A Mata Of Time For Chelsea – Report & Goals

Writer: Lewis Taylor

After a great performance from Newcastle United on Friday, Chelsea knew that they had to close the gap in their fight for fifth place, never mind fourth.

A 2-0 victory against Swansea meant the Geordies moved above Chelsea into 5th with Chelsea having a game in hand, namely a tough test against the in-form Wigan Athletic.

Di Matteo continued to rotate his squad. Starts for Drogba, Sturridge, Malouda, Betrand, Cahill, Essien and Wednesday nights goal scorer Meireles.

The first half proved to be a poor 45 minutes, Chelsea with the possession but no end product. The first half belonged to Wigan goalkeeper Al Habsi who made three great saves from Drogba, Cahill and Juan Mata.

The relegation battling side looked up for the fight, with tough defending and a goal line clearance required to keep them in it. Superb footwork from Mata lead to a strike towards Al Habsi’s goal, the ball then flicked in to the path of the rising Didier Drogba. However, the lack of power on the header meant it was cleared by the Wigan defence.

The second half proved more of an encounter. Chelsea broke the dead lock after a suspicious cross ball from Mereiles into the path of unmarked and offside Ivanovic. The defender volleyed home to the anger from the away players. 1-0.

Justice seemed to have been given, when substitute Mohammed Diami finished a superb Wigan counter attack. A powerful drive rippling Cechs net. With only 8 minutes left, Chelsea looked to have blown it. 1-1.

Substitute Fernando Torres came on in search of a late goal and he almost found it after a superb 90th minute volley slammed against the post, only for the rebound to fall for Mata to tap home and secure three points for the Blues.

A phenomenal ending as Chelsea fans went wild after securing a vital three points. How important could this late goal be come the end of the season? Top 4? Who knows, but it was a great game without a doubt.

Watch all the goals from Chelsea 2-1 Wigan here