SALE’S GOALS BEAT CHELSEA
Desperate Attack Held Off by Stoke
BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
Stoke City are top-of-the-League minded
at the moment. They played like champions
to beat Chelsea 2—0 at Stamford Bridge on

Saturday. | os :

They were wisely disposed to leave nothing
to chance. Even when Chelsea were storm-
ing their goal and missing chances with true
Chelsea prodigality, there was a quiet confi-
dence about the entire City team, almost fore-
telling the result, whatever Chelsea did.

Sale, the centre forward, scored both goals
—one seven minutes from the kick-off, and
the other about as soon into the second half.
Matthews, the young international outside
right, had a hand in both, but even these two
celebrities in no way outshone their colleagues.

The City had the'r anxious moments. Chel-
sea were not all that bad. “ Over the top and
the worst of luck ” was, in fact, a fitting slogan
for the Pensioners for a quarter of an hour
after Stoke nad opened their account. .

Gallacher got in one fierce drive which
Lewis did well to save, and Spence just missed
with a left-foot shot from a difficult angle.
But Stoke were one-up, a grand goal

MATTHEWS WATCHED

Stoke could afford to withdraw their inside

forwards from the firing line. Theiy defence
; then was easily able to hold the erratic Chelsea
forwards.

Hutcheson and McAulay — subsequently
watched Matthews very closely, and most dan-
ger from Stoke came from the other wing.
Johnson, Davies and Sellars formed a tricky
triangle—far too tricky for Russell. who was
right off form

Chelsea resorted to desperate measures in
the second half, Gallacher and George Mills
taking the centre forward position in turn in
an endeavour to frustrate the City defence.

But Turner, Spencer and McGrory were too

many for them.

The Stoke marking and unhesitating tack-
ling was in fact a feature of the second half,
during which the visitors’ one real breakaway
brought the second goal.

Matthews had moved into the middle to get
the ball, while the Chelsea half-backs were
supporting an insistent attack.