vs
Chelski Fail To Close Gap
Aston Villa 0-0
Chelsea
Chelsea failed to break down Aston Villa to leave the champions six
points behind leaders Manchester United.
The visitors dominated the first half and should have been well
ahead by the interval, but both Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole
missed gilt-edged chances.
Drogba miscued with a volley, while Cole headed straight at Gabor
Kiraly.
Outclassed in that opening period, Villa provided a sterner test
for Chelsea after the break and Liam Ridgewell went close with a
header.
Chelsea had drawn their previous two league games, allowing leaders
Manchester United to move seven points clear ahead of Tuesday's
game with Villa.
Khalid Boulahrouz suffers a suspected ligament
injury against Aston Villa.
Chelsea's defensive problems have been well documented and the
visitors suffered another blow in that department when Khalid
Boulahrouz limped off with a knee injury in the opening half.
But it was Chelsea's attack rather their defence that let them down
in an opening half that saw the visitors fail to convert a host of
chances from the surfeit of possession they enjoyed.
In scoring 13 league goals this season Drogba has probably been
Chelsea's most effective player, but even the Ivory Coast forward
seemed to be affected by the Blues' mid-winter malaise.
Drogba should have put Chelsea ahead inside the opening 10 minutes,
but his volley from the 6 yard box went onto the ground and over
the bar.
Cole was the next Chelsea player to miss, sending his header
directly at Kiraly.
Just before the first half ended, Frank Lampard's surging run
brought him to the edge of the Villa box, but he failed to spot
Claude Makelele, who was free on the right, and the attack broke
down.
Midway through the second half Andriy Shevchenko came on for Shaun
Wright-Phillips as Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho opted to provide
extra support for Drogba.
But the Ukraine striker proved as peripheral a figure as he has for
most of this season and he rarely touched the ball.
Villa had barely an attack worthy of mention in the first-half, but
as the game wore on the home side began to threaten from set-pieces
and Ridgewell went close with a header from a corner.
In the closing stages Chelsea launched one final onslaught, but
Lampard put the ball over the bar from close range, while Drogba
headed over.
Drogba missed several good chances for
Chelsea
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill:
"I thought we played with a ferocious amount of determination,
which we had to against a side like Chelsea. "We had to try to
match them as much as we possibly could and I have nothing but
praise for the players.
"They worked tirelessly and stuck it right to the end. We have
played better and lost games."
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho:
"Six points at the end of this disgraceful period is not bad.
"We're leaving with a lot of hopes for the second part of the
season.
"I think they answered my criticism. We got the point but more
important was the attitude of the team. We are alive."
vs
Arsenal 4-0
Charlton
Arsenal captain Thierry Henry returned from his injury lay-off to
inspire the Gunners to a win over 10-man Charlton.
Henry slotted home the opener from the penalty spot after Osei
Sankofa was sent off for fouling Robin van Persie.
Henry then played a fine one-two with Justin Hoyte for the defender
to slot past Scott Carson, who had already magnificently saved from
Cesc Fabregas.
Van Persie scored another spot-kick after Souleymane Diawara fouled
Henry and then chipped in a fine late fourth.
With Henry back after his well-documented 34-day absence, the
skipper's team-mates appeared keen to welcome their leader back
with a goal glut.
Arsenal poured forward from the first whistle and after Gilberto
Silva and Van Persie went close, Fabregas was denied by a contender
for save of the season.
A Fabregas shot from 30 yards got a wicked deflection and looped up
on to the crossbar and as Van Persie surged towards the ball,
Sankofa bundled him over.
The right-back was harshly dismissed by referee Mike Riley on just
his seventh Premiership start and Henry nonchalantly sent Carson
the wrong way from the spot.
Hoyte got his first Arsenal goal, Henry his 222nd for the
Gunners
Just before the break, Hoyte got his first Gunners goal with an
effort so beautifully crafted any of his illustrious team-mates
would have been proud to call it theirs.
Van Persie finally got his name on the scoresheet from the spot
with 14 minutes left after Henry bamboozled Diawara and was
blatantly tugged to the ground in the box.
The Dutchman made it 4-0 in stoppage time, latching on to a Mathieu
Flamini pass and delaying before executing a fine lofted finish
over Carson and into the net.
The effortless victory moves Arsenal up to fourth, while Charlton
remain a distant six points away from Premiership safety.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger on Henry's
return:
"Of course it is a massive individual and psychological boost for
the team to know he is back. "We worked Thierry hard on his
fitness, which is why he looked so sharp.
"The penalty and the sending off was a turning point, we controlled
the game before that but they didn't give us any space. We needed
patience and got it."
Charlton manager Alan Pardew on Sankofa's sending
off:
"My view was that Robin van Persie was offside anyway. But then
he's ahead of my full-back who tried to get back and it's not
really a foul. "I'm aggrieved he got sent off. To play Arsenal's
best XI with five missing is hard enough, let alone with 10
men.
"But I was pleased with how we played and Scott Carson was just
fantastic."
