fulham 2-1

Independent:
Drogba's parting shot saves Chelsea
Chelsea 2 Fulham 1
By Mark Fleming

In the past month Chelsea have turned into football's equivalent of Gordon Brown – still leading the country but Lord only knows how. Ever since their emphatic 3-0 victory at Arsenal, Chelsea have turned into a one-man team.
Without Didier Drogba's timely intervention, which provided the spark for their second win in six league games, Chelsea looked to be heading to what would have been a crushing defeat. Instead, they head into the New Year five points clear.
Drogba, like Chelsea, was awful for the first hour of the game. The striker was at his melodramatic worst, rolling around in agony at the slightest touch. But he and Chelsea woke from their slumbers in time to win an entertaining London derby and secure three vital points. Jose Mourinho certainly picked his moment to return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since his dismissal more than two years ago. Mourinho's Internazionale side play Chelsea in the Champions League on 24 February, so the Special One took the opportunity to see his former club play before they lose Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel to the African Nations Cup. He will not have been impressed.
Sitting in the seat up in the West Stand, opposite the dugout he used to occupy with such a flourish, Mourinho watched as his former club continued their recent habit of looking like a team that rarely plays together. Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, made six changes from the side that drew 0-0 at Birmingham on Boxing Day, and it showed. Passes went astray and runs went unspotted as Chelsea floundered against their local rivals. It is customary to invite the neighbours round during the festive period, but Chelsea took their hospitality duties a little too seriously.
They were booed off the pitch at half-time after a dire opening 45 minutes. Fulham took the lead after four minutes when Chelsea failed to deal with Paul Konchesky's cross from the left. Ricardo Carvalho missed his attempted header and John Terry failed to stop Bobby Zamora steering the ball towards Zoltan Gera, who flicked the ball up before scoring with a bicycle kick.
Petr Cech tipped over a curling shot from Clint Dempsey as Fulham scented Chelsea were there for the taking. The Chelsea jitters were in full flow, and their goalkeeper also saved well from Zamora after a terrible back header from Carvalho.
Gradually in the second half Chelsea began to find greater width, particularly once Branislav Ivanovic replaced the ineffectual Paulo Ferreira. Drogba hauled Chelsea level with his 19th goal of what is becoming a prolific season. Ivanovic burst down the right flank and arrowed a cross to the far post where stand-in right-back Chris Baird was guilty of ball-watching and Drogba ghosted in at the far post to head the ball into the Fulham net. Baird had been forced into defence after the excellent John Pantsil came off with a twisted knee.
Victory for Chelsea came in the most fortunate of circumstances. Fulham had coped admirably without their towering defender Brede Hangeland, who twisted his knee ligaments in the Boxing Day draw with Spurs. Chris Smalling, who 18 months ago was playing for Maidstone in the Isthmian League, was thrown in for his first league start, and the 20-year-old coped superbly.
However, Smalling's day was ruined when Daniel Sturridge's shot was parried by Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer and the England Under-21 defender could do nothing as the rebound struck him on the knee and rolled back into his own goal.
With their tails up, Chelsea were transformed and in the final moments their Ivorian front pair of Drogba and Kalou both went close.
Drogba dragged a shot wide, and Kalou struck the bar with a shot from the edge of the penalty area. At the final whistle, Drogba theatrically organised the Chelsea players into a huddle on the pitch and delivered a farewell speech to his team-mates, presumably something along the lines of, "you can do it without me". He then followed it by throwing his shirt to the crowd. The Ivorian flies off today for a month of African Nations Cup action, and Chelsea have to hope their title aspirations do not depart with him.

Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2): Cech; Ferreira (Ivanovic, 65), Carvalho, Terry, Zhirkov (A Cole, 84); Mikel (Sturridge, 70); Lampard, Ballack; J Cole; Kalou, Drogba. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Alex, Belletti, Kakuta.

Fulham (4-3-2-1): Schwarzer; Pantsil (Etuhu 66), Hughes, Smalling, Konchesky; Duff (Riise 85), Murphy, Baird; Gera (A Johnson, 71), Dempsey; Zamora. Substitutes not used: Zuberbuhler (gk), Nevland, Greening, Kallio. Referee: A Marriner (West Midlands).

Booked: Chelsea Drogba; Fulham Baird.
Man of the match: Smalling.
Attendance: 41,805.

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Guardian:
Didier Drogba sparks Chelsea fightback against Fulham
Chelsea 2 Drogba 73, Smalling (og) 75 Fulham 1 Gera 4
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge

There was no sophistication to a Chelsea victory in which the uncontainable individualism of Didier Drogba brought an equaliser and the winner arrived through an own-goal from Chris Smalling. This type of win will not have been what Roman Abramovich had in mind when he hired Carlo Ancelotti as manager but it was still a heartening recovery.
A discordant Chelsea line-up who were booed from the pitch at half-time were not really brought into tune by tactical tweaks. Whatever took place, the seemingly composed Ancelotti contrived to bring an irresistible fury out of men who had seemed harmless. The reward is a five-point lead, although Manchester United, in second place, have a game in hand.
There will be no surprise that Drogba epitomised the mercurial nature of the Chelsea display. The Ivorian put his moodiness on show at first but subsequently collected himself to become a one-man onslaught.
Fulham could not afford the little piece of ill-fortune that afflicted them. The right-back John Paintsil had to be taken off with a knee injury and even more harm was done in the reshuffle. Chris Baird took over his duties and so went from telling midfield presence to uneasy defender. There were gaps at last and Drogba was full of intent. The substitute Branislav Ivanovic crossed deep and Drogba, for once unmarked, headed vigorously past Mark Schwarzer in the 73rd minute. It was virtually inevitable that Chelsea would go on to claim their second league win in six games.
Delusions of mastery seemed to dog the club when plans were being laid for this fixture. Only five members of the line-up who had drawn at Birmingham City on Boxing Day started here. Such a sweeping reconstruction suggested that Chelsea had the means to take such grand decisions with complete confidence. In practice regulars such as Ivanovic and, later, Ashley Cole could not be left to conserve their energies on the bench. Ultimately a piece of luck was as important to Ancelotti as the adjustments he made.
Two minutes after the equaliser Chelsea went ahead through an own-goal. Salomon Kalou crossed and the substitute Daniel Sturridge's effort was beaten out by Schwarzer, only for the ball to bounce off Smalling and into the net.
While that would have been poignant for anyone, the centre-back was even more seriously wronged because it was an incident for which he was blameless. This was his first league start, awarded because of a knee injury that left Brede Hangeland unavailable, and the 20-year-old had excelled.
Chelsea were entitled to claim that, in the second half, their insistent pressure had altered the nature of the game. The ball was certainly in the vicinity of the Fulham goalmouth more often, with Schwarzer having to parry after Drogba struck a shot on the turn in the 59th minute.
The Ivorian will be gravely missedwhile he is at the African Cup of Nations next month. Chelsea will hope Nicolas Anelka's return to fitness and form can be rapid but Drogba is like no other footballer on the Stamford Bridge books. The attacker's gift to the club is that five-point lead. Chelsea's programme is not all that severe, on the face of it, although the degree of difficulty will be connected to the side's capacity to maintain form. They have not looked intimidating since their 3-0 win at the Emirates on 29 November.
Chelsea have lacked zest and onoccasion they have looked like an ensemble in which too many members are feeling their age or sensing the lingering damage of all the battles of the past. They cannot count any longer on fortitude in defence. The goalless draw at Birmingham is their sole clean sheet in eight matches in all competitions since that trouncing of Arsenal.
Today's visitors had the lead after four minutes. Clint Dempsey found Paul Konchesky and his delivery was laid off by Bobby Zamora to Zoltan Gera. The Hungarian flicked the ball up to hook a finish beyond Petr Cech on the turn. If any criticism is to be made of Chelsea it was that they did not generate enough attacks thereafter to keep the opposition off balance.
Should anything have disturbed the watching José Mourinho, then it can only have been the unsettling lack of initial impact by his old team. The Internazionale coach would have found it impossible to believe that Chelsea can be so bland again when the two clubs meet in the last 16 of the Champions League. He would not have been surprised when his adversaries revealed their true character as the afternoon developed.
Man of the match Didier Drogba (Chelsea)


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The Times
Lacklustre leaders grateful to Chris Smalling’s ill luck
Chelsea 2 Fulham 1
Matt Hughes, Deputy Football Correspondent

To borrow a phrase from the political lexicon, which may even apply to the Prime Minister at the moment, Chelsea are in government but not in power. Carlo Ancelotti’s side are five points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League, although it is difficult to see precisely why, and no one can say with any certainty how long their lead will last. Their authority of old is missing.
This was another wretched performance by Chelsea’s high standards, although by the end of the season their goals in the space of two second-half minutes may come to be regarded as the defining moments of the entire campaign. A defeat would have enabled Manchester United to return to the top by beating Wigan Athletic tomorrow, an unpalatable scenario that their misfiring players were unwilling to countenance.
The fighting spirit first instilled by José Mourinho, who returned to Stamford Bridge yesterday for the first time since his sacking in September 2007, remains as strong as ever, as Ancelotti acknowledged. “This reaction means the squad has a very good spirit,” the Chelsea manager said. “They wanted to win this game.”
Chelsea’s team spirit was epitomised by a post-match huddle in the centre circle led by Didier Drogba, whose loss during the African Cup of Nations in Angola, for which he departs today, will be incalculable. As if to prove the point, the Ivory Coast striker brought Chelsea back into the game with his nineteenth goal of the season, although it was another African who provided the turning point. Fulham had repelled Chelsea’s growing pressure with assurance while John Paintsil was on the pitch, but after the Ghana defender hobbled off with a knee injury in the 67th minute, the visiting team folded. The 28-year-old right back will have a scan this morning on a twisted knee that is likely to prevent him reporting for international duty in Africa.
Paintsil had combined well with Chris Smalling to subdue Drogba for much of the match, but Chris Baird, who was switched into Paintsil’s position, was found wanting. The Northern Ireland player was caught out of position by a right-wing cross by Branislav Ivanovic, a substitute, in the 73rd minute, leaving Drogba free to finish with a powerful header. Two minutes later, Chelsea struck again down Fulham’s right, with another substitute, Daniel Sturridge, eluding Baird to reach the byline. Sturridge’s cross was saved by Mark Schwarzer, but the ball struck Smalling on the knee two yards from goal and he could only look on as it crept across the goalline.
Roy Hodgson, the Fulham manager, could have gone farther than a mild claim that his side were hard done by, but he was more concerned with attempting to restore the confidence of Smalling, 20, who impressed on his Premier League debut in place of Brede Hangeland, who has a knee injury.
“For me there are own goals that are not own goals,” Hodgson said. “For me an own goal is where somebody commits some terrible error and puts it into his own net when he should have done something quite different with the ball. That one was just one of those things.
“Chris’s performance was excellent. I don’t think the fact that his name is down for an own goal tarnishes his performance today.” For much of the afternoon, Smalling’s physical presence had made it look as if Drogba would have preferred to be anywhere else, although he was not alone as the majority of Chelsea’s players seemed to be suffering from a Christmas hangover.
The goal they conceded in the fourth minute had Mourinho jumping in outrage out of his seat — or rather Roman Abramovich’s, as the former manager was accommodated in the Russian owner’s private box. Paul Konchesky’s cross from the left eluded Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry, with Zoltan Gera given huge amounts of space to chip the bouncing ball up to himself and finish with a neat bicycle kick.
Chelsea’s defending has been somewhat haphazard for much of the season, but the paucity of their attacking play in recent weeks is a graver concern, particularly as Drogba will be away for the next month.
Joe Cole was anonymous, Frank Lampard looked in need of a rest and Michael Ballack was one-paced and ponderous, with the Germany captain’s corner-taking in the first half nothing less than an embarrassment as he twice failed to beat Fulham’s first defender. Despite dominating possession, Chelsea’s threat was so sporadic that Schwarzer was not called upon to make a save until the 59th minute.
Ancelotti has stuck with his preferred diamond system all season, but may make a change in the coming weeks, particularly if the performances of key personnel do not improve. Deco and Cole have both failed to deliver on a consistent basis at the tip of the diamond, leaving Chelsea woefully short of creativity in a formation that is inevitably bereft of width.
“In some matches we can change the system,” Ancelotti said. “We’ve played the diamond with every match, but we can use our wingers in some matches if there’s no space in midfield. [Florent] Malouda or Sturridge can play. It depends on the match. It wasn’t a good December for us, but it’s finished. We have to look forward to January. We can do better and maintain our position at the top of the table.”
The curse of Christmas has done for several Chelsea managers in recent years, with Mourinho and Luiz Felipe Scolari fatally undermined by poor results over the festive period, but Ancelotti has survived without facing a challenge to his leadership.

