wigan 1-3

Sunday Times
Wigan break winning run of mighty ChelseaWigan 3 Chelsea 1
Duncan Castles
“SIN MIEDO” is the Spanish phrase with which Roberto Martinez likes to sign off his programme notes. It means “without fear” and that is precisely how Wigan ended Carlo Ancelotti’s point-perfect introduction to English football, throwing themselves at a defence unaccustomed to afternoons as torrid as this.
Drawn into a headstrong lunge at the expense of both penalty and red card, Petr Cech watched the final 40 minutes impotently from the stands. Ricardo Carvalho and John Terry were out-muscled and out-manoeuvred by Jason Scotland and Hugo Rodallega, two forwards with less than a year of top-tier football between them.
Comprehensive losses at the hands of Arsenal and Manchester United having marred his first months as a Premier League manager, Martinez revelled in the justification of his team’s expansive approach. “When you are a team like Wigan Athletic and you play against the top four you have two options,” he said. “You can beat them or you can get hammered — and that’s what happened when we lost 4-0 and 5-0. The reason we won is because we learned our lessons.
“We’ve been brave from the first second. Nobody can say we didn’t deserve the win and to say that against a special team like Chelsea is a big, big compliment to our football club.”
In 34 previous attempts to beat one of the Big Four, Wigan had managed just four draws. Ancelotti had been halted one match short of emulating the Premier League record of seven wins with which Jose Mourinho started the 2005-6 season with Chelsea.
What had gone wrong? “This is the question,” said Ancelotti with a pained laugh. “I don’t know why because I think we prepared very well for this match. It can happen after a lot of victories. Today we played badly and Wigan played better than us, it was the right result for the game. We are disappointed for this because I didn’t expect this performance.”
Part of the Ancelotti method has been the steady shuffling of playing resources. With most of his key players close to, or past, their 30th birthday, no reinforcements allowed in January and African Nations Cup absences to follow, he has attempted to win while limiting early-season mileage. Tellingly, he appeared to place this game above Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Apoel Nicosia in fielding his strongest side. Only birthday boy Michael Ballack was absent with a “slight” calf complaint.
After being drubbed by Arsenal last weekend, Martinez gave Scotland’s bulky burlesque a first Premier League run at centre-forward. Leading scorer Rodallega was played on the left wing, Charles N’Zogbia the right, and Paul Scharner asked to mess with Chelsea’s trio of holding midfielders. The initial effect, however, was negligible as the visitors streamed confidently forward, creating creditable chances for Michael Essien, Nicolas Anelka and Frank Lampard.
Then Scotland slipped Terry to slam a tight-angled shot at goal and with it Wigan found their gear. When Wigan quickly won a corner, Rodallega waited for N’Zogbia to sprint across the area before he played the ball short. With Chelsea’s marking in disarray the Frenchman’s cross flew to an isolated Titus Bramble, who headed down and into the net.
Now coursing with the belief Martinez had spent the week fostering, Wigan took control. Rodallega’s pace and unpredictability panicked Jose Bosingwa, while Scotland bumped, turned and nutmegged the visiting centre-backs to lever more opportunities. Scharner should have done better than lift over a free shot; the same short-corner routine ended with Cech saving from Emmerson Boyce; only a last-ditch Terry tackle stopped Scotland.
An anxious Ancelotti encamped himself in the technical area, preparing John Obi Mikel’s half-time substitution and a teamtalk brief enough to have Chelsea out again five minutes before their opponents. The reward was an immediate — and soft — equaliser: Florent Malouda skimming into the area to feed Didier Drogba, whose close-range shot cannoned in off the inside of keeper Chris Kirkland’s right leg.
Advantage Chelsea? Not when Rodallega found himself one-on-one with Cech, shimmied slightly away from goal and was tripped by the goalkeeper’s outstretched left boot. That the Colombian was in a position to score justified Cech’s sending-off but stopped neither Chelsea’s complaints nor their attempts to unnerve the taker. Rodallega calmly drove the spot kick high over replacement goalkeeper Hilario. “Petr was unhappy,” said Ancelotti. “For a keeper this is a normal situation, sometimes one-on-one can happen. He took a red card but we hope he is not suspended for many games.”
