Cech proves his worth for Chelsea

Goalkeepers love nothing more than making save after save in a game and truly proving to onlookers that they’re worth the millions of pounds sent in their direction with each passing year. However, the sad reality is that all too often goalkeepers only make the headlines when they make a mistake. Solid performances often go unnoticed and unacknowledged, with the press always keen to send the plaudits the way of the strikers in English football.

It doesn’t however, have to be that way. Step forward Petr Cech. Most of the press surrounding the Chelsea game last night has focused upon Michael Essien’s mixed night, with the midfielder scoring and being sent off upon his return from injury. However, the fact remains that Chelsea had Cech to thank for keeping Fulham at bay in an onslaught during the last quarter of an hour or so that could, and perhaps should, have seen Carlo Ancelotti’s men finish the fixture with the single point, or in fact a rare home defeat put down in the history books. Anyone who placed a football bet on Chelsea that night will have been very pleased with his performance.

Cech, so quiet for much of the game and a mere bystander for the duration of the first half, should be praised for his alertness as the second half progressed, with long-range shots from Clint Dempsey and Zoltan Gera forcing the Czech into world-class saves that owed much to his consistently decent positional awareness and the manner in which he retains concentration even when Chelsea are lighting up the stage in attack.

The 1-0 scoreline represented Chelsea’s ninth consecutive clean sheet at Stamford Bridge, a truly astounding stat that is a real testament to Cech. He has had his critics since fracturing his skull all those years ago but it’s difficult to argue with a statistic like that one.

If Chelsea do win the league this season, no doubt much of the attention will fall on the likes of Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda, but Chelsea fans know the identity of the man who has earned them many more points than the other players would care to admit.

Meanwhile, the Birmingham betting suggests they could be in for a tough season.

The side slipped to a 3-2 defeat against Stoke in midweek to leave them close to the relegation zone.