Stoke 0 - 2 Chelsea

A trip to the Britannia for a potentially trickey away tie against Stoke. Its pretty much the same side as midweek except for Bosignwa and Jedi returning to the fray. Deco, Joe Cole and Rickey are still out injured.
The opening 10mins are predictably all Chelsea but few clear chances apart from an early strike from Ballack which is tipped over. On 13mins Drogba is sent clean through by a superb pass from Lamps after Kalou had won back possession but Sorensen did well to touch the ball away with an outstretched left peg. There's 39mins on the clock and Stoke are getting back into the game when Bosingwa plays a neat ball out wide to Lamps and continues his run into the box to pick up theb return and drive it home across Sorensen to score from the return. That's how the half ends.
The second half starts with Anelka (lets hope he's more effective than last week) on for the injured Kalou and within 3min of the restart Sorensen turns a Malouda drive onto the post. On 52mins, Stoke bring on Ricardo Fuller and immediately grow in confidence. More urgency, more balls slung into the box and more problems for the mighty Blues as chances fall to first Cort and then Griffin. Drogba feeds Anelka on 66mins but Le Sulk blasts over from just inside the box. With 72mins on the clock, Scolari replaces a tiring Drogba with Belletti so Anelka's up fron on his own and within 4mins he collects a Bosingwa cross to slot home from 12yds out. That's 0-2 and surely game over..... and after a 12 min lesson in controlled possession ..... it is.
Come On U Blues

Portsmouth 0 - 4 Chelsea (Carling Cup)

I'm travelling again so once again it was a combination of the web and text feeds to keep up with this game. Scolari set out a strong side with Drogba starting up front and Ivanovic in for Bosignwa. Other han that it was pretty much the side that played against Man U with Joe Cole joining Deco and Rickey on the injured list.
Goals from Lamps (2). Malouda and Kalou wrapped up a straight forward demolition of Pompey at Fratton Park
See the full match reports below

Click > BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/7626830.stm

Click > Sky - http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3063592,00.html

Chelsea 1 - 1 Man U

Too much talk of revenge going into this early season clash – this was really about getting 3 points, creating a 9 point gap, putting down a marker and extending a home unbeaten record to a staggering 85 games. United started with the orange primadona on the bench along with “Tevez the Troll” which meant Berbatov (Sulky Mk2) and Shrek started up front. Unfortunately we lost Deco in the warm up and Rickey within 10mins of the kick-off (to be replaced by Alex) so it was a pretty frantic opening quarter. Man U started the brighter and put down an early marker when Cech had to save sharply from Ferdinand of all people. We were being ripped apart and it was no surprise when Park chipped in from close range after Cech could only deflect a snap shot from Berbatov's into his path. van der Sar eventually left the game on 30mins after earlier appearing to bring down Malouda for a clear penalty but this was a Mike Riley game so we should have known better – free kick to Man U ! and slowly we started to get back into proceedings

Much like the CL final, the second half was a very different affair with the introduction of Drogba (after the lunacy of Riley not letting him on at the start) and with many more chances coming our way. United sent on Ronaldo for Paul Scholes 10 mins later but he ws largely ineffective. It was all Chelsea and Joe Cole wasted great opportunity on 65 mins, shooting straight at Kuszczak after being beautifully put through by Ballack and then Anelka, having his worst display in a blue shirt by far couldn’t even tap into an open net from 3 yards out. Eventually the pressure paid off when Kalou rose unmarked from a jedi free kick to head home with 10mins to go. It was nearly 2 – 1 seconds later as Neville deflected another Kalou strike over the bar.

But in the end United hung on for a point and so there was no 9 point gap or much of a marker put down but the home unbeaten record was extended to a staggering 85 games – COME ON U BLUES

Chelsea 4 - 0 Bordeaux

Its an unchanged Chelsea side that starts our Champions League campaign at home to Bordeaux so once again the Jedi sits in the Maka role and Anelka is the lone striker.