Chasing the game, the Italian urged forward his full-backs and added Salomon Kalou, his third substitution, as a third attacker. Wigan kept four men up the park and continued to stretch the visitors, Rodallega almost curling a free kick into the top corner. When Ashley Cole was carried off with a knee injury, Wigan were two men to the good and too good for Chelsea. Maynor Figueroa jinked towards the touchline, sending in a cross that took out three defenders and let Scharner slide in for the easiest finish of his career. Three memorable points, and absolutely no fear.
Wigan: Kirkland 6, Melchiot 6, Bramble 6, Boyce 6, Figueora 7, Thomas 7, Diame 6, N’Zogbia 7, Scharner 6, Rodallega 8, Scotland 7 (King 89min).
Chelsea: Cech 5, Bosingwa 5 (Kalou 68min), Carvalho 5, Terry 5, Cole 6, Essien 6, Mikel 5 (Belletti 46min, 6), Lampard 6, Malouda 6 (Hilario 52min, 6), Anelka 5, Drogba .

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Telegraph:
Wigan Athletic 3 Chelsea 1 By Graham Chase at the DW Stadium
It all comes to an end sooner or later and as Wigan finally managed a victory against a big four team for the first time in 35 attempts, Carlo Ancelotti’s perfect start to life in England was no longer.
Titus Bramble got Wigan on their way with an early header and after Didier Drogba equalised five minutes after the restart, Petr Cech felled Hugo Rodallega, earning himself a red card.
Rodallega made no mistake with the penalty that followed and 10-man Chelsea worried Wigan only when the hosts began to sit deep in the closing stages before Paul Scharner added a third in added time.
There was little to suggest what might be ahead as, even in the absence of Michael Ballack, Chelsea began with authority and purpose that saw Michael Essien and Nicolas Anelka threaten in the early stages, while Frank Lampard was also narrowly off-target after fine attacking work from Ashley Cole.
But at the back, they looked unconvincing, with the hard work of Jason Scotland, who is in his first season in the top flight after joining from Swansea in the summer, unsettling both John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho.
The Trinidad forward was slipped through by Charles N’Zogbia and had a shot deflected wide off Cech. N’Zogbia was once mistakenly called ‘Insomnia’ by former manger Joe Kinnear but he made Chelsea pay a heavy price for going to sleep at the resulting corner.
No-one picked up the Frenchman’s long run to receive a short corner and his clipped cross was headed in by an unmarked Bramble.
After that breakthrough, there was little response from Chelsea, who were struggling to cope with Wigan’s aggressive pressing and impressive use of the ball.
Paul Scharner was playing in an unusually advanced role just behind Scotland and the Austrian scooped over from the forward’s strong off-load and only a well-timed slide from Terry stopped Scotland firing in after the ex-Swansea man seized on hesitation from Carvalho.
From the corner that followed, Wigan again played short and N’Zogbia’s hanging cross was knocked back in for Emmerson Boyce to force a fine block from Cech.
However, the chance of a shock result were severely dented just a minute and a half after the restart when Malouda crossed from the left for Drogba to scuff through Kirkland’s legs.
The game was turned on its head again five minutes later when N’Zogbia sent Hugo Rodallega through and although the Columbian took the ball wide, he was clipped by Cech, with referee Phil Dowd pointing to the post and showing the Czech goalkeeper a straight red card.
Rodallega sent the spot-kick straight down the middle and past substitute goalkeeper Henrique Hilario to restore Wigan’s lead.
Other than a Drogba lob over, there was little response from the visitors and when substitute Saloman Kalou swung at thing air after a rare threatening passing move before Scharner tapped in a late third.

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Independent:
Wigan leap into unknown after Cech clears way
Wigan Athletic 3 Chelsea 1: Martinez's men claim 'big four' scalp at the 35th time of asking,helped by goalkeeper's dismissal
By Steve Tongue at the DW Stadium
What inferiority complex? Wigan may have failed to win any of their 34 previous games against the acknowledged big four teams of English football and lost in recent weeks to Manchester United 5-0, at home, and Arsenal 4-0. At the 35th attempt, however, local history was made in eventful fashion: a half-time lead soon cancelled out, then quickly restored from a penalty that Petr Cech was sent off for conceding. Chelsea, finishing with nine men after an injury to Ashley Cole, threw everything and everyone forward, only to lose a third goal, their 100 per cent record and the League leadership.
