Chelsea FC

[Jinyuan]

WAYNE BRIDGE showed he still has a Shaky Breaky Heart after refusing John Terry's offer of a handshake.

The love rivals met before their Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.

Chelsea skipper JT - sporting a daft mohican hairstyle - offered his hand to Bridge during the pre-match formalities.

But Manchester City defender Bridge refused to look Terry in the eye as he passed off the gesture.

He ducked his hand underneath Terry's and immediately shook the hand of keeper Hilario before doing the same with the rest of the Chelsea team.

Boos rang out at Stamford Bridge when Bridge's name was announced. There were cheers for JT, while 'Team Terry' scarves, T-shirts and flags were available outside the ground.


Bridge is fuming that fellow England star Terry bedded his ex-partner Vanessa Perroncel.

But the City ace had the last laugh as his team beat table-toppers Chelsea 4-2.

Wales striker Craig Bellamy hit two goals for City and he insisted news of Terry's off-field antics was nothing new.

Bellamy said: "I know what JT is like and nothing surprises me.

"I think everybody in football knows what the guy is like."

Bridge limped off with a groin injury just before the end. But City manager Roberto Mancini hopes his man will rethink his decision to make himself unavailable for England.

Mancini said: "I hope Wayne Bridge can play for the national team.

"I am sorry for the situation because every player wants to play for his country. But it is his decision.

"I am happy for Wayne Bridge. It was a good performance from the team and he played well."

[Jinyuan]

CARLOS TEVEZ last night launched an astonishing attack on John Terry and warned: "If you acted like this in Argentina you'd be dead."

Tev reckons if someone in his homeland had an affair with a team-mate's girlfriend, like Terry did with Wayne Bridge, they "would not survive".

Tevez, who hails from the notorious Fuerte Apache suburb of Buenos Aires, said: "It's complicated to say something about what Terry did to Bridge.

"I don't think you can do that with the wife of another player.

"It's wrong. In my opinion, Terry has no moral code for what he did to Bridge.

"In my neighbourhood if you do that, you lose your legs, or more - you don't survive."

The Manchester City ace clashed with Terry last weekend during his side's 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge as tempers started to boil over.

But he denied the spat was fuelled by the Bridge affair, saying: "I didn't fight with Terry because of that.

"I fought with him because he took me by the shirt and I didn't like it. I became furious with him because of that."

Tevez also blasted Chelsea's Michael Ballack and insisted that he could not stand the German midfielder.

He added: "I have always had problems with Ballack but, you know, it is just football, not personal issues between us.

"I don't know, maybe he doesn't like me, as I don't like him.

"On the field, I have never understood what he is saying to me but I am sure he didn't understand me either."

[juel]

Chelsea 2 - 0 Stoke City


Updated: March 7, 2010, 8:06 AM UK
Goals from Frank Lampard and controversial captain John Terry crushed stubborn Stoke and sent Chelsea into the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Lampard had put the holders in front in the 35th minute when he fired a rising 20-yard shot into the net and Terry sealed victory 22 minutes from time with a firm header.



After two successive defeats, Carlo Ancelotti's side returned to top form to book a place at Wembley.

Terry was booed by Stoke fans every time he touched the ball in the opening half.

The revelations over Terry's alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of his one-time team-mate Wayne Bridge, have clearly not been forgotten by opposing fans.

Chelsea's season has been littered with errors from set-pieces and Stoke tested their resolve in fifth minute when Rory Delap sent one of his trademark long throws into the penalty area.

Former Chelsea defender Robert Huth headed the ball goalwards only for Mamady Sidibe to flick the ball over the bar.

Three minutes later Chelsea responded with a shot from Nicolas Anelka which was well saved by Thomas Sorensen.

But Stoke were unlucky not to open the scoring when Sidibe's effort at the far post was blocked by Alex.

And in the 14th minute it required a clearance off the line from John Obi Mikel to prevent Stoke going ahead. Delap's long throw was punched clear by Hilario but only to Dean Whitehead on the edge of the penalty area. The Stoke midfielder's drilled shot was heading for the bottom corner until Mikel's timely intervention.

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba required treatment off the pitch after a collision with Huth but was soon back in action.

Chelsea squandered a great chance in the 29th minute when Whitehead was caught in possession inside the penalty area but Nicolas Anelka fired beyond the far post from six yards.

Stoke were frustrating Chelsea but they also looked dangerous on the break.

In the 31st minute Tuncay Sanli raced into the Chelsea penalty area but a superb tackle from Alex prevented the City midfielder from pulling the trigger.

Chelsea won a succession of corners and one of them paid off in the 35th minute when Lampard fired them in front with the 18th FA Cup goal of his Chelsea career.



Malouda's corner found Terry at the far post and the Chelsea captain laid the ball into the path of Lampard for the England midfielder to send a rising drive into the net for his 16th of the season. It was also his 146th career goal for the club and pushed him closer to Peter Osgood's tally of 150.



Stoke made an enforced change just before the interval when injured Glenn Whelan was replaced by Danny Pugh.

Drogba almost made it two just seconds before the break but his shot was well saved by Sorensen.

A long throw by Branislav Ivanovic almost brought Chelsea a second in the 48th minute. Stoke failed to clear the throw but Lampard put his volley high over the crossbar from just inside the penalty area.

Sorensen then had to be alert to deal with a Drogba free-kick as Chelsea stepped up the tempo.

Anelka sent a rasping drive beyond Sorensen's left-hand post in the 58th minute and such was their dominance that Stoke boss Tony Pulis opted to make a double substitution on the hour.

Sidibe was replaced by Dave Kitson and Tuncay made way for Liam Lawrence.

Stoke had to thank Andy Wilkinson in the 66th minute when he cleared off the line from Anelka. Drogba's cross found the France striker unmarked at the far post and his header was stopped by Wilkinson with Sorensen struggling.

But two minutes later Chelsea went 2-0 in front through captain Terry. He planted a firm header into the net from a corner by Florent Malouda and then ran to the corner flag pointing at his captain's armband in celebration.

Lampard almost grabbed a second in the 75th minute but his dipping 20-yard effort was well saved by Sorensen.

Stoke almost profited from another Delap throw in the 82nd minute but Abdoulaye Faye put the ball over with Hilario nowhere.

