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  • Dunne (6 og), Kalou (53)
  • Date:2008-04-05
  • Kick-off:15:00
  • Venue:City of Manchester Stadium
  • Attendance:42594
  • Referee:Foy, C

Live Commentary

90mins

The final whistle goes, and Chelsea really showed their Premiership credentials after outclassing City in the 2nd half and making the game comfortable.

90mins

There will be five minutes of stoppage time to be played after that lengthy injury to Onuoha earlier.

87mins

Renato Paulo Ferreira replaces Juliano Belletti.

87mins

The City fans have seem to given up on the game as rows of empty seats begin to appear.

84mins

Anelka gets down to the byline and pulls the ball back, but no-one is in support and the City defence can clear.

82mins

Chelsea will be pleased if they secure this result after conceding the lead in Istanbul midweek, this result would also mean Avram Grant's side will move to within 2 points of United.

77mins

Into the final quarter, and every minute that passes seems to contain less hope for the City fans as Chelsea continue to grind out this result.

74mins

Felipe Caicedo replaces Stephen Ireland.

71mins

Anelka is caught just offside as he attempted to beat the City back line with his pace.

68mins

Chelsea have taken command of this game now and are playing at an almost strolling pace, City need to change something quickly if they want something out of this match.

65mins

Darius Vassell replaces Blumer Elano.

63mins

Michael Johnson does well to block a strong Kalou shot from the edge of the box.

59mins

Sun Jihai replaces Nedum Onuoha.

57mins

Hart has made a brilliant save from Anelka, who's header from close range was destined for goal after Lampard supplied.

56mins

Defender Nedum Onuoha has been down injured for some time now, and it doesn't look good for the City player.

53mins

Salomon Kalou scores! The ball was played right through the centre of the City defence, Kalou latched onto the ball, rounded the keeper, and slotted home.

52mins

Joe Cole replaces Shaun Wright-Phillips.

48mins

Lampard tries his luck from just outside the box, but Richard Dunne gets in the way and blocks the shot.

45mins

The game restarts as City look to try and recreate what Fenabache did against Chelsea earlier in the week, and come back from behind to win.

45mins

Referee Chris Foy calls for the break, and Chelsea will be pleased that they have the lead despite not being at their best.

45mins

There will be two minutes of stoppage time to be added.

44mins

Gelson Fernandes is booked for a bad foul on Wright-Phillips.

42mins

Only a few minutes until the break, and Chelsea will be looking to keep it tight at the back and hold their lead until that point.

40mins

Petrov tries his luck from a free-kick near the edge of the area, the strike is a good one, but goes wide of the post.

37mins

Chelsea, through John Terry, clear the danger after Carlo Cudicini fails to collect the ball from a City free-kick.

35mins

City have shown that they do have the firepower to trouble the Chelsea backline, but unfortunately for them, it seems to be at fairly irregular occassions.

31mins

The game has suddenly jumped into life as City have a couple of successive chances on goal, and the City fans will be pleased by this raised tempo.

29mins

Ireland tries to bundle the ball into the Chelsea goal after a powerful Benjani shot was deflected and bounced around the box, and City win a corner, that at the 2nd attempt, is cleared.

27mins

The game is being controlled by the away side, as Chelsea play at their own pace and seemingly at ease.

23mins

Nedum Onuoha makes another great tackle on Anelka as the Frenchman was on hand to shoot inside the box, he concedes the corner, but City will be glad for that.

20mins

Gelson Fernandes does well inside the City box to control and clear the ball with Chelsea strikers lurking around for the loose ball.

18mins

City fans will be hoping that the early goal isn't an omen for a repeat of that 6-0 thrasing at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season.

15mins

Chelsea have dominated early proceedings in the opening 15 minutes here as Hart punches clear a Chelsea corner.

11mins

Nedum Onuoha makes a great sliding challenge on Anelka as he ran through on goal, the striker was about to pull the trigger, making the tackle even more vital.

9mins

The game had been very slow up until that point, but that unfortunate own goal from Dunne has given City an early mountain to climb.

6mins

Chelsea have taken the lead! A low cross from Michael Essien is turned into the City net by Richard Dunne, and what a great start for the away side.

2mins

Chelsea have made 6 changes from the side that played in Turkey midweek, and the selection also proves of interest to Anelka and Wright-Phillips, who face their former clubs.

0mins

The match gets underway, and City will feel that they have a good chance of victory today as they meet a Chelsea side who have been out of sorts recently.

