FA Cup

February 18, 2012
  • FTFT
     
    Chelsea
    Birmingham
    1
    1
    1
    1
    1
  • FTFT
     
    Everton
    Blackpool
    2
    0
    2
    0
    2
  • FTFT
     
    Millwall
    Bolton
    0
    2
    0
    2
    3
  • FTFT
     
    Norwich
    Leicester
    1
    2
    1
    2
    4
  • FTFT
     
    Sunderland
    Arsenal
    2
    0
    2
    0
    5

Full-time

Chelsea

1 - 1

Birmingham City

FA Cup

12:30 +00:00, February 18, 2012

Stamford Bridge, England

Referee: M Atkinson

  •  

    The pressure increases on Villas-Boas, however; the replay provides another fixture they could do without given the Champions League has restarted. There can be no confidence in him staying at the club without a dramatic turnaround

  •  

    I must confess I wasn't sure about Hughton despite what he did in getting Newcastle promoted; they had a very good squad. But at Birmingham that isn't the case and he's doing a genuinely good job there

  •  

    However, for all of the pressure on Chelsea and Villas-Boas, Birmingham were impressive today

  •  

    There's obvious disapproval at the performance and result from around the ground and within Chelsea's directors' box

  •  

    Full-time: Chelsea 1-1 Birmingham City

  • 90'

    They've done very well today

  • 90'

    Davies heads at Cech after Mutch's cross but it's saved well. Birmingham are still trying to win the game

  • 90'

    Lampard's shot is straight at the wall. It's a poor effort, really. Three mins of added time to be played

  • 90'

    Great chance for Chelsea; they've a free-kick on the edge of the area, in real Lampard-territory

  • 88'

    He really could have won the game for Birmingham there; he had plenty of time and space to take the ball further but shot poorly

  • 87'

    Redmond wastes a brilliant chance there!

  • 86'

    Birmingham are given a free-kick for a push, the danger briefly passes

  • 85'

    Corner to Chelsea, as Ivanovic appeals - optimistically - for a penalty after he went down in the area

  • 84'

    Davies clears Drogba's cross and Chelsea win the corner

  • 84'

    Mata (surprisingly) off, Lampard on

  • 83'

    Burke's a more natural winger than Elliott, so perhaps they're going for the win

  • 83'

    Burke replaces Elliott

  • 82'

    Lampard's about to come on...

  • 81'

    Meireles shoots wide, but there was no real danger there

  • 81'

    Good pressure by Kalou on Ibanez, wins Chelsea a throw-in

  • 78'

    Mutch shoots and gets his effort on target, but Cech dived low to his left to save. Decent effort, though, but no more signs of a goal at the moment

  • 77'

    Birmingham have a free-kick...

  • 76'

    Stat: Chelsea have completed 381 passes, almost double the amount of Birmingham

  • 74'

    They do little with it, however. Birmingham goal-kick

  • 73'

    Meireles's shot deflected over! Chelsea are increasing their pressure now, and it's a corner to the home side

  • 71'

    Rooney off, Jake Jervis on

  • 70'

    Chelsea are benefiting significantly from Drogba's aerial threat. Corner to the home side

  • 69'

    Doubts persist over the futures of Torres and Drogba, so Sturridge and Romelu Lukaku could be the long-term solution

  • 68'

    He's having a very good season on the wing, and it's obviously improving him as a player. but in the long-term it's hard not to look at Sturridge as a central striker

  • 68'

    Doyle collects Sturridge's cross...

  • 67'

    Chelsea free-kick, wide on the left, for the foul on Mata

  • 63'

    Perhaps harsh on Birmingham but, given the pressure that will relieve and their game plan, it's difficult not to see Chelsea going on to win this

  • 62'

    Ivanovic sent a very good cross from the right into the penalty box having found himself in lots of space, and Sturridge headed the cross straight in, past Doyle

  • 62'

    Very goo goal by Chelsea; it's a very routine goal

  • 61'

    GOAL Chelsea 1-1 Birmingham City!

