Daily WHUFC News - 20th March 2016

Chelsea 2-2 West Ham United
WHUFC.com

Cesc Fabregas scored a late equaliser from the penalty spot to help Chelsea
earn a 2-2 draw with West Ham United and prevent the Hammers from moving
into the top four. A wonder strike from Manuel Lanzini in the first half
looked to set West Ham on their way but Fabregas got on the scoresheet on
the stroke of half-time with a free-kick from the edge of the box. The
Hammers restored their lead when substitute Andy Carroll made an immediate
impact and fired the ball past Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois. West Ham
were just three minutes away from securing their first victory at Stamford
Bridge since September 2002 when Michail Antonio clipped Ruben Loftus-Cheek
inside the box and referee Robert Madley had no hesitation in pointing to
the spot. Fabregas kept his composure and struck the penalty past Adrian to
net his second of the game and ensure the game finished all-square in an
entertaining London derby. Despite having to settle for a point, Slaven
Bilic and his players can be proud of another impressive display and head
into the international break still dreaming of securing a top four finish
come the end of the season. The day got off to the perfect start when West
Ham opened the scoring in spectacular fashion on 17 minutes. Gary Cahill
slid in on Dimitri Payet and the ball fell nicely to Lanzini who curled an
unstoppable shot into the top corner and gave Courtois no chance in the
Chelsea goal for his fifth goal of the seasom. The Hammers were brimming
with confidence and could have doubled their lead on 22 minutes when Payet's
side-foot volley from the edge of the box flew just wide of the post.

West Ham still had to be on their guard at the other end and when Fabregas
chipped the ball into the box on the half hour mark, Loic Remy attempted a
backward header which was easily dealt with by Adrian. The Hammers
immediately raced down the other end and Diafra Sakho's pass was back-heeled
by Lanzini into the path of Aaron Cresswell who fired a left-shot which
deflected inches past the post. Chelsea drew level on the stroke of
half-time when Winston Reid gave away a foul on the edge of the box
following his challenge on Oscar. Fabregas showed his quality and curled the
free-kick into the top left hand corner. West Ham blew a golden chance to
restore their lead on 54 minutes when Aaron Cresswell raced clear into the
box but saw his shot from the tightest of angles cannon back off the bar.
Bilic opted to make a change on the hour mark bringing on Carroll for Sakho
and the move immediately paid off as Payet's pass released Carroll through
on goal and the Hammers forward makes no mistake striking the ball past
Courtois It could have been game over if Carroll's header was not cleared
off the line on 87 minutes. Chelsea made the Hammers pay as they were
awarded a penalty on 88 minutes after Antonio brought down Loftus-Cheek and
Fabregas converted the spot kick into the corner of the net.

Chelsea: Courtois, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Fabregas, Mikel,
Willian, Oscar (Loftus-Cheek 82mins), Kenedy (Pedro 46mins), Remy (Traore
62mins)
Subs not used Begovic, Baba, Pato, Matic,
Bookings: Ivanovic, Fabregas, Willian

West Ham: Adrian; Antonio, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Kouyate; Noble, Lanzini
(Obiang 81mins), Payet; Sakho (Carroll 59mins), Valencia (Emenike 75mins)
Subs not used: Randolph, O'Brien, Oxford, Song
Bookings: Reid, Adrian, Antonio, Ogbonna, Kouyate

Referee: Robert Madley

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Slav laments 'unacceptable' penalty
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic claimed West Ham United paid an 'unacceptable' penalty as a
late Chelsea spot-kick prevented his team from scoring a famous win at
Stamford Bridge. The Hammers were ahead 2-1 through substitute Andy
Carroll's fine finish when Ruben Loftus-Cheek went down under a questionable
Michail Antonio challenge a foot or two outside the West Ham penalty area,
only for referee Robert Madley to award a penalty. Cesc Fabregas, who had
earlier equalised Manuel Lanzini's exquisite opener with a free-kick on the
stroke of half-time, stepped up and sent Adrian the wrong way with a minute
of the 90 remaining - leaving Bilic feeling rather hard done by. "It was a
great game of football and for Chelsea and West Ham fans and the neutrals,
it was a privilege to be part of this game for the people who watched it
live, I am sure they enjoyed it," he began. "I have nothing but praise for
our players, they did fantastically and we are gutted because we deserved to
win this game and also because of their equaliser. "Chelsea have great
players, of course, and they are capable of scoring goals and maybe they
could have scored before when it was 1-1 and all that, so given the time we
conceded the goals so late, you would be gutted anyway, but when you concede
from a penalty that wasn't a penalty it makes it really hard and
unacceptable. We didn't deserve it."

