morning papers everton away

Essien strike keeps Chelsea in title chase
Andy Hunter at Goodison ParkFriday April 18, 2008The Guardian
A fixture that prompted such protest from Chelsea yielded victory with a minimum of fuss - and words - at Goodison Park last night. Avram Grant having complained long and loud over Sky television's rescheduling of a potentially daunting visit to Everton, there was a neat, ironic twist in his post-match reaction to the written-press corps here.At least, that was surely the intention of the Chelsea manager. Instead he looked and sounded pathetic, his mumbling, incoherent comments undermining a pre-match appeal to be taken seriously and to have his achievements considered with maturity. Only the Chelsea players, out on the pitch, showed any of the latter.
Grant's reign may be defined on Merseyside next week and the Chelsea manager could, had he wished, have found respite in the fact that the Premier League title was not conceded here last night.In extending the title race by at least another nine days, at which time Manchester United - if they triumph at Blackburn Rovers tomorrow night - will have the opportunity to take the crown at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea showed a fortitude to encourage Grant's conviction that he can give Roman Abramovich the success he craves. However, there was a distinct lack of panache to suggest he can bring the style the Russian desires, and the paucity of Everton's performance, one that surrendered faint hopes of fourth place, must also be taken into account.
Michael Essien's first-half goal brought Chelsea a merited win that takes them two points behind the champions, albeit having played a game more, and lent weight to the manager's assertion that he deserves credit for ensuring the club are involved in a title race of sorts. Grant has also spoken of his long-term future at the club this week and it will be a measure of comfort to the Israeli that, this morning, his future does not yet rest on two Champions League ties with Liverpool. This was far from the performance of prospective champions but, shorn of key players, inspiration and penetration, it was a valuable result at the start of a defining period in their season.
Though Chelsea were evidently superior to an Everton side now desperately hanging on to fifth place and the final Uefa Cup qualifying spot, Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benítez will not have endured an uncomfortable sleep last night. This was a pale imitation of the performance Chelsea delivered here in the Carling Cup semi-final in January. An identical result, however, brought sufficient compensation.
Grant made five changes to the side held at home by Wigan Athletic, with Michael Ballack, injured in training on the eve of the game, joining the list of enforced absentees that included Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard. Their invention, composure and threat were again sorely missed and, irrespective of this victory, the quality of all three will be invaluable if Chelsea are to overcome Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals.
Essien produced a nerveless finish just as the visitors' anxiety in struggling to unsettle an Everton defence held impressively by Joseph Yobo and particularly Phil Jagielka was beginning to show. Jagielka, the former Sheffield United captain, had twice denied Shaun Wright-Phillips with perfectly timed challenges inside his penalty area, the second an outstanding interception with his trailing leg as the England international looked to cut inside to score, but misfortune befell him at an ideal moment for Chelsea.
Essien collected a pass from Salomon Kalou and instantly brought more urgency into the Chelsea attack. An attempted one-two with Wright-Phillips, however, returned off Jagielka's heel, releasing the midfielder inside the Everton area and resulting in a measured chip over the advancing Tim Howard.
The breakthrough removed the tension from Chelsea's luminous yellow shoulders, and Mikel John Obi almost doubled their advantage moments later with a rising drive from 25 yards that Howard tipped over his bar.
A second at that point may well have killed the contest as Everton's threat was minimal, their hopes of claiming a first victory over "a big four" member this season appearing to rest entirely on their success from a Manuel Fernandes set-piece. The Portuguese midfielder twice went close, one effort forcing a fine save from Petr Cech and a second flashing inches wide of the top corner, but Everton were again flat as their season slowly peters out.
"It was not the performance I was after and we didn't create nearly enough chances," said Moyes, ebullient by Grant's standards. "We only forced their keeper into a save once, but we were up against a very good Chelsea team here.
"This is our first league defeat at Goodison since Arsenal won here at Christmas and, with two of our last three games here, our target remains to qualify for Europe."
