sunday papers spurs away 0-1

The Sunday Times
Luka Modric gives Hiddink first Chelsea defeat
Tottenham 1 Chelsea 0: Chelsea fail to capitalise on Man Utd defeat as they slump to a Luka Modric winner at Tottenham
Nick Townsend at White Hart Lane

IN RECENT days Chelsea have reminded you of the rogue truck driver in Steven Spielberg’s film Duel. They have promised a relentless pursuit, driving their quarry to distraction and constant glances in his wing-mirror. That image stayed in the mind yesterday as events across London at Craven Cottage filtered through. Yet despite the rare act of neighbourliness from Fulham, who subjected Manchester United to a second consecutive league defeat, Chelsea failed to capitalise. And like the denouement of the movie, you suspect that the Blues’ title aspirations crashed and burnt here.
In theory, Chelsea are still battling on three fronts for trophies. But interim manager Guus Hiddink, who had overseen a 100% league record since arriving at Stamford Bridge, knew in his heart that this was an opportunity spurned. As he conceded, before departing to Amsterdam to visit his sick father, followed by the journey to Russia to oversee the national team’s World Cup qualification programme: “If Manchester United are losing, those are the moments when you have to strike, and we didn’t do that. That’s why we said beforehand that the pressure was not just on Manchester United. It was on us as well.”
The portents had not been auspicious for Tottenham. Not with one league victory over their London rivals in 37 attempts. Worse, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp had not enjoyed a victory over Chelsea since his West Ham team beat them a decade ago.
How he will have enjoyed this, although at the final whistle a remarkably composed Redknapp’s only show of emotion was a high-five with Luka Modric, the diminutive Croatian who was accorded a standing ovation when he was substituted late on after a performance of vision and industry. “He really is an amazing footballer,” said Redknapp. “And he’s not a lightweight. Physically, he’s not afraid to mix it with the big boys.”
This run of only one defeat in 16 at home under Redknapp means Spurs are aiming for Europe — seventh place should be sufficient — rather than preparing for the Championship. Not that relegation was ever likely, given their plethora of talent.
Things are looking up for Spurs, who announced record profits of £39.8m for the last six months of 2008, though that was not so much financial prudence; more a consequence of the £50m-plus sale of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane. Keane has returned from Liverpool to a team no longer encumbered by relegation fears, and they took the game to Chelsea.
Early on, it was Michael Essien, determined to make up for lost time, who caught the eye. The Ghanaian has been instrumental in Chelsea recently producing the style of football for which their owner has yearned.
His captain, John Terry, has described Essien as “part-man, part-machine” in recognition of the way he had launched himself body and soul into his previous three league games after a cruciate ligament injury. Not just a powerhouse in himself, but a catalyst, in the manner he has released the potential in others, such as Michael Ballack.
Inevitably, it was Essien who produced the first threat to the home goal, with a fierce drive. Juliano Belletti, who did not have the best of halves, following in, caught Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes. Thereafter, however, it was Spurs, the beneficiaries of Modric’s driving presence, who seized the initiative.
Jermaine Jenas’s mighty drive flew just over the angle, and Petr Cech had to stand firm to repel Keane’s volley after Alex allowed a long clearance to bounce through to the Irishman. Keane again tested Cech after Vedran Corluka had thrust into the Chelsea heart and switched the ball to him. Then Keane broke, but despite support, made the save easy for Cech. At the other end, Nicolas Anelka brought Gomes into action, but otherwise Chelsea’s attack looked impotent.
The visitors’ indifferent first half was exemplified by the lack of presence of Didier Drogba, who had got little return from his confrontation with Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King. The Ivorian had to be helped off just before the interval after a collision with King. The manner in which he staggered off, you feared for his health. But he duly returned after the break. After four minutes of the second period, the striker was angrily demanding more from his teammates after Chelsea had fallen behind.
The goal was fashioned by Aaron Lennon, who has signed a new five-year deal with Tottenham. Although his final ball is sometimes found wanting, this time his low cross dissected two defenders, allowing Modric to steal in and opt for accuracy rather than power to beat Cech. The Croatian failed to connect cleanly with another chance that would have settled matters. And in the final 20 minutes Chelsea were fuelled by hope as Spurs retreated.
Drogba brought a fine save from Gomes, who also denied Ricardo Quaresma. One powerful downward header from Terry was brilliantly turned away. Then, from a Frank Lampard corner, an Alex header bounced up and struck the bar.
Chelsea “will fight to the bitter end”, Hiddink had promised in the week. He knows that if his men continue to succumb so readily, there can be only one conclusion.
Star man: Luca Modric (Tottenham)
Yellow cards: Tottenham: Palacios, Modric Chelsea: Belletti, Ballack
Referee: M Dean
Attendance:36,034
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: Gomes 7, Corluka 6, Woodgate 7, King 7, Assou-Ekotto 6, Lennon 7 (Zokora 90min), Jenas 6, Palacios 6, Modric 8 (O’Hara 86min), Bent 5, Keane 6
CHELSEA: Cech 6, Bosingwa 6, Alex 6, Terry 7, A Cole 6, Essien 7 (Malouda 75min), Ballack 5, Lampard 6, Belletti 5 (Quaresma 60 min, 5), Drogba 6, Anelka 5