After Lanzini's 25-yard curler opened the scoring, Carroll emerged on the
hour-mark and gave John Terry and Gary Cahill nightmares with his power and
aggression. The No9 scored within 90 seconds of his entrance, then saw two
headers cleared off the line as West Ham went within a whisker of making the
game all but safe. As it was, those spurned opportunities came back to haunt
them late on. "On the one hand we were missing that kind of luck and extra
quality because when it was 1-0 and 2-1 we were close to being two up,
either at 2-0 or 3-1, and I was expecting us to score," Bilic continued.
"OK, we could have killed the game off, but it wasn't a penalty and it's so
clear. We are not getting those decisions. "We are not thinking about 'Are
we fourth? Are fifth?' but thank God we are not fighting relegation. We are
only thinking about this 90 minutes and we didn't deserve to concede a
second goal like that. "It was nowhere near the [penalty area] line. It was
obvious. It was easy because it wasn't like he slid inside. It was way out
of the line. "It wasn't the sort of game where I want to be moaning because
I want to be talking about football, but this is the second week in a row.
"The Chairman emailed me a few days ago to say we have had four penalties in
four years! That's a record!"

While his frustration was there for all to see, the manager was full of
praise for his team after breaking the 50-point barrier in the Premier
League for the first time in more than a decade. With an international break
to recharge and refocus, West Ham will go into their final eight matches
with a UEFA Champions League place still within their grasp. "We are playing
good and we are a good team," he explained. "We have momentum and character
and are defending with numbers and passion. When we have the ball, we are
calm and we have pace and quality up front.
"It's great to work with this team."

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Carroll - We deserved the win
WHUFC.com

West Ham United forward Andy Carroll felt his side deserved to leave
Stamford Bridge with all three points but says the players are determined to
end the season on a high note and challenge for a European spot. The Hammers
were just three minutes away from securing their first victory at Chelsea
since 2002 when a penalty was awarded after Michail Antonio had clipped
Ruben Loftus-Cheek on the edge of the box. Cesc Fabregas converted the spot
kick to grab his second of the game and secure a 2-2 draw to deny West Ham
all three points which would have taken them back into the top four. Carroll
says the players were disappointed in the dressing room after the game but
says it shows how far the team have come and they feel they can beat any
team in the top flight. Carroll said: "It is disappointing to only come away
with draw. We conceded just before half-time and then just before the end
which is upsetting. "But we worked really hard and we did deserve the win
and I as said it was a bit upsetting to only get a point. "I have had a look
back at the penalty incident and it looked just outside of the area so it
was unlucky that they were given a penalty. "I said last week there are not
many teams who come away from the big grounds disappointed to have only got
a draw. "Last week we had that feeling against Manchester United and it is
the same against Chelsea that we have not got the three points. "All the
lads 100 per cent want us to get into Europe. That is what we are pushing
for. It would have been nice for us to come away with a victory and push us
even higher up the table but we will have a nice break and come back and
work harder from there."

Carroll was thrilled to be back among the goals after netting his first
strike since the 2-0 home win over Liverpool back on January 2.
The Hammers striker had only been on the pitch for sixty seconds when he was
played through on goal by Dimitri Payet and struck the ball past Chelsea
keeper Thibaut Courtois. Carroll was also pleased to see Manuel Lanzini on
the scoresheet in the first half and says he was not surprised to see the
Argentine star score another wonder goal. Carroll added: "It was a great
ball in from Dimitri and the keeper came rushing out and left a gap down the
side of him and I just had to put it in there so it was a nice start. "It
feels good to be back among the goals. Obviously I was not starting but it
still feels good to come off the bench and score and it feels really good.
"It was an incredible strike from Manuel and he has got that ability. It is
no surprise to us that he put it in like that."

