Swansea City 1-1 Chelsea - Tweets, Match Reports, Goal Videos
Matt The Blue |
The buildup
TheChelseaBlog: Chelsea team: Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, D Luiz, Cole; Meireles, Romeu, Malouda; Sturridge, Torres, Mata.
ChelseaChadder: Chelsea haven’t kept a clean sheet in a Premiership away game without John Terry since January 2008.
BluesChronicle: Interesting anecdote: Swansea received a huge number of media requests for this game; as soon as JT was pulled out of it many lost interest.
The first half
BluesChronicle: Just got a shot on monitor of an uncomfortable-looking Gary Cahill on the Chelsea bench, chewing gum. A penny for his thoughts. Or £7m.
chelseafc: We’ve already seen a couple of old school high lofted balls forward from Swansea. Surprise. Still 0-0 with six mins played.
BluesChronicle: Swansea passing the ball around, as they like to do. Chelsea sitting back and waiting at the moment. And did I mention how cold it is here?
chelseaoffside: Swansea all over us. Super.
BluesChronicle: First chance for Swansea’s Danny Graham in front of goal. But somehow he scuffs the ball.
BluesChronicle: Sturridge receives the ball in the D of the box from Luiz on the left: pivots, and shoots just wide.
ChelseaRumours: Neil Taylor booked for a challenge on Sturridge.
ChelseaAnalysis: Goal line clearance by David Luiz!
BluesChronicle: Mayhem in the Chelsea box, as Cech runs for a clearance and gets stranded. Three off the line blocks by the defence.
ChelseaRumours: If we’re going to win this, it’s going to be on the counter… We’re certainly not enjoying much of the possession.
BluesChronicle: Sturridge again: runs down the right, cuts in, turns and shoots low - but Vorm has it.
chelseafc: Midway through the half and it is still 0-0 but Swansea on top. Chelsea finding it hard to keep the ball against busy opponents.
TheChelsOrg: Swansea with 72% possession so far…
BluesChronicle: Sturridge the only Chelsea threat so far. Attacks keep on going down the odd blind alley, or fizzling out altogether. Missing Ramires.
ChelseaRumours: Torres nearly puts Sturridge through but it’s cut out brilliantly.
chelseafc: 30 mins gone and still 0-0. For all their possession, Swansea are finding Ivanovic and David Luiz in good form in central defence.
ChelseaAnalysis: You can’t blame David Luiz, sitting back and watching all this sluggish play. It forces him to charge forward in full force.
BluesChronicle: Bosingwa, who is playing a long way forward tonight, puts a ball in for Mata: who delivers an abortive volley that goes well wide of target.
BluesChronicle: Romeu scuffed daisy cutter from 25 yards bounces and bobbles, and forces Vorm to tip it round the post for a corner.
ChelseaRumours: Free header for Luiz (not as easy as it sounds though) - straight into the hands of Vorm.
BluesChronicle: GOAL: Swansea 1-0 Chelsea.
TheChelsOrg: Wouldn’t you know it… Scott Sinclair. Just as we’re crying out for someone with pace, a finish, young, and English.
Swansea 1-0 Chelsea: free kick into box, rebounds off Bosingwa, & Sinclair - back to goal - somehow hooks it in. Amazing technique. Or luck?
— Dan Levene (@BluesChronicle) January 31, 2012
BluesChronicle: Swansea 1-0 Chelsea: free kick into box, rebounds off Bosingwa, & Sinclair - back to goal - somehow hooks it in. Amazing technique. Or luck?
BluesChronicle: Sinclair lifted up in adulation by teammates, but former Chelsea man asks to be put down. Refuses to celebrate the goal. Boy’s got class.
ChelseaRumours: Bosingwa beats his man well, poor poor cross. Sound familiar?
OptaJoe: 7 - Swansea are unbeaten in the seven games in which they have opened the scoring in the PL this season (W5 D2). Flying.
TerrenceTheCat: Time to face facts - the majority of this team are rubbish and or totally demotivated - AVB out of his depth. Really depressing.
chelseafc: Cole booked for a foul on Sigurdsson on half way. He is not happy with that decision.
BluesChronicle: HT: Swansea 1-0 Chelsea. Lacklustre CFC punished by one that got away: Scott Sinclair wonder goal the former Blues man refused to celebrate.
TheChelsOrg: Chelsea - I love you and I will never leave you, but please, stop being such a fuck up. What has happened to you?
OptaJoe: 23 - Scott Sinclair scored just one goal in 23 PL games before joining Swansea. Since then he has scored seven in 23. Comfortable.
Half time
BluesChronicle: Chelsea anonymous, innocuous & hopeless in first half. If, as some reckon, this game is Rodgers’ application for the Blues job - he’s got it.
chelseayouth: Cannot fathom why Cahill doesn’t play and Ivanovic is moved inside after a fine performance vs QPR at RB. What are we doing?
ChelseaStats: You have to say Swansea are a class act. Chelsea going backwards and I don’t think it is entirely AVB’s fault.
ChelseaChadder: The last time Chelsea won an away Premiership game when losing at half time was August 2009.
BluesChronicle: Chelsea back out on pitch: no changes at HT. Which means Bosingwa is still RB, and Malouda is still in midfield. Erk.
The second half
BluesChronicle: Second half underway at a frostbitten Liberty Stadium. Swansea 1-0 Chelsea. COME ON CHELSEA!
BluesChronicle: Chelsea are playing with a man in midfield who is not a midfielder. There is a man on the bench who is. Substitutes are allowed.
BluesChronicle: Backs against the wall & what usually happens? Terry, Lampard, Drogs - someone gees the boys up. None are out there. So it ain’t happening.
TheChelsOrg: I’d take back our glorious unpredictability over this boring predictability any day. #BringBackThe90s
chelseafc: An hour gone and Chelsea enjoying more of the ball and more time in the Swansea half than the first 45 mins. Still 1-0 down though.
ChelseaRumours: Possession 2nd half: Swansea 25% Chelsea 75%.
BluesChronicle: Chelsea getting forward more, but their fire still being easily extinguished by Swansea. One side here looks hungrier: and it’s not Chelsea.
BluesChronicle: Chelsea sub: Essien on for… Romeu. Really? With Malouda on the pitch? Nope, me neither.
BluesChronicle: Essien’s first involvement is a searing shot from 30 yards - which rises and rises until it goes about a yard over the bar.
ChelseaRumours: I have a feeling we’ll end up with a draw here… Make it a Torres goal then, please.
chelseafc: Twenty mins left to play and Chelsea continue to press Swansea back without working their goalie.
BluesChronicle: Local fella next to me just said he can’t see Chelsea finishing the game without a goal. Obviously hasn’t been watching us much of late.
BluesChronicle: Swansea sub: Luke Moore on for Scott Sinclair. Scotty getting a standing ovation from all sides of the ground - Chelsea fans included.
BluesChronicle: Chelsea sub: Lukaku on for Malouda. The withdrawal of the Frenchman gets a massive cheer from the visiting fans.
chelseafc: Bosingwa cuts in side and fires a blistering shot only a few inches over. Swansea went close too moments earlier.
BluesChronicle: Second yellow card for Ashley Cole - and he’s off.
peter_watts: Well, it’s been great to see what AVB can do without the old guard of Terry, Lampard and Drogba holding him back.
TerrenceTheCat: We are a fucking shambles - can’t wait to hear what bullshit AVB comes out with this time.
BluesChronicle: GOOOOAAALLL! SWANSEA 1-1 CHELSEA. BOSINGWA!
KaiserJonny: I appear to be laughing so hard I have broken a kidney.
Swansea 1-1 Chelsea. Had to be Bosingwa, didn't it?! Twists & turns on edge of box, then sends diagonal shot. Tiny deflection from Taylor.
— Dan Levene (@BluesChronicle) January 31, 2012
BluesChronicle: Swansea 1-1 Chelsea. Had to be Bosingwa, didn’t it?! Twists & turns on edge of box, then sends diagonal shot. Tiny deflection from Taylor.
RickGlanvill: SCFC 1 CFC 1 What a fantastic performance all round! coughing fit
chelseafc: It ends Swansea 1 Chelsea 1.
peter_watts: Always loved Bosingwa.
BluesChronicle: FT: Swansea 1-1 Chelsea. Blues almost sunk by former star Sinclair. Last gasp Bosingwa equaliser. But big cost: Cole red means he misses MU.
BluesChronicle: Make sure you see the replays of AVB’s face when that equaliser went in: I have never seen a man look more relieved in my life.
The press reports
The Guardian, Stuart James: "Good fortune was smiling on Chelsea, although the point that was salvaged in stoppage time came at a cost. Trailing to Scott Sinclair's wonderful first-half goal and down to 10 men after Ashley Cole picked up a second yellow card for a lunge on Nathan Dyer, Chelsea looked devoid of ideas and were on the brink of a sixth league defeat of the season until José Bosingwa's cross deflected off Neil Taylor in the second minute of stoppage time to leave Michel Vorm stranded."
The Daily Telegraph, Jeremy Wilson: "It was only a 90-minute snapshot of a 38-game Premier League season but, on this evidence, Roman Abramovich selected the wrong Jose Mourinho protégé. Yes, Chelsea snatched a deflected equaliser but the dominant theme of another uplifting occasion at the Liberty Stadium was Swansea’s wonderfully slick passing football."
The Official Chelsea FC Website: "In the end a draw was probably a fair result, with the Blues dominating possession in the second half. Scott Sinclair's impressive strike had given the home side a half-time lead, but as the game appeared to be out of reach following Ashley Cole's 85th minute red card, Jose Bosingwa proved the unlikely hero, firing in a shot with almost the last kick of the game that was deflected in to send the travelling hordes into a frenzy behind the goal."
The goals