Chapter 234: The Stamford Bridge Massacre! Double Hat-Tricks! This Is a West London Derby!
When Bayswater Chinese traveled to Naples, Chelsea didn't even bother sending scouts.
André Villas-Boas, once Chelsea's chief scout himself, stayed in London the entire time.
Why? Because there was no point.
Yang Cheng didn't even bring his first team to Italy. Scouting them would've been a waste of resources.
Inside the head coach's office at Cobham Training Ground, the lights were still on.
But Villas-Boas sat alone.
The Portuguese manager sat in silence, brow furrowed, deep in frustration.
He was dreading the upcoming weekend.
Because the opponent was Bayswater Chinese.
Unlike the visitors, Chelsea had no European commitments that week.
The Europa League group stage was ongoing, but there were no fixtures scheduled for this round.
That gave Chelsea a full week to prepare for the match against Bayswater Chinese.
But Villas-Boas knew the truth.
Back when he served as Mourinho's chief scout at Chelsea, he had already learned the history—the deep-rooted grudge between Chelsea and Bayswater Chinese.
Especially the hatred that owner Roman Abramovich held toward them.
This wasn't just a match.
This wasn't just the West London Derby.
This was personal.
And Villas-Boas and his staff had spent countless hours trying to figure out how to contain Bayswater Chinese.
It was, in theory, something he excelled at.
Back when he worked under Mourinho, his job was to scout and plan matches. The two were inseparable.
Mourinho had trusted him completely—he shared everything.
It was during those years that Villas-Boas learned Mourinho's tactical systems and training methods. Combined with his own sharp coaching acumen, he made his name at Académica.
Then he led Porto to a historic treble in just one season.
At 33 years old, with just two years of managerial experience, he had won the treble.
A staggering achievement.
Everyone called him the most gifted manager in Europe after Yang Cheng.
No—even before his Porto success, when he was still coaching Académica, Portugal's big three were already trying to poach him.
But he chose Porto.
To that point, his career and life had gone exactly according to plan.
Before accepting the Chelsea job, Villas-Boas had sought advice from many in the industry.
Most told him to be cautious.
Chelsea, after all, was known for its internal politics—power struggles in the boardroom, faction wars in the locker room.
Still, Villas-Boas took the job.
He had been close with Terry, Lampard, and Drogba during his time at Chelsea.
But he underestimated the weight of the job.
Perhaps the disaster began the moment he accepted it.
Chelsea had paid €15 million to buy out his contract from Porto—a shocking fee.
He didn't pocket that money, but the pressure it created weighed heavily on him.
Pedro Emanuel, a former Porto player who retired in 2009, had coached the youth team.
Villas-Boas had promoted him to the senior staff as assistant, and the two worked together for a year.
But when Villas-Boas decided to join Chelsea, Emanuel chose to coach Académica instead.
Vítor Pereira, another assistant, had six years of solo coaching experience and years as a player.
Villas-Boas wanted to bring him along to London.
But Porto, after receiving the €15 million, tried to lure Mourinho's assistant Faria instead.
When Faria chose to remain at Mourinho's side, Porto made Pereira the successor.
It was a deal no one could refuse.
In the end, neither of Villas-Boas's top two assistants came with him to England.
He had to settle for two loyal aides from his Académica days: performance coach José Mario Rocha and match analyst Daniel Sousa.
Chelsea added two experienced assistants to the staff—reserve team manager Steve Holland and Italian Roberto Di Matteo.
Di Matteo had played for Lazio and Chelsea before managing MK Dons, then West Brom, whom he led back to the Premier League.
But in February of the 2010/11 season, West Brom sacked him when they were hovering around relegation.
He spent six months unemployed before Chelsea brought him in to assist Villas-Boas.
Another tragedy in the making.
What most people don't realize is that football—despite being the world's most popular sport—is an incredibly closed system.
From FIFA to national FAs to domestic leagues, and all the way down to clubs.
Professional football is built on circles within circles.
Even within the coaching profession, circle culture runs deep.
One of the most unspoken yet powerful prejudices?
Managers without a professional playing background are often ostracized.
Yes, Villas-Boas played the game—but he never made it as a pro.
And to many in the industry, that meant one thing: he didn't understand football.
So what if his analytics were sharp? So what if his theory was sound?
Out on the pitch, it was still the players who called the shots—wasn't it?
In Portugal, Villas-Boas hadn't felt this prejudice too strongly.
But once he stepped into the Premier League?
He felt it immediately—and acutely.
Both Steve Holland and Di Matteo gave him the same uneasy feeling.
But the real blow came in the locker room.
At Chelsea, the infamous "Player Committee" was still very much in power.
A tight-knit group of influential players who acted as the team's unofficial leadership council.
Its five core members: Cech, Terry, Ashley Cole, Lampard, and Drogba.
Terry, Cole, and Lampard were English—legends of the club.
Cech and Drogba were foreign, but had contributed massively to Chelsea's success and were fan favorites.
Rumor had it: if something needed doing in the club, those five only needed to meet, and it would be done.
Scolari's sacking, for instance, was said to have been triggered by the committee.
To be fair, such leadership structures aren't inherently bad.
Every club needs spiritual anchors to stabilize the locker room.
Back when Mourinho was in charge, these five gave Chelsea's dressing room cohesion and strength.
Together, they were world-class.
But now they were aging.
And as their performances declined and the club burned through managers, authority within the club began to slip away from the coaching staff.
Under these circumstances, the player committee's influence in the locker room only grew stronger.
And once that influence began to undermine the manager's authority, things took a turn for the worse.
Before Villas-Boas even officially took over, Roman Abramovich had spoken to him about it.
The club's top brass wanted him to push for a youth-driven reform at Chelsea—to break the grip of the player committee in the dressing room.
It was a tall order, a risky move.
But Villas-Boas believed the potential rewards outweighed the risk.
He wanted to erase Mourinho's imprint on Chelsea and replace it with his own.
So, he accepted the job.
What he didn't expect was to lose his first battle with the dressing room right out of the gate.
It happened in the summer, when the team flew to the United States for the International Champions Cup.
Something happened onboard the flight—something the outside world never knew.
With limited first-class seating, Villas-Boas assigned economy seats to some senior players—including Terry, Lampard, and Drogba—while giving first-class seats to new signings and young players he wanted to promote.
That decision sparked immediate unrest.
The senior players said nothing beforehand, but once they boarded the plane, they made their protest known.
They stood silently in the first-class cabin and refused to sit.
The young players, intimidated, offered to switch seats, but Terry and the others wouldn't accept it.
They waited, forcing Villas-Boas to step in.
Why?
Because "First class should belong to the players who built this club," Terry said loudly, right in front of Villas-Boas.
It wasn't a direct insult, but it was public humiliation.
And no one—none of the staff, not the team managers, not even the young players he wanted to promote—stood up for him.
Not one.
Terry even threatened,
"Unless we get a proper answer today, this plane isn't taking off."
"Or you can try throwing us all off."
Throw them off?
That would've made the conflict completely public.
It would've been front-page news worldwide by the next morning.
Chelsea's reputation would take a massive hit.
No one could afford that.
In the end, Villas-Boas had to back down.
He didn't have the power to expel those players.
From then on, it was just one compromise after another.
He wanted to bench those aging stars, but no one supported him.
His every decision only fueled discontent in the locker room.
The player committee staged repeated power plays.
Lampard publicly said his relationship with Villas-Boas was "not ideal."
Ashley Cole was reported to have shouted at him in the dressing room.
There were even mocking nicknames—someone called him "Bambi."
To players like Mikel and others, Terry and Lampard weren't rebels.
They were leaders—willing to stand up to management and protect their teammates.
When Villas-Boas tried to sideline them, even the young players he promoted didn't back him.
They stood with Terry.
Then came the jokes.
The ridicule.
Whispers in the dressing room.
Villas-Boas lost all credibility.
So how was he supposed to face Bayswater Chinese?
He honestly didn't know.
He couldn't even be sure if the players on the pitch would follow his instructions.
This, right here, was why Chelsea had been so poor in big matches this season.
Maybe... they were all waiting for this game—
To watch Villas-Boas fall.
That thought sent chills down his spine.
Chelsea was a knot tied too tight.
One that he had no idea how to untangle.
Just as he was drowning in frustration—
His phone rang.
Caller ID: Marina Granovskaia.
Abramovich's personal assistant.
...
November 26, afternoon — Stamford Bridge.
Premier League, Matchday 13: Chelsea vs. Bayswater Chinese.
A crowd of 41,648 filled Stamford Bridge to the brim.
As the teams took to the pitch for warmups, Chelsea fans were already turning up the pressure.
Cheering their own.
Taunting the visitors.
The chants weren't just insulting—
There were threats.
Even personal abuse.
Standard fare in away games across the Premier League.
After warmups, the players returned to their respective dressing rooms to prepare for kickoff.
Fans were still flooding in.
Inside the Chelsea dressing room, Villas-Boas pushed open the door and clapped loudly.
"Guys, take a look at who's here!"
He smiled as he walked in.
"Let's give a warm welcome to Roman!"
At first, the players barely acknowledged him.
But the moment they saw Abramovich walk in behind him, they shot up instantly.
Applause erupted.
"Hi, Roman."
Terry walked up without even glancing at Villas-Boas and shook hands with the Chelsea owner.
"Good to see you, John," Abramovich smiled.
"I hear this game's being broadcast worldwide. Whether we win or not—it's all on you guys!"
The Russian billionaire was all about reassurance.
He went down the line, shaking hands with Lampard, Drogba, Ashley Cole, and Cech.
Praising them.
Urging them to win.
"You all know what this match means. It's not just another game—we beat them 2–1 here last season. That was a good sign."
He addressed the whole room, voice calm and steady.
Yes, the team had been underperforming.
But it was only temporary.
"I believe that as long as we stay united, we'll bounce back."
"We are Chelsea. The strongest team in the Premier League—always have been."
"I have full confidence in you all."
He also reiterated the board's support for Villas-Boas.
"Everyone told me he's a genius. Young, but immensely talented. We spent a lot and worked hard to bring him here."
"I hope the team can rally around him. Let's work together to win every game ahead!"
Finally, Abramovich announced a bonus scheme.
£10 million for finishing top four.
It was clear—he was trying to motivate them with cash.
Once Abramovich finished speaking, Villas-Boas stepped up to give his final tactical briefing.
And yes—he'd made some compromises with the starting XI.
Goalkeeper: Petr Čech
Defenders: Ashley Cole, John Terry, Branislav Ivanović, José Bosingwa
Midfield: John Obi Mikel as the holding midfielder, Ramires and Frank Lampard in central roles
Forwards: Wesley Sneijder, Didier Drogba, and Samuel Eto'o
With the exception of Anelka—who remained excluded from the matchday squad due to his isolation in the locker room—all five core members of the player committee were back in the starting eleven.
In a way, this was Villas-Boas's compromise.
Earlier in the week, he had received a call from Marina Granovskaia, and the next day, met privately with Roman Abramovich.
The Russian owner made it clear: the team's poor form wasn't just the players' fault—Villas-Boas also had to take responsibility. If he wanted to turn things around, he needed to make changes.
First and foremost, he had to change the way he handled the veterans. He needed tact and strategy.
Without enough authority, he couldn't act recklessly.
So, Villas-Boas compromised.
Because he knew—if he wanted to survive at Chelsea, he had to start winning.
"Today's match is against Bayswater Chinese, the strongest team in Europe," Villas-Boas began his final tactical briefing.
Previously, his conflicts with the players had led to many plans going unexecuted.
Now, he needed to quickly get everyone aligned.
"They have the most powerful attack in European football. That means our defense must be locked in."
"Gareth Bale and Lewandowski are their most dangerous players—we have to mark them tightly."
"Defense is the key to our victory today."
Just as he finished, Lampard raised his hand—
And without waiting for permission, began to speak.
"Everyone in the world knows how strong Bayswater Chinese's attack is—especially down the left wing. That's going to put heavy pressure on our right side. If we try to press high and keep sprinting back and forth, the physical toll will be too much."
Lampard was set to play right central midfield.
In Villas-Boas's tactical system, the defensive line was supposed to press high, with fast transitions between attack and defense.
That required intense back-and-forth running, draining both opponents and his own team.
Especially the midfielders.
They had to push forward on offense and drop deep on defense.
But for a 33-year-old like Lampard, that workload was unsustainable.
Bosingwa, a fellow Portuguese, had Villas-Boas's backing, and his attacking play was decent. But his defensive ability left much to be desired.
Which only increased the burden on Lampard.
"Frank is right," John Terry chimed in, backing him up.
"Over the years, teams like Manchester United and Arsenal have all proven that against Bayswater Chinese, defensive counterattacks are the most effective tactic. We should ditch the high press and play a deeper defensive line."
He paused and glanced toward Abramovich and his entourage standing silently in the corner.
"For the past decade, we've built our identity around deep defending and sharp counters. It's a system we all know and trust."
Villas-Boas's face darkened.
"That kind of low-block defending is too passive—and it won't necessarily hold up. We need to be proactive and control the match."
"As I've said, if we execute our defensive assignments the way I've planned, we can stop Bayswater Chinese's attack."
He clearly wasn't budging.
That made Abramovich frown. He didn't fully understand the tactics, but he knew enough to recognize that a pre-match argument wasn't a good sign.
Wasn't selecting the lineup and setting the tactics the coach's job?
Why were Terry and Lampard acting like they were in charge?
But then again, modern management theory says you can't just silence the players.
And to be fair, what they were saying wasn't wrong.
Chelsea had built their success over the past decade on deep defending and counterattacks.
Yet... Villas-Boas was the manager.
Abramovich had a headache.
He looked to assistant coaches Steve Holland and Roberto Di Matteo.
They both pretended not to notice.
After some thought, Abramovich decided to say nothing.
He knew—if he spoke up now, he'd only create another problem.
Fortunately, thanks to his presence in the room, both sides reined in their tempers.
They eventually reached a compromise both could live with.
So, what was it in the end? High press or low block?
Abramovich had no idea.
But no conflict was already a win.
...
Bayswater Chinese lined up in a 4-3-3 formation.
Goalkeeper: Courtois
Defenders: Marcelo, Thiago Silva, Pepe, Łukasz Piszczek
Midfield: Matić holding, with Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić in central roles
Forwards: Gareth Bale, Robert Lewandowski, and Theo Walcott
This was Yang Cheng's best-performing lineup of the season so far.
Bayswater Chinese kicked off.
Lewandowski played the ball back to Matić.
Chelsea's front three—Sneijder, Eto'o, and Drogba—pressed aggressively.
Bayswater Chinese responded with a series of short- and mid-range passes in their own half, gradually retreating to draw Chelsea's entire defensive line forward.
Then, just outside the box, Thiago Silva launched a long ball down the left flank.
Gareth Bale, with his back to goal, positioned himself perfectly.
He won the aerial battle, flicking the ball past Chelsea's defensive line.
Lewandowski burst through.
Čech came out quickly and cleared it first—but the clearance was rushed and didn't go far.
Modrić picked it up and immediately played a through ball.
Lewandowski and Walcott both made forward runs, forcing Ivanović to panic and boot the ball out—not even for a throw-in, but straight over the end line.
Corner.
Lewandowski's header on the resulting corner went just over, but the pressure rattled Chelsea.
Čech's goal kick found its way to midfield, but Pepe won the aerial duel and headed it straight back.
Chelsea tried pressing near the halfway line.
But Bayswater Chinese's crisp one-touch passing tore through their setup.
Chelsea didn't commit enough bodies to the press.
Sneijder, Eto'o, and Ramires worked hard.
But Drogba and Lampard were less active.
Drogba was older, saving energy for battles with the center-backs—understandable.
Lampard was jogging at a steady pace, covering and sweeping behind the press.
