Torres hits 3 as Blues maul QPR
April 30, 2012, Monday
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FERNANDO Torres scored his first Chelsea hat-trick as the Blues thrashed Queens Park Rangers 6-1 to strengthen their bid for automatic qualification for next season's Champions League.
Torres scored twice in a first half that saw Chelsea 4-0 up in the 25th minute at Stamford Bridge in the London derby, with Daniel Sturridge taking just 46 seconds to open the scoring and Chelsea captain John Terry on target as well.
Spain striker Torres completed his treble in the 64th.
Florent Malouda made it 6-0 in the 80th, before Djibril Cisse scored for QPR six minutes from time.
Victory took Champions League finalist Chelsea up into fifth place on 61 points, two ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, which was playing relegation-threatened Blackburn Rover later, and a point behind fourth-placed Newcastle United.
Manchester United, on 83 points, is at Manchester City (80) in a likely title-decider today.
Only the top four clubs at the end of the English Premier League season are due to qualify for next term's Champions League, although that number will be reduced to three if Chelsea beats Bayern Munich in this season's final.
Defeat left QPR above the relegation zone on goal difference alone, with two games of the season left.
Torres, who has struggled for much of his 15 months at Chelsea since his British record 50 million pounds (US$81 million) move from Liverpool, said: "I am very happy. I knew if I worked hard the goals would come. It's the same for the team, we are playing more as a team now."
For Chelsea, which overcame the handicap of having Terry sent off to record a 2-2 draw away to champion Barcelona last Tuesday that saw it into the Champions League final, this win over its west London rival capped a memorable week.
It also set it up in style for Wednesday's match at Newcastle, which precedes Chelsea's FA Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley this weekend.
Yesterday's game took place without the usual pre-match handshake ceremony after concerns it could affect Terry's July 9 court case over allegations he racially abused Anton Ferdinand during QPR's victory over Chelsea in October.
Torres scored twice in a first half that saw Chelsea 4-0 up in the 25th minute at Stamford Bridge in the London derby, with Daniel Sturridge taking just 46 seconds to open the scoring and Chelsea captain John Terry on target as well.
Spain striker Torres completed his treble in the 64th.
Florent Malouda made it 6-0 in the 80th, before Djibril Cisse scored for QPR six minutes from time.
Victory took Champions League finalist Chelsea up into fifth place on 61 points, two ahead of Tottenham Hotspur, which was playing relegation-threatened Blackburn Rover later, and a point behind fourth-placed Newcastle United.
Manchester United, on 83 points, is at Manchester City (80) in a likely title-decider today.
Only the top four clubs at the end of the English Premier League season are due to qualify for next term's Champions League, although that number will be reduced to three if Chelsea beats Bayern Munich in this season's final.
Defeat left QPR above the relegation zone on goal difference alone, with two games of the season left.
Torres, who has struggled for much of his 15 months at Chelsea since his British record 50 million pounds (US$81 million) move from Liverpool, said: "I am very happy. I knew if I worked hard the goals would come. It's the same for the team, we are playing more as a team now."
For Chelsea, which overcame the handicap of having Terry sent off to record a 2-2 draw away to champion Barcelona last Tuesday that saw it into the Champions League final, this win over its west London rival capped a memorable week.
It also set it up in style for Wednesday's match at Newcastle, which precedes Chelsea's FA Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley this weekend.
Yesterday's game took place without the usual pre-match handshake ceremony after concerns it could affect Terry's July 9 court case over allegations he racially abused Anton Ferdinand during QPR's victory over Chelsea in October.
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