League Cup Semi Final Action!
I'll likely be in and out this afternoon, but join me for a cuppa and a chat if you have a chance.
posted by The Blue Devil @ 2:26 PM
Lakenheath Old Boys
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
I'll likely be in and out this afternoon, but join me for a cuppa and a chat if you have a chance.
Lakenheath Old Boys
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
Contributors
Previous Posts
- FA Cup Fourth Round Draw
- Up Early for the Cup!
- My Favorite Day of the Season!
- The Third Round Starts Here!
- Premiership Plus Predictions Game - New Year Update!
- The New Year's Resolution Thread
- New Year's Day Footie
- New Year's Eve Footie
- The Games Keep on a Coming!
- Premiership Plus Predictions Game - Week 20 Update
29 Comments:
A very good afternoon, LOBers. Arsenal have a poor record at Stamford Bridge. Since winning 5-3 in October 2011, they’ve lost five and drawn one of their last six games on the Fulham Broadway, a run which takes in a 6-0 shellacking in March 2014. With Eden Hazard fully recovered from a calf injury, Chelsea will be favourites to take a lead to north London for the second leg in a fortnight’s time. Especially as Arsenal are reeling from FA Cup defeat at Nottingham Forest, while their star man Alexis Sanchez may have his head elsewhere thanks to some serious interest from Manchester City.
The coverage hasn't started quite yet on ESPN2, but the teams are gathering in the tunnel at the Bridge nonetheless:
Chelsea: Courtois, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger, Moses, Kante, Fabregas, Drinkwater, Alonso, Hazard, Morata.
Subs: Eduardo, Luiz, Zappacosta, Bakayoko, Willian, Pedro, Batshuayi.
Arsenal: Ospina, Chambers, Mustafi, Holding, Bellerin, Wilshere, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles, Iwobi, Welbeck, Lacazette.
Subs: Macey, Mavropanos, Mertesacker, Elneny, Nelson, Walcott, Sanchez.
Here we go, then. Not a lot of fanfare, as ESPN are joining the festivities a wee bit late.
We're about to get going here at the Bridge. VAR is on offer tonight, so that could add an extra spice given the number of penalties that Arsenal have conceded recently.
Arsenal with some midfield possession in the early running.
Of course Arsene Wenger is sitting in the stands tonight, as this is the second of his three-match touch-line ban.
And of course Antonio Conte has been involved in a very public and pointless Twitter war with Jose Mourinho.
Some slow Arsenal triangulation in the middle of the Chelsea half. Suddenly Lacazette injects a little burst of energy down the inside-left channel, and very nearly breaks clear into the area. Not quite, but that was a lovely little electric buzz, a switch flicked, and it nearly gave Chelsea a shock.
Iwobi goes on a zippy run down the centre of the park and he’s upended by Kante, 25 yards from goal. Xhaka drags a dreadful free kick straight into the wall, an awfully weak shot, but gets a break as the ball deflects out for a corner on the right. Fortunately for the hosts, Arsenal make a total balls of the set piece.
Half an hour in then and still no breakthrough for either side. Arsene has Alexis up warming up just in case.
It’s kind of gone off the boil, this match. The crowd are still giving it plenty, to be fair.
Fabregas has a chance to swing a free kick in now for Chelski - training pitch routine with a square ball to Kante comes to nothing as the shot is blasted over the bar. Poor.
Now it's Arsenal's chance for a free kick. Xhaka Klan over it. And it's a really rubbish effort straight into the keeper's arms.
Oh - Fabregas has a free header from a great cross by Azpi but he puts it straight at Cech.
Half-time arrives and the punters haven't had much to sink their teeth into in that first half. A drab 0-0 draw so far, which will probably suit Arsene Wenger no end.
The half-time transfer news is that Francis Coquelin is set to move to Valencia for £12 million. That's a good bit of business for the Arsenal as Coq au Vin has long been surplus to requirements.
Back for the second half now and nearing the hour mark. Still 0-0 but Morata just goes close.
Arsenal can’t get a sniff of the ball at the moment. But they’re forcing Chelsea to do most of their work in the middle third of the pitch. Azpi is doing quite a lot of quarterbacking, but he can’t find Morata or Hazard with his long, floated passes.
65 minutes in and Lacazette gets the hook. Alexis replaces him.
Deep free kick from Chelski - Arsenal have trouble clearing it and Moses has a chance. Well blocked by Mustafi.
Oh dear - Ospina was nowhere on that corner. Christiansen has a free header but he must have closed his eyes on that one. Well wide from about four yards.
Attacking move from Conte - Drinkwater is pulled and Willian is on for him. How ridiculous of Conte to play two water carriers in Kante and Drinkwater at home.
Willian launches one and it swerves a bit but Ospina has it covered.
Hazard comes off, Bakayoko on. Arsenal free kick coming up.
About ten minutes left of this dross now.
Chelski fans getting a bit frustrated now; they'll be even more frustrated if Arsenal can nick a late goal.
Deep into stoppage time now - Chelski still trying to press their advantage.
Wenger is looking a bit cold in the stands. He must be pleased with a draw though, which leaves it wide open for the second leg in two weeks.
That's that, then. Chelski fans will be really disappointed. In truth that was a mockery of a football match, with no real incident at all. 0-0 and all to play in two weeks.
Post a Comment
<< Home