Far more daunting nights on Merseyside await Chelsea, however.
Grant bites his tongue and plays strange yes/no game
Andy Hunter at Goodison Park Avram Grant staged a bizarre post-match press conference at Goodison Park last night as the Chelsea manager steadfastly refused to expand on a victory that saved his slender hope of snatching the league title from Manchester United. The Chelsea manager, apparently angered by newspaper reaction to the draw with Wigan rather than Sky TV's decision to bring the game forward by 48 hours, produced a monosyllabic performance after the game.Reporter: A deserved win, Avram?
Grant: "Yes."What particularly pleased you about the performance? "I'm pleased."
What in particular pleased you? After a delay: "I don't know."
Is it a relief to win here? "Yes."
You seem lost for words. Are you more satisfied with the performance or the win? "Both."
You seem distracted. Do you have a problem? "No problem."
Is there an issue? "No. I'm ok. I have nothing to say."
Do you have a message for the Chelsea fans? "You represent the Chelsea fans?"
They must believe you are still in the title race, do you have a message for them? "No message."
Does this result mean you are back in it now? "I don't know."
You seem less voluble than usual. Is it because of Sky TV moving the game to a Thursday? "Maybe it's because of you. I don't know. I am OK."
You are saying that you don't know if you are still in the title race? "No."
Is it easier to say nothing, Avram? "I don't what to answer. It is a good question. I don't know what to answer."
Is this because Sky? "No. Sky is OK. I enjoy watching them."
Is it a protest against newspapers? "No. Why?"
Why else would you come in and refuse to answer our questions? "I answer every question."
You are two points behind Manchester United and you don't know if you are still in the title race? "No."
Have you told the players that you don't know if you are back in the title race? "What I tell the players is something else. You want me to tell you what I say to the players?"
We just want you to answer the question. Are you in the title race? "I don't know."
Would you not like to gain some positive publicity for the result rather than this bizarre silence? "I'm sorry. You can write whatever you want and I can answer what I want."
Have you ever played the yes/no game, Avram? No answer.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Indy:
Everton 0 Chelsea 1: Grant feels pressure as Essien keeps Chelsea in race for title
By Ian HerbertFriday, 18 April 2008
His side had just climbed to within two points of Manchester United, but last night Avram Grant delivered a bizarre press conference at which he was barely willing to communicate and said he did not know whether his side were still in the title race.
Grant, whose Chelsea team had been less than convincing in securing the win which kept the title race alive – at least until Manchester United arrive at Stamford Bridge eight days from now – offered no explanation as to why he was refusing to answer questions. Staring at a table in front of him and fiddling with his track suit zip, the nearest he got to an explanation was: "Maybe [I'm] upset because it's been a bad season." But his incoherent performance provided the clearest indication yet that the pressures at the Chelsea helm are beyond him, and that he might be struggling to cope.
The question of the title challenge was put to him three times, without eliciting an answer, and after five minutes 39 seconds the press conference ended.
Grant, who rejected suggestions that either the TV scheduling which had seen Chelsea play here 72 hours after entertaining Wigan to enable Sky to cram in another live game, or a general dislike of a media who have questioned his future, might be the cause of his monosyllabic display. An explanation may have lain in the disjointed performance he had just observed out on the Goodison pitch, against an injury-depleted Everton side who are themselves limping towards the end of their season.
The match's defining moment was delivered by the vision of Michael Essien, and a neatly exchanged ball with Shaun Wright-Phillips which was returned to the Ghanian via Phil Jagielka to send him through to slot home. But it was the sight of the ineffectual Joe Cole, thumping the pitch in frustration that perhaps best summed up the night.
David Moyes might have been without Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta and Leon Osman, but his side provided some of their classic defensive miserliness – Phil Neville and Lee Carsley allowing Chelsea minimal space in the last third and Joseph Yobo and Joleon Lescott demonstrating, in the way they dealt with the occasional threat of Nicolas Anelka, the strides they have made this season.