Anelka squandered the chance to get on the scoresheet in the 89th minute when he fired wide after latching on to a pinpoint pass from Lampard.

• Lampard a Terry delighted with win

After the match Chelsea duo Frank Lampard and John Terry expressed their delight at bouncing back from last week's loss to Manchester City.

Lampard, who scored the first goal, said: "It's never easy after a defeat like last week, we didn't play to our standards but came back determined to put it right. It was a difficult game and we handled it very well.

"Wembley is a great day out for the fans, we hold the trophy at the minute and we want to get back there."

Blues captain Terry thanked the club for their support following the recent problems in his private life, adding on ITV1: "Chelsea have been very supportive but the main thing was coming back from a disappointing performance today.

"We wanted to show the fans how much it meant to us.

"We had a couple of days to work on their set plays but they can play as well. On a dodgy pitch I thought we played well and bounced back from last week."

[juel]

Chelsea 4 - 1  West Ham United

Updated: March 13, 2010, 8:00 AM UK
Chelsea went back to the top of the Premier League with a comfortable win over West Ham at Stamford Bridge.

Brazilian defender Alex headed Chelsea in front in the 15th minute but Scott Parker levelled with a stunning volley on the half-hour mark.

Didier Drogba rose unmarked to restore Chelsea's lead in the 55th minute before Florent Malouda's 20-yard effort in the 76th minute and Drogba's second put Carlo Ancelotti's side one point clear of Manchester United at the summit.

Chelsea goalkeeper Ross Turnbull made his league debut for the club and looked confident enough ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League last-16 return leg against Inter Milan.

The keeper, third choice all season, will be asked to play against Inter, who lead 2-1 from the first leg, due to injuries to Petr Cech and Hilario.

Chelsea were given a sterner test than they would have wanted by a West Ham side that went in 1-1 at the interval.

Ancelotti's side had the better of the early exchanges but West Ham should have been ahead in the 13th minute.

Mido's low cross from the byline found Araujo Ilan unmarked just eight yards out but the West Ham striker blazed his effort over the crossbar.

The miss proved costly for West Ham as Chelsea went ahead two minutes later through Brazilian defender Alex.

The Hammers failed to clear a corner from Malouda and when the ball was returned to the France winger, his cross was headed home by the unmarked Alex.

It was the defender's first goal of the season but it could have been worse for the Hammers seconds later.

Another cross from Malouda caused panic in the West Ham defence and a deflection off Matthew Upson looked to be heading for his own net until goalkeeper Robert Green just managed to palm it away to safety.

In the 27th minute, Chelsea carved West Ham open again and Frank Lampard's curling cross found Drogba at the far post only for the Ivorian to miss the target.

But West Ham were level in the 29th minute when former Chelsea midfielder Parker sent a 25-yard volley over Turnbull and into the top corner.

Turnbull could do nothing about Parker's effort but once again Chelsea were guilty of failing to defend a throw-in.

The goal stunned Chelsea and their response was predictable and rapid. In the 35th minute, Green had to dive at full-stretch to keep out a 20-yard low drive from Lampard.

Two minutes later, Nicolas Anelka tried his luck from 20 yards but the ball was comfortably collected by Green.

Malouda was a constant threat to West Ham and five minutes before the break he sent over another dangerous cross but Paulo Ferreira could only direct his header into the arms of Green.

Chelsea almost restored their advantage when a 53rd minute cross from Malouda just eluded Michael Ballack at the far post.

But the home side were ahead again in the 55th minute and the driving force was captain John Terry.

The Chelsea defender surged forward to the edge of West Ham penalty area and allowed Drogba to lay the ball off to Malouda on the left wing.

The France winger delivered another pinpoint cross into the six-yard box and this time Drogba headed home from point-blank range for his 26th goal of the season - his 20th in the league.



The Chelsea fans began chanting "There's only one England captain" as England coach Fabio Capello watched on from the West stand.

Moments later Chelsea were denied a third by a great save from Green who dived to his right to tip away a header from Alex.

In the 65th minute, Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole was given a chance to shine before Capello when he replaced Anelka.

It was followed moments later by a double substitution for the Hammers - Junior Stanislas replaced Kieron Dyer and Mido made way for Carlton Cole.

Malouda made it 3-1 to Chelsea in the 76th minute with a 20-yard shot into the bottom corner.

It was a fitting reward for the France winger who had set up both of Chelsea's earlier goals.

Chelsea were then denied a fourth in the 85th minute when Lampard's glancing shot hit the far post.

Drogba completed the scoring in the 89th minute with his 27th goal of the season - finishing off from close range after Green had palmed a Lampard shot into his path.

[juel]

Chelsea 0 - 1  Internazionale


Updated: March 17, 2010, 7:48 AM UK

Jose Mourinho made a triumphant return to Stamford Bridge to dump his former club out of the Champions League and remind Roman Abramovich of the mistake he made by kicking him out of the club.



Inter, leading 2-1 from the opening leg of this last-16 tie in the San Siro, secured their place in the last eight when Samuel Eto'o scored the winner at Stamford Bridge in the 78th minute.

Chelsea's campaign ended in more misery when Didier Drogba was sent off in the 87th minute for a crude moment of petulance, appearing to stamp on Thiago Motta.

Mourinho, who never lost a home league game during his time as manager at Chelsea, had begun the evening with a low profile entry from the tunnel and into his dugout seat.

Chelsea fans responded with warm applause but Mourinho refrained from hogging the limelight. He knew he and his team had a job to do.

Mourinho had cleverly picked an attacking side with Eto'o, Diego Milito and Goran Pandev up front, and his plan worked superbly.

They set about the task of preserving their one-goal advantage from the opening leg in the San Siro with a determination and energy rarely associated with Italian teams.

They closed Chelsea down with alarming efficiency for much of the half and squandered a gilt-edged opportunity to pile on the agony for the English side.

But when the home side did get into gear, there was enough encouragement to suggest the deficit could easily be wiped out.

In the 11th minute, Michael Ballack collected a pass from Frank Lampard and sent a 20-yard low drive just wide of the post. But it was an isolated moment.

The low intensity of the game was briefly interrupted in the 15th minute when Florent Malouda was kicked in the face by Lucio.

