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CHELSEA v MIDDLESBROUGH - FULL-TIME MATCH REPORT
Boro reverted to 4-4-2 and made five changes from the midweek match against Crystal Palace, the most noteable being Yakubu in for Viduka. French Franck was dropped to the bench and seems to be really out of favour now.
Our good friend Mike Riley was the referee for this one and we just had to keep our fingers crossed that we wouldn't be needing too many favours from him. Boro's last victory at Stamford Bridge was thirty years ago.
Schwarzer, Pogatetz, Southgate, Riggott, Bates, Morrison (Queudrue 81), Rochemback, Boateng, Doriva, Hasselbaink (Viduka 71), Yakubu
Jones, Ehiogu, Johnson
THE FIRST HALF
Mad Dog Pogatetz clattered Arjen Robben three times in the first few minutes. He knew he was in a match after that.
The first shot of the game went to James Morrison who sent in an on-target strike after some patient build up play by Boro involving Rochemback and Hasselbaink.
Yakubu, looking for his tenth goal of the season, worked himself into a good position and was unlucky not to get a clean strike in.
Boro were clearly the better side in the first ten minutes. Chelsea had been stifled and had not been allowed anything like a shooting chance.
Their first came from a free-kick just outside the box from their first attack that Lampard drove straight into the wall and was consequently dealt with easily by Boro.
Boro very nearly took the lead after fourteen minutes as Yakubu did brilliantly well to leave Carvallho for dead and pick out Hasselbaink who hit the inside of the post. Yakubu was brilliant when he turned his man and Jimmy must have felt as though he should have scored.
Chelsea showed their class shortly afterwards when Robben beat three men and shot wide. Mad Dog had failed to pick him up this time and we got a reminder that if you give these players half an inch, they will take half the pitch.
And just to emphasise the point, Boro needed some brilliant defending to keep the score level on seventeen minutes when Chelsea went very close from a corner.
At the mid way point of the first half, Boro had had the better of the play and it was pleasing to note that we had taken the game to Chelsea and fought hard not to let them get into the game.
But Arjen Robben was now looking like a threat and there was a concern every time he got the ball. Why Mad Dog had stopped picking him up was anybody's guess but he certainly needed another clattering to stop him potentially making fools of our defenders.
Boro went under the cosh for a sustained spell as the half hour approached. Frank Lampard hit a piledriver from twenty yards which Skippy had covered and Drogba was a menace as well. But Boro held firm and kept the blues at bay.
Having weathered the storm, Boro clambered their way back into it and once again almost took the lead through JFH but the shot struck Carvallho instead. He needed to be taken off on a stretcher but he was back on within minutes.
Boro continued to try to get forward and create opportunities and it was very nice to see as well. Not only were we containing Chelsea but we were just about getting the better of them in the first half.
On fourty-two minutes, Boro won a corner which Yakubu was instrumental in winning when he skinned Del Horno on the wing and almost made space for himself.
The Yak had been key in the first half as not one of Chelsea's superstars had managed to get anywhere near him, never mind get the better of him. It was to be hoped that Boro could keep up this level of play in the second half and be on for a major upset.
FIRST HALF FAN REACTION
"Great stuff Boro! We have the better of them up to now but there's still a long way to go..."
Mike Read
THE SECOND HALF
One telling statistic however was that Chelsea have scored sixteen of their twenty-one home goals this season in the second half. Statistics don't win matches though and Boro went for it from the off, the first move culminating in JFH sending a hard won free-kick over the bar.
But the first ten minutes of the restart did not have the same sense of urgency about it that had been enjoyed in the first half and Boro, for all their defensive awareness were inviting Chelsea to come on to them.
Chelsea upped the pace after Essien decided to enter the play and it was left mainly to Matthew Bates to pick him up which he did, demonstrating far more experience than he has at this age.
But you can only hold a team like Chelsa off for so long and John Terry gave the Blues the lead exactly on the hour mark from a header. It appeared that Rochemback had cleared it off the line but the linesman signalled that it had gone over.
CHELSEA 1 MIDDLESBROUGH 0 (Terry 60)
It took a Captain Gareth stop to deny Chelsea a second just moments later as once again Lampard found a way through but Boro breathed again and were by no means out of this yet.
But we nearly were on sixty-five minutes when Drogba trotted past our defence and sent Skippy the wrong way. He also sent the ball flying high over the bar in what can only be classed as a missed sitter. And Boro were still in it.
Boro lost a little momentum as Chelsea turned the thumb-screws and went in search of their second. Skippy saved on the line from a hard shot by Robben and Boro were hanging on at this stage. Mark Viduka replaced Jimmy Floyd on seventy-one minutes and Jimmy left the field to rousing applause from both sets of fans.
Boro were extremely unlucky not to grab an equaliser when Doriva unleashed a cracking shot that skimmed the post but Chelsea proved that they were more than equal as they immediately broke and almost doubled their lead. Frank Lampard must have been wondering how he had remained off the scoresheet by this stage.
INTO THE RED ZONE
James Morrison, who had enjoyed a tremendous game, made way for French Franck with just nine minutes to go as Boro pushed forward in search of at least a point.
But for all our efforts, we were not even creating a half chance up front at this stage and not utilising Mark Viduka's great skill at holding the ball up and allowing others to get into the play.
We continued to try hard and although the work rate never dropped, in the end we didn't have the final cutting edge to put the champions away. It was a very creditable performance without anything productive coming out of it. There is nothing to be ashamed in losing at The Bridge but the overall feeling is that we could have had a lot more from this game...
FULL TIME FAN REACTION
"That was a good overall performance from Boro and it's a bit disappointing that we got beat. But the lads can hold their heads up and put it right at Liverpool next week."
Mike Read
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