Chelsea FC

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Chelsea debt free

By Soccernet staff
December 30, 2009


Chelsea have announced that, as of the end of 2009, the club have cleared virtually all of their outstanding £340 million debt, and also revealed reduced losses for a fourth consecutive year.

Losses for the financial year were reduced from £65.7 million to £44.4 million, despite turnover falling from £213.1 million to £206.4 million.

A statement on the club's official website said: "The group results reveal that following previous conversions of half of the debt, the remainder of the interest-free loans from the parent company, whose ultimate controlling party is Roman Abramovich, have been converted into equity making the group effectively debt free.

"This demonstrates the continuing commitment from the shareholder to the group.

"Revenues remain stable despite the economic climate and reflect the strength of the team, its continued success and the attractiveness of the FA Premier League allied with the continued allegiance of our fans and commercial partners.

In a year that saw Chelsea spend little in the transfer market, the club's cash outflow was reduced from £107.4 million to £16.9 million, while the completion of projects such as the development of the training centre at Cobham reduced net capital expenditure from £85.1 million to £4.2 million.

Included in the results was the £12.6 million "exceptional" compensation payment made to sacked former boss Luis Felipe Scolari and three of his first-team coaches.

"The club's debt load has been reduced almost to nil in order to provide more long-term stability for the club," Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said.

"The reduction will also enable the club to comply with any regulations on debt levels which are being discussed by the football community."

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said: "It is still our aim to be self-sufficient and we will achieve this by increasing our revenues as we continue to leverage off our brand. We are reducing our costs by controlling expenses, including salaries and wages."

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Chelsea 5 - 0 Watford

Updated: January 3, 2010, 8:03 AM UK
Two goals from Daniel Sturridge inspired Chelsea to a 5-0 thrashing of woeful Watford at Stamford Bridge as the FA Cup holders moved effortlessly into the fourth round.



Sturridge started and finished the scoring as Chelsea produced a five-star showing against their Championship opponents.

An own goal from John Eustace, a deflected effort from Florent Malouda and a thunderous finish from Frank Lampard were sandwiched in between Sturridge's brace as Chelsea dominated from the start.

Sturridge, handed the task of replacing Didier Drogba while he is away on international duty in the African Nations Cup, put the home side in front in the fifth minute with his first goal for the club.

A corner from Lampard was headed down by Alex for John Terry to fire the ball into the six-yard box, where Sturridge pounced to score.

Sturridge was in fine form and almost added a second moments later but saw his 20-yard shot just flash past Scott Loach's left-hand upright.

But Chelsea went two goals in front in the 14th minute thanks to a comedy of errors from the Championship side.

Malouda's cross was hit back into the six-yard box by Joe Cole, only for the ball to cannon off Jay Demerit. The Watford captain watched in horror as the ball then slammed against Lampard before Eustace turned it into his own net as he tried to clear.

Chelsea were completely on top and moments later Loach made a superb one-handed save to stop a thumping header from Alex finding the net.

In the 19th minute Juliano Belletti was inches away from a third when he hit Lampard's corner first time from 20 yards out.

But Chelsea made it 3-0 in the 21st minute when a 20-yard shot from Yury Zhirkov deflected off Malouda and sent Loach the wrong way.

Another superb Chelsea move in the 37th minute almost brought the home side a fourth.

This time captain Terry joined the attack and his superb through-ball gave Sturridge the chance to score his second - but the striker sent his left-foot shot just wide of the far post.

Watford started the second half brightly and in the 52nd minute, Henri Lansbury saw a shot deflected for a corner as Chelsea's defence failed to clear.

Seconds later Demerit tested Chelsea goalkeeper Hilario with a firm header from the resultant corner.

But Chelsea soon got back on top of the game and in the 55th minute Ashley Cole was a yard wide with an angled drive.

The England-full-back then lifted the ball on to the roof of the net in the 60th minute as the Blues continued to dominate.

Sturridge then raced clear of the Watford defence but was foiled by a fine save from Loach as he attempted to lift the ball over his head and into the net.

But Chelsea made it 4-0 in the 64th minute with a superb Lampard strike.

The England midfielder was given time and space some 25 yards out and sent a thunderous rising drive into the roof of the net. It was a fabulous finish from the Chelsea midfielder who had been at the centre of all the home side's best moves.

Four minutes later it was 5-0 after Ashley Cole and Zhirkov combined superbly on the left wing. Cole's run into the penalty was followed by a clever cross to the waiting Sturridge, who controlled the ball and slipped it beyond the helpless Loach.

However, the striker's hopes of a hat-trick were ended soon after when he was replaced by Fabio Borini, although he left the field to a standing ovation from the home fans.

In the 85th minute Joe Cole almost got himself on the scoresheet but his shot on the turn was just too high.

Chelsea continued push for a sixth and Lampard was inches away from getting a touch to a cross from Branislav Ivanovic in the 90th minute.

Carlo Ancelotti is confident two-goal Daniel Sturridge can fill the void left by Didier Drogba's departure for the African Nations Cup. Ancelotti was understandably pleased with Sturridge's contribution, especially as the experienced Nicolas Anelka remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.

"I am happy because it was important to start the new year well, and to play this game well,'' said Ancelotti. "If we hadn't taken the game in the right way, it could have been difficult. But we started well, played well and were 3-0 up after 20 minutes.

"It was a good performance and Sturridge played very well. It's important for us to have him in good condition because, without Drogba, it is important to have him in good condition. He scored two goals and that's important for a striker, to score. But he deserved that. He played very well for the whole match.

"This performance was very important for him. It'll improve his confidence. He has a lot of potential and great quality, and he can show that on the pitch in January.

"I think that we can do a good January, good performances without the African players. I had good answers about other players. Juliano Belletti played very well in central midfield. I think we can do good performances without the other African players.

"My players know very well how important the FA Cup is for this club, for this country. We want to do our best and arrive in the final. We won the FA Cup last year and we want to do the same. We want to put our best in this competition.''

The Italian coach also revealed how he had spoken to Malouda after the France international had voiced his frustration at being left out of the side for top games.

Malouda had spoken out in French newspaper L'Equipe over the weekend, but Ancelotti said: "I spoke with Malouda before the game against Birmingham (Boxing Day) and explained my position to him.

"He explained his position. For me, that was finished then and there. After that, he spoke in the French press. But there's no problem. It's normal that a player wants to play every game. Above all, the important games. For us, for me, Malouda is an important player.

"For me, every game is important and he plays a lot of games. I was a player and when I didn't play, I was a little bit frustrated. It's important, when a player doesn't play, to have a good reaction. Malouda is doing professional work.''

Watford boss Malky Mackay had his afternoon ruined when Chelsea went 3-0 in front inside the opening 20 minutes.

"To lose a goal in the first five minutes, from a scrappy corner, doesn't help,'' said Mackay. "It gives you an uphill battle. You want to keep it as tight as possible, so that didn't help. It's hard. We've got to learn from that. We go back and watch the DVD and we'll look at it and be honest with ourselves.

"There were bits of the game where we could have done better. They're world-class players - they're two levels above us, they're top European players - but there were situations where we could have done better. That's where we have to improve. If we learn from it, it'll benefit us in the long-run.