When Chelsea had possession, he'd quickly step up and join the attack—just as he always had.
Yang Cheng observed all of this from the touchline.
He noted that Chelsea's midfield only had one real holding midfielder—Mikel.
Mikel wasn't a natural defensive player.
He had decent positioning and 1v1 strength, but lacked lateral mobility.
Which meant when Ramires and Lampard weren't in position, Mikel became a vulnerability.
And more importantly—
Yang Cheng could sense it... this Chelsea side was fractured.
They called it a high press, but in practice, the defense was pushed up without enough pressure being applied in midfield or up front.
And when you lack pressing intensity in the final third while maintaining a high line?
That's incredibly dangerous.
Even Barcelona would get torn apart under those conditions.
But if you said it was low-block defending, that didn't quite fit either—because every time Bayswater Chinese had possession, Chelsea would fall back quickly.
Yet the defensive transitions weren't cohesive—Ramires and Lampard often couldn't recover in time.
The whole structure felt disjointed.
Contradictory.
Yang Cheng immediately walked to the touchline, ready to signal instructions to his players and point out what he had observed.
But just then, on the left wing, Gareth Bale and Marcelo were trying a combination play—and were immediately surrounded by Eto'o, Bosingwa, and Lampard.
With his back to goal, Bale had no choice but to lay the ball off to Toni Kroos.
No matter how tight the pressure, Kroos always found a way to move into a passing lane.
Receiving the ball, he didn't opt for a long ball, but instead passed horizontally.
A medium-range pass found Matić in the center circle inside Chelsea's half.
Matić trapped it and quickly played it to the right channel for Modrić.
The Croatian took two steps forward but was soon pressured by Ramires, so he passed wide to the right wing.
Walcott hugged the sideline, received the ball, glanced up, then cut diagonally infield, vacating the flank.
Ramires ran to close him down, while Ashley Cole and the rest of the backline were already stationed at the edge of the penalty area.
But Walcott wasn't fazed. He took two more steps toward the channel and then suddenly reversed the play—passing back to the now-unmarked right wing.
Ramires and Ashley Cole miscommunicated—both went charging toward Piszczek, who had moved up to receive the ball.
Piszczek, however, didn't go to the byline. Instead, he cut laterally and returned the ball to Walcott at the top of the box.
Unmarked, Walcott took the pass—but Mikel and Terry were already charging in.
He calmly laid it off to Piszczek again, then burst forward into the box.
Piszczek executed a quick give-and-go, threading a through ball into the right side of the box.
The two completed a perfect one-two.
Walcott surged into the right side of the penalty area and carried the ball to the edge of the six-yard box.
With his right foot, he drilled a low pass across the face of goal.
Terry couldn't stop him. Ivanović was also out of position.
Behind Ivanović, Lewandowski had already slipped through—
Left foot, clean strike—
Goal.
"GOAL!!!"
"Just 1 minute and 20 seconds in!"
"Bayswater Chinese strike first at Stamford Bridge!"
"Lewandowski smashes it home from Walcott's assist!"
"1–0!"
The entire Bayswater Chinese squad ran to celebrate in a frenzy.
Stamford Bridge exploded—in boos.
Clearly, they hated this damn neighbor with every fiber of their being.
...
On the sideline, Yang Cheng was all smiles after the goal.
As the players returned from celebrating, he pulled Toni Kroos and Modrić aside and quietly explained what he had seen—telling them to exploit it even more.
After conceding, Chelsea looked surprisingly conservative.
That surprised Yang Cheng.
In the past, if Chelsea conceded early—especially at home—they'd come at Bayswater Chinese with everything they had.
But not today.
Instead, they focused more on defending, even dropping their backline deeper.
It was a mentality of "no need to shine, just don't screw up."
And if it was a deliberate tactical setup, then where was the counterattack?
Because Chelsea didn't show much of that either.
The match remained tense for about 30 minutes—until the 31st minute, when Bayswater Chinese launched another attack.
At the top of the arc, Ivanović fouled Lewandowski as he came deep to receive the ball.
