Bola.net - Bungkam Burnley, Chelsea Makin Dekati Empat Besar Chelsea makin mendekat ke empat besar klasemen usai mengalahkan Burnley 2-1 dalam laga Premier League pekan ke-35 yang digelar di Turf Moor pada Jumat (20/4) dini hari WIB. The Blues unggul lebih dulu berkat gol bunuh diri Kevin Long. Meski sempat disamakan Ashley Barnes, Chelsea akhirnya sukses membawa pulang tiga poin setelah kembali unggul lewat gol Victor Moses. Laga sudah berlangsung menarik sejak menit pertama. Burnley dan Chelsea sama-sama bermain terbuka, sayang belum ada peluang yang berbuah gol. Chelsea akhirnya memimpin 1-0 di menit ke-20. Crossing Moses dari sisi kanan bermaksud dihalau kiper Nick Pope, akan tetapi bola justru mengenai Long dan masuk ke gawangnya sendiri. Chelsea sempat mendapat beberapa kesempatan untuk menggandakan keunggulan. Sayang peluang Alvaro Morata dan N'Golo Kante belum mampu menjadi gol. Skor 1-0 untuk keunggulan Chelsea bertahan hingga turun minum. Kembali dari kamar ganti, Burnley mencoba memulai babak kedua dengan intensitas serangan yang lebih tinggi. Meski demikian, pasukan Sean Dyche belum mampu membongkar pertahanan tim tamu. Usaha tuan rumah akhirnya membuahkan hasil di menit ke-64. Tembakan keras Johann Berg Gudmundsson berhasil dibelokkan Barnes untuk membobol gawang Thibaut Courtois. Sayang skor 1-1 hanya bertahan lima menit karena Chelsea kembali memimpin di menit ke-69. Mendapat umpan crossing dari sisi kiri, Moses melakukan sekali kontrol sebelum melepas tembakan keras yang sempat mengenai Stephen Ward dan tak bisa dihadang Pope menjadi gol. Tak ada gol tambahan yang tercipta hingga peluit panjang berbunyi. Skor 2-1 untuk kemenangan Chelsea pun menjadi hasil akhir laga ini. Bagi Chelsea, kemenangan ini membuat mereka memangkas jarak dengan tim peringkat keempat, Tottenham Hotspur hanya menjadi lima poin. Sementara bagi Burnley, kekalahan ini tak berarti banyak karena mereka tetap aman di peringkat ketujuh. Susunan Pemain Burnley: Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Long, Ward, Lennon (Wells 87'), Westwood, Cork, Gudmundsson, Barnes, Wood (Vokes 72'). Chelsea: Courtois, Emerson (Zappacosta 84'), Azpilicueta, Cahill, Rudiger, Moses, Kante, Bakayoko, Pedro, Giroud, Morata (Hazard 71'). (bola/pra)
FULL-TIME: Chelsea win!
90min: 4 minutes of added-on time.
88min: Hazard holds the ball after a Pedro interception, then holds it some more, then finds Moses whose cross is met by Zappacosta at the far post, but he can’t keep his header down.
84min: Hazard creates a chance for Giroud. It’s blocked for a corner, which is then aimed at Pedro making his typical run to the top of the box. His good-looking shot is blocked. Zappacosta replaces Emerson on the left.
81min: Emerson’s turn to win a free kick, but the subsequent move breaks down.
78min: Bakayoko gets taken down, no card. Conte not happy with that decision and lets the fourth official know in no uncertain terms. From the resulting free kick, Hazard and Moses almost create a glorious chance but Burnley clear at the last second. Some excellent running on the right from Moses tonight.
74min: Chelsea look for a third but Hazard thwarted by Cork at the last second after some intricate interplay with Giroud
69min: VICTOR MOSES! Another good cross from Emerson is missed by Giroud, but Moses is there at the far post to collect and smash it low and hard past Pope. 2-1! Hazard comes on for Morata in the wake of the goal to restore Chelsea to a more familiar 3-4-3. Morata none too pleased, but his miss was horrendous (yet again).
63min: Out of nothing, a faraway shot from Gudmondsson is deflected into the back of the net off Ashley Barnes’s heel, who knew nothing about it. He was on-side, but that’s about it for actual intent. Morata’s miss looms large, as does the no-call on Moses going to ground a few seconds prior.
