Chelsea 2 - 1 Hull City

Match reports

The Observer, Amy Lawrence: "Carlo Ancelotti gave a genteel royal wave when he was introduced at Stamford Bridge before kick-off and a wheeze of relief 91½ minutes later. Didier Drogba's lofted chip came anxiously late, preventing the ignominy of points dropped on the opening day of the season at home to the team who escaped relegation by their heavily bitten fingernails last term."

Sunday Telegraph, Oliver Brown: "Drogba dispelled all doubts about his suspect loyalties with a mesmeric display against Hull City, full of uncomplicated commitment as he first equalised for Chelsea through a bending free-kick, before scoring the winner in injury time from an improbable angle. Both strikes crystallised his qualities of touch, grace and poise, while his demeanour during the match suggested a refreshing and hitherto unseen lack of artifice."

Sunday Times, David Walsh: "Chelsea won because of Drogba, who was the game’s towering presence and the only one who looked likely to beat Hull’s excellent defence. It might seem a cliche to say the centre-forward is worth his weight in gold but in this team, in this league, that might not be far from the truth. His first goal was a brilliant free kick and though he had the good grace to say the winner was lucky, it was still a delightfully skilful cross that might have made a goal for Salomon Kalou had it not sneaked in."

Independent on Sunday, Steve Tongue: "New boy that he is, Ancelotti could have copied the old Bill Shankly line, "same team as last season". By the end of the game, however, he had been forced to give a run to substitutes Michael Ballack, Deco and Salomon Kalou, the first of them as early as the 46th minute. There is a tactical difference too in that he wants to use a diamond-shaped midfield and push Nicolas Anelka, last season's Golden Boot winner, right up alongside Drogba. Having Frank Lampard just behind them ought to provide a potent attacking triangle, though the worry is that the influential Lampard will not find space to do his best work. That was the case yesterday."

Official Chelsea FC Website: "Chelsea's happy habit for opening day success continues but it needed a stoppage-time winner from Didier Drogba. And what a winner it was too, scored from what is traditionally termed an impossible angle - the second of what will be Goal of the Month contenders from the Ivorian."

The goals

28' Hunt 0-1
37' Drogba 1-1
90+2' Drogba 2-1

The preamble

Last night I dreamed that I donated all my Chelsea paraphernalia to a local animal rescue centre, moved to the Midlands and started going to Molineux (the portly chap with the weathered complexion who hangs around the bench area at Chelsea games helped me move my belongings in a split-screen VW Camper which had a chicken painted on the front... analyse that). Twenty-eight minutes into this first competitive game of the season and I was thinking that supporting Wolves isn't such a bad idea after all: at least they aren't expected to win every game they play. I was also wondering why I voluntarily put myself through such emotional turmoil at weekends. For ten first half minutes after Hull had taken the lead nails were chewed, expletives uttered (mostly in the direction of a short Irishman) and doubts raised. Then Drogba eased the turmoil somewhat from a free kick that wasn't a free kick and all was well for a bit. The anguish gradually built up again as the second half progressed only for Drogba to pop up for a second time in injury time and rescue me from an evening of doom and gloom. That's why I put myself through the wringer every weekend, I thought as I made my way home.

The good

• Three points. This was our eighth straight opening day win, a Premier League record. Once again the never-say-die attitude that has played such a big part in the current squad's success was on show - like it or not the spirit of Mourinho lives on. We dominated play and had nearly 70% of the possession over the 90 minutes, but we failed to make it count. Hull keeper Myhill had a good game, although it was our poor finishing and lack of killer instinct in front of goal that cost us. I'll leave what I've got to say about that for 'the bad' section.
• Didier Drogba. He wasn't at his best - a Drogba in peak form would have taken several more of the many chances he created for himself - but that shouldn't take away from what was a splendid all-round performance from a rejuvenated player. It didn't look promising when he blasted a golden opportunity into the Matthew Harding stand after just 60 seconds - if that had gone in it would have been a rout, and I would still have some finger nails left. His free kick was Ronaldo-esque, and he was honest enough to admit that his second was meant as a cross. Not once did he feign injury, or fall to the ground as if shot - Bryan English didn't know what to do with himself in the dugout. If only Drogba would behave as impeccably as he did today in every game. Let's hope his knee holds out, because we're going to need him to play at his best in every game if we're going to win anything this season.
• Deco. This is probably a contentious choice seeing as he only played the last 20 minutes of the match. He impressed me though, he's much more suited to playing at the point of the diamond behind the strikers. That's not to say Lampard didn't have a good game, because he did - he orchestrated a lot of our best stuff in the first half - but most of it came after he dropped deep, often to pick up the ball from the back four. The fact that Mikel had a shocking opening 20 minutes probably didn't help. That said, I think Lampard is a much better player coming from deep. Deco on the other hand looks more adept in the hole. He looked really sharp today.

The bad

• Our profligacy in front of goal. We had something like 30 attempts of which a third were on target (we failed to make Myhill save a shot in the first half hour though), yet we only managed to score two somewhat fortunate goals from a questionable free kick and a miss-hit cross. Last season teams came to the Bridge and played five across midfield in the hope of nicking a draw and more often than not we struggled to break them down - it was the number of draws at home that probably cost us the title. It looks like history could repeat itself this season. Today we should have been several goals to the good before Hunt gave Hull a shock and undeserved lead. We got away with it again, but we won't over the course of a whole season. We need to bring in a world class striker. I've been saying it all summer, we need an out-and-out goal scorer, a Torres type player, a player like Owen in his prime, a David Villa (can you imagine any of them missing some of the chances we created in this game?), an Aguero. As I see it, neither Drogba nor Anelka is this player. Drogba is awesome at what he does and he does score plenty of goals when fit and focussed, as does Anelka who let's not forget finished last season as the Premier League's Golden Boot winner. But Drogba's the battering ram, the player who bullies defences and creates opportunities for others as well as himself. Anelka works hard but often finds himself out wide or dropping deep when playing against a packed midfield and defence, and he's not always there to pick up the pieces and put the ball in the net. I read a couple of reports this morning that said that Ancelotti has hinted at more arrivals (make up your mind, Carlo), and the Sun leads with a story linking us with a big-money move for Aguero, so it does appear that we're trying to address the problem.
• Jon Obi Mikel. A bit harsh perhaps, but he had a really poor opening 20 minutes or so. During this time every Hull attack came from one of his misplaced passes or after he had been caught in possession. He doesn't seem to be up to the pace of the Premier League yet. It was a similar story in last weekend's Community Shield. Ancelotti was chipping away at him from the sidelines after just a few minutes and then substituted him at half time. There's no doubting we improved after he went off. Whoever it was who commented on a recent post that Ancelotti doesn't trust Mikel, it looks like you were right, and this could be why Ancelotti's still looking to sign another midfielder. Mikel could find himself frozen out if he doesn't improve soon.
• Stephen Hunt. An obvious inclusion. His first contribution was a bollock-high, studs-up tackle on Lampard after just a few seconds of the match. A nasty moment from a nasty player which deserved at least a yellow card. It had to be him that scored though didn't it? Sod's Law and all that. He took his goal well though. The c***.