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Chelsea 2-2 West Ham United
By James Gheerbrant
BBC Sport

Cesc Fabregas scored a free-kick and a late penalty as Chelsea earned a
point to frustrate West Ham's Champions League ambitions. The Hammers took
the lead when Manuel Lanzini beat Thibaut Courtois with a sumptuous curling
effort from 25 yards. Fabregas's superb set piece on the stroke of half-time
pegged them back. Substitute Andy Carroll looked to have won it for West
Ham, before Fabregas snatched a point after Michail Antonio fouled Ruben
Loftus-Cheek. Victory would have moved West Ham in front of Manchester City
into fourth place, but Slaven Bilic's side were unable to add Chelsea to
Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal on their list of away scalps this
season. Chelsea, who remain unbeaten in the league under interim boss Guus
Hiddink, stay 10th.

Hammers hard done by?

After Carroll finished clinically from Dimitri Payet's superb through-ball,
West Ham were two minutes plus added time away from their first victory in
Stamford Bridge at 14 years when substitute Loftus-Cheek tumbled in the
area. Referee Robert Madley pointed to the spot, but replays appeared to
show that rather than being clipped by Antonio, the midfielder tripped over
his own feet. In addition, Antonio - who had scored in each of his previous
three league matches - appeared to be outside the box when Loftus-Cheek went
down. "To concede that late is gutting, but to concede it from a penalty
that is not a penalty is unacceptable," Bilic said. "It was not close to the
line. It was way out. It was not a penalty. We are gutted and we are not
getting these decisions."

Fabregas shines as Blues show fighting spirit

Cesc Fabregas's all-action display (left) was in contrast to an ineffectual
performance by his West Ham counterpart Mark Noble (right)
Following last week's defeat by Everton in the FA Cup, reigning league
champions Chelsea have nothing left to play for this season - but they
showed plenty of battling spirit to take a point from this match. The Blues
were not at their fluent best but 18 crosses and 22 shots told the tale of
their unstinting endeavour in forward areas. Fabregas, a superb performer
last season, has endured a much more difficult campaign this time round, and
has sometimes been accused of going missing in difficult matches, but here
he was at his influential best. His free-kick was masterful, getting the
ball up and down from 25 yards and beating the dive of Adrian after Winston
Reid had fouled Oscar. But his performance was about much more than goals -
the 28-year-old Spaniard also had more shots, passes and touches than anyone
else on the pitch.

Man of the match - Cesc Fabregas

Fabregas made 81 passes and had 100 touches in a performance reminiscent of
his best displays of last season

What they said

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink: "We stared well in the first 10 minutes but we
then started losing the possession too easily. We reacted just before
half-time, especially with the beautiful Fabregas free-kick. In the second
half we got caught on the counter, but we reacted perfectly to get the draw.
"This is a very good West Ham side. They are knocking on the door for the
top four. I was happy with the late penalty decision. It's difficult for me
to make a judgement - I think he was tripped on the line. On the line is
part of the box."

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "I don't look too much at the table but what
gives me confidence is the way we are playing, no matter who or where. "We
are capable and we are having chances against any team. That approach should
take us far."

The stats you need to know

Cesc Fabregas scored twice in a Premier League game for the first time since
December 2009 - a game which also featured his last goal direct from a
free-kick.
Fabregas is the fourth Chelsea player this season to score a direct
free-kick goal in all competitions (Oscar, Willian, Hazard being the other
three).
Four of Manuel Lanzini's five Premier League goals this season have been
scored away from home.
Chelsea have now conceded in each of their last nine Premier League games at
Stamford Bridge.

What's next?

Chelsea face Aston Villa on 2 April, while West Ham host Crystal Palace.

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Chelsea 2-2 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 19th March 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham Utd were denied a place in the top four tonight by a dreadful call
from match official Bobby Madley.

With the game entering the final minute of regular time, and with West Ham
leading 2-1, the Yorkshire official gave today's hosts, reigning Premier
League champions Chelsea a lifeline by awarding a last-ditch penalty.

However TV replays confirmed that the incident had taken place outside of
the area - and that Chelsea substitute Ruben Loftus-Cheek tripped himself
over as he surged into the penalty area.

Only last week West Ham were denied passage through to the FA Cup semi
finals when what would have been the winning goal by Michail Antonio was
disallowed in the closing stages by Martin Atkinson at Old Trafford.

