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| February 11, 2006 | Saturday | Muharram 12, 1427 |
Chelsea on course for treble
LONDON, Feb 10: Chelsea’s treble bid gathered pace after the Premiership champions beat an outclassed Everton 4-1 in a one-sided FA Cup fourth round replay at Stamford Bridge here Wednesday.
After victory over Liverpool last weekend, Chelsea picked up a second Merseyside scalp in a week with goals from Arjen Robben, Frank Lampard, Hernan Crespo and John Terry booked a fifth round clash with League One minnows Colchester United.
Everton though were reduced to playing third choice goalkeeper Iain Turner after Nigel Martyn’s stand-in Richard Wright turned his ankle in the warm-up. Martyn had already been ruled out with an ankle injury.
Chelsea’s wide men Wright-Phillips and Robben were a constant threat to Everton’s backwheeling defence and the home side saw several chances go beggting before they took the lead in the 22nd minute.
Eidur Gudjohnson floated the ball to Crespo on edge of box, who controlled it neatly on his chest and slipped into Robben’s path as he arrived in the box ahead of David Weir before beating the advancing Turner.
Everton’s woes intensified in the 36th minute when Wright-Phillips jinked past two players on a high speed run into the box and went down under a clumsy challenge from Nuno Valente as he turned away from goal.
England midfielder Lampard then struck a textbook penalty low and hard past Turner’s right hand.
And two minutes later it was 3-0. William Gallas was fouled out on the left and Lampard swung in a superb free kick from which Crespo, advancing past a static defence, scored with a glancing header.
Everton’s best opening of the half fell to striker James Beattie moments later but he struggled to control a bouncing ball at the far post and lifted his shot over the bar.
In the second-half Wright-Phillips continued to threaten on the Chelsea right and Robben brought a smart save from Turner.
Robben was replaced by Joe Cole to warm applause but Chelsea were shaken out of their complacency in the 71st minute when Huth gave away a penalty, blocking a goalbound shot from James McFadden with his arm.
Mikel Arteta rolled his shot slowly past Cudicini, but it was not a cue for an Everton revival.
After Tim Cahill was booked for chopping down Wright-Phillips, Terry scored Chelsea’s fourth in the 74th minutes with a powerful shot after Lampard’s free kick had rebounded off the defensive wall.
The goal knocked the stuffing out of Everton, who could make no impression in the remaining 15 minutes.
Charlton double
First-half goals from Darren Bent and Luke Young gave Charlton a 2-0 Premier League win over Liverpool here at The Valley on Wednesday.
Victory moved Charlton up into 11th place.
Bent went down under what looked minimal contact from keeper Jerzy Dudek, and got up to slot home the resulting penalty himself in the 42nd minute, against the run of play.
And in first-half stoppage time, Young doubled his side’s lead and despite plenty of effort from the visitors, it was not enough to prevent a third straight away defeat in the Premiership.—Agencies
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