Chelsea beat Spartak Moscow 4-1 at Stamford Bridge, taking 12 points from four matches and booking a spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Although in the end the Blues came away with a comfortable win, the first half was scoreless:
UEFA Champions League Wednesday: Chelsea Beat Spartak Moscow 4-1 To Advance
Nicolas Anelka came close as Chelsea attacked the Shed End, but Spartak were not without chances of their own. Aiden McGeady and playmaker Alex (not our one) both came close, the later forcing a sprawling save from Petr Cech. The other Alex perhaps should have scored when just a yard out and faced with an empty net, but an awkward lunge and the attention of two Spartak players saw the defender shin the ball high above the net.
The home side found all four goals in the second half, with Anelka and Didier Drogba picking up one each, and Branislav Ivanović bagging a brace. Spartak put themselves on the scoreboard through a goal by Nikita Bazhenov, although the Russian was shown to be offside on the replay.
For an in-depth description of each of Chelsea’s goals and further examination of the match, visit SB Nation’s Chelsea blog, We Ain’t Got No History.
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