Chelsea Suffer 4-2 FA Cup Knockout against Bradford City

In an upset described simply as "a disgrace" from Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, league one side Bradford City have knocked out Premier League leaders Chelsea from the FA Cup with a 4-2 victory at Stamford Bridge. With the quadruple now impossible, Chelsea must still face the stern test of the second leg of the Capital One Cup against Liverpool on Tuesday night, along with next weekend's visit from second placed Manchester City. After the disappointing result against Bradford City, Chelsea will now be forced to recover and step it up in their remaining domestic competitions, while still keeping an eye ready to face Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League round of sixteen.

Despite the lower league opposition, Jose Mourinho still fielded a respectable side with experience. With Cahill and Azpilicueta in defence, along with Oscar, Ramires, and Drogba all starting, the Premier league leaders seemed to be coasting as they grabbed the lead with Cahill popping in a sneaky flick from a corner. The second came with a smooth counterattack after Ramires stole the ball in midfield, with a quick-moving give and go between the Salah and the Brazilian who neatly finished. Yet Bradford City were able to pull one back before halftime, with the unmarked Stead receiving the ball from a set play before blasting it into the top corner past Cech. 

As the second half wore on, Mourinho brought on Fabregas and Willian for Salah and John Obi Mikel in the 70th minute, however five minutes later Bradford City found the equalizer with Morias finishing off a scramble in Chelsea's box. At this point Mourinho brought on his final substitute, replacing Loic Remy with Eden Hazard, yet Bradford were still uncontainable going forward. It was Halliday who gave the visitors the 3-2 lead, his first time shot from the top of the box unreachable for Cech. Despite being up, Bradford City continued to charge at the champions rather than defend their lead, and were rewarded when the substitute Yeates tucked in their final goal in stoppage time to complete the 4-2 comeback. 

Although Mourinho can still look at Liverpool's unimpressive 0-0 draw against Bolton and Manchester City's 2-0 loss to Middlesborough, their defeat was still the most comprehensive collapse of any Premier League side in the FA Cup round this weekend. Stamford Bridge will be looking for a positive result against the Reds (still without the injured Daniel Sturridge, who should be back in time to face West Ham) on Tuesday night in order to continue on in the Capital One Cup. Following that, the true test to consolidate their Premier League dominance awaits when Manchester City visit London next weekend. Be sure to check out the current Premier League odds, as both sides will be looking for victory at all costs on Saturday night. 

What remains for sure is that Jose Mourinho cannot allow his Chelsea side to put in another similar performance in their upcoming matches, or else their treble could be at stake. Share your thoughts about the match along with predictions for the upcoming fixtures below.

Guardiola Conquers UEFA Super Cup With Bayern

As the bustling transfer window nears its closing, the first European clash of titans has entertained and ended in favor of Josep Guardiola's Bayern Munich. A deserved victory for the Bavarian side which beat Chelsea on penalties after extra time had finished 2-2. While there were two brilliant sets of players on either side the entire match seemed to revolve around the two coaches, both with weighty expectations on their shoulders for the upcoming season. 

From the start of the match it was evident that the two teams had the very distinctive marks of their coach. Bayern were spreading themselves out, keeping possession, and attacking with a speed and beauty that Guardiola's tactics are defined by. On the other hand, Chelsea were always compact, defending tightly while waiting for the chance to punish with the lightning quick transition typical of Jose Mourinho's teams. It was in fact one of those quick counterattacks led by Hazard, the Frenchman distributed the ball to Schurrle who crossed for Torres to cleanly finish in the 8th minute. It was everything you'd expect from Mourinho's side: clinical play using their first chance to score, but they were also helped by the poor marking ("poor" as in the general lack of marking) on Torres.

From there it was Bayern who with continuous possession attempted to slip through the Chelsea defence. It took until the start of the second half, when Ribery rifled a shot past Cech (who probably could have done better) and then sprinted off towards Guardiola to celebrate with his Spanish coach. Bayern definitely deserved the equalizer as did Ribery, who had been the most dangerous Bayern player for the German side.

