Chelsea 8 – 0 Wigan! Barclays Premier League 2009/2010 season!
) CHELSEA 8-0 WIGAN
I’m not sure how I’m meant to come down off the high long enough to review ourtitle winning game but I’ll give it my best shot.
The script for this game suggested we needed an early goal to settle any nerves and having clearly read it, Nicolas Anelka followed it to the letter. A free-kick from Didier Drogba rebounded off the wall only to be nodded back in and with a little more than a suspicion of offside, Malouda chested back to Anelka to bury it impressively after just 6 minutes.
To be fair to Wigan at that stage though, going a goal behind didn’t seem to unsettle them anymore than it settled us really and they matched us in possession if not the final ball. A great reach from Ivanovic saw him clear overhead just over 15 minutes in bringing just another example of what an outstanding job he’s done for us this season. Frank Lampard wasn’t warmed up enough to follow suit, with a nervous ball from him bringing moans and groans from the home crowd that went up a pitch with a low Anelka ball across the face of goal failing to connect with as much as the breeze required to put it in despite Ashley Cole attempting a flick at it.
By the half-hour mark a second goal was a must, this time it was Caldwell who’d been learning his lines because he gifted us a penalty, doing his best to wrap himself around Frank Lampard. But whilst Lampard duly dispatched it into the back of the net, a certain Ivorian completely spoilt any celebrations on the pitch with the most bizarrely timed tantrum. Clearly forgetting there was a ‘team’ on the pitch fighting together to win a Premier League title, it seemed Drogba was a little too focused on individual glory.
News filtered through United had also taken a 2-0 lead but that wasn’t going to dampen down the party atmosphere inside a rocking Stamford Bridge as we took our lead (now against 10 men after Caldwell’s harsh sending off) into the break. Didier Drogba hadn’t quite got into the spirit of things, still sulking at the start of the second half. Meanwhile, our hearts were back in our mouths as we hit the woodwork only to realise the flag was up anyway. Undeterred, Drogba – by now having us all in stitches, such was his desperation for a goal – was running headlong at goal, completely oblivious to the three players up in support of him and still it came to nothing.
More news from United as they went 3-0 up on 53 minutes although it seemed anything they could do, we were determined to do better, equaling their score a minute later through Salomon Kalou, making it 4-0 just three minutes later with Anelka’s second. And with the game won and an eye on the FA Cup, Ancelotti decided it was time for the substitutions, bringing Joe Cole on for Kalou and Belletti on for Ivanovic before the hour.
Drogba was intent on providing the comedy element, frustrated with one shot after another, including a pretty stunning overhead kept out impressively by Pollitt. Fortunately for Drogba though, Lampard managed to keep it going, dinking back for Drogba to head in his 27th of the campaign. And suddenly there was a smile on the Ivorian’s face that only grew wider when Wigan conceded another penalty for a foul on Ashley Cole 5 minutes later and he smashed his 28th of the season in off the post.
Drogba’s hat-trick came on 80 minutes with Joe Cole’s shot saved by Pollitt only to land at the Ivorian’s feet for a tap-in as we went 7 up yet again. Had to laugh when Moses came on for Rodallega a minute later, with the commentator suggesting ‘they do need a miracle after all’. And to be fair to Moses, it only took him 5 minutes to force Cech into palming over a cracking effort. But they weren’t to get any consolation from the game, in fact, as it turned out it was only going to get worse as the battling Joe Cole stood up a cross for Ashley Cole to bang in, making it 8-0 to the new Premier League Champions!
TEAMS
CHELSEA: Cech, Ivanovic (Belletti, 58), A Cole, Terry, Alex, Lampard, Ballack (Matic, 70), Malouda, Drogba, Kalou (J Cole, 58), Anelka.
Unused subs: Hilario, Ferreira, Zhirkov, Sturridge.
WIGAN: Pollitt, Gohouri, Caldwell, Boyce, Melchiot, Figueroa, Watson, N’Zogbia, McCarthy, Diame (Scharner, 72), Rodallega (Moses, 81).
Unused subs: Stojkovic, Thomas, Cywka, Mostoe, Scotland.
GOALS
Nicolas Anelka – 6′ 57’
Frank Lampard (pen) – 32′
Salomon Kalou – 54′
Didier Drogba – 63′ 68′ (pen), 80’
Ashley Cole – 90′
Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez vows that his team will fight to defeat Chelsea and ruin the Blues hopes for a Premier League title.
Martinez’s side assured Hull City’s relegation after scoring a late goal to secure a 2-2 draw on Monday, and will travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday for the last game of the Premier League season.
The Latics will field a weakened squad against Chelsea as stars Chris Kirkland and Titus Bramble both went under the knife and will be unable to compete on Sunday.
While Manchester United would certainly appreciate an unlikely Wigan victory, Martinez insists that his team are out to beat Chelsea for themselves.
“We will not be going there to play for Manchester United, we are going to play for ourselves,” Martinez told The Mirror.
“We have got nothing to lose.
“I can guarantee there is a feeling in the squad that we can compete against anyone. That is the approach we are going to have – we have never gone into a game trying to draw, we always look for the win.
“It is a unique challenge for any player, especially for our young ones. The whole world of football will be watching.”
Kirkland will miss out with a finger and shoulder injury, both of which require surgery to fix, and Vladimir Stojkovic will take the English goalkeepers place against Chelsea.
Bramble needed an operation on his right ankle after suffering a stress fracture. The defender has been playing through the pain but opted to fix the problem now.
A victory over the Latics will see Chelsea win the Premier League for the first time since the 2005-06 season, ending United’s streak of consecutive league titles at three.