A first defeat since losing at Tottenham under Guus Hiddink back in March brought no complaints from the Dutchman's successor, Carlo Ancelotti. "We played not a good game," he said. "It was the right result. Wigan played better than us, played very good football with good organisation. I was surprised."
His opposite number, the impressive Roberto Martinez, was less surprised. Despite the drubbings from Arsenal and United, he insisted that his team continue to play their football, asking only that they respond better than on previous occasions if they conceded – which was precisely what happened. "We learnt our lessons and carried on with our standards," he said. "No one can say we didn't deserve to win."
Wigan successfully employed the fashionable 4-2-3-1 with outstanding contributions from Hendry Thomas and the clever Mohamed Diame, both sitting back. Charles N'Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega stayed out, hindering the Chelsea full-backs. Jose Bosingwa's crossing was shocking, while he and Cole were often in danger of being caught upfield by swift counter- attacks. The opening goal was nevertheless unexpected, as the visitors had worked four passable chances in the opening 10 minutes.
In the 16th minute, everything changed. After Cech saved from Jason Scotland, Wigan worked a short corner on the left, N'Zogbia coming to collect it without hindrance from any defender and crossing for Titus Bramble to head powerfully in. So slack were Chelsea that they soon allowed N'Zogbia to bring off the same move, Paul Scharner heading down this time for a shot by Emmerson Boyce that Cech had no right to save.
Scotland, looking more Drogba-like than the real thing, laid off a pass for Scharner to hit over the crossbar and was then halted only by John Terry's saving tackle after losing Ricardo Carvalho. The crowd roared their team off at half-time, while the resident DJ played "Let's Hang On To What We've Got".
Wigan proved unable to do so for even 90 seconds of the second half, but within a few minutes of conceding an equaliser they were back in front. First Florent Malouda was wide enough to provide a low cross that Didier Drogba side-footed at goal. He was probably as surprised as anyone to see the ball dribble through Chris Kirkland's legs for a sixth goal of the season. Back came the home side. Rodallega, forsaking his unfamiliar position out on the left, ran on to N'Zogbia's pass in the inside-right channel, knocked it ahead and appeared to be tripped by Cech.
Once Phil Dowd decided on a penalty the red card was mandatory, and after Henrique Hilario arrived to stand between the posts – Florent Malouda was sacrificed – Rodallega smacked the spot-kick past him.
Ancelotti, who had sent his team out for the second half several minutes before Wigan, took the positive approach in putting on Salomon Kalou for Bosingwa; then the desperate approach of Terry in attack for the last frantic period. The five added minutes brought not an Old Trafford-style drama but a third home goal.
Chelsea, with Terry upfield and Cole off injured, were all over the place and hopelessly outnumbered as Maynor Figueroa crossed from the left for a Scharner tap-in. All this in front of a disappointingly small crowd, possibly reflecting a sense of inevitability about the result. Oh ye of little faith.
Attendance: 18,542
Referee: Phil Dowd
Man of the match: Thomas
Match rating: 7/10
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Guardian:
Petr Cech sees red as Chelsea crash to defeat at Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic 3 Bramble 16, Rodallega (pen) 53, Scharner 90 Chelsea 1 Drogba 47
Joe Lovejoy at the DW Stadium

Chelsea's 100% start to the season was always going to end somewhere, but it was expected to happen in more salubrious surroundings than the stadium that the shrinking violet Dave Whelan has named after himself. The league leaders arrived on the back of nine successive wins in all competitions, Wigan suffered a 4-0 drubbing at Arsenal last week, so this was billed as a no-brainer.
So much for conventional wisdom. In reality, the unfashionable team from rugby league country were superior from first to last, and it would be grossly unfair to attribute this shock result to Petr Cech's sending-off five minutes into the second half. True, it was 1-1 at that stage, but Wigan had been better throughout the first 45 minutes, playing against a full complement.
Carlo Ancelotti admitted as much, saying: "They played very well and ours was a bad performance. They were well-organised. Yes, I was surprised by how good they were."