Chelsea ratings
4-1-3-2 P Cech 6 P Ferreira 5 R Carvalho 6 J Terry 5 Y Zhirkov 5 J Obi Mikel 6 M Ballack 5 J Cole 4 F Lampard 6 D Drogba 6 S Kalou 5 Substitutes B Ivanovic 6 (for Ferreira, 65min), D Sturridge (for Mikel, 70), A Cole (for Zhirkov, 84).Not used Hilário, Alex, J Belletti, G Kakuta.

Fulham ratings
4-4-2 M Schwarzer 6 J Paintsil 6 A Hughes 6 C Smalling 6 P Konchesky 5 D Duff 6 D Murphy 7 C Baird 5 C Dempsey 6 R Zamora 6 Z Gera 6 Substitutes D Etuhu 5 (for Paintsil, 67min), A Johnson (for Gera, 71), B H Riise (for Duff, 85).Not used P Zuberbühler, E Nevland, J Greening, T Kallio.

Referee: A MarrinerAttendance: 41,805
Star man
Danny Murphy The former England man did not deserve to lose as he controlled the midfield for long spells. Strong in the tackle and comfortable in possession, the 32-year-old is the league’s in-form midfield player.

Window watch
Chelsea’s need for new blood becomes more obvious with every match, although Carlo Ancelott is still a man in denial. While Chelsea continue to concede sloppy goals, their lack of cutting edge up front is more worrying. Fulham could do with greater strength if their excellent run is to be maintained, but Roy Hodgson will have to wheel and deal.

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Telegraph:
Chelsea 2 Fulham 1
By Jason Burt at Stamford Bridge

Jose Mourinho was back at the Bridge but it was a former Inter Milan manager, not the present one, who gave Chelsea greater cause for concern. In the end, it was only the cruellest of own-goals by a 20 year-old, making his full Premier League debut, and who was playing non-League football for Maidstone United just 18 months ago, that allowed Carlo Ancelotti the victory over Fulham that relieves the pressure which was inexorably beginning to mount around him.
Afterwards he spoke hopefully of how this could be a turning point, ridiculous perhaps when five points clear, but it has been some stuttering sequence of results.
“It is a victory that arrives at not agood moment for us,” he said, admitting he was glad to see the back of December and claiming this was one of the most important wins of the season.
Roy Hodgson, once of the San Siro, awarded Chris Smalling his first league start - in the absence of the sorely missed Brede Hangeland, who is nursing a knee injury - and he was rewarded with a towering performance and the cruellest slice of misfortune. Smalling could not prevent the ball from trickling in after Mark Schwarzer had palmed Daniel Sturridge’s cross-shot only for it to strike the horrified centre-half.
At the end, Didier Drogba, whose header had clawed Chelsea back into the contest, called his team-mates into a huddle. He will now depart, along with Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel, to the African Cup of Nations and how he will be missed. His importance is pivotal, his influence absolute. He even personifies the team - in the first half he rolled around, ineffective and frustrated, in the second he was driven and drove them on.
Ancelotti’s tie was at half-mast throughout this match but - having pledged to streak nude if Chelsea buy in the January transfer window - he can certainly expect to de-robe fully if common sense prevails.
This team desperately need reinforcing if they are to fulfil their owner’s ambitions and sporting director Frank Arnesen will be urging Roman Abramovich to acquire either Sergio Agüero or Franck Ribéry.
Mourinho, who sat in the box usually reserved for Abramovich, had his own battles with the Russian billionaire over money - it was a spat this time three years ago that helped eventually to force him out - and this was his first visit since his departure.
Ostensibly a scouting mission - Inter face Chelsea in the Champions League in February - it was also a high-profile home-coming judging by how he was mobbed outside the stadium although, tellingly perhaps, there were no songs for him inside.
There were jeers. Chelsea were booed off at the interval while Mikel was cat-called after slicing wide from the edge of the area. His substitution was cheered. Such were the frustrations of the home supporters who saw their side enjoy a ridiculous amount of possession but come up against a Fulham side so resolutely organised and committed, and intelligently marshalled, that they rarely looked like conceding.
In Schwarzer they had the better goalkeeper, in Paul Konchesky the best full-back, in Aaron Hughes the most assured defender and in Danny Murphy the most composed midfielder.
And yet they lost. In the pale sun, Chelsea were, at times, a pale shadow of the team that started the season so strongly. And yet they won. No one can doubt their commitment, desire, attempts to play attacking football, but, too often, Chelsea pass the ball in front of their opponents and lack the wit and guile to penetrate, even if Hodgson termed them “rampant”.
They certainly were not that at the start. Ancelotti had over-hauled his defence - only John Terry remained and it was he who was at fault as Fulham went ahead.
Bobby Zamora swept the ball out to Konchesky and with Paulo Ferreira out of position, the left-back charged forward and delivered a cross which Terry headed weakly. It struck Zamora and fell to Zoltan Gera, who took a touch and hooked the ball beyond Petr Cech. Hodgson sat impassive - there was a long time to go - but Chelsea were stunned.
Three times Drogba was denied - either by shooting weakly or having efforts blocked - while the striker got himself involved in a running dispute with John Pantsil.
Chelsea were equally lacking inconcentration and it was Fulham who went closest as Cech palmed over Clint Dempsey’s rising, side-footed shot before the goalkeeper reacted quickly to block from Zamora after he latched on to Ricardo Carvalho’s weak header.
By now, Chelsea were riled but Fulham remained resolute. After one passage of play three of their players lay prone on the ground, hurt, after throwing themselves into tackles, blocking shots, straining every sinew. It was an awesome effort and Ancelotti was becoming frantic.
Drogba twisted and turned and sent in a curler, but Schwarzer pushed it away before, finally, Chelsea had their first slice of fortune. With Panstil limping off with a twisted knee, Chris Baird was pushed to right-back but lost the flight of Branislav Ivanovic’s deep cross - Hodgson said he was dazzled by the floodlights - and Drogba stole in to thump home his header. Cue chaos.
Chelsea poured forward again and Kalou crossed low, for the ball to fall to Sturridge whose first-time shot was blocked by Schwarzer... only to strike Smalling.
Fulham rallied, with Dickson Etuhu heading over, but it was Chelsea who came closest to adding to the scoring with Drogba shooting just wide and Kalou turning nimbly and striking a shot from the edge of the area which hit the bar.
“We pushed Chelsea to the limit and can consider ourselves very unlucky,” Hodgson said. He was right on both counts. But there is little comfort in that.

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Mail:
Chelsea 2 Fulham 1:
Ivory towers - Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou deliver late victory after Africa Cup reprieve
Simon Cass

Never mind the ghost of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea came perilously close to coming unstuck against Fulham with The Special One looking down from Roman Abramovich's box. Chelsea's comeback never in any doubt? Not when Zoltan Gera's opener inside four minutes looked like earning Fulham their first win at Stamford Bridge for more than 30 years. That was until Ancelotti took a leaf out of the Mourinho handbook of inspired substitutions.
The former Chelsea manager is famous for his sweeping changes when things are not going to plan and having sparred with Mourinho in Milan, Ancelotti will have delighted in proving it is not only Inter's manager who can change the game from the bench. Ancelotti was not above jettisoning his diamond system in favour of Mourinho's preferred 4-3-3 to engineer the comeback that had more to do with hard graft than high class. Such tactical tweaks will have been noted by Mourinho on his first return to Stamford Bridge since being ousted by Abramovich in September 2007. Ancelotti's first roll of the dice was to bring on Branislav Ivanovic in the 65th minute, having strangely opted to start with Paulo Ferreira and Yuri Zhirkov as his full backs. Daniel Sturridge was next to be introduced in place of John Mikel Obi, who, on this evidence, will not be greatly missed when he departs for the Africa Cup of Nations. The changes worked a treat. By the 73rd minute Chelsea were back on terms when Ivanovic's deep cross cleared Chris Baird, allowing Didier Drogba to power a header past Mark Schwarzer.
Two minutes and 16 seconds later the turnaround was complete. Salomon Kalou, desperately ineffective as Drogba's foil for much of the game, wriggled into the box before driving a ball across goal for Sturridge. The former Manchester City player's strike was well saved by Mark Schwarzer but he could only parry the ball on to Chris Smalling's knee and the defender's attempt to prevent an own goal succeeded only in blasting the ball into the net.
It was desperately unlucky on Smalling, who turned in a magnificent display against Drogba as understudy for the injured Brede Hangeland on his first Barclays Premier League start. Much has been made of what will become of Chelsea during Drogba's absence with Ivory Coast. But Ancelotti, having joked he would run around the training ground naked if he went back on his promise not to sign anybody next month, may be hoping for an improvement in the weather. The ease with which Fulham nullified Chelsea's midfield diamond in the first-half necessitated the change after the break. It also demonstrated Chelsea's need for the marquee signing that eluded them in the summer, a player of Franck Ribery's guile and trickery to produce something out of the ordinary. A player in the Ribery mould would certainly have asked more questions of Fulham than Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack managed for large parts of this encounter.Having scored so early, when yet more uncertainly from Ricardo Carvalho, John Terry and Petr Cech allowed Gera time and space to turn and score from close range, Fulham were always going to face a tough task protecting their advantage.
Despite being on the back foot for most of the opening period, though, Roy Hodgson's disciplined troops never looked like caving in to Chelsea's constant if uncultured pressure. But with the half-time change in formation, the warning signs started to become more frequent for Fulham. Kalou's ball across goal which slid through Aaron Hughes's legs, with Lampard lurking, caused havoc until John Pantsil finally got the ball away. Drogba, poor but at least energetic before the break, forced Schwarzer to save at full stretch with a strike from the edge of the area. Fulham's defending became increasingly desperate as the sense of belief grew around Stamford Bridge. The quick-fire double from Drogba and Smalling thus had a sense of inevitability, although to their credit Fulham pushed forward as the full-time whistle approached in search of the point their performance probably merited. Kalou came close to adding a third in added time, his strike crashing off the top of the bar.
By then, Mourinho had left his seat, doubtless with plenty of information to digest about how best to unpick his former Chelsea charges when they travel to the San Siro to take on Inter in the Champions League on February 24. This performance is unlikely to have him quaking in his boots but he will have been impressed by Ancelotti's ability to instill a similar level of team spirit among his troops as he achieved during his time at the helm. As for the incumbent, the ghost of Mourinho was not exorcised by this display - not that Ancelotti seemed particularly concerned by that or the fact that a small group of Chelsea fans had chanted 'Come back Mourinho' outside the ground as their hero passed by before kick-off. With Chelsea's title challenge having faltered over the festive period in three of the past four seasons, of far more importance to the Italian was exorcising the ghost of Christmases past.

Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2): Cech 6; Ferreira 5 (Ivanovic 65min, 7), Carvalho 6, Terry 6, Zhirkov 6 (A Cole 84); Mikel 5 (Sturridge 70, 5); Ballack 5, Lampard 6; J Cole 6; Kalou 5, Drogba 7. Booked: Drogba.

Fulham (4-4-2): Schwarzer 7; Pantsil 8 (Etuhu 67, 6), Hughes 7, Smalling 7, Konchesky 7; Duff 6 (Riise 85), Murphy 6, Baird 6, Dempsey 6; Zamora 6, Gera 6 (Johnson 71, 6). Booked: Baird.

Referee: Andre Marriner.
Man of the match: John Pantsil

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Sun:
Chelsea 2 Fulham 1
MARK IRWIN at Stamford Bridge

THE Ghost of Christmas Past came back to haunt Stamford Bridge - and leave Carlo Ancelotti quaking in his boots.
The very sight of Jose Mourinho nestled in the seat of absent owner Roman Abramovich was enough to give Ancelotti the willies.
Mourinho was making his first visit to Chelsea since being sacked in September 2007.
The Inter coach was on a scouting mission for his team's Champions League clash with the Blues.
And his mere presence was enough to lift his former players from their festive slump to ensure they go into 2010 top of the table.
Chelsea went into this West London derby having won just one of their previous seven matches.
Failure to beat Fulham would have equalled their worst run during Abramovich's reign - way back in May 2004, a week before Claudio Ranieri was axed.
So Ancelotti was under no illusions about the possible fate awaiting him if his team tripped up again.
Luckily for the Italian, they were handed a get-out-of-jail-free card by Fulham rookie Chris Smalling. The former Maidstone defender, 20, had been enjoying an impressive Premier League debut in place of the injured Brede Hangeland.
But his big day took a dramatic turn when keeper Mark Schwarzer pushed Daniel Sturridge's 75th-minute shot against his leg and Smalling was unable to stop the ball rebounding into his own goal.
It was desperately tough luck on the centre-half, coming just two minutes after Didier Drogba's leveller.
The Ivory Coast striker rose unchallenged to power in Branislav Ivanovic's 73rd-minute cross for his 19th goal of the season.
But Chelsea still look anything but convincing.
They fell behind after just four minutes when shaky skipper John Terry failed to deal with Paul Konchesky's cross.
Zoltan Gera could hardly believe his time or luck as he was able to bring the ball under control inside the six-yard box before hooking a shot beyond the static Petr Cech.
Chelsea were booed off at half-time by their impatient fans and appeared on course for their first home defeat since November 2008.
John Pantsil had successfully shackled Drogba - but the Fulham defender's exit with a twisted knee proved the turning point.
Chris Baird, deputising at the back for Pantsil, lost the flight of Ivanovic's hanging cross in the floodlights and allowed Drogba a free header to spark the comeback.
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson said: "Perhaps Drogba might not have scored if Pantsil had still been on the pitch but maybe he would have lost that cross in the lights as well.
"Pantsil is going for a scan on his knee and then we will decide when he joins Ghana for the African Nations Cup.
"If he's out for more than a month, he won't be going at all."
Drogba definitely will be going - along with his Blues chums Salomon Kalou, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien. And Chelsea must prove they can maintain their title challenge without their talismanic top scorer.
But the Special One certainly won't be losing any sleep over anything he saw at the Bridge yesterday.

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Star:

DIDIER DROGBA'S LATE GOAL LEADS CHELSEA TO VICTORY
Chelsea 2 Fulham 1

Jose Murinho watched Didier Drogba prove there is still a Special One at Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho was back at his old stomping ground for the first time since his shock sacking in September 2007. And he witnessed a Blues comeback of epic proportions as two goals in two second-half minutes sank unlucky Fulham.
Trailing to Zoltan Gera’s early opener and hopelessly out of sorts, Chelsea were in a right old mess.
But just like he did so many times for Mourinho, Drogba led the charge to fire the Blues level with his 14th league goal of the season.
Fulham defender Chris Smalling handed them victory soon afterwards with a desperately unlucky own goal.
Smalling – on his first Premier League start – had been the game’s outstanding player until that mishap and it was cruel on Fulham, who deserved more.
So Chelsea bounced back from their recent wobble to stretch their lead at the top to five points.
But Mourinho will have seen little for his Inter Milan team to fear when the two sides clash in the last 16 of the Champions League in February.
Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti admitted his side were lacking confidence after their dismal 0-0 weekend draw at Birmingham.
But no-one was expecting him to ring the changes quite like he did – with SIX new faces from the team which drew 0-0 at St Andrews.
Then again, drastic action was clearly needed with just one win in seven games going into the west London derby. This time last year Chelsea’s title charge faltered as they gave up top spot and never recovered.
Ancelotti was desperate to make sure that did not happen again – and he had a big stroke of good fortune before kick-off.
The Blues won their battle to delay Drogba, John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou’s departure for the African Nations Cup.
All three were in the starting line-up for their final match before jetting out to Angola.
But they barely had a kick of the ball before Fulham grabbed a shock lead in the fourth minute.
Paulo Ferreira was caught out down the left by Paul Konchesky, whose deep cross was headed back into the danger zone by Bobby Zamora.
Hungarian Gera was first to react, turning to fire home from eight yards out with Petr Cech hopelessly wrong-footed.
Three of the changes Ancelotti made had come in Chelsea’s back four – and he must have been regretting it because the Blues were a shambles.
The calamities kept coming when Yuri Zhirkov managed to accidentally kick team-mate John Terry in the face.
Terry was down for several minutes and when he finally got back up he was sporting a big cut under one eye.
Even though they were missing knee-injury victim Brede Hangeland, Fulham were comfortably on top at half-time.
And they were dreaming of a famous victory to go along with recent wins over Manchester United and Liverpool.
It could have been even better for them after the break when Ricardo Carvalho seriously undercooked a back pass and Zamora pounced.
But Cech was off his line like a shot and did enough to smother the Fulham striker’s close-range effort.
Mark Schwarzer then denied Drogba with a full-stretch stop.
But he couldn’t stop the Ivory Coast striker’s 73rd-minute header.
Substitute Branislav Ivanovic swung in a cross and Drogba buried it into the far corner.
Two minutes later poor Smalling forced the ball into his own net after Schwarzer palmed sub Daniel Sturridge’s shot on to the defender’s leg.
But even though Kalou hit the crossbar in the dying moments, Chelsea endured a tense finale with Fulham continuing to threaten.

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Express:

CHELSEA KEEPS WILL TO WIN AFTER MOURINHO
Chelsea has kept its will to win after Jose Mourinho
By Tony Banks
Chelsea 2 Fulham 1

JOSE Mourinho will not have been very impressed from his seat in the West Stand. But one thing he will have noticed has survived in this team from the time he was in charge – that will to win.
It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t even remotely fluent at times. But Chelsea somehow got over the finishing line for only their second win in six league games.
For 48 hours at least they will be five points clear again at the top of the table in this crazy league. And what a crucial five points they might well be.
Didier Drogba signed off for his sojourn in Angola at the African Nations Cup with one crucial goal and a hand in the winner – cruelly going in for an own-goal off the otherwise excellent Chris Smalling 15 minutes from the end.
As the game finished Drogba, who leaves for Africa today, led the entire Chelsea team in a huddle in the middle of the pitch.
There he appeared to give them a pep talk, before throwing his shirt into the crowd and leaving the pitch last, waving farewell.
Infuriating the Ivory Coast star may be – he was off the pitch three times for treatment in the first half alone – but how his team will miss him next month.
Mourinho was watching Chelsea in preparation for his Inter Milan team’s Champions League clash in February. He will have seen a side that is still fundamentally the one he left in September 2007. It was his first visit since then, and what an eventful couple of years they have been. The fans who spotted him cheered his name, and he will have noted how this team have advanced little since he left.
But then the Special One would have seen the momentum building and would not have been surprised at Drogba’s late, late intervention, and the eventual Chelsea victory.
After all, wins like this were par for the course under Mourinho.
It might be premature to call this a potential turning point in Chelsea’s season, but it could well turn out to be.
After 50 minutes of dreadfully sluggish, often sloppy football, Carlo Ancelotti’s team finally turned on the power, Drogba started to play, and they won.
Once again, though, Chelsea made it hard for themselves. It is all nerves and bitten fingernails down at the Bridge these days.
The opening was typical. No sooner had John Terry issued his usual rallying cry in the programme than Fulham were ahead. They went into this game with only one defeat in their last 12 matches, and when Paul Konchesky bombed down the left and opened up the Chelsea defence there was a clue why.
Terry failed to clear the cross and it dropped invitingly for Zoltan Gera, and the Hungarian slotted it into the net. Here we go again were the groans.
Chelsea were fuddled and sluggish, their delivery into the area poor, while Fulham were superbly organised.
Ancelotti had made six changes from the side that drew at Birmingham, and it looked like his tinkering might be backfiring.
Chelsea knew that dropped points could even have seen them drop to third place by Wednesday night, when both Manchester United and Arsenal next play.
That might have been a deeply wounding blow, especially with Salomon Kalou, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien joining Drogba on the plane to Angola today.
But the indomitable machine that Mourinho built still functions, and gradually they ground Fulham down. Chances came and went as Terry missed from close in and Mark Schwarzer saved brilliantly from Drogba.
But eventually the Cottagers cracked. This time the cross into the area was accurate from substitute Branislav Ivanovic and finally Drogba shrugged off the valiant Smalling to head home.
Two minutes later Kalou crossed, Drogba cracked the ball back in at the far post and it bounced in agonisingly off Smalling as he tried to hack clear. It was the last thing the former Maidstone player, making his first league start, deserved.
Kalou almost added a third with a shot that clipped the bar. Jose would have been spitting at some of the sloppiness, but he would have admired the spirit.