  • 60'

    Mata shoots wide for Chelsea! The chance came from nothing and the Spaniard was on his right foot, but it's the sort of opportunity Chelsea need (and, indeed, the only type they look likely to create at the moment)

  • 58'

    Mikel off, Kalou on

  • 55'

    Redmond fires over the bar! Decent effort following Birmingham's set piece. Goal-kick to Chelsea

  • 55'

    Cahill booked for the challenge

  • 54'

    Cahill fouls Rooney. Birmingham free-kick

  • 54'

    Kalou's also getting ready to come on...

  • 51'

    Chelsea goal-kick

  • 50'

    Well defended there from Luiz, reading Mutch's intention and intercepting his run and the ball

  • 48'

    Decent long ball flighted towards Drogba but the striker can't control the ball. Birmingham goal-kick

  • 47'

    Chelsea are again having most of the possession, but it's in unthreatening areas

  • 46'

    Birmingham kick-off...

  • 46'

    Chelsea have made one change. But will Drogba be enough?

  • 46'

    Torres off, Drogba on

  •  

    A problem they may have is that, even if Lampard is brought on, though he and Meireles may be attacking midfielders, they're not necessarily particularly creative in tight spaces; it may be necessary for Mata to drop deeper and play a more central role, as he has those qualities

  •  

    It's not simply a case of numbers, however, as Chelsea's front three drop deep, and Luiz steps up, to join them

  •  

    The crucial battle has been in midfield, so far, where Birmingham's five men have worked very hard to stifle Chelsea's three.

  •  

    There seems to be no reason why Birmingham would change anything with the game going as it is

  •  

    Chelsea desperately need a spark from somewhere. It really could be as serious as Villas-Boas needing to save his job; he needs to show some leadership and purpose and turn this game around

  •  

    Chelsea fans boo their time off at half-time. It has to be said that Birmingham deserve their lead

  •  

    Half-time: Chelsea 0-1 Birmingham City

  • 45'

    One minute of added time to be played, which is about right

  • 45'

    Chelsea may have been poor, but Chris Hughton's tactics have been exactly what was needed so far

  • 44'

    Chelsea again have the ball at the back which, again, Birmingham are more than happy with

  • 43'

    Incidentally, Jose Mourinho's name is now being chanted by Chelsea's fans

  • 42'

    Villas-Boas is obviously trying to move on from Lampard's generation but he may well have to rely on them to save his job today

  • 41'

    Mikel fires wide there! Connected well with the ball but it's safely wide

  • 41'

    Villas-Boas really needs to consider making some changes at half-time. Perhaps replacing Mikel with Lampard, for a start...

  • 40'

    Good again from Sturridge! That's the closest they've yet got; good shot from outside the area the flies just past the top corner. He probably had Doyle beaten; close indeed

  • 38'

    Good cross from Sturridge, curling the ball in towards Ivanovic but the defender fails to connect with the ball and it's out for a goal-kick

  • 38'

    ...which it is, but Murphy heads clear. Chelsea are back in possession, however

  • 37'

    Torres fouled by Spector. It's another Chelsea free-kick but this one's further out and will have to be crossed in

  • 36'

    Decent effort from 17-year-old Redmond, but Cech saves tidily

  • 36'

    This initial corner comes to nothing but Meireles crossed in again towards Sturridge, who headed over

  • 35'

    Good effort from Luiz, clearing his shot towards the top left corner. Well saved by Doyle, though. Chelsea corner...

  • 34'

    Shooting chance for Chelsea from this free-kick

  • 34'

    Mutch booked for fouling Luiz

  • 33'

    Any potential Birmingham attacks since the goal show how badly Chelsea defended the corner. They're containing Birmingham with ease; Rooney looks isolated an Birmingham don't have many ideas. That goal really shouldn't have been conceded

  • 31'

    Too ambitious from Mata. He overhits a cross deep into Birmingham's penalty area, with no one in a position to attack it, and Doyle collects with ease

  • 29'

    Villas-Boas currently looks concerned on the touchline. It's understandable...

  • 27'

    A run down the right from Sturridge ended with a low cross towards Torres that Davies masterfully intercepted. Frustrating for the Spanish striker who could possibly be on his last real chance today, given Drogba's return

  • 26'

    Better from Chelsea!