Under Roberto Martínez, Wigan have been strangely inconsistent, beating Aston Villa, West Ham and now Chelsea, but conceding nine times in heavy defeats by Manchester United and Arsenal. It is very much to their credit, however, that they occupy a comfortable mid-table position after playing five of last season's top six.
The favourable impression Martínez created in bringing Swansea into the Championship playing an attractive passing game was further bolstered here, with Wigan eschewing kick-and-rush or roughhouse tactics in favour of pleasing football against their more celebrated opponents.
Ancelotti left out Joe Cole and Michael Ballack and saw his midfield stymied by a clever, combative unit in which Hendry Thomas was Claude Makelele reincarnate.
Jason Scotland, recalled to the starting line-up, had already required Cech to improvise a save with his legs when, after 16 minutes, Wigan took the lead. A corner taken short on the left led to Charles N'Zogbia delivering a cross which Titus Bramble buried with a firm, downward header from six yards. Chelsea's vaunted defence had gone to sleep, not for the first or last time, and the margin would have been doubled before half-time but for the excellent reflex save with which Cech repelled Emmerson Boyce's shot after another corner.
Chelsea stirred themselves at the start of the second half, Didier Drogba receiving from Florent Malouda and equalising with a crisp shot close in. Wigan may have folded in the past in such circumstances, but here they showed the sort of character which should serve them well in the difficult months ahead and, when Hugo Rodallega was put through by N'Zogbia, his incursion panicked Cech into bringing him down. Henrique Hilário, sent on for Cech at Malouda's expense, was immediately beaten by Rodallega's no-nonsense penalty, struck straight down the middle, and the upset was on.
Ancellotti sent on an extra forward, Salomon Kalou, but Wigan never looked like conceding again, and in the first minute of added time Paul Scharner applied the coup de grâce at point-blank range from Maynor Figueroa's cross.
With Chelsea due to resume Champions League combat in Nicosia on Tuesday, their manager said: "I don't know why we didn't play well, in football you can only look forward." Ashley Cole, whose knee injury left Chelsea with nine men at the end, is unlikely to make the trip to Cyprus, but should be fit for Liverpool's visit next Sunday.
Martínez, who was understandably "delighted", said: "A team like ours, playing one of the top four, can either be brave and play football, or defend and get hammered. All 11 of our players played up to our best standards."

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Mail:
Wigan 3 Chelsea 1: Carlo caned by rookie - Ancelotti is trumped by Roberto Martinez as keeper Petr Cech sees redBy Joe Bernstein
Carlo Ancelotti had been hailed as some sort of managerial genius after beginning his Chelsea career with eight straight victories. But yesterday the Italian with the global reputation was thoroughly out-manoeuvred by a rookie, Wigan's Roberto Martinez.Martinez somehow convinced a Wigan side who had not won in 34 previous attempts against a team from the Big Four that they could derail a Chelsea side who had won every game this season.
Chelsea's goalkeeper Petr Cech might have ranted to referee Phil Dowd about the decision to send him off after 51 minutes with the score at 1-1, allowing Wigan to go ahead from the resulting penalty smashed home by Hugo Rodallega. But even if the game had stayed 11-a-side for 90 minutes, Wigan would have deserved to win.
To his credit, Ancelotti conceded that. Perhaps warning his players not to hide behind the excuse of playing nearly half the game with 10 men, he said: 'It was the right result. Wigan played better than us. They were organised. We slept for the first goal.'
Despite Didier Drogba's 100th goal for his club, it was a dreadful day for Chelsea as they also lost John Obi Mikel and Ashley Cole to injury - and their place at the top of the Premier League to Manchester United.'This is football. You cannot say why a team win matches, then play like this,' said Ancelotti after losing his 100 per cent record this season. 'Their first goal made the game more complicated. Now we are together with Manchester United at the top. Maybe it will stay that way for the rest of the season.'
Martinez had lost four of his first six games in charge but still had the belief to throw in Jason Scotland for the first Premier League start of his career and trust the much-maligned Titus Bramble to keep Didier Drogba quiet.
It worked a treat, with Scotland roughing up John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, while Bramble stole forward to score the opener in addition to his defensive duties.
No wonder delighted Martinez said: 'It was the complete performance from us. You have to keep Chelsea from having the ball to unsettle them and that's what we did. Winning gives you confidence - and we will take great confidence from this.'
