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MOTD- Chelsea 2-0 Hull City

By on August 18, 2013
Chelsea earn a 2-0 win against Hull to kick-off Jose Mourinho's second stint at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea earn a 2-0 win against Hull to kick-off Jose Mourinho’s second stint at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea kicked off Jose Mourinho’s second term at Stamford Bridge with a 2-0 win over newly promoted side Hull City, in a largely onesi-ded match in London. The Blues missed a handful of chances including a penalty, while Hull were lucky not to be left with a worse goal differential tally after the first day.

Mourinho’s side, featuring the summer acquisition Kevin de Bruyne, but lacking the faces of Romelu Lukaku, Demba Ba, or Juan Mata, began their dominance in the opening seconds leaving Hull baffled by their quality. Eden Hazard had his shot blocked by a combination of defender and goalkeeper, before Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor stupidly gifted Chelsea a penalty in the sixth minute. Nerves got the better of McGregor as he bullishly rammed over Fernando Torres as the Spaniard was slipped through into the Hull box, but the Scot redeemed himself in spectacular fashion by tipping Frank Lampard’s low spot-kick wide.

Chelsea continued their dominance, pushing Hull further back and forcing McGregor into multiple saves to keep Hull in it. Oscar came close in the eleventh minute when Torres’ pass gave him space to shoot, but the Brazilian dragged his effort from the edge of the area wide. Nevertheless, only moments later Oscar found the back of the net, with Hazard cutting in from the left and playing it to De Bruyne on the edge of the box. De Bruyne slipped a inch perfect pass into the run of Oscar down the middle, and the midfielder poked it under an oncoming McGregor into the back of the net.

Still, Chelsea went looking for more, which they got in the twenty-fourth minute after Torres was tripped thirty-yards out from goal. Frank Lampard stepped up to take the free-kick, and much to Mourinho’s delight the veteran midfielder blasted an unstoppable shot over the wall, and into the top corner, with the swerve of the ball leaving McGregor clutching at air.

Although The Blues finally took their foot of the gas pedal, they somehow were denied a third goal just before the end of the half when Lampard’s corner to met the unmarked head of Branislav Ivanovic. The left-back sent a powerful header toward goals, and despite all signs pointing towards a goal, McGregor amazing managed to claw it away from goal on his second attempt.

The match moved on to the second half, and despite Chelsea’s considerable drop of pace Steve Bruce continued to scream at his side. This proved (somewhat) helpful, as Robert Koren fired Hull’s first shot on target straight into the hands of Petr Cech from twenty-five yards in the sixty-third minute. Curtis Davies then came close to netting his side’s first goal of the campaign with a placed header towards the top-left corner, only for Cech to make the save.

But Hull’s brief flurry of chances ended and although Chelsea substitute Andre Schurrle beat McGregor to a Ramires through-ball before chipping it just over the bar from the edge of the box in the seventy-sixth minute neither side could find another goal, with referee Jon Moss blowing for full time following two minutes of added time.
Man of the Match: Kevin De Bruyne

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.