Florent Malouda gave Chelsea an important lead in the match against Wigan to give the team all three points. Fernando Torres still has not scored for Chelsea but although he started on the bench, the Spaniard had a hand in the winning goal. Or rather, an elbow.
Florent Malouda gave Chelsea an important lead in the match against Wigan to give the team all three points. Fernando Torres still has not scored for Chelsea but although he started on the bench, the Spaniard had a hand in the winning goal. Or rather, an elbow.
In the 67th minute, Didier Drogba curled in a corner that David Luiz met at the near post, sending a looping header towards the far one. The Wigan goalkeeper, Ali al-Habsi, jumped to claim it, but with Torres’s arm exerting undue pressure on him he could only flap at it. Branislav Ivanovic’s attempt to bundle it over the line was thwarted, but Florent Malouda slammed the follow-up into the net from six yards to settle this scrappy game and ignite a debate. “It was clear as day that Torres had his elbow in Ali’s face, impeding him,” Roberto MartÃnez said. “I rate Howard [Webb, the referee] very much but that was the call of the day. We did not deserve to lose.”