Ancelotti refused to blame Dowd, hiding his true feelings behind the non-committal: 'I don't like to talk about referees.' But a few more performances like this and people might start saying he does not have any more of a Plan B than predecessor Felipe Scolari.
Chelsea bossed the opening minutes like a team unbeaten since March and who had won their last dozen competitive games. But after Michael Essien and Frank Lampard missed chances they inexplicably took their foot off the accelerator.
Scotland was putting himself about and when Charles N'Zogbia fired a corner to the near post after 16 minutes, Bramble pushed forward and powered a header past Cech.
Ancelotti and Chelsea looked shellshocked and Wigan should have sewn up the game before half-time. Paul Scharner slipped in the area when about to score, Cech made brilliant saves from close range to deny Emmerson Boyce and Mario Melchiot, while Terry needed a perfect tackle on Scotland to stop him.
Ancelotti did send his team out early for the second half as a sign of his displeasure, with Juliano Belletti on for Mikel, who had hurt an ankle. And the move seemed to have worked when Drogba equalised within two minutes of the restart.Florent Malouda did well down the left side and his cross found Drogba close enough to goal for the Ivorian to squeeze the ball through Chris Kirkland's legs even though he did not make powerful contact. It was Drogba's sixth goal in seven games this season and should have been the sign for Chelsea to go on to win another three points. Instead, the game turned in the next Wigan attack.N'Zogbia fed Rodallega and the Colombian cleverly took a touch to round Cech. The goalkeeper could not pull out of the challenge quickly enough and made contact with the Wigan striker, who collapsed as if shot.The penalty award was bad enough but Cech was infuriated when Dowd also raised a red card. It seemed harsh as Rodallega had been going away from goal.
After the delay caused by Cech's protests and the introduction of substitute keeper Hilario, Rodallega kept his nerve to hammer home the penalty for his third goal of the season.
Ancelotti's decision to sacrifice Malouda rather than Belletti for Hilario could also be questioned. The last half-hour saw Chelsea pour forward desperately but without the craft needed to break Wigan down. Their one clear chance fell to Salomon Kalou and he lacked composure as he blasted high and wide.
Wigan were increasingly finding gaps in Chelsea's rearguard and it was no surprise when they grabbed a breakaway third in injury-time. Maynor Figueroa burst down the left and when Hilario failed to cut out his cross, Scharner had a tap-in.

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NOTW:
WIGAN 3, CHELSEA 1 Petr Cech sees red as Chelsea are stung by Latics By ANDY DUNN, 26/09/2009
THE LONG lenses intruded on only one person's emotions as the clock ticked towards a remarkable scoreline.
Television cameras swivelled as Carlo Ancelotti shrivelled. And shrivelled - sinking further into the inadequate refuge of a dugout as his team fell into a state of disrepair beyond his control.
In front of him, captain John Terry beating Lancashire turf in frustration. Behind him, Ashley Cole being chaired to the treatment table in agony.
Long gone, Petr Cech. And no sooner had he unclasped the hand of Robert Martinez than Ancelotti was being asked to assess the long-term significance of his first Chelsea defeat, being asked to ponder on events not just here - but at the Britannia Stadium and at Anfield.
They were legitimate lines of inquisition. After all, any defeat for one of the ruling quartet can have title-deciding ramifications.
But Ancelotti turned much of his attention to Wigan, raising his eyebrows not only in surprise but in praise.
In defeat here, Ancelotti was as impressive as he has been in the six opening Premier League wins - steadfastly crediting the result to Wigan's endeavour and Chelsea's torpor in equal measure.
He attached no significance to Phil Dowd's harsh decision to punish Cech's penalty-conceding trip with a red card soon after Didier Drogba had cancelled out Titus Bramble's first-half strike.
Good on you, Carlo. Yes, there were controversial moments. Yes, we could dwell on Chelsea's problems, on their obvious sense of over-confidence.
But there is a time when the Big Four obsession has to be conquered. Let's celebrate Wigan.
Raise a glass of something bubbly to an uplifting, exhilarating display rather than a tumbler of something bitter and flat to a lifeless Chelsea performance.
Wigan did not collect their first win against one of the elite in 35 attempts because Chelsea defended like amateurs for Bramble's goal.