Drogba quickly squared-up to the Inter defender before referee Wolfgang Stark, who had a poor game, restored calm.

But the Serie A side were doing everything to protect their lead and Maicon was the hero in the 25th minute when he blocked a shot from Drogba.

Milan responded with the miss of the half from Eto'o. Maicon's cross eluded Chelsea captain John Terry and fell straight to the Inter striker at the far post.

But instead of planting his header into the net, Eto'o headed the ball down and over the cross bar.

It was a real let-off for the home side who then had two penalty claims rejected within minutes.

First Motta escaped when he rugby-tackled Branislav Ivanovic and moments later Walter Samuel was guilty of an atrocious challenge on Drogba as the Ivorian attempted to lose his marker from a corner.

Amazingly, Stark missed both offences and Motta then cleared off the line after Nicolas Anelka had turned a pass from Drogba towards the empty goal.

It had been a frustrating half for the English side and more of the same was dished-up in the second period.

Malouda briefly threatened to take the game to the Italians and his trickery earned Motta a booking in the 47th minute. It was a yellow card that will keep him out of the quarter-final.

The France winger, the architect of West Ham's downfall in the Barclays Premier on Saturday, then forced Julio Cesar into a fine save at his near post.



Lucio was also booked by Stark and he too will miss the first-leg of Inter's quarter-final tie.

But as the second-half wore on, Milan began to exploit Chelsea's nervousness.

Yury Zhirkov produced a sensational block tackle to prevent Goran Pandev from putting Milan in front on the night and in the 65th minute Diego Milito put his shot wide with just Ross Turnbull to beat.

Moments later Motta headed over the bar from close range as Mourinho's side edged closer to the last eight.

The goal they had threatened throughout the second half finally arrived in the 79th minute when Eto'o collected a superb pass from Wesley Sneijder and ran on to fire past Turnbull.



Mourinho allowed himself a short run out of his dugout but then remembered his pledge not to celebrate and walked back to his seat.

Chelsea, who had never looked like scoring in the second half, now had to get two - a task that was clearly beyond them.

It got worse for Chelsea in the 87th minute when Drogba was given a straight red card for a lunge on Motta, seemingly raking his studs down the midfielder's calf after the ball had gone.



Inter wasted another chance in the closing stages when Eto'o's shot was superbly saved by Turnbull.

But it was all academic in terms of the result and with a minute of added time to go, Mourinho ended the game with a low profile exit.

The former Chelsea boss watched the closing seconds from the sanctuary of the tunnel and disappeared at the final whistle to leave the glory and celebrations to his victorious team.

[juel]

Blackburn Rovers 1 - 1  Chelsea

Updated: March 21, 2010, 7:15 AM UK
Chelsea suffered a stumble in the title race that could yet prove fatal to their chances of taking the Premier League crown to round off a week of bitter disappointment for Carlo Ancelotti's side.

A match that seemed there for the taking after Didier Drogba's early goal somehow drifted out of Chelsea's grasp. El Hadji Diouf headed a superb equaliser as Blackburn put in such a powerful second-half performance that keeper Jason Brown was barely tested.

For Chelsea, whose record in their past nine matches is now four wins, four defeats and one draw, this was hardly a display of title-winning credentials and they are now four points behind Manchester United and two behind Arsenal, though with a game in hand.

This was underlined by the fact that the clear man of the match was none other than Rovers' 18-year-old central defender Phil Jones, making his league debut and up against Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce had gambled on him in the absence of Ryan Nelsen and Gael Givet. That gamble may have seen rash as Drogba carved out an early chance for himself, dinking a neat curling shot just wide of the post despite being surrounded by a posse of defenders.

That was just a foretaste of what was to come as the Ivory Coast striker opened the scoring in the sixth minute with an almost effortless simplicity. Anelka burst down the right, cut inside Jones and laid the ball back for Drogba to wrong-foot the entire Rovers defence and keeper Jason Brown with a neat left-footed finish back into the opposite corner.



Kalou threatened to further emphasise Chelsea's early dominance with a header from a corner that flew over the crossbar but from then on it was downhill for the visitors.

David Dunn won a free-kick in Morten Gamst Pedersen range after being halted by an agricultural challenge by Alex, but although the Norwegian was on target Chelsea keeper Ross Turnbull turned his effort behind.

Pedersen had another sight of goal but was wildly off-target with his volley, while Jones drew the loudest cheers from the Rovers fans so far with a series of crunching - but legal - challenges as Blackburn did their best to out-power the visitors.

Florent Malouda let fly from 20 yards out with a stinging drive but Brown managed to parry the shot, if somewhat unconvincingly.

Ancelotti was then forced to make a change just before the break with Branislav Ivanovic, who appeared to have been stood on unintentionally by El Hadji Diouf, limped off to be replaced by Zhirkov.

Blackburn, as if scenting that Chelsea may have missed a trick by scoring just a single goal in the first half, upped the tempo in the second. Zhirkov's first involvement for Chelsea, right at the start of the second half was to head off the line after Chris Samba had beaten the flapping Turnbull to Pedersen's long throw. Pedersen was then left cursing again when given space to shoot from 25 yards out but missing the target by some margin.

Frank Lampard, who had been having a quiet game by his standards, was much closer with a rising effort from the same range that was a whisker away from the top right-hand corner.



The suspicion that Chelsea had seemed over-confident in settling for a 1-0 win had been growing the longer the second half went on, and in the 70th minute Diouf made them pay.

The Senegal international hung in the air above Ferreira to meet Michel Salgado's cross with a superb header down into the corner.



Chelsea, stung in action, became more direct themselves and Alex struck a piledriver from a 30-yard free-kick over the bar.

With time running down, Drogba was denied a fine winner by a good block, then Jones crowned a magnificent debut with an intercepting header to keep out John Terry.

Rovers celebrated as though they had won the Premier League. Chelsea looked as though they had just lost it.

• Ancelotti: Title is harder now

Carlo Ancelotti admitted that Chelsea's hopes of winning the Premier League had suffered a blow after they only managed a 1-1 draw at Blackburn. The Chelsea manager said: "It will be more difficult now to win the title but it's not impossible.