Referee Lee Mason issued the match's first yellow card.
Free kick—central position, 20 meters out.
Naturally, Gareth Bale stepped up.
He placed the ball, took several steps back, his confidence and composure on full display.
Chelsea set up a five-man wall near the penalty spot.
The whistle blew.
Bale charged in, swung his left foot—and struck a thunderous "butterfly" free kick.
The ball swerved unpredictably at high speed, curling toward the top left corner.
Čech dove with everything he had.
But by the time he read the shot, it was too late.
His fingertips brushed the ball—but couldn't stop it.
2–0.
The stadium gasped. Then came the jeers—even louder now.
Fans were screaming at the players, urging them to wake up.
On the touchline, Villas-Boas shouted relentlessly, waving his arms, urging the team to press higher.
Finally, Chelsea responded.
They pushed forward, even pressing up to Bayswater Chinese's defensive third.
In the 37th minute, they forced Thiago Silva to pass the ball back to Courtois.
Courtois sprinted off his line to beat Eto'o to it and passed to Pepe.
Before Eto'o could close him down, Pepe turned and played a diagonal ball to Thiago Silva.
Drogba charged in, but Silva got rid of it quickly, playing a horizontal pass to Piszczek on the right flank.
Piszczek immediately pushed the ball ahead and chased after it—sprinting past the halfway line and into Chelsea's half.
Chelsea had already dropped deep again—but Bayswater Chinese's counterattack was electric.
Piszczek squared to Matić, who relayed the ball to Modrić.
Modrić, under pressure from two defenders, laid it off to Toni Kroos.
Without hesitation, Kroos swept it first-time back to Matić.
By then, the Serbian was already 30 meters from goal, just outside the penalty area.
This slick midfield triangle had pulled Chelsea's defense out of shape.
Matić spotted an opening.
He glanced at Walcott, who was waiting to make a run, and without hesitation, sent a low through ball—straight down the right channel.
The pass split Chelsea's two defensive lines—20 meters of precision.
Walcott surged diagonally between Ashley Cole and Terry.
Receiving the ball just outside the six-yard box, he didn't wait for Terry to recover.
Right foot, square ball across the face of goal.
Lewandowski was there—again.
He met it first-time with a simple push into the net.
3–0.
The entire stadium fell silent.
Then erupted.
In disbelief.
What the hell was happening?
How were they getting destroyed—at home—by their hated rivals?
This was the West London Derby!
A derby!
Did anyone here even remember what a derby meant?
...
After conceding three, Chelsea finally looked enraged.
Halftime was approaching fast.
Chelsea hadn't even managed a single shot on target yet, and their attempts to threaten Bayswater Chinese's penalty area had been pitifully few.
Meanwhile, Bayswater Chinese?
Eight shots. Three goals.
Clinical efficiency. Unmatched.
Barely three minutes after the last goal, Chelsea made a horrendous passing error that sent the ball directly into Bayswater Chinese's box, where Courtois calmly scooped it up.
Thiago Silva and Pepe exchanged passes at the back, then worked it forward to Matić.
The Serbian midfielder had been outstanding over the last two seasons.
After controlling the ball and turning, he spotted Modrić and played a vertical pass forward.
But just as Modrić was about to receive it, Ramires came flying in from the side and chopped him down.
Still, the loose ball rolled to Walcott on the right.
The "Little Tiger" advanced with the ball, but instead of sticking to the wing, he cut in and played a lateral pass.
Chelsea's players were scrambling to get back. Mikel couldn't cover the central area in time. Lewandowski dropped deep to collect the ball.
He stopped and braced himself as Lampard came storming back.
Shielding the ball with his body, Lewandowski looked to push forward.
Just a few more steps and he'd be within striking range.
But Ivanović stepped up, blocking his path.
Just as Lewandowski hesitated, Gareth Bale darted in from the left, making a diagonal run behind Ivanović.
Lewandowski instinctively slipped a through ball past the defense.
Bale latched onto it and surged into the box.
Facing the onrushing Čech, Bale knocked the ball diagonally to the right, sidestepping the diving keeper.
