Beware the 'Little Horse

SINGAPORE -Mourinho’s methodical Blues ready to pounce if Pool or City slip up

SWANSEA 0

CHELSEA 1

(Demba Ba 68)

In the darkest shadows, they continue to lurk, watching through dilated pupils.

Let Liverpool and Manchester City cross swords and bask in the glamour of a game billed as the Premiership season’s title decider.

Less than three hours after Liverpool’s hard-earned victory on Sunday, Chelsea nicked a 1-0 away win over Swansea.

It was methodical and clinical, not quite a piece of cake but certainly in line with the Blues’ economical modus operandi.

Demba Ba’s goal fired them back to within two points of the leading Reds.

Yet, almost no one could see them coming.

This is Chelsea, cold as ice and ruthless as a whooping hyena.

Liverpool can hear something from behind so they peer over their shoulders and blink even harder to make out what’s ahead to make sure they aren’t walking straight into an ambush.

But Chelsea, stalking under the cover of darkness, won’t show themselves. Yet.

Manager Jose Mourinho periodically reminds everyone that the Blues are “little horses” in the title race and it’s “impossible” for his side to win the league this term, and often offers lame reasons to back himself up.

But they are biding their time, waiting to pounce at the slightest mistake, at the right time. And they are well-poised to strike a decisive blow.

Chelsea are manoeuvring in the slipstreams of Liverpool and Man City to stay in contention somehow. It’s a specialised skill Mourinho has honed.

Their last chance to make a move comes two Sundays from now, at Anfield, where they will attempt to finish off the Reds in broad daylight.

BLUES CAN LEAPFROG POOL

An away win for Chelsea over Liverpool will elevate them above Brendan Rodgers’ men, with two games to go.

That’s assuming that the Blues beat Sunderland this Saturday and the Reds take care of Norwich on Sunday.

All things being equal, a Chelsea win over Liverpool on April 27 will also tilt the title race back in Man City’s favour. But, given Man City’s relatively tougher run-in, in particular a tough encounter against Everton at Goodison Park, Chelsea will fancy their chances under the circumstances.

It will be silly for Liverpool, or for that matter anyone, to believe that Chelsea are no longer in the equation.

The Blues have shown this season that they can grind out results. They don’t have a reliable striker, but make up for it with the league’s best defence (24 goals conceded in 34 matches).

Sure, the odds are stacked against the Blues snatching the crown from right under Liverpool and City’s noses.

It remains unclear if Eden Hazard will return from injury in time for the clash with Liverpool.

On top of that, the game is sandwiched between the first and second legs of their Champions League semi-final with Spanish La Liga high-fliers Atletico Madrid.

But, then again, the Blues thrive in adversity.

Write them off at your own peril.

I told the referee, ‘That’s a second yellow card for me’. — Chelsea defender John Terry revealing that he advised referee Phil Dowd to send off Swansea’s Chico Flores during the Blues’ 1-0 win at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday.

This article was published on April 15 in The New Paper.

Get The New Paper for more stories.