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Mirror:

Chelse 2 Fulham 1
Martin Lipton

When a win takes a side five points clear, it is hard to get your head around the idea that it might have been a decisive turning point.
Yet for Carlo Ancelotti, a victory chiseled out of the rocks of a potentially crushing defeat, with arch-nemesis Jose Mourinho watching on, could prove to be precisely that.
With 17 minutes left and Chelsea still trailing to Zoltan Gera’s early opener, Ancelotti’s side were suddenly facing crisis point.
Not only would it have been one win in six and 12 points dropped from 18.
But at that point, they faced the prospect that the next time they kicked a ball in the Premier League - with Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien all out in Africa - they would have been third behind Manchester United and Arsenal.
Chelsea managers have been sacked for less, even ones recruited at Roman Abramovich’s insistence, and as James Bond fan Ancelotti decided diamonds were for 45 minutes rather than for ever, the Italian was genuinely under pressure.
His side, even with Kalou and Joe Cole playing as auxiliary wingers, were getting frustrated by Fulham’s stoic resistance, desperation efforts from distance hinting at their lack of conviction, too many moves petering out before getting a sight of Mark Schwarzer.
But out of nowhere, Ancelotti’s changes worked their magic to transform the mood of the afternoon, the confidence of the Chelsea dressing room - and perhaps the tide of the season.
First Branislav Ivanovic, thrown on and asked to bomb down the right, delivered Chelsea’s first decent cross of the afternoon, which found Drogba soaring behind Chris Baird to power home his 19th of the season.
Baird had moved there when John Pantsil was forced off with a potentially season-ending knee injury.
And then three minutes later, the pivotal moment, a heartbreaking one for Fulham’s rookie centre-half Chris Smalling as the Northern Ireland international was again caught out of position.
Smalling, drafted in for his Premier League bow to replace Brede Hangeland, had been outstanding and was in exactly the right position when Schwarzer parried unmarked substitute Daniel Sturridge’s cross-shot.
But it meant Smalling could do nothing as the ball rebounded goalwards off his knee, his desperate efforts to recover only succeeding in ensuring the ball ended up, cruelly, in the back of his own net.
Suddenly, an afternoon which could have begun the real problems for Ancelotti - bringing a smile to Champions League rival Mourinho’s face from his berth in the West Stand - was transformed, even though there were still moments of doubt in front of a hesitant Petr Cech.
Ancelotti knew it could have been very different and the jeers that had thundered round the Bridge at half-time may have been repeated and intensified had Bobby Zamora capitalised on Ricardo Carvalho’s woeful back-header two minutes after the interval.
At that stage, no question, Fulham were value for their advantage.
The goal could not have been more simple in construction, as Ancelotti’s decision to change half his outfield side, including three of the back line, left Chelsea disjointed and behind.
Ancelotti was still screaming at Paulo Ferreira for not blocking off Paul Konchesky’s run down the left when the full-back’s cross was headed against Zamora by John Terry.
But what followed was criminal, a complete lack of reaction from the Blues' defence, allowing Gera to run back, turn and hook past the laboured dive of Cech.
Chelsea looked to respond but it was all one-paced, with no penetration down the flanks and Drogba having one of those halves when he spent more time off the pitch requiring “treatment“ than actually looking to expose Hangeland’s novice stand-in Smalling.
Frank Lampard tested Schwarzer from distance, while Drogba - who became embroiled in a running spat with John Pantsil - fired at the keeper.
Those two moments apart, though, Chelsea did not look like breaking Fulham down and had Cech not flipped Clint Dempsey’s side-footer over the bar it might have been beyond salvation.
It surely would have been when Zamora wasted his opening and while Chelsea, now operating in a 4-3-3, dominated, they were running out of ideas when Drogba produced his going away present.
Kalou was the width of the bar away from claiming a third but despite a few edgy moments at the back, Chelsea clung on to put the ball firmly back in United and Arsenal’s court.
Unconvincing, but top and with clear Blue water between them and the pack.

birmingham 0-0

Times:

Brave Joe Hart thwarts 10-man Chelsea as they drop yet more points in title race
Birmingham 0 Chelsea 0

David Walsh Chief sports writer at St Andrew’s


THERE are times in scoreless games when you yearn for excitement. It was never like that at Birmingham as the contest seesawed from one penalty area to the other and both teams chased a win that neither would get. And if you were a neutral, that was just fine because this marvellous game didn’t deserve to have a loser.

You may consider it two points dropped by Chelsea but it wasn’t. They played well and but for an outstanding performance by Birmingham’s goalkeeper Joe Hart, they might have won. Even when Hart was beaten, the crossbar seemed to dip slightly and take Alex’s free-kick on the forehead. But this is just one side of the story.

Birmingham were denied a legitimate goal by an offside decision that showed again how human match officiating can be. You couldn’t blame the referee or his assistant because it was borderline but it may have cost Birmingham a precious victory. Nobody was complaining. Birmingham played with spirit and poured everything they had into the game. Alex McLeish has now steered them to an unbeaten run that stretches to 10 games.

They were the first team since Barcelona at the Nou Camp last April to stop Chelsea from scoring. For Chelsea, that was a 35-game scoring run brought to an end. “There’s a bunch of blokes in there really together,” said McLeish, “and that makes them powerful.” Nothing foretold the nature of the match as much as the very first minute when Barry Ferguson played a precise through ball for Cameron Jerome, who muscled his way past Alex but then fired over the bar.
Apart from that slack early moment, Chelsea started well. Their approach showed they appreciated the significance of Birmingham’s unbeaten run as they zipped the ball about with great accuracy. Birmingham found themselves in chase mode and so frantically did they run that for the first 25 minutes they forgot all about playing.

Chances had to fall to Chelsea and they did, first to Dean Sturridge, who struck a fine shot that looked bound for the bottom corner until Hart produced an outstanding save. Three minutes later Branislav Ivanovic hooked a ball through for Frank Lampard in what seemed an offside position but there was no flag, merely a moment’s incredulity from the Chelsea midfielder and then the volley which drew another outstanding save from Hart.

He would make another terrific save from Salomon Kalou midway through the second half. Whether Hart is ready to leap-frog Robert Green into England’s squad is another thing because there are question marks about every candidate, Hart included.

Those near misses in the first half changed the pattern as Chelsea lost momentum and Birmingham realised they had to start playing. The reward was almost instant. Petr Cech came for a free kick as if determined to prove something and as well as punching the ball clear, he also floored his own man, Didier Drogba. The clearance fell to Stephen Carr, whose cross was headed on by Scott Dann for Liam Ridgewell to pull a shot across goal which Chucho Benitez tapped into an unguarded net. The linesman flagged in error and the goal was disallowed. Birmingham weren’t complaining because Alex’s free kick almost shattered the crossbar and in the 45th minute, Drogba played a fine cross to Sturridge at the back post but the striker flashed his shot just wide.

Chelsea were the better side in the second half. Lampard played a neat pass for Ashley Cole but Johnson made a fine tackle to stop the full-back and Seb Larsson’s free kick drew a brilliant save from Cech. Thereafter the better chances fell to Chelsea but Hart was brilliant and when his own defender Carr headed a suicidal backpass, the goalkeeper reacted sharply to get there before Drogba. Florent Malouda was sent off late in the game for a second yellow card.
McLeish was asked about the goal that should have been given but refused to criticise any of the officials. Instead he spoke about his team’s luck last week against Everton when an incorrect decision helped his team.

Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has been boosted by the availability of three of his African stars. The Chelsea boss revealed Ivory Coast strikers Drogba and Kalou and Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel will be available for tomorrow’s derby against Fulham after agreement was reached with their national teams ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Star man: Joe Hart (Birmingham)

Yellow cards: Birmingham: Bowyer Chelsea: Ivanovic Red card: Malouda
Referee: P Walton (Northants) Attendance: 28,958

BIRMINGHAM: Hart 9; Carr 7, R Johnson 8, Dann 7, Ridgewell 7; Larsson 7 (D Johnson 88), Ferguson 6, Bowyer 7, McFadden 5 (Fahey 77); Jerome 6, Benitez 7.

CHELSEA: Cech 7; Ivanovic 7, Terry 7, Alex 6, A Cole 6; Belletti 6, Mikel 6 (Ballack 85), Malouda 5, Lampard 5 (J Cole 79); Drogba 6, Sturridge 6 (Kalou 67).

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Telegraph:

Birmingham City 0 Chelsea 0

By Sandy Macaskill at St Andrews

The roar that met the final whistle at St Andrews spoke volumes. Birmingham City have come a long way since the start of the season, but holding Chelsea, the league-leaders, to a draw is some achievement. And if anything, they were the victims of human error, Christian Benitez incorrectly ruled offside when he turned in a shot from Liam Ridgewell from less than a yard.

The reality, though, was that Chelsea had pushed Alex McLeish’s side hard for much of the match, and Carlo Ancelotti will be frustrated that Manchester United could move within two points of the top. This was a slow burning, back-and-forth affair, the stand-out contributors being Joe Hart, who ended the game with his head swathed in bandages, and Roger Johnson and Scott Dann, Birmingham’s Grenadier Guards, who were once again excellent. Birmingham’s defence has been super this season; the problem has been at the other end. Cameron Jerome has plenty of pace, as he showed inside thirty seconds, latching onto a Barry Ferguson pass, but his final ball needs work, and his shot went high and wide.

It should have settled the nerves, but Chelsea had too much possession to get comfy. Branislav Ivanovic tickled a header just over the bar, Daniel Sturridge came close with a left footed shot which was turned around the post by Joe Hart, and Frank Lampard was through with only Hart to beat, but the ‘keeper stayed big and saved, leaving Lampard standing in the six-yard box scratching his head, wondering how he didn’t score.

Next up was Alex, sending a fearsome free-kick from 40 yards out crashing against crossbar, and then Sturridge put the ball wide from a perfect cross from Drogba in added time. In spite of all that, it was Birmingham who should have seized the lead. Ridgewell, unmarked at the far post, beat Cech when Steve Carr found him with a cross, and Benitez put it over the line. St Andrews exploded but the linesman ruled him off-side.
Television replays subsequently suggested that a prostrate Drogba was playing the Ecuadorian on.