He caught up to the ball just inside the six-yard box and rolled it into the empty net.
4–0!
Bale lost his mind—sprinting off the pitch with arms wide open, celebrating wildly with Lewandowski, Walcott, and the rest as they ran to join him.
"Collapse like a mountain!"
"We don't know what's going on with Chelsea today!"
"A team once famous for its rock-solid defense has looked broken all season."
"Remember that 5–3 thrashing by Arsenal?"
"Now, against an even stronger Bayswater Chinese, Chelsea clearly lack a unified mindset—and it's showing on the pitch. Disjointed. Confused."
"This is squarely on Villas-Boas. He failed to communicate a clear tactical plan to his players!"
...
Everyone thought the half would end 4–0.
No one expected what came next.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Bayswater Chinese won a corner on the right.
But instead of whipping it into the box, they played it short to Walcott.
He passed it back to Modrić.
The Croatian curled a teasing ball toward the near post.
Pepe rose unchallenged and headed it in from close range.
5–0!
The entire stadium was stunned.
People could not believe what they were seeing.
This wasn't the Chelsea they knew.
And things didn't get any better after the break.
At halftime, Villas-Boas made a change: Van der Wiel on for Bosingwa.
To be fair, Bosingwa wasn't even the worst defender in the first half.
But he was the only one Villas-Boas could realistically sub out.
If he could've, he probably would've replaced the entire backline.
Then in the 51st minute, Bayswater Chinese earned another corner—again on the right.
Modrić took it—just like in first-half stoppage time.
But this time, he sent it straight into the box.
Terry was first to the ball, heading it out of the box—but the clearance lacked height.
Pepe, stationed just inside the area, stretched for a backheel flick—not quite clean, but it slowed the ball enough to roll toward the top of the box.
As players from both sides moved to close down, a flash of red stepped forward.
Matić.
No hesitation. Right foot. Full power.
A thunderous strike from the edge of the area.
Goal.
6–0.
Absolute shock swept through the stadium.
This was a massacre.
And it was happening to Chelsea.
At Stamford Bridge.
Worse still—for Chelsea—it wasn't over.
Only two minutes after Matić's goal, Chelsea mounted a rare attack.
They reached the edge of Bayswater Chinese's box—only to lose the ball.
Pepe intercepted and passed to Matić, who sent it to Modrić.
The Croatian fired a through ball down the right for Walcott.
The Little Tiger tore down the flank, hit the edge of the box, stopped on a dime, then cut inside—leaving Ashley Cole in the dust.
Walcott slashed into the right side of the penalty area.
Facing both Terry and the recovering Ramires, he used a flurry of feints to blow past them.
He could've squared to Lewandowski—Chelsea's defenders were ready for that.
Instead, he passed to the far post.
Gareth Bale.
A fake shot with the right fooled Van der Wiel.
Then, cool as ever, he used his left foot to slot the ball inside the near post.
7–0.
Hat-trick.
Bale exploded with joy, sprinting wildly down the sideline before being mobbed by teammates.
He was ecstatic. Electrified.
By this point, everyone in the stadium knew it—
This match was over.
Chelsea had been humiliated.
This wasn't just a defeat. It was slaughter.
And it happened in front of over forty thousand home fans.
In the 62nd minute, Bayswater Chinese struck again.
An attack on the left pulled Chelsea's defenders out of position.
Toni Kroos received the ball and switched play with a precise diagonal pass to the right wing.
Piszczek charged forward, brought the ball down outside the box, and paused.
When Ashley Cole lunged in, Piszczek knocked the ball down the line and blew past him with pure speed.
From the right byline, he fired a low cross into the six-yard box.
Lewandowski shielded Terry with his body, then blasted the ball into the net.
8–0.
Hat-trick.
The Polish striker ran straight to the right corner, leapt into Piszczek's arms.
The chemistry between the two—long forged in the national team—had always been one of Bayswater Chinese's most dangerous weapons.
Now, Stamford Bridge was dead silent.
The air was heavy with despair and collapse.
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