A blog of two halves

Do good things come in threes for Chelsea?

As Chelsea’s league season approaches its nail-biting climax at Newcastle on Sunday, there’s also the prospect of an extraordinary treble.

9 May 2018
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Karen Carney (centre) and Chelsea manager, Emma Hayes (right, 33-weeks pregnant with twins) celebrate with the Women’s FA Cup trophy. PICTURE: GETTY IMAGES

As Chelsea's league season approaches its nail-biting climax at Newcastle on Sunday, there's also the prospect of an extraordinary treble.

The Blues' U18s have lifted the FA Youth Cup, Chelsea Ladies have raised the Women's FA Cup, and now there's a chance for the men to win a third FA trinket in a single season.

A sun-soaked Wembley resonated to the shrill shrieks of young fans (average age in the stadium seemed to be 12) on Saturday, cheering on the Ladies as they overpowered Arsenal.

Two goals from Swiss miss Ramona Bachmann and one from the women's footballer of the year Fran Kirby were enough to see off the Gunners.

But Chelsea's first team face an arguably tougher challenge against favourites Manchester United, coached by Jose Mourinho.

Talking of Chelsea rejects, it was entertaining to listen to Blues fans ironically taunting Mo Salah, as the marksman had a rare ineffectual game at the Bridge with visitors Liverpool on Sunday.

Chelsea produced one of their most committed performances of the year – the type of harassing, hassling play they'll surely need against the Red Devils.

Every Liverpool attack was countered, space was denied and promising moves snuffed out at source. Had the Blues kept up this level of concentration at a few other recent games, the table would look a lot different today. Olivier Giroud's header ensured the 1-0 win.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

Tim Harrison

Tim is our Chelsea FC blogger.

He also writes our Shepherds Bush Cricket Club match reports during the football close season.

Tim has been writing Chelsea match reports since the late 1980s for newspapers and, more recently, websites.

When he first reported on the Blues, the press box was a metal cage suspended over the lip of the old west stand - and you reached it via a precarious walkway over the heads of the fans.

But he has been a Chelsea fan since his father took an excited seven-year-old to watch Chelsea v Manchester United in the mid 1960s... and covered his ears every time the chanting got too ripe.

In July 2005 he wrote The Rough Guide to Chelsea, published by Penguin, which sold 15,000 copies.

His favourite player of all time is Charlie Cooke, the mazy winger who lit up Chelsea's left wing in the 60s and 70s.

When he isn't watching the Blues, Tim acts, paints, writes and researches local history.

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