From the start its zippy and nippy stuff with Deco pulling the strings and once again Ash and Bosingwa are regularly pushing on up the flanks. In fact its Deco and Bosingwa who combine on 14mins for Bosingwa to whip in a cross that is dispatched with a rare Lampard header. That’s 1-0 and cruising – even Anelka wants in on this as his fierce drive is turned away for a corner 5mins later. Its 30mins of campaign Chelsea and on the half hour the lead is doubled by Joe Cole flicking in a near post corner from Lamps. Its nearly 3-0 three minutes later when Lamps screws the ball wide from 8 yrds out.

No changes at half time but Bordeaux start with a little more purpose. Shamak looks more lively and useful so its no surprise to see Ballack introduced just after the hour for Deco who had just picked up a petulant yellow card. Lauren Blanc responds with a double like for like substitution. Its all a bit too intricate for the Blues now with too many attempted 'slide rule' passes being cut out. With just over a quarter of an hour to go its Belletti on for Joe Cole but Scolari is not happy - its all too casual and he wants more - so do we. There's 9mins to go and Jedi dances through the Bordeaux defence, Lamps back heels a through ball to Malouda who drives it home - wonderful goal. Scolari takes him off to let him milk the applause and on come Kalou. Rickey clatters the bar with a free header on 86mins and Anelka shaves the outside of the far post with a drive before Beletti thunders another against the bar on 92mins only for the rebound to be followed in by Anelka to make it four. An emphatic win for the Mighty Blues.

Man City 1 - 3 Chelsea

Up to the City of Manchester Stadium for the Robinho vs Chelsea show. Drogba's on the bench as a potential bit player and Joe Cole is wearing the Terry Butcher memorial head bandage after his battles for England earlier in the week.
Less than 15mins on the clock and would you believe it, Rickey give up a soft free kick on the edge of our box, we set up an awful wall and lo and behold, Robinho pops it into the corner - you couldn't write this stuff - could you ?? Well it only lasts 4mins though as a JT header comes loose off Joe Cole and Rickey's there to crash the ball home. Its then end to end stuff for the rest of the half with the Blues going closest as Malouda hits the bar, Anelka plants an open goal chance straight at the keeper and Ash sends one just over the bar from 25 yards. One goal from 7 on target attempts may not be enough here ! We'll need more that one point after the scousers beat Man U earlier this morning.
No changes at half time and the game starts in similar vein - however, there's 52mins on the clock and Chelsea stroke the ball end to end with a flowing move that finds Lamps on the edge of the box and he buries the ball across Joe Hart in the City goal. Another great move on 59mins finds Anelka on penalty spot and is bundled to the ground by Richards - a stonewall penalty denied ! Its still very open as, on 63mins, Rickey saves a certain equalizer by throwing himself full stretch across Stephen Ireland and the Lamps drills in a screamer that is saved by Hart. Another great passage of one touch passing and the ball is slid into Anleka from Joe Cole and even he cant miss from 10 yards 3 -1 to the Blues and on comes Belletti and Drogba (for Joe Cole and Malouda) with 20mins to go.
Its gonna get tight now as JT is loudicrously sent off on 76mins when he pulls down Jo with both Rickey and Belletti covering so he could never be the last man. Vidic got a yellow earlier in the day for something far more blatant and closer to goal - absolute farce but what should we expect from Mark Halsey. Alex is on for Anelka and it really could have been "backs to the wall" but the mighty Blues play out the last 10mins in consummate style. It ends 1 - 3 just to show that showboating, even Brazilian showboating isn't everything.
Come on U BLUES !!!!

Chelsea 1 - 1 Spurs

This has to be seen a 2 points dropped despite a solid performance from spurs that rode their luck and ultimately frustrated all our options. To be fair we should have been 3 up before Bent picked up a lucky ricochet off of Lamps to level the half (in the 44th minute). Prior to that farce, Ess had crashed a drive against the bar and Lamps almost pulled off an outrageous chip over Gomes before Belletti put the mighty Blues ahead from a corner.

The second half was much like the first with lots of pressure but fewer clear chances and only an angles shot from Ashley Cole posed any real threat to Gomes.

So 2 points dropped and back to reality - which may be no bad thing after the euphoria of the opening day

COME ON U BLUES