And this week the Hammers were robbed of the opportunity to rise above
Manchester City into fourth spot in the table by Madley's appalling call - a
decision so terribly poor that many supporters were left questioning whether
the referee's impartiality had been compromised.

West Ham opened the game against the Premier League's form team on the back
foot, but it didn't take long before Slaven Bilic's side began to take a
foothold. And with just 17 minutes on the clock, Manuel Lanzini put the
visitors ahead with one of the best goals you'll see all season.

Receiving the ball some 30 yards from goal, the diminutive Argentinian drove
towards the Chelsea penalty area before unleashing a fierce, dipping drive
that beat Blues 'keeper Thibaut Courtois all ends up.

Despite dominating proceedings for the rest of the half, it was the hosts
who were to score next, on the cusp of half time, as West Ham criminally
switched off.

With just seconds of the opening 45 remaining, and the game deep into the
third of three added-on minutes, a free kick on the edge of the area was
despatched into the top corner by Cesc Fabregas after Winston Reid had
unnecessarily conceded a free kick.

And thus Chelsea, despite being distinctly second best, went into the half
time interval on level terms.

The Blues, who must have been wondering how they were still level once again
looked stronger from the restart. However it was to be West Ham that scored
next, through Andy Carroll, who grabbed the winning goal in the
corresponding fixture at the Boleyn Ground earlier in the season.

WIth a third of the second half played, Carroll - who had replaced Diafra
Sakho moments earlier - stole in at the far post to convert Dimitri Payet's
low centre. The big Geordie, who has endured ye another stop/start season
illustrating that when he's at his best, he's hard to beat.

Sadly West Ham's number nine wasn't quite so sharp with just three minutes
of time to go when his goal-bound header didn't quite carry enough on it to
beat the defender positioned on the goal line. And having missed the
opportunity to put the game to bed, West Ham left themselves open to a
sucker punch.

What they wouldn't have been expecting was for said blow to come from the
referee. But incredulously Madley decided to blow for a penalty in the home
side's favour, with mere seconds of normal time remaining, despite
Loftus-Cheek having tripped himself over - and outside the penalty area.

Fabregas gleefully accepted the opportunity to level from the spot and save
Chelsea's unbeaten record that stretches back some 14 games - in itself, a
Premier League record this season.

And once again, West Ham were left to pick up the pieces having been denied
the chance to break into the top four by a questionable call from a
questionable official, whose actions left many travelling fans wondering if
it's not only snooker, tennis and athletics that are bent.


West Ham Utd: Adrian, Antonio, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Kouyate, Noble,
Lanzini (Obiang 81), Payet, Sakho (Carroll 59), Valencia (Emenike 75).

Subs not used: Randolph, O'Brien, Oxford, Song.

Booked: Reid, Adrian, Antonio, Ogbonna, Kouyate.

Chelsea: Courtois, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Fabregas, Mikel,
Willian, Oscar (Loftus-Cheat 82), Kenedy (Pedro 46), Remy (Traore 62).

Subs not used: Begovic, Baba, Pato, Matic.

Booked: Ivanovic, Fabregas, Willian.

Referee: Bobby Madley.

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Chelsea 2-2 West Ham: Late Cesc Fabregas penalty denies Hammers
By Gerard Brand
Last Updated: 19/03/16 11:42pm
SSN

