Daybreak, Politics, Entertainment, Sport

Tag: Chelsea

  • Chelsea Beat Man City To Delay Premier League Title Party

    Chelsea Beat Man City To Delay Premier League Title Party

    Chelsea forced Manchester City to put their Premier League title party on hold on Saturday, winning 2-1 to boost their own chances of a top-four finish in a dress rehearsal for the Champions League final.

    Raheem Sterling gave the home side the lead just before half-time at an empty Etihad Stadium but Hakim Ziyech levelled and Marcos Alonso bundled in the winner in the dying seconds.

    City could be crowned champions before they play again. Second-placed Manchester United face three matches before Guardiola’s men are next in action, against Newcastle on Friday.

    The point lifts Chelsea into third spot, six clear of fifth-placed West Ham with just three games to go.

    Thomas Tuchel’s in-form team ended City’s dreams of a historic quadruple by beating them in the FA Cup semi-final last month and they once more proved tricky opponents.

    City, who have a huge 13-point advantage over second-placed Manchester United, are certain to win their third Premier League title in four years but must now wait for it to be confirmed.

    Pep Guardiola made nine changes from the side that saw off Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final in midweek, with Ederson and Ruben Dias the only players to keep their places.

    Chelsea made five changes following their triumph over Real Madrid.

    The home side dominated possession in the early stages, with Ferran Torres firing over after a thrust down the right and Benjamin Mendy shooting wide.

    Raheem Sterling was booked in the 12th minute after catching Timo Werner with his studs but the punishment could have been worse.

    Werner had the ball in the net just after the half-hour but he was well offside and Sterling had a shot at the other end but clear-cut chances were at a premium.

    Ziyech tested Ederson in the City goal as the half-time break neared but moments later the home side were ahead.

    Gabriel Jesus shrugged off Andreas Christensen to break into the area. He squared, looking for Sergio Aguero. The Argentine’s touch was poor but Sterling was on hand to tuck home.

    City should have been 2-0 in first-half stoppage time but Aguero paid the price for attempting a Panenka penalty that was easily saved by Edouard Mendy, drawing the ire of Guardiola.

    Jesus won the spot-kick when he was bundled over by Billy Gilmour.

    Chelsea fightback

    As the second half wore on the visitors started to establish a foothold and they equalised just after the hour when Rodri lost possession on the halfway line.

    Chelsea broke down the right and Cesar Azpilicueta picked out Ziyech just outside the area. The Moroccan drilled a low shot into the bottom corner.

    Guardiola threw on Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden for Torres and Aguero as his side went in search of the win.

    Chelsea substitute Callum Hudson-Odoi had the ball in the net with about 10 minutes to go but the goal was ruled out for a marginal offside.

    The finish was frantic. Sterling had a penalty appeal turned down and Alonso then grabbed a last-gasp winner after an assist from Werner.

    Tuchel has transformed Chelsea’s fortunes since replacing Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge in January, losing just two matches on his way to the FA Cup final and Champions League final.

    Their remaining three league matches are against Arsenal, Leicester — their FA Cup final opponents — and Aston Villa but they will now be strongly fancied to qualify for the Champions League for the third season in a row.

    AFP

  • Chelsea beats Madrid 2-0 to qualify for UCL final

    Chelsea beats Madrid 2-0 to qualify for UCL final

    Chelsea are into their third Champions League final after beating Real Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday night.

    Chelsea will now play in their third Champions League final, in Istanbul on Saturday May 29.

    They have set up just the third all-English Champions League final as Manchester City look to complete a Treble.

    Mason Mount delivered the second goal that sealed the team’s victory 85 minutes into the match.

    Timo Werner had headed in from close range to give Chelsea the initial 1-0 lead at the 28th minute.

  • Lampard breaks silence after Chelsea sack

    Lampard breaks silence after Chelsea sack

    Frank Lampard has spoken out for the first time after his sacking as Chelsea manager.

    The club legend and record goal scorer was dismissed halfway through his second season.

    Breaking his silence, Lampard said: “It has been a huge privilege and an honour to manage Chelsea, a club that has been a big part of my life for so long.

    “Firstly, I would like to thank the fans for the incredible support that I have received over the last 18 months. I hope they know what that means to me.

    “When I took on this role I understood the challenges that lay ahead in a difficult time for the football club.

    “I am proud of the achievements that we made, and I am proud of the academy players that have made their step into the first team and performed so well.

    “They are the future of the club.

    “I am disappointed not to have had the time this season to take the club forward and bring it to the next level.

