Live Event #7
Stamford Bridge
The world was focused on London, England for the weekend of April 29th 2011. Friday, of course, was the date for the much anticipated Royal Wedding, but once that formality was completed, attention shifted to a much more exciting development: two massive games in the Premier League title race. Saturday, Chelsea hosted Tottenham with a chance to put additional pressure on Manchester United who would visit Arsenal on Sunday. A mix of good fortune and available funds made it possible for my dad and I to attend both matches.
Anybody that says that soccer is boring has surely never witnessed a good Premier League game in person. The ball moves so quickly and there is constant movement; the pace is exceptional. Chelsea came close early, star striker Didier Drogba smashed the crossbar from a 30 plus yard free kick, and Fernando Torres nearly scored minutes later, so it was a surprise to everyone in the ground when Hotspur defensive midfielder Sandro sent an absolute cracker into the upper left corner of the Chelsea goal and gave Tottenham a lead twenty minutes in. Just before halftime, Frank Lampard scored a controversial equalizer, a goal that would have likely been disallowed with the use of replay. The two teams battled and it appeared that Chelsea, who were clearly the more deserving team, would have to settle for a draw, a crushing blow to their late season title aspirations. However, when substitute Solomon Kalou bundled home Drogba’s shot attempt in the 89th minute, the Bridge went ballistic. Following the match, video showed that Kalou was likely offside when he scored the winner, but the result would not change. Chelsea would hope for an Arsenal victory against Manchester United on Sunday and then hoped they could beat United the following weekend in Manchester (Manchester United beat Chelsea 2-1 and clinched their record 19th league title the following weekend).
The 50 million pound man: Fernando Torres
Chelsea is easily criticized. Owner Roman Abramovich is not afraid to spend money to attract big name players, for this reason Chelsea has world class players at every position. As an Arsenal supporter I dislike Chelsea but as a football fan it is hard not to appreciate such talent, even if some of the Chelsea players are scum off the pitch. The match was fantastic and was certainly entertaining. I enjoyed it to such a degree that I felt slightly dirty. It’s a good thing the next day I made my pilgrimage to the Emirates Stadium.
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