Player ratings

• Cech - 6.5/10 - Saved early on with an outstretched leg and looked confident whenever called upon. Tipped over a deflected cross late in the game but didn't have a great deal else to do to be honest.
• A. Cole - 6.5/10 - Again provided the width down the left. Solid in defence as per usual. Certainly looks fit but probably like several players is still lacking the sharpness that a few Premier League games will give him.
• Carvalho - 7/10 - The old Carvalho is back. Made a couple of storming runs out of defence, as is his wont, but also defended like we know he can. Was a danger from set-pieces. He's still one of my favourites.
• Terry - 7/10 - Threw himself about in his usual customary fashion. Came close to scoring with a header from a first half corner. Made a great last-ditch tackle on Hunt which got the crowd going.
• Bosingwa - 7/10 - Reinstated to the side after losing out to Ivanovic last weekend. Got forward and supported the attack, put in several decent crosses and forced a save out of Hull keeper Myhill with a low left-footed shot.
• Mikel - 5.5/10 - A poor opening 20 minutes saw him replaced by Ballack at half time. Needs to pull his socks up and finger out if he wants to keep his place in the starting eleven.
• Essien - 6.5/10 - Had a couple of strikes on target, one in each half. Played on the right of the diamond before the break, dropped into the holding midfield position after it. Solid in both.
• Malouda - 6/10 - Did okay. We improved a bit after he went off, but that was probably more to do with the system and players' positions in the system than it was to do with Malouda.
• Lampard - 7/10 - He was supposed to be playing at the point of the diamond in the first half, but he seemed to be everywhere and kept dropping back looking for the ball (an effect of Mikel's poor form?). I still think he's better coming from a deeper position, although he has the intelligence to eventually adapt to any role he's asked to play.
• Anelka - 6/10 - Floated in and out of the game. Kept disappearing for periods, to the point where you wouldn't have known he was on the pitch. But when he did find himself involved he worked hard. Tends to drop deep looking for the ball, or drifts out wide and thus isn't always in the right place at the right time to score. Last season he scored most of his goals against weaker opposition away from home.
• Drogba - 8/10 - Wasn't at his best but still managed to score both goals. It didn't look like it was going to be his day after he squandered a great chance after just 60 seconds, but he stuck at it and got his reward. Great free kick, and he admitted after the match that his second goal was meant as a cross. A big season ahead if he can stay fit. Man of the Match.
• Ballack (sub) - 6.5/10 - We improved considerably after he came on in place of Mikel at half time. Played on the right of the diamond in place of Essien who dropped into the holding role. Solid if unspectacular.
• Deco (sub) - 7/10 - Was more disciplined in the role behind the strikers than Lampard, who dropped deeper to the left when Deco came on in place of Malouda. Played some nice passes, looked sharp and could find himself starting more games if Ancelotti loses patience with Mikel.
• Kalou (sub) - 6.5/10 - Replaced Anelka with 10 minutes to go and came close to scoring twice, once with his head - his first touch - and once with a sweetly struck right-footed curling shot that just missed the right hand post. He's the perfect player to bring on when opposition defences are tiring.

Man of the Match

There's only one contender: Didier Drogba. He wasn't at his marauding, world-beating best but that didn't prevent him from scoring two goals. I predict a big season for the big man if his knee holds out.

Final thoughts

This wasn't the ideal start to the new Premier League campaign, it raised more questions than it answered: What's up with Mikel? Is the point of a midfield diamond Lampard's best position? Do we need another striker? Why is Stephen Hunt such a c***?

A trip to Sunderland, who beat Bolton at the Reebok this afternoon, is next, in three days' time. Then it's Fulham away, Burnley home and Stoke away before Spurs visit the Bridge next month. It doesn't look quite as inviting as it did this morning, does it?

If you see any donkeys wearing Chelsea scarves in the next couple of weeks, you'll know I've given it all up to go and support Wolves.

Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!

Wiley 2–Hull 1

If today’s opening match fixture was a litmus test for the rest of the premier league season, my bet is on the match officials. As soon as the match kicked off I had that gut feeling of “here we go again”. Now I know it’s easy to accuse the officials of ruining the game for you, today’s match however was no excuse.

Chelsea had created a slew of chances, give credit where credit is due. Stephen Hunt, known for the skull fracturing incident at Reading 2 years on, made a dream debut for Hull at the Bridge with a goal in the 28^th minute to put the Tigers up 1-0. The free kick was a good one, with the lucky deflection, that lead to the goal and set the tempo of the match

The Blues goal that came in the 37^th minute was unbelievable by way of a Didier Drogba free kick which should have never been awarded. First of if you were watching the same match as me you would have noticed that Obi Mikel instigated Seyi Olofinjana with an (wrestling like) elbow to retaliate which ensued in the free kick being awarded. Apparently Alan Wiley didn’t see the elbow. Wiley for sure was pressured by the home supporters and we all know that the “big four” do this. So 1-1 to Alan Wiley. After that it was just a matter of time before Chelsea won.

