A Deserved Draw For Stoke

Dastardly 'little' Stoke City have not just evicted Chelsea from the Capital One Cup cruelly on penalties, but they have also sadistically denied the English champions five crucial league points. If truth be told, whilst the Blues were more than a little unlucky to forfeit all three points in the away encounter, they were probably more than fortunate to actually escape with a draw in Saturday's home match.

Yes the hosts led for most of the second half, so suffering a late equaliser is hard to stomach, but the visitors fashioned many chances, so it was almost inevitable that they would eventually convert at least one opportunity. Of course this depressing state of affairs should act as a painful reminder that the home team simply cannot expect to sit on a one-nil or one-goal lead against Paris Saint-Germain, as past history clearly indicates that we are liable to get mugged when forlornly trying to protect a slender lead. In fact Chelsea only just sneaked out of struggling Norwich on Tuesday past with a narrow triumph after absorbing much pressure then as well.

On this occasion it was ironic that Courtois should be partially responsible for their late goal, as he had excelled himself with a series of saves. Here was further evidence that Chelsea cannot buy a clean sheet at present, a fact which is ominous for our Wednesday night showdown. Secondly I reckon that the hyped Courtois is still not a patch on Petr Cech in his Chelsea prime.

Elsewhere, we were missing the presence of the in-form Spanish duo of the injured Costa and his supplier, Senor Fabregas. At least young Traore compensated for the absence of the moody marksman by unleashing a tremendous drive into the corner of the net, shortly before the interval, accomplished with virtually no back swing in his leg. Berty is clearly one for the future. It was also pointed out by Adrian Durham on Blokesport that Traore would not have been granted a first-team start if the belligerent one was still here.

This result has arrested our climb up the charts and leaves us wondering if we will ascend much further or whether mid-table mediocrity beckons instead. It is certainly galling to remain underneath Liverpoo, Stoke, and high-flying West Ham. However, one peculiar bragging right remains in our possession. Chelsea are the only team in the Premiership yet to concede a goal in the first fifteen minutes of a league match. In a truly weird season, that I'm afraid is the best that we can manage. Unfortunately there is no silverware awarded for such a quirky accolade!

CHELSEA 1 Stoke City 1; half time: 1-0.

CHELSEA goal scorer: Traore

CHELSEA team: Courtois; Azpilicueta; Ivanovic; Cahill; Rahman; Hazard; Matic; Mikel; Willian; Oscar; Traore. Used substitutes: Loftus-Cheek; Remy; Fabregas.

CHELSEA LEADING SCORERS:

Costa fourteen goals

Willian ten goals

Oscar eight goals

Pedro five goals

Traore four goals

Cahill three goals

Fabregas three goals

Ramires three goals

Remy three goals