Chelsea's Oscar, second left, celebrates scoring his hat-trick goal with, from left, Nemanja Matic, Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic during the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match between Milton Keynes Dons and Chelsea at Stadium mk in Milton Keynes, England, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Chelsea's Oscar, second left, celebrates scoring his hat-trick goal with, from left, Nemanja Matic, Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic during the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match between MiltoShow more

The Guus Hiddink effect: Chelsea smiling again after Oscar hat-trick in FA Cup



If Chelsea's most embarrassing result of the Abramovich era came in the fourth round of the FA Cup, it was in 2015, not 2016.

The 4-2 loss to Bradford was astonishing, the 5-1 win over MK Dons impressive. A year on, the competition has seen a return to normality. So have Chelsea.

The fourth-round weekend concluded with the sole shock involving the elimination of Sheffield Wednesday.

The superpowers saw off lesser opponents with conspicuous ease.

Chelsea may have suffered a series of defeats to mid-table Premier League sides during Jose Mourinho's long, painful goodbye – perhaps Bradford sowed the seeds for a series of smaller but still seismic upsets – but they have not been beaten under Guus Hiddink since 2009. An MK Dons side battling relegation to the third tier were brushed aside.

They formed the most generous of opponents, gifting the first goal and affording Chelsea acres of room time and again but there was the unmistakable sense that the fallen champions were enjoying themselves.

It is the Hiddink effect, the conciliator proving the antidote to the controversialist.

They illustrated their expansiveness against MK Dons. They showed their serious side last week. Put both together and Chelsea have become Chelsea again.

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Beating Arsenal was the most Chelsea of results; these things have happened in recent years, regardless of league positions or form or injuries or anything except the fact that Chelsea were playing Arsenal.

Eliminating lower-division opponents was still more predictable, but very different. Chelsea were solid at the Emirates, stylish at stadium mk.

They could have been three goals ahead after 13 minutes and have scored six within half an hour.

Oscar had secured a hat-trick by half-time. His goals got steadily more impressive, from a tap-in to a long-range curler. He seemed ubiquitous.

It was the sort of performance to prompt questions why, with his technical ability, he is not more prolific.

Oscar only mustered three goals in his final 11 months under Mourinho.

What he has demonstrated too rarely is the predatory instinct to get into such positions with such regularity. If that requires a selfishness, a selflessness was appreciated.

He could have scored a fourth. Instead, he permitted Eden Hazard to take a penalty.

The Belgian eventually ended a Chelsea goal drought that extended to 274 days. It amounted to an extraordinary, almost unprecedented fall from grace.

Hazard became the symbol of Chelsea’s malaise, the reigning Footballer of the Year but a man who simply could not score.

A visit to Milton Keynes proved a restorative occasion for him, a breakthrough for both Oscar, who recorded a first Chelsea hat-trick, and substitute Bertrand Traore, who opened his account for the club.

Chelsea played with confidence and conviction. They lost their way, their authority and their identity in autumn. They have regained purpose and freedom, which can seem incompatible.

After Manchester United won at Derby on Friday, Wayne Rooney spoke of their players being granted the freedom to express themselves. It is something Louis van Gaal has struggled to give his charges.

It comes naturally to his fellow Dutchman, the laidback Hiddink. He is a delegator, not a dictator.

His changes are more psychological than tactical. He is coaxing them back to their best, to the standards they reached regularly before Bradford provided a preview of the shocking second half of 2015.

He is allowing a sullen, sulking group to return to happiness. Because the abiding image was not of any of the five goals, but of Diego Costa and Oscar, training-ground sparring partners, sat grinning side by side after the striker had inadvertently denied the midfielder a tap in.

Oscar scored three more. Chelsea have got their smile back.

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McLaren GT specs

Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed

Power: 620bhp

Torque: 630Nm

Price: Dh875,000

On sale: now

ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.

The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.

 

 

David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Key recommendations
  • Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
  • Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
  • Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
  • More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr

Rating: 4/5

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Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-cylinder%202-litre%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E252%20brake%20horsepower%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E352Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh146%2C700%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.