"If we'd started the game the way we started the second half, it might have been a different game. We gave it a real go for 15 or 20 minutes of the second half. That's how we needed to start. If you don't do that, you'll get punished. For those 15 minutes we kept the ball and passed it well.

"It's about learning. There's the standard if you want to be a top England international. That's what you're up against. That was European standard football out there, and that's what we aspire to and what the lads must keep working towards.''

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Chelsea 7 - 2 Sunderland

Updated: January 16, 2010, 8:05 AM UK
Chelsea maintained their slender lead at the top of the Premier league by hitting sorry Sunderland for seven at Stamford Bridge.

Carlo Ancelotti's side proved they can prosper without their quartet of African stars as goals from Nicolas Anelka (two), Florent Malouda, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard (two) and Michael Ballack set the seal on a fine afternoon for the Blues.

It kept them one point ahead of Manchester United at the summit of the Barclays Premier League with a game in hand on their rivals.

Sunderland managed two consolation goals through substitute Bolo Zenden and Darren Bent but Steve Bruce's side have now failed to win in their last eight league games.

Chelsea dominated from the start and Joe Cole could have put them in front in the first minute.

But the England international failed to beat goalkeeper Marton Fulop after Malouda's header had put him clear of the Sunderland defence.

Ashley Cole then headed wide from point-blank range in the fourth minute when Joe Cole's cross found him at the far post.

But the returning Anelka put Carlo Ancelotti's side ahead in the seventh minute.

The France striker pounced on a clever through-ball from Ballack, rounded Fulop and placed the ball into the net.

Sunderland's first real attempt on goal arrived in the 13th minute but Bent's shot from the edge of the penalty area was easily saved by Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal.

Malouda added a second for Chelsea in the 17th minute when he collected the ball just inside the Sunderland half, shrugged off two challenges and sent an angled right-foot drive into the bottom corner of the net from 18 yards.



Sunderland had not won in the league since beating Arsenal in November and they were not in the same class as the Blues.

The gulf was underlined in the 22nd minute when the league leaders went 3-0 in front with another simple move.

John Terry's lofted ball from the back found Ashley Cole sprinting into the penalty area and the England left-back dummied Lorik Cana before dinking the ball over Fulop.

In the 32nd minute, Anelka got clear of the Sunderland defence yet again but this time Fulop's knees prevented him from scoring.

But it mattered little as Chelsea made it 4-0 two minutes later. Anelka fed Ashley Cole on the left wing and his cross was volleyed home from six yards by Lampard.

Chelsea were now playing some vintage stuff and moments later Ashley Cole was only denied a second by Fulop's outstretched hands.

Ballack was inches away from a fifth in the 36th minute when his curling shot fell just the wrong side of the left-hand upright.

Joe Cole forced Fulop into a diving save in the 43rd minute with a shot from the edge of the penalty area before Chelsea were cheered off the field at the interval.

Chelsea made two changes at half-time. Captain Terry was replaced by Alex while Yury Zhirkov came on in place of Ashley Cole, who collected a knock scoring his goal.

But Chelsea still dominated and in the 50th minute, Fulop had to tip a shot from Anelka onto the crossbar and post to prevent the home side scoring a fifth.

But the goal came in the 52nd minute and it was pure simplicity for Chelsea.

A cross from Joe Cole on the right flank was headed home from six yards by the unmarked Ballack.

Sunderland hit back in the 56th minute when substitute Bolo Zenden fired home from the edge of the penalty area.

But Chelsea's sixth duly arrived in the 64th minute when Zhirkov's cross was punched straight to Anelka by Fulop and the Chelsea striker slotted into an empty net from the edge of the area.

In the 75th minute, Anelka was denied a hat-trick when his shot from six yards was somehow kept out by Fulop.

Nine minutes later, Joe Cole hit the post with a header after Juliano Belletti had knocked an Alex free-kick into his path.

But Chelsea made it 7-1 in the 89th minute when Lampard headed home a cross from Anelka. Moments later Bent scored from close range for Sunderland before Chris Foy brought proceedings to a close.

• Ancelotti: Best performance yet

Carlo Ancelotti hailed Chelsea's magnificent seven performance as proof they can prosper without African quartet Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien and John Mikel Obi - all away on international duty in the African Nations Cup.

"I think that was maybe the best performance this season," said Ancelotti. "We played very well until the end of the match. We started the game very well. I'm very happy because it's an important time for us.

"Without the African players we maybe could have some problems. I always said I have a fantastic squad and today other players played very well, especially Juliano Belletti in a new position for him, so it is a good moment for us.

"We played a lot of times without Drogba, and Nicolas Anelka did very well in the past. He also did very well today. Nicolas is a fantastic striker, he is a top striker, and we are very happy to have him in our squad.

"We don't want to send a message to the other teams. This performance for us is very good because it improves our motivation and improves our determination to do better if it is possible.

"These are important matches for us because we can also play without the African players.

"But I have a fantastic squad and in this period I will use other players."

Ancelotti singled out Ashley Cole's goal as the best of the bunch. His strike was the 18,000th in the Premier League but the England left-back hurt his ankle in scoring it.

"Maybe the best goal was Ashley's goal," said Ancelotti. "It was fantastic movement, fantastic dribbling and a fantastic goal. Then he had a problem with his ankle so we took him off for precaution."

Captain John Terry was also removed at half-time but with Chelsea 4-0 up, Ancelotti decided to give him a rest.

"We took John Terry off as a precaution," he added. "There was no injury. There is no problem with either of them for the next match."

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce accepts his side, missing eight first-team players through injury and suspension, could not cope with Chelsea.

Midfielder and captain Lorik Cana was forced to play in the centre of defence and was exposed for the first five goals at least.

"It's very difficult to analyse anything at the moment because of the disappointment," said Bruce. "We simply could not cope, they were too good for us all over the pitch. Defensively we were inept and it's very difficult to come here when you have all your players fit and raring to go. I'm not looking for excuses, we simply were not good enough to be against Chelsea today in a lot of areas.

"We need our big players fit. Defensively we were without Michael Turner, John Mensah, Anton Ferdinand and Nyron Nosworthy, then you've got Kieran Richardson, Andy Reid and Lee Cattermole missing.

"It was too many and we found it a real struggle today. The captain has been magnificent all season and we asked him to go and play at centre half in the Premier League and he found it very difficult.

"It was just damage limitation. Every time they went forward they looked as though they were going to score.

"We hope to get four or five back next week and that will give everyone a lift and a boost because it's been a struggle over the last six weeks to be without eight, nine or 10 of your first team players.

"The one thing I'm not going to do is panic over a hiding we've got at Chelsea, they can do that to a lot of teams."

[juel]

Chelsea 3 - 0 Birmingham

Updated: January 28, 2010, 8:22 AM UK
Chelsea returned to the top of the Premier League with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge.

Carlo Ancelotti's side brought an end to Birmingham's 15-game unbeaten run thanks to an opening goal by Florent Malouda and a brace from Frank Lampard.

The win put Chelsea one point clear of Manchester United at the top of the table with a game in hand on their rivals.

The home side went ahead in the fifth minute when Chelsea opened their account through Malouda. The goal was engineered by England midfielder Joe Cole, who burst into the City penalty area from the right flank before crossing for the unmarked Malouda to head past Joe Hart from six yards.



