Robben rounds off Chelsea revival
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Article summary
Chelsea FC had to work hard against Sunderland AFC for their tenth successive Premiership win, coming from a goal down and having a man sent off.
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Lawrence opener
Liam Lawrence drilled in a fine, low shot on eleven minutes to start Sunderland fans dreaming of a famous victory, but Hernán Crespo struck with a close-range header before Arjen Robben scored the winner with a deflected shot on 69 minutes.
Robben red card
However, Robben was shown a second yellow card for celebrating his goal excessively and ten-man Chelsea were pushed on to the back foot for the remainder of the game, although Sunderland were unable to grab a share of the points. José Mourinho’s side stretch their lead over second-placed Manchester United to 16 points, while Sunderland still have just one win and six points to their name after 21 matches.
Spirited West Bromwich
While Sunderland look doomed, West Bromwich Albion FC have pulled away from the drop zone with a 1-0 win away against Wigan Athletic FC. Despite playing over half the game with ten men following Darren Moore’s sending-off, the visitors claimed their first away win of the season thanks to a second-half strike by Martin Albrechtsen.
Five-point cushion
West Bromwich move above Middlesbrough FC into 16th place, five points ahead of Portsmouth FC, who occupy the first of the three relegation places.
