How true Jose was, when he said Liverpool is talking about history while Chelsea is busy making it! We just beat Liverpool’s record of unbeaten home league run! Brilliant stuff from Chelsea. Looking at the scoreline, if you’re going to think that this was some kind of close match, you should ask the Birmingham fans. We completely dominated the key possession and our midfield was far superior and Birmingham didn’t have any answers for Chelsea’s fiery attack.

Jose was ecstatic about the breaking the Liverpool record. Here’s Jose paying tribute to the efforts of the players including those who have already left us.

Chelsea has written its name in the history books of the Premier League and it’s a great record. I’m very flattered for being part of the record. We are very proud to beat the record. It was a good game to celebrate the home record, a game with lots of goals and enthusiasm.

At the moment it belongs to Chelsea – John Terry, Frank Lampard, Eidur Gudjohnsen and all the guys who contributed. I’ll have to go home and remember every player that helped us achieve the record because not all of them are here – Gudjohnsen, Geremi, Damien Duff, all these guys.

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Chelsea started with 4-4-2 with Kalou being a surprise inclusion and Sheva was not even on the bench. Malouda and Pizarro made their premier league debuts and Sidwell too in the second half. Johnson started on the right and there were no defenders at all in the bench. Either it is a compliment for Johnson’s abilities or we are having serious injury problems. By the end of the match, it feels like it could be latter.

Playing at home against a newly promoted team, you would expect Chelsea to play 4-3-3 and terrorise the opponents and shut them off the match. Chelsea did just this, but with a very lively 4-4-2 with some dangerous width all along the match.

Within the first quarter of an hour, you could feel that there is something distinctively different about the approach by Chelsea in this match. We were on fire right from the start, thanks to our side midfielders were the busiest bodies on the pitch. We were playing so well that the lucky lead taken by Birmingham did not worry me at all. Old boy Forsell scored one like Pippo scored in the champions league final last season.

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While we were already badly hungry for a goal, their lead just made it worse for Birmingham. Chelsea’s high tempo with superb teamwork meant the goals could come any minute. Within few minutes of the Forsell goal, in a swift attack, Malouda made a featherweight pass with his left foot, that unleashed SWP to cross one inside that Pizarro finished with ease.

We again went ahead when a cleverly touched pass by Kalou was collected by a surging Malouda to volley it ala Drogba in the FA cup final last season. Our lead was quiet short lived as their debutant Kapo beat Johnson with the simplest of stepovers, to blast it to top right corner. There was nothing about it and that brilliant striker meant we’ve conceded twice at the Bridge in the first game of the season. Not a great start defensively!

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At the end of first half, I was so sure about Chelsea ending up with 4 or 5 goals. The early strike in the second half by Essien also confirmed my hope. After this goal, Chelsea slowly started consolidating but still were very dangerous on the flanks. Kalou had a number of chances missed and Drogba wanted to see him name on the headlines with a 45-yard screamer that was quite close.

[video]http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/5Eh8g2YfDdwJQjl9J[/video]

Negatives from this match, where we broke a long standing record, are the right back position from where most of the goals have been score against Chelsea, Lampard’s poor form that declines every match and could cost against Liverpool, if he doesn’t improve. Kalou played well allright but his conversion ratio in front of the goal, should improve drastically.

In the end, it was quite a comfortable match for Chelsea. Many many positives for Chelsea from this match. After a ‘not-so-goalsome’ pre-season matches, the first match of the premier league, we scored three goals and must have finished at least another three. All the new signings – Malouda, Pizarro, Sidwell & Ben Haim – fit like a shoe and they were absolutely brilliant. Average performers of the last season – Kalou and SWP – were as lively and dangerous they can be. One more positive is that we are now clear that Johnson is not good enough to a first choice Chelsea right back.

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The other huge positive is the Chelsea style of play which obviously has undergone a change. Jose Mourinho did talk about Chelsea reverting back to his attacking football of 04-05 and 05-06, this season. With live wire Malouda on the left, ‘new and improved’ SWP on the right, a Kalou who does not lose the ball cheaply anymore, a Pizarro who keeps impressing with his common sense and sharpness and Essien in the midfield, this is how Chelsea would play all this season. And finally, Roman was there and do you have any doubts if he enjoyed the game?

What a day! Man Utd losing points at home and Chelsea winning and also looking dazzling and dangerous. After their goal fest in a certain Chinese province, Man Utd could not find the net. At the end of the first premier league weekend, out of all title contenders the most convincing performance was from Chelsea. Even Fergie would agree. This is just the first weekend but I can’t help but feel this is Chelsea’s season! Don’t you think so too?

Related Links:

The BBC report
The Official Chelsea website report
[tags]Chelsea, Birmingham, Premier League, Malouda, Pizarro, Shaun Wright Phillips, Jose Mourinho, Roman Abramovich, Man Utd, Lampard, Essien, Glen Johnson, Kalou, goal video, highlights video[/tags]