Now the big mystery which not even Sherlock Holmes himself could have solved was where the 6 minutes of added time came from? This resulted in a chip shot from Drogba to win the match. If I was a Wolves fan I would be furious. There was absolutely no justification for 6 added minutes. First of there were no serious injuries or crowd disturbances to warrant that much amount of time. The match would have ended 1-1, deservedly so in my opinion. I got a fishy feeling that this isn’t the last we seen of “extra time” being awarded at Stamford Bridge or other Premier League grounds. Of course with a little help from the men in the black.

I am not against Chelsea but I am against the fact when referees take over the match, they ruin it with controversial calls (i.e. Rob Styles) for everyone including the fans that paid a lot of money to see a football match and those watching at home.

If today’s match taught me anything about the season upon us, is that I am betting on blue the next time Chelsea plays. They definitely have some powerful help from the men in black.

Everton 1 Arsenal 6

Everton Gunned down

Everton 1 Arsenal 6

That was the result of gunners opening fixture against toffees at Goodison Park, Well sure goals rained down on Everton who had no solution to total football played by Wenger men. The opening goal by Denilson after fine work by Nicky who passed to Fab then easy ball for Denilson to target to right side of Everton goal 1 nil to gunners and for a minute it looked like back to good old days of winning 1 nil, Well soon after after Our new boy Vermalean scored with bullet header after Free kick by RVP eluded everyone to find unmarked Vermalean who jumped high to nod home 2-0 nil to gunners.
Then Gallas got another header from a set piece would you believe? well two goals from free kicks? Yeah it was due to Gunners fluid play that Everton ended up completely lost and to be honest their defence with want away Lescott looking like he was forced to turn up instead of signing for city. Then came the second half Gunners picked where they left and these time captain got in on the act to scored a perfect counter attack team goal wow it was hard to believe what was going on but today they clicked in perfect harmony and it was breathtaking to watch drama unfolding in Goodison Park, Some media hacks must have been choking on their sandwich due to all doom monger who predicted Arsenal total collapse..Well let not get carried away Arsenal simply to need to buy two more players in key position namely defence and Midifield. I am sure it would not hurt to reinforce already a strong tean who just need that extra help in hard times which are goner come after these walk over.

Then Fab scored another goal which he dedicated to his Espanyol Friend who passed away last week, With gunner Kit man ready with a shirt bearing the late Jarque who sadly passed away. Fab is a class player who gunners should built team around he is key to Gunners and surely the spineless board who are selling players should know if they sell him then it would backfire in big way. His time would come sure after first achieving something with Arsenal hopefully not anytime soon.

Eddie came on for RVP who as usual scored his trademark fox on the box goal 6-0 nil to gunner but then last second gunners defence where caught napping going home cue to Everton to score a consolation goal courtesy of Saha, 6-1 Final whistle....What a day to savour, Great match, Great goals and a Great win for Arsenal. I just hope Wenger is not fooled into thinking these team is complete it is but need reinforcement full stop. Many more days like these would make everyone day, Cheers.

Stoke City 2 Burnley 0

Aug15

RYAN Shawcross, the man dropped after the first game of last season, enjoyed the honour of opening the scoring in the first game of this.

And his 19th minute header was followed by a similar effort - this time by Burnley's makeshift centre half Stephen Jordan - as Stoke established a two-goal lead they were never to surrender against Premier League new boys Burnley.

The Clarets never lost heart and Stoke, despite never being at their most fluent, were forced to work diligently to prevent any mishaps en route to a successful start to the 2009/10 campaign.

And it was a victory appreciated by another vociferous following as Stoke's support also warmed up nicely for the season ahead.

Stoke kicked off their campaign with Rory Delap and Ricardo Fuller winning the nod in the only two contested areas of the field to leave Glenn Whelan and Dave Kitson starting on the bench.

Greeted by a predictably blood curdling atmosphere, the top-flight newcomers showed few early nerves and threatened first when Andy Wilkinson superbly blocked Robbie Blake's first-time sweep from a low right-wing ball.

Stoke, with James Beattie looking livelier than at any time during pre-season, just lacked the final ball in trying to conjure anything similar at the other end during the opening 15 minutes.

The exchanges remained earnest, if a little scrappy, and it was that man Blake glancing goalwards again when he drove first time from way out to send Thomas Sorensen tumbling low to his left to save with relative ease.

But the breakthrough was to come in front of an ecstatic Boothen End in the 19th minute when Burnley paid dearly for slack marking from a free-kick conceded when Tyrone Mears tripped the fleet-footed Fuller.

Liam Lawrence curled towards the edge of the six-yard box from out on the Stoke left and Shawcross, drifting between two defenders, planted a pretty simple header across the keeper and inside his right-hand post.

The visitors took time to re-gather their composure before showing their pace on the break when Wade Elliott bisected Stoke's defensive lines and crossing too weakly to trouble Sorensen.

The Clarets then saw Blake plonk a free-kick straight into Sorensen's waiting grasp and Graham Alexander spurn a possible shooting chance as Stoke's lead remained in seemingly safe hands.

The visitors looked far more threatening shortly after, however, when Martin Paterson beat Danny Higginbotham to cross to the near post for
Wade Elliott to be confounded by Rory Delap's vital presence.
Stoke responded in the 32nd minute when Fuller volleyed a pass to release
Matthew Etherington down the right channel, but after cutting inside onto his favoured left his shot was deflected wide of goal.

The resulting throw out on the left was launched into the mix by you-know-who and Jordan, having outjumped Beattie, inadvertently glanced his head past Brian Jensen and into his own goal for 2-0.

Cries of "we are top of the league" rang out and, given the other scores, the home fans were spot on.

Beattie was then booked for clattering into Blake who, after clambering to his feet, drilled the subsequent free-kick a couple of yards over.

Wilkinson was lucky to escape a penalty when his upper arm visibly prodded the ball after he was caught unawares by Sorensen ducking out of a high cross curling nastily in the air.

