Thierry Henry added to his legend with the most crucial of goals for Arsenal yesterday, ensuring he bowed out of his return to the Premier League on a high note.

The French striker scored his 229th goal for the club in stoppage time at the Stadium of Light, to give the Gunners a crucial three points that saw them leapfrog Chelsea into fourth place.

Chelsea lost the chance to consolidate their fourth place position in the league yesterday after they were humbled 2-0 by Everton at Goodison Park. Goals from Steven Pienaar and Denis Stracqualursi condemned Villas-Boas to his 6 loss of the season and saw Arsenal overtake them into 4th place after a 2-1 away over Sunderland.

I'm going to attempt to keep this short because, quite frankly, spitting viciously vile vitriol is not how I'd like to spend my Saturday afternoon. Virulence really isn't going to get us anywhere.

But, shit, I'm fucking pissed.

Don't worry, it got much worse.

Hey, at least this guy isn't going to torment us today.

Team news and the like from 2:30pm EST.

Team sheets
Everton
Howard; Neville, Heitinga, Distin, Baines; Donovan, Gibson, Fellaini, Pienaar; Cahill; Stracqualursi.

We've had a week to digest what happened against Manchester United. Plenty has been said and written about last week but now is the time to look forward and focus on Goodison.
Roman Abramovich has been at the training ground this week and it will be interesting to see the level of performance from Chelsea today, to see if his presence has given the players a kick up the arse to refocus their efforts on climbing up the table.

Chelsea players have stuck two fingers up at the freezing weather and their dire form by engaging in a series of fun and games at their training ground in Cobham All a bit of a laugh really especially the scene where Fernando Torres and John Terry viciously grapple as the pair aim to win the [...] Related posts:

1. Didier Drogba, Romelu Lukaku or Fernando Torres Who Will Lead The Chelsea Attack?

A trip to Goodison Park is just the tonic needed following our recent troubles, namely a bizarre, referee-induced three-goal collapse at home against Manchester United.

Wait, what? We rarely win at Everton? Shit.

Mean muggin'

We have actually won at Goodison this season, a 2-1 victory in extra time in the League Cup.

Following on from my post that caused a stir (10,000 views alone) last week about Fernando Torres (Check it out if you haven't already here), here is a breakdown of his performance against Manchester United.
Have a watch and give your view on how you think he did. If only he hit that ball first time after heading it into his path inside the box in the second half!

By Chris Wright

I think I may have an idea why Chelsea are stuttering a bit this season; if this video is anything to go by, their training sessions are utter chaos!

Firstly we see some assorted slapping from everyone present, then Fernando Torres exacts revenge on John Terry for an earlier buffeting by wrestling him to the ground.

It may not have been a man of the match-calibre performance, as those honours would have to have gone to one of the defenders—and probably either Glen Johnson or Martin Skrtel. And he likely didn't even have as good a game as his previous two against Wolverhampton and Manchester United. Regardless of that, however, after nearly a full calendar year filled almost entirely by futility as he struggled first with fitness and then with fitting in, it's understandable that on the back of three strong showings on the bounce people would be eager to look for any upside they can find in the 2012 edition of Andy Carroll.

In a friendly training ground scuffle between John Terry and Fernando Torres, you would probably expect Terry to beat the freckles out of Torres. But that would underestimate the pent-up ferocity of a man who is physically incapable of scoring goals. After getting tossed off the ball by Terry, Torres hunts him down and chucks him like a rag doll before taking the ball back.

Since signing for Chelsea in a £50million deal over a year ago, former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has mustered up a paltry three premier league goals. Clearly, he's still struggling to make the grade at Stamford Bridge, which is mystifying considering his undeniable talent and quality.

Now that the dust has settled, here's a look at some of the transfers that took place during the January transfer window, and see if we can separate the wheat from the chaff.

Whereas last season money was being splashed out on the likes of Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll like a mad gambler who got his greasy mits on a load of free bets, the window this time around was a lot more sensible, indicating a lot less value in the market.