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph:

Defeat costs Chelsea title chances at Tottenham HotspurIt was set up beautifully for them, to coin one of Guus Hiddink’s favourite words. By Trevor Haylett at White Hart Lane

With Manchester United’s capitulaton there was the opportunity to reduce the gap at the top of the Premier League to a single point but in a manner that had the home faithful crowing all the way down Tottenham High Road, Chelsea also met defeat and that could prove crucial in the final reckoning.
It was Chelsea’s first reverse in eight games under their Dutch interim manager and they could have no complaints. Tottenham harried them from the first whistle, created the better goalscoring opportunities and after Luka Modric shot them ahead at the start of the second half they proved they had the resilience to shut out the threat from Drogba & Co.
Chelsea were ragged late on, Frank Lampard over-hitting a free-kick into the stands while Ricardo Quaresma did the same with a crossing opportunity. Nevertheless it took a tremendous save from Heurelho Gomes to deny John Terry and then fortune favoured the hosts in added time as Alex’s header came back off the bar for the goalkeeper to flap away.
Hiddink is too experienced a manager to know though that Chelsea deserved nothing more. “With Manchester United losing these are the moments that you have to strike and we couldn’t do it,” he said. “It was a missed opportunity but we said before that there’s not only pressure on United but on those chasing them as well.”
A 30-minute delay following a security scare put both sets of supporters in good voice at the start and Spurs responded to the urgings of their followers by hounding their opponents. Darren Bent and Jermaine Jenas were particularly aggressive in the early stages and denied Chelsea the foothold they wanted.
A couple of tricky runs from Aaron Lennon kept the expectancy levels high but it was Chelsea who threatened first when Gomes needed two attempts to grasp Michael Essien’s low effort.
Spurs responded with a Jenas drive that only narrowly cleared the angle of bar and upright. A Robbie Keane volley after Alex had misjudged the bounce of the ball brought Petr Cech into action and he remained the busier of the two goalkeepers as Keane and Modric continued to probe away with intelligence.
Didier Drogba took a whack to the head from Ledley King as they challenged for a high ball and, left groggy, chose to make an early exit for the dressing-room near the end of the first half.
He was there at the restart but it was to witness his side falling behind. Chelsea will look back at two contributory factors to the goal. A moment’s complacency by Michael Ballack meant they didn’t clear their lines cleanly and then they switched off to allow two Spurs players to ghost into space on the edge of the area as Lennon cut the ball back.
Either Keane or Luka Modric could have taken advantage and for a moment it looked as if they were going to get in each other’s way. Keane backed off, leaving the Croatian to sweep home his second league goal of the campaign.
“It was sloppy defending,” said Hiddink, “and we had told them to get through the first 10 minutes of the second half and then we could take control. Sometimes with gifted players they look to make the perfect pass but they just have to clear it. When you’re in the kitchen and it’s steaming you have to extinguish the fire.”
An identical move might have brought a second but this time Modric shot into the ground. At the other end Spurs needed Gomes to be fully alert when Drogba tried to blast one in at the near post. His reflexes were never better demonstrated that when he kept out Terry as all Chelsea’s late endeavours came to nought, pushing Spurs up into the top half of the table.
“It was well deserved over the 90 minutes,” said Harry Redknapp. “The only time they got at us was in the last 15 minutes when they started launching it.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mail:

Tottenham 1 Chelsea 0: Guus Hiddink knows the score but can't close the gap
By IAN RIDLEY

The strains of Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur broke out as the final whistle sounded at White Hart Lane, but down in the King's Road last night the old Ian Dury classic What a Waste might have been more appropriate.With kick-off delayed for 30 minutes by a security scare outside the ground, Chelsea began the game knowing that Manchester United were losing at Fulham, a defeat confirmed midway through the second half here. The carrot could hardly have been bigger.
Instead, there is merely stick for a lame and limp Chelsea who blew their big opportunity.
Only belatedly did they stir themselves, with Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes proving himself a hero as the home side clung on to the outstanding Luka Modric's goal from early in the second half.Chelsea remain four points behind United when the gap could have been just one. 'If it is steamy in the kitchen, you have got to put out the fire,' lamented the Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink.
'We talked at half-time about them coming at us in the first 10 minutes and after that we could control the game. But it was sloppy defence to let them score their goal. Then the team woke up.'But the wake-up call was from a recurring bad dream. It was this very week last year when they were held 4-4 by Spurs, after being 3-1 up, and their title challenge began its list towards the rocks.
Their stumble this time around was all the more baffling, given their dominance over their north London rivals. They went into the game having lost only once against them in 17 Premier League seasons. In addition, they had won all four league games since Hiddink replaced Luiz Felipe Scolari.Chelsea met Spurs, though, at a bad time, with Harry Redknapp's managerial manoeuvres now beginning to pay off. They have lost only once at home in 17 games under him, and have taken 14 points from their last six unbeaten games.'Well-deserved,' was his verdict. 'They only got at us in the last 15 minutes when they started launching it. We are playing as good as anybody in the country. We worked them hard and everybody stuck to their job.'The UEFA Cup - the Europa League next season - could even be a target. 'You've got to fancy it,' said Redknapp. 'We've got to start looking upwards now.'Chelsea have not beaten a London club in the league this season and it was easy to see why in the first half.
They were slow to start and although Michael Essien, whose return has galvanised Chelsea, got in a low shot that Gomes saved well, it took almost another half hour for the Tottenham goalkeeper to be troubled again, saving from Nicolas Anelka. In between, a bubbly Tottenham created the better openings, with Robbie Keane looking especially bouncy.
After Jermaine Jenas had sent a fierce shot just over the angle of Petr Cech's post and crossbar, Keane forced a good save from the goalkeeper with a powerful drive. The Irish striker should have done better, though, when set up by Vedran Corluka for a shot from the edge of penalty area but hit it at Cech.Surely Hiddink would instil more urgency into his side for the second half? Instead, it was Tottenham who showed greater eagerness and claimed the lead. Aaron Lennon teased Ashley Cole out on the right before sending in a low cross, which was met sweetly by Modric, sweeping the ball in from 12 yards past an uncharacteristically languid Cech.'Modric is a special footballer,' said Redknapp. 'And he's definitely not a lightweight. He's much stronger than that.'
Chelsea did improve with the arrival of Ricardo Quaresma. First he supplied Frank Lampard for a header that Corluka blocked then, after Drogba had seen a shot saved by Gomes, the Portuguese curled in another that the goalkeeper clutched. The Brazilian did even better with a late save from John Terry's pointblank header.'I brought him from Brazil to PSV Eindhoven,' said Hiddink of Gomes. 'It was the same there. In the first weeks he had a difficult time but I know that he is a great athlete and will save Tottenham points.'Now Chelsea can only hope that theirs was an aberration, while Manchester United's almost unheard of consecutive defeats constitute a proper blip.
TOTTENHAM (4-4-2): Gomes; Corluka, Woodgate, King, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon (Zokora 90min), Palacios, Jenas, Modric (O'Hara 87); Bent, Keane.Subs (not used): Cudicini, Bentley, Huddlestone, Pavlyuchenko, Dawson.Booked: Palacios, Modric.
CHELSEA (4-4-2): Cech; Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, A Cole; Belletti (Quaresma 61), Essien (Malouda 76), Lampard, Ballack; Drogba, Anelka.Subs (not used): Hilario, Ivanovic, Di Santo, Kalou, Mancienne.Booked: Belletti, Ballack.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Independent:

Modric halts Hiddink's run as Chelsea fail to narrow gap
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Chelsea 0
By Jason Burt at White Hart Lane

As Guus Hiddink boarded his plane back to Amsterdam last night for the international break that then takes him on to Russia, he will have reflected on this, the one that got away and with it, perhaps, the slim hopes of the Premier League title also. Sloppy, wasteful and, for the first time under him, an intimation from the Chelsea manager, interim or permanent, that "gifted players" at his disposal had perhaps believed the hype a bit too much. Again. They let him, and Chelsea, down.
"It was a huge opportunity missed, knowing that United were 2-0 down," Hiddink said, containing his rage. Just. "By the time the team had woken up they were down." But that opportunity to close the gap at the top to a single point was tossed away, and the Dutchman's eighth game in charge ended with a first defeat. "These are the moments to strike," Hiddink added.
Because of a delayed start – a suspect vehicle meant the match kicked off at 3.30pm – Chelsea knew what had happened at Craven Cottage. It made it all the more annoying for Hiddink, whose ire must have been directed at lacklustre displays by Michael Ballack and Nicolas Anelka in particular. Still, Spurs were indebted to two outstanding saves late on from Heurelho Gomes – palming away John Terry's point-blank header from a free-kick and tipping another header, this time from Alex, on to the crossbar in injury time. Not that Spurs, bold and positive, didn't deserve their victory, courtesy of a fine strike from the impressive Luka Modric even if, for his intelligence, his calm in the eye of a raging storm of a London derby, Robbie Keane was the stand-out presence.
Spurs are resurgent under Harry Redknapp, who boldly claimed that his team were playing as well as any in the League and that all fear of relegation was now banished. Instead it is onwards and upwards and a tilt at grabbing that seventh spot, and Europa League football next season.
Qualifying for next year's World Cup is, for the next 10 days at least, Hiddink's primary concern after he visits his sick, elderly father today before flying to Moscow for two games – Russia at home to Azerbaijan and away to Liechtenstein. It may be somewhat different to the white heat and fury of this encounter.
How Chelsea missed Ricardo Carvalho. A swollen ankle ruled out the defender and soon Spurs were stretching their opponents, with Jermaine Jenas's drive narrowly clearing the bar and, twice, Keane being presented with opportunities, forcing a parry from Petr Cech with a half-volley after Alex's error, and then wasting an opportunity with a side-footed shot, held by the goalkeeper, following a barrelling run by Vedran Corluka.
From Chelsea, there was no threat. And then they fell behind. Ballack was to blame, firstly by surrendering possession and then by failing to track Modric. Ballack's loose clearance eventually led to Jonathan Woodgate heading the ball out to Aaron Lennon, watched by England's manager, Fabio Capello. He ran at Ashley Cole. For once Lennon's delivery was clever and precise as he pulled his cross back for Modric to shoot low and powerfully and beyond Cech for only his fourth goal of a burgeoning season.
Hiddink talked of Chelsea's failure "in the kitchen" to put out Spurs' fire and Modric, in almost a carbon copy of the goal, threatened to add a second when Keane's superb cross-field pass instigated another attack.
Chelsea had to respond. On came Ricardo Quaresma, for the defensive Juliano Belletti, and they poured forward. Ledley King brilliantly blocked Anelka, Gomes parried Drogba's low shot and then the Brazilian made his two outstanding saves to preserve an outstanding victory.
Attendance: 36,034
Referee: Mike Dean
Man of the match: Keane
Match rating: 7/10

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Observer
Chelsea left reeling as Modric spikes their challenge
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Modric 50 Chelsea 0
Duncan Castles at White Hart Lane