Events at the other end were even more dramatic shortly after, however, when Fuller beat the keeper to the punch to head another high ball goalwards, but Clark Carlisle made great ground to clear from under his own crossbar.

Half-time: Stoke 2, Burnley 0.

Sorensen was soon ushering Elliott's piledriver just over his bar as the visitors, to their credit, again began perkily in the summer sunshine.

But then Beattie skewed wide on the stretch at the far post with one effort, and was then outjumped by Carlisle when homing in on another, as Stoke retorted promisingly upfield.

Stoke suffered a jittery little spell just before the hour when Faye was lucky to escape a second yellow for a needless lunge wide on City's right - and then the subsequent free-kick saw shots from both Blake and Grant McCann blocked by red and white-shirted bodies.

Sorensen's first real save of the season came in the 62nd minute when he dived full-length to his left and did well to hold onto Blake's firm effort from a short free-kick 25 yards from goal.

Paterson then blazed well over from distance at the end of a sequence in which the home crowd registered their displeasure and frustration at Stoke's failure to retain greater possession.

And City were back-tracking again soon afterwards when Steven Fletcher went marauding down the left channel before unleashing a shot that was deflected wide before it could test Sorensen at his near post.

The game was opening up more than Stoke might prefer at 2-0 up and Jordan's trip on the free-flowing Etherington left Beattie popping one disappointingly over from just outside the Burnley box.

Dave Kitson replaced Beattie to warm applause on his return to the club - and he was soon shouting vainly for a pass as Fuller twisted and turned before trickling his shot at Jensen.

Fuller was equally wasteful in the 76th minute when scooping over after an otherwise magnificent break on the Burnley goal.

Kitson stamped his class on proceedings 11 minutes from time when beating the offside trap to gather Higginbotham's chip down the left channel before losing his man and smacking his shot against the top of the bar from a tight angle.

Burnley continued to enjoy plenty of ball as Stoke invariably threw 10 men behind it to protect that two-goal buffer in the final few minutes.
And there was even the prospect of a third when sub Richard Cresswell rolled one across goal and just past the far post deep into stoppage time.

Stoke 2, Burnley 0.
Shawcross (19), Jordan (og,33)

TEAMS
Stoke: 29 Sorensen, 28 Wilkinson, 3 Higginbotham, 17 Shawcross, 25 Ab Faye, 7 Lawrence, 18 Whitehead, 24 Delap, 26 Etherington (6 Whelan,76), 9 Beattie (12 Kitson,67), 20 Fuller (16 Cresswell,88). Subs: 1 Simonsen, 2 Griffin, 5 Cort, 14 Pugh.
Burnley: 12 Jensen, 14 mers, 3 Kalvenes, 5 Carlisle, 23 Jordan, 20 Blake (33 Eagles,72), 2 Alexander (30 Thompson,81), 16 McCann, 11 Elliott, 9 Fletcher, 10 Paterson (32 Guerro,72). Subs: 1 Penny, 7 McDonald, 8 Gudjonsson, 17 Eckersley.
Referee: S Bennett (Kent).
Att: 27,385.
Bookings: Stoke - Beattie (foul,36), Faye (foul,53). Burnley - Alexander (dissent,57), Jordan (foul,66).

Potters hand Clarets warning

Premier League new boys suffer first day defeat

Shawcross (right): Celebrates opener

Man of the match - Ricardo Fuller: The striker caused a lot of problems for the Burnley defence with his strength and held the ball up well after the second goal
Save of the match - Sorensen from Fletcher: One of only a handful of shots on goal from the away side was sharply saved at the near post by Sorensen after Fletcher found space to shoot from a difficult angle
Shot of the match - Dave Kitson: The substitute hit the crossbar in injury time with a thumping effort as Stoke hit Burnley on the break
Talking point: Will Burnley have enough to survive? They struggled to cope with Stoke's aerial threat and will face tougher tasks this year. Lack of quality in the final third is also a worry. Meanwhile, Stoke look to have picked up where they left off.

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Stoke City got their Premier League campaign off to a winning start after comfortably beating newly-promoted Burnley 2-0 at the Britannia.

The Potters picked up where they left off last term with a solid display as Burnley struggled to deal with the aerial threat with Rory Delap's long throws a constant menace.

Both goals came from set-pieces in the first half with defender Ryan Shawcross finding the net with his head from Liam Lawrence's free-kick on 19 minutes.

The second arrived on 33 minutes and this time it was the unlucky Stephen Jordan who put the ball into his own net after Delap had launched another stinging throw-in into the penalty area.

The defender allowed the deep ball to strike his head past the unsuspecting keeper Brian Jensen in the Burnley goal as Stoke took a commendable lead into the break.

Owen Coyle reorganised his side for the second half and the Clarets came out with some positive football but could not find a breakthrough as they struggled in the final third.

The defeat is a stark reminder of the task his men face and Coyle will be hoping for his strikers to be more clinical in front of goal when they host Manchester United on Wednesday.

Coyle fielded nine of the side that started the Championship play-off final in May, with summer signings Tyrone Mears and Steven Fletcher the only new faces.

Chances

The Clarets had the first chance of the game after Wembley hero Wade Elliott drilled in a low cross from the right but Robbie Blake's shot was blocked by Andy Wilkinson.

Stoke's first effort on goal was fired well over by Delap but the Irishman was a far greater threat with his trademark throw-ins.

The midfielder gave Burnley an early test from the right but Mears headed clear.

Blake then had a shot comfortably saved by Thomas Sorensen but Stoke took charge of the game in the 19th minute after Ricardo Fuller was fouled on the left by Elliott.

Lawrence swung in the resulting free-kick and Shawcross rose unmarked at the far post to head past Brian Jensen.

Martin Paterson reached the byline as Burnley responded but his cross was put behind for a corner and their short routine from the set-piece did not worry the hosts.

Elliott also tested the Stoke defence as Burnley enjoyed a good spell but his cross was cut out and Potters debutant Dean Whitehead broke up another move inside the box.

After a quiet period, Stoke burst back into life as Matthew Etherington broke clear and Clarke Carlisle cut out his effort at the cost of a throw-in.

