Spartak Moscow 0v2 Chelsea

Match Reports


Yury Zhirkov's first Chelsea goal and Nicolas Anelka's 50th put the Blues on the verge of qualifying for the knockout stage of this season's Champions League.

The better side in a first half that yielded both goals, the visitors soaked up plenty of pressure after the break without ever truly looking like conceding and now sit clear at the top of Group F with a perfect nine points from three games.

The team made light of any concerns about the artificial surface and it was pretty much business as usual.

Carlo Ancelotti decided Ashley Cole and Michael Essien suffered no significant reaction to training on the pitch yesterday so started them both.

He brought fit-again Salomon Kalou into the front three in place of Gael Kakuta and having spoken glowingly about Zhirkov yesterday, asked him to take the place left in midfield by injured Ramires.

And what a reward the Italian was given by the Russian who lashed in the opener from outside the area midway through the opening period, followed by a typical Anelka finish shortly before the break.



The Blues had been the more dangerous but then showed our ability at the back after the interval with Petr Cech the busier of the two keepers, although Michael Essien should have added a third near the end.

Back at the start of the game, that was played in below-zero conditions, Kalou looped a shot over after four minutes and a quick-thinking combination between Malouda and Zhirkov threatened to put Anelka through. There was plenty of early possession for Chelsea.

The first injection of attacking pace however came from Spartak's right-back, Parshivlyuk, steaming from his own half past several blue shirts into the area. The ball moved square as Cole challenged and fell to unmarked Kombarov who fortunately blasted over.

The home side were finding their rhythm and Cech had to save with his feet at the near post after Kombarov was allowed to find Welliton who turned Ivanovic and shot.

Chelsea responded through Malouda who beat his man but shot wide from outside the area and through Cole who won the first corner of the game which was well defended.

Malouda took a second corner on 18 minutes but Essien headed tamely wide.

There was nothing tame about Zhirkov's contribution five minutes later as he picked out the top corner of the Spartak net from 25 yards, Mikel's pass headed back to the Russian by the home defence for a sweet strike of a bouncing ball.

Stunned silence in the packed Luzhniki was followed by a cacophony of whistles, but the former CSKA man was too busy celebrating with his team mates to notice.

Chelsea were looking good. Essien almost saw his cross deflected goalwards by a covering defender, and then Anelka raced away after a defensive mistake but took a touch too strong and the keeper intervened. The ball ran loose but Anelka, back in possession, failed to find a team mate.

The Blues centre-forward made no such mistake when given a second bite at the one-on-one cherry three minutes before half-time. Cutting inside chasing defender Parshivlyuk, this time he slotted expertly.

The Cech save apart, Spartak hadn't mounted a serious strike on target as the teams went down the tunnel at the break. Terry was enjoying physical superiority over Welliton, even if he did suffer one painful kick along the way.



The opening few minutes of the second half were lively. Welliton shot over, much to the home fans' derision and Anelka was dispossessed in the Spartak six-yard box.Then a goalbound shot from the Russian side was deflected over off the back of Terry.


Cech was much more busy than in the opening 45 minutes but was confidently catching every cross or shot.

He was properly extended by McGeady on 63 minutes however but tipped over and then punched another shot over the bar when the corner was played deep to Ibson.

There was a loose moment from the Chelsea keeper on an otherwise good night when he cleared with his feet straight to McGeady but the Blues survived.

The chance to put the game totally safe came Essien's way with 20 minutes left to play after Kalou slipped past his man out wide and Malouda helped the pass on, but the Ghanaian missed when well placed.

That build-up play was the last action for Kalou who was replaced by McEachran for the game's first substitution. Malouda made way for Kakuta with 10 minutes to play.

Before the end the only outfield player on the Chelsea bench out of his teens, Van Aanholt, was given some time on the pitch. The Dutch left-back is as old as 20!



The home crowd was given the chance to whistle Zhirkov further when he became the game's only booking for fouling Suchy, but by that stage many wearing red and white were heading for the exits, knowing their side had been well beaten.