Nor because a rush of blood to the skull cap saw Cech upend Hugo Rodallega and tease the red card from Dowd's pocket.
And nor because Chelsea were down to nine men when Paul Scharner slid in an injury-time third.
They ended so many streaks here because they were brave. In the tackle, in the way they attacked down the flanks, in their steely resistance to Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.
Most of all, in their attitude. All of their players had a zest for the contest. In the language of the streets, they were quite simply more up for it.
Rodallega was joyously adventurous, Charles N'Zogbia always inventive.
Scharner and Mohamed Diame relished the battle against the celebrated Chelsea midfield.
Relished it - and won it. Frank Lampard can rarely have endured a more frustrating afternoon.
And then, there were the disciplined bunch at the back. A bunch led by Bramble. Even the allure of an aristocratic visit is not sufficient to fully populate the DW Stadium.
But those inside know how to hold a tune. And their rendition of an old Bramble ditty was pitch-perfect.
"He used to be sh**e, now he's alright . . . walking in a Bramble wonderland."
He has actually never been the former. Just a defender whose mind wanders out of step with his feet. In later years, he will be a hoot on Strictly Come Dancing.
But central defenders should blossom in their late twenties - and Bramble, 28, is flowering. Schoolboy errors stick to his reputation like points to a driving licence.
And the idea Fabio Capello - with fresh concerns over centre-halves sprouting weekly - should at least run a cursory check on his form is not as hilarious as it seems.
For yesterday's goal, though, he had a small debt of gratitude to startling Chelsea ineptitude. Set-piece defending is rapidly becoming a neglected art throughout the Premier League.
It appears to be one of those trends. Designer formations are in, basic principles out. And even Chelsea, one of the more well-drilled, appear to be following suit.
The first crime was to allow N'Zogbia to collect a short corner, to pivot to face goal and to have a cigar-lighting allowance of time to measure his cross.
Measure he did, dropping it between nailed-down defenders for the bounding Bramble to bounce a header beyond Cech.
Terry looked on. Disbelieving. Bewildered at what appeared to be rank bad complacency. That was the architect of Chelsea's downfall. A complacency fertilised by 23 games unbeaten and by six Premier League victories on the spin.
And by Wigan's abysmal record against the Big Four. Chelsea were shaken out of their complacency at half-time but it was to return with dire consequences. For a short while, it seemed that Chris Kirkland would be the keeper who had thrown it all away.
There appears to be some sort of perverse race NOT to be England's last line of defence.
Kirkland made a couple of early saves that suggested he might yet emerge as a frontrunner in this butter-fingered battle for Capello's affections.
But he soon succumbed to the virus of inconsistency that afflicts English goalkeeping, helping a Drogba sidefoot through his own legs after persistent work from Florent Malouda.
And that, one assumed, was that. Cech would now be little more than a spectator.
And so it proved. He watched from the bench.
The debate over the incident will go on for some time. As Rodallega approached after a slick build-up, it was clear that Cech's outstretched leg would act as a mat for the Colombian to wipe his feet on.
He did, took the obligatory tumble and Dowd hesitated barely a jot . . . and even less so in terminating Cech's afternoon.
Cech took rather longer to depart and substitute keeper Hilario made his first job to whisper into Rodallega's ear. Pathetic.
Dowd should have booked him.
Hilario should concentrate on acrobatics rather than verbals - he jumped out of the way of Rodallega's straight one that made it 2-1 from the spot.
Chelsea went gung-ho to try and claw their way back.
In a pursuit of an equaliser that looked certain to bear fruit, sub Salomon Kalou and Drogba both scorched timber.
But Wigan, marshalled by Bramble, did not wilt and an unusual air of desperation began to seep through Chelsea ranks.
That desperation only deepened when Ashley Cole collided with N'Zogbia and disappeared to give Capello and Ancelotti deep cause for concern.
And that desperation was complete when a backline missing Terry - by now centre-forward No 4 - allowed Maynor Figueroa to cross and Scharner to score from formality range.
It was too much for Terry, who was to drop to his knees and pound the floor with his armband-hand.
Meanwhile, Ancelotti, who had been an animated figure for so much of this game, retreated into the shadow of Ray Wilkins.
