
LONDON (AFP) - Gonzalo Higuain eased the pressure on Maurizio Sarri as the Chelsea striker's first goals for his new club inspired a 5-0 demolition of Huddersfield on Saturday (Feb 2).
Blues boss Sarri had been under fire after Chelsea suffered their heaviest Premier League defeat for 23 years in a humiliating 4-0 loss at Bournemouth on Wednesday.
Amid reports the Italian is already in danger of the sack less than a year after taking charge, he was indebted to his old friend Higuain for lifting the gloom around Stamford Bridge.
Higuain, signed on loan from Juventus at Sarri's behest after their successful spell together at Napoli, opened his account early in the first half of Chelsea's biggest win of the season.
It was the start of an influential display from the Argentine and, with Eden Hazard free to return to his preferred role on the flanks after a spell up front, Chelsea looked far more vibrant.
Hazard's controversial penalty doubled Chelsea's lead before half-time after referee Paul Tierney ruled Cesar Azpilicueta was fouled inside the area, when the offence actually took place just outside.
That welcome piece of good fortune for Sarri was followed by further goals for Hazard, Higuain and David Luiz after the interval as Chelsea ended a run of two successive league defeats in emphatic fashion.
After winning for only the second time in their last five league matches, Chelsea climb back into fourth place above Arsenal, who trail by three points and face Manchester City on Sunday, as they battle to qualify for the Champions League.
While Chelsea's winter of discontent won't seem so bleak for Sarri now, the Blues remain at a crossroads.
Much sterner tests await than Huddersfield, who are rooted to the bottom of the table and look destined for relegation after an 11th defeat in their last 12 league games.
Chelsea face a season-defining period that includes the League Cup final against Manchester City and meetings with Manchester United in the FA Cup and City and Tottenham in the league.
Sarri hasn't helped his cause with rigid tactics and dubious man-management - conducting a long inquest with his players after the Bournemouth mauling and claiming they don't understand even the basics of his system.
The 60-year-old is adamant his philosophy will work if he is given time.
But for 'Sarri-ball' to succeed, he needs Higuain to hit the ground running.
Finished with a flourish
The Argentine had been off the pace in his first two Chelsea appearances, but he brings a more physical and authoritative presence than the unlamented Alvaro Morata.
Chelsea had failed to score in three of their last four league games, but Higuain ended that barren streak in the 16th minute.
When N'Golo Kante slipped a neat reverse pass towards Higuain, the 31-year-old timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap, held off his marker and smashed a fierce first-time finish into the roof of the net.
Higuain isn't all brute force. His clever movement was too much for Huddersfield to handle, and he was just off-target after gliding onto Marcos Alonso's cross.
Chelsea's constant pressure was rewarded with that dubious penalty on the stroke of half-time.
With Huddersfield offering so little threat, Azpilicueta was free to roam forward and the Chelsea defender's run was ended by a crude shove from Elias Kachunga.
Hazard ignored Huddersfield's protests as he calmly sent Jonas Lossl the wrong way from the spot.
That was Hazard's 16th goal of the season and the 17th arrived in the 66th minute.
Ross Barkley's fine pass put Hazard through on goal and he produced a deft first touch to round Lossl before finishing with a flourish from a tight angle.
Chelsea had their swagger back now and Higuain unfurled a majestic 20-yard strike that whistled into the top corner in the 66th minute.
Luiz's 86th minute header deflected in off Kachunga to seal the rout.

SINGAPORE — Top German football club FC Bayern Munich has inked a three-year partnership with Sport Singapore (SportSG) that will see the record champions working with the national sports body
SportSG announce a three-year partnership with Bayern Munich

Madrid plans 'robust' security for all-English Champions League final May 31, 2019 MADRID (AFP) - Madrid will deploy an unprecedented number of police and security personnel for Sunday's all-English Champions League final, and use a drone for the first time to monitor fan activity.
Madrid plans 'robust' security for all-English Champions

Feb 12, 2019 · Gordon Banks, England's 1966 World Cup winning goalkeeper, has died aged 81. A statement released by his family via one of his former clubs Stoke City said: "It is with great sadness that we
Gordon Banks dies: tributes paid to England World Cup-winning

Need for Speed 2015 - Crack, Serial Key, Activation Code LX 743. Loading Unsubscribe from LX 743? Need for Speed Payback CPY Full Installation Tutorial - Duration: 4:20.
Need for Speed Payback License Activation Key generator
serialkeyactivation.com/download/Need for Speed Payback/
Need for Speed Payback License Activation Key generator! Need for Speed Payback Keygen is here and it is FREE and 100% working and legit. Before our system send cd key, you will need to pass this human verification step.

After releasing multiple image teasers, Girl's Day released the music video teaser for their comeback track "Ring My Bell" on July 3rd.. With the four-member group's silhouette in front of a black and white background, the teaser showcased that the track includes fun and funky beats.
Sheridan: Kyrie Irving on His Future: "Ask Me July 1" | Get

Gianni Infantino was re-elected as president of the football governing body FIFA for a four-year term until 2023. The 49-year-old Swiss national was elected by acclamation as the sole candidate at

Latest FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE | The Straits Times

Socceroos bounce back with solid win over Palestine as they comfortably contained a Palestinian outfit forced to come out of their shell to chase the game. bounce back with solid win over
Palestine 0 Australia 3: Maclaren and Mabil help Socceroos

EUROPE - Neymar was suspended for three Champions League matches by UEFA on Friday for insulting match officials following Paris Saint-Germain's shock exit from this season's tournament to
Neymar banned for three Champions League matches over ref
worldsoccertalk.com/2019/04/26/neymar-banned-for-three-champions-league-matches-over-ref-rant/
Neymar banned for three Champions League matches over ref rant AFP April 26, 2019 AFP No Comments Lausanne (AFP) - Neymar was suspended for three Champions League matches by UEFA on Friday for insulting match officials following Paris Saint-Germain's shock exit from this season's tournament to Manchester United.
Neymar banned for three Champions League matches over ref

Jun 01, 2019 · Since the moment Lucas Moura sent Tottenham Hotspur through, the idea of Harry Kane returning from his latest ankle ligament injury to start Saturday's UEFA Champions League final against
Champions League final result: Liverpool lift sixth European

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) - Pep Guardiola bemoaned VAR's failure to rule out Fernando Llorente's decisive goal for Tottenham as Manchester City's quadruple bid was shattered by a "cruel
Pep Guardiola will be seen as a Champions League failure. But

The 2019 season is Hougang United's 22nd consecutive season in the top flight of Singapore football and in the S.League. Along with the S.League, the club will also compete in the Singapore Cup. Note 1: Fazrul Nawaz returned to the team after the loan and subsequently complete the transfer.
Singapore's Hougang United forced to terminate Ramazotti's contract

The program's progress under former head coach Dave Cecchini helped Fox see the potential of football at Valpo. "As a coach in the league, I kept my eyes open and my ears to the ground," Fox said. "I could tell football was a priority at Valpo and I liked what they were accomplishing.
Alan Shearer names the problem positions - football.london

Nathan Ake Strikes Late To Sink Nine-Man Tottenham Hotspur Updated: 04 May 2019 19:54 IST Nathan Ake's last-gasp winner condemned Spurs to a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Bournemouth.
Ake strikes late to sink nine-man Tottenham Hotspur
0 comments:
Post a Comment