The unthinkable almost occurred for Grant's side – Petr Cech just pushing a 25-yard Manuel Fernandes free-kick around his left hand post after it bounced horribly in front of him in the rough in the eight-yard box – before they embarked on the only periods of the game that demonstrated the multi-million pound gulf between the sides. Salomon Kalou featured twice, ghosting past Tony Hibbert to level a dangerous cross which Yobo headed clear, then delivering an exquisite ball through the central channel which Wright-Phillips would have latched onto were it not for Jagielka's immaculate tackle. The goal arrived five minutes later but, as high points went, that was Chelsea's lot.
The second half would have made even worse viewing for a manager who had recalled the two Coles, Ricardo Carvalho and Wright-Phillips, all rested for Monday's Wigan draw. Exuding the air of a side that knew their season was on a knife-edge, Chelsea defended in numbers. After John Terry was penalised on the edge of the box Fernandes struck a free-kick just wide. Terry's timing was also called on to dispossess Yakubu after Victor Anichebe had levelled for him to shoot.
After making such good running for so long, Everton are facing a fight for fifth place, with Aston Villa's arrival a week on Sunday looking crucial since the Emirates looms after that. "It's a worry when teams are closing in," Moyes said. "We could find Villa arrive here just two or three points behind us." It will probably be three successive top six finishes for him but the way his side's spirit has gone – with just four goals in seven games – shows Everton to be at a significant staging post in their history. They must find investors.
Chelsea's title race will effectively be over if Manchester United draw at Blackburn and overcome Grant's men at Stamford Bridge. Another Chelsea guard of honour to greet United off the pitch perhaps? That really would have Grant lost for words.
Goals: Essien (41) 0-1.
Everton (4-4-2) Howard; Hibbert, Jagielka, Yobo, Lescott; Pienaar (Anichebe, 62), Carsley, Neville, Fernandes; Johnson (Gravesen, 62), Yakubu. Substitutes not used: Wessels (gk), Baines, Rodwell.
Chelsea (4-1-3-2) Cech; Ferreira, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole; Mikel; Wright-Phillips (Makelele, 81), Essien, Kalou; Anelka, J Cole (Malouda, 76). Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Shevchenko, Alex.
Referee: M Atkinson (Leeds).
Booked: Chelsea Carvalho, Ferreira.
Man of the match: Essien.
Attendance: 37,112.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mail:
Essien stirs the title pot as win over Everton keeps Chelsea's ambitions on the boilEverton 0 Chelsea 1
By JOHN EDWARDS
There will hardly be a stampede towards the bookies to put money on it, but the prospect of Avram Grant becoming the unlikeliest title winner in living memory remains a possibility at least.
Anything less than a Chelsea victory at Goodison Park last night would have been the signal for Manchester United's colours to be fastened to the Barclays Premier League trophy for a remarkable 10th time since its inception 15 years ago.
Their advantage would have been a minimum of four points, depending on the damage inflicted by Everton, with a game in hand, and they are scarcely renowned for surrendering leads like that.
More to the point, Chelsea would have been in no state to whittle it away after faltering against Wigan on Monday and slipping up again three days later.
Instead, the Grant obituaries had to be shelved for another day to make way for a grudging acceptance that he can, after all, elicit a positive response from his players.
It was hardly the stuff of potential champions but, after the listless showing that rightly cost them two points earlier in the week, the Chelsea manager could not have asked for more as they cut the gap to United to two points.
Disciplined in defence, where John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho formed a colossal alliance, and industrious in midfield, where John Mikel Obi and Michael Essien made up for the absence of Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack, they wrapped up a priceless win with a deserved 41st-minute goal.
Grant may have complained that fortune hasn't always favoured his side, but it was working overtime on their behalf as Essien advanced through an Everton rearguard that had been marshalled magnificently by Phil Jagielka.
As Shaun Wright-Phillips tried to back-heel a return pass to Essien, the ball struck Jagielka, of all people, and fell obligingly for Essien to stride forward and bury an unerring finish beyond Tim Howard.
