Chelsea is strong in the Champion's League.  A good final will be a Chelsea - Barcelona final !!!

Chelsea vintage too good for Porto

Chelsea gave notice of their Champions League intentions as they dismissed reigning champions Porto 3-1 on Wednesday. Alexei Smertin sent the Blues on their way, before Didier Drogba and John Terry made the game safe, with Benni McCarthy giving the Portuguese scant consolation.

Porto, who won five trophies in two seasons under current Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho climaxing with the European Cup last May, were no match for the London side who dominated in the drizzle at Stamford Bridge.

With Chelsea now on six points from their opening two matches they are almost certain, even at this early stage of the competition, to advance to the last 16.

Porto, beaten for the first time in 13 Champions League matches, have only one point from two games after their opening goalless draw against CSKA Moscow and while Mourinho can dream of winning the Champions League again, they would appear to have little chance of progressing.

Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, who had an outstanding match without scoring, played a major part in the opening goal, starting the move by bringing Damien Duff into play, and then hooking Duff's return lobbed pass into the heart of the Porto defence with the outside of his right foot.

FIRST GOAL

The cross found unmarked Russian midfielder Smertin who volleyed it into the ground and wide of goalkeeper Vitor Baia for his first goal for the club.

Chelsea, with Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira dominating at the back against their former team mates, played the better approach football.

Gudjohnsen and Duff caused the Porto defence problems and Frank Lampard, Smertin and Claude Makelele imposing themselves on Maniche, Diego and Costinha in midfield.

Carvalho received an award before the game for being the best defender in Europe last season for his part in Porto's success - and was uncompromising in shackling Ricardo Quaresma and Derlei on the rare occasions that Porto threatened.

Porto though have lost far more than just half their defence, their coach and playmaker Deco, who went to Barcelona.

They have also lost their direction and cutting edge.

Chelsea were more potent and virtually wrapped up the points in the 50th minute after Drogba was fouled by Ricardo Costa

Duff took the inswinging free-kick which Drogba headed past Baia for his third Champions League goal of the season.

Porto's hopes rose briefly when a shot from Carlos Alberto took a slight deflection and panicked Chelsea keeper Peter Cech into an uncharacteristic blunder -- pushing the ball straight to substitute McCarthy who lashed it back into the net for only the second goal Chelsea have conceded in nine matches this season.

Two minutes later McCarthy conceded a free-kick when he fouled Tiago and Terry powerfully dived low to head home Lampard's free kick.

Quote:

Post by chenyc
Meteja Kezman still hard to score a goal.

hard to score..often left on the bench..waste chances..maybe he shouldn't hv go to Chelsea..
look at Mutu now..hardly see him on the bench..he is a quality player..

Even Crespo left and joined Italian club again.  He cannot fit in.

yeah..sometimes the best player cannot settle themselves in Premier League..

Very true.  Like Owen also finding it hard to adjust to Spanish football.

Quote:

Post by micht
Very true.  Like Owen also finding it hard to adjust to Spanish <a href="http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=football&v=56">football</a>.

Owen is like that one..one match become man of the match then next match can play like school boy..not consistent enough..but he did score alot of goal for Liverpool..

He should never have left Liverpool. He gets first team action there. Now in Madrid, he is like number 6 in the queue. :p

Quote:

Post by micht
Very true.  Like Owen also finding it hard to adjust to Spanish football.

Spanish defender rougher than EPL's.

Textbook Chelsea teach 'Pool lesson

A free-kick brilliantly executed by Joe Cole gave Chelsea a valuable 1-0 win over Liverpool on Sunday to help the Blues hang onto the coat-tails of Arsenal at the top. But Manchester United - with Wayne Rooney making his Premiership debut - had to battle for a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough.

Chelsea's fourth 1-0 win of the season - and their fifth success by the smallest possible margin - keeps them in the hunt for top spot, just two points behind the Gunners.

But while Arsene Wenger's side have pillaged 26 Premiership goals this term, Jose Mourinho's pragmatic side average only a goal a game and looked even less likely to find their way through a determined Liverpool side when Didier Drogba trudged off with a stomach muscle tear before half-time.

"We were unlucky," complained Mourinho. "Didier was out, Mutu and Kezman were also out. We didn't have a lot of attacking options on the bench."

Limited as he was, the Portuguese coach sent on his only viable choice - Cole - to replace the Ivory Coast international, giving his side a blunt-edged look, with Eidur Gudjohnsen the only recognised striker.

But with Liverpool's Djibril Cisse equally isolated against Chelsea's ferocious rearguard, the quality in Mourinho's midfield told and his notoriously meticulous training ground preparation undid the Reds.

Frank Lampard's 64th-minute free-kick was deliberately driven in low to Cole, who peeled off the crowd of players in the box to impudently flick the ball first-time past Chris Kirkland and into the bottom corner.