MATCH REPORT: 2006/2007 Season
14 October 2006: FA PREMIER LEAGUE
READING 0 CHELSEA 1
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goals
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Reading: -
Chelsea: Ingimarsson (45, own goal). |
Half Time: 0-1 Attendance: 24,025
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teams
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Reading:
Hahnemann, Murty (Bikey 36), Sonko, Ingimarsson, Shorey, Ki-Hyeon (Little 64), Sidwell, Harper, Hunt, Lita (Long 73), Doyle.
Subs Not Used: Stack, Gunnarsson.
Chelsea: Cech (Cudicini 5), Paulo Ferreira, Terry, Boulahrouz, Bridge, Obi, Lampard, Essien, Robben (Kalou 82), Shevchenko (Joe Cole 63), Drogba. Subs Not Used: Ricardo Carvalho, Wright-Phillips. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
bookings
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Reading: Ingimarsson, Sonko, Bikey. Sent Off: Bikey (83 mins).
Chelsea: Obi, Terry. Sent Off: Obi (62). Ref: M Riley (W Yorkshire). |
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report
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Chelsea ended Reading's 14 month long unbeaten league run at the Madejski Stadium - but were extremely fortunate to do so after a free-kick was deflected into the back of the Reading net by Ingimarsson just before the half time break. Chelsea defended well, but it was a classic smash and grab away victory where the visitors clung to the points after a lucky goal against the run of play. Their defensive qualities were clearly on display, but in other areas Chelsea looked a weak side and certainly did not deserve the three points. It was hard to feel anything other that bitterly disappointed at the final whistle - beaten by Chelsea's bad attitude to the game and our inability to carve out an equaliser despite having the majority of the second half.
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FANS' POST MATCH OPINION
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Chelsea will not have won over anyone with this type of performance. Their manager's disgraceful comments afterwards were obviously designed to take the attention away from his team. Chelsea may be full of good players but they are not good for the game. We did our very best today and if luck had gone our way and Doyle hit the net instead of the post the result would have been very different. In the first half we struggled to have quality possession but Chelsea did not hurt us. The incident with Hunt did not look malicious - just unfortunate and nobody likes to see players get hurt especially keepers. The Chelsea goal was a complete fluke after another free kick had been awarded by a very poor referee who just did not seem to get things right. The Chelsea players were all for putting their point and it just is not right to see the England captain constantly arguing with the official and ending up in the book. Mind you he did defend well! This game left a sour taste in the mouth. I thought we were terrific - a bit naive now and then - but the team gave its all. I am just glad I don't support Chelsea and I think their manager should realise that he needs to engage brain before opening his mouth- neither he nor his team are worthy champions.
For all Mourinho's mutterings, Reading suffered more at the hands of a messy display of refereeing by Mike Riley, who evened up the
numbers by dismissing Andre Bikey... Reading rocked the champions' foundations with the intensity of their display.
"An ordeal," said Mourinho. Kevin Doyle struck a post in the first half, Steve Sidwell shaved one in the second.
As Cudicini lay poleaxed by his mid-air collision with Ibrahima Sonko in the closing stages, Drogba headed off the line from
Nicky Shorey. Goodness only knows what protests would have followed if he had not, because Riley had not stopped play at that moment.
Reading have an excellent disciplinary record and a purposeful style, but Chelsea cultivate a siege mentality that suits their spirit
and determination. Hunt's reputation is in danger of becoming a casualty of all that.
We are certainly going for it which is why watching the Royals this season is as exciting as it's ever been. The ground is full, shaking and shouting. The team pushes forward at every opportunity and when you consider how much the Chelsea team costs, it was another valiant performance. Similar game to Man Utd in that we had little possession but unlike Man Utd, we didn't get the first goal. If only Doyler's "goal" had gone in. Chelsea may have made the most of every tackle, the referee was rarely in control but once ahead, it was always going to be very difficult to break them down. Good to see Blakey given a run but he needs games like Bikey who looks like he will need time to settle down to the Premiership - not sure Sir Steve has too much patience left for him though. Hunty gave 110% as usual and Leroy won quite a bit in the air too. Let's look at the positives and move on. Bring on the Gooners
Why is there so much pro-chelsea bias? If it where two Reading goalies instead there would be no fuss at all. I feel Reading and Stephen Hunt have a very good case to sue Chelsea for slander and defamation. What about all the Chelsea diving during the game, cheating. I'm a Reading fan and PROUD of it. I am sickened by Chelsea killing my club with their "verbal hot air" I stand by Stephen Hunt and Reading. Steve Coppell was right in what he said, you can't get a more honest manager than him. If I felt that Hunt's challenge was deliberate then I'd want him banned. I was horrified to see that the referee asked Cech to crawl of the pitch. you can't blame reading for that.
'They don't like it up em' - as Captain Mainwairing said. Thats the take I get from the Chelsea camp after their sensational and grossly unjust and blatant untrue comments in the press.
Its such a shame that Reading's top class performance against one of the most expensive and so called best club teams in the World has been totally overshadowed by all the press coverage relating to Mourinho\'s comments. Both incidents were genuine accidents and it was a pure fluke that both keepers got stretchered off in the same game. Its about time the FA shut up Mourinho once and for all.