That proved costly as Delap launched a familiar long delivery from the left and the ball was diverted in by the unfortunate Jordan after 33 minutes.

A corner from Lawrence then caused further uncertainty in the Burnley box and the ball was put behind uncertainly by Mears.

Blake fired a free-kick over for Burnley, who later appealed for a penalty after Wilkinson appeared to handle in conceding a corner but referee Steve Bennett was not interested.

Stoke almost had a third goal before the interval but the ball was cleared off the line by Mears after Fuller caught Jensen off his line by meeting a Lawrence free-kick with a looping header.

Elliott had the first effort of the second half with a fierce long-range shot that dipped just over the bar.

At the other end James Beattie met a cross from Etherington on the volley but his effort went just wide.

Burnley's best opportunities started to come just before the hour as Graham Alexander crossed low into the box from a free-kick.

Blake had a clean shot blocked and Chris McCann then fired at a defender in a crowded penalty area.

Spirit

Burnley continued to show spirit and Blake forced Sorensen to save with a low shot from a free-kick.

Fletcher then found good space on the left but Sorensen tipped his fierce drive around the post for a corner.

Burnley's good work was almost undone as Jordan felled Beattie on the edge of the area but the former Everton and Southampton striker put his free-kick over.

Sorensen then failed to collect two crosses as Burnley applied further pressure, before Kitson almost scored.

Kitson was an immediate threat after replacing Beattie and was unfortunate to see a powerful shot rebound off the post after turning Jordan in the area.

Stoke City	Team Statistics	Burnley
2	Goals	0
2	1st Half Goals	0
4	Shots on Target	3
8	Shots off Target	5
1	Blocked Shots	6
3	Corners	6
16	Fouls	10
3	Offsides	0
1	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
58.3	Passing Success	73.2
16	Tackles	11
43.8	Tackles Success	72.7
36.9	Possession	63.1
41.6	Territorial Advantage	58.4

Chicharo Leads Chivas To Win Over Queretaro

Chivas thumped Queretaro 2-0 to win their first game of the season.

Aug 15, 2009 10:29:56 PM

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Javier Hernandez- Chivas (Mexsport)

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Chivas were finally able to achieve their first game of the season with a 2-0 win over Queretaro. Omar Bravo made his awaited comeback, but was unable to score on his second debut with Chivas. The victory for Chivas is the first win for the team in the Apertura 2009, and ‘Paco’ Ramirez’ second win while in charge. Meanwhile, Queretaro remain with only one point from the Apertura 2009.

El Rebaño was the first one to come out with a clear shot. ‘Chicharo’ Hernandez received a ball inside the area in the 7th minute, but sent his shot far wide from the goal. Gonzalez was on Hernandez’s back

It Didn’t take too long for ‘Chicharo’ to make his goal anyways. Marco Fabian and ‘Chicharo’ passed the ball between themselves, and left the player to easily push the ball past Bossio for Chivas’ 1-0 lead in the 15th minute.

Adrian Romero then decided to take a shot in the 31st minute. Adrian Romero took a shot with his right foot three fourths into the Chivas area but went just wide to the right of goal.

Again, in the 38th minute Chivas came close. Ramon Morales took a shot towards goal, but Bossio was able to get a hand on the ball and sent it out for a corner kick.

The newly ascended team was reduced to 10 men in the 42nd minute. Hector ’Pirata’ Castro went in on Xavi Baez studs up, and the referee had no doubt in whipping out a red card. Chivas were given a free kick, and immediately Queretaro felt the consequences.

‘Chicharo’ scored his second of the night in the 44th minute off the free kick given by the previous foul. Ramon Morales had sent in a free kick towards Hector Reynoso who then set up a shot for ‘Chicharo’ at the far post. Once more, Chicharo arrived and pushed in the ball for his and Chivas’ 2-0 for the night.

Coming back for the second half Queretaro were the first to look dangerous. Queretaro took a soft shot towards Luis Michel’s goal, and the Chivas ‘keeper was barely able to get a hand on the ball.

In the 66th minute Diego Chavez headed the ball with only one defender at his back, but Luis Michel was able to stop the low ball with his right hand.

Alberto “Venado” Medina came close to adding the third in the 69th minute. Medina was able to leave the Queretaro defenders behind, as well as Bossio who had come out, but the ball ended up on the left outside netting instead.

Marco Fabian then had his opportunity. Omar Bravo chested a pass to Fabian, but his stop was blocked and sent over goal in the 75th minute.

In the 82nd minute ’Chicharo’ tried again to get his name on the score sheet, but his shot went wide of goal.

Andrea Martinez, Goal.com

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Steelers Rookie Redman

Steelers rookie Redman makes statement in win over Cardinals

PITTSBURGH - The Steelers may have found themselves a goal-line back and his name isn’t “the tank”.

Rookie undrafted free-agent Isaac Redman ran hard and scored two short-yardage touchdowns as the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-10 in the preseason opener Thursday night at Heinz Field.

Redman finished with 32 yards on 10 carries and scored on 5 and 3-yard runs.

His tough running style carried over from the traditional 7-on-7 goal-line drills the team held on Sunday in which Redman scored twice.

"This team prides itself on being able to find those free agents that are capable of playing," Redman told the Associated Press, referring to finds such as the undrafted Willie Parker and James Harrison.

"Hopefully I can be that next free agent. I knew I had to make an impression, or I might not even make it to the first (preseason) game.

He may be have went up against the second and third string and is a longshot to make the team, but his play Thursday night certainly was a big statement.

Speaking of "the tank", Frank Summers carried only twice for three yards.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played two series and didn't look very rusty, completing 4 out of 6 passes for 33 yards including two to receiver Hines Ward.

A lot of eyes are on second year running back Rashard Mendenhall, who started in place of Willie Parker (back spasms) Thursday. Mendenhall ran hard and carried for 24 yards on 9 attempts.

Second year wide receiver Limas Sweed continued his strong preseason as he caught two passes for 54 yards, including a 45 yarder in the second quarter to set up a Jeff Reed 50-yard field goal.