City had been the only team in the league to prevent Chelsea from scoring when the two teams met at St Andrew's on Boxing Day but Ancelotti's side are a different animal at home.

However, City managed to stave off the expected Chelsea onslaught by stifling the midfield and the home side had to wait until the 20th minute for another meaningful attack.

Again Cole sent the ball into the penalty area but it was deflected for a corner. However, only the width of the upright prevented the home side from increasing their lead seconds later.

Malouda's corner was met by the head of Ricardo Carvalho but the Portugal defender saw the ball cannon back off the post.

Chelsea continued to press and Lampard sent an angled drive into the arms of Hart in the 21st minute, while Cole was inches wide with a 20-yard shot moments later.

Cole was having a fine game for the home side and another 18-yard effort was well held by the diving Hart in the 26th minute.

But Chelsea did make it 2-0 in the 31st minute when Lampard collected a pass from Michael Ballack and sent a low angled drive beyond Hart and into the bottom corner from 20 yards.

Chelsea had now moved up a gear and were in their familiar smooth groove. In the 34th minute, Nicolas Anelka had a shot deflected for a corner as the home side looked for a third.

Chelsea's passing was fluent and inventive and Birmingham had no answer. They possessed little attacking threat, with Chelsea captain John Terry proving to be an imposing figure in his 300th career league game.

City had not tested Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech and lacked the quality and guile to trouble the home defence.

There was also a distinct lack of ambition in City's play, which was surprising given their 15-game unbeaten run.

Chelsea began the second half with the same attacking desire and a 25-yard drive from Anelka ruffled the side-netting with Hart scrambling to protect his near post.

In the 53rd minute, Hart rescued Birmingham when a cross from Ashley Cole found the unmarked Ballack at the far post.

The Germany captain sent his downward header towards the corner of the net but Hart somehow managed to grab the ball in time.

City replaced Cameron Jerome with Keith Fahey in the 56th minute as the visitors looked to add more impetus to their attack.

Chelsea were inches away from a third in the 59th minute when a corner by Malouda was directed just over the crossbar by Ballack.

Joe Cole deserved a goal as a reward for his performance but he squandered a real chance in the 64th minute when Lampard found him with a fine cross-field pass.

The midfielder, hoping to play his way into England's squad for the World Cup finals this summer, hit a weak shot straight at Hart from eight yards.

Hart was busy again two minutes later when he held a long-range drive from Malouda.

Birmingham's James McFadden broke clear of the Chelsea defence in the 72nd minute but his angled shot flashed the wrong side of the far post.

Moments later substitute Fahey brought a fine save from Petr Cech as City finally put some pressure on the home defence.

But Chelsea made it 3-0 in the 90th minute when Lampard collected a pass from Malouda and fired past the advancing Hart.

• Ancelotti purrs over Lampard

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti hailed Frank Lampard as one of the best midfielders in the world after he grabbed a brace in the Blues' 3-0 win over Birmingham at Stamford Bridge.

Ancelotti said: "We use all the pitch to attack and so Frank is able to run into the box to score. I think he's the best running midfielder in the world. He has this fantastic quality to time his run into the box.

"It's good we are back at the top. We have one more point with a game in hand on United and two points more than Arsenal. That's important because on Sunday United play Arsenal. Maybe we can improve our position on Saturday.''

Chelsea have coped superbly without their African Nations Cup quartet in January and, in particular, Ivorian strikers Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou. "We did very well in January,'' added the Italian.

"I want to thank my players who did a fantastic job without the African players. We could have had some problems without the African players, but we did very well. They did a fantastic January.

"I think we need to have Drogba because he's a fantastic player and, with him, we can play the same football. Our philosophy and aims won't change - to play good football and win. We won't change. We'll maintain the same system.

"I'm happy Drogba will be here with us tomorrow morning. He had a fantastic start to the season and will be very important for us in the future.''

Ancelotti also revealed that Ghana midfielder Michael Essien, who returned home from the African Nations Cup with a knee injury, could be back inside a month

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish saw his team's 15-game unbeaten run come to an abrupt end and admitted they had paid the penalty for a poor start.

"We shot ourselves in the foot with a bad start,'' said McLeish. "It was most unlike us. We were caught flat-footed and that first goal was too easy. We're playing against a world-class side there. I don't think anyone has won here this season and they have battered better teams than us.

"We had chances at 2-0 and it would have been interesting had we got the goal back, but we never took the opportunities. I'm not disappointed with the players at all. They deserve tremendous credit for the run they have been on and they have the character to bounce back.

"Chelsea are a good side. They have the foreign flavour, the keep-ball and movement is excellent. They are one of the favourites for the Champions League, let alone the Premier League. We have kept the ball better than that and were wasteful in possession, but I'll forgive the players this one. There's no disgrace losing here.''

The City boss was also hoping to land a couple of new strikers before the end of this month's transfer window. "I've given the board a couple of names, and I'm hoping they will get something done for us,'' added McLeish.

"The strikers need help. Kevin Phillips has a small injury and we need to add something to help the others because we'll burn them out playing these guys every week of the season. I'm fearful they will lose a little edge if we do, so an extra striker would spice things up a wee bit.''

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Burnley 1 - 2 Chelsea

Updated: January 30, 2010, 7:45 PM UK
John Terry was hoping to find something to cheer about after allegations about his private life were made public - and the Chelsea and England captain got his wish.

He stretched his side's lead at the top of the Barclays Premier League by scoring the winner against Burnley with seven minutes remaining.

Given the lurid headlines in the newspapers regarding an alleged affair with the ex-girlfriend of former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge, Terry might have been expected to give this game a miss. However he decided to front people up and Burnley were defeated at home in the league for only the second time this season.

It was a cruel blow for them as Steven Fletcher had equalised after Nicolas Anelka opened the scoring. Chelsea strolled through the first half and were good value for the goal from the French forward in the 27th minute.

Terry was under the spotlight and his first touch saw him head the ball out of play.

Burnley's new signing from Stoke, Leon Cort, had to be on his toes in the seventh minute following a swift counter-attack by Chelsea as he turned away Joe Cole's cross with Anelka lurking.

Chelsea maintained the momentum and Anelka played the ball back to Frank Lampard a minute later, but he skied his shot over the crossbar. Anelka then fluffed his effort inside the area to the amusement of the Burnley fans, after good work by Joe Cole.

But Anelka was to have the last laugh as he made the breakthrough for his 12th goal of the season.

It was a sweeping move that caught Burnley flat-footed. Joe Cole delivered a cross to the back post and Florent Malouda chased what looked like a lost cause. He managed to steer the ball back into the area and Anelka lost two defenders to coolly finish things off.

Terry was then booked in the 35th minute for barging over Robbie Blake as he tried to burst forward. The crowd were incensed with the Chelsea defender's challenge and let him know.

Chelsea, though, were playing with confidence and Brian Jensen did well to head clear as Anelka tried to get on the end of a good ball from Branislav Ivanovic.

Blake then sent a free-kick into the Chelsea area after 43 minutes but Anelka showed his defensive qualities by heading clear.

Burnley equalised after clever work by Blake. He put Alex under pressure with a ball into the area and a superb first touch from Fletcher enabled him to get the better of the Brazilian defender to score his 10th goal of the season with a deft finish.

