A last gasp winner from Frank Lampard’s injury time free kick ensured Chelsea beat an inspired Everton side by 1-0 in the early kick off game at Stamford Bridge. John Terry flung himself to meet Lamaprd’s free kick, however cameras later showed the ball went in deflecting off the hands of the exceptional Tim Howard. It was a crushing blow to Everton who hardly deserved to lose but as we know Football can be cruel sometimes. The win meant the Blues extended their lead at the top of the table by four points till other games would be over by Saturday night and might have huge significance if Mourinho’s men win the title come in May.
It was yet another clean sheet for Peter Cech as the Chelsea number one who was rock solid throughout the entire course of ninety minutes. A cracking birthday too for Serbian, Branislav Ivanovic who was very unlucky not to score, thanks to the ever so brilliant Tim Howard in Everton’s goal. But it was John Terry, a captain who leads by example and the 33 year old showed that with his willingness to deflect in Lampard’s free kick late into the Everton’s net as result it might just be the goal which would give Chelsea the title.
Everton would be shattered not to have got anything from the encounter after Kevin Mirallas inexplicably fluffed his shot in the first half when it looked harder to miss. Leon Osman too forced Cech into a fine save near the hour mark and Everton displayed nice one touch football of their own but failed it make it count in the final third. As a result of the loss, the Toffees from Merseyside are currently sixth on the table with 45 points from 26 games in the campaign, as each passing games, taking away their hopes of garnering a Champions League spot, which is eight points way from cross town rivals Liverpool in fourth position.
They left it late, but Chelsea have their victory. Whether or not John Terry got anything on that Lampard ball in hardly matters but he’s just claimed the goal which might be decisive in the title race, and as Mourinho would perhaps feel, it was worthy of Champions to make a half chance count on the day.
