East Bengal posted their sixth consecutive win in the I-League and restored their three-point lead at the top of the table ahead of the Kolkata derby against Mohun Bagan next week with an excellent 3-0 win against Chennai City on Sunday at the Barasat Stadium.
Wedson Anselme ran the show for the Kolkata giants, scoring the opener and setting up Willis Plaza’s goal with a delightful through-ball. Deep into stoppage time, Lalrindika Ralte added gloss on the scoreline with a well-taken penalty.
It was a wave of one East Bengal attack after another from the start. For all their possession, and the threat they posed outside the Chennai territory, there were few shots that tested the goalmouth. The away side hung on but their attempts were reduced to long-range efforts, barely testing TP Rehenesh.
East Bengal shook things up after the half-time whistle with Robin Gurung adding more energy in midfield, and were rewarded almost immediately through Anselme’s goal. Chennai’s defence was under the cosh and the match was put to bed with the Haitian threading a neat ball to Plaza, who made no mistake. Ralte made no mistake from the spot, and it is East Bengal who have the edge against arch-rivals Mohun Bagan, who have also been in excellent form, going into the Kolkata derby on February 11.
Brief scores:
- East Bengal 3 (Wedson Anselme, Willis Plaza, Lalrindika Ralte) beat Chennai City 0
