Kenedy gives Chelsea some razzle dazzle
AFTER the dirty tricks and the lady vanishes, Chelsea were grateful last night for more signs that their showman Jose Mourinho is getting his act back together.
Mourinho did not look satisfied as he fumed about Diego Costa’s ban but his team eased into the fourth round of the Capital One Cup with a solid display and goals from Ramires, Loic Remy, Kenedy and Pedro.
He said the loss of Costa would hurt his team, and Radamel Falcao backed up those words as he misfired on a wet Wednesday in Walsall. Falcao had two efforts cleared off the goal line and blazed another glorious chance so high over the bar that it hit the Banks’s ale sign on top of the stand.
The Colombian, on loan from Monaco, brought the house down when he slipped taking a free-kick, and succeeded in merely scooping the ball just over the Walsall wall.
It threatened to turn into one of those nights. A pitch sprinkler burst into life during the second half, and the Chelsea fans sang, ‘Is there a fire drill?’ But in truth there was only one brief moment of alarm for the Premier League champions.
It came just before half-time when centre half James O’Connor struck for Walsall, reducing the lead to 2-1 and offering hope to the League One team.
The Banks’s Stadium buzzed with belief during the break and memories were rekindled of Chelsea’s FA Cup demise at the hands of Bradford in January.
Mourinho’s team had led 2-0 on that occasion, only to concede before the interval and lose 4-2.
‘ It was not easy,’ said the Chelsea boss. ‘ When you start with bad results in the league you cannot lose against a League One team. You can do that when the league form is fantastic.
‘To lose against a League One team now would not be good for us. We don’t need those feelings. I’m happy with the players.’
Kenedy scored the vital third, a goal his vibrant display deserved. Signed this summer for £6.7million from Fluminense, the teenage Brazilian created an early chance for Ramires, which was saved by goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
When Kenedy and Ramires combined again, Chelsea were ahead. Ramires arrived at the back post to head in from close range. It was a simple goal and reflected Chelsea’s early dominance.
Falcao almost stretched the lead. Released by Ramires, he clipped a shot over Etheridge but the keeper made a partial block, which gave O’Connor the chance to recover and clear off the line.
Falcao was denied again before half-time. Having wriggled past Etheridge his effort, turned on goal from an acute angle, was headed away by Paul Downing.
After a torrid start, Walsall grew in confidence as the half developed and produced some patches of pleasing football. ‘We never lost the philosophy or the way we try to play,’ said boss Smith. ‘At times we were very good.’
Chelsea’s second, created by Ramires and converted emphatically by Remy, ought to have soothed any anxieties, but the home team responded quickly.
Begovic was unable to hold a free-kick from Milan Lalkovic and O’Connor pounced on the rebound. He did not connect cleanly but squeezed a shot past Chelsea’s goalkeeper and two defenders sliding across goal.There would be no heroic comeback. Mourinho’s team performed well in the second half.
Pedro came off the bench to score the fourth and quell a spirited finish from Walsall. The holders were into round four, on their way to Stoke and back in the old routine. Three wins in eight days, despite the storms around Costa, Gabriel and Eva Carneiro.
WALSALL (4-1-4-1): Etheridge 6; Demetriou 5.5, O’Connor 7, Downing 6.5, Henry 6; Chambers 5.5 (Flanagan 73min, 6); Morris 6, Mantom 6, Sawyers 6, Lalkovic 6 (Forde 73, 6); Cook 6 (Baxendale 86). Subs not used: MacGillivray, Taylor, Preston, Kinsella. Booked: Chambers, Forde.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): Begovic 6; Ivanovic 5, Cahill 6, Terry 6, Rahman 6; Ramires 8, Mikel 6.5, Loftus-Cheek 6 (Matic 72, 6); Remy 6.5, Falcao 6 (Djilobodji 90), Kenedy 7.5 (Pedro 70, 6). Subs not used: Blackman, Aina, Traore, Hazard. Booked: Mikel, Terry.
Man of the match: Kenedy. Referee: Lee Mason 6.