Chelsea set eyes on EPL crown

Chelsea set eyes on EPL crown

By Laolu Olugbenga

Chelsea showed just why they are the favourites for the crown after using a very long spoon to dine with the Red Devils on Saturday at Stamford Bridge, winning by 1 - 0. Although the Blues were not at their best, they did enough to see them go 10 points clear at the top, meaning two more wins will see them being crowned as the Champions-elect even before the season ends.

Eden Hazard scored the only goal of the game after 38 minutes, showcasing his ability to make the difference in what was a good display from the Belgian. What caught the eye, however, was the tactical master class of Jose Mourinho. With United’s main midfielders in Michael Carrick and Daley Blind unavailable, Mourinho took full advantage. The Portuguese manager selected Kurt Zouma to play alongside Nemanja Matic in midfield and both men did well to sniff out the threat, especially Marouane Fellaini.

Mourinho’s men could only muster 29% possession of the 90-moiniute game but defended very well, showing that results, and not possession, determine where the victory goes. Imagine scoring 29 per cent over 100. That is an awful result no doubt. But football is not mathematics. In the course of the encounter, when Luke Shaw was proving to be a thorn in the side, the Special One brought threw Ramires into the fray to reduce the Englishman’s influence. But Shaw was then withdrawn shortly after. As things stand, Mourinho looks set to go unbeaten against top four teams, with Arsenal the only team remaining.

For United, however, there were a lot of positives to take from the game. They dominated despite being without Carrick and looked like the United of old. The only blemish was the performance of Radamel Falcao, who filled in for Wayne Rooney upfront with the club captain lumbering as a defensive midfielder. Falcao missed some chances to even scores and once again failed to impress. He now remains on four goals in 25 appearances, a strange record for someone so lethal.

Going into next weekend, United will remain in 3rd and with new faces to come in the summer, Van Gaal’s men will surely be challenging for the title next season.

Mourinho will now lock horns with his bitter rival Arsene Wenger, the man he labeled a serial loser. The big poser now is: “Can the resurgent Gunners muster enough ammunition to blow up the formidable Stamford Bridge this coming weekend at the Emirates Stadium?”