"We are disappointed because I think we lost two points here, and important points. We had prepared well for the game, we had tried to win to cancel out the game against Inter and for one hour we did well.

"It's not an easy moment for us and we have to maintain our confidence and our composure. Manchester United are now top of the league and we have to run more and do better and leave this behind us as soon as possible.''

Chelsea travel to Portsmouth on Wednesday and Ancelotti said they could afford no more slip-ups. Their recent record is four wins, four defeats and one draw in their last nine games.

"It's important to win on Wednesday,'' added Ancelotti. "Our difficulties started against Manchester City in an unbelievable game [Chelsea lost 4-2] and the only situation is go forward and win. We have less probability to win this title but we want to give it our best.

"We need to work together, stay compact and the next game against Portsmouth is very important, we can stay close to Manchester United. I don't know how many points we need to win the title but I know we have to win on Wednesday and then prepare game by game.''

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce said of debutant Phil Jones: "It was a great performance by a young man who is looking like he has a bright future. As big a team as Chelsea are we felt it was time to give him the chance. It's nice to see a player that excites you like that - especially when he's a centre half like I was.

"We have recommended him to the England Under-19s and said he should be playing at that level but there is a still a long way to go for him to be a regular Premier League centre-half.''

Allardyce said he hoped Blackburn would continue to affect the title race by taking points off United and Arsenal.

He added: "Obviously we have dented Chelsea's chances a little bit but we have Arsenal and Manchester United to come and we hope we have a big effect on who wins the league by taking points off the big boys.''

[Jinyuan]

JOE COLE last night revealed contract talks with Chelsea have broken down.

He says he wants to stay but the club have withdrawn their offer of a new deal and put Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham on full alert.

Midfielder Cole, 28, will be available on a free transfer in the summer but he refuses to give up on his Chelsea career.

He said: "I've never spoken publicly about contracts before.

"I don't think contracts should really be discussed mid-season. I have always signed mine in the summer in the past.

"But this time it's different. We can't seem to find common ground and it's distracting. At the moment there is no offer on the table, so I know where I stand. I still hope to talk in the summer."

Cole's current deal expires on June 30 when he will be free to quit the Blues after seven years at Stamford Bridge.

No new talks are planned between the parties at present even though Cole is keen to stay.

Chelsea have been tightening the purse strings at the club for some time and Cole has been on the fringes of the team recently.

The bombshell development is at odds with boss Carlo Ancelotti, who said recently: "He will stay - of that I am 100 per cent certain."

[juel]

Portsmouth 0 - 5  Chelsea


Updated: March 24, 2010, 7:00 AM UK
Chelsea cut Manchester United's lead at the top of the Premier League to one point with an impressive 5-0 hammering of crisis club Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

A David James howler allowed Didier Drogba to tap into an empty net for Chelsea's opener before Florent Malouda grabbed two second-half goals in 10 minutes.

Drogba's neat finish and Lampard's late goal sealed the win against a Portsmouth side now one step closer to almost certain relegation.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti handed Daniel Sturridge a surprise start as the Blues looked to close the gap on United and atone for their Champions League exit to Inter Milan last week.

Sturridge replaced Nicolas Anelka in Ancelotti's starting XI, which also included Petr Cech and Ricardo Carvalho, who have both been out through injury for a month. Deco was handed his first start since February 2 while Yury Zhirkov came in for the injured Branislav Ivanovic.

Portsmouth manager Avram Grant replaced Quincy Owusu-Abeyie and Nadir Belhadj with Steve Finnan and Richard Hughes, while there was no place for Aruna Dindane due to a clause in his loan agreement which would require Pompey to pay £4million to Lens if he played another game for the club.

Ancelotti described the match as a "must win'' against Grant, who spent eight months at the helm at Stamford Bridge in the 2007-08 season.

Financially-stricken Portsmouth, who learned before kick off they would be allowed to sell players outside the transfer window, lined up in a defensive 4-3-2-1 formation at a rain-soaked Fratton Park.

Chelsea were the most dominant team in the early exchanges and Deco combined well with Drogba before the Ivory Coast striker fired a weak shot wide.

Drogba was in the thick of the action again soon after but he wasted a good chance by volleying well over the bar from inside the box.

Lampard thought he had put Chelsea ahead in the 10th minute but James scrambled across his line to tip the midfielder's 30-yard strike around the post.

James was once again on hand to save another Lampard shot moments later from a similar distance.

Pompey started to get a foothold on the game as the pitch cut up under the rain but found themselves 1-0 down thanks to a James howler in the 32nd minute.

The England 'keeper raced out of his box to make a routine clearance after Deco tried to play through Drogba but James completely missed the ball, leaving the Ivory Coast man to tap into an empty net.



James was left with his hands on his hips as the Chelsea fans ridiculed the stopper for his mistake.

Ancelotti was forced into a change soon after when he brought on Alex for Carvalho, who went off clutching his ankle.

The game came close to boiling point soon after when Pompey full back Ricardo Rocha had to be carried off after colliding with Malouda.

Malouda then squared up to Hermann Hreidarsson, who claimed the Frenchman had used his elbow in the challenge, before being booked by referee Lee Mason.

Rocha, meanwhile, was carried off on a stretcher after a four-minute stoppage while wearing an oxygen mask.

Pompey's troubles worsened when Tommy Smith hobbled off after the half-time whistle.

Smith failed to emerge after half time and was replaced by Quincy, whose clever ball into the box failed to find a team-mate soon after the break.

After his booking, Malouda was booed every time he touched the ball and he soon plunged the Pompey fans into further misery when he picked up Lampard's pass and beat James from a tight angle to make it 2-0.

Joe Cole, who had voiced his frustration at his lack of first-team action earlier this week, replaced the ineffective Sturridge in the 53rd minute.

The midfielder made an immediate impact, drawing a good save from James after a clever through ball from Lampard.

Malouda then scored his second of the night when he reacted first to James' save from Lampard's shot to coolly slot the ball home to make it 3-0.

James then pulled off a flying save to deny Lampard from 20 yards as Chelsea looked to turn the screw.

Kanu replaced Mokoena with 15 minutes left in a desperate attempt to inject some life into the Pompey attack, who were being well marshalled by John Terry and Alex.

Drogba was then played in by John Obi Mikel and the striker held his nerve to slot past James from inside the box to make it 4-0.