The second half was more of the same, Seb Larsson coming close with a free-kick that had Petr Cech at full stretch, and Florent Malouda had an open goal in the second half, but he sent his side-footer wide of the target. It just wasn’t his day, and he was dismissed shortly before the finish for a rash challenge on Carr.

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Independent :

Linesman lets Chelsea off hook
Birmingham City 0 Chelsea 0
By Glenn Moore at St Andrew's

The good news for Chelsea is that Didier Drogba is staying to play Fulham tomorrow before heading off to the African Nations Cup. The bad news is that this match underlined how much they need him.
The club's top scorer was relatively quiet by his standards, the closest he came to his 19th of the season was a volley which fizzed just wide, but his team-mates wasted a series of chances, and not just because of Joe Hart's inspired performance in the Birmingham goal. Chelsea thus failed to score for the first time since playing Barcelona in the Nou Camp in April, 34 matches ago.
Fortunately for Carlo Ancelotti a linesman's errant flag, which ruled out what would have been Christian Benitez's first home goal, meant Birmingham also drew a blank. But though Chelsea avoided defeat they have now won only one match in seven. It is an untimely slump. Drogba, and Salomon Kalou, will still be heading to passport control this week, as are Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel. Chelsea will also be without the injured Nicolas Anelka tomorrow, and Florent Malouda, suspended after being dismissed late on at St Andrew's.
"We are disappointed, but we improved compared to our last game against West Ham," said Ancelotti. "I think we played well and had a lot of chances but Hart made fantastic saves. It is not our best moment but I do not see big problems. At the halfway point in the season we are top, this is good for us. We are now losing players with good qualities but we have a very good squad and will find other solutions."
What they will be is not immediately clear. Ancelotti made four changes from the XI which scrambled a draw at West Ham, among them the deployment of Malouda in the hole, and a first league start for Daniel Sturridge. Aside from a snap-shot superbly saved by Hart, the youngster – playing against the club at which his father, Michael, had been on the books without ever making an appearance – was quiet.
Malouda was no more effective, and after an hour he swapped positions with Frank Lampard. Then, after a shocking miss following some clever work by Kalou, he incurred a second yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Stephen Carr.
While Ancelotti shuffled his pack, Birmingham's manager, Alex McLeish, fielded the same XI for the seventh successive fixture, hardly surprising given the previous six brought five wins and a draw. After giving Chelsea a first-minute scare, Cameron Jerome shooting over, Birmingham got bodies behind the ball as Chelsea passed around them. Chances, inevitably, were created. After Branislav Ivanovic headed over and Drogba volleyed wide Hart went full length to deny Sturridge then blocked Lampard's point-blank shot after the England midfielder, to his surprise, beat the offside trap.
Three minutes later a flag was raised, but wrongly, as Benitez touched in Liam Ridgewell's low cross after Scott Dann headed on Carr's cross. The linesman's only excuse was that Drogba, playing Benitez onside, was lying prone. McLeish's response was sanguine, and admirable. "He's definitely onside, but we got a break last week against Everton [a Louis Saha goal wrongly chalked off] and it went against us today. I've no problem with the officials. They have the toughest job in the game."
Thereafter, though City sought to attack, it was Chelsea against Hart, assisted by the bar which Alex rattled with a 35-yard free-kick. Hart denied Juliano Belletti, Kalou and Lampard (excellent in the hole, before being replaced by Joe Cole), and withstood an accidental raking by Kalou. "Joe was brave and took charge of the situation, he'll have a sore head but be OK," said McLeish, adding: "His form's been terrific. I know the England staff think a lot of him." City are now 10 matches unbeaten. McLeish said: "Can I believe it? I can, but it is a fantastic run."

Attendance: 28,958
Referee: Peter Walton
Man of the match: Hart
Match rating: 7/10

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Observer:

Florent Malouda sees red as 10-man Chelsea are held by Birmingham City

Joe Lovejoy at St Andrew's

It was Chelsea who were left with the blues after the battle thereof, dropping two more priceless points in a dangerous mid-season hiatus: they have only one win in their past seven matches in all competitions. The league leaders, who failed to score for the first time in 34 games, are increasingly vulnerable to Manchester United, whose trip to Hull today has the look of a gimme.
Birmingham, in contrast, are on the up and up – the division's form team with 17 points from their past seven games. They are unbeaten in their past 10, and would have claimed another notable scalp yesterday but for an erroneous offside decision which robbed Christian "Chucho" Benítez of what should have been the winner.
In fairness, defeat would have been hard on Chelsea, who created the lion's share of the scoring chances and were ultimately denied by a man-of-the-match performance from Joe Hart, who looked every inch the England goalkeeper in waiting. Alex McLeish, the manager at St Andrew's, said afterwards that he would love to make Hart, who is on loan from Manchester City, his first signing in January.
Birmingham's new owner, Carson Yeung, is committed to making "substantial" funds available, and McLeish's record in the market to date should get him whatever he wants – within reason.
Joe Hart's distribution is normally directed to the left wing, but against Chelsea his kicks went to the right. Had Birmingham identified Ashley Cole as a weak link? Chelsea's well-documented problems, which Carlo Ancelotti admitted were mounting, are exacerbated by the loss of Florent Malouda, sent off for the second of two yellow cards, and therefore suspended for tomorrow's west London derby against Fulham. Nicolas Anelka and Michael Essien are also unavailable, injured, but Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou will now both play against another of the league's over-achieving teams before joining up with the Ivory Coast squad to prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations.
This was an absorbing, thoroughly entertaining scrap, regardless of the scoreline. There was a time, not too long ago, when it would have been an away banker but the road Birmingham have been keeping on these past decades has ceased to be a cul-de-sac, and they are making great strides under McLeish's shrewd direction. It will have escaped no time-served follower of this yo-yo club that they were running sixth in April 2004, in Steve Bruce's day, before collapsing and finishing 10th, and a more recent sobering example is provided by Hull, who, like Birmingham, came charging out of the Championship and were seventh this time last year, only to avoid relegation by a single point.
Enough negativity. The Scot has fashioned an impressively organised, combative unit, whose efficient defence should keep them out of trouble. This clean sheet was typical of their parsimony.
McLeish dipped into the Championship, which many Premier League managers regard as a barren wilderness, to sign Roger Johnson (Cardiff) and Scott Dann (Coventry) for £8.5m the pair. Some well-respected sages are already likening the two centre-backs to Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister in their early days at Manchester United, and both added to their burgeoning reputations by subduing Drogba and Daniel Sturridge, whose first Chelsea league start was unrewarding. The central defenders are quick to acknowledge the debt they owe to the vastly experienced Stephen Carr, reborn after his brief retirement, and to a couple of old heads, Barry Ferguson and Lee Bowyer, in midfield.
Brimming with confidence, City might have scored after 30 seconds, when Barry Ferguson sent Cameron Jerome away in the inside-right channel, past Alex, only for the striker's finishing to let him down. Chelsea hit back hard, with Sturridge and Frank Lampard bringing the best out of Hart before the arrival of the major talking point, in the 34th minute. Carr's cross from the right was transferred by Dann's head to Liam Ridgewell, whose shot was heading wide when it was diverted in at point-blank range by Benítez. The referee's assistant, distracted by Drogba's prostrate body, flagged for offside when the Ecuadorian striker was level with the last man.
Most managers would have berated those responsible loud and long, but McLeish is as impressive off the field as his charges are on it, and he said: "I've seen the replay and Chucho is onside, but we got a break against Everton last week [when Louis Saha had a legitimate goal disallowed] and it went the other way this time. I've no problem with the officials."
Chelsea cranked up the pressure and Birmingham's back five had to earn their corn. Alex smacked a free-kick against the crossbar, Sturridge and Malouda both spurned open goals, Hart denied Kalou and Johnson headed clear off his own line at the death. Birmingham's only chance in the second half saw Petr Cech claw out a free-kick from James McFadden and collide with his right-hand post, summoning horrible memories of his career-threatening injury against Reading. To universal relief, he was able to continue after treatment. It was his manager who was left with the headache. "It was not a good result for us and this is not our best moment," Ancelotti said – an example, if ever there was one, of stating the bleedin' obvious.

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Mail:

Birmingham 0 Chelsea 0:
Stalemate sees leaders frustrated by high-flying Blues

Ian Ridley

Carlo Ancelott says he will run around a freezing Chelsea training ground naked if the club sign players in the forthcoming January transfer window.
With resources stretched and confidence waning, it is his team who are looking a little bare and blue right now.
These are challenging days for the manager and his side as they chase the title. Wins elude them, draws mount up and they allow stuttering fellow contenders to stay in the race.
Who really wants to be champions? Yesterday's point at St Andrew's extended their patchy recent form to one win in seven games since destroying Arsenal last month and they have just six points from their last five Premier League games.
Although creating the better chances - finding Joe Hart in fine form in the home goal - they might even have lost, with Chucho Benitez's tap-in for Birmingham wrongly disallowed for offside.
It is a worrying position for Chelsea at a time when they might have expected to have pushed on.
After tomorrow's home derby against Fulham - for which they have at least negotiated the availability of the Ivory Coast's Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou plus Nigeria's John Obi Mikel - they lose key men to the Africa Cup of Nations.
This on top of the absence of Nicolas Anelka - though expected to be fit next week - to which they can add for a game Florent Malouda, shown a second yellow card yesterday in the game's dying embers.
Ancelotti sought to put a brave face on it. 'I am disappointed with the result but not the performance,' he said.
'We have not always played good football lately, but today we did.
'It's not our best moment. Birmingham and Fulham are both in good condition now. We may have some problems with players out but I don't see big problems. We are halfway through the season and top. This is good for us.'
By contrast, buoyant Birmingham extended to 10 their remarkable run of unbeaten games that has seen them gatecrash the top half of the table, and they have form that Chelsea would envy of 17 points from their last seven league games.
Their best crowd of the season let out a mighty cheer at the final whistle as illustration of their surprise and joy at where they find themselves.
'It's a fantastic run,' said City manager Alex McLeish.
'If you had said we would have gone 10 games unbeaten, I'd have bitten your hand off. I run out of superlatives for these guys.'
In hindsight, we might have expected a goalless draw, with the two best defences in the league now having accumulated 18 clean sheets between them.
What happened to those Boxing Days of yore with their freak, high-scoring results?
Managers probably stopped players enjoying Christmas Day. Not that this was a festive turkey, with plenty of goalmouth action.
Defending can also be enjoyed, and Birmingham certainly seem to.
'Joe Hart has come on a ton,' said McLeish of his goalkeeper, who is on a season's loan from Manchester City.
'He is a conscientious big guy and I know the England coaching staff think highly of him. I have guys who love defending, heading and making tackles. They are a real throwback.'
The denial of a City goal came on half-hour courtesy of a linesman's flag.
Stephen Carr's feed into the Chelsea penalty area was headed down by Scott Dann to Liam Ridgewell, who turned the ball goal for the lively Benitez to turn home.
The offside decision ignored a prostrate Drogba, having been bundled over by Petr Cech earlier in the move.
Benitez might have also had a goal in the first minute when Barry Ferguson's ball sent him racing past Alex - the Brazilian labouring in only his second game in a month - but the Ecuador striker shot wide.
Sebastian Larsson also tested Cech with a 25-yard free-kick in the second half that the goalkeeper turned round a post. Otherwise, Chelsea were the dominant force.
With City looking to get the ball forward early when they did have it, they ceded possession regularly to the London side, who promptly made openings.
In the first half alone, Branislav Ivanovic headed Malouda's corner inches over the bar. Drogba volleyed Juliano Belletti's cross just wide and Hart made a fine low save from Daniel Sturridge's shot.
Frank Lampard also beat the offside trap but shot too close to Hart, Alex hit the bar with a free-kick from 35 yards and Sturridge turned wide Drogba's cross just on the break.
The pattern continued after the interval, with Chelsea forcing the pace, being thwarted by some last-ditch defending or their own wayward finishing.
Belletti turned Lampard's corner wide and Malouda miskicked when presented with a sight of goal by substitute Kalou's low cross.
Kalou then had a go himself, Hart, who finished the game with two staple stiches in his head after diving bravely at Drogba's feet, saving well again one-handed.
It all begins to carry the eerie echoes of this time last season which Ancelotti may not want to hear.
After a promising start, Luiz Felipe Scolari stumbled similarly and was out of a job in the new year.
Guus Hiddink is again in the wings, this time his Russia team having no World Cup fixtures to prepare for. For Chelsea and their manager, a naked moment of truth is approaching.

