Andre Villas-Boas will sleep slightly better tonight, realizing his head will remain safely attached to his shoulders for at least another week. The new Chelsea manager watched his team come from behind to win 2-1 over West Bromwich Albion, taking all three points from their first match this season at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea Vs. West Bromwich Albion: Goals From Anelka And Malouda Give Chelsea 2-1 Win
West Brom grabbed the lead inside five minutes, when Shane Long capitalized on a bobble by Chelsea defender Alex. The new Baggies striker then sped on, quickly driving his shot past second, or possibly third, choice goalkeeper Hilario. The home side then looked out of sorts for the next 35 minutes, failing to complete passes and squandering chances. In fact, Salomon Kalou was so good at both these endeavors that he was pulled at the 35th minute, with Florent Malouda coming on in his place.
Chelsea managed to gain a toehold in the match in the last seven or so minutes of the first half, and took that momentum into the second. It was Nicolas Anelka that opened the scoring for the Blues, scoring their first goal of the 2011-2012 campaign. The Frenchman nutmegged his shot through Jonas Olsson, and while West Brom keeper Ben Foster managed a touch, he couldn't keep the ball out of the back of the net.
It did appear, however, that Foster's golden gloves were going to save a point for the Baggies, as their new keeper pulled off a few fantastic saves. In the end, though, he couldn't deny Nico's fellow French international, Florent Malouda, Chelsea's second. Jose Bosingwa cut through two West Brom defenders to send the cross in, with Malouda meeting it at the far post to put it into the net.
So no points for the Baggies, yet, but to be fair they've faced Manchester United and Chelsea -- not exactly an easy start to the season. Chelsea, meanwhile, are breathing a collective sigh of relief, although it still appears like it won't be a simple task for this squad to put up a fight for the title. Still, there's no doubt that, even if the world doesn't want more Chelsea victories, it certainly would like more sightings of Villas-Boas breakdancing on the sidelines.
See More:
