Chelsea 4-3 Bolton Wanderers: What the papers say

Tuesday April 14th, 2009

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How the national press reported the Wanderers 4-3 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

The News of the World chose to use Bolton’s fightback as a way of hyping up Liverpool’s trip to Stamford Bridge in the Champions League this week, asking: “If Bolton can score three in eight minutes at Stamford Bridge, what can Liverpool do in 90 minutes?” Their report goes on to suggest that those mad eight minutes were the result of Chelsea’s arrogance rather than any fighting spirit on behalf of Bolton.

The Sun was in similar Champions League-centric mood, even quoting Gary Megson on Liverpool’s chances of overturning their 3-1 deficit (any chance we could hear Megson’s thoughts on Bolton?). It was the same story in the Times and the Telegraph too.

The Mirror puts the comeback down to fear rather than arrogance, with Michael Ballack saying Bolton could “smell the panic”. The Mail, meanwhile, just put it down to sloppiness, although they also had a dig at the Chelsea fans, suggesting Bolton’s comeback may have been a little bit of karma for their arrogance.

Of course, what none of these papers – including the Express, who also mentioned the word Liverpool more than the word Bolton – says is the effect this result might have on the Wanderers. But I guess that doesn’t sell papers.

Watch Chelsea 4-3 Bolton Wanderers goal highlights here

Read the fans’ view of the game here