Portsmouth then had a golden chance to pull one back but Hughes somehow put a free header from five yards out wide.

Frederic Piquionne then beat two Chelsea defenders down the right but Kanu blazed over from eight yards out.

Second half substitute Patrick Van Aanholt then squared the ball to Drogba but he just missed out on his third by firing over.

Lampard completed Pompey's misery when he finished from Drogba's knock down in the dying minutes to make it 5-0.



• Win provides relief for Ancelotti

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti was relieved to get back to winning back to winning ways with a 5-0 thrashing over bottom side Portsmouth.

"We needed to have this performance, we needed to win,'' said the Italian. "I hope that bad period for us is finished. We'll only know on Saturday whether it has but tonight we played well, stayed focused for 90 minutes and put in a good performance. It was necessary to do this.

"We'd lost some confidence in our play in the last few weeks, but we played well here. This performance will improve our confidence. We are involved in the Premier League and the FA Cup, so maybe eight or nine games until the end of the season, so we need to maintain this period and this spirit to play.''

"We have to prepare for these remaining games like they are finals. It won't be easy, but it's important to stay involved in the Premier League.''

The game took a controversial twist just before half-time when Pompey full back Ricardo-Rocha had to be stretchered off with a suspected broken cheekbone after clashing with Florent Malouda.

Pompey defender Hermann Hreidarsson was adamant that Malouda had elbowed Rocha and the France international was given a yellow card for the challenge by referee Lee Mason.

Pompey boss Avram Grant chose not to take part in his post-match press conference to go to hospital to see Rocha, who will have an x-ray on the injury.

"Ricardo has gone to hospital to see how bad the damage is and Avram has gone with him,'' said Pompey assistant manager Perry Groves, who also confirmed that Tommy Smith went to hospital with a suspected broken nose following a challenge with Daniel Sturridge.

"Ricardo may not play again this season. I thought the challenge merited a yellow card but I only had half an eye on the incident when it happened.''

Ancelotti believes Malouda did not intend to harm the former Spurs player.

"I saw what the referee saw. It was a challenge with two heads,'' said Ancelotti. "Malouda put his head to take the ball, and Rocha was unlucky. We're disappointed for him because he's injured, but Malouda did not mean to hurt him. It was an accident.

"The referee gave him a yellow card, which was right. Malouda put his head in, not his arm.''

Groves admits Pompey's squad is already threadbare but insists the team will not be distracted by worries of a fire sale at the club.

"There's not too many fit players left,'' said Groves. "You look at the back four and we had two right-footers playing at left back and right back and in the middle you have Marc (Wilson), who's been playing most of the season in midfield.

"From a financial point of view it's out of our hands. It's something that will be dealt with by other people. There's always been a fantastic spirit amongst them and they'll always grind out results for you.''

Ancelotti, meanwhile, faces an anxious wait to see if Ricardo Carvalho will be fit for Saturday's game after he came off clutching his ankle in the first half.

"Ricardo turned his ankle,'' said Ancelotti. "We don't know now if it's a big problem or not.''

[juel]

Chelsea 7 - 1  Aston Villa

Updated: March 27, 2010, 7:04 AM UK
Frank Lampard grabbed four as Chelsea demolished Aston Villa to soar back to the top of the Premier League table.

Lampard's quartet made him third-highest scorer in the club's history - eclipsing legends Roy Bentley and Peter Osgood with 151 goals.

Lampard was assisted by a double from Florent Malouda and another from substitute Salomon Kalou as Carlo Ancelotti's side smashed in 12 goals in four days.

Chelsea have now scored 82 goals so far this season and apart from John Carew's first-half equaliser, the Blues were in cruise control for long periods.

The victory put them back in front of Manchester United by two points although Sir Alex Ferguson's side play Bolton in the early evening kick-off.

Chelsea, who left 30-goal top scorer Didier Drogba on the bench, started brightly enough with Deco finding Nicolas Anelka inside the Villa penalty area in the third minute.

But the France international, given the task of leading the attack in place of Drogba, shot into the arms of Brad Friedel at his near post.

Drogba, who scored twice in the 5-0 midweek demolition of Portsmouth, was rested according to the club's assistant coach Ray Wilkins.

Lampard tried to surprise Friedel in the 14th minute with a low drive from 30 yards but the American goalkeeper was untroubled by the bounce.

But Chelsea went ahead a minute later when Malouda's low cross was turned home at the far post by Lampard.



It was the England midfielder's 18th goal of the season in all competitions.

Villa's Stephen Warnock required treatment to a head injury after a collision with Joe Cole in the 23rd minute.

Controversy erupted in the 27th minute when John Mikel Obi appeared to elbow James Milner.

But referee Peter Walton booked Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov for protesting about Mikel's challenge and took no action against the Chelsea midfielder.

However, Villa were jubilant in the 29th minute when they equalised through Carew.

He converted a superb curling cross from Ashley Young at the far post to score his ninth goal in eight games.

Moments later Yury Zhirkov, who was clearly at fault for allowing Carew to ghost into space at the far post for Villa's goal, was booked for a foul Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Deco followed his Chelsea team-mate in the book moments later for a foul on Milner in the 40th minute.

But Chelsea restored their lead in the 44th minute through a Lampard penalty.

Referee Walton adjudged Zhirkov had been fouled by Villa defender James Collins as he burst into the penalty area and Lampard converted the spot-kick with ease.



Chelsea went 3-1 up in the 57th minute when Malouda finished off a sweeping move by the hosts.

Deco's clever ball inside the full-back found Zhirkov in space and his cross was met perfectly by Malouda for the France international to score his 12th of the season.

Chelsea gave away a dangerous free-kick on the edge of the penalty area seconds later when Paulo Ferreira fouled Agbonlahor.

But Milner's effort was straight into the defensive wall to the dismay of the Villa fans.

Chelsea made Villa pay in the 62nd minute when Lampard grabbed his hat-trick, and his 20th of the season, with his second penalty of the game.



Zhirkov was again fouled, this time by Richard Dunne, and Lampard beat Friedel to become the joint third-highest scorer in the club's history.

It was a game of landmarks for the Blues with John Terry becoming the club's all-time record captain. His 325th appearance eclipsed former great Ron Harris and it was also Terry's 450th outing for the club.

