The Oil Firm Derby.
Dec. 13th, 2011 11:20 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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Chelsea hosted Manchester City in the premier league’s very own El Cashico, the nouvelle riche vs the even newer nouvelle riche, London vs Manchester, Champions League vs Europa Cup, and it was a pulsating match!! The game actually reminded me a bit of Chelsea v United in the league last season, actually; both matches finished 2-1 to the Chels despite them conceding first, Chelsea had an opposition player sent off in both, Chelsea was on the receiving end of some great luck in both and both matches were won by a Frank Lampard penalty, which he scored by smashing down the middle.
We conceded after 2 minutes, lol. Kun Aguero split a great pass through to Balotelli that totally outstripped our defenders for pace.

ngl, I was fearing the worst.

lol yes mte.
Things could have gone from bad to terribad had Mark Clattenberg awarded a penalty to City for Bosingwa’s tap on David Silva’s shins. As it were, he told Silva to get up, meaning Chelsea had a huge let-off.

Make no mistake, City were all over us for the first twenty minutes. But from there on, Chelsea seemed to remember that we were the home team, and not only that, but that we had suffered those two humiliating home losses in the league to Liverpool and Arsenal already this season, and worked out, quite rightly, that there was pride to be salvaged and atonement to be carried out.
Ex-City boy Danny Sturridge (who doesn’t need to train a thing, jsyk) played amazingly to hold onto the ball amidst a sea of City defenders, whipped in a cross for Raul Meireles, for the Portuguese hipster to get his first league goal in Chelsea colours. Djfhkdjfakldhdkh LAD.


There were a couple of sideshows going on in this match, and Yaya Toure vs Juan Mata had almost as much bite as Amir Khan vs Lamont Peterson. And I’m not just talking figuratively but literally here, because Toure actually kicked and slapped Mata. >:-( The big Ivorian was just taking potshots at our pint-sized Spaniard the whole time, it was infuriating. How he wasn’t sent off for this genuine act of malice I’ll never know:

I used to respect Toure... now? Not so much.
In the second half, Gael “anyone who plays for Man City is mercenary” Clichy, who hadn’t received a yellow as a City player in the league until this game, received two in the space of twelve minutes, first for a challenge on Sturridge, then for a foul on Ramires. He could have no arguments tbh, not least because Yaya Toure should’ve been sent packing too and Vincent Kompany had been flirting with danger throughout.

Chelsea strove to make the extra man count. Though there was a period after the Clichy sending off when we looked confused and just kept hoofing long-balls up to Drogba like he was Peter Crouch, soon we regained composure, thanks largely to a boss performance from our skipper. (It was JT who crafted the pass to Sturridge to set up Meireles’ goal btw, just tellin’).

Frank Lampard came on for Raul Meireles. Those who gleefully anticipate writing off Lampybung’s career were rubbing their smug little hands together when he was name amongst those benched, but they might need to wait a while…
… for, on the 82nd minute, Chelseabung were awarded a penalty. Sturridge’s shot hit Lescott’s arm and, as if that wasn’t enough, Lescott raised his arms in the air. Lolscott. Stonewall pen.
AVB had actually delegated penalty taking duties to his fellow Iberian lookalike Juan Mata, and I’m not gonna lie, after his two penalty misses (vs Fulham in the penalty shoot-out and vs Newcastle recently in the league), I wasn’t quite as sure in Lamps taking it as usual. Especially as he does penalty-taking practice with Joe Hart in England training.
But all my doubts were quelled with a rampant bulldozer pen, smashed right down the middle and probably not an inaccurate physical embodiment of the frustration he feels about being benched.

almost a mirror image of the one he put past van der Saar last season!

Beautiful :')

But that’s the beauty of Frank Lampard. He could have responded to being benched by sulking, or by making like The Guardian Football “writers” and doing some shit-stirring. But that’s just not his style. A mature, sensible Ravenclaw type, Frank knows that football speaks louder than words. And boy oh boy, did his vital penalty do the talking, talking last night!!!

Yeah we do!!!!
Props be to Oriol Romeu, who marshalled the midfield and the back four really well, Danny Sturridge, my pick for Man of the Match for his invention throughout (did anyone see him taking the mick out of Joe Hart, bantaaa), Juan Mata’s swagger, John Terry… jus, everyone really. And Drogba for making this happen:



Two of the most beautiful men in the world. :')

Awwww qt sportsmanship between Hart and Lampard <3333




"Wai always me?"

"And wai always me?"
Never, ever, ever, write Frank Lampard off. He'll just come back and make you look silly.
Proud of Chelseabung!!! Happy for AVB!!! We needed this!!! We don’t need to train!!! It was daunting Kompany at the best of times but we never lost Hart and didn’t settle for Silva when we knew we could take Gold. Of course Chelsea had 2 be the 1 to end City’s unbeaten run. Of course. ;)
Photos credited to the only good thing to have come out of The Guardian Football, the flaw free Tom Jenkins