The Hindu : Sport / Football : Chelsea well on top

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 04, 2005

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Sport - Football

Chelsea well on top

LONDON, FEB. 3. Arjen Robben scored a fifth-minute goal and Petr Cech made it eight league matches in a row without conceding a goal as Chelsea moved 11 points clear in the Premier League title race with a 1-0 win over Blackburn on Wednesday.

In a low-quality game at Ewood Park, Jose Mourinho's men ground out yet another victory a day after Manchester United's thrilling 4-2 win at Arsenal. Chelsea has won 20 but lost just once in 25 games and has 64 points. United has 53 and defending champion Arsenal 51.

New record

The Blackburn-Chelsea game was four minutes old when Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech broke Manchester United's Peter Schmeichel's Premier League record of 674 minutes without conceding a goal.

A minute later, Chelsea took the lead thanks to a blunder by Blackburn's United States goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

Alan Shearer's ninth-minute goal put Newcastle ahead at Manchester City, but Robbie Fowler's penalty four minutes into the second half earned a point for Kevin Keegan's team.

The results (EPL): Birmingham 2, Southampton 1; Blackburn 0, Chelsea 1; Everton 1, Norwich 0; Fulham 1, Aston Villa 1; Manchester City 1, Newcastle 1. — AP

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