Pre Match Build Up
Chelsea came into this game with strong league form; eight wins and two draws from their previous eleven league games was indicative of the champions’ recent domestic displays. With two away wins all season, Birmingham were always going to be heavy underdogs and so it proved, as the home side -ahead from as early as the third minute thanks to Salomon Kalou- controlled matters from start to finish.
In “Preview- Match Talk”, we predicted a comfortable 3-0 win for Carlo Ancelotti’s side and if it wasn’t for a late David Luiz lunge handing the visitors a penalty and the chance to subsequently pull a goal back to 3-1, we’d have been “spot-on”, so to speak.
Tactics
Ancelotti kept the tried and tested 4-3-3 shape that clearly suits the vast majority of his playing personnel; Saloman Kalou and Florent Malouda grabbed all the goals tonight and, with the contribution of Didier Drogba included, the last twogames have seen Chelsea's front three help themselves to five goals and five assists. With such impressive returns, it’s little wonder Fernando Torres warms the bench right now.
Birmingham have tended to play 4-4-2 but with injuries to the likes of Obafemi Martins and Nikola Zigic up front, their options are limited. Alex McLeish wheeled out a 4-5-1 for the tricky trip to Stamford Bridge, with Alexander Hleb playing off lone striker Cameron Jerome. Regardless of this more tentative approach, Big Eck’s side had no answer to a commanding Chelsea performance, as the hosts easily avenged the 1-0 St Andrews reverse suffered back in November.
Team Stats
Chelsea’s control of the match is shown in their 58% possession, but it wasn’t just on the ground they bettered Birmingham; a contributing factor was their aerial dominance, as, rather surprisingly, Birmingham won just 29% of challenges in the air. The shots rained down on Ben Foster’s goal, as Ancelotti’s side fired in a total of 18 Goal Attempts that ultimately produced those 3 goals.
In a backs-to-the-wall performance, Birmingham won 14 tackles, twice that of their hosts but with just 2 Shots on Target -penalty inclusive- it was no surprise they walked away from Stamford Bridge empty-handed.
Key Performers
Florent Malouda Rating 9.26
As our “Positional Report, Attack Sides” in the Match Report section shows, the vast majority of Chelsea’s play came either down the left flank or middle, and one of the main beneficiaries was Florent Malouda.
The Frenchman’s brace means he is now the Blues joint-top scorer with 12 goals this season. Malouda may have only had 2 Goal Attempts but that was all he needed, as some clinical finishing brought about those two goals. He was involved in more of the play than either of his fellow-forwards; with 57 Touches and 38 Passes, it’s clear to see his overall contribution was key to the victory.
Didier Drogba Rating 8.24
The after-effects of malaria look long gone now and the Ivorian seems back to his imperious best. His 5 Goal Attempts and 8 Key Passes were far superior to any other player on the pitch (the next best for each category were Kalou and Frank Lampard, with 3 and 4 respectively) illustrating just how much Drogba was at the hub of Chelsea’s attacks, in a performance that saw him grab two assists.
