Brazilians Luiz and Ramires put Chelsea in the driving seat

Posted on March 21, 2011 by SoccerPunter

Chelsea climbed above Manchester City into third place in the Premier League after David Luiz’s late goal inspired a 2-0 win on Sunday.

Luiz sunk City with 12 minutes to play at Stamford Bridge and Ramires added a second goal in stoppage time as Carlo Ancelotti’s side moved one point ahead of Roberto Mancini’s men.

The Blues are also nine points behind leaders Manchester United with a game in hand.

In Sunday’s other game, Dirk Kuyt scored a controversial penalty as Liverpool bounced back from their Europa League exit with a 2-0 win at 10-man Sunderland.

Chelsea’s clash with City was a meeting between the two most expensively assembled squads in Premier League history.

For long periods of a scrappy encounter, there was little reason to believe the money had been well spent.

City suffered a blow before kick off when Carlos Tevez failed a late fitness test on a groin injury, but they had the best moment of the first half when Yaya Toure’s low drive forced Petr Cech into a sprawling save.

There was an injury scare for reappointed England captain John Terry as the Blues defender needed treatment on a knee problem, but he was able to continue, to the relief of Fabio Capello ahead of next week’s Euro qualifier against Wales.

Fernando Torres is now without a goal in seven matches since his British record transfer after the former Liverpool striker was hauled off in the 70th minute.

The change paid dividends as Torres’s replacement Didier Drogba curled over a free-kick that Brazilian defender Luiz glanced past Joe Hart before his compatriot Ramires scored with a fine solo effort in the 90th minute.

Liverpool were beaten at Sunderland in dubious circumstances last season when Darren Bent scored with a goal that deflected in off a beachball which had been thrown onto the pitch.

But Kenny Dalglish’s side enjoyed their own moment of good fortune at the Stadium of Light this time as Kuyt netted a first half penalty awarded for a tackle by John Mensah that took place outside the area.

Replays showed Mensah’s challenge made contact with Jay Spearing before the midfielder fell in the area and referee Kevin Friend initially gave a free-kick, only to change his decision to a penalty on the advice of a linesman.

Sunderland were furious and Kuyt rubbed salt into their wounds as he drove home the spot-kick.

Luis Suarez scored Liverpool’s second goal from what seemed an impossibly tight angle in the 77th minute to help erase the memory of his team’s lacklustre midweek defeat against Braga in the Europa League and lift the Reds within four points of Tottenham.

Mensah’s miserable day was completed when the Ghana defender was sent off for a professional foul on Suarez in the closing stages.

Even Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher conceded that his side had been lucky to get the penalty.

He told Sky Sports: “I thought it was a penalty, but then I looked at half-time and I don’t think it was, was it? It was just outside.

“Everyone knows goals change games – up to then it had been pretty even and Sunderland had been putting a bit of pressure on.

“Every week you can look at different incidents and you can always say it changes the game. Maybe it has gone our way but thankfully we got the other (goal) to make sure so you could say we would still have won 1-0.”