Chelsea hit back and Joe Cole found the net in the 56th minute but his effort was ruled offside shortly after a shot from Lampard was blocked.

Clarets manager Brian Laws decided to boost his attacking options three minutes later when Martin Paterson replaced Kevin McDonald. It was a bold move against the league leaders by the former Sheffield Wednesday manager.

Chelsea almost regained their lead in the 64th minute but Jensen got down quickly to parry Lampard's driven free-kick from 25 yards.

The visitors kept up the pressure and the goalkeeper then made a comfortable save from Alex after Malouda and Anelka had linked up.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti decided to switch things around in the 73rd minute and brought on Daniel Sturridge for Joe Cole.

Sturridge then saw a header parried by Jensen before Terry silenced the home crowd in the 83rd minute. He peeled away from his marker and got on the end of a corner from Malouda to head home. Given the allegations about his private life, it was little wonder his celebration was muted.

However it proved to be Chelsea's winner and takes them four points clear of Manchester United, who face Arsenal tomorrow.

[juel]

Hull City 1 - 1 Chelsea

Updated: February 3, 2010, 8:08 AM UK
Didier Drogba celebrated his return from African Nations Cup duty by notching his 20th goal of the season to spare Chelsea's blushes in a 1-1 draw against lowly Hull.

All eyes were, inevitably, on John Terry in his second match since allegations over his private life were made public but it was Hull centre-back Steven Mouyokolo who grabbed the limelight by heading the Barclays Premier League strugglers in front.

Drogba, in his first Blues match for a month, snared a point for the table-toppers when he drilled home a contested free-kick just before the interval.

Hull started confidently, winning corners on the left and right inside two minutes.

Chelsea repelled them safely but Stephen Hunt's delivery looked dangerous and the home side were assured in the opening minutes.

Terry started solidly and did not appear outwardly affected by the expected round of boos and chants.

In the ninth minute Frank Lampard had the first chance of the match, capping a nice passing move with a swerving shot at goal. Boaz Myhill could only parry it to Nicolas Anelka 10 yards out but the Frenchman fluffed his finish.

Drogba was also off-target as he blazed wide soon after.

Hunt was looking dangerous down the left for Hull and Branislav Ivanovic appeared unsettled by the bustling Irishman.

Chelsea should have taken the lead 25 minutes in when Deco's crossfield ball set Ivanovic free on the right and he arrowed a cross into the Hull area. Michael Ballack timed his run perfectly but headed tamely and straight at Myhill from close range.

Hull continued to give as good as they got, though, with crosses from Hunt and George Boateng both causing problems.

It was, then, no great surprise when Mouyokolo outjumped a number of Chelsea defenders, Terry included, to head home Hunt's 29th-minute corner.



Anelka and Deco failed to beat Myhill with low drives as Chelsea fought back and Anthony Gardner made good ground to dispossess Drogba as he shaped to shoot.

With three minutes to go before the break the Ivorian striker lashed home the equaliser with a disputed free-kick from just outside the penalty area.



Gardner missed a glorious chance to restore the lead before the break when he headed Tom Cairney's flighted free-kick over from just a couple of yards.

Terry was booked a minute after the restart for an ungainly leap with Jozy Altidore and it was almost a costly foul.

Hunt again sent in the cross and Altidore was left free in the box six yards out. He stooped to head goalwards but it looped up softly off the back of his head.

Ivanovic forced another parried save from Myhill in the 50th minute but when the loose ball was cut back across goal Lampard skied his shot.

Hull were furious when Mark Clattenburg deemed Ricardo Carvalho's risky challenge on Altidore legal, but there was more to worry about at the other end as the hour-mark approached. First Drogba and then Terry drew Myhill into action with strong headed efforts as the hosts failed to clear a corner.

Five minutes later Amr Zaki came off the bench for his second Tigers appearance and immediately had some joy as he got the better of Yury Zhirkov to reach the byline.

Ancelotti introduced a fresh playmaker of his own with 19 minutes to play, Joe Cole replacing the off-colour Ballack.

Chelsea's defending at set-pieces continued to falter as Hunt and Mouyokolo combined again with a near-post corner, though this time the defender headed wide.

Drogba was also off-target in the 77th minute, heading over Ivanovic's curling delivery as last man Myhill charged off his line.

Drogba was booked late on for a frustrated flick at Paul McShane and Myhill ensured the Tigers held on to a valuable point as he stretched to save Daniel Sturridge's late strike.

[juel]

Chelsea cleared over Kakuta, transfer ban lifted

By Soccernet staff
February 4, 2010


Chelsea's transfer ban has been lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the club have been cleared of any wrongdoing regarding the transfer of teenage Frenchman Gael Kakuta from Ligue 1 club Lens in July 2007.

All sanctions placed upon the Premier League club and the player have been cancelled. Chelsea initially faced a banning order from two consecutive transfer windows. The ban had been suspended in the January transfer just gone but the Blues did not make use of what may have been their last chance for 12 months to strengthen, perhaps a result of their confidence in overturning a ban put in place last September.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, said in a statement on the club's official website: "We are pleased to have come to an amicable resolution of the matter and that it has been ratified by CAS and recognised by FIFA.

"It was always our intention to work together with Lens to reach this end, and both clubs have strengthened their relationship as a result of resolving this case to everyone's satisfaction.

"In an act of good faith and with a view to the possibility of future collaboration with Lens, and without recognising any liability, Chelsea has agreed to pay compensation costs for the training given to the player while at Lens, as mandated by FIFA in its original ruling."

The Court of Arbitration for Sport statement reads: "The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued an award today ratifying the agreement reached by Chelsea FC, Racing Club de Lens and the French football player Gael Kakuta, putting an end to this arbitration procedure which also involved FIFA.

"The CAS has noted that, in the agreement, the two clubs and the player have recognised that the contract between the player and RC Lens was not valid. Accordingly, the player could not have terminated it prematurely and without just cause and FC Chelsea cannot therefore be liable for inducing a breach of contract. As a consequence, in light of these new circumstances, the sanctions imposed upon Chelsea FC and the player by the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber had to be lifted.

"In accordance with the parties' request, the entire proceedings, including the arbitral award and the agreement shall remain confidential and the CAS will not comment on this matter any further.

"On 25 September 2009, the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber imposed, inter alia, a restriction of four months' ineligibility on Mr Gael Kakuta, and Chelsea FC was banned from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for the two complete, consecutive registration periods following the FIFA decision. The sanctions were stayed by the CAS until the award was issued."

[juel]

Terry dropped as England captain

February 5, 2010
By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent

The FA have confirmed that John Terry has been dropped as England captain by Fabio Capello after meeting with the Italian at Wembley on Friday.



Terry had found himself increasingly under pressure after revelations that he had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of former team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Capello issued the following statement: "After much thought, I have made the decision that it will be best for me to take the captaincy away from John Terry. As a captain with the team, John Terry has displayed extremely positive behaviour. However, I have to take into account other considerations and what is best for all of the England squad.

"What is best for all of the England team has inspired my choice. John Terry was notified first. When I chose John Terry as captain, I also selected a vice-captain and also named a third choice. There is no reason to change this decision.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank The FA, particularly Lord David Triesman and Ian Watmore for allowing me to make this decision in my own time and in the best interest of the team."

