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Defiant Chelsea are the Best Chelsea

Defiant Chelsea are the Best Chelsea

Chelsea 1 - 1 Manchester United.

Having slipped in a fortunate equalizer in injury time was bittersweet: bitter that the time was there because of Kurt Zouma’s horrific injury and sweet that Chelsea kept their heads on until the very last.

The shock of Zouma’s injury - his blood-curdling cries - set Chelsea at a disadvantage for a moment as everyone was struggling to overcome the worry and emotion for their fallen teammate, and in that moment Jesse Lingard capitalized. From that moment on I was worried that Chelsea were going to fall to shambles, that it was going to be doubly difficult given the time remaining and the pressures of this whole season coming back to cause havoc.

But we saw a stubborn Chelsea, an angered one, a proud one. Throughout the match I was thrown hither and to with the poor passing display, the substitutions made by Hiddink, and the waste that came from poor communication. The better part of the first half was entirely Manchester United’s as they freely moved around Chelsea’s half like they owned it. It was desperately out of Chelsea’s hands until some minor tweaks by the manager allowed some strengths to appear and overcome the Red Devils.

If there was a plan in place for the front four of Chelsea to primarily attack, it was nixed almost immediately as Manchester United went for the throat from the outset. Diego Costa had much tracking back to do, and Fabregas’ ineptitude at being a man of the frontline showed through with his lack of pace.

Though it was interesting to see how the Chelsea players adapted to what was happening, and altered their egos to maintain a position in the game. Too often this season Chelsea players have looked isolated, thinning out as they move from front to back. Oscar was substituted for Hazard and I was livid that it wasn’t Fabregas who was replaced because I believe that Oscar is a better finisher, quicker, and more clever than Fabregas. But Cesc Fabregas is an intelligent footballer - which Hiddink values more than raw physical ability.

An angry Chelsea is the one that won the title last year, that Chelsea had a point to prove to everyone and they did. Today’s Chelsea was one that refused to let demons of recent past re-enter their minds and the Bridge.

A point is good, three would have been better, but losing a man heaps a pain of greater magnitude than the result. Watching Kurt Zouma writhe on the ground and howl was absolutely torturous to watch. When all is said and done, that Frenchman is a legend in the making. A giant brute that moves with svelte elegance, a towering enforcer who can artfully become a wedge between opponent and ball, and an honest athlete who puts himself far behind the priorities of the team.

I’m sure you’ll join me in hoping for the best for young Kurt Zouma and a speedy recovery.