Bolton 0-4 Chelsea - Much better again! (Goal Videos too).

Now before you read the rest of this post I would like you to turn your attention to my match preview I wrote yesterday. Please read the whole post first, you can find it here. I said that Chelsea needed to play well at a high tempo and needed the big players to step up and make an impact. Chelsea did everything I asked of them and every single one of our front three got on the score sheet.

For me the Blackburn performance at the time was a better performance than we had seen, last night however, this was even better still but we need to not get too carried away, there is still plenty of work to do but for now Chelsea have taken another step forward in turning our season around.

There is no question Bolton started the brighter in the game for the first five or so minutes and Kevin Davies had a great chance to put them 1-0 up but couldn't get any real connection on the ball under pressure from Ashley Cole, the ball falling straight into the hands of Petr Cech.

After five or so minutes, Chelsea got their foot on the ball and calmed things down. We looked comfortable and our passing was better. Chelsea looked to have a much better shape with and without the ball and looked to be pressing higher up the pitch which was an encouraging sign.

Despite having a lot of the ball, we hadn't created anything of note 10 minutes into the game and in an instant that all changed. Again, pressing high up the pitch, Florent Malouda (who had felt the wrath of one of my blog posts earlier in the week) shut down a lose pass from Zat Knight to Steinsson down our left hand side and the rebound from Malouda's challenge was picked up by Didier Drogba 40 yards from goal. Drogba, moved forward with the ball as no one came to close him down and looked up 30 yards from goal and decided to have a pop at goal and scored an absolute screamer!. He smacked the ball so hard, it had power, pace and movement. Jaaskelainen had no chance as the ball flew passed him into the net. 1-0 Chelsea (Drogba).


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The goal immediately calmed us down and gave the players some additional confidence to what we had started to build in the past couple of weeks. Again, in defensive area's Chelsea continued to press Bolton. With the ball we had started to pass once again with authority. The weeks of seeing us give the ball away and play at a slow pace and tempo seemed to be gone as we looked to move the ball at will with Bolton trying to defend and play their own football.

The next chance of the game fell to Didier Drogba once again, a flicked pass between two defenders fed Drogba down the left edge of the box and his first time left-footed shot was easily saved by Jaaskelainen.

In the odd occasion Bolton got forward in the first half they either lacked a final ball, over hit a cross, played a loose pass or hit the Chelsea wall. In the 30th minute of the half they created another chance but once again Cech was there to make another save. This time Petrov crossed the ball into the box with JT and Ivanovic dealing with Davies and Elmander, Matt Taylor snuck in ahead of Ashley Cole and with a free header, headed down and towards the bottom corner but Cech got across and got his fingers to the ball to flick wide for a corner. Fantastic save from Cech.

It looked as though Chelsea would see the half out 1-0 after Anelka was played through into the box left of centre running away from goal but Anelka delayed and Knight came across to make two important blocks. Anelka had another attempt at goal this time down the right which was blocked behind for a corner. The resultant corner lead to Chelsea's second goal.

Malouda played a corner into the box that was half cleared out wide right. Mikel picked the ball up and crossed it high towards the far post and again it was half cleared. The ball came back out to Malouda and he had time to bring the ball down and half a shot from a tight angle that was blocked the first time, the rebound came back to him, and he slotted the ball in under Jaaskelainen at his near post from close range to make it 2-0 Chelsea (Malouda).


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The half time whistle blew and Chelsea led 2-0.



The second half kicked off and once again and Chelsea started well dominating possession. When we lost the ball or Bolton looked to move the ball forward, Chelsea remained tight and compact and limited Bolton. Kevin Davies became more and more frustrated with playing up against John Terry and it was his frustration that led to our third goal ten minutes into the game.

Fresh from having a decision not given when it looked like Ivanovic held him off a challenge with a strong arm, this time up against Cole, Davies barged Cole, held him off and won the ball in the air and brought it down. Davies looked around to play a pass and couldn't see any options. As he did this, Steinsson the Bolton right back made a run passed Davies to give him an option. Davies ignored him and for some reason played a ball back across the pitch towards either the left sided centre back or left back, but with the ball under hit, it fell to Didier Drogba.

Drogba and Chelsea immediately swarmed forward with Ramires getting in the box with Drogba after he lays the ball left to Malouda into the space left behind by Steinsson's run off the ball for Davies. Essien makes a run around Malouda wide left to give him an option to the byline, Malouda lays the ball off and Essien first time, crosses the ball towards Drogba at the near post who is tackled by Knight just as he pulls the trigger.

