Chelsea banished the memories of their 2008 Champions League final defeat in the Luzhniki Stadium with an impressive victory over Spartak Moscow last night.
First-half goals from Yury Zhirkov and Nicolas Anelka gave Chelsea the momentum to secure a win that now puts them three points clear at the top of Group F.
Victory over the Moscow side at Stamford Bridge in a fortnight's time will guarantee the English champions a first-place finish in the group.
Chelsea, who lost on penalties to Manchester United in a heartbreaking final two years ago, returned in style to kill off the challenge from the group's only other unbeaten side. Chelsea went in front in the 23rd minute when John Obi Mikel's long ball was knocked into the path of Zhirkov, who fired a 25-yard volley into the roof of the net.
It was Zhirkov's first goal for the club and arrived just hours after the former CSKA Moscow man had pledged to live up to his £18 million (Dh103.9m) price tag.
Michael Essien had the chance to make it two in the 31st minute but he elected to cross the ball instead of shooting from an acute angle.
Chelsea were dominating the game in midfield and the home side had little to show for their efforts.
Anelka squandered a chance in the 37th minute when he latched onto a poor pass and ran clear of the Spartak defence.
But the former France international, usually so clinical in one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper, lost control of the ball and Andrei Dykan was able to prevent Chelsea adding to their lead.
However, Anelka made up for his mistake with a second goal for Carlo Ancelotti's side in the 43rd minute.
The Chelsea striker collected the ball after a driving run by Essien and then turned the Spartak defence inside out before placing a low shot under Dykan to score his 50th goal for the club.
Spartak began the second half in much brighter fashion but Ari sent the ball high over the bar from the edge of the penalty area in the 47th minute.
The Russian side had little guile in attack and Chelsea were more than comfortable to let the home side have possession in the midfield and they looked solid at the back with John Terry, the captain who missed the crucial penalty two years ago, in outstanding form.
In the 72nd minute, Essien shot wide from 10 yards when a goal seemed certain.
But Spartak continued to drive forward and Petr Cech dived low to claim a long-range effort from Ferreira Ari in the 81st minute.
Chelsea held on to maintain their perfect record in Europe this season.
* Press Association
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
THE 12 BREAKAWAY CLUBS
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.