CHELSEA V SUNDERLAND

DATE

Saturday 7th August 1999

3pm

KICK OFF

AT

Stamford Bridge

FIXTURE

FA Carling Premiership

MAN OF THE MATCH

ATTENDENCE

SCORE

Didier Deschamps

34,831

4 - 0

SCORERS

CHELSEA

Poyet 20, 78  Zola 31  Flo 76

SUNDERLAND

REFEREE

Mike Riley (Leeds, West Yorkshire)

REFS PERFORMANCE

5/10

ASSISTANT REFEREES

M. Short

R.Bone

TEAMS

CHELSEA

Ed De Goey, Dan Petrescu, Frank Leboeuf, Marcel Desailly, Didier Deschamps, Gustavo Poyet, Chris Sutton, Dennis Wise, Graeme Le Saux, Albert Ferrer, Gianfranco Zola

SUBSTITUTES

Flo (Sutton) Di Matteo (Poyet) Babayaro (Petrescu)

BOOKED

Le Saux

SUNDERLAND

Sorensen, Makin, Bould, Butler, Gray, Summerbee, Ball, Rae, Lumsden, Quinn, Phillips

SUBSTITUTES

Fredgaard (Ball) McCann (Lumsden) Helmer, Dichio, Marriott

BOOKED

Rae, Makin, Quinn

MATCH REPORT

The opening game of the long Premiership season was finally underway.

On arriving at the Bridge you could feel the expectancy levels at fever pitch, great to see the Makems fill both sides of the East Stand lower and add to the general atmosphere.

The game itself saw us completly dominate the game from start to finish, poor Sunderland being totally outclassed in every department.

After 20 minutes of intense pressure by the Blues, we finally got the breakthrough from a Poyet header and was totally unmarked.

The little Italian was in inspirational form and scored Chelsea's 2nd with a superb drive , after rounding "Arsenal reject" Bould.

After the goals went in Sutton was to miss two clear cut chances with just him and the goalkeeper to beat, the second chance seeing him fall over when clear through.

Watching Sutton it appeared to me that he is going to need time to fit into Chelsea's style of play, and may be trying to much to score, "the goals will come " I'm sure.

Later misses by Petrescu , one attempt hitting the post, Sub Di Matteo, and Flo mssing clear chances we could of easily won the game 8-0 such was our dominance of the game.

Special mention must go to Didier Deschamps who was quite simply brilliant as well as Alber Ferrer, but for me Deschamps was in a class of his own, I recall him giving the ball away only once during the whole game, his tackling first rate, vision, and tactical awareness outstanding, "this man walks on water, let alone carries it"

The best goal was the Poyet's 2nd in the 78 minute a wonderfull first time volley by Gus from a clever chip into the box from Zola a truly wonderfull goal masterminded by two world class players.

Flo also coming on for Sutton scored a easy header in the 76 Minute, had settled the game before Poyet's blockbuster had finished the Makems off.

With Deschamps in this form and keeping Poyet fit , we must be surely in with the greatest chance in Chelsea's history to win the prize Vialli and the fans crave, to be
"The FA Carling Premiership Champions