37th min. -- Reyna lofts a ball over the top for Anelka, but Anelka's offside for the third time already. On the other end, Mutu forces Seaman into another save. 39th min. -- From Tarnat's cross from the left, Fowler hit the post, and Cudicini parried the rebound off the woodwork.
41st min. -- Reyna with a nice slide-rule ball from the top of the box for Anelka, but the Frenchman's ensuing cross never finds its intended target. Reyna starting to come into the game a bit more, at both ends of the ground.
One minute of added time... And nothing more. Halftime... CHELSEA 1 Hasselbaink 33 MANCHESTER CITY 0 Stats forthcoming...
Halftime stats Code: [size=3]CHELSEA----------------------------MAN CITY 3 Shots On Target 2 2 Shots Off Target 1 4 Fouls (Conceded) 4 0 Corners 0 0 Yellow Cards 0 0 Red Cards 0[/SIZE]
47th min. -- Free kick wide on the left and about 35-40 yards out by Reyna straight into the arms of Cudicini. No one was in a position to meet the delivery.
51st min. -- After a give-away in City's attacking area, Gronkjaer goes on a long run and forces a diving save from Seaman, from a shot from about 20 yards.
Great point. He wanted to put the ball onto the target of the goal, but it was never going to be a very dangerous attempt as a shot. Someone needed to get on the end of it. 54th min. -- Mutu nearly makes it two again for Chelsea, and Seaman has to parry out a Gronkjaer cross intended for Lampard.
55th min. -- Reyna starting to push forward a bit more, from central midfield, and have a bit more influence on the game as well. Just delivered a ball from the top of the box, but Chelsea's back four is dealing with every play delivered from wide positions. City starting to exercise more of an attacking influence...
58th min. -- Sun Jihai (who was sent off in the corresponding fixture last season) escapes a booking after a high challenge on JFH.
71st min. -- Tarnat bends in a long free kick, but Cudicini equal to the task. 72nd min. -- Mutu has an open shot from 25 yards, but blasts it "into the upper tier" at Stamford Bridge, says the announcer.
Thanks, Tree... good call. 73rd min. -- Cole off for Chelsea, Duff comes on. Wanchope on for Fowler, as City also make a change.
77th min. -- SWP forces Cudicini into a save, after a nice three-man move by City. Reyna earns a corner... Cudicini forced to punch a Wanchope shot out, then Wanchope shoots weakly on the next attack, after Reyna set him up well.
80th min. -- City are looking more dangerous since Wanchope's entry. SWP the main beneficiary of that move. But Reyna's day is over-- subbed out for Sibierski. Claudio was not as productive nor as influential as he was against Bolton, in attack or in defence.
84th min. -- Chelsea make their last sub, Huth on for JFH in a tactical move (attacker off, defender on).
Full time. CHELSEA (1) 1 Hasselbaink 33 MANCHESTER CITY (0) 0 City improved their attacking play in the second half, but were never able to break down Chelsea's determined back line. Reyna did a fairly decent job organizing things from the center of midfield, but was more effective on his short passes than on the deeper balls upfield, the latter of which is what his team needed him to do as the match wore on. Reyna was removed after 80 minutes, and all in all, he was nowhere as effective in either attack or in defence as he was against Bolton.
No worries. If the roles were reversed, I'd ask you to recycle it for another time as well. Always a pleasure to provide PbP duties.