62min: Moses’s effort held well with both Giroud and Morata lurking.
60min: A much more even half, though Chelsea “should” be up two. Alas, it remains just a 1-0 lead. Fabregas, Hazard, Willian warming up. Tarkowski a bit lucky to escape a second yellow for a flailing arm that gets Giroud in the neck, who receives a bit of treatment.
55min: Morata misses an absolute sitter after great work from Kanté in intercepting the ball and setting the striker in all alone from the half-way line. Morata outpaces his defender but rolls his effort wide of the right-hand side post.
53min: Courtois catches a corner as he wakes briefly from his slumber.
50min: Burnley start the second half well, but Chelsea hold steady then threaten at the other end.
46min: Back underway; no changes.
HALF-TIME: One additional minute later, Bobby Madley blows for half-time. Decent effort by the Blues, though certainly better than the hosts. Giroud & Morata have linked up well at times, with the former central to most things good from the boys. Burnley have been largely restricted, though Ashley Barnes still managed to get in a maiming attempt on Gary Cahill.
Can we hang on to this lead in the second-half and maybe even add to it?
39min: Kanté goes close with a dipping rasper of a shot after one of those mazy runs he sometimes decides to do when no one else is doing anything.
38min: Pedro steals a few souls with a backflick and nutmeg before setting up on a 50-yard sprint up the left. The cross to Giroud is almost inch-perfect. What a goal that would’ve been!
33min: Giroud and Morata link up well again; Pope saves for a corner from the latter, but it’s wasted with a terrible take from Pedro.
31min: Burnley finally show up and launch a few efforts into the box. Bakayoko eventually clears.
28min: Morata wins a free-kick just outside the penalty area. Tarkowski booked. Pedro’s effort well wide of the near post.
25min: Chelsea continue to press the issue. Burnley have offered very little so far.
20min: A long ball from Cahill finds Moses up the right wing; his cross is diverted into the net for an own goal. LOL! We’ll take them any way we can!
15min: Quarter hour gone; scoreless. Chelsea with the edge in possession and chances. Giroud central to most good things.
11min: Morata and Giroud link up, the latter flicking the ball on for the former, but his shot is saved by Pope. Promising.
8min: Giroud played in again, loses balance in the box. No call, and probably rightly so.
Seen them given*
* when watching other teams — TOCFCWS (@tocfcws) April 19, 2018
5min: Chelsea defend a free kick and break upfield. Moses finds Giroud in the middle, bu this shot is blocked.
KICK-OFF: The teams walk out to a bit of Arcade Fire. Will there be fire-works on the pitch? Chelsea look to be in a 3-5-2.
ANTONIOOOOO:
Antonio Conte takes charge of his 100th Chelsea game (all comps), tonight.
He’s the 3rd Chelsea manager to reach that milestone under the 15-year ownership of Roman Abramovich, after Jose Mourinho (321 over 2 spells) & Carlo Ancelotti (109) #PL pic.twitter.com/HqQ14HAAd5 — Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) April 19, 2018
We’re trying something slightly different with gamethreads: instead of just an open thread, it will be updated regularly (while you comment away below) with highlights, stats, and anything else worthwhile for a live blog sort of thing. Let’s see how it goes.
COME ON, CHELSEA!
Burnley starting lineup (4-4-2):
Pope | Ward, Tarkowski, Long, Lowton | Gudmundsson, Westwood, Cork, Lennon | Barnes, Wood
Substitutes from: Heaton, Taylor, Marney, Vokes, Hendrick, Wells, Bardsley
Chelsea starting lineup (3-4-3?):
Courtois | Rudiger, Cahill (c), Azpilicueta | Emerson, Bakayoko, Kante, Moses | Giroud, Morata, Pedro
Substitutes from: Caballero, Christensen, Zappacosta, Fabregas, Barkley, Willian, Hazard
So that’s Giroud and Morata starting together for the first time? The official Chelsea Twitter still gave it as a 3-4-3, but surely Giroud is not playing as a winger. 3-4-1-2? 4-4-2?
Rudiger is restored, Christensen is rested, as are both Hazard and Willian ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup semifinal.