The ball rebounds back towards the penalty spot where Anelka is waiting and he hits it left footed first time towards goal. The ball takes a slight deflection that beats Jaaskelainen and finds it's way into the bottom corner of the net. Excellent counter attack by Chelsea and use of the space vacated by their full back. 3-0 Chelsea (Anelka).


szólj hozzá: BO0-3CH[matchhighlight.com]HD

At 3-0 it's game over and it's nice to see young Josh come on for Mikel who I have to say played his part and did a good job sitting in front of the back four. Bolton also make some changes but have lost all impetuous in the game now. Chelsea are more than comfortable and look dangerous on the counter attack whenever Bolton lose possession.

Mark Davies has a couple of runs at Chelsea's defence and plays some one-two's easily covered and gathered by Cech and Elmander forces Cech into a save as he swivels back to goal and spins his body with the ball over his head, flicks the ball goal wards as Cech comes out to meet him and forces Cech to deflect the ball for a corner. Elmander again fires high over the bar from a half chance and he then takes a cross off of Taylors head from close range and deflects the ball clear of danger when it looked like all Taylor had to do was meet the ball and head it into the net. That was as good as it got for Bolton as Chelsea looked comfortable.

On 73 minutes Chelsea put the final nail in Bolton's coffin with their fourth goal. A throw in down the right was taken and found Essien literally on the byline 25 yards out. Under pressure from two Bolton defenders, he turns them and is free down our left hand side and makes his way towards the byline and penalty box. As the defender comes across he crosses the ball back across goal towards the penalty box. Anelka is alive to the ball first, takes a touch and takes the ball in his stride as he makes his move, then fires a volley towards goal 12 yards out. To their credit the Bolton defence throw themselves at the ball and block Anelka's attempt but the ball comes out to Ramires who has time to set himself and side foot his shot back across goal, Jaaskelainen can't get anymore than a hand on the ball and the ball finds it's way into the corner of the net for Ramires' first goal for Chelsea. Good finish! 4-0 Chelsea (Ramires)


szólj hozzá: BO0-4CH[matchhighlight.com]HD

All you can hear is "Chelsea are back!, Chelsea are back!" as it puts the icing on a really good and even better still performance from Chelsea on what could have been a potential banana skin up their tonight.

By this time, Ramires comes off for Kalou as Chelsea now just look to defend well and hit Bolton on the counter. Jaaskelainen makes another save from Anelka, Robinson then brings Anelka down as he turns him in the box but no penalty is given when it's a stone wall pen and Chelsea make a bit of meal of plenty of opportunities to play a better final ball or earlier pass.

The final whistle goes after three minutes of injury time and it's a huge three points and back to back wins for the Blues. I keep on saying it on here and on Twitter (@chelseadaft) that these are seven games that will define our season starting last week against Blackburn and these three points against Bolton will go another step along the way to recovery.

For now it's a great win, our first away since October, Four more goals scored, each of our front three got on the score sheet and certain players who have been lacking a good game really stepped up and showed what they are capable of tonight.

Sky gave the Man of the Match vote to Didier Drogba who did play well but for me it has to be either Michael Essien who was everywhere today and popped up in the final third plenty of times and had his hand in a couple of the goals or Nicolas Anelka who for me played as good as he has done for a long while. He played higher up the pitch on the last defender, caused them problems with his movement and was a constant threat.

The most important thing is, it's another three points in addition to a much better performance. Let's hope in the week we now have before Everton on Saturday, we can build on this and head to Goodison and perform better once again!.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry (c), Cole; Ramires (Kalou 77), Mikel (McEachran 72), Essien; Anelka, Drogba, Malouda.
Unused subs Turnbull, Ferreira, Bruma, Kakuta, Sturridge.
Scorers Drogba 11, Malouda 41, Anelka 56, Ramires 74.

Bolton (4-4-2): Jaaskelainen; Steinsson, Cahill, Knight, Robinson; Taylor, Muamba (M Davies 62), Holden (Blake 88), Petrov (Rodrigo 62); K Davies (c), Elmander.
Unused subs Bogdan, Ricketts, Wheater, Cohen.

Shots on target Bolton 6 Chelsea 10
Fouls Bolton 9 Chelsea 5
Corners Bolton 5 Chelsea 3
Offsides Bolton 3 Chelsea 2

Referee Chris Foy
Attendance 22,837
(Stats source: Chelseafc.com)

KTBFFH.