
Audio By Carbonatix
Juan Mata's controversial second-half penalty earned Chelsea victory over west London rivals QPR and sent them into the fifth round of the FA Cup.Mata scored from 12 yards after Clint Hill was adjudged to have barged over Daniel Sturridge, a decision that looked harsh on replays.Moments earlier, Chelsea claimed a penalty when Hill tripped Sturridge.Mata forced a low save from Paddy Kenny in a game of few chances, while Ramires suffered a serious looking knee injury.Much of the pre-match talk centred on whether there would be a conciliatory handshake between John Terry and Anton Ferdinand, in the first meeting between the sides since Terry was charged with racially abusing Ferdinand in October's Premier League game.But neither player was given the option as the Football Association announced before kick-off that there would be no customary pre-match handshakes between the sides.While the atmosphere was fiery off the pitch, on it both sides played out a poor first half which lacked creativity.Mata had the only clear chance, forcing Kenny into a decent low save from the edge of the box after seizing on Luke Young's slip.Joey Barton wasted QPR's best effort, a half-volley from 20 yards which went comfortably wide of Petr Cech's post.Mata was the game's outstanding player and his delightful back heel played in Ramires, but the Brazilian's delivery across the face of the goal was missed by the Chelsea forward line.Chelsea started the second half brightly and Sturridge went close, sending a fierce drive from the edge of the area narrowly wide after Fernando Torres played him in.QPR were struggling to get a foothold in the game and had no penetration up front, despite the introduction of Federico Macheda at half-time.The visitors were aggrieved not to win a penalty after Hill's challenge on the lively Sturridge, but referee Mike Dean waved away appeals.However, moments later Chelsea were awarded a penalty that looked less obvious when Hill was deemed to have bundled over Sturridge, who went to ground easily.Mata dispatched the penalty expertly, sending Kenny the wrong way and finding the bottom left-hand corner of the net to give Chelsea a 60th-minute lead.The action on the pitch led to some unsavoury incidents off it, with reports of objects being thrown by fans, while Dean spoke with a steward in the crowd about another incident during a break in play.With 15 minutes remaining, Ramires blocked a shot from Hill, leading to a lengthy delay and the Chelsea player being carried off on a stretcher with suspected knee ligament damage.The delay hindered QPR's attempts for an equaliser, with Mark Hughes's side finding it near impossible to gain any momentum and penetrate Chelsea's defence.But the announcement of seven minutes of injury time spurred them on and, in the final seconds, Young forced a decent low save from Cech before Shaun Wright-Phillips's volley missed the target.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
GH¢38.99bn flagged by Auditor-General, but only GH¢12.72bn recovered – PAC Vice Chairman
44 seconds -
Davis Opoku proposes AI auditing, contract portal to strengthen public financial accountability
8 minutes -
We’ve signed $5.5bn with co-development partners to transform Ghana’s economy, 1.7m jobs to be created – 24-Hour Economy Secretariat
16 minutes -
Kumasi-Anwomaso power upgrade to more than double transmission capacity – Energy Minister
21 minutes -
Italy–Ghana Water Technology Workshop boosts partnerships to improve water sector solutions
24 minutes -
Terry Yegbe helps Lech Poznan to Polish Super Cup win
24 minutes -
Temporary power interruptions unavoidable during Kumasi-Anwomaso upgrade – Jinapor
43 minutes -
NCA invites applications for 5G license
49 minutes -
BoG’s own answers validate Bawumia’s gold reforms – Oppong Nkrumah
52 minutes -
AGRA Food Security Monitor shows a mixed picture for Ghana’s food markets
2 hours -
Public confidence is Supreme Court’s greatest asset — Chief Justice
2 hours -
Asiedu Nketiah’s tours were to strengthen NDC, not campaign for presidency – Mustapha Gbande
2 hours -
24-Hour Economy about productivity, not round-the-clock work – Goosie Tanoh
2 hours -
GNFS intensifies fire safety campaigns across Eastern Region communities
2 hours -
Wontumi acted within NPP election rules, not against party leadership – Campaign Secretariat
2 hours