Date / Time: Thursday, April 19th, 2018, 19:45 BST; 2:45 pm EDT; 12:15 am IST
Venue: Turf Moor, Burnley, England
Referee: Bobby Madley
On TV: Sky Sports (UK); NBCSN, Telemundo (USA); Star Sports Select HD2 (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: Sky Go (UK); NBC Sports Live, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (USA); Hotstar (India)
Please keep comments civil and be excellent to each other.
Bola.com, Burnley - Chelsea akan bertandang ke Turf Moor, markas dari Burnley, pada laga tunda pekan ke-31 Premier League, Kamis (19/4/2018) atau Jumat dini hari WIB. Kedua klub memiliki target masing-masing pada musim 2017-18.
Chelsea masih berusaha menembus peringkat empat besar pada klasemen sementara Premier League, sedangkan Burnley ingin tampil di Liga Europa pada musim mendatang. Target masing-masing klub tersebut membuat laga nanti akan berlangsung ketat.
The Blues patut waspada dengan potensi tuan rumah yang belum terkalahkan pada lima laga terakhirnya. Catatan tersebut membuat Chelsea tertunduk, karena hanya mengoleksi dua kemenangan pada lima laga terakhir yang mereka jalani.
Chelsea akan berusaha bangkit dan mengurangi selisih poin dengan Tottenham Hotspur. Saat ini, The Blues tertinggal delapan poin dari The Lilywhites yang menempati peringkat keempat atau posisi terakhir zona Liga Champions.
Setelah mencetak dua gol pada laga melawan Southampton, Olivier Giroud berpeluang mendapat kepercayaan untuk menempati starting lineup. Kolaborasinya dengan Eden Hazard diharapkan memberikan efek positif di lini depan The Blues.
Pertemuan terakhir antara kedua klub terjadi di Stamford Bridge pada Agustus 2017. Saat itu, Chelsea secara mengejutkan takluk dari Burnley dengan skor 2-3.
Chelsea were robust rather than fluent - particularly in defence - but given the changes to the line-up it was a creditable win to retain Conte’s aspirations of a purposeful conclusion to the season, and most likely his reign. They are not so far behind Spurs in the chase for the top four, and Liverpool must still win their next two to guarantee the Merseysiders’ trip to Stamford Bridge has little meaning.
“The only way is to get three points in every game from now until the end. It won’t be easy because it is five points to Tottenham,” said Conte.
“We have missed great chances to stay closer but tonight I saw a great team spirit and we must be pleased.”
Chelsea were a tad patched up, particularly as Marcus Alonso’s suspension for stamping Southampton’s Shane Long was confirmed before kick-off.
More changes followed, Conte’s team selection given a retro feel – a reminder of those times when managers rested players in the league for crucial FA Cup ties rather than vice-versa.
Emerson made his first start. Hazard, Willian, Fabregas and Andreas Christensen began on the bench. If that was no shock, Ross Barkley’s failure to get a game in the light of so many other changes was more surprising. The midfielder must hope the next coach sees what Conte has evidently missed.
The Chelsea extras showed their desire was not as compromised as the manager’s selections, Morata sent clear by Giroud’s clever flick and forcing Nick Pope into the first meaningful action on ten minutes – an easy save from a tight angle.
The visitors took the lead on 19 minutes, Gary Cahill’s diagonal picking out Moses whose tame cross somehow bewitched Pope and Kevin Long. The keeper’s fingertip onto the chest of the retreating centre-half did the damage. Gareth Southgate’s prayer for a consistent, error free finale to the season from his England goalkeepers is yet to be answered.
Burnley responded when their defenders found their range and accuracy with their drivers, Matt Lowton particularly effective when testing Chelsea’s centre-halves.
More sophistication was needed to ruffle Chelsea’s back three, however. Gary Cahill and company’s application, courage and concentration was under most scrutiny here, particularly when the Chelsea captain took an accidental boot in the face from Ashley Barnes.
After Morata’s sloppy miss, Burnley struck a fortuitous equaliser on 64 minutes. The visitors felt Moses was fouled in the build-up, but the ball was worked to Johann Berg Gudmundsson whose hopeful strike deflected off Barnes heel, wrong-footing Thibaut Courtois.
