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Chelsea edge out DC United in second tour match

Posted on: Thursday, 28 July 2005, 23:20 CDT

By Joel Rothstein

LANDOVER, Maryland (Reuters) - English Premier League champions Chelsea rallied from a goal down to overcome DC United 2-1 in a friendly on Thursday, registering a second consecutive victory in the middle leg of a three-match U.S. tour.

Displaying little urgency in the opening exchanges, the west London side fell behind to the Major League Soccer champions in the 31st minute, when defender Bobby Boswell rose unmarked to head home a Christian Gomez corner.

The goal acted as a wake-up call for Chelsea, who were back on level terms just four minutes later after Irish winger Damian Duff had picked up a pass from new signing Shaun Wright-Phillips and driven an unstoppable shot past home keeper Nick Rimando.

Chelsea continued to pile pressure on the DC United defense and Argentine striker Hernan Crespo added a second goal nine minutes into the second half, tapping in a pinpoint pass from Dutch winger Arjen Robben.

Despite the victory, Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho was unhappy with his team's display before praising their spirit.

"The team was really bad in the first half and I am not happy with some players," Mourinho said.

"When they (DC United) scored, you could see the reaction. Why? Because they don't want to lose, so that's good."

The home side introduced Freddy Adu in the second half but the teenage prospect was unable to make an impact on the game as Chelsea dominated possession with their slick passing.

However, the 16-year-old was upbeat about the performance of his side.

"Everyone though we were going to get run off the field," he said.

"In my opinion, we played the best team in the world and we proved we can play with them."

The English side opened their tour with a 1-0 victory over AC Milan in Massachusetts last weekend and conclude the trip with another match against the Italians in New York on Sunday.

Chelsea kick off the defense of their domestic title with an away match against promoted Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium on August 14.

Source: REUTERS

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