One or two fleeting second-half scares apart, the goal always looked likely to keep Chelsea on course for an eagerly-awaited showdown against United at Stamford Bridge on April 26, and there was no disguising Grant's relief at the end.
Clenched fists were raised a fraction, for no more than a second or two, before he moved towards the home dug-out to shake hands with Everton manager David Moyes.
If it was almost animated by his standards, who could blame him after the flak and derision that has come his way since Roman Abramovich surprisingly named him as Jose Mourinho's successor?
Chelsea remain United's only title rivals and are heading for a Champions League semi-final against Liverpool that may well figure some of the big guns who were absent last night.
Grant's reward has been growing conjecture that his departure has only to be timed, rather than decided, and that the only issue to be resolved is the identity of his replacement.
He answered the mounting criticism in his own bizarre fashion, by stonewalling virtually every question at a monosyllabic post-match press conference, but the response that will carry most weight will arrive in the next few weeks as he attempts to overhaul United as well as booking a place in Moscow for the Champions League Final.
While he continues to pursue that improbable double, he can at least reflect on the way his players rallied round after Monday's flop. Keeper Petr Cech had his work cut out shovelling an awkwardly bouncing Manuel Fernandes free-kick round a post in the 16th minute, but it was otherwise a tale of Chelsea possession as they patiently probed.
Jagielka has been a revelation for Everton after an uncertain start to his Goodison career, and it was defending of the highest order that denied Nicolas Anelka in the 26th minute and Wright-Phillips nine minutes later as an immaculatelytimed tackle stopped the Chelsea winger with the goal at his mercy.
He didn't deserve the ill-luck that contributed to Essien's winner, but there could be no complaints from Everton about their fate after another unconvincing performance that added to an alarming return of just three goals and five points from their previous five games.
They threatened an equaliser only once, when Fernandes almost got it right from a set-piece, after several flawed attempts, with a 62ndminute free-kick that shaved a post.
Essien almost doubled Chelsea's lead with a dipping 75th-minute effort, and the growing frustration at seeing fourth place slip away became too much for Moyes soon after.
Liverpool's hold on the final Champions League slot is surely secure enough after this, and Moyes may even sense that fifth could slip away, judging by his brief loss of control at a throw-in.
Grabbing the ball, he motioned to take the throw himself before hurling it at a startled Ashley Cole from point-blank range. Cole stared back in a mixture of surprise and anger, but the look in Moyes' eyes dissuaded him from taking it further.
Grant, by contrast, was all smiles. United's hand may well be raised before long, but he's still fighting. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Chelsea drag out title race at weary EvertonBy Tim Rich
Everton (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 1
The Winslow Hotel opposite Goodison Park is the kind of place that specialises in beer and banter rather than spa treatments and Egyptian cotton sheets but last night it was advertising a psychic evening. Avram Grant might have been tempted to remain on Merseyside just to ask what kind of future he has at Stamford Bridge. This morning it is still unclear.
Chelsea, two points behind Manchester United with the champions still to come to Stamford Bridge, remain contenders for the title. Sir Alex Ferguson would not concede the championship under these circumstances and nor would Jose Mourinho. When the final whistle sounded, Chelsea's sense of grievance at having this game moved to a Thursday because of television commitments would have been considerably less acute. Three points can do a lot to cure outrage.
This was a similar game to the one that had appeared to have undone them on Monday night against Wigan. Chelsea scored first and spent most of the second half attempting to nurse that lead through. But here there was no sting in the tail. Manchester United, you felt, would have tried to kill off an Everton side that aside from Manuel Fernandes' free-kicks, looked chronically short of inspiration or ideas.
Everton may have cranked up the pressure considerably in the second half with David Moyes throwing Joleon Lescott from left-back to centre- forward and with John Terry forced into a bruising contest with Yakubu. Even Michael Essien, whose goal separated the teams, appeared to faint in the middle of the pitch, but there was seldom any real prospect of a breakthrough.
