Fab fires Chelsea closer to the title
Masked man Fabregas steals in with late winner to leave Mourinho’s men...
CESC FABREGAS fired a late winner for Chelsea against Queens Park Rangers to move Jose Mourinho’s men a step nearer to the Premier League title. The Spanish midfielder, sporting a protective face mask after suffering a broken nose in a clash with Stoke’s Charlie Adam last week, scored the only goal of the game with his side’s only shot on target two minutes from time. It gave Chelsea a seven-point lead at the top, with a game in hand over the chasing pack. QPR face FA action after Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic was struck on the head by a lighter thrown from the crowd, while other missiles rained down on the Loftus Road pitch. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said: ‘I am obviously very happy with my team because we kept good emotional control. Now we need 11 more points.’
THEY had only one shot at it, with the masked raider wriggling clear of security in the 88th minute and making his way into the penalty area undetected.
This was the second London heist in a week, with the Loftus Road imposter easily identifiable when he whipped off his head gear in front of QPR’s stunned supporters.
Cesc Fabregas was the diamond when he worked the opening, following the carefully laid out plans of Eden Hazard and substitute Oscar to pull off this unlikely job for Chelsea. The finish called for precision.
Jose Mourinho’s team are within inches of the silverware — the Barclays Premier League crown — after this dramatic game of smash and grab.
Rob Green had been on guard throughout, but the crestfallen Rangers keeper made the mistake that allowed Chelsea to extend their lead at the top of the table again. You snooze, you lose.
It was an important victory for Mourinho, keeping Arsenal at arm’s length by recording their 22nd victory of the season in the Premier League. ‘We have been at the top throughout,’ he declared.
Where they rank among the great teams to win the title — such as the Manchester United vintages (1999 and 2009) or Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ (2004) — is of no concern to the Portuguese.
Chelsea’s manager has put together a team to win the league, grinding down the opposition until they eventually lift the trophy, probably later this month. They are relentless, we know that.
Here at Loftus Road they were met with the resistance of their noisy neighbours QPR, surviving the screams and shouts from the stands to stretch their lead over Arsenal to seven points.
They will meet at the Emirates on April 26, but Chelsea are equipped to survive the sternest and stiffest tests that domestic competition can throw at them.
Even Arsene Wenger knows a titlewinning team when he sees one.
Chelsea had only one shot on target, an improbable statistic for a team that can call upon the dancing feet of Hazard, Willian, substitute Oscar and Fabregas.
Chelsea were careless in possession, knocked out of their rhythm by the boisterous presence of Karl Henry, Sandro and the bristling figure of Joey Barton strung out across the QPR midfield.
This defeat feels tough on them because anyone who can sedate Nemanja Matic and Ramires over the course of 90 minutes probably deserves a bit more. The pair were over-run in midfield.
Rangers have found an outlet in the willing, emerging figure of Matt Phillips down their right flank. They have to use him to stand a chance of staying up. He looked to be their one chance of making something happen, a shuttlecock on that halfway line as he flitted in and out of Chelsea’s half. Cesar Azpilicueta will be glad to see the back of him.
So will Gary Cahill, the Chelsea defender who bravely intercepted Phillips’s dangerous first-half crosses from that cultured right boot. Phillips was a menace on that wing.
He had a massive chance to put Rangers in front at the start of the second half, denied by the anticipation of Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois when the Belgian moved to his left to turn the shot away for a corner.
When that failed, Rangers went old school, lofting balls into the box in the hope that forwards Bobby Zamora or Charlie Austin would get their head on one of them.
Even against Chelsea captain John Terry and the commanding presence of Gary Cahill, the agricultural approach almost worked.
Terry was hammered by QPR fans, choking on the abuse from the stands because of his exchange here with their former centre half Anton Ferdinand in October 2011.
Chelsea’s captain has learned to deal with it, but the trip to Loftus Road is possibly as poisonous as it gets for Terry. He can take his medicine.
Rangers were shooting from anywhere, with Austin’s looping effort falling neatly into Courtois’ arms from long range and later drawing a stunning save to the keeper’s right with another poke from distance.
Even Barton shanked an effort wide of Courtois’ goal when he was put clean through after the break. They gave this a right, old-fashioned go.
Loftus Road was a bear pit, with just under 20,000 Rangers crammed into this stadium to watch them match their west London rivals for blood and guts. Under manager Chris Ramsey, they have renewed their faith.
Rangers have given themselves a chance of getting out of the mess at the foot of the table after that handsome 4-1 win at West Brom earlier this month, followed by a 3-3 draw with Aston Villa.
There is a noticeable shift in mentality, pulling together as they approach the final five games — West Ham, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle and Leicester — of the season. Three are winnable.
Chelsea are masters at this, calling on the pedigree of Hazard, in his 100th appearance in the Premier League, Oscar and the timing of Fabregas to secure this narrow win.
It was their first chance, the only time in this game when they properly opened up the central defensive pairing of Steven Caulker and Nedum Onuoha.
The man in the mask was there to finish the job, scoring in the league for the first time since Chelsea won 2-0 on the road at Stoke on December 22. ‘ It’s like failing a driving test,’ admitted QPR’s manager.
Here at Loftus Road, Fabregas turned out to be the getaway driver.