SOUTHEND UTD 1-4 CHELSEA

Now that was much more respectable in the end. Bloody frustrating at the start, but respectable in the end.

After some of our performances lately, particularly against United and the backlash that followed, I know we were all desperate to see a more spirited performance – and to be fair to the lads, we got it. Ok, it was a frustrating first half, yet another 45 minute period in which we totally dominated and yet again came unstuck with a set piece. But this time, it was us who didn’t give up, us who kept plugging away at it, eventually getting a justified result.

All credit to Southend who again hadn’t turned up just to make up the numbers and they definitely made a game of it, particularly when it just wasn’t coming off for us in the first half but to be honest, it really was pretty much one-way traffic.

The equaliser took its time coming but for once, there was a sense that it would come. It was a Chelsea performance with a lot more urgency about it than of late, not a performance without fault and whilst I wouldn’t pick anybody out as outstanding – maybe a pat on the back for Kalou for a change – I haven’t come away from this one feeling the need to criticise either.

We had to win and we had to win convincingly and you could see the players knew that. We’re still a bit shaky, that old Chelsea swagger isn’t a part of our game as the confidence has clearly taken a battering, but there’s nothing wrong with an honest, hard-working performance as long as the players are all pulling in the same direction. And I think that’s what we got from this game.

Realistically it was Roots Hall not Old Trafford but the way our season seemed to be heading at the weekend, maybe the humbling by United has even done us a favour?

Negatives then, have to be defensively. I swear if we keep conceding from set-pieces the dent in my wall will become a gaping great hole long before the end of the season! And apart from that, I thought both Alex and Terry looked a bit dodgy on the rare occasions they were called upon, and Joe Cole’s injury was a bit of a downer.

Whilst on the positives, we really stuck at it and showed some of that old Chelsea resilience that’s been on the missing list and it also became apparent that we actually do remember what to do with a ball in front of goal, even if it seemed to take a while for that particular memory to come back.

Overall though, a much more positive performance from us and a fully deserved 4-1 win.

TEAMS

Southend: Mildenhall, Sankofa, Barrett, Clarke, Herd, Revell (Betsy 86), Grant (Francis 80), Moussa, Christophe, Stanislas, Barnard (Freedman 73).
Subs Not Used: Joyce, Walker, O’Keefe.

Goals: Barrett 16.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Ashley Cole, Mikel (Belletti 46), Joe Cole (Di Santo 76), Ballack, Lampard, Kalou, Anelka.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Ivanovic, Carvalho, Mancienne, Stoch.

Goals: Ballack 45, Kalou 60, Anelka 78, Lampard 90

Filed under: Domestic Cups, Match report