I am not one to write to newspapers etc but in this instance a Football Club I love and have supported since I was a boy has been tarnished in a way I could not have imagined before Saturday's game. Primarily this is because of the outragous comments by Mourinho. Also he has taken away the fact that Reading matched and outplayed the premiership champions, which is what we should all be commenting on. Let sense prevail for the sake of Football.
First and foremost I hope that Petr Cech continues to make a full recovery - he is an outstanding goalkeeper. Second and also vitally important is that no blame is attached to Stephen Hunt over this accident - he seems an honest player and was entitled to go for the ball. In future I hope that the team is allowed to receive some credit for it\'s performances. Against Chelsea they were skillful and industrious and deserved more from the game than a torrent of unjustified accusations.
Well done to Steve Coppell and RFC for maintaning a dignified approach to this whole unfortunate affair.
It is sad for Chelsea that Mourinho is bringing down the reputation of their club, his attitude and ridiculous comments are making Chelsea the most hated club in the land. It makes us Reading fans eternally grateful that we have an intelligent and gracious man like Steve Coppell in charge.
After the way Chelsea played at Reading in such a dull and negative manner and the bully boy type tactics they have used through out the week in picking on our well run and professional club I really do hope either Arsenal or Manchester Utd can beat them to the Premiership. Both teams play with style and class, something Chelsea and their Manager both lack no matter how much money they have and spend.
If the incident had happened at the other end with Drogba, he would have rolled three times and claimed a penalty.
The behaviour of Chelsea FC, and particularly Jose Mourinho, over the past week has almost been enough to make me lose my faith in the beautiful game. Obviously he was upset that his goalkeeper was injured, but to make such outrageous comments which went against almost the entire weight of the newspapers, TV coverage (apart from the 'impartial' Colin Warnock), and the opinions of neutral observers who know the first thing about football, is unacceptable. Yet there has been no call, outside of the Reading fans, for Mourinho to be charged for his actions and/or forced to issue an apology to Stephen Hunt. Anybody with more than two brain cells can clearly see that the foul was a complete accident, yet Mourinho, backed by some equally moronic Chelsea fans and by idiots who think that having a PremPlus season ticket or a Fantasy Football team entitles them to ultimate knowledge of football, ploughs on. His latest lies are more serious than mere football, concerning the treatment of Cech - the facts are obvious with the ambulance and waiting times. Mourinho has completely contradicted them and yet no-one, again apart from Reading FC, has challenged him. Is it because people are scared of Mourinho? Or have they been taken in by his lies? Whatever it is, Mourinho is a disgrace to football and should be forced to apologise to Hunt, Reading FC and the NHS immediately.
Thanks for giving me an outlet to vent some steam, which would otherwise have gone into the faces of the handful of retards who told me the challenge was deliberate!
On the evidence of this 'display', Chelsea are very unworthy champions of anybody's league let alone the Premiership. With the alleged 'talent' in their squad, why they felt they had to resort to continually diving & conning an obviously inept ref in order to beat us shows they are worthy of nothing more than contempt. Their managers stupid comments about Hunt (who is very unfortunate to have an otherwise excellent first Prem start overshadowed by what happened) only cover over his team's appalling mentality & attitude shown throughout the game. I feel ashamed that prima-donnas like Terry & Lampard represent (& currently woefully under-perform!) for the national side as well as serving as pin-ups & role models for so many kids. If they put as much enthusiasm into playing the game & using their undoubted skill in the right way as they did baring their waxed chests at the end of the game maybe the footballing world would have a higher opinion of them. The fact that their bench got in on the cheating act at the end shows this poor mentality starts at the top with the coaching staff & spreads downwards. Reading more than matched them & can consider themselves extremely hard done by to have lost to one of the most jammy goals I have seen for some time. Our team can hold their heads high after this game, Chelsea's belong down in the gutter (& hopefully trophy-less at the end of the season).
Hunt went for the loose ball and accidentally caught Petr Cech. It was a horrific accident, that I believe very strongly, was unintentional and that hopefully will not happen again for many years in football. I believe Mr Mourinho and Chelsea FC should take a long look at themselves after the way they behaved during and after the game. Especially Mr Mourinho, after making pathetic post match comments about Reading FC and Stephen Hunt. An apology is due from Chelsea FC!
Stephen Hunt did nothing wrong. His only crime was he played for a Reading team who didn’t roll over when Chelsea visited. Jose Mourinho very cleverly deflected the entire media from reporting the teams achievements by harping on about two ACCIDENTS. Look at the video and you see two professionals committed to winning a ball they BOTH believe to be theirs. Cech was the quickest (possibly helped by the pitch). Had Cech chosen to keep his arms outstretched he may have conceded a penalty. He chose to protect the ball with his body. Hunts momentum meant that to slow down had he jumped he may have ended up in the stand (to his detriment) He instead tried to slow his run mid flow, and you can see his legs begin to buckle. This was the moment of collision. I still can’t see if his knee or boot made contact. Either way, 99 times out of 100, the injury would not have occurred. Hunt should not change his style of play as that would weaken him as a player (by the way Doyle is a similar chaser of lost causes). The press should report facts not soundbites. The Reading fans will show their support for Hunt and the rest of the teams efforts this coming Sunday.
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