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NOTW:

NAKED TRUTH IS CARLO HAS CAUGHT A COLD
Birmingham 0 Chelsea 0
By Aidan Magee

ON this evidence, getting naked in January is the least of Carlo Ancelotti's worries.
The Chelsea manager must have thought his side were cruising to a first Premier League title in four years when they won so convincingly at Arsenal less than a month ago.
The talk then was that they had finally restored the mentality and recovered the ruthlessness that won them so many trophies under Jose Mourinho.
Since then, they have won just once in the league in five games and dropped nine points.
You don't have to think too far back to a time when Chelsea used to breeze past teams like Birmingham.
In fact, they hadn't lost to the St Andrew's club since 1980.
Yet their failure to find a way past the outstanding Joe Hart has given even more hope to the less than convincing teams below them.
Ancelotti pledged to run naked around the club's training ground in the snow if he bought a player in January - despite being given £55million to spend by owner Roman Abramovich.
But he faces losing Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and Jon Obi Mikel to the African Nations Cup after tomorrow's derby with Fulham.
Nicolas Anelka and Deco are injured, while Florent Malouda now faces a suspension after his red card late on yesterday.
Chelsea have known for months and months they would miss key players to international duty in January.
But Ancelotti was comfortable in the knowledge that the schedule of fixtures did not look as punishing as it could have been.
Yet suddenly, games against Hull and Bolton and the FA Cup tie with Watford look a lot tougher now the Blues have to rely on the inexperience of Daniel Sturridge and Fabio Borini up front.
Birmingham keeper Hart pulled off three excellent saves from Frank Lampard, substitute Kalou and former Manchester City team-mate Sturridge to deny Chelsea what would have have at least been a comfortable-looking victory.
It's not easy to stop the Blues scoring, either.
No team has managed that in 34 games in all competitions since Barcelona kept them out in the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Nou Camp last April.
England hopeful Hart was cast aside by Manchester City last summer and sent on loan to the Midlands club.
He ended the game with a nasty gash on his head which needed a bandage.
Hart could, however, end the season on the plane to South Africa if he keeps up his current form.
Birmingham have now gone 10 games unbeaten and taken 22 points in that time.
How Ancelotti could have done with that kind of record in recent weeks.
But even the form of the home side should not have mattered.
Harm
Edging past promoted sides in tight games should happen as a matter of course if you are going to win the league.
Beating your top-four rivals is not enough to guarantee becoming champions.
You only have to look at Liverpool last season to see that failing to overcome teams in the lower half of the division does you as much harm as beating the big sides does you good.
And you only need to ask Arsenal how your title challenge can come unstuck at St Andrew's.
They were looking good at the top of the table two seasons ago when a draw with Alex McLeish's team and an horrific injury to Croatian striker Eduardo set the tone for a disappointing end to the season.
Chelsea may have come up against an inspired goalkeeper at Birmingham but there was no escaping the fact Ancelotti's side were still pretty lucky.
Referee Peter Walton was let down by his assistant when Christian Benitez, or 'Chucho' to his mates, was wrongly adjudged to have been offside when he knocked the ball into the net 10 minutes before the break.
Initially, there was a suggestion that if Chucho had not touched Liam Ridgewell's goalbound effort while inside the six-yard box, the 'goal' would have stood.
The Ecuadorian striker copped a verbal volley from team-mate Roger Johnson for that reason.
A closer look at the TV replay showed that Benitez was standing behind the stricken Drogba when he touched the ball over the line.
Ancelotti may view it as his own piece of luck.
But he would do well to remember what happened to one of his predecessors - Luiz Felipe Scolari - less than a year ago when he had Chelsea riding high last Christmas.
The Blues blew it - and Manchester United eventually went on to win the Premier League title.
If Chelsea's rivals below fail to capitalise on their slip-up, then the point won't look as bad. But teams like United don't pass up gifts too many times in a season. Chucho should have put his side ahead in the opening few minutes when he brushed past defender Alex only to see his shot sent off course by the Brazilian's recovering tackle.
Sturridge then brought a first great save from Hart when his low strike from the edge of the box was well dealt with by the former Shrewsbury keeper.
Drogba got in front of the impressive Johnson for the only time soon after but his vicious volley on the run flew narrowly over.
Four minutes before half-time, Alex nearly shattered Hart's crossbar with a ferocious free-kick from 35 yards.
Hart needed to be inspired once again when Lampard, who everyone thought was yards offside, was correctly allowed to play on - only to see his fierce volley inside the area beaten away brilliantly by the on-loan keeper.
Chelsea upped the tempo after the break but they needed to rely on Petr Cech - who has been out of form recently - to keep out a superb 30-yard free-kick from Seb Larsson.
The Czech stopper collided with a post in the process.
Sweat
French winger Malouda found his way into the referee's notebook with a poor challenge on Benitez.
And Ancelotti decided to shake his side up by bringing on Kalou for Sturridge and Joe Cole for the disappointing Lampard.
It didn't make any difference to the outcome as his team continued to sweat without getting any reward.
Sturridge's final contribution was to put Drogba's centre wide of a post.
Hart pulled off another fantastic save from Kalou when the Ivorian was sent clear.
Even after Malouda was dismissed for a clumsy foul on Stephen Carr, the six minutes of stoppage time signalled by referee Walton was not enough for Chelsea to force a breakthrough.
Birmingham defended very well and it was not difficult to see why they have strung together such an impressive run of form recently.
Kalou left his mark on Hart in the shape of a cut to head.
But the naked truth is that Chelsea will need to improve drastically in the near future if they are to have any hope of regaining the title.

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west ham 1-1

Times:

Penalty drama gives Chelsea draw at West Ham
Oliver Kay, Upton Park

In any other season, a stuttering draw away to a team mired in the Barclays Premier League’s relegation zone would leave question marks over any self-respecting title challenger, but as Chelsea’s players sat on their bus outside Upton Park last night, the catcalls of the locals still ringing in their ears, they can hardly have known what to make of it.
The season is becoming a slog for Chelsea, who have won only one of six games in all competitions since their resounding 3-0 victory away to Arsenal three weeks ago, but it must be hard for Carlo Ancelotti and his players to fret when the competition are struggling to rise to the challenge.
The table shows that they are four points clear of Manchester United, who lost for the second successive Saturday, and six points ahead of Arsenal, so, for now, at least, mediocrity is good enough.
The danger for Chelsea is that they drift into a comfort zone, particularly with tricky assignments against two in-form teams, Birmingham City and Fulham, over the Christmas period.
Comfort was not something they were able to enjoy in the confines of Upton Park, with West Ham United’s players rising to the occasion and taking the opportunity to take and make a well-earned point in their battle to avoid relegation. But there was still the feeling, as the match entered its final stages, that Chelsea had come to regard victory as a possible bonus rather than a necessity.
For Frank Lampard, anything less would have felt like a grave injustice. Back at his alma mater and subjected, as usual, to what he calls “dog’s abuse”, the Chelsea midfield player came through an almost unfeasible test of nerve on the hour when he was put on the spot not once, not twice, but three times by Mike Dean, the referee, who appeared to have decided it was time to declare war on encroachment at penalty kicks.
Only after Lampard’s third successful kick did Dean declare himself satisfied and Chelsea could celebrate the goal that made it 1-1.
What must not be lost amid the farce surrounding the penalty is that it should not have been given in the first place. When Daniel Sturridge, a Chelsea substitute, raced on to a loose ball in the penalty area, Matthew Upson, the West Ham defender, took the ball off his toe with an expertly timed tackle. For reasons unclear, the assistant referee flagged furiously and Dean seemingly had little choice but to take his word for it.
Having taken the lead with a penalty of their own just before half-time, Alessandro Diamanti keeping his cool after Ashley Cole had fouled Jack Collison, West Ham were entitled to feel hard done by. From the first whistle, they had responded to Gianfranco Zola’s call for more belief, more passion, more bravery and, in Scott Parker, they had the game’s outstanding player, one whose all-action performance against the league leaders is likely to increase the interest shown in him by Tottenham Hotspur and others.
Perhaps Parker feels that he has a point to prove when he plays against Chelsea, where he had an unhappy time as one of the early signings of the Roman Abramovich era, but he was not alone in snapping at the heels of Lampard, Joe Cole et al. Collison and Mark Noble were at it, too, making this a very British performance from a team managed by an Italian, and, as half-time loomed, the concern for West Ham, having lost Danny Gabbidon to a hamstring injury early on, was about whether they would find a way through the Chelsea defence.
Their best bet always seemed to be to take the ball into the final third and thread a pass behind John Terry and his colleagues for someone to run on to. They had already tried that several times before the plan worked in the 43rd minute. Guillermo Franco’s pass sent Collison clear and elicited a desperate and ill-advised lunge from Ashley Cole in the penalty area. As Upton Park held its breath, Diamanti kept his composure from the spot and West Ham were 1-0 up.
Another crazy result in this increasingly unpredictable Premier League season? Not if Chelsea could help it. With Sturridge and John Obi Mikel on for Salomon Kalou and Florent Maldouda respectively, Ancelotti’s team showed more purpose after the interval. Didier Drogba was strangely subdued, but came close to scoring a goal of the season contender four minutes into the second half, hitting a dipping shot just wide of Robert Green’s far post from close to the corner flag.
The writing was on the wall for West Ham, but the penalty awarded against Upson was undeniably harsh. If it was a cheap penalty, though, Lampard was made to work for it. If the first demand for a retake was fair enough — if unexpected, given that referees usually turn a blind eye to encroachment — the second was bemusing, since it was three West Ham players who were breathing down Lampard’s neck when he took his shot.
As for the closing stages, West Ham were denied a second penalty with ten minutes remaining when Franco was pushed by Ricardo Carvalho. Perhaps Dean had seen enough penalties for one day. Either way, it was hard to escape the feeling that, whatever their needs at opposite ends of the table, neither team was too disconcerted by the draw.

West Ham (4-5-1): R Green 5 J Faubert 6 D Gabbidon 5 M Upson 7 H Ilunga 6 J Collison 6 S Parker 8 R Kovac 6 M Noble 7 A Diamanti 6 G Franco 5. Substitutes: J Tomkins (for Gabbidon, 19min). Not used: M Stech, M Da Costa, J Spector, F Nouble, L Jimenez, J Stanislas. Next: Portsmouth (h).

Chelsea (4-3-1-2): P Cech7 B Ivanovic7 R Carvalho 6 J Terry 7 A Cole 7 F Lampard 7 M Ballack 6 F Malouda 5 J Cole 5 D Drogba 6 S Kalou 4. Substitutes: J O Mikel 6 (for Malouda, 46), D Sturridge 5 (for Kalou, 46), Y Zhirkov (for J Cole, 75). Not used: Hilário, P Ferreira, Alex, J Belletti. Next: Birmingham (a).

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Telegraph:

West Ham United 1 Chelsea 1

By Henry Winter at Upton Park

Frank Lampard and Chelsea benefited from the controversial largesse of Mike Dean, whose love of awarding penalties shows no sign of abating. The Wirral referee has now given 23 in the past two seasons, 10 clear of his closest challenger Phil Dowd. If Dean owns a dog, its name is probably Spot.
Upton Park saw more conversions than an estate agent yesterday. Dean had correctly given West Ham a first-half penalty, ably despatched by Alessandro Diamanti after Ashley Cole brought down Jack Collison. Yet shortly before the hour-mark, Dean wrongly penalised Matthew Upson for a legitimate challenge on Daniel Sturridge, presenting Lampard with his chance which had to be taken three times because of encroachment.
So at the end of an entertaining game they graced with skill and zeal, West Ham could reflect ruefully of the eternal truth in these parts that fortune’s always hiding. Three of the best players wore claret and blue, putting more-heralded visiting names to shame. Scott Parker, the captain leading by example, kept driving through the middle, kept putting in tackles, kept showing the resilience that West Ham will require if they are to escape the drop. He even cleared off the line.
Zola unleashed another pedigree dog of war in midfield. The greatest compliment that can be paid to Mark Noble is that he was neither outclassed nor outpassed by Lampard, himself the pick of a disappointing Chelsea bunch. Noble’s energy and commitment warmed East End hearts on a bitterly cold afternoon.
In attack, Guillermo Franco gave John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho a torrid time. Wearing No 10 on his back but with the line-leading qualities of a rampaging No 9 written all over his every move, Franco kept holding the ball up, then either bringing his midfield into play or turning and going himself. John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho simply did not know how to deal with the Argentinian-born Mexican international.
Terry tangled legs with Franco. Carvalho, clearly rattled, was cautioned for going through the back of him. How the Portuguese centre-half got away with one penalty-box challenge on Franco, resembling a linebacker taking out a running-back, was astonishing to behold, particularly given Dean’s propensity for pointing to the spot.
In the wake of three defeats, Franco, Noble and Parker gave West Ham the kiss of life, showing the positive attitude Upton Park craved. Potential buyers will note the character in the dressing-room, and the importance of moving soon before the transfer window opens. Parker, particularly, Matthew Upson and Robert Green would all be targets.
Chelsea must freshen up their squad in January, particularly with players disappearing to the African Cup of Nations. Ancelotti’s side seem to lack urgency going forward and concentration at set pieces. Although Chelsea pushed four points clear of Manchester United at the peak of the Premier League, altitude sickness seems to be afflicting Ancelotti’s side as well as Sir Alex Ferguson’s. Does anyone want to win this title?
Although Daniel Sturridge sped on, delivering a lively cameo, Chelsea’s ambitions would be strengthened with a recruit or two. For all the talk of the need for cover in midfield and attack, another defender would not go amiss. Harried by Franco, their backline was poor.
Like Del Boy’s disastrous chandelier-cleaning service, Chelsea’s defence looked vulnerable long before Jack Collison’s dart through the middle drew a foolish challenge from Ashley Cole, gifting Diamanti his penalty chance. There was an inevitability of the defence falling and shattering. It kept teetering under pressure exerted by West Ham and particularly the excellent Franco.
A minute from the break, Franco suddenly dropped deep to sweep a low pass through to Collison. The young Welsh midfielder controlled it with his first touch and was about to take a second when Cole came diving in from the side. The angle of Collison’s run demanded that Cole challenge with his right foot. He didn’t. Cole went in with his favoured left and paid the price. Clearly catching Collison, Cole’s 29th birthday acquired a sour note as Dean rightly signalled a penalty.
Diamanti’s confident body language spoke of a player who knew his penalty would find the mark, who had already converted kicks here against Arsenal and Liverpool, and who was already planning his celebration.
Effortlessly sending Petr Cech the wrong way, the flamboyant Italian embarked on lengthy festivities.
Ancelotti was so angry he withdrew Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou, sending on John Obi Mikel and Sturridge. Chelsea, clearly missing Nicolas Anelka (who was nursing a slight muscle tear), had enjoyed chances in the first half, Lampard bringing a fine save from Robert Green and then Parker clearing Branislav Ivanovic’s header off the line but the visitors simply couldn’t find their stride. Parker, Noble and Franco never let them.
Chelsea got lucky just before the hour. When Lampard slipped the ball down the inside-right channel, Upson really did not need to challenge Sturridge as Herita Ilunga was covering. The England centre-half certainly did not need to leave the ground, always a dangerous tactic, especially with Dean around. Yet it was the linesman who wrongly gave the decision against
Upson, indicating he had brought down the Chelsea sub when he actually made contact with the ball.
If the decision sent West Ham temperatures to boiling point, it was impossible not to admire the sang-froid of Lampard. Predictably booed, the former West Ham midfielder beat Green from the spot only for Dean to order a retake because of encroachment by Didier Drogba and Joe Cole. Composure personified, Lampard placed his second kick past Green. Again Drogba jumped the gun. It was third time lucky for Lampard. Although Drogba had again encroached, Dean gave it. If Lampard deserved his goal, West Ham deserved more than a point.

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Independent:

Lampard keeps nerve in shoot-out with referee
West Ham United 1 Chelsea 1

By Sam Wallace

If England need a man to see them through a World Cup finals penalty shoot-out next summer then they need look no further than Frank Lampard – in fact, you can put him down for the first three spot-kicks.
In remarkable circumstances yesterday, Lampard had to retake a second-half penalty on two occasions, beating Robert Green from the spot three times in two minutes. Luckily for Chelsea, Lampard has ice in his veins: he has learnt to deal with the bottles thrown at him at corners when he visits Upton Park, but the psychological strain of having to convert a penalty three times in a row is something new.
The penalties had to be retaken because the referee Mike Dean had spotted an encroachment in the 'D' by Chelsea players as Lampard began his run-up. To start invoking a law that is largely ignored these days was bizarre, but it had been an extremely erratic decision to award the penalty against Matthew Upson in the first place.
It was a pity for West Ham that Lampard stole the show because until then the home side looked like they might continue the weekend's theme of inflicting damage upon the Premier League's big four. Scott Parker was the game's outstanding player and West Ham deserved better than the single point that keeps them above bottom-placed Portsmouth.
As for Carlo Ancelotti, his team had a great chance to stretch their lead over Manchester United in second place to six points and they blew it. The Chelsea manager conceded that his team had not played well but as he expressed dismay at the pile-up of Christmas fixtures, as all new Premier League managers are prone to do, he said that his team had not done badly in the circumstances.
Yet there is something not right about Chelsea who, in recent games, have lacked their characteristic power to sweep teams away. They are not in as much trouble as Liverpool or, to a lesser extent, Manchester United, but they have won just once in their last four league matches and, with a bit more about them, they could be approaching Christmas as the runaway leaders.
The club yesterday denied the News of the World's allegation that John Terry took £10,000 to show an undercover reporter around their training ground. The problems with their defence are less easy to brush aside. Ashley Cole conceded a first-half penalty and Ricardo Carvalho was extremely lucky not to have one awarded against him when he shoved Guillermo Franco in the closing stages of the game.
The challenge from Cole for the penalty was clumsy, the full-back going in two-footed on Jack Collison and getting nowhere near the ball. Alessandro Diamanti has scored penalties against Liverpool and Arsenal at Upton Park already this season and he beat Petr Cech comfortably.
There was just the slightest suspicion that West Ham had got lucky in the last minute of the first half when Green clattered Salomon Kalou after the Chelsea striker had got to the ball first and, admittedly, knocked it too far ahead of himself. But Chelsea were more than compensated with a wholly undeserved penalty just before the hour. It came from a tackle by Upson on the Chelsea substitute Daniel Sturridge which was just about as good a challenge as you will see this season. The England centre-half took the ball cleanly, and Sturridge fell as his momentum carried him through. Badly advised by his linesman, Dean gave the penalty.
It was then that the fun really began. Lampard had to wait a while to take the penalty as the West Ham players protested Dean's decision. When he did, he struck it to the side that Green dived – his right – but it was too hard and too well-placed in the corner for the goalkeeper. Dean stopped Lampard in mid-celebration to insist he take it again.
The first time it was Didier Drogba who encroached in the area along with about five West Ham players, but it was pretty remarkable that, having been warned once, Michael Ballack did it on the second occasion. Lampard struck his second penalty to Green's left but by now Dean had become militant.
Incredibly, he called upon Lampard to take the penalty again, this time it seemed because Sturridge had wandered into the area. At this point a lesser player might have railed against the referee for being forced to observe a law that is largely ignored these days. But Lampard is rather better than that. He struck his third – and final – penalty to Green's left and at last Dean was satisfied.
Among Premier League referees, Dean has given almost twice as many penalties, 23, over the last two seasons as the next on the list, Phil Dowd, on 13. What made it all the more unusual was that he did not reward Franco for the challenge from Carvalho with nine minutes of the match left. Even under the scrutiny of the rigorous Mr Dean, yet another penalty might just have been too much excitement for one afternoon.

West Ham United (4-5-1): Green; Faubert, Gabbidon (Tomkins, 19), Upson, Ilunga; Collison, Parker, Kovac, Noble, Diamanti; Franco. Substitutes not used: Stech (gk), Jimenez, Spector, Da Costa, Nouble, Stanislas.

Chelsea (4-1-3-2): Cech; Iavnovic, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Ballack; Lampard, J Cole (Zhirkov, 75), Malouda (Mikel, h-t); Drogba, Kalou (Sturridge, h-t). Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Ferreira, Alex, Belletti.

Referee: M Dean (Wirral).
Booked: Chelsea Carvalho, A Cole, Terry; West Ham Franco, Parker, Upson.
Man of the match: Parker.
Attendance: 33,388.

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Guardian :

Frank Lampard penalty for Chelsea frustrates West Ham's hopes of lift off
West Ham United 1 Diamanti (pen) 45 Chelsea 1 Lampard (pen) 61

Kevin McCarra at Upton Park

The clear decline of the Premier League elite is raising spirits everywhere. Chelsea extended their lead over Manchester United to four points but in days gone by they would have dealt severely with opponents from the relegation zone. Instead West Ham are entitled to be exasperated that their goal from a penalty was balanced out by a spot kick for the visitors, after 61 minutes, that ought not to have been awarded.
The referee, Mike Dean, took his decision on the advice of his assistant, although Matthew Upson had connected with the ball when challenging the substitute Daniel Sturridge. Chelsea's equaliser was still an ordeal as Dean ruled out Frank Lampard's first two attempts because of encroachment by other players. There was a calmly methodical reaction from the midfielder as he shot home to left and centre before his penalty was deemed valid as if flew home on the right.
It was a rare sign of calm authority by the visitors. Chelsea could have fallen to yet another penalty but no offence was detected when Ricardo Carvalho hurled himself at Guillermo Franco as a corner kick was delivered nine minutes from the close. If the clubs in the upper reaches of the table are no longer so secure, then those from the lower orders cannot be treated dismissively.
West Ham had already taken a draw against Arsenal in this stadium and beaten an Aston Villa team that is on the rise. Gianfranco Zola's merriness over this result was not dimmed by the knowledge that, in practice, the club's circumstances had taken a turn for the worse. Their relegation rivals Wolves, who beat Burnley yesterday, are now four points clear of West Ham.
The West Ham manager was right to sense that this was not a moment for statistics. "Nobody could have said anything if we had got three points," Zola said of his side's endeavour. "I like the passion they put on the pitch. I am sure they were tired but they didn't look like it. In the past we've played some good games but I never felt the atmosphere that I felt today. The way the players were encouraging themselves and working it up was contagious."
His opposite number made do with a phlegmatic tone. "We are one more point ahead of second place," said Carlo Ancelotti, "but we didn't play a good match. This period is not easy, playing games every three days. Now we have a week to prepare [for a home game with Birmingham]. We'll benefit from that."
Chelsea had met with stiff resistance from West Ham, who know they need to stop games from being quite so eventful if they are to survive in the Premier League. The side had been conceding at a rate of two goals a match before this result. Yet no one accused them of a reckless romanticism here and they threatened to hold on to the lead they had gained. Ancelotti's side could never be in complete command when opponents such as Scott Parker were putting up such a fight in midfield.
There were breaks on the flanks now and again but for the most part Chelsea found 10 outfield opponents positioned to block their path. The visitors are accustomed to that sort of approach but would not have anticipated the implacable manner in which West Ham sustained that commitment. Any reputation for brittleness had receded. Not even the muscle injury that ended Danny Gabbidon's involvement had immediate consequences as James Tomkins, who came on was at least familiar with the set up after starting the previous three games.
It had looked unlikely that West Ham would score but a covering Ashley Cole fouled Jack Collison from behind as he collected a pass and Alessandro Diamanti sent Petr Cech the wrong way to convert the penalty in the 45th minute. Chelsea's true difficulty, all the same, lay in a lack of creativity.
They might well have had a penalty early in the game, when Danny Gabbidon's hand made contact with the ball, but it did look as if they would be dependent on Didier Drogba's individualism for a goal and at the start of the second half he nearly scored with an angled volley from Cech's kick-out that flew narrowly wide.
There is a narrowness to the football being produced by Ancelotti's line-up. They did not cope well in the absence of Nicolas Anelka, a creator as well as a scorer, because of a minor muscle strain. Since that authoritative 3-0 defeat of Arsenal at the Emirates three weeks ago, their command has dwindled. Limited harm has been done but there will now be interest in seeing how keen the club is to make signings in the transfer window.

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Mail:

West Ham 1 Chelsea 1: Blues get in a spot of bother as Carlo Ancelotti rues missed chance

Ivan Speck

For the second successive weekend Chelsea drew a game they might have expected to win beforehand . . . and still they moved a point further ahead of Manchester United.
Their hosts, West Ham, like Portsmouth 24 hours earlier, earned a result against a member of the collective formerly known as the Big Four to prove that the beating heart of the Barclays Premier League has become joyfully erratic.
Had there been any justice, Gianfranco Zola’s side would not merely have avoided slipping to the foot of the table ahead of their Boxing Day confrontation with Pompey but earned a victory to replenish in an instant the reserves of confidence which have been eroded.
Referee Mike Dean gifted Chelsea a path back into the match when he wrongly judged a Matthew Upson tackle on Daniel Sturridge to be a foul and then compounded the folly by making Frank Lampard take the penalty three times because of encroachment by Chelsea players.
There was no discernible difference between the first two spot kicks and the third.
West Ham manager Zola said: ‘The referee saw the tackle right, so it’s disappointing that he took the linesman’s view. He was closer and better positioned so should have stayed with his original decision.’
Then again, the portents of gloom would have descended upon the Boleyn Ground had Alessandro Diamanti’s earlier penalty for the home side proved decisive. The last time West Ham beat Chelsea, in 2003, the score was 1-0 and the goalscorer an Italian, Paolo Di Canio . . . and West Ham were relegated.
If they are to stay up this season, the effervescent Scott Parker will play a pivotal role. He chested a Branislav Ivanovic header off his line midway through the first half, yet it is as the visionary force in midfield where his true worth lies.
Sitting deep and able to spin away from tacklers, his passes pierced the Chelsea rearguard with regularity, while his calmness in front of the back four relieved the pressure. In defence, Upson was magnificent, even if his cause was helped by the absence of Nicolas Anelka. Given the sketchiness of their contributions, it was surprising that Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou lasted until half-time.
Just when it appeared the half would end goalless, the industrious Guillermo Franco slid the ball into the path of Jack Collison, a midfielder who ran beyond the striker for once. Ashley Cole dived in and Diamanti sent Petr Cech the wrong way with a smooth spot kick.
Didier Drogba produced the one true moment of imagination after 50 minutes, chasing a bouncing ball away from goal and swivelling to strike a volley of such power and dipping precision that it looped over the stranded Robert Green and shaved the far post.
In the final 15 minutes, Joe Cole ought to have put Chelsea in front instead of flapping at his shot, referee Dean should have given West Ham a second penalty for a clear foul by Ricardo Carvalho on Franco at a corner and Franco’s point-blank header was somehow kept out by Cech.
Ancelotti said: ‘We didn’t play a good match and we are not at our best, but it’s not so bad because we are four points clear.'

GRAHAM POLL: The Official Line
It was a game of penalties. West Ham were awarded the first after a clear foul by Ashley Cole and then Chelsea took three of their own. And it could have been more. Chelsea appealed for a handball and definitely should have had one when Robert Green fouled Salomon Kalou.But two wrongs made a right when assistant Simon Beck incorrectly told referee Mike Dean to award a penalty against Matthew Upson. Dean correctly made Frank Lampard take the penalty three times after encroachment from both sides — the fact that there were more defenders than attackers in the area is irrelevant. It’s a pity all match officials don’t ensure penalties comply with the law.

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Sun:

West Ham 1 Chelsea 1
From SHAUN CUSTIS at Upton Park

IT'S one for the pub quiz.
How did Frank Lampard score a hat-trick for Chelsea in a 1-1 draw?
The answer is that referee Mike Dean made him take a penalty three times before allowing the goal.
And fair play to Lampard for keeping his nerve at the ground where the fans love to hate him.
Former Hammer Lampard may even have got a perverse satisfaction out of hitting the net on each occasion with his detractors baying for him to miss.
Premier League leaders Chelsea could count themselves lucky to depart with a point because the 58th-minute spot-kick - which was eventually despatched in the 61st minute - should never have been given.
England defender Matthew Upson's sliding challenge on Blues sub Daniel Sturridge was a perfectly-timed tackle but the linesman indicated it was a foul despite furious protests from home players.
Maybe Dean started doubting the decision himself by making Lampard have three goes at it - because of encroachment in the area.
While they avoided defeat, Chelsea missed a real chance to put some daylight between themselves and stuttering Manchester United.
With United having lost 3-0 at Fulham, the Blues would have gone six points clear with a victory here.
You really wonder whether anyone wants to win this league given how often the big boys are stumbling this season.
West Ham's goal also came from a penalty but that was very much the correct decision when Ashley Cole came through Jack Collison just before half-time. The impressive Alessandro Diamanti sent Petr Cech the wrong way to put Chelsea on the rack.
Ref Dean likes awarding penalties. He has given 10 more than any other Prem ref in the last two seasons.
He should actually have given another one because Ricardo Carvalho completely flattened Guillermo Franco - clattering into the back of the striker at an 81st-minute corner.
Hammers manager Gianfranco Zola called this "a big performance" by his men. He was right.
Had they lost, West Ham they would have gone bottom of the table on goal difference. That would have been psychologically damaging but Zola's side showed great fight which belied their position.
Midfield scrapper Scott Parker was their standard-bearer. The former Chelsea midfielder was immense and showed why the likes of Liverpool are weighing up a bid for his services.
Parker was everywhere and his team-mates took inspiration from him.
His chest trap on the line from Branislav Ivanovic's header followed by a sliding clearance typified his day.
In fact, it was all hands to the pump for the Hammers early on as Robert Green flew to his left to deny Lampard's 20-yard drive and Danny Gabbidon was a touch fortunate to escape a penalty shout when he appeared to handle in the box.
But the home side pulled themselves together and Petr Cech saved with his foot to keep out Diamanti.
The visitors - who have not been in the best of form - struggled for rhythm, as shown when Lampard rushed a shot and dragged it well wide from Ashley Cole's cutback.
Then the subdued Didier Drogba fired into the side-netting when he should have crossed for Salomon Kalou who was waiting to side-foot home.
The foul by Ashley Cole on Collison, which produced the West Ham penalty, was indisputable and Diamanti gave the crowd reason to enjoy their half-time cuppa as he despatched the kick.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti felt the need to change things, bringing on Sturridge for Kalou and John Obi Mikel for Florent Malouda.
Drogba tried an audacious volley from wide out right which flashed just beyond the left-hand post before the controversial equaliser.
Upson seemed to win the ball fairly from Sturridge but the linesman put his flag across his chest to signal a penalty.