While the title will be alive when United go to Stamford Bridge on April 26, another contest has been settled. Five points ahead of Everton and with a game in hand, Liverpool are destined for another season of Champions League football.
When the teams ran out, it was past an honour guard formed by the Harlem Globetrotters, a team that Roman Abramovich would admire as they exist purely to entertain. Most of their matches are exhibition games that run to a strict script, and they are also not required to win - the kind of luxury that football never allows.
When Grant last took Chelsea to Goodison in January, it appeared that a remarkable script was being forged; the one about how a shy, quietly humorous Israeli took over from the most flamboyant manager the game had seen since Brian Clough and won everything.
Then, a goal from Joe Cole took Chelsea to the Carling Cup final in the middle of a sequence of games that saw 10 out of 11 games won. The one that was not won was drawn 4-4 with Aston Villa on an afternoon of pure adrenalin the Harlem Globetrotters would have recognised.
Last night returning to Goodison, Grant stood on the touchline, his figure starkly framed by the floodlights, his future apparently measured in weeks even though his season might end with the European Cup in Moscow.
He could have argued that he was without Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack. The Chelsea supporters whom the club had bussed up to Merseyside at its own expense did not, as they had done against Wigan, chant that he did not know what he was doing. He could, if he had checked the record books, have pointed out that it took Dave Mackay, the man who succeeded Clough, 18 months to win the title with Derby.
At least he started with Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, something he had not done at home on Monday and with a fabulously timed pass, he ought to have justified his selection with a goal four minutes before the interval. The pass was from Salomon Kalou and sent Wright-Phillips clear on goal. Had Wright-Phillips shot first time, it might have been more difficult to miss but in trying to shift the ball from his left to his right boot, he allowed Phil Jagielka time to make an interception. And that ought to have summed up the game - Chelsea had hitherto had plenty of possession and done very little with it, while Jagielka's anticipation and positioning had been outstanding.
It was the height of irony that a few minutes later Jagielka should unintentionally have flicked on a ball from Wright-Phillips straight into Essien's path who, unlike his team-mate, did not hesitate and drove his shot emphatically past Tim Howard, who moments later tipped over instinctively from Jon Obi Mikel. Within the space of five minutes, Chelsea had emerged from a dull contest of attrition to take complete charge.
And, frankly, this was no more than they had deserved. Everton had not beaten them at Goodison in eight years and with Chelsea supposedly demoralised and with their championship credentials apparently wrecked by Emile Heskey's late goal, they would never have a better chance.
And yet all they produced in the first half was a single free-kick from Fernandes that bounced awkwardly in front of Petr Cech, who palmed the ball out for a corner. From a side supposedly still competing for a place in the Champions League, it was all rather flat, although you suspect that their manager, David Moyes, would probably settle for fifth this morning.
POINT: In The Daily Telegraph yesterday we stated that only one Chelsea player who played in Wednesday night's FA Youth Cup final against Manchester City was eligible for England. In fact, Chelsea’s squad included six eligible England youth players. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The TimesApril 18, 2008
Chelsea keep slim title hopes aliveEverton 0 Chelsea 1
Chelsea’s players formed a guard of honour for Manchester United on their most recent visit to Stamford Bridge last May, but the champions can expect a far more hostile reception when they return a week tomorrow after a hard-earned victory at Goodison Park last night carried the London club to within two points of Sir Alex Ferguson’s team at the top of the Barclays Premier League.
Being a hospitable sort, Avram Grant will offer Ferguson, his opposite number, a glass of wine in his office afterwards whatever the result, but he will hope that United’s champagne is kept on ice for another week at least. If not quite High Noon, then next Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off has the potential to provide a final twist to what has been a compelling championship race, ensuring that Ferguson will not send out his reserves as he did 12 months ago.