In the 68th minute, rampant Chelsea made it 5-1 when Ferreira and Lampard combined to set-up Malouda for his second of the game and his 13th of the season.

In the 82nd minute substitute Kalou sent a curling shot around Friedel's right-hand post but he found the target a minute later when he drilled the ball past Friedel from 18 yards.

Lampard then made it 7-1 with his fourth of the game in added time as Villa's 10-match unbeaten run came to a crashing halt.

It also made the midfielder the third-highest scorer in the club's history with 151 goals - only Kerry Dixon and Bobby Tambling are now ahead of him.

• Wilkins confident for United test

Assistant coach Ray Wilkins says Chelsea will go to Manchester United next weekend brimming with confidence after taking their goal tally to 82 for the season and 12 in their last two outings since shaking off their Champions League exit.

"We will go to Manchester United with the utmost confidence because we are playing good football, defending well and attacking with pace and power," he said. "We are looking a good side again.

"I am not sure what message it sends out but, as far as we are concerned in the camp, we are delighted with the way things are going.

"We are playing some very good football and the work ethic is absolutely top drawer. We have a group of winners. The goal difference is in our favour but I still think there are many more twists and turns to come and I think it will go to the wire.

"The guys were first class today. They played some lovely football and scored some very good goals and their work ethic was first class. The winning is the most important part but is always nice to score lots of goals."

Lampard is now the third-highest goalscorer in the history of the club, with his quartet taking him to 151 goals, beyond Chelsea legends Roy Bentley and Peter Osgood. Only Kerry Dixon and Bobby Tambling now lie ahead of him.

"What a performance as well," Wilkins said. "It is no fluke. The fella works extremely had week-in, week-out in training and he just takes that out on to the pitch and performs as he did today.

"Frank is world class. When you consistently score goals and play to the level he has over the years, you would have to say he is world class.

"He is invaluable to us. He has the ability to get forward but also the ability to get back and defend as well. He just loves playing football. He trains as he plays."

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill admitted the defeat been one of the worst days of his managerial career.

Villa, who face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley in a fortnight, were given a real lesson by the Blues.

"We were well beaten," said O'Neill. "At 3-1 we capitulated which is unlike us. It was a tough lesson to take. We have not conceded too many goals this season. We have been well and truly hammered today.

"We have the same opposition in a fortnight and we will need to do an awful lot better. I would not have seen it coming at half-time. Despite the concession of a late penalty, we were well and truly in the game."

Villa's chances of finishing in fourth spot now look slim as they languish seven points behind Tottenham.

"We have to fight back and we intend to do so, but we have to put some things in perspective and we were well beaten by a top quality team," he said. "But from our own view point, that was not good enough. In terms of finishing fourth? On that performance we would not finish 44th.

"It's as devastating as I have felt in the game. I have been in the game as a player and manager for some considerable time and you get taught quite a few lessons along the way, but that was as tough as any.

"We did not compete and that is something I could not level at the team too many times this season."

[juel]

Manchester United 1 - 2 Chelsea

Updated: April 3, 2010, 8:00 AM UK
Didier Drogba's controversial winner allowed Chelsea to shrug Manchester United aside and put themselves back in pole position in the Premier League title race.


Sir Alex Ferguson and his team will feel hard done by as Drogba was clearly offside as he collected Salomon Kalou's pass and drove home 12 minutes from time.

The significance of the error only became clear once Federico Macheda had pulled a goal back for the hosts to set up a pulsating finish.

But Ferguson would be aware that the first hour had been completely one-sided in Chelsea's favour and that the visitors should have had a greater advantage than the one goal Joe Cole provided in the first half.

Without Wayne Rooney, there was no real bite in United's attack. And although the 34-goal striker is only out for a fortnight, by the time he returns his side's dreams of glory might be over, considering Chelsea now have a two-point advantage and a superior goal difference.

Since his recovery from a long-term knee injury, Cole has struggled to get back into the swing of things. Fabio Capello claimed he was not the same player when he left the midfielder out of his England squad to face Egypt last month, raising extreme doubt over Cole's chances of making the World Cup.



Cole's admission that contract talks had broken down was a statement in itself, given it is hard to imagine Carlo Ancelotti allowing a pivotal player to find himself in such a position so close to him being allowed to leave on a free transfer.

Old Trafford has been mentioned as a potential destination should Cole leave Stamford Bridge this summer, so it was an opportunity to impress Sir Alex Ferguson, not that the United chief would have found the 18th-minute opener even vaguely admirable.

Having put his side's obvious failings in possession down to a one-off in Munich last week, Ferguson must have been worried to see the same fault reappearing quite so often, quite so soon.

There is no doubt the ankle injury Rooney suffered in Germany had a negative effect on United. But the fault lay much deeper, their play too ponderous to have any impact. All across the midfield, United were wasteful in possession. And with Florent Malouda giving Gary Neville a right old runaround, Chelsea took complete command.



The disappointment for Ancelotti must have been that his team did not make the most of their possession. Edwin van der Sar denied Cole on one occasion and Nicolas Anelka had a couple of shots blocked but clear-cut chances were rare.

Even Chelsea's opening goal was not a golden opportunity in that sense. Malouda was invited to run into the home box and although Darren Fletcher eventually reacted, the Chelsea midfielder had the strength to hold him off and cut the ball back to the near post, where Cole got in front of Patrice Evra and found the net with a neat back flick.



It took United a long time to respond. And when the rally eventually came, it took the form of a couple of debatable penalty appeals and referee Mike Dean was not impressed either when Yury Zhirkov chopped down Park Ji-sung and Dimitar Berbatov fell under Frank Lampard's challenge.

Had Paulo Ferreira shown more conviction when he raced to meet Cole's excellent through-ball at the start of the second half, the contest would have been over. Instead, the full-back failed to find either the far corner, or Anelka, and United, who at least speeded up a little bit, remained alive.

The escape certainly seemed to galvanise the hosts, who for the first time made Chelsea's defence creak. Berbatov, the man of whom so much was expected in Rooney's absence, was just off target with a couple of headers and, off balance, Park was unable to keep his shot on target after a forceful Fletcher run had carved Chelsea open.