Well might Harry Redknapp have smiled as the whistle ended this compelling derby. Rare are the days when Tottenham do serious damage to fellow Londoners. Precious was the pleasure of inflicting the first setback upon a storied foreign coach's entry into the English game.
Guus Hiddink had been making a habit out of the sturdy single-goal victory as Chelsea manager, gradually ratcheting up the pressure on Manchester United at the summit of the Premier League. A run of six domestic victories ended at White Hart Lane as the Dutchman fell to a 1-0 defeat – his frustration increased by the knowledge of United's aberration at Fulham a few miles south-west.
"We missed a huge opportunity," ­Hiddink said. "These are the days in such a tough league when you have to be right at the key moments. If Man United is losing those are the moments to strike, but we didn't do it."
For Spurs it was an afternoon of reassurance as they near the end of an oft-fretful season. Relegation now avoided in all but the arithmetic, their fans will use ­performances such as this as fuel for dreams of what might be next term – imagining the scorer Luka Modric and the creator Aaron Lennon undoing more than just Chelsea. "Well deserved," argued Redknapp with justification. "I think that's 18 points from nine games. The way we're playing I think we are as good as anybody in the country at the moment. We've just got to keep that going."
Criticised both inside and outside the club for deciding to scrap Tottenham's Uefa Cup campaign, Redknapp's reward has been a one-game-a-week schedule and a consistent line-up. Fielding Ledley King at centre-back every match has been an obvious advantage; using the same midfield four has brought a creative understanding. With three trophies to play for and a fragile squad to handle, Hiddink has shuffled both personnel and formation. Here, Alex covered for Ricardo Carvalho's newly strained ankle, while Juliano Belletti replaced Deco on the right of a midfield unusually anchored by Michael Ballack.
Kick-off delayed half an hour as police removed a suspect van from outside the South Stand, Chelsea began scrappily, misplacing passes as the home side rushed bodies behind the ball in their own half and pressed lustily in the other. If Michael Essien pulled an early save from Heurelho Gomes, Belletti caused more pain by ­falling on his compatriot's head.
Hiddink redirected Nicolas Anelka to the left wing as he tried to take a grip on possession, but it was Tottenham coming closer to goal. Jermaine Jenas curled a shot just over; a long ball put Robbie Keane in for a spectacular volley, spectacularly saved by Petr Cech. Corners were a threat and the captain strained Cech again after Vedran Corluka sprinted away from two markers to manufacture another opening.
Chelsea were struggling, their only other first-half chance coming when Didier Drogba optimistically attempted a tight-angled volley that flew across the area for Anelka to shoot on target. The Ivorian was forced to take his half-time break early, unintentionally clattered by King as they contested a high ball.
Drogba returned after the interval, but so did Chelsea's troubles. Applying the game sense Redknapp has been teaching him, Lennon shifted Ashley Cole left and right, then clipped a pass low and square into the area. Devoid of a marker, Modric swivelled directly into a shot that angled wide enough of Cech to find the net.
Soon the pair almost repeated the dose, Lennon crossing and Modric shooting higher as Cech scrambled away. ­Hiddink added a genuine winger in Ricardo Quaresma, but his team's chances came from distance and Gomes's hesitation on a cross. When Florent Malouda joined him and Chelsea went to 4-2-4, John Terry had a close-range header gloriously saved by Gomes. From the subsequent corner Lennon demonstrated there is still some polishing to be done as he broke away and chose the sky over three team-mates.
As Chelsea pushed even their centre-backs up, Tottenham grew agonisingly looser. King saved them from Anelka with a lunging block, Alex headed on to the underside of the bar, and Ballack's shot in the dying seconds was cleared from the line. It was a defeat, said Hiddink, that came from "sloppy defending" and a poor start to both halves. Only because Chelsea lost was he even speaking to the media, having a flight to catch to Amsterdam to visit his ill father: "There are more important things in life."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTW:
TOTTENHAM 1, CHELSEA 0 Capital punishment for Hiddink

From ROB SHEPHERD at White Hart Lane, 21/03/2009

GUUS HIDDINK offered a dose of double Dutch after Chelsea failed to re-assert themselves as credible title challengers.
“When you are in the kitchen and it’s steaming, you have to learn to extinguish the fire,” Hiddink reflected enigmatically following Luka Modric’s winner for Tottenham.
But Hiddink’s underlying message was crystal clear. Chelsea blew a massive chance on a day when Manchester United invited them back into the title race.
“That was a huge opportunity missed,” he agreed.
“We knew that Manchester United were losing and this was a chance for us to make ground — and when the right opportunity comes along you have to take the key moments and turn them to your advantage.
“But we didn’t do that and it’s not just about us not making ground up on United but also letting Liverpool in. This was a moment to strike and we didn’t do that.”
Quite what the fire was referring to was not quite so obvious.
And Hiddink was in too much of a hurry to elaborate as he rushed off to catch a flight to see his ill father in Amsterdam before joining up with Russia.
It could have been the opportunity presented by United’s failure at Fulham, or when Tottenham stepped up a gear just after the break.
More particularly, though, it seemed a reference to the failure of Michael Ballack to use his experience in the 50th minute and quell a Tottenham attack which eventually led to Modric’s goal.
After the first wave was broken up, Ballack had the chance to clear but mis-hit the ball. Jonathan Woodgate nodded out wide to Aaron Lennon, who teased Ashley Cole before pulling back a precise cross into the path of Modric. The Croatian midfielder then slotted an emphatic shot from the edge of the box beyond Petr Cech.
It was only Modric’s second league goal since his £15million summer move from Dinamo Zagreb. But it was just what his outstanding display deserved.
Clearly, Hiddink felt the strike could have been prevented as he complained: “We were very sloppy on their goal. Big internationals with lots of caps should know you can’t always look for the perfect pass.”
One suspects Ballack suffered a rather more graphic rollicking than that and the rest of the team a plain rebuke about this opportunity missed.
Yet with the very last kick, Ballack was desperately unlucky not to have redeemed himself when his snap-shot from the edge of the box was chested off the line by Benoit Assou- Ekotto.
Indeed, in the last phase of the game, Chelsea went close to an equaliser on three occasions. Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes, no longer a clown-like figure, pulled off a stunning reaction save at the foot of his post to keep out a John Terry header in the 79th minute.
Then in stoppage time, after an Alex header had bounced up from the turf and hit the bar, the Brazilian keeper displayed great reflexes to claw the ball away. Moments before, Ledley King made a mighty block to prevent Nicolas Anelka slotting home.
For all the spirit Chelsea displayed in the closing stages, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp was right in his assertion that his side deserved it. They never let Chelsea settle into a rhythm and displayed far more attacking invention.
Spurs are surely now safe, being closer to a Europa Cup spot than the Plimsoll line. That is great credit to how Redknapp has turned the club’s fortunes around since inheriting a dispirited squad from Juande Ramos in October when they were bottom with two points from eight games.
“We have to make certain we are safe, but the time now is to start looking upwards,” said Redknapp.
“We can’t think of ourselves as safe quite yet but we’re playing as well as anybody in the country at the moment.”
Given the way things have suddenly altered at the top, Chelsea will not throw in the towel. But one suspects, just like last season, they will reflected they lost the league at White Hart Lane.
It was precisely this time last year when Chelsea started to allow their title challenge to slip when they surrendered a 3-1 lead, eventually being held to a 4-4 draw.
So even the 30-minute delay to kick-off after a stranded vehicle near the ground caused a security alert did not take any sting out of the start.
It was fast and furious from the off but that was more down to Spurs than Chelsea. Redknapp’s side showed the greater tempo and urgency with Robbie Keane leading the way.
Offered the freedom of expression denied to him in that short stint at Liverpool, Keane was a constant menace, dropping into the hole to create openings and keep Ballack occupied in the holding role.
He was also a goal threat, forcing Cech into a fine save in the 17th minute from a well-hit volley then making the Chelsea keeper react sharply with another effort from the edge of the area.
The Blues struggled to create any sort of threat before the break as they lacked attacking width. With Anelka playing to the left of Didier Drogba rather than wide on the left and Cole pegged back by Lennon, the visitors could not make inroads down that side.
The same applied to the right where Juliano Belletti was out of his depth as a winger. Even when Chelsea got the ball forward, Woodgate and King were in command until that late bombardment.
In contrast, Tottenham were full of menace — especially Modric who is revelling in a role which allows him to roam around the front line from the left. Eventually the adrenalin rush of a new manager had to run out.
Incredibly, this defeat means the Blues have yet to win a London derby this season. That is what you call capital punishment — and it would seem this defeat has killed off Chelsea’s title hopes.