United will retain their title if they follow victory at Blackburn Rovers tomorrow by beating their closest challengers, although Chelsea could cut the gap or even move to the top for the first time if Ferguson’s team falter at Ewood Park. Unlike before this half-hearted contest, no one will complain that Chelsea’s next match has been selected by Sky Television.
Most neutrals would not take long to decide whom they consider to be worthy champions, but Chelsea deserve great credit for pushing United farther than anyone else, particularly given the injuries and internal problems they have encountered this season. Very little of it will find its way to Grant, the first-team coach, but he must be doing something right, if only by making sure that his players maintain their focus.
This was another Chelsea performance based on character rather than class, although at this stage of the season gritty wins will do, particularly in the light of Monday’s draw with Wigan Athletic. The unexplained presence of the Harlem Globetrotters parading on the pitch beforehand last night served as a reminder of the gap that exists between Chelsea and Roman Abramovich’s vision of a team of entertainers, a gulf that all the money in the world may not be able to bridge. Chelsea made hard work of beating a lacklustre home team booed off by their own fans, taking a deserved lead through Michael Essien just before half-time but failing to kill off the game in the second half.
The visiting team were mostly comfortable with Petr Cech making only one save, from a free kick by Manuel Fernandes, in the sixteenth minute, although the Portugal winger shot narrowly across goal with another set-piece in the second half. Without last-ditch tackles from Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry on Andrew Johnson and Yakubu Ayegbeni respectively, the Czech Republic goalkeeper would have been far busier.
Ferguson would not have been unduly concerned at his unusual Thursday-evening viewing and nor would Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, for that matter, with Chelsea lacking fluency, penetration and killer instinct. Given the injuries they continue to collect, the absence of any real rhythm is understandable.
Michael Ballack was the latest to withdraw, after suffering a hamstring injury in training on Wednesday. The Germany midfield player should return to face Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday, although the participation of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba cannot be guaranteed.
Lampard’s position is uncertain as a result of his mother’s illness but after the performance of Nicolas Anelka last night, Drogba should be pressed into service if he is anywhere near fit. Anelka struggled to adapt to his role as a lone striker, barely getting a sight of goal. Shaun Wright-Phillips fared better as a replacement for Ballack in central midfield and he established an early dominance alongside Essien and John Obi Mikel.
Steven Pienaar gave Paulo Ferreira early problems down Everton’s left flank but the visiting team were dangerous going forward, with Salomon Kalou justifying his selection ahead of the more experienced Florent Malouda. Kalou’s through-ball to Wright-Phillips in the 35th minute deserved to set up a goal, Phil Jagielka preventing the England winger from shooting with a brilliantly timed tackle, and the Ivory Coast forward began the move from which Chelsea scored six minutes later.
Kalou found Essien, who received the ball back from Wright-Phillips as he ran into the penalty area with the aid of a deflection from Jagielka. Essien needed no help with the finish, however, shooting calmly past Tim Howard for his sixth goal of the season.
Chelsea should have gone on to win comfortably against a team that will be lucky to qualify for the Uefa Cup if a haul of five points from their past six matches does not improve, but they no longer appear capable of brushing weaker opponents aside. Grant’s fate, though, will be decided on what he achieves in the Champions League against the other club from this city.
Everton (4-4-2): T Howard – T Hibbert, J Yobo, P Jagielka, J Yobo – M Fernandes, P Neville, L Carsley, S Pienaar (sub: V Anichebe, 62min) – A Johnson (sub: T Gravesen, 62), Yakubu Ayegbeni. Substitutes not used: S Wessels, L Baines, J Rodwell.
Chelsea (4-3-3): P Cech – P Ferreira, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Cole – S Wright-Phillips (sub: C Makelele, 81), J O Mikel, M Essien – J Cole (sub: F Malouda, 76), N Anelka, S Kalou. Substitutes not used: Hilário, A Shevchenko, Alex. Booked: Carvalho, Ferreira.
Referee: M Atkinson. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sun:
Everton 0 Chelsea 1
by STEVEN HOWARD AVERAGE Grant. Average Grump. The Turtle. Froggie. Larry Grayson.