As Chelsea were forced to attack, the match became much more open with plenty of chances for either side. The most notable was caused by Dante's slip, giving the ball away to Schurrle who fed it to Oscar clean in front of Neuer, but the young Brazilian wasn't able to capitalize as Neuer swatted his effort away. Guardiola decided to change things up putting in Javi Martinez for Rafinha, which pushed the makeshift midfielder Lahm back to his more natural position of right back. Gotze replaced Muller, and it was the young substitute who in the 85th helped turn the tides of the match, Ramires crashed into him (after getting the ball) and earned his second yellow of the match. 

But Chelsea would not give up, and in the first minutes of extra time Eden Hazard squirmed through Bayern's defence to fire a low shot underneath Neuer. As Bayern continued to pressure, Chelsea continued to hold, until an injury time equalizer by Javi Martinez. The very substitute who almost left the field in the second half because of a nasty ankle twist, Guardiola's fellow Spaniard had extended the match to penalties. From there, the German side was as clinical as history has defined them to be, and Chelsea substitute Romelu Lukaku had his poor effort saved. 

While Mourinho complains about a UEFA conspiracy against him, Guardiola celebrates. Two different coaches both extremely successful in their own style crafted the spectacle that was the UEFA Super Cup with their tactics. Both sides played a fantastic match, which ended with the more deserving team victorious. Considering this first European clash is a taste of the action to come this season, I absolutely cannot wait for the Champions League to get rolling.

Ramires and David Luiz Score to Defeat Manchester City

David Luiz scored the opener against Manchester City

Unless you hit the ground running, life can be very difficult as a new signing. At Chelsea we saw two Brazilians join, Ramires in the summer and David Luiz in January, and they've both had very different stories with the Blues so far. But recently they both proved very useful to an underachieving Carlo Ancelotti when they both scored to defeat Manchester City.

It was a very tight affair at Stamford Bridge. Roberto Mancini had set out Manchester City to defend and counter, giving Chelsea the majority of possession and goalscoring chances. Chelsea eventually scored in the 79th minute when David Luiz flicked Drogba's free kick past Joe Hart. The Brazilian defender had played a dynamic and lively match, defending well with a youthful energy, his header culminating his excellent performance.

Having seen his side go a goal down, Roberto Mancini decided to try and change the course of things. He substituted Yaya Toure and James Milner with Mario Balotelli and Adam Johnson, in hopes that the young pair of substitutes could conjure up something. While this move allowed Manchester City to press forward more, it opened up holes for Chelsea to take advantage of. And in the 90th minute Ramires skipped past the Manchester City defence (like a hot knife through butter with delightful Brazilian flair) before banging in the second goal of the match.

Two goals scored by two Brazilians, winning an important match for Chelsea. With these three points Chelsea leapfrog over Manchester City into third place, solidifying their hopes for a Champions League spot. Manchester City on the other hand are in a slightly precarious position to remain in fourth place, with Tottenham just four points behind them. To make things even tighter, Spurs have a game in hand which if won, can bring them just one point behind Manchester City.

Ramires celebrating his second goal for Chelsea 

But back to Chelsea and the Brazilians. While David Luiz arrived in January, playing well from the start and scoring important goals against Manchester United and now Manchester City, it was a slightly different story for Ramires. David Luiz came to Chelsea as a central defender with skill, Ramires came to Chelsea as a confused midfielder.

Ramires never managed to identify himself in a proper position. He isn't a winger, although his endurance and running ability could suggest that. He isn't an attacking midfielder, because he lacks the invention and spark which one needs. Yet he isn't a defensive midfielder either, his small and wiry frame unable to give many brutish forwards a physical challenge. One could probably describe him best as a complete central midfielder.

Full of energy and vivacity to chase down opponents, Ramires has the bit of Brazilian skill needed to produce moments of magic, and a hardworking attitude which has helped him earn respect at Chelsea. While Ramires is a fantastic utility player, he shouldn't be lumped into that group (a group which is too often under-appreciated). He certainly isn't a player to discard, because he has a tactical understanding which when accompanied with quick thinking makes an underlying difference, often not noticed by the masses.

Now Ramires has begun to acclimatize himself in the Premier League. He has found the right physicality to fight for the ball while incorporating elements of skill into his game at the right time. It all culminated for him against Manchester City, when Ramires was strong throughout the game and he eventually scored a brilliant goal with his Brazilian feet.