    “I want to thank Mr Abramovich, the board, players, my coaching team and everyone at the club for their hard work and dedication, especially in these unprecedented and challenging times.

    “I wish the team and the club every success for the future.”

    Lampard, who won three Premier League titles and one Champions League as a player at Chelsea, arrived as boss in 2019.

    He led the Blues top a top-four finish and an FA Cup final in his first year in charge.

    But, after over £200million spent and a dismal run of league form the iconic former midfielder was dismissed.

    He leaves Chelsea ninth in the table and is statically the worst manager under the Roman Abramovich era.

    Despite the harsh stats and facts, Lampard is still beloved by Chelsea supporters with some fans slamming the decision to sack him.

    Even owner Abramovich put out a rare statement to justify his call and insisted Lampard’s status ‘remains undiminished’

    The Russian billionaire wrote: “This was a very difficult decision for the club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him.

    “He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.

    “On behalf of everyone at the club, the board and personally, I would like to thank Frank for his work as head coach and wish him every success in the future.

    “He is an important icon of this great club and his status here remains undiminished.

    “He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.”

  • Chelsea Fires Frank Lampard

    Chelsea Fires Frank Lampard

    Chelsea Football Club have parted company with Head Coach Frank Lampard.

    The club, in a statement, said:

    “This has been a very difficult decision, and not one that the owner and the Board have taken lightly.

    “We are grateful to Frank for what he has achieved in his time as Head Coach of the Club. However, recent results and performances have not met the Club’s expectations, leaving the Club mid-table without any clear path to sustained improvement.

    “There can never be a good time to part ways with a club legend such as Frank, but after lengthy deliberation and consideration it was decided a change is needed now to give the Club time to improve performances and results this season.

    Owner, Roman Abramovich said:

    “This was a very difficult decision for the Club, not least because I have an excellent personal relationship with Frank and I have the utmost respect for him’.

    “He is a man of great integrity and has the highest of work ethics. However, under current circumstances we believe it is best to change managers.

    “On behalf of everyone at the Club, the Board and personally, I would like to thank Frank for his work as Head Coach and wish him every success in the future. He is an important icon of this great club and his status here remains undiminished. He will always be warmly welcomed back at Stamford Bridge.”

    “The Club will be making no further comment until such time as a new Head Coach is appointed.”

  • EPL: Chelsea Suffers 3-1 Home Lose to Man City

    EPL: Chelsea Suffers 3-1 Home Lose to Man City

    Chelsea have been beaten 3-1 at Stamford Bridge by Manchester City in the English Premier League on Sunday.

    Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring for City in the 18th minute from a Phil Foden assist.

    Three minutes later, Kevin De Bruyne set up Foden to double the lead for the visitors who went into the game on the back of a 2-0 win against Newcastle.

    City continued to dominate the game and pressed with counter-attacks whenever Chelsea found their way in their half.

    One of the counter-attacks paid off with Raheem Sterling making a brilliant run, hitting a shot against the bar and leaving De Bruyne to score from the rebound in the 34th minute.

    The second half of the game saw the same momentum but ended with a consolation goal for Chelsea and scored by Callum Hudson-Odoi in the 92nd minute.

  • Chelsea announce £32.5m profit for 2019-20 financial year

    Chelsea announce £32.5m profit for 2019-20 financial year

    Chelsea football club of England have posted a profit of £32.5 million ($44.4m) in their latest financial results.


     Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Blues saw their total turnover go down from the previous number of £446.7m ($610.6m) last year to £407.4m ($556.8m) this fiscal year ending June 30 2020.


    Most of the profit was made from player sales and Champions League qualification.


    Chelsea also remain compliant “with UEFA’s break-even criteria under the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations,”  according to a club statement .


    Chelsea also saw a significant fall in both broadcasting and matchday revenues, as a result of the suspension of the season from March 2020 at the height of the covid-19 pandemic.


    Commercial revenue also fell as non-matchday activities effectively suspended or closed, while the club further invested close to £100m ($136.7m) in their squad.


    That figure does not include the club’s big-money summer signings however, with Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell and Edouard Mendy all arriving after the 2020 fiscal year.


    “In common with many, many businesses across the globe, the pandemic has had a significant impact on Chelsea’s income,” chairman Bruce Buck noted in a club statement .


    “But it is a sign of the strength and stability of our financial operation that the company was still able to post a profit in the past financial year.


    “This was done while continuing to invest in our playing staff and indeed had normal football not halted in March, projections show a record profit and record turnover would have been achieved.


    “That would have represented an increase in revenue for a fifth year in succession.


    “Despite the impact of Covid, the revenue streams remained strong, our team is developing on the pitch and the Club is in a good position to continue to grow when football is able to operate as it did previously, a time we are all looking forward to.”

  • ‘Werner needs to brush up on his finishing’ – Cole

    ‘Werner needs to brush up on his finishing’ – Cole

    Timo Werner “needs to brush up on his finishing”, according to Joe Cole, who thinks Frank Lampard should drop the struggling Chelsea forward.

    Chelsea snapped Werner up on a five-year contract in June after sealing a £47.5 million ($64m) deal with RB Leipzig, reportedly beating the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to his signature.

    The 24-year-old established himself as one of the most prolific goalscorers in Europe at Red Bull Arena, but has not been quite as effective in the final third during his first few months at Stamford Bridge.

    The Germany international has only eight goals to his name from 20 appearances in all competitions for the Blues this season, and hasn’t found the back of the net in any of his last eight outings.

    Werner drew another blank as Chelsea suffered a second successive defeat at the hands of Wolves on Tuesday night, with Lampard still seemingly unsure how best to utilise his talents.

    The ex-Leipzig star started the game on the right before being shifted to the left in the second half, but was ultimately unable to affect the game on either flank, and Cole thinks he is badly in need of a rest after a frustrating start to his career in west London.

    “I think Werner, when he comes in off that left, he’s very, very dangerous,” the former Blues winger told Amazon Prime Video after his old club’s 2-0 loss at Molineux.

    “I just think he just needs to brush up on his finishing, but he’s a young striker and he will do that. I’ve got no doubts he’ll be a top player for Chelsea but there’s options now and he [Lampard] needs to move it around.

    “[Hakim] Ziyech and [Callum] Hudson-Odoi to come back in, freshen it up at some point. Take Werner out, bring him back in.

    “It’s a marathon to win a title usually, and certainly this year. You’ve got to use your whole squad.

    “So Werner maybe come out, bring the other lads back in.”

    Cole is still confident that Werner will come good at Chelsea, and he’s offered the same assessment of the frontman’s fellow countryman Kai Havertz, who has also failed to live up to expectations since his £70 million ($94m) switch to the Bridge from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer transfer window.

    “I think he’s [Werner’s] had a good start to his Chelsea career,” he added.

    “You can compare him with other big foreign imports, sometimes they come to this league [and] you have to understand it might take time for them to settle.

    “I think for him and Havertz it has as well. Werner has probably settled in a little bit quicker. They are two top players, I know because you see the glimpses.

    “But I have no doubt Werner and Havertz will be massive players for Chelsea.”

  • Pulisic returns from injury to face Wolves after making ‘positive’ progress

    Pulisic returns from injury to face Wolves after making ‘positive’ progress

    Frank Lampard says Chelsea will welcome back Christian Pulisic for their trip to face Wolves on Tuesday evening after he came through his recent training sessions without pain.

    Pulisic has had a series of injury problems since joining Chelsea and his hamstring tear in the FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal in August has led to further problems in the new season.

    Previously, Pulisic’s latest setback was described as an ‘awareness’ of the hamstring which has caused him to sit out the last two matches.

    As Lampard attempts to bounce back from a 1-0 defeat away at Everton on Saturday, he will welcome back Pulisic at Molineux.

    “He trained on the day we played against Everton and he felt better so he is in the squad for tomorrow,” Lampard said in a press conference from Cobham Training Centre.

    “It is yet to be decided whether he starts or not but it is positive news from where it was at the weekend.”

    Chelsea’s loss on Merseyside ended a 17-game undefeated streak in all competitions but it left Lampard concerned as his side failed to hit the target in the second half when chasing the game.

    That lack of creativity came with Timo Werner and Kai Havertz playing on the wings amid injuries to Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

    Having already said he believes Havertz can play anywhere in the forward line, Lampard doesn’t believe he needs to abandon his primary formation to get more creativity out of his side.

    “No, we’ve been playing really well,” Lampard added. “Hakim Ziyech has certainly been very pivotal and Callum, when he’s been playing, has done well and all of a sudden we are very short on wingers. But we have capabilities to still play.

    “It wasn’t the formation that we didn’t get right at the weekend, it was the way we executed it, which we have players that can comfortably do that. So we just need to improve on the weekend.

    “What we have to come to terms with, it felt like Everton played very similar to how Tottenham played against us a couple of weeks ago and if people are watching us of course, they will stop us from doing what we’ve been doing well. It’s on us to find other ways.

    “We didn’t move the ball quickly enough as a team to hit the sides to maybe turn them around. So I think we just need to understand that, when teams make it difficult for us, we have to have ways to get around that. Our level dropped.

    “If we’d been at our top level we would have found a way to get around that. I certainly accept this group of players going so long unbeaten that there is one game that feels like that. And we can’t really make any excuse of not having the wingers.

    “It is unfortunate in the short term. I think we have players capable of playing in those areas so I don’t want to hang on that one. Hopefully, the wingers are all back soon anyway.”

  • Frank Lampard hails ‘outstanding’ midfielder on return in Krasnodar draw

    Frank Lampard hails ‘outstanding’ midfielder on return in Krasnodar draw

    Gilmour has battled back from a four-month injury lay-off after knee surgery, and looked assured and confident in the Blues’ midfield.

    The 19-year-old enjoyed a stellar breakthrough campaign last term but now faces even greater competition for chances at Stamford Bridge given Chelsea’s £220m summer recruitment drive.

    Blues boss Lampard hailed Gilmour’s showing in the dead-rubber Champions League encounter however, tipping the ex-Rangers youth product to push hard for regular football now.

    “I thought Billy was outstanding on his return, I felt very comfortable with him coming back in, he’s trained so well, done his rehab and he deserved his chance tonight,” said Lampard.

    “So I expect to see more of the same from Billy as he gets stronger now he is past his injury.”

    Jorginho’s penalty salvaged a second-string Chelsea the draw, after Remy Cabella had put the visitors ahead.

    READ ALSO: Champions League clash postponed after players walk off over racial abuse by official

    The Blues had already won Group E, leaving Tuesday’s west London affair somewhat of an afterthought, though not for those Chelsea stars battling to prove their selection points.

    Academy graduate Tino Anjorin enjoyed a fruitful full debut, with the 19-year-old wing looking comfortable on the ball and working hard.

    Lampard hailed his work ethic and admitted he would spend the next few weeks with the first team, while Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi recover from hamstring issues.

    “Tino showed a real ability to step straight into the level, in terms of his abilities on the ball, which I think he showed today,” said Lampard. “His physical attributes to protect the ball and run shone through well.

    “He’s a work in progress – especially after recent injury concerns – but he’s a player that the more he trains with us, the better he gets.

    “With the injuries we have, in the short-term he’ll be spending more time with us. It was a good debut and he grew into the game as it went along.”

    Wingers Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi have both suffered hamstring concerns, but Lampard hopes both have avoided long-term injuries.

    “We think both are going to be about two weeks, They both had scans yesterday,” said Lampard. “So it should be about two weeks.

    “With Hakim that’s positive, while with Callum we didn’t know what to expect. But it’s good news overall on both.”

  • ‘Chelsea are genuine Premier League & Champions League contenders’ – Cole

    ‘Chelsea are genuine Premier League & Champions League contenders’ – Cole

    Chelsea are genuine Premier League and Champions League contenders, according to Joe Cole, who says the Blues have no weaknesses.

    Frank Lampard sought to build on an encouraging fourth-place Premier League finish in 2019-20 by recruiting the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Edouard Mendy and Thiago Silva in the summer transfer window.

    The Blues backed their manager to the tune of over £200 million ($269m) and are already seeing the fruits of their sizeable investment in the early stages of the new season.

    Chelsea have risen to third in the Premier League standings after 10 fixtures, two points behind Tottenham and reigning champions Liverpool having recorded five wins, four draws and only one defeat.

    Lampard’s men are also safely through to the Champions League knockout stages, but will look to secure top spot in Group E when they take in a trip to Sevilla on Wednesday night.

    Ahead of that encounter, Cole has expressed his belief that the west London outfit are capable of winning a domestic and European double, albeit while admitting that they still have plenty of room to develop as a team. 

    “I think Chelsea are genuine contenders,” The former Blues winger, who won three league titles and two FA Cups at Stamford Bridge between 2003 and 2010, told BT Sport.

    “I think all the English sides, you can’t discount any of them from going all the way in the Champions League because of the quality and the strength of our league.

    “I don’t feel there are any weaknesses in the Chelsea side at the moment. I feel there aren’t any glaring weaknesses, there are areas to improve on.

    “But if you look at the last two months, certainly since Chilwell, Mendy, and Silva have got into the back four, the clean sheets have started to happen.

    “We look safe and secure from set-pieces. So those things have improved dramatically from last season. I think there’s still areas where Chelsea can improve and they will improve.

    “But certainly, I put them down as contenders to win the Champions League and the Premier League this year.”

    RELATED POSTS:

    ‘Abraham has given Lampard a great problem’ –Joe Cole

    Giggs denies allegations of assault after police arrest