Chelsea 0-0 West Ham
Football in the 19th century conjures images of bearded men in flannels and hats and carrying pipes but Jose Mourinho attempted to redefine it at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
According to the new lexicon of the Special One, it now represents time-wasting, feigning injury and failing to take your goal-kicks quickly on purpose, rather than simply because you have to refill your pipe with tobacco.
Still, his point was made. His Chelsea team tried to score — they had 39 shots at Adrian’s goal — and tried to entertain while West Ham did everything in their power to add a precious point to their relegation fight.
At least Mourinho had the grace to admit he may have done the same if he was fighting for survival at the bottom of the Barclays Premier League.
Sam Allardyce emerged happier from this derby. He found it hard to keep the smile from his face, despite more injuries to extend his long casualty list.
Mo Diame hurt his knee tumbling into the crowd, Kevin Nolan came off with a sore back and West Ham finished with 10 men after Joey O’Brien was pushed over by Gary Cahill and dislocated a shoulder when all the substitutes had been used.
Still Chelsea could not find a way to overcome these ancient tactics, parking the omnibus perhaps, and their title ambitions took a blow as they prepare for Monday’s date with Barclays Premier League leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Allardyce laughed off Mourinho’s jibes. ‘Ho ho, we “out-tacticked”, we out-witted him,’ chuckled the West Ham boss. He had every right to be proud of the way his players carried out orders, with 10 focused on repelling Chelsea and Andy Carroll isolated up front.
James Collins, who came off at half-time with his shirt in tatters, organised his back four, who were in turn well protected by an industrious midfield five.
They may have been on the receiving end of 37 shots but many of these were ambitious efforts from long range and when the home team did pierce the defensive shield they found goalkeeper Adrian in splendid form.
Oscar hit the bar early on with a delicious curling shot. At the time it seemed hard to believe it was as close as Chelsea would come. Demba Ba, off the bench for the last 10 minutes, also stabbed a shot into the foot of a post in a breathless closing spell.
Frank Lampard endured abuse from the visiting fans as he warmed up on the touchline and came on with purpose but for once the script was not written with him in mind.
Eden Hazard found him in front of goal with the game in the seventh minute of stoppage time but Adrian blocked his low drive with a boot.
Chelsea simmered with frustration. On the touchline, Mourinho lost his cool, flapping and leaping around and buzzing in the ear of the fourth official. On the pitch, Ramires was booked for bouncing the ball angrily into the turf when a decision went against him.
Mourinho was incandescent when the board went up to show only four minutes of added time, although the game actually went on for nearly four more because of O’Brien’s injury.
The Chelsea boss had earlier exploded when O’Brien cut down Willian in front of him and seemed set to invade the pitch. Anxiety lapped around Stamford Bridge, reinforced by goal flashes from White Hart Lane where Manchester City were again rampant.
As they took more chances in search of a goal, Chelsea offered West Ham the odd glimpse of glory.
Carroll, starting in the Premier League for the first time this season, had a wonderful chance on the hour to inflict Mourinho’s first home defeat in the competition.
Stewart Downing burrowed down the left and Petr Cech could only flick the cross away with his fingertips. It fell to Carroll, on his left foot, on the half-volley, but the England striker made a hash of it. He barely made contact and the ball spun harmlessly away.
James Tomkins thought he had scored in the opening minutes of the game, heading a free-kick down towards the corner but Cech sprang to his right and saved. It would be another clean sheet for Chelsea, their seventh in nine games, but that did not ease the pain.
According to the stats the Tomkins header proved to be West Ham’s only effort at goal. Mostly, they had nine behind the ball, crowding the creative spaces and smothering Chelsea’s playmakers, who took turns to try their luck from distance with increasing desperation.
Ramires faded a sweet strike narrowly wide before the break and John Terry found the target with a firm header from corner taken by Willian, but Adrian kept it out with his feet.
If anything, West Ham’s defending was even more heroic in the second half. Tomkins blocked from Ramires, O’Brien denied Ba in similar lunging style and three players hurled their bodies in front of a shot from Lampard.
They even survived a bizarre incident involving Samuel Eto’o. After making a save, Adrian placed the ball, turned his back and rubbed his head. Eto’o rushed in, smashed the ball into the net and confusion ensued.
Had a free-kick been given? Or had Eto’o caught another keeper napping? Referee Neil Swarbrick ruled in favour of the goalkeeper and his omnibus
—Daily Mail