  • 25'

    Chelsea again have the ball but continue to do little with it; Birmingham are clearly happy for them to do so but Chelsea's fans aren't

  • 23'

    Mata misses! A great save by Doyle, who touches the penalty onto the post! Chelsea's misery continues

  • 22'

    Chelsea have a penalty! Elliott tripped Ramires in the penalty area; an easy decision from the ref, there can be no complaints

  • 22'

    "You're getting sacked in the morning..." - chants from Birmingham fans

  • 21'

    Chelsea fail to clear the corner and Murphy, with both time and space, finishes well by firing a left-footed shot past Cech

  • 20'

    GOAL Chelsea 0-1 Birmingham City! Murphy scores!

  • 20'

    Birmingham corner...

  • 19'

    Chelsea's fans are now getting frustrated and voicing their negativity at a misplaced pass from Mikel

  • 18'

    Chelsea again with the ball at the back. To their credit, Birmingham are working hard in midfield and up front to press them, particularly when the ball's in the middle third

  • 16'

    ...There may be some nerves surrounding Villas-Boas' future but surely those nerves will grow if it's still 0-0 at half-time

  • 15'

    Chelsea again with the ball at the back. They're playing with little pace and even less urgency. It's understandable that they don't want to take any major risks but they're by far the better side and they're at home...

  • 14'

    Chelsea have a goal-kick after Spector's through-ball fails to release Rooney

  • 13'

    Captain Carr off, Spector on. Curtis Davies will now be Birmingham's captain

  • 12'

    Stephen Carr looks in some discomfort and is likely to come off, with Jonathan Spector his probable replacement

  • 11'

    Comes to nothing. Chelsea goal-kick

  • 11'

    Birmingham corner...

  • 10'

    First real threat from Chelsea, just there. To be honest, it was forced by Sturridge and perhaps wasn't on, but he runs with such pace Birmingham's defence looked unsettled. He dribbled across the penalty box but just ran too far and failed to cut the ball back on time. Goal-kick

  • 9'

    Chelsea remain patient, meanwhile. They're having the vast majority of possession but Birmingham's packed midfield is holding its shape well and making it difficult for Chelsea to create anything

  • 8'

    There was a time, in the 2006/2007 season, under Jose Mourinho, when Mikel was a player of promise but that's certainly no longer the case

  • 7'

    ...Luiz, Mata, Sturridge, Meireles and Ramires all play with pace and energy, and Mikel seems to slow it all down

  • 6'

    Watching Jon Obi Mikel really can be a frustrating experience...

  • 5'

    Sturridge makes space with a run down the right but fails to cross properly and Birmingham clear...

  • 4'

    Ben Foster, Roger Johnson, Scott Dann, Liam Ridgewell, Sebastien Larsson and Obafemi Martins have all since left.

  • 4'

    They actually had a good side - particularly at the back - that didn't quite score enough goals to survive.

  • 3'

    Birmingham's side really has changed drastically from the one that was in the Premier League less than a year ago...

  • 2'

    Chelsea have started patiently and are currently passing the ball around at the back. They won't want to lose possession cheaply and give a fired-up Birmingham any unnecessary chances

  • 1'

    Chelsea kick-off...

  •  

    The teams are out on the pitch, kick-off is now imminent

  •  

    Interestingly, Branislav Ivanovic starts at right back over Jose Bosingwa (Boswinger). Surely that'd have been a better option all season?

  •  

    Chelsea's front three really is vital for them today; Birmingham have a five-man midfield which is obviously intent on stifling the Premier League side.

  •  

    Of course, should Chelsea start badly, they've several potential game changers on the bench. Frank Lampard, Florent Malouda, Michael Essien and - returning from the African Cup of Nations - Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou could all make appearances.

  •  

    One-time Liverpool target Pablo Ibanez starts in central defence, and the former Spain international could be crucial under the inevitable pressure that will come Birmingham's way

  •  

    Birmingham City, meanwhile, have a squad with lots of Premier League experience

  •  

    And on that note, he's taken few risks in team selection. Fernando Torres, Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata are a potentially lethal front three, while their only inexperienced starter is Ryan Bertrand, who starts at left back.

  •  

    The team news is in for what has become a big game in Chelsea's season; defeat today could very possibly spell the end of Andre Villas-Boas' time at the club.