Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff City; Blues struggle to win as Mourinho is sent off

Samuel Eto’o has his best game in Chelsea shirt till date

The Cameroonian was a completely different player from the last time he started a game for Chelsea. The international break would have helped Eto’o to settle into his rhythm and get used to the English weather. He finished off his good performance with a textbook finish low in the corner. Eto’o involved himself into play constantly as he made runs into channels and dragged the Cardiff defenders with him. He often dropped back from his striker position to link up play and was often seen lurking on the left wing of Chelsea.

Mourinho masters the substitutions again!

When Chelsea were looking drab at around 60 minute mark, Mourinho changed his team’s system to 3-5-2 by bringing on Fernando Torres for Ryan Bertrand. Straight away the Blues were exposed to a Cardiff counter, which they managed to defend. Immediately on the other end, it was Samuel Eto’o scoring his first Chelsea goal after some neat interplay between Oscar and Hazard and the Belgian put Eto’o through. While the goal might have come in the aftermath of a corner, It was evident that Cardiff were confused for a while with the sudden overloads created by Chelsea with the formation change.

After going into the lead, Mourinho immediately changed the system back to 4-2-3-1 as Cesar Azpilicueta came on for Eto’o. The Spanish defender slotted in at left back. Be it luck or pure genius, Jose’s changes have been productive this season, yielding crucial goals at crunch times. Having such a back up plan is always a must when competing on many fronts. As the new Chelsea evolves, Mourinho will be working on creating that unique image to the team’s style of play.

Man of the Match: Eden Hazard, Goal of the Match: Oscar

Eden Hazard was the best player on the pitch by a mile, Eto’o probably was the closest. Hazard managed 2 goals and an assist in a display which would convince his manager to start him on a regular basis. He didn’t start the match well, similar to his team, but grew into the match as the clock ticked. His interplay with Eto’o was the best striker-winger partnership Chelsea had this season. They complemented each other with their positioning and helped each other with the goals.

In this match, Hazard was hugging the touchline more rather than drifting inwards. This offered a passing outlet from the back for Chelsea. He took on Cardiff defenders with his mercurial dribbles and forced David Marshall into some good saves. Hazard’s defensive side of the game seemed to have improved as he tacked back to provide cover for Ryan Bertrand. Oscar, who came on for Mata, scored a beautiful goal from outside the box in the 78th minute. This goal pretty much guaranteed a Chelsea win. On a day which had some mind-blowing goals scored by Wilshere, Cavani and Ibrahimovic, Oscar’s goal stands right up there among them.