Chelsea last night once again did what it’s refused to do all season long: that is, die-something domestic rival Manchester United, England’s other victorious Champions League quarterfinalist yesterday, knows all about after seeing its commanding nine-point lead at the top of the English Premiership cut to just three points.
Last night Jose Mourinho’s unbelievably resilient side managed to weather a poor first half to overcome Valencia 2-1 in its own backyard. It was a solid second-half performance, boosted by the key introduction of Joe Cole at halftime, deserving a winner, and a winner is precisely what the English Champions got, as Michael Essien barreled down the right side in the 90th minute to unleash a powerful near-post strike that skipped under the unsuspecting Santiago Canizares. It was a shame for the Valencia keeper, who up until then had had a fantastic evening.
It was another truly remarkable performance from Chelsea, a club whose spirit is absolutely undeniable. How many game-winning goals has Chelsea scored in the last 10 minutes this season? Hint: the answer is more than half a dozen. Now how about this number: in all competitions, the Blues have scored 25 goals in the last 10 minutes this season. Not surprisingly, the club is still in the hunt for an unprecedented four major trophies this season — and don’t expect them to die anytime soon.