Capello arrived back in England on Thursday having already felt that it would be right to strip Terry of the England captaincy. The England boss, though, wanted to wait to see Terry to make the final assessment, get Terry's side of events and to gauge the situation in a face-to-face meeting.

Terry was summoned to Capello's office on Friday afternoon after training, and the Italian would have heard that the Chelsea captain was willing to stand down for the good of the team ethic.

Soccernet has been informed that Fabio Capello spent 35 minutes with John Terry and told the Chelsea captain that he has to step down as captain, but he remains an integral part of the England team.A source revealed: "It is wrong the reports that suggest the meeting took just 12 minutes, it was half an hour at least.

"Fabio Capello did not make up his mind at this meeting, he has had a week to think about it, and he felt this was the right decision for everyone. Fabio's only concern is the good of the England team and their chances of winning the World Cup, and John Terry shares these views. John Terry was absolutely determined and focused on playing for England and helping the team to try to win the World Cup. He fully understood the decision after everything that had happened to him, and he accepted it."

Capello clearly felt it was a sound solution to the major storm that has been brewing over Terry's private life that impacted on Wayne Bridge. As soon as he was briefed by his trusted aide Franco Baldini, the England manager knew that the decision would have to go against Terry.

Rio Ferdinand will step up from vice-captain to take the armband from John Terry for the next match against Egypt on March 3 and will most likely be on trial for the position in South Africa, with Steven Gerrard taking the vice-captain role.

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rio and gerrard's reputation also not very good lor...

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Chelsea 2 - 0  Arsenal

Updated: February 7, 2010, 8:11 AM UK
John Terry's life maybe in turmoil off the pitch but the disgraced England captain remains as inspirational as ever in a Chelsea shirt as the Blues put an end to Arsenal's remaining title dreams with a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge.



Stripped of the England captaincy 48 hours earlier and the subject of more lurid headlines about his private life, Terry responded in a typically defiant manner as two first-half goals from Didier Drogba put Chelsea back on top of the Barclays Premier League.

It was perhaps inevitable that Drogba's first goal in the eighth minute arrived courtesy of a glancing header from Terry.



Taunted by Arsenal fans throughout for his affair with French lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of Terry's one-time team-mate Wayne Bridge, the Chelsea captain produced a commanding performance at the heart of defence.

The victory restored Chelsea's two-point lead over Manchester United at the top of the table and, more significantly, increased the gap over third-placed Arsenal to nine.

The outcome was never in doubt once Chelsea's other talismanic figure had put them in front with a simple volley at the far post.

Drogba's 21st goal of the season was the perfect start for Carlo Ancelotti's side and with their confidence sufficiently rocked, Arsenal failed to respond before the Ivory Coast striker added his second.

When Arsenal did manage to get past the imposing Terry, they were woefully wasteful with Andrey Arshavin the main culprit.

In the 20th minute, A delightful chip from Cesc Fabregas found the Russian unmarked inside the penalty area, but he volleyed straight at Petr Cech.

Two minutes later Arsenal were handed a lesson in textbook finishing which was to ultimately leave their title dreams in tatters once more.

Chelsea thought they had put Wenger's side out of the race when they defeated the Gunners 3-0 at the Emirates last November.

But Chelsea's poor form in December, coupled with a resurgent Arsenal during the same month, all but wiped out an 11-point advantage.

However, Arsenal's remaining title chances were dealt a killer blow by Drogba's 22nd of the season in the 22nd minute.

Lampard was given the freedom of Stamford Bridge to run 30-yards before supplying the Ivory Coast striker with a simple pass.

The Arsenal defence continued to back-pedal and that was the invitation Drogba required to cut inside from the right and fire a left-foot volley beyond Manuel Almunia.



Chelsea could have increased their advantage, but Ashley Cole was denied by Alumunia after Lampard's incisive pass had put him clear on goal in the 31st minute.

Arsenal were a different side in the second-half, but the task was just too much for them.

Chelsea defended too deep and that allowed Arsenal to press forward in numbers.

Terry was forced to play much of the second period with his thigh heavily strapped after a muscle injury, but there was little chance of him deserting his post.

Theo Walcott should have done better when clean through, but got caught in two minds and before he could get his shot away, Chelsea's defence cleared the danger.

Cech, who had preserved Chelsea's lead in the first-half, was in outstanding form and pulled off another great save to keep out a goalbound Fabregas free-kick.

But as Arsenal overstretched themselves, Chelsea looked for a third.

Michael Ballack was close with an angled drive that flashed beyond the far post on the hour, but Cech rescued Chelsea again 11 minutes from time by whipping the ball off the toes of Arsenal substitute Nicklas Bendtner.

Arsenal enjoyed plenty of possession but the final ball was poor and Chelsea, led by the unruffled Terry, were tigerish to the end.

Drogba should have completed a fine hat-trick, but his 83rd-minute free-kick from 20-yards cannoned back off the crossbar.

In the end, it was of little consequence, leaving Terry to enjoy a brief moment of elation in front of his adoring fans as Chelsea climbed back to the summit.

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Everton 2 - 1  Chelsea

Updated: February 11, 2010, 8:06 AM UK
Louis Saha celebrated his new contract with a stunning double to sink Premier League leaders Chelsea.

The Frenchman, who signed a two-year deal last week, first exposed Chelsea's weakness at set-pieces with a headed equaliser and then fired a brilliant 75th-minute winner at Goodison Park.

Chelsea had shaded the early stages and taken the lead through Florent Malouda but Saha, who also missed a penalty, secured Everton's first victory over the Londoners since 2000.

With Manchester United held by Aston Villa, victory could have taken Chelsea four points clear at the top but Everton's greater industry merited victory.

Sacked England captain John Terry escaped lightly in terms of crowd abuse following recent media revelations but the Chelsea stalwart was caught out for Saha's winner.

And of further concern for manager Carlo Ancelotti was the nature of the equaliser - the 16th of 22 goals this season Chelsea have conceded from set-pieces.

Everton scored all their goals from similar situations when the sides played out an entertaining 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge two months ago.

This time the Toffees were without key midfielders Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar through injury and suspension respectively.

Mikel Arteta, having recovered from a knee injury, made his first start in almost a year while Chelsea replaced Michael Ballack with Yury Zhirkov.

Everton stretched Chelsea within the opening minutes as Landon Donovan broke clear but the American overhit his cross for Saha.

After that Chelsea began to take control with Frank Lampard shooting wide after a Nicolas Anelka dummy and Didier Drogba heading over from a Malouda cross.

Branislav Ivanovic then volleyed wide but Chelsea broke through after 17 minutes from a route-one ball.

Peter Cech's long clearance was headed on by Drogba and Malouda brushed off the challenge of Phil Neville to drill a left-footed shot low past Tim Howard.



Chelsea threatened again when Richardo Carvalho leapt above Terry to meet a Lampard corner but Howard saved comfortably.

Everton then launched a counter-attack with Diniyar Bilyaletdinov breaking down the left to cross for Leighton Baines but the left-back caught his volley awkwardly and Cech saved.

But the Toffees grew in confidence and pulled level after winning a corner in the 33rd minute.