A controversial late Cesc Fabregas penalty earned Chelsea a 2-2 draw against
West Ham at Stamford Bridge. The Hammers were heading for a place in the top
four until Fabregas equalised with a penalty a minute from time after
Michail Antonio brought Ruben Loftus-Cheek down, but replays showed the
contact was outside the area. Manuel Lanzini had put West Ham ahead with a
fine effort from range, before Fabregas equalised late in the opening period
with a 25-yard free-kick.
West Ham hit the bar through Aaron Cresswell in the second half, but Andy
Carroll regained their lead with his first touch just second after coming on
with 25 minutes remaining. The result leaves West Ham in fifth, a point
behind Manchester City in fourth, while Chelsea stay 10th, 10 points off the
top four. The draw also makes it mathematically impossible for Chelsea to
retain the Premier League title they won by eight points last term.
Chelsea made three changes from the side that lost 2-0 at Everton in the FA
Cup last weekend, with John Terry returning to the starting line up.
But it was West Ham, who made three changes themselves, who took the lead
after 16 minutes. After being laid on by Dimitri Payet 25 yards from goal,
Lanzini produced a superb, curling effort into the top right corner, past
the despairing dive of Thibaut Courtois. Just before the half-hour mark,
Chelsea had appeals for a penalty turned down by referee Robert Madley after
the ball looked to have hit Enner Valencia's hand inside the area.
It was West Ham who should have doubled their lead through Cresswell moments
later, but the left-back's drive across the face of goal after being set up
by Sakho on the left side of the area went just wide of Courtois' post. The
visitors looked to be going into the break ahead, but Chelsea got themselves
level in controversial fashion in first-half stoppage time. Before stepping
up to take a free-kick 25 yards from goal, Fabregas rolled the ball back two
yards, meaning the wall was set up behind the referee's vanishing spray 12
yards away, before the Spaniard cleared the wall and found the top corner
with a fine curling effort, much to the West Ham players' dismay.

The hosts took their momentum into the second half, and came close after
Branislav Ivanovic's ball across the face of goal was turned just wide at an
angle by Oscar. Cresswell was within inches of regaining West Ham's lead
just before the hour mark, but struck the underside of the crossbar 12 yards
out from the left side of the area. But just seconds after coming on,
Carroll put the visitors ahead. Getting on the end of Payet's pass as West
Ham broke, the striker scored with his first touch, stroking the ball past
Courtois from 15 yards.

One of Willian's umpteen corners found Fabregas with a clear header with 20
minutes remaining, but the midfielder could only put his effort over from
eight yards. Carroll almost got a second with 10 minutes remaining, but saw
his header from eight yards from Payet's corner beaten away by Courtois,
before seeing another goal-bound header from a corner cleared off the line
by Bertrand Traore.

Then came the controversy, as substitute Loftus-Cheek was brought down as he
ran through on goal by Antonio, but the contact looked to be outside the
penalty area. Fabregas converted with aplomb from the spot to dent the
Hammers' Champions League aspirations and spare themselves another home
defeat.

Soccer Saturday verdict - Charlie Nicholas

West Ham would have been disappointed not to have won the game, especially
after taking the lead twice. They are such a good side to watch,
particularly in the final third. Lanzini scored a stunning opener and they
looked the better of the two sides.

Other than Fabregas and Willian, Chelsea offered little early on. But,
after Fabregas' equaliser on half-time, Chelsea were right at it. West Ham
suffered a cruel blow right at the end with Chelsea's penalty, it was harsh
but it's a modern-day penalty. West Ham are still in the mix for the top
four, they're a strong side and they didn't disappoint in their display
today.

Player ratings

Chelsea: Courtois (6); Ivanovic (5), Cahill (5), Terry (5), Azpilicueta (6);
Mikel (5), Fabregas (7); Willian (7), Oscar (6), Kenedy (6); Remy (6)
Subs: Loftus-Cheek (6), Pedro (6), Traore (6),

West Ham: Adrian (6), Antonio (7), Reid (6), Ogbonna (6), Cresswell (7),
Kouyate (6), Noble (6), Lanzini (8), Payet (7), Valencia (7), Sakho (6)
Subs: Obiang (6), Emenike (6), Carroll (7)

Man of the match: Manuel Lanzini

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Chelsea penalty to deny West Ham was outside the box, says Slaven Bilic
By James Kilpatrick
Last Updated: 19/03/16 6:58pm
SSN

West Ham boss Slaven Bilic was adamant that the penalty Chelsea were awarded
shouldn't have been given as the contact was outside the box. West Ham
manager Slaven Bilic felt Chelsea's late penalty was outside the box and
should not have been awarded in the 2-2 draw at Stamford Briidge.
The controversial spot-kick was converted by Cesc Fabregas, as the Blues
continued their unbeaten league record under Guus Hiddink. The Hammers were
heading for a place in the top four until that incident a minute from time
when Michail Antonio brought down Ruben Loftus-Cheek, with replays showing
the contact looked to be outside the area. And Bilic feels the challenge did
not merit a penalty, and the referee has cost his side another vital three
points. "To concede a goal very late it is gutting anyway no matter how you
concede it, but to concede it like that from a penalty, which was basically
outside the box, it makes it unacceptable," Bilic told Sky Sports. "It was
outside, way outside. It is clear Antonio didn't want to trip him, he
touched him but it wasn't even close to the line. "It was one metre. So we
can say it was hard and at full speed, and the player went down in the box,
but we are not getting those penalities, we are not getting them."

