It may have been his first touch of the half. Who knows? It'd been so long since Fernando Torres had last touched the ball that it may as well as been El Niño's first touch since joining Chelsea. A long ball out of the back, the product of a great read from David Luiz to break up a Fulham entry toward the Blues' box, bounced right in front of Torres in the Fulham area. Even with defenders closing the gap, Torres elected to take a touch with his left foot, a lead-footed attempt that sent the ball straight to Mark Schwarzer.
Fulham FC Vs. Chelsea FC: Fernando Torres Misplays Teams Into Half Scoreless
And with that, Mike Dean whistled half time, with Chelsea never meaningfully threatening Schwarzer (aside from a random, speculative shot from Branislav Ivanovic). Fulham wasn't much better, though that's the point. Chelsea is indistinguishable from Fulham, and although the Cottagers have played well of late, it's never a good state for the defending champions if their play can be readily compared with a team three points off the drop.
Chelsea must make changes at half time, and those may involve Torres. In truth, he has had a number of chances, but each time he's looked out of sorts. He has been put in decent positions three times - usually in the box, against Aaron Hughes, with time to craft a good scoring opportunity. It's not too much to say that Didier Drogba would be doing much better.
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