The game was up and he knew it.
And then he at least had the decency to laud a marvellous performance from Wigan on perhaps one of their finest days in the Premier League.
This was the Latics' day. Not Cech's, not Dowd's. And Ancelotti knew it.
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qpr 1-0

The Times
Joe Cole steals limelight on Chelsea returnChelsea 1 Queens Park Rangers 0
Russell Kempson
It may have represented little more than a duel for local bragging rights but Chelsea, the Barclays Premier League leaders, were forced to take it seriously by a resolute Queens Park Rangers at Stamford Bridge last night. Only after the second-half introductions of Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and John Terry, the England stalwarts, did they earn safe passage into the fourth round.
Until the arrival of Lampard, at half-time, Cole, midway through the second period, and Terry, towards the end, Chelsea had spluttered throughout the West London derby. However, once the big guns had been rolled out and got to work, they were stronger all round and always capable of nullifying a stirring late rally from QPR.
It was an eighth successive win in all competitions for Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, and perhaps the most valuable in many ways. Long-term absentees returned from injury and youngsters were blooded.
Even if Ancelotti could be accused of not taking the competition seriously by fielding a weakened line-up, at least it gave the home fans a possible glimpse of the future. Joe Cole and Paulo Ferreira returned from knee injuries and Yuri Zhirkov, an £18 million summer buy from CSKA Moscow, made a belated debut after suffering from a similar problem.
Ancelotti also offered a chance to youth, a gesture rarely made by his recent predecessors. Sam Hutchinson, a 20-year-old former club academy central defender, made his debut and Fabio Borini, the 18-year-old Italian striker, his first start.
“QPR gave us a tough game,” Ray Wilkins, the Chelsea assistant first-team coach, said. “It was a testimony to how well they played that we had to use all three substitutes. Frank is not a bad player to bring on at half-time and then Ashley and John to shore things up.
“Joe got 90 minutes, Yuri got a bit out of it and the two youngsters as well. It’s good for the young men to push themselves forward. It’s a competition we want to win. If we can blood a few youngsters along the way, all well and good.”
How Flavio Briatore, the QPR co-owner, would have loved the occasion, hobnobbing it with their illustrious capital cousins. In twelfth place in the Coca-Cola Championship, QPR perhaps deserved an evening in the spotlight, albeit against a tad tougher opposition than in previous rounds, when they defeated Exeter City and Accrington Stanley.
In the wake of “Crashgate”, though, Briatore, the disgraced former Formula One mogul, was lying low, believed to be abroad trying to salvage what was left of his reputation. Pity. He would have witnessed a stirring first-half display from QPR, in which they more than matched Chelsea for spirit and endeavour.
“Any questions on Flavio Briatore will not be answered,” a QPR public relations minion said afterwards.
“I’ve never met him,” Jim Magilton, the manager, joked. “I got the job because of how I go about my business and, hopefully, that won’t change. We’ve got to use this as a springboard to go on.”
As expected, Chelsea exhibited the class. Joe Cole, the captain for the night, was everywhere, cutting in from the left flank and orchestrating all their best moves. He has been away a long time and it is nine months to the World Cup finals in South Africa, but his absence does not appear to have dulled his ambition or sense of adventure.
“This is just a stepping stone for me,” Cole said. “I have just got to keep working hard in training and get back to the best of my ability. I was delighted how it went. I didn’t feel off the pace, I was among the action. I’m just happy to be playing again.”
Chelsea lacked penetration in the final third of the pitch but were transformed after Lampard entered the fray and took the lead in the 52nd minute. Salomon Kalou cut in from the right, took sight of goal and beat Tom Heaton with a low shot that cannoned in off the far post.
Back came QPR and how, launching themselves forward in wave after wave. Jay Simpson shot across the face of Hilário’s goal with Wayne Routledge only inches from making contact at the far post. Akos Buzsaky then forced the Chelsea goalkeeper into a sprawling save.
Only when Ancelotti recognised the signs and brought on his other England stars did the QPR threat recede.
Chelsea (4-1-3-2): Hilário — P Ferreira, S Hutchinson (sub: J Terry, 77min), B Ivanovic, Y Zhirkov (sub: A Cole, 68) — J O Mikel — J Belletti, F