He has been called many names but last night Avram Grant gave us another one — Mr Nonchalant.
He had just seen his team close to within two points of Manchester United with a gritty victory at Goodison Park.
Afterwards, though, he was at his most enigmatic. No, he had nothing to say about his side’s chances of catching United at the top.
And, to be quite honest, what business was it of anyone’s?
It was, to many, a bizarre reaction. One that suggested he may have lost the plot in some way.
And yet you understand what his refusal to answer the leading questions was about. Because this is a man who refuses to give in.
After a Press conference that left many observers baffled, he retreated downstairs to the ground floor of Goodison Park and let slip what he REALLY felt.
He said: “I have lost two games out of 29 in the Premier League. What do you want me to do now — resign? I don’t think so.
“Would Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger do that? No.”
Grant has a good point but last night’s win at Goodison will not placate the fans who still want him out.
Yes, he’s been called a few names since taking on the appalling business of succeeding Mourinho at Stamford Bridge,
But, give him his due, Grant keeps plugging away. And he will until it’s all over.
“Because this is a man who doesn’t give up. Because this is a man, remember, who was brought up in adversity.
An Israeli who served in the army with all that entails. So I don’t think the Premier League holds too many fears.
He arrived at Goodison last night with the obituaries prepared.
And, in many ways, they are probably still there despite a goal from Michael Essien just before half-time that gave Chelsea the win they needed to keep the championship race bubbling over.
Yes, give it to the Blues for their perseverance in keeping track of United but this was not a performance to warm the heart.
And it probably won’t stop Alex Ferguson’s side winning the title.
We like style and charisma in our champions and the boys from the Bridge didn’t show that.
Yes, they had the midfield and defensive determination that Arsenal did not have on their trips to Merseyside and Manchester last week.
The very lack of purpose that will haunt the Gunners until they acquire — or bring through — men of character like John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.
More than that, players like Joe Cole and Essien who were so important to Chelsea last night.
They were even more important in the absence of Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba — rested before next Tuesday’s Champions League collision with Liverpool.
Everton fans would make the point they were also without Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill and Leon Osman.
Whatever, Grant survives intact for the moment while David Moyes and Everton realise their own Champions League qualification hopes are dead in the water.
And Portsmouth and Aston Villa are breathing down their necks for the last UEFA Cup place.
Tremendous credit for Chelsea last night but Everton are still a bit of a soft touch when it comes to the class sides — this was their fourth home defeat of the season along with those inflicted by United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
And, yes, Grant’s side still have to play United at the Bridge on April 26.
But despite their doggedness, Chelsea have too much to do. Had they hung on a bit longer against Wigan on Monday, it might have been a little different.
The goal when it mattered was a curious affair. Not the greatest they have ever scored but, at this stage, it doesn’t matter.
A move involving Joe Cole, Salomon Kalou and Essien ended with the Ghanaian attempting a one-two with Kalou.
The ball struck Phil Jagielka’s heel, rebounded into Essien’s path and, thank you very much, in the back of the net it went. A poor half, a poor Chelsea performance but back on United’s heels they most definitely were.
But they stuck at it in the second half, got the three points and now must hope United get turned over at Blackburn.
Even a point for Ferguson’s team and it is probably all over.
But will this concern Grant? I’m not that sure.
He knows Barcelona’s Frank Rijkaard and AC Milan’s Carlo Ancelotti are after his job in a season where Chelsea could complete their first season in four without a trophy.
Then, again, how terrifying is the thought of so-called failure in the Premier League these days? A season with nothing to show for it and Grant would revert to his old position of Chelsea academy director.
A job that paid him £950,000 a year when he first arrived at the Bridge, would now be worth the £2.5million his salary jumped to after replacing the Divine Jose. Not a bad price for failure.
Last night, that didn’t appear to matter to the Chelsea boss.
Sort of very unperturbed Grant.
Almost Average.