Aside from the late penalty, Bilic was very pleased with his side's
performance and the way his team played. "We like the way we're playing, to
attack with numbers and we have that kind of quality. They're doing basics,
dirty work and when we have the ball we're really good." "Of course I'm
proud of them but we deserved more, and it wasn't down to us and it wasn't
down to Chelsea, no matter how great that move from Willian it wasn't a
penalty."

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Chelsea 2-2 West Ham: Cesc Fabregas brace rescues a point for Guus Hiddink's
men - 5 things we learned
17:02, 19 MAR 2016 UPDATED 18:44, 19 MAR 2016
BY ADRIAN KAJUMBA
Fabregas twice pulled the Blues level after Maunel Lanzini and Andy Carroll
scored for the visitors at Stamford Bridge
The Mirror

Cesc Fabregas scored a late penalty to deny West Ham a place in the top
four. Fabregas scored his second goal of the game from the spot in the 89th
minute to earn Chelsea a 2-2 draw. West Ham were heading for fourth after
Andy Carroll came off the bench to put them ahead a minute after he came on.
Manuel Lanzini had put West Ham in front in the 17th minute, a lead
cancelled out by Fabregas's free-kick on the stroke of half-time.
And the Spanish midfielder had the final word from 12 yards after Michail
Antonio tripped Ruben Loftus-Cheek just inside the box as he bore down on
goal.

1. No more 19th century football

West Ham should have won, having led 2-1 with just minutes to go, but there
was still further evidence of how far West Ham have come under Slaven Bilic.
Two years ago Jose Mourinho accused the Hammers of playing '19th century
football" under Sam Allardyce to get a point at Stamford Bridge. But this
was no backs to the wall display. They went toe-to-toe with Chelsea, more
than matched them and should have claimed all three points and a place in
the top four. With the squad he has built, West Ham no longer have any need
for defensive displays under Bilic or to fear anyone.

2. Lanzini has steel and style

Lanzini lined up in central midfield for and the little Argentinian produced
a big performance in the West Ham engine room. Despite his slender frame he
showed he can mix it alright. He stood out for his simple hard work and
non-stop running as much as his brilliant opening goal.

3. Bilic has found the best role for Andy Carroll

Despite all his injury problems Andy Carroll still has plenty to offer if he
is willing to accept being a super sub. When he comes off the bench he is
almost a guaranteed game changer as his strengths are so different to most
players in the Premier League. He instantly gave Chelsea something different
to think about when he came on at Stamford Bridge and scored after just a
minute on the pitch. This was his third goal out of four this season as a
sub.

4. Chelsea aren't on their holidays

They may have dropped more points but Chelsea haven't taken their foot off
the gas yet. They didn't play badly or like a side who were already on their
summer holidays. If they were they wouldn't have fought back twice to earn a
point. They had a strong spell at the start of the second half but conceded
when they were on top and responded well to going behind a second time and
were rewarded with another equaliser. They have little to play for between
now and the end of the season but the prospect of trying to ensure they
retain their places when Antonio Conte arrives in the summer should keep
Chelsea's players on their toes.

5. Kenedy has bright future

In a bleak season for Chelsea, Kenedy's emergence has been another positive.
He has been playing left-back recently but despite the return of Chelsea's
first-choice defence Guus Hiddink still found a way to get him in the side,
playing him further forward down the left
flank in Eden Hazard's absence, ahead of the likes of a much more
experienced player like Pedro. That is a sign of the impression he has made
on the Dutchman.

