In the latest part of our feature taking a look back at notable events from this week five, 10 and 15 years ago, penalties spurned and scored and goals from great goalscorers were the stories of the day…
FIVE
An unbeaten start to the season ended but a cup campaign was successfully underway this week in 2011, as a trip north was followed by a very local derby.
The Blues under Andre Villas-Boas went to Old Trafford third in the table with Manchester United two points ahead at the top, and those league positions were not to change with this match. The Blues were 3-0 down by half-time although the deficit should have been less but for Ramires not taking a gilt-edged chance to score.
Fernando Torres, selected up front in preference to Nicolas Anelka and with Didier Drogba ruled out with concussion, did find the net early in the second half. Anelka had by then been introduced and was making a difference, and there were mistakes and chances at both ends. Wayne Rooney could have put the result beyond all doubt but messed up a penalty yet it was not the miss most talked about after the game.
That came from Torres, so often successful on this ground for Liverpool, who took the ball past David De Gea with ease but then fired wide.
The goalkeeper at the other end, Petr Cech, said afterwards: 'Three-nil down is never easy, but we came back, scored a goal and created chances and 3-2 would have meant an exciting end of the game.’
There was drama at the conclusion of our next match a few days later although it would not involve Cech. Fulham were hosted in the League Cup and our first-choice keeper had to be substituted at half-time.
We lost Alex to a red card not much later so had to play almost an hour and a quarter with 10 men as no goal scored took the tie to its full duration. In the penalty shoot-out, future Blue Mark Schwarzer saved but then so did Cech’s replacement Ross Turnbull.
Fulham had already hit the bar with a spot-kick awarded for the Alex foul and with the decisive kick of the game, they did so again. The Blues were through to the next round. It had not been a good week for those taking penalties against us.
This was only our second shoot-out success in nine, and there was a momentous one still to come at the season’s end.
TEN
A decade ago we were still talking about and celebrating one of Didier Drogba’s finest goals, the one when he batted off Jamie Carragher as he chested, swivelled and smashed an unstoppable volley into the Shed End net, the only goal of a league game against Liverpool.
The win was no one-man show though because as in the Fulham game recalled in the Five section above, Chelsea had to play almost all the second half against Liverpool a man down. It was Michael Ballack dismissed on this occasion with a straight red card as an eventful start to his career in London continued.
‘I think it is my best goal since I am here,’ said Drogba. ‘Not only my best goal but a very important goal because of the way we won this game. This is the kind of goal I used to score when I was in Marseille.’ In this 2006/07 season, the Ivorian was fast becoming acknowledged as one of the world’s very best.
Fulham were also our opposition for the second game of this week in 2006. In the previous Five, Ten, Fifteen, we told the tale of Frank Lampard deferring the taking of a penalty to Ballack but promising to take one again and he was true to his promise just a week later as he netted both goals in a 2-0 win at Craven Cottage.
‘There is always pressure and there is more pressure when you have missed your last one,’ Lamps reflected. ‘A lot has been said about penalties, especially with Michael Ballack scoring the last one and of course there was added pressure but that is what it is all about. You have to turn up and take responsibility.
‘I felt confident because I have been taking them during the week in training. It was an important moment and I don't like to shirk responsibility in those moments. It was a good penalty because it hit the back of the net and that is what matters.’
FIFTEEN
Frank Lampard is our headline act from 2001 too, this time because no.1 of 211 goals went in. A home UEFA Cup tie against Levski Sofia was going ahead a week late due to Europe-wide postponements post 9/11 and it was Eidur Gudjohnsen who put Chelsea ahead with a superb solo goal (pictured below). The Icelander added to the tally in the second half but it wasn’t until the 90 minute the lead was extended to three.
Gudjohnsen was involved again, as was Bolo Zenden, and although Lampard’s low shot was initially saved, he was alive to the rebound and scooped it in. His first Chelsea goal would be followed by many, many better on the eye, but our future greatest marksman was underway.
