Sunday, May 22, 2011

Everton 1 Chelsea 0: Jermaine Beckford Strike Likely to Seal Ancelotti's Fate

Filed under: , , , ,

Seamus Coleman, EvertonJermaine Beckford scored a memorable goal as 10-man Everton ended their own season on a high in what is expected to be Carlo Ancelotti's last game in charge of Chelsea.

Chelsea's fans sang Ancelotti's name in a show of support but owner Roman Abramovich is unlikely to have been listening as he prepares to sack the Chelsea manager this week.

Ancelotti guided Chelsea to their first Premier League and FA Cup double last season but a second term without a trophy is prompting Abramovich to wield the axe and if this was to be his last game then it was a poor way to bow out.

However, Everton's fans will remember the game as Beckford - who had been struggling to make an impact on the game - somehow ran through, around and over Chelsea's entire midfield and defence as he sprinted the length of the pitch and beat Petr Cech for a 74th-minute winner.

And Everton's joy was well deserved as they managed it with only 10 men after Seamus Coleman's sending off for two yellow cards early in the second half.

The first half was slow to get going as neither side had the ability to really test the other.

A Coleman effort was blocked by Ashley Cole shortly before Alex tackled Leon Osman in the area but replays proved Peter Walton made the right decision not to award the penalty as Alex's tackle was timed to perfection.

At the other end, a Nicolas Anelka blast was well blocked by Sylvain Distin and Anelka did try and make a nuisance of himself which is more than strike partners Fernando Torres and Florent Malouda managed.

The tempo of the second half was far better than the first and tempers became increasingly frayed, especially when Coleman was dismissed for a strong challenge on John Obi Mikel that prompted a mini-melee.

John Terry then drilled an effort against the post before Beckford missed two decent chances as the game came alive and although Branislav Ivanovic did convert one close-range effort he was rightly judged offside as the deadlock continued.

However, Beckford then stood up when it mattered most and after picking the ball up on the edge of his own area, he then jinxed his way through Chelsea's team to somehow give Everton the three points.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/05/22/everton-1-chelsea-0-jermaine-beckfords-brilliance-helps-seal-c/

Ernie Els Fabio Cannavaro Fabio Quagliarella Feliciano Lopez Fernando Torres

No comments:

Post a Comment