8 May 2006, by Tony Rosa

Maniche finds form as Chelsea fall to narrow defeat

Newcastle United 1-0 Chelsea - St James Park

After having won the Premiership against Manchester United, like Chelsea’s last outing at Blackburn Rovers, Mourinho again fielded a second-string squad. Even these plans were thrown into turmoil when his goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini was carried off injured during the warm up.

As stalwart Petr Cech did not make the long trip to Newcastle, it was up to third choice goalkeeper Lenny Pidgley to make his first senior start and only his second game for Chelsea. José Mourinho also started the match with his three Portuguese internationals, Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira and Maniche.

The most passionate supporters in the country, the Geordies of Newcastle United, made a terrific noise willing their team on, knowing that victory against the Premiership champions would see them gain the chance of a back door entry into the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto competition.

After an uneventful first half, bar Damien Duff’s tame shot on goal when he had Joe Cole in the clear with the goalmouth beckoning, the match came to life in the second with Maniche having a hand in everything going forward for Chelsea.

Maniche hits woodwork

Mourinho made two half-time substitutions with Carlton Cole coming on for Robert Huth and Shaun Wright-Phillips on for Damien Duff. On 69 minutes, Maniche hit a rasping shot at goal from just outside the area that cannoned off the post. The ball landed at Wright-Phillips feet but he was correctly judged offside.

Following a Newcastle corner in the 72nd minute, Titus Bramble was left unmarked at the far post and a hit a fierce shot into the back of the Chelsea net to make it 1-0 to the Geordies.

Two minutes later, Newcastle’s right back, Stephen Carr was sent off for kicking the Chelsea sweeper Lassana Diarra. Chelsea’s final substitution saw Carvalho go off injured following a clash of heads with Newcastle’s Jean Alain Boumsong. Jimmy Smith came on for the blues, making his first team debut.

In Mourinho’s post match interview, he was unhappy at referee Steve Bennett stating that Newcastle’s former Chelsea player Celestine Babayaro was “a red card in every country, in every division on every pitch” and that “Boumsong’s clash with Carvalho was a penalty in every country, in every division, on every pitch.”


Chelsea:
Pidgeley, Huth (C Cole, 45), Carvalho (Smith, 81), Gallas (c), Johnson, Diarra, Maniche, Ferreira, J Cole, Robben, Duff (Wright-Phillips, 45)

Newcastle Utd:
Given, Carr, Moore, Bramble, Babayaro, Solano (Boumsong, 30), Faye, Emre, N'Zogbia Ameobi, Chopra (Clark, 76)

Goals:
[1-0] Bramble, 72