The introduction of Drogba midway through the second half emphasised the Blues' strength in depth compared to their hosts, who were forced to rely on the talents of teenager Macheda when Ferguson needed to reinvigorate his side.

Predictably, Drogba had an immediate impact, even if he was offside as he collected Kalou's pass before drilling his shot past Van der Sar. Down, and almost out, United responded instantly as Cech pushed Nani's cross onto the on-rushing Macheda.



The ball bounced slowly into the Chelsea goal to set up a dramatic ending. But the Blues were worthy winners at the end. Behind glass, in the executive box where he watched from, Rooney could only wonder what might have been.

[juel]

Aston Villa 0 - 3  Chelsea

Updated: April 10, 2010, 8:12 AM UK
Chelsea kept themselves on course for a League and FA Cup double with a 3-0 semi-final victory against Aston Villa at Wembley.

Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba pounced in the 67th minute to put Chelsea in front and late goals from Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard ensured they remain in the hunt to become only the seventh English team to win both competitions in the same season.

It was Drogba's 32nd goal of the season but until he struck with typically clinical efficiency, the FA Cup holders had laboured against a side they hammered 7-1 in the league at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.

Carlo Ancelotti's side looked lethargic and out of sorts in a largely forgettable opening half.

The state of the Wembley pitch was the biggest factor as the semi-final got underway, with players from both sides failing to keep their feet.

Villa, still smarting from that heavy drubbing, settled much quicker than Chelsea.

But Chelsea had their isolated moments. Joe Cole, attempting to persuade watching England boss Fabio Capello that he is worth a place in his squad for the World Cup finals, sent an angled drive just wide from 20 yards in the 11th minute.

But Villa had more intensity about their game and, although the players continued to be hampered by the greasy surface, they possessed more menace.

James Milner almost put them in front in the 14th minute when his 25-yard drive flashed inches wide of Petr Cech's right-hand post.

But the biggest talking point of the opening half, even eclipsing the state of the pitch, was a Villa penalty appeal that was firmly rejected by Howard Webb.

Gabriel Agbonlahor looked to have pulled the shirt of John Obi Mikel before the Villa striker went down under his challenge.



Referee Webb dismissed their appeals, much to the chagrin of coach Martin O'Neill in the Villa technical area.

Villa's high-tempo game was causing Chelsea all kinds of problems and the league leaders needed a last-gasp header from captain John Terry to prevent John Carew from finishing off a fine cross by Stewart Downing.

But in the 34th minute, Villa were thankful for a superb block by Stephen Warnock as Florent Malouda's cross provided Drogba with an opening.

Chelsea countered through the lively Cole who forced Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel into a fine save at his near post when Warnock's poor header fell to the Chelsea winger.

Villa striker John Carew, who had been marshalled superbly by Terry for much of the game, was just wide from a corner by Downing in the 46th minute.

But Villa's game fell away, just as it had done in the league game a fortnight ago, and Chelsea, buoyed by a half-time pep-talk from Ancelotti, set about their opponents for the first time in the game.

Deco sent a half-volley wide of the target in the 50th minute and moments later Cole just failed to get on the end of a Drogba cross at the near post.

Cole made way for Salomon Kalou in the 64th minute and two minutes later the substitute played a part in Chelsea's opener.

Kalou found the rampaging Drogba with a clever through-ball but he was foiled by a challenge from Richard Dunne.

But Chelsea made Villa pay from Malouda's corner. Dunne could only head the ball straight to Terry and his mis-hit shot fell to the unmarked Drogba, who steered it home from six yards.



It was his fifth goal in competitive matches at Wembley and broke Villa's resistance completely.

O'Neill's side, faced with lifting themselves in the final 20 minutes, huffed and puffed without troubling Cech in the Chelsea goal.

It was Chelsea who finished the stronger and they booked a place in their third FA Cup final in four years through Malouda in the 89th minute.



Frank Lampard fed substitute Michael Ballack on the right wing and the German crossed superbly for Malouda to sweep the ball home at the far post.

Lampard scored a third from close range in added time but by then it was all academic, with Chelsea's double dream still very much alive.

[juel]

Chelsea 1 - 0  Bolton Wanderers


Updated: April 14, 2010, 8:07 AM UK
A first-half strike from Nicolas Anelka gave jittery Chelsea victory over Bolton and sent them four points clear at the top of the Premier League. But it was evident from the laboured performance by Carlo Ancelotti's side that the title nerves are beginning to take hold.



The Blues had to wait until the 43rd minute to break down a stubborn Bolton side who almost snatched a draw in the closing stages.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists the title is Chelsea's to throw away and, judging by the anxiety on show at Stamford Bridge, the run-in promises to be a thrilling affair.

There was little evidence that Chelsea would struggle to overcome Owen Coyle's side when left-back Yury Zhirkov created a chance for the home side in the fifth minute.

The Russian pulled the ball back for Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba who sent his curling shot over the crossbar. Bolton's defence was almost caught out again moments later but Drogba was given offside as he tried to beat Jussi Jaaskelainen.

In the seventh minute, Chelsea had a scare when captain John Terry required lengthy treatment on his ankle following a collision with Matthew Taylor. But the England defender was able to continue without any ill effects.

The Blues had lost their early impetus, though, and Bolton caused problems for the home side when Petr Cech failed to collect a cross from Chung-yong Lee. Taylor almost profited from Cech's hesitation but the Czech Republic international quickly regained control of the ball before the Bolton midfielder could strike.

Zhirkov was in the wars in the 18th minute when he went down following a collision with Bolton striker Kevin Davies. The left-back required a hefty bandage on his head to stem the flow of blood before being allowed to continue.

Chelsea almost went in front in the 25th minute when Jaaskelainen punched Drogba's free-kick straight at Salomon Kalou. But, luckily for Bolton, it bounced off his head and wide.

The hosts were becoming more and more frustrated by Bolton's battling rearguard and that increased in the 37th minute when Drogba sent another free-kick wide of the target from 20 yards.

Zhirkov was asked to leave the pitch in the 39th minute by referee Lee Probert because he was still losing blood from his head wound. It was clear the Russian defender's injury required stitches and Chelsea continued with ten men - Frank Lampard taking over Zhirkov's position until he re-appeared in the 41st minute.