Player ratings
Chelsea
Courtois 6 - No chance for either goal but did produce two sharp saves from
Valencia and Carroll.
Ivanovic BOOKED 6 - Booked trying to make up for his mistake and caught out
for winner.
Cahill 6 - Won't be happy with his role in either goal.
Terry 7 - Produced one vital goalline clearance on his first start for over
a month.
Azpilicueta 7 - Returned to left back and looked good in both halves.
Mikel 6 - Conceded loads of fouls. Fortunate not to be booked.
Fabregas BOOKED 8 - Pushed and probed all game and stepped up with two
goals.
Willian BOOKED 6 - Couldn't fault work rate but unable to produce moment of
inspiration.
Oscar 5 - Really quiet for most of game and blew great second half chance.
Kenedy 7 - Lively and produced some eye-catching skill. Always tried to make
things happen.
Remy 5 - Only on edges of the game and threatened once or twice.

Subs

Pedro (Kenedy 46) 6
Traore (Remy 62) 5
Loftus-Cheek (Oscar 84) 5

West Ham:

Adrian BOOKED 7 - Good saves from Willian and Remy. Couldn't do anything
about either goal.
Antonio BOOKED 6 - Undid his good work after solid shift as emergency
right-back by conceding late penalty.
Reid BOOKED 8 - Marshalled defence well but push on Oscar to concede
free-kick was costly.
Ogbonna BOOKED 7 - Growing in strength by the game. Numerous vital blocks
and interceptions.
Cresswell 7 - Got forward well and almost scored twice, hitting the bar the
second time.
Kouyate BOOKED 7 - All-action display. Always there to get a foot or stick
his head in.
Valencia 5 - Worked hard but posed little attacking threat after bright
start.
Noble 7 - Continued his good form. Always available and kept things ticking
over.
Lanzini MOTM 8 - Dictated play in central midfield and scored brilliant
goal.
Payet 7 - Not his best game - has set high standards - but still set up
Carroll.
Sakho 7 - Led line well. Good target-man for West Ham to play off.

Subs

Carroll (Sakho 60) 7
Emenike (Valencia 75) 5
Obiang (Lanzini 82) 5

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FA Cup replay tickets: Here are the selling times!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 19, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

ClaretandHugh has finally discovered the timetable for supporters wanting to
buy their tickets for the FA Cup replay against Manchester United.
Season ticket holders were able to able to get theirs today starting from 9
am but many fans contacted CandH with conflicting reports on how they had or
had not been able to get hold of theirs.

Season ticket relocations which provides priority to the STB Stand ST
holders to any ST seats not taken up by existing ST holders can be bought on
Thursday March 24 from 9 am.

Members will be able to apply on Saturday March 26 from 9 am and the
remainder - subject to availability- will be on general sale from 10 am on
March 28.

The later start time is due to the Bank Holiday and Mark Noble Testimonial
and tickets.

We understand that an announcement was made on the official site at some
point over the last 24 hours but was then removed. However, this evening we
have managed to establish the sales programme and clear up any outstanding
issues.

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So hard to take as Irons twice cheated
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 19, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

The Irons were twice cheated - once from a free kick deliberately taken from
the wrong spot and at the end when Michail Antonio brought Ruben
Loftus-Cheek down with replays showing contact was outside the area.

Wrong.out of order and bang disappointing - add it all to the foul on Darren
Randolph last weekend which denied us a a win at Old Trafford and the sense
of injustice become intensely overwhelming.

We were the better team, had players who totally bamboozled Chelsea but in
the end were beaten by to set pices from far too much to say for himself
Fabregas.

The Hammers were quite outstanding in he first half when Payet and Lanzini
totally ran the show and with Sakho leading the line Chelsea had no answer
to the pace, style, invention and class.

Lanzini lashed home an opener in 17 minutes after great work from Payet and
headers from Sakho and Kouyate but the cheating Fabregas pulled one back in
first half injury time.

Reid had blocked off Oscar bit with the bal too close to the box to get up
and down, the former Gooner pulled the ball back two yards and lashed home.

Unfazed, the Hammers again took the lead with two minutes of Andy Carroll's
appearance as sub for Sakho when he was put through by Payet to ram home
with ease.

Fabregas headed over and saw another overhead shot go the same way as the
game boiled up by Carroll could have clinched things when he saw an effort
cleared off the line by Traore and just failed to reach an Emenike cross.

The it had to be Fabregas making things level with the penalty that never
was - makes yer sick it was awarded and double sick it was him.

But it's four points off them this season and we sit on 50 points in fifth
place.

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