By Josh Clarke

On initial inspection, similarities between Andre Villas-Boas' Chelsea and Edgar Allan Poe seem most abundantly clear in a shared propensity for an excruciating and painfully drawn-out narrative (think Fernando Torres and The Pit and Pendulum).

Fernando Torres at his best, was an absolute terror. Just ask Nemanja Vidic. Or even the whole Manchester United team for that matter. There is no fluke that El Nino became the fastest Liverpool player to reach the 50-goal mark. His searing speed, excellent touch and great dribbling skills made him a Kop hero as soon as he arrived at Anfield.

by Adam Bate

What a return it has been for Kenny Dalglish. Only Cardiff City now stand in the way of Liverpool lifting the Carling Cup at Wembley later this month and thus securing the club's first trophy in six years. King Kenny has brought the buzz back to the city. And thankfully, whatever the dramas off the field, everyone at Anfield appears to be pulling in the same direction once again.

Here's a depressing statistics for Chelsea fans: based on his strike rate with the Blues, it would take Fernando Torres around 20 years to score 100 goals. Potential transfer target Neymar, on the other hand, yesterday completed a career century on his 20th birthday, five games into his fourth top-flight season.

There was a lot of jumping when Chelsea's David Luiz scored his goal in the 51st minute last night. Awkwardly, there wasn't space for Fernando Torres to come in and hug his popular friend. 3-3 and a pina colada for Howard Webb anyone? / via AP Photo

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When Arsenal collapse in comical style, such as from 4-0 up to draw 4-4 with Newcastle last season, or conceding a goal seconds after equalising in the 3-2 defeat to Swansea, it feels fashionable to say "only Arsenal could have lost a game like that".

And there's something to it, to be fair, our defence has generally been the worst in the top four over the years, and we have a poor record in points lost from winning positions.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

Manchester United just will not go away as they overcame a 3-0 deficit to draw away to Chelsea and keep pressure on Manchester City.

It was shaping up to be a long afternoon at Stamford Bridge as a 1-0 halftime lead for Chelsea from Jonathan Evans' own goal was quickly extended.

Over the weekend, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish publicly praised returning striker Luis Suarez, gushing that he is 'loved and revered' at Anfield. Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher aside, the last non-Liverpudlian player to receive such acclaim and adulation was (arguably) Fernando Torres, but legend Alan Hansen believes that Suarez has now eclipsed the Spaniard's popularity.

Super Chelse Misfiring striker Fernando Torres is not the only person at Chelsea who isn't doing his job properly at the moment. Somebody managed to spell the club's name incorrectly in an electronic advert. The ad, which was displayed during yesterday's 3-3 draw with Manchester United, invited people to visit chelsefc.

What was a dream at 3-0 quickly morphed into a nightmare near full time for the Chels, as Manchester United with a helping hand from good friend Howard Webb clawed back to secure a 3-3 draw in a breathless encounter at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Yeah, that's a difficult result to accept.

1. It's a strange one to take, I think if you had asked me before hand I would have said that it was important Chelsea didn't lose the game. Saying that, to play well for the first ten minutes of the second half and find ourselves 3-0 up was a bonus!. To throw it all away is tough to take.
2.

1. At the start of the day I'd have taken a point at Stamford Bridge. We never win there, regardless of which team goes in to the game in better form, so a draw is a decent enough result. Don't forget that City lost there a few weeks ago, so despite some of their drag performances this season, Chelsea are still the 4th best team in the country.

Two goals within the first five minutes of the start of the second half gave Chelsea a 3-0 lead over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. That used to be an insurmountable advantage, but not anymore. Referee Howard Webb awarded Man United two penalties in an 11-minue span that Wayne Rooney put away before substitute Chicharito made it 3-3 with a header in the 84th minute.

Manchester United once again showed their "Never Die" attitude after successfully coming back from a three goals down to hold Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, providing a confidence boost despite the result creates a gap again with league leader Manchester City.

Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez once again acted as the Red Devils savior as the former bagged a brace, both from the spot kick, while the latter scored the decisive equalizer, which rescued important points for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

Though Chelsea ended a sloppy first half against Manchester United with a 1-0 off an Jonny Evans own goal, they did suffer an embarrassment of their own and it had nothing to do with Fernando Torres for once (maybe)!

In a pitchside ad for their own official website's megastore, the web address was spelled "chelsefc.

Didier Drogba could not be denied as he made up for a missed penalty by pouring in a brace. Ivory Coast added another through Yaya Toure as they send Equatorial Guinea, the co-hosts, out of the ACN. The Taranga Lions are through to the semi-finals.

Drogba will be missing today's huge showdown with Man Utd, and in his absence, Chelsea is hoping that misfiring Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge, take up the goalscoring slack.

Ahead of this afternoon's game against Chelsea, Darren Mantle from CFCNet has taken the time to talk to us on all things Chelsea.

Scott the Red: Does your current league position match with your expectations at the start of the season or had you been anticipating a serious title challenge from Chelsea?

Why Fernando Frequently Fails to Fire - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Useless. Flop. Goddamn waste of money. Adjectives are not too hard to come by when Fernando Torres is the topic of discussion. Few footballers have fallen as far and as fast as the former Liverpool hit man has in the past 2 seasons.

Why Fernando Frequently Fails to Fire - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Useless. Flop. Goddamn waste of money. Adjectives are not too hard to come by when Fernando Torres is the topic of discussion. Few footballers have fallen as far and as fast as the former Liverpool hit man has in the past 2 seasons.

It looks like the forecast is clearing up in London. That still doesn't mean we'll play, but it's enough reason to have a rant at least.

Team news and the like from 2:30pm EST.

Team sheets
Chelsea
TBA

Manchester United
TBA

Liveblog: Follow along with Jack @ The Score

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Help me, I'm having nightmares. More, after the jump:

Cold as ice

I'm not even sure this match is as important as what's transpiring around the orbit of England's Once Brave (Twice-Removed) John Terry- henceforth known as EOBTRJT. Jack cooked up some brilliance on the matter, as always, which I recommend you all read at once.

Big game at the Bridge on Super Sunday. Personnel decisions are likely to play a significant role in the outcome. So, let's channel our inner Andre Villas-Boas and sort this one out.

Cool? Cool.

I see you.

Andre Villas-Boas faces all kinds of issues entering our match against Manchester United.

Big game at the Bridge on Super Sunday. Personnel decisions are likely to play a significant role in the outcome. So, let's channel our inner Andre Villas-Boas and sort this one out.

Cool? Cool.

I see you.

Andre Villas-Boas faces all kinds of issues entering our match against Manchester United.

Last night Fernando Torres appeared on Chelsea TV's "Friday Night Live" programme where he answered questions from the fans. Chelsea have kindly uploaded some of the interview to their official channel on YouTube which I will feature for you here.
Torres was asked about how we is settling in at Chelsea and his relation ship with the fans below:
In the full interview featured on the official website, Torres said:

'Since I joined Chelsea it has been amazing.

As bromances go, we can't say we expected this. But ya know what? It might just be mad enough to work... Image: REUTERS/Eddie Keogh.

It's past 5 o'clock somewhere, Kickettes.

Consider that an explanation for our poor spelling, lack of coherence and just about anything else that's horribly wrong after the jump.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

A substantial portion of America will be treated to an extra helping of soccer on the biggest sporting day of the year as Manchester United takes on Chelsea live on Fox on Super Bowl Sunday.

This is the second time in less than a month a Premier League game will be seen on network television.

Football is a funny game. When you predict like a master pundit (read-Carlton Palmer) every thing goes topsy turvy and it actually ends up even more interesting. The past week was no exception and it had everything, I mean everything. For a guy like me the premier league is the only source of joy in what can be called an uneventful life (Yes, what can you do when you are an engineer with a long and winding road ahead).