The breakthrough came in the 43rd minute when Drogba's cross was headed home from inside the six-yard box by Anelka. It was the France international's first goal in 14 games for the Blues in a barren spell lasting just over two months.



Moments later Kalou tried to increase Chelsea's lead but his 20-yard shot was well wide of the target, and Chelsea's opening goal failed to liven up their performance as the second half began.

Bolton enjoyed much of the possession and the home side looked decidedly subdued. Chelsea had even resorted to lumping high balls in the general direction of Drogba but it was a fruitless tactic.

Kalou wasted a great chance to put the game beyond Bolton in the 54th minute when Drogba put his Ivory Coast team-mate through on goal. Kalou only had Jaaskelainen to beat but his shot was saved by the Bolton goalkeeper.

But it was a rare chance for the home side, who then survived a penalty appeal when Terry appeared to use his arm to divert a cross from Lee into Cech's hands.

Zhirkov forced Jaaskelainen into another fine save when he collected a return ball from Lampard and thumped a volley straight at the Bolton keeper. Anelka was replaced by Florent Malouda midway through the second half.

A superb 40-yard pass from Alex in the 75th minute allowed Kalou to get free of the Bolton defence yet again but his angled drive was well saved by Jaaskelainen. Three minutes later Lampard almost sealed victory when his 20-yard drive cannoned back of the inside of the post.

Six minutes from time Bolton substitute Johan Elmander was inches away from equalising when he headed a cross from Taylor just wide.

It was, though, the last nervy moment for the hosts, who hung on to move a step closer to achieving the league and FA Cup double.

[juel]

Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 1 Chelsea

Updated: April 17, 2010, 8:35 AM UK
Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale blew the Premier League title race open with goals against Chelsea - and also put Tottenham back in the Champions League places.

Defoe tucked away from the penalty spot for his 24th of the season after John Terry handled in the area, then Bale followed up his midweek goal against Arsenal with another before the break at White Hart Lane.



Terry's miserable evening, after being involved in a verbal spat with a supporter at half-time, was capped off with a sending off for two bookings. Frank Lampard pulled one back but it was too late for Chelsea.

Television scheduling meant the match kicked off with Manchester United only a point behind Carlo Ancelotti's leaders, having defeated their rivals City with a last-gasp winner.

That result also favoured Spurs in their hunt for fourth place as they knew a victory would take them back above City - and within a quarter of an hour they were ahead.

Florent Malouda's powerful drive from 30 yards may have been parried by Heurelho Gomes in the early stages but it was Spurs who were applying the pressure before the deadlock was broken.

Roman Pavlyuchenko fired over from the edge of the area and also had an effort blocked by Alex - but Harry Redknapp's men were not made to wait long for their opener. They were denied penalties when Defoe appeared to get his shirt pulled by Terry and when Bale went over John Mikel Obi's challenge, then Phil Dowd pointed to the spot after the third appeal. Pavlyuchenko stepped over Bale's cross from the left and Terry leant in with his arm, enough for Dowd to award a penalty.

Terry was accused of getting away with a penalty following a similar incident against Bolton in midweek but the former England skipper's luck looked to have run out on this occasion.

There was still a chance of a reprieve as Defoe had missed his previous two penalties this season and was asked to step down from spot-kick duties, but Tom Huddlestone then missed against Bolton so the England striker volunteered again and this time sent Petr Cech the wrong way.



Redknapp's men looked for a second and Cech was called into action when Pavlyuchenko spun on the edge of the area and curled a shot that needed tipping over. Then Luka Modric went on a mazy run that led to David Bentley getting a volley deflected wide by Terry.

It got worse for Chelsea as Mikel picked up an injury and headed straight down the tunnel when he was replaced by Michael Ballack in the 34th minute.

They did have the ball in the net shortly after, but the flag had gone up for offside when Yury Zhirkov skipped Malouda through to finish past Gomes.

Bale doubled the lead just before the break when he cut inside Paulo Ferreira and used his unfavoured right foot to beat Cech at the near post.



Lampard almost pulled one back immediately but Gomes pulled off a save at full stretch to block the volley, replicating his performance against Arsenal on Wednesday when he was at his best to protect Spurs' lead.

There was drama at half-time, starting with Terry's spat with a fan by the tunnel. Ancelotti's response was to use his remaining substitutes at the break, with Nicolas Anelka and Branislav Ivanovic coming on for Joe Cole and Ferreira, but Didier Drogba then pulled up injured just before the restart. With all of Chelsea's substitutes used, Drogba hobbled back on prevent his team playing with ten men.

Defoe had a chance to extend the lead in the 50th minute when Pavlyuchenko poked his strike partner through, but Cech was down sharply to save the one-on-one opportunity.

The feisty atmosphere went up a notch when Lampard and Huddlestone crashed into a tackle, leading to the Spurs player getting booked and Deco also being cautioned for his role in the aftermath.

Terry was also cautioned midway through the second half for bringing down Pavlyuchenko from behind when the Russian was running at goal. He got his marching orders 23 minutes from full-time, with his second foul on Bale.



"Twice I got the ball," he told his bench as he headed down the tunnel.

Bentley almost added another but his cheeky lob was tipped over by Cech and there was also time for Gomes to deny Drogba from close range and for Lampard to pull one back in stoppage time.

[juel]

wonder what the manager is thinking with the double sub at halftime... chelsea really like to kill themself at the closing stages...

[Jinyuan]

SERGIO AGUERO has told Carlo Ancelotti: I only want to sign for Chelsea.

The £40million-rated Argentina star is expected to leave Atletico Madrid this summer.

A host of top clubs, including Manchester City and Inter Milan, have been linked with bids for the striker.

But Aguero insists he would snub City, who he believes are not genuine title contenders, in favour of working under Blues boss Ancelotti.

He said: "I look at players like Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard and they are the best players in their positions in the world.

"I could really learn from players like that, there is no doubt.

"London would be a really amazing city to live in as well, myself and my wife could be really happy there.

"Carlos Tevez is doing really well at Manchester City but, for me, it is about joining a club who are ready to challenge for honours. City are not ready yet.

"Inter are a great club but it is agreed that, over the last five years, the Premier League has been the strongest."