Remy’s the saviour as Mourinho is sent to Hull and back
NOT the sweetest strike you’ll see. Not the sweetest strike of the game, in fact. But Loic Remy’s tentative prod which squirmed past goalkeeper Allan McGregor and trickled into the net was like a shot of nectar for Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho may one day reflect on this late contribution from a striker he has rarely used as the moment when self-doubt was allayed and the Barclays Premier League title was secured.
Having been 2-0 up inside nine minutes at Hull, courtesy of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, Chelsea had to prove they could banish this habit of throwing away the lead. But their not-so-reliable-anymore defence wobbled and creaked.
Ahmed Elmohamady and Abel Hernandez levelled before half-time and Thibaut Courtois performed a breathtaking triple-save from three Hull players, midway through the second half, which Steve Bruce thought was the key moment.
It was still 2-2 as the clock ticked towards 77 minutes and Cesc Fabregas rolled a pass to Willian on the Chelsea right. The Brazilian found Remy and the substitute, only on for a few seconds after replacing the injured Costa, jabbed it towards McGregor, who was clearly expecting something else entirely because he was wrongfooted, unable to recover, and the ball slithered over the line. A thrilling game was settled by a scruffy goal and Chelsea’s cushion at the top of the table was plumped.
‘I’m pretty confident,’ said Mourinho. ‘We got what we deserved. We haveh a six-pointi i tl lead,d one matcht hi in hand and eight matches to go for our opponents. They can make 24 points. I believe in my players.’
They had made such a brilliant start at the KC Stadium, where Hazard lashed in a beauty after only 78 seconds.
Collecting a lay-off from Costa, he drove diagonally across the pitch before firing the ball back across goal with his left foot. From outside the penalty area, it sailed beyond McGregor’s dive.
Yet, even early on, the defensive frailties which have beset Chelsea since the turn of the year and offered a glimmer of hope to title rivals were in evidence.
Hernandez was through and ought to have equalised. Played onside by Branislav Ivanovic, he collected a flick from Dame N’Doye, but could not beat Courtois, who blocked with his body.
When Costa made it 2- 0, the contest seemed to be settled. Again, it was a splendid goal, lashed past poor McGregor from an angle. For the £32million Chelsea striker, it was hi his 19th of f theth season. Th The goal-rate has slowed since the turn of the year, and his temper simmered, as ever.
There was a confrontation with Alex Bruce, when Costa accused the Hull manager’s son of swiping his legs away, and a flashpoint when Jake Livermore claimed to have been elbowed in the face.
Referee Michael Oliver did not see the ‘elbow’, as he had not seen Costa’s stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can during the Capital One Cup semi-final. The pair have history going back to Costa’s first game in English football when the same referee booked him for a dive at Burnley.
Hull responded after a tactical switch from manager Bruce, who started with three at the back and moved to a 4-2-3-1 formation after going two down. The change did not stop left back Andy Robertson charging forward to create their first with a low cross, bundled in by Elmohamady. Within two minutes, the home team were level and panic descended on Chelsea at the back as th they struggledt l dt to cope with a mixture of high balls and intense pressing. Courtois made a poor decision to take a touch on a backpass from Ivanovic. The goalkeeper twisted past Gaston Ramirez, who was closing in, but his touch was too heavy, the ball rolling to Hernandez for a simple finish.
After the break, Chelsea were brighter. Mourinho tweaked his midfield shape, sent on Oscar and controlled possession but Hull defended well and limited the visitors to long-range efforts.
Courtois then produced his incredible triple save to thwart Elmohamady, Livermore and Ramirez, each flying stop better than the one before, and perhaps it energised his team to search for the winner.
Even when Costa headed down the tunnel with the medics, Chelsea kept probing. Remy restored the lead and this time they did not surrender it. It was Remy’s sixth goal since an £8.5million move from Queens Park Rangers.