche 17), Geremi (Cole 45), Essien, Lampard, Cole (Wright-Phillips 45), Gudjohnsen, Robben, Crespo
Unused Substitutes: Cudicini, Huth
Booked: Carvalho (92) , Terry (42) , Gudjohnsen (48)
Attendance: 31,037
Referee: S Bennett
THE WEBSITE REPORT
Boro v Chelsea
In the biggest defeat during the reign of José Mourinho, Chelsea played without the normal discipline, physical drive or ability of the team destined to win the Premiership.
Chelsea looked as though they were still down south when Essien got caught on the ball by Rochemback from a defensive throw-in. He forced it out to Yakubu, then ran on to receive the return, danced past Terry in the area, then Carvalho, and shot under the advancing Cech. Not eighty seconds had passed since kick-off and Boro were ahead. The home crowd exploded in support.
After ten minutes of no Chelsea penetration, only Cech’s brilliant push-away from Downing, who had cut in from the left as Boro were two against one on Gérémi and fired a 20 yard right-footer, kept the deficit to one.
Chelsea’s first shot was after 15 minutes, a wild slice from 20 yards by Lampard. Gallas, meanwhile, trying to surge forward, was clipped by Parnaby and seemed to catch his studs in the soggy pitch, and limped off with a nasty looking ankle. Maniche replaced him, going into holding midfield with Essien switching to left-back.
After 18 minutes, Middlesbrough, aggressive and exuberant, had committed five fouls, won three corners, scored a goal and had another effort well saved. Chelsea, playing at a measured pace, had committed no fouls and not tested Schwarzer.
Finally in the 27th minute patient play by Gérémi, Robben and Lampard put the England midfielder behind Boro’s defence, but his cross was cleared for Chelsea’s second corner and nothing came of that.
Chelsea were improving. Gérémi’s burst won another corner, then Lampard was set up by Gudjohnsen and fired a 22 yarder which Schwarzer couldn’t hold. But possession was still being lost too easily and the defence looked vulnerable.
Boro v Chelsea
Nine minutes before half-time Schwarzer pulled off a sensational double-save to stop a certain equaliser. Essien’s shot, like Lampard’s before, twisted and fizzed and the goalkeeper, standing up one moment and diving down the next when the ball didn’t go straight to him, couldn’t hold it, but he recovered to block Crespo who was lurking, poaching and shooting in a flash.
Morrison, unable to run off an ankle injury, was replaced by Boateng, then six minutes before half-time when Boro finally got a free-kick, Pogatetz looped a header fractionally beyond Cech’s far post with the goalkeeper scrambling.
Terry, frustrated at the challenges which weren’t being won ahead of him, chased one ball down and won it, then chased the next and crashed into Mendieta to pick up the first yellow card of the afternoon. It was his fifth domestic one of the season and, like Gallas, he will be suspended against Colchester.
Unbelievably, by half-time Boro were two up. Terry covered Carvalho to get in a solid tackle on Yakubu, the ball went out to Downing who cut inside Carvalho and shot through a crowd including Mendieta’s attempted flick and inside the far post.
Chelsea’s frustration was increased when Gudjohnsen was booked for holding back Rochemback. When the interval whistle went, it was the first time a Chelsea side under Mourinho had gone in two goals down.
For the second-half Mourinho switched to 3-5-2. Gérémi went off leaving a back line of Carvalho, Terry and Essien. Wright-Phillips replaced Joe Cole giving a midfield of Wright-Phillips, Gudjohnsen, Maniche, Lampard and Robben. Carlton Cole came on to partner Crespo in attack.
Carlton Cole won an early corner from which Yakubu broke and went past Maniche like he wasn’t there, and only an extraordinary chasing tackle by Terry stopped the centre-forward from running though on goal.
Boro v Chelsea
Chelsea attacked with more desire, and as the goal wouldn’t come Wright-Phillips and Robben pushed forward to make it a 3-3-4 shape. Increasingly the team was open at the back.
Great build-up play by Gudjohnsen, Cole and Essien set up Robben but he angled his shot over. As the midway point of the half approached there just had to be more goals in the game. If Chelsea could get the next one, who could imagine what might happen!
The goal, however, was Yakubu’s, and came from another elementary defensive mistake. Carvalho jumped with him for Schwarzer’s long kick, missed it, and Yakubu ran forward, cut inside the desperately covering Terry, and smacked a shot from the edge of the area low inside Cech.
It was a bullying, impressive performance from Yakubu, and Carvalho was one of a number of players who were well below their best.
Yakubu suffered a ‘Crespo’ decision when he was given offside as he burst away from the centre circle and went on to lob Cech who, in fairness, had stopped. Chelsea were maybe lucky.
With 12 minutes left Carlton Cole volleyed an angled shot over a crowd of defenders after Schwarzer had failed to hold under pressure following Chelsea’s fifth corner of the half, and the ball smacked off the far post.
Rochemback had been playing to the crowd with his looking one way and kicking the ball the other, and his complete stops, and then after Yakubu had again stretched Carvalho, Rochemback took advantage of space and drove a glorious, dipping drive from wide on the left which Cech tipped over with equal brilliance. It was a breathtaking save from a unique shot.
When Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was sent on with a minute of normal time left, Chelsea fans gave him as big a welcome as home fans. In stoppage time, Carvalho picked up a needless booking, tetchily kicking the ball away at a free-kick.
When the final whistle went most of the away players made straight for the dressing room. A few went over to salute the travelling fans. Most looked too upset or, for once, too embarrassed.
Middlesbrough (4-5-1) Schwarzer; Parnaby, Southgate (c), Riggott, Pogatetz; Morrison (Boateng 38), Mendieta (Davies 90+1), Doriva, Rochemback, Downing; Yakubu (Hasselbaink 89).
Chelsea (4-3-3) Cech; Gérémi (Wright-Phillips h-t), Carvalho, Terry (c), Gallas (Maniche 16); Gudjohnsen, Essien, Lampard; J Cole (C Cole h-t), Crespo, Robben.