A picture perfect Brazilian moment ruined by Lampard

David Luiz and Ramires were truly key players against Manchester City, and it seems like the pair's importance will only grow. David Luiz still has much to learn, especially regarding reckless challenges, but with time he will become an iconic defender. Ramires on the other hand has become adept at learning quietly at his own pace, and now that he's comfortable, he is an important piece in Chelsea's midfield.

The question is, will these players be enough to keep Chelsea in the top four? What are your thoughts on the two Brazilians? Share your thoughts about the match, Chelsea, Manchester City, and anything else below!

Chelsea Defeat Manchester United In 2-1 Comeback

This victory was slowly being formulated in Chelsea's subconscious. After the 2-0 victory in Copenhagen, things were starting to turn around following an arid spell of poor play from the English champions. And while there have been off-field altercations, Ancelotti's men stepped up and faced Manchester United with heart.

The first half wasn't the best for Chelsea. Manchester United created chances thanks to a vivacious Rooney supported by a strong midfield. In the 30th minute the English forward completed his own personal comeback, a low and sizzling shot from out of the box flew into the back of the net. It's Rooney's first goal from outside of the box since February of 2008 (thank you OptaJoe), and it helps to answer the omnipresent question, "Has he returned to form?".

But Chelsea weren't to be undone in front of their home crowd, and a much more convincing display was put on by Chelsea in the second half. Just under ten minutes into the second half, Chelsea found a way to score an equalizer. David Luiz was in the United penalty box and when the ball dropped to him, the Brazilian fired a wonderful volley into the near bottom corner. It was a truly wonderful piece of skill from the defender. One which highlights ability to deliver when he decides to move up the field and in front of goal.

Chelsea were slightly aided by the referee, Martin Atkinson, who awarded a relatively soft penalty for the home side. While maybe by the rules it would be a penalty (Zhirkov was impeded on his way to the goal), it didn't seem like a proper goalscoring opportunity was improperly halted. Yet Atkinson awarded his 11th penalty of the season (more than any other referee in the Premier League. Thanks again OptaJoe), and Lampard smashed it into the roof of the Manchester United net.

A comeback complete, yet there was more to come. In the final minutes, Vidic earned a second yellow card when he dragged down Ramires. While the suspension of the captain isn't a good one, Sir Alex Ferguson was still seething regarding the penalty awarded to Chelsea. On the other hand, when asked about the penalty Carlo Ancelotti simply said, "It was a penalty".

A great victory for Chelsea, which could spur them onto a strong run in the Premier League. Manchester United will be without Vidic when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool. Could they concede more points to Arsenal on Sunday against Liverpool?

Chelsea Coming Together For Final Push

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti spoke of "turning corners" and of having brought to an end a "difficult moment which went on too long", following their much-needed victory over Bolton Wanderers. The Blues won in a one-sided affair at the Reebok Stadium with unanswered goals from Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Ramires, and the result marks the first time that they have won back-to-back Premier League wins since the end of October.

Chelsea are finally looking more like their former selves following a poor run of results which included losses against Sunderland, Birmingham and Wolves, and will now be looking to put together a run of victories in a bid to charge back up the table and into a position to challenge Manchester United for the title, who are most people's football betting tips for the league right now. At present they trail the Old Trafford outfit by seven points having played one more game, but with both fixtures between the pair still yet to be played. Their captain John Terry remains upbeat about their chances of retaining their title,

"In the past we've never given up. Manchester United are getting the right results and a little bit of luck - maybe that will turn. We still have to play them twice and if we can then we'll be back in it,"

Tuesday night's performance would suggest that Chelsea have managed to shake the sense of lethargy from their limbs, and their spirited, determined and ruthless display against a strong Bolton side will have been exactly what their fans would have been praying for. But if this is to be more than a flash-in-the-pan recovery then the Blues will have to keep their concentration, as their next three fixtures consist of challenging games against Everton, Sunderland and Liverpool and the football betting indicates all three sides will give them a match.

One factor which suggests that Chelsea might just be back to their best was the sublime strike by Didier Drogba to open the scoring against Bolton. The goal marks his first for the club since he managed to fully shake a bout of malaria which he admitted to playing through, despite him suffering symptoms for over two months. With Essien back, Drogba fit and Ramires finally opening his account for his new club, the future looks far brighter.