0mins

Goalkeeper Cech fails to shake off an ankle injury and misses out, however, Frank Lampard returns to the starting line-up as Chelsea begin with: Cudicini, Belletti, Alex, Terry, Ashley Cole, Essien, Obi, Lampard, Wright-Phillips, Anelka, Kalou

0mins

Martin Petrov and Michael Johnson both return after recovering from the flu and a groin injury respectively as City start with: Hart, Corluka, Dunne, Onuoha, Ball, Ireland, Gelson, Johnson, Petrov, Elano, Mwaruwari

Match Preview

Chelsea continue in hot pursuit of league leaders Manchester United and will need a win when they travel to out-of-sorts Manchester City on Saturday.

With just one win in six games since the 2-1 victory over their city rivals at Old Trafford, Sven-Goran Eriksson's City side have fallen out of the hunt for a Champions League spot and would now do well to qualify for Europe in any form.

"If we want to talk about European football next season, we can't lose as many balls like we did today," Eriksson said after the 3-1 defeat at Birmingham City last weekend.

With just two league wins over Chelsea since the Premier League was formed in 1992 as well as having last October's 6-0 thrashing still fresh in their minds, City need a much improved performance at the City of Manchester Stadium.

"If I should judge on the Birmingham game I could change nearly all of the team but you don't do that, you have to give them another chance," Eriksson also explained.

"The important thing is that we change our mental approach to the games that are remaining because we didn't get that right at Birmingham."

Eriksson went on to recall the beating Chelsea gave them six months ago, conceding that: "I was to blame for the size of the defeat at Chelsea in the first game because we went there perhaps thinking we were better than we were and tried to play openly.

"It will be different on Saturday. I don't know whether or not we will win but a good performance is very important."

City have no new injury worries, although news that discussions surrounding a new contract for centre-back Richard Dunne have been delayed until the summer will increase the pressure on the City stalwart.

Frank Lampard returned for Chelsea in their surprise midweek 2-1 Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat to Fenerbahce, although he may now be rested for the trip to Manchester.

The England midfielder, who has been dogged by illness, was replaced before the end in Turkey and his furious reaction will not have sat well with the Blues hierarchy.

Tal Ben Haim and Andrey Shevchenko failed to make the trip, preferring instead to concentrate on recovering from their injuries which suggests that neither will be fit for this weekend.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini continues to be impressive in his role as Petr Cech's deputy, starting the last five Premiership games and conceding six goals – although four were given up in the 4-4 draw with Spurs last month.


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Match Report

Chelsea kept up the chase in the Premier League title race with victory at Eastlands to virtually condemn Manchester City to mid-table and perhaps the UEFA Fair Play lottery for European football next season.

It was Chelsea's sixth straight win over City without conceding a goal, since Kevin Keegan's City beat Jose Mourinho's Chelsea at Eastlands in October 2004 with a Nicolas Anelka penalty.

While his European dream hangs by a thread, Sven-Goran Eriksson will also be waiting nervously for the results of a scan on Nedum Onuoha's shoulder after he was substituted following a collision with Michael Essien.

City rang the changes following their defeat at St Andrew's last weekend, with Sun Jihai, Javier Garrido, Dietmar Hamann and Darius Vassell replaced by Michael Ball, Michael Johnson, Martin Petrov, and Vedran Corluka.

The visitors arrived having shuffled their pack following their midweek defeat in Istanbul with one eye on the return leg at Stamford Bridge. Amongst the changes were former City players Anelka and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The backlash from their Istanbul test began in the sixth minute for Chelsea when former City striker Anelka advanced down the right wing and crossed for Essien, who was running at the City defence from midfield. Richard Dunne moved to intercept the pass but could only pass the ball into his own net beyond Joe Hart.

While the goal served to separate the two sides in the first half, in truth, City had more chances in an open and eventful first 45 minutes in which both sides competed.

City were twice denied by deflections before half-time, once from Stephen Ireland's shot following Benjani's well-timed run and cross.

The other came when Michael Johnson and Ireland's one-two ended in Johnson's shot looping into the air off Juliano Belletti and Ashley Cole volleying off the line with Carlo Cudicini stranded.

The chances didn't end there for City though and the pick of Petrov's first-half efforts on goal was a rasping left-footed drive over Cudicini's bar.

Chelsea took control of the second half and made City rue their missed chances. Hart was alert to intercept Wright-Phillips' cross for Anelka in the 50th minute, but Salmon Kalou wrapped it up in the 53rd minute when Essien's pass fell to him and the forward ghosted through the City defence and rounded Hart to make it 2-0.

Frank Lampard's cross in the 55th minute found Anelka free of City's defence, but his measured header was tipped against the bar by Hart, who managed to grab the loose ball before it rolled over the line as Anelka closed in.

Manchester City

Chelsea

Corners

75

Fouls

612

Goal attempts

141

Shots off target

75

Offsides

19

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