Veteran Shaun McDonald led all receivers with 69 yards on six catches.

The defense played their usual "bend but dont break" style, as it held Arizona's starting offense off the board. Linebacker Lamaar Woodley contributed a sack for the Steelers starters.

The stat of the night may have been that the Steelers offensive line gave up no sacks. Thatat's right zero, absolutely none. This despite playing without starting center Justin Hartwig.

Neither team had scored a touchdown until rookie Joe Burnett intercepted a pass by former Steeler Brian St. Pierre and returned to the Arizona 3 to set up one of Redman’s TD run.

Jeff Reed and backup kicker Pitor Czech each had field goals for the Steelers.

Former Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko threw for 103 yards and a touchdown for the Cardinals.

Players have an off day tomorrow, and return to practice at Latrobe on Saturday.

Other views from Thursday night:

- Keeping in mind it is against third-string players, QB Dennis Dixon showed good accuracy as he completed 10 of 19 for 112 yards and threw deep several times.

- How nice was it to see Daniel Sepulveda back in punt formation rather than Chris Gardocki? Sepulveda’s surgically repaired knee looked fine as he booted six punts, good for an average of nearly 44 yards, including a 53 yarder.

- A.Q. Shipley played most of the second-half at center and played pretty well. His block helped spring Isaac Redman into the end zone on one of his scoring runs.

- The Steelers and their fans have to be excited about Limas Sweed. He already seems to have matured 100 percent from last year and made a great leaping grab Thursday.

- Speedy receiver Mike Wallace only returned one kick but showed what he can bring to the offense at wide receiver. Wallace had two catches for 25 yards and continues to show he is developing into a weapon at both.

- To further prove the point that ESPN cares as much or more about the “soap opera” than the game, sideline reporter Suzie Kolber’s first question to Mike Tomlin was about the sexual harassment charges against Ben Roethlisberger. As a matter of fact, I believe all the questions were about that. Pathetic.

- Despite a little rough start, Jon Gruden did well in his debut with the Monday Night Football crew. The former Tampa Bay Bucs coach defended Hines Ward block on the Bengals Keith Rivers last year, in which Rivers suffered a broken jaw. Fellow analyst Chris Mortensen didn’t feel the same way.

Honduras Crush Costa Rica 4-0

Honduras Crush Costa Rica 4-0 To Keep WC Qualifying Tight

Carlos Costly hit a brace in a 4-0 win over Costa Rica that puts Honduras back in the thick of World Cup qualifying.

Aug 13, 2009 12:02:06 AM

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Carlos Costly - Honduras (Mexsport)

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Two goals late in the match turned a respectable win over Costa Rica, the current CONCACAF World Cup qualifying leaders, into a rout for Honduras. Striking tandem Carlo Costly and Carlos Pavon each notched, and Costly added another, mere seconds after Melvin Valladares had put the game out of reach.

With the win, Honduras moves up to tied for second place with the United States on 10 points, bumping Mexico down to fourth again. Costa Rica still leads the group with 12 points. With four teams within three points, the final stretch of 2010 World Cup qualifying games promise plenty of drama.

First Half

Host Honduras announced its intention early. Carlo Costly raced onto a ball in the box in the third minute and went down under a challenge. The athletic Birmingham City striker appealed for a penalty, but instead a free kick was given the other way as Costly had handled the ball when controlling it.

Minutes later, Costly slalomed down the touchline and blasted a narrow shot at goal. Already, Costly's combination of size and speed was troubling Costa Rica. Keylor Navas in the Costa Rica goal managed to push the shot out, and Wilson Palacios blasted the follow up shot harmlessly high.

Honduras continued to dominate play, controlling the midfield tempo and wanting the game more than the bewildered visitors.

The first “goal” caused a fair bit of controversy. As Costly went in for a cross, he caught goalkeeper Navas. The ball was hooked off the line, but eventually fell to Honduran Mauricio Sabillion. He drilled a low shot in past the prone Navas, who was injured.

After much deliberation and delay, the referee waved the goal off. Navas had to be substituted for reserve 'keeper Ricardo Gonzalez.

After half an hour, Costly finally got a goal to stick. Palacios scooped the ball into the box, where Junior Diaz failed to deal with it properly. His weak header fell straight to Carlos Pavon, who passed the ball a yard to his left where Costly had a better angle. The striker didn't miss from his open position in the box.

A minute later, Costly picked up a yellow for diving in the corner of the Costa Rica box.

Hard tackles continued fly as both team went at each other, desperate for the valuable points. Costly had another chance saved before five minutes of injury time were added on.

Second Half

Seven minutes in to the second half, Pavon doubled the score. He spun his marker, Freddy Fernandez, and coolly sidefooted into the bottom corner of the goal from 25 yards out. It was a crucial lapse from both defender and goalie that allowed a solid lead to be built up.

That goal seemed to motivate Costa Rica more than anything else had. Some nifty flowing work around the box found Alvaro Saborio in the box, but the striker skied his shot. Earlier, playmaker Walter Centeno had pinged a narrow freekick off the upright.

'Keeper Gonzalez showed why he was brought along to the match, albeit in a substitute role, roughly 20 minutes into the half. An in-swerving corner looked destined for the net, but Gonzalez punched off the crossbeam. From the next corner, the ball fell to Danilo Turcios who drilled into the feet of Gonzalez.

Two minutes later, Pavon raced in free on goal but cleared the goal when he really should have put the game out of doubt.

Straight from that play, the Ticos had their best chance in what was turning into an open match. Saborio challenged Honduras 'keeper Noel Valladares for a cross and the ball squirmed past both of them to the open Esteban Sirias. However, the ball wouldn't sit for Sirias and he ended up missing the goal once pressure arrived.

Heading into the last ten minutes, Honduras took the sting out of the game by slowing down the tempo and controlling the midfield battle once more.

With one minute left in regular time, Honduras finally made sure of the win. A chip over the Costa Rican defense found substitute Melvin Valladares. He dragged the ball past one defender before easily slotting home for a three goal lead.

A minute later, Costly hit again to make it a rout. Substitute Julio Leon, who had been very bright since entering on the hour mark, ran at the Costa Rican defense. With the outside of his foot he played a little dink to Costly who was waiting on the outside of the backline. From there, it was an easy sidefooted effort that made the score 4-0.

In injury time, Costa Rica actually had the ball in the back of the net, but it didn't count because Saborio had bumped into the goalkeeper in the buildup.

oRaNjE DrAW WiTh EnGLAnD

2 Draw 2

Two football behemoths versing each other in a friendly. In the pre-season… What to expect?

The English lads are still prepping, our Madrid boys came back from a trip to the USA. Huntelaar and Vaart lack rhythm altogether (with Rafael also focused on something totally different than football).

The game ended in 2-2. Oranje was superior to the English in the first half, but not able to keep the lead in the second half, when Capello made some crucial changes.

The Oranje players all have one year to secure their personal ticket to South Africa. Oranje will go, but the question is: which players will be part of the group?

For most players, these games are ideal to show team manager Van Marwijk that they’re eager to go.

Dirk Kuyt opened the account quickly in the game. The dynamic Liverpool player was poised to bring fireworks to the game from the first ball circulation onwards and saw his work ethos rewarded with a goal after ten minutes of play.

The shrewd mover got the ball by accident from Rio Ferdinand. He took on goalie Green and actually needed to place the ball back from the touchline to the unmarked Van Persie, but the confident Kuyt decided to go for glory. He took the tough option and was lucky Terry wasn’t able to block the ball, otherwise Van Persie would have been asking some tough questions.

With his goal, Dirk enters the Top 25 of Oranje goalscorers.

Robin van Persie was motivated to show his English colleagues how good he is, with some trickery. The Arsenal star wasn’t too luckty with his final pass and his goal attempts. Arjen Robben demonstrated his wonderful form, like he did with Madrid in the past weeks, but his actions didn’t have any effectiveness.

England tried to do it with high crosses into the box, but Ooijer/Heitinga stood firm. In particular David Beckham was remarkable, with his drive and sense of urgency. The superstar isn’t sure of a spot in the England group and demonstrated to Capello he’s really hunger for more.

After 30 minutes of play, Oranje got another good opportunity. A Vaart free-kick - and what a kick it was - ended on Kuyt’s head who hit goalie Green’s feet. Two minutes later, Holland was close to scoring again. Robben fled from the English defense with the ball on his feet but missed the target with his scorching attempt. The winger actually had to try to find Kuyt who was in a better position.

Another howler in the English defense allowed Robben a free road towards goal in the 37th minute. Robben hit Green’s body but the rebound was for skipper Raf van der Vaart. The captain could use this break.

The only real attempts England had, were two Rooney attempts on Stekelenburg. Basically the only real attempts by England in the first 45 minutes.

At half time, Van Marwijk brought Babel for Van Persie and Sneijder for Van der Vaart. Capello brought three new players and that resulted in success pretty quickly.

In the 48th minute, a Green kick found Defoe via Rooney’s chest and Lampard’s feet. The Tottenham striker outran his opponents and pin-pointed the ball into the goal: 2-1.

Defoe and the other sub Wright-Philips made it hard for Oranje in the second half. It took some time for Van Marwijk to respond. Nigel de Jong and Braafheid were instructed to mark the players more tightly, which resulted in more control.

Capello subbed more players and West Ham’s Carlton Cole relegated Mathijsen twice to the role of extra. Cole wasn’t able to find the target and Oranje was lucky in that phase of the game.

With 15 minutes to go, England equalized. Sub Milner benefited from a Heitinga mistake and ran in the left channel to cross the ball in hard into the box. The Dutch defenders were too late and Defoe could score his second: 2-2.

Van Marwijk immediately brought Huntelaar for the tired Kuyt. The AC Milan man couldn’t impress in the short timespan. Sneijder took a chance from a free kick, but a third goal wasn’t in the cards for Oranje.

This game gave Van Marwijk lots of homework. In an attacking sense, Oranje seems to be well endowed, but defensively Oranje offers up some headaches. Whenever the opponents attack via crosses or deep balls into our defense, Ooijer and Heitinga rule. Whenever the opponents use speed and skills, our defenders - bar Braafheid - are vulnerable. We saw it against Russia at the EC and Capella and Co proved it again in the second half.

This statement isn’t new. It’s not rocket science. Van Marwijk knows where the weaknesses are. And he has a year to solve this puzzle.

After the game, team manager Van Marwijk wasn’t too happy with a casual Dutch reporter who grilled the coach with a beer in his hand. “Did you feel the replacements worked out?”. Van Marwijk explained that the subs weren’t made for tactical reasons, but were decided upon before the game to allow different players time. “And how’s your beer?”, Van Marwijk concluded his answer.

Press chief Jansma went on: “Any reporters out there with a question but without a glass in their hands?”.

Van Marwijk: “To me, Kuyt and Van Persie were the most remarkable players today. Our defense didn’t do too well. I didn’t have too many complaints about them in the run up to this game, but today they made two mistakes. Our positioning was lousy with their first goal and with the second we needed to intervene much earlier. Looking at our first goal, we did everything we needed to do: we put pressure on them from the first second and they made their mistake after ten minutes. All in all, we didn’t do too bad against a strong opponent. The idea was to find Van der Vaart inbetween their lines, but our final pass lacked. The execution was mediocre, it’s clear that we miss rhythm.”

Bert was happy about the first 45 minutes. “Defensively, we did well. In particular Johnny Heitinga, but in the second half they outpaced us. Our defense didn’t have an answer. The thing is: under pressure you need to improve your pass and move play. That’s how you get out of that pressure, but we didn’t, hence the problems we faced.”

Van Marwijk also thinks our physical strength lacks. “Physically, we suffered. We weren’t there. Players like Van Persie and Kuyt who play and train in England can manage against this England, but most other players lack that strength at the moment.”

Andre Ooijer was clearly disappointed. “When you lead 2-0 after 45 minutes at home and you give it away in the second half due to defensive problems, you clearly haven’t done well. I’m not happy.”

Stijn Schaars: “I didn’t play well at all. I lost the ball to often. The pace is so much higher with Oranje and particularly against England. I couldn’t adjust quick enough. I’m not happy, I wanted to show myself and I feel I missed an opportunity to do so…”

Deadly Defoe Double Denies Dutch

If you want to know what it feels like to have two birthdays so close together, you could ask the Queen. Or, come to think of it, Bert van Marwijk. Two ridiculously fortunate Dutch goals appeared to gift Holland the win, until supersub Jermain Defoe dug England out of a royal mess in Amsterdam. Pundits and journalists stood in disbelief as Rio Ferdinand and Gareth Barry, so often reliable, made the kind of errors that schoolchildren would be embarrassed of. Had it not been so easy to take initial control, Holland probably would have lost. A lacklustre performance from the Oranje, as well as an inaudible rendition from the Dutch contingent, left most leaving the Amsterdam ArenA displeased.

Surprisingly, Holland left out key men Wesley Sneijder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, with the rest of the starting eleven as expected. And, for a while, it showed. Holland were missing a sense of flair, as England started to boss the play. Until the frailness of their defence became apparent, that is. John Terry sprayed the ball out wide to Rio Ferdinand, who tried to lay the ball to Robert Green at a snail’s pace – a clear lapse of concentration. Dirk Kuyt nipped in and rounded Green, before scuffing past a despairing Terry. England were not to be disheartened though, and Frank Lampard almost levelled as Stekelenburg saved with his legs.

Emile Heskey battles to win the ball from Nigel De Jong

But, as England attacked, Holland countered their every move. Van der Vaart’s hanging cross nearly caught out the hesitant Green, who luckily saved Kuyt’s header, before Robben’s stinging drive was tipped over. As the game became disjointed, Holland almost doubled their lead. Robin van Persie fired just wide after indecision from Barry, who breathed a sigh of relief. Soon after, relief became dejection. Another lazy backpass put Robben clean through, and although Green saved neatly, Van der Vaart was on hand to tap home, justifying his selection. It was defending that made a mockery of claims that England could win the World Cup. Teacup, more like!

Rafael Van der Vaart celebrates doubling Holland’s lead as Ashley Cole watches in disbelief

Fabio Capello had spoken about his half-time ‘hairdryer treatment’, in this case it needed to be switched on full-blast. And whatever he said, worked. Half-time substitute Jermain Defoe raced on to a clever ball by Lampard, before brilliantly slotting home, albeit via the post. Game on. England started to show a bit of ‘dutch courage’, and the bravery of James Milner, who had replaced the ineffective Ashley Young, almost saw England equalise, but Carlton Cole’s shot just cleared the crossbar. Then came the break England thoroughly deserved. Indecision from the lethargic John Heitinga saw Milner race clear, before pulling the ball back for Defoe to slide home. And England could, and should, have won it. Further chances fell to Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, but both were deflected wide. England survived the only hairy second-half moment, after Glen Johnson had brought down club-mate Ryan Babel. Luckily, Sneijder’s free-kick could only find the wall.

Jermain Defoe celebrates his first goal

But the undertone is, England got away with it. There is no need to knock the ball around the back four when under pressure. It leads to conceding. What’s wrong with a traditional hoof, eh?

Venezuela Beats Colombia (2-1)

Venezuela beats Colombia, 2-1, in international friendly at Giants Stadium

Venezuela's ability to capitalize on its scoring chances proved to be the decisive factor in an international friendly against Colombia marked by physical play.

In front of a sparse crowd at Giants Stadium Wednesday night, goals from Oswaldo Vizcarrondo and Jose Manuel Rey powered the Venezuelans to a 2-1 victory.

The game was followed by a friendly between Ecuador and Jamaica.

Venezuela turned a rare spell of pressure in the Colombian end into the decisive goal in the 72nd minute.

A pair of corner kicks proved fruitless, but as the Colombian defense scrambled to reset, Venezuela midfielder Luis Manuel Seijas curled a ball from the left side onto the head of the unmarked Vizcarrondo. The defender rose and powered the ball into the back of the net as Agustin Julio, the Colombian goalkeeper who came on in the 67th minute, watched helplessly.

Despite spurts of possession in the first half, Venezuela tallied the first goal, in the 35th minute, on a sensational free kick from Rey, a defender.

Giancarlo Maldonado, the Venezuela captain, played a low through-ball to Nicolas Fedor, who was sprinting down the center of the field between two Colombia defenders. As Fedor reached the low pass at the edge of the 18, he was slammed to the ground by an Ivan Ramiro Cordoba hip check.

The referee awarded a free kick to Venezuela as Fedor rolled back and forth on the turf. Rey stepped over the ball and curled a picture-perfect free kick over the wall, past the sprawling Colombia goalkeeper, David Ospina, into the left corner of the net.

Suddenly, Venezuela had an unexpected 1-0 lead.

Moments later, Fedor began causing more problems for the Colombia defense. He pounced on a ball near the right sideline that was misplayed by Colombia captain Mario Alberto Yepes. Fedor sprinted toward the goal and angled a shot past Ospina that ricocheted hard off the crossbar.

It did not take Colombia long to draw even, however.

Four minutes after Rey's goal, Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, who plays professionally for FC Porto, in Portugal, notched the equalizer on a hard-earned piece of determination and skill.

Garcia displayed his determination first, by corralling a bouncing ball at the top of the Venezuela box and fighting off a pair of defenders. He then pivoted and struck the ball low and hard with his right foot.

Venezuela goalkeeper Renny Vega, who had made three saves until that point, in the 39th minute, had no chance to make a fourth as the ball slid into the lower left corner of the net.

As the game opened up in the second half, play became more physical and tempers started to flare. Colombia midfielder Fabian Vargas was shown a second yellow card in the 86th minute, both awarded for hard tackles.

Two minutes later, Venezuela midfielder Pedro Fernandez, was shown a straight red card.