Donovan's cross dropped over Lampard and Saha rushed in to power a header past Cech for his 12th goal of the season and his first in five games.

Everton almost added an immediate second as Tim Cahill set up Leon Osman on the edge of the area but his shot flew wide.

Drogba pulled the ball back from the byline as Chelsea responded but Anelka stabbed wide from six yards.

Lampard tried his luck from a 30-yard free-kick but shot over and Drogba then curled one wide.

But Everton finished the half with a flourish and Saha should twice have given the hosts the lead.

First he was picked out in front of goal by Donovan but his first touch bought Cech time and the keeper rushed forward to save from point-blank range.

The former Manchester United forward had an immediate chance to make amends after Donovan was felled in the area by Carvalho but Cech guessed right and saved the resulting spot-kick to his left.



Everton did not let the miss affect them and started the second half well with a dangerous Bilyaletdinov cross palmed over the bar by Cech.

Saha then showed brilliant control to turn and create another shooting opportunity in the box but Carvalho just did enough to force him to fire wide.

Everton also started winning the 50-50 balls and Drogba showed a growing Chelsea frustration when he fired wildly at goal from more than 40 yards.

Bilyaletdinov showed good control in the area but his shot was blocked and a Donovan cross was just too high for Cahill.

Everton appealed for handball against Terry on the edge of the area but referee Alan Wiley's decision to play on was vindicated as replays showed the ball catching the face.

Pressure finally paid off as Everton deservedly went ahead through Saha after 75 minutes.

Terry missed the chance to cut out a long ball from Sylvain Distin and Saha brilliantly chested the ball down before turning and firing home powerfully with his left foot.



Chelsea, having been subdued for most of the second half, finally sparked into life but the crossbar came to Everton's rescue as Drogba met a Lampard corner with a good header.

Lampard then got in a shot at the end of a flowing move but Howard saved to his right.

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Chelsea 4 - 1  Cardiff City

Updated: February 13, 2010, 8:15 AM UK
Holders Chelsea reached the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 4-1 victory after Cardiff had briefly threatened to cause a major shock.

Didier Drogba put Chelsea in front in the second minute but Michael Chopra stunned the home side with an equaliser before half-time.

But second-half goals from Michael Ballack, Daniel Sturridge and substitute Salomon Kalou put Carlo Ancelotti's side into the last eight.

Chelsea got off to a great start when John Obi Mikel's long ball put Drogba in the clear and the striker ran on to fire past the static David Marshall. It was Drogba's fourth goal in three games since his return from the African Nations Cup and his 23rd of the season.



Cardiff almost equalised when Peter Whittingham's free-kick was sent towards the top corner by Anthony Gerrard but with City ready to celebrate an equaliser, Hilario somehow managed to get across and tip the ball over the bar.

In the 25th minute, Drogba was unlucky with an overhead kick from six yards when a cross from Ballack had found him ahead of his marker. Fortunately for Marshall in the City goal, Drogba's effort went straight to him.

Chelsea remained in control of the game with Cardiff restricted to rare counter-attacks but one of them paid off in stunning fashion in the 34th minute when they equalised through Chopra.



Chopra got his 17th goal of the season when he got clear of Alex to head Chris Burke's cross into the net beyond the helpless Hilario, to the delight of the 6,000 travelling City fans.

The Cardiff equaliser had certainly livened the game up but Chelsea gradually managed to get on top once more.

Sturridge, who has scored in the last two rounds, was a yard wide with a 25-yard shot in the 43rd minute.

Chelsea's passing began to go astray as the half wore on and Cardiff were able to end the first half on level terms.

Chelsea replaced the ineffective Joe Cole with Kalou at half-time.

Drogba, the only Chelsea player really on his game, found Marshall alert when he tried to send a 25-yard free-kick inside the near post just seconds after the restart.

But Chelsea were back in front in the 51st minute when Drogba's pass evaded Mark Kennedy to put Michael Ballack through on goal. Ballack kept his cool to volley the ball over Marshall and make it 2-1.

Chelsea defender Alex was unlucky to see a header cleared by the Cardiff rearguard on the hour as the home side pressed for a third goal.

The home side were again in control with Drogba at the heart of all their best moves, and he was unlucky not to get on the end of a through-ball from Paulo Ferreira while Sturridge shot well wide from 20 yards in the 67th minute.

Chelsea finally got a third in the 69th minute when a scrappy build-up allowed the ball to run loose to Sturridge, who slipped it beyond Marshall.



It was his fourth goal in the competition - and his last contribution before being replaced by Florent Malouda.

Cardiff continued to make sporadic forays into the Chelsea half and on one such attack, Kevin McNaughton was a yard wide with a 20-yard angled drive.

Whittingham then brought a fine save out of Hilario with a low drive from 25 yards as Chelsea rested on their two-goal lead.

However, Kalou made it 4-1 in the 86th minute when he superbly headed home a cross from Ferreira, twisting his body in mid-air to send the header over Marshall's reach and into the top corner of the net.

Malouda was way off target in the 90th minute when he tried his luck from the edge of the penalty area - but Chelsea had done enough to go through to the last eight.

Wilkins not worried about Cole

Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins insists Chelsea are happy with Joe Cole's form after he was taken off at half-time during their win over Cardiff.

"Joe wasn't injured, it was just a tactical thing," he said. "We have a squad full of quality and therefore the manager will change things if he sees fit.

"We are very fortunate as far as that is concerned. I am not concerned about his form. When you have had a long lay-off like Joe, it really is a shock to the system, but it does take a bit of time to get back into your tip-top form.

"That will come with Joe. He is working extremely hard day-by-day, so we don't see any problems there at all."

However, Wilkins did admit Cardiff posed them plenty of problems in the opening half.

"It was tougher than we thought," he said. "We anticipated having a hard game. Cardiff played exceptionally well and gave us a lot of problems in the first half.

"But thankfully we managed to up the tempo in the second half and it became a tad easier for us. But we have got to give Cardiff credit as well. For an hour they gave us a tough old game.

"Our team was changed but we took quality out and quality came back in. It is the professionalism of our players that shines through.

"Some people might have thought this was going to be a bit of an easy game for us but those guys took it by the throat and pulled us through when we were not playing particularly well. I would include Frank Lampard in that as well. Full credit to those guys."

Cardiff boss David Jones paid tribute to his players after they threatened to pull off a major cup upset.

"It is hard on them because the scoreline looks like it has been a bit of a drubbing," Jones said. "That bit of quality has come through for them. Certainly for over an hour we gave a good account of ourselves and showed great character after going a goal down after a couple of minutes.

"I decided to come here and have a go. Every player today deserved a lot of plaudits because they worked their socks off but you get undone by the little bit of quality their guys have.

"We regrouped after conceding an early goal and stuck to our game-plan when they were in possession. We grew in confidence and their keeper pulled off some fantastic saves, but as the game went on they imposed their quality.

"It gives us some credit that Ancelotti brought on his big guns. Great credit to our lads though. Chelsea is the best club in their division at the moment but, when you look at the players they have got, it was a great achievement from our players.

"I cannot fault them in anything they have done, they were magnificent. It looks like a drubbing but it was far from that. This result is done and dusted now it is back to the bread and butter on Tuesday."

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Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 - 2 Chelsea

Updated: February 20, 2010, 8:10 AM UK
Didier Drogba's double enabled Chelsea to move four points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League as they overcame Wolves 2-0 at Molineux.

Drogba ensured the Blues took advantage of United's 3-1 lunchtime reversal against Everton at Goodison Park with a goal in each half.

It took his tally for the campaign to 25 in all competitions and earned Carlo Ancelotti's side only their second away win in their last seven league games.

Chelsea barely moved out of second gear for long periods ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Inter Milan.

But the quality finishing of Drogba was the difference between the sides and means the Blues are now favourites to take the Premier League crown with only 11 games remaining.

Petr Cech was the busier of the two keepers and made two crucial saves early in the second half when Chelsea held only a single-goal advantage.

But Wolves' problem all season has been failure to take their chances, as demonstrated by their meagre goal tally of 21 - although Kevin Doyle again impressed as a lone striker.

Chelsea were quickly in the ascendancy and the first half-chance fell to Michael Ballack.

Yuri Zhirkov sent over a threatening cross from the left flank and Ballack got up well in the danger area but directed his header wide.

Doyle produced the first save of the game out of Cech after 15 minutes, making space for himself after a diagonal run and forcing Cech to go down to his right to save his 20-yard drive.

Doyle then flicked the ball into the path of the overlapping Kevin Foley but his shot from a narrow angle flew into the side netting.

Doyle was causing problems for Chelsea and he was alert to a quick throw from Foley and forced Cech to parry his shot around the post.

Ballack was only just too high with a rasping volley after a corner from Florent Malouda was only half-cleared.

Jones, who had scored the winner against Tottenham ten days ago, curled a free-kick just wide as Wolves started to grow in confidence.

But five minutes before the interval, Chelsea took the lead through Drogba. Zhirkov played a one-two with Ballack before squaring a low ball across the six-yard box and Drogba had the easiest of tap-ins.

Cech produced a superb reflex save to protect Chelsea's lead after 55 minutes. Adlene Guedioura timed his run perfectly to connect with a far-post cross from Jarvis but his fierce volley was somehow kept out by the Chelsea keeper.

Ancelotti made his first change a minute later with Zhirkov replaced by Jeffrey Bruma.

The home side tried to get a foothold in the game and Cech produced another splendid stop to deny Foley an equaliser.

Terry miskicked when attempting to clear and Foley found himself with only Cech to beat but he managed to block his fierce shot.

Ballack became the first player to be yellow-carded for dissent as the Blues looked rattled, but then Drogba doubled Chelsea's lead as Wolves were caught napping by a long clearance from Cech.

Drogba was the first to react and took the ball away from Christophe Berra before clipping the ball wide of Marcus Hahnemann.



McCarthy made a triple substitution with Jarvis, Foley and Jones making way for Geoffrey Mujangi Bia, Greg Halford and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.

Doyle was only just off target for Wolves with a shot on the turn after some typical aggression, but it then needed a good tackle from Ronald Zubar to deny Anelka a third goal as he bore down on the Wolves goal.

Terry cleared the ball off the line in a late Wolves rally after Cech had failed to gather a long throw from Halford.

• Ancelotti says title race is still open

Carlo Ancelotti insists the title race is far from over despite extending Chelsea's advantage over Manchester United by three points.

"We went into this game knowing we had the chance to improve our position after the Manchester United result," he said. "The players were aware United had lost, and we managed to take advantage of the situation.

"We didn't play that well, but we had a good spirit, battled for every ball and deserved the points, but there will be a lot of games between now and the end of the season, and nothing is decided at this moment. There are still a lot of points to play for."

Chelsea were indebted to two fine saves from Petr Cech when only leading 1-0, keeping them in control before Drogba grabbed his second goal - his 25th of the season in all competitions.

Ancelotti said: "The save that Petr made when we were 1-0 up was very important. It was a fantastic save."

Chelsea will now focus on Wednesday's Champions League game against Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan, and Ancelotti knows a tough battle lies ahead.

He said: "It will be a fantastic game to look forward to, because Milan are a very good team. They have changed their system, and a lot of players from last year. They have a lot of important players."

Ancelotti expects full-back Yuri Zhirkov, who set up the first goal, to be fit despite suffering a calf injury.

He said: "Zhirkov has a problem with his calf being tight, but in two or three days he can recover for the next game."

Ancelotti also expects Frank Lampard (virus) and Ricardo Carvalho (hamstring) to have recovered in time for the game against Milan.

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy bemoaned poor defending for Chelsea's second goal as his side slumped to a defeat that leaves them just above the bottom three.

He said: "I thought we should have got something out of the game. I was really annoyed afterwards. Someone said 'Well done', but I said that wasn't the case, because we got beat when we shouldn't have got beat.

"We had the game by the scruff of the neck by the second half when Cech made two great saves, and they were taking the sting out of the game, but then we gave away a really bad goal, and we might as well have packed in then, because it demoralised us.

"I am not lambasting the performance - it was good - but we let them off the hook, and 2-0 is not the story of the game."

[juel]

Internazionale 2 - 1  Chelsea

Updated: February 24, 2010, 8:55 AM UK
Chelsea grabbed a vital away goal as former boss Jose Mourinho and his Inter Milan side came out on top in a pulsating Champions League first-leg at the San Siro.

Chelsea, whose defeat was compounded by the loss of goalkeeper Petr Cech with a calf injury in the second half, were a goal down inside three minutes when striker Diego Milito put Mourinho's side ahead.



Salomon Kalou equalised in the 51st minute but Inter restored their advantage four minutes later when Esteban Cambiasso drilled in the winner.

Kalou's goal may yet prove to be the pivotal moment of the tie when the two teams meet again in the return leg at Stamford Bridge next month.

A match that had been built-up as a contest between the two coaches - Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti, of course, was returning to his former home - was sparked into life inside three minutes.

Thiago Motta's through ball found Milito inside the Chelsea penalty area and, when captain John Terry half-heartedly attempted to block Milito's progress, the Inter striker slammed the ball beyond Cech at the near post. Mourinho greeted the goal with an approving nod from his seat in the Inter dugout.

In the 11th minute, Nicolas Anelka tried his luck with an angled drive but the France international could only find the side netting.

But, overall, Chelsea's response to their early setback had been promising and moments later Kalou brought a save from Julio Cesar with a speculative 25-yard drive.

Chelsea won a free-kick some 35 yards out when Dejan Stankovic fouled Ballack in the 15th minute and they were unlucky not to equalise as Drogba's fierce attempt on goal cannoned back off the crossbar with Cesar well beaten. Ballack then forced Cesar to punch clear with a swerving 18-yard drive.



In the 22nd minute, goal-scorer Milito was booked for diving after going down from an imaginary challenge by Ricardo Carvalho and Kalou followed him into the book seconds later after a foul on Wesley Sneijder.

The early goal had sparked Chelsea into life and the game was hardly the defensive lockout many had predicted. Apart from Milito's goal, Chelsea had looked untroubled in defence and had dominated possession.

John Obi Mikel sent a rising drive into the arms of Cesar in the 29th minute as Chelsea continued to press for a leveller.

But Inter spurned a gilt-edged chance to increase the lead in the 34th minute when Sneijder's cross found Eto'o unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box. Instead of planting the ball past Cech, Eto'o completely missed his kick.

Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty seconds before the interval when Kalou went down under a challenge from Walter Samuel, but their penalty claims were denied and referee Manuel Gonzalez was surrounded by Chelsea players at the half-time whistle.



In the 51st minute, though, Chelsea were level through Kalou. Branislav Ivanovic created the opportunity when he ran unchallenged to the edge of the Inter penalty area.

The Chelsea right-back looked to have over-run the ball but somehow managed to turn it into the path of Kalou, who curled it in from the edge of the box. Kalou and the rest of the Chelsea squad then ran to the dugout in a clear show of support for coach Ancelotti.



It took Inter just four minutes to re-establish their lead. Ivanovic blocked Esteban Cambiasso's first attempt but there was little anyone could do about the follow-up shot, which flashed into the bottom corner beyond Cech from 18 yards.



It got worse for Chelsea on the hour when goalkeeper Cech damaged his knee after rolling the ball out and had to be stretchered off. There was nobody around the Czech Republic international when the incident occurred.



He was replaced by Hilario, but it was another blow to the Blues, who were struggling to get back into the game for a second time.

Chelsea should have levelled in the 64th minute when Lampard collected a cross from Anelka but saw his eight-yard shot saved by Cesar. Chelsea were virtually camped inside the Inter half in the last ten minutes but, with Kalou now replaced by Daniel Sturridge, they had little outlet on the left.

Mikel summed up a night of frustration for the Blues when he sent a 20-yard shot into the stands in the 88th minute.

Inter, having been outplayed all night, hung on to record a first-leg victory but the Mourinho bandwagon will roll into Stamford Bridge next month with double the intensity.



• Lampard feels Chelsea deserved more

Frank Lampard believes Chelsea still have it all to play for but admitted their old boss Jose Mourinho set them a tough task after Inter's win.

"There's still the game in London to go. On the balance of play, possession, shots on target, I thought we were the stronger team, but we knew how Inter were going to play - they do like to soak up pressure and that's what they did," Lampard told ITV.

"(Mourinho's) very clever in the way he plays. They came to wait for us, we gave away the goal, came back, then let another in, but we've got the away goal and that gives us a chance."

Lampard admitted he did not see the incident as Kalou was seemingly fouled in the area by Samuel, but added: "Salou thinks it's a penalty and, if it is, it's a red card and the game's completely different, but you have to take it on the chin and in the home leg maybe something goes for us.

"We've got the away goal, but obviously we've got to beat them at home so it's in the balance."

Mourinho did not celebrate either Inter goal on the pitch, but insisted he was more than pleased with the result.

"Of course I'm happy inside," he said. "I was saying a few weeks ago or few months ago when we got the draw I'm a professional and I want to win as a professional I want to win more than anybody else."

He also denied he had done anything to outsmart his old players.

"I don't think the game was a question of tactics, I think the game was a real Champions League game, a really high-level game.

"There were no surprises for me, no surprises from Chelsea, just two teams playing with the quality they have.

"Chelsea can play better, Inter can play better, but this is the reality of the Champions League. Sometimes it's difficult to express your qualities. This is a knock-out so you know any mistake can cost you qualification.

"Inter were unlucky with the draw, Chelsea were unlucky with the draw, because I think if you look at the Champions League, this was the game with two teams with great ambitions, and one of them has to go home."

[juel]

Chelsea 2 - 4  Manchester City

Updated: February 27, 2010, 8:02 AM UK
Wayne Bridge made a point, then left with all three as Manchester City blew the Premier League title race wide open once more by hammering nine-man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

All kinds of conspiracy theories had been raised about the pre-match handshake following revelations about John Terry's alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the mother of Bridge's young son.

In the end, there was no mass boycott of the traditional pre-match handshake by City players, just an icy stare from Bridge as he refused to shake Terry's hand.

It was perhaps the most predictable part of a truly astonishing afternoon that exploded into life once Frank Lampard had put the hosts in front just before the break.

At about that point, Chelsea's world imploded.

Henrique Hilario gifted City goals either side of the interval, failing to make saves Petr Cech would regard as routine to keep out shots from Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy either side of the interval.

Then Juliano Belletti was red carded for a foul on Gareth Barry that allowed Tevez to fire home a third from the spot.

And the drama did not finish there as Michael Ballack was also sent off for two yellow cards before Bellamy added another.

A stoppage time Lampard penalty at least raised a cheer from a team whose lead over Manchester United remains a precarious single point.

For Bridge though, it was a perfect afternoon. He stands on the moral high ground, despite the disgraceful chants aimed at him by the home fans, and City are back in the top four.

The intrigue concerning Terry and Bridge had completely overshadowed what was a key encounter for both clubs.

After their midweek loss in Milan, Chelsea were eager to re-establish their four-point lead over Manchester United whilst for City, it was an opportunity to reinforce their top four credentials after a disappointing FA Cup exit at Stoke.

Indeed, it could be argued the Bridge issue has taken quite a lot of heat away from Roberto Mancini, who, after that short post-Christmas honeymoon period, has found his position already coming under scrutiny.

The Italian cannot have been too impressed with his side's early efforts either.

Although Chelsea were not at their best, they monopolised possession and could have been in front when Didier Drogba turned onto an off-target Lampard effort and fired a first-time shot over the bar from six yards.

An overworked Vincent Kompany also sliced a shot over his own bar, while, for their part, City barely emerged from their own half.

Given that backdrop, Chelsea could have been forgiven for thinking it was 'job done' when Lampard struck.

Joe Cole had cut a frustrated figure during the opening period and clearly remains some way below his best.

But he spotted Lampard's perfectly-timed run in a flash and once through, there was never any real doubt the midfielder would beat Given, which he did with a precise shot into the corner.

The home fans breathed a sigh of relief and went off to grab their half-time snacks, only for Tevez to jolt them out of their complacency and shine the light of responsibility on Hilario.

With Petr Cech out for a month with an calf injury, Chelsea are relying on Hilario at a crucial stage of the season and there could only be concerned frowns on the home bench as Tevez's shot rolled in.



It looked bad in real time. Replays were no kinder to Hilario after Tevez had turned Terry, then scuffed a shot that incredibly turned into his 20th goal of the season.

Within four minutes of the re-start, City had scored again, with Hilario again placed in the role of accused.

Although Chelsea had plenty of men forward when Craig Bellamy broke from halfway, John Obi Mikel appeared to do everything right.

He did not dive in and kept the Welshman to his outside, ensuring the angle was as tight as possible when the shot eventually came.

But yet again Hilario was not up to the task as Bellamy's shot flew under his body and into the far corner.

For a team that had not scored on this ground since 2000 and had offered so little in the opening 40 minutes, it was a quite astonishing change of fortunes.

But more was to come as the red cards started flying.

Belletti was shown his for a foul on Gareth Barry that allowed Tevez to tuck home a penalty.



Ballack followed for a tackle on Tevez that could easily have been a dismissal in itself. A second yellow was produced and he was gone too.

Bellamy took advantage of the huge holes now apparent in the Chelsea rearguard with his second of the game.

And while Lampard rounded off the scoring, it was City, and Bridge, who were laughing all the way back to Manchester.