Premier League - Drogba hits Chelsea hat-trick
Eurosport - Mon, 16 Aug 00:09:00 2010
Didier Drogba fired a hat-trick as Chelsea cruised to a 6-0 win against West Bromwich Albion in their Premier League opener at Stamford Bridge.
The promoted visitors could not live with Drogba, who struck once before the break and twice after it before he was withdrawn to save West Brom further embarrassment.
Florent Malouda bagged two goals, while Frank Lampard also got in on the act.
Chelsea's six-goal haul took them top of the Premier League, ending Blackpool's brief stint at the summit.
The scary part for the rest of the division is that the champions did not play anywhere near their best. Their tempo was slower and their passing less slick than for most of last season - yet West Brom were totally outclassed.
It does not get much easier for Roberto Di Matteo's side - their next three away games are against Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti brought Petr Cech back to displace Hilario - the Czech a reassuring presence between the sticks. Lampard also shook off an ankle injury picked up against Hungary on Wednesday.
Chelsea had a disappointing pre-season, culminating with defeat in last Sunday's Community Shield at Wembley, but this played out like a particularly one-sided exhibition match.
In front of a subdued Stamford Bridge crowd, Chelsea strolled to a victory that was never in doubt as soon as Malouda opened the scoring in the sixth minute.
Goalkeeper Scott Carson spilt Drogba's free-kick and saved John Obi Mikel's follow-up, but could do nothing as Malouda seized on the second rebound and swept it into the net.
The Frenchman scored 11 times after the turn of the year last season, and has started the current campaign in similarly predatory fashion. It is a mystery why a sizeable constituency of Chelsea fans prefer Joe Cole.
The match ambled along, with West Brom's best effort coming from Graham Dorrans, whose deflected shot brought a decent save from Cech. At the other end, Carson parried a Lampard free-kick and Malouda headed the rebound over.
When the second came, it was as soft as Premier League goals come. Drogba bought a free-kick off Gabriel Tamas 30 yards out and struck his shot at the wall - only the masonry crumbled, allowing the ball through.
Carson should still have saved it, but the ball skipped off the turf and went over his gloves. A dismal collective effort from the promoted side.
Chelsea scored a century of Premier League goals last term, including four hauls of seven or more, and they quietly went about running up the score against dishevelled opponents.
Drogba made it three following more poor defending from set-pieces. John Terry headed a corner goalwards, it was blocked but West Ham failed to clear and the striker slammed in a left-foot shot from close range.
Next came the pick of the goals, as slick interplay from Nicolas Anelka and Ashley Cole allowed Lampard to sidefoot in from close range.
The England man was them promptly withdrawn to allow Yossi Benayoun's Premier League debut for Chelsea.
On 68 minutes, Drogba completed his hat-trick with a shot from the edge of the box that owed much to a Tamas deflection that completely wrong-footed Carson.
There was still time for Malouda to pour on the agony, latching on to an Anelka through ball, rounding Carson and firing in off the post.
Comment 208 - 227 of 227
And, by the way, I don't hate Chelsea....they are a good team now and a team to reckon with......I just hate some of the ' do-good' comments. It's sickening. Just beat the mancs next time.
bobbystarks......stay away numbskull. Not your argument, not your problem.....unless you would have bluelion at your side in an argument at the pub....being HIS argument. He is a freak....let it go.
Does any one else on here think that muppets4united is bang out of order or is it me just bing to cynical?
muppets4united
I oftern wonder why you would come on a chelsea sirte and spew that vile , racist and ugly language - what has any of what you said got to do with footie.
christ...if u hate us that much then stay away.
bluelion.....please don't get into this any further....you are obviously not up to the task. You are either a white do-gooder with a small todger or a black moron with a chip on his shoulder. Either way, you are still wanting in intelligence. Walk away while you are still laughable....before you become a joke !
Better to sound like a moron than be an actual moron like you my hate filled friend.I do just fine on all those things you mentioned you dickless, brainless donkey. why dont you go for paraglide on russian beach.Or just ki ll yourself.
MUPPET,did a black guy bang your wife,girlfriend ,mother or daugther? Theres white monkeys to bye the way(proboscis monkey,white fur pink skin and long nose).
I believe even Sunderland would have beaten West brom albion at home....its not anything big.
bad quality
change ur tecnical crew
John - why would you come on the chelsea blog and HATE??????
i dont understand that - and for your information your team ARSENAL have not won a trophy since 2004, let it go every sport has a change after all MAn u won it 3 times in a row and have won it 18 times so has liverpool......do u also think they should not be listred in the top 10 teams of the premiership?
dude if you dont like chelsea stay away from our blog....typical gunner fan
chuuuuuuuups
highlights on yahoo??
NICE!
i so much luv my club. chelseafc. they play like a team i've been waiting for. i pray that this motive in this team should carry on till end if the season. one club, one team, but many goalssssssssssss. up Chelsea. to the fans
Are these Highlights some sort of joke!?? What is up with the quality?? You can't bloody see anything its soo blurry and pixalated!! How much did Yahoo pay to be able to stream these blurred videos! At that quality how do we even know they are the real highlights they could jsut be blurred pictures of any football match!!!
@ Sheer Brilliance, LOL hit the nail on the head there mate... i'd have Heskey in place of Drogba annnnyday! LOL no but really... r u smokin crack mate? sttttttttooooooooooop it
What a pointless waste of time these videos are . The quality is appauling!!!!!
shame i cant watch it cause its not avalble in my location :( [ malta ]
i don t like dorogba
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhh
BLUE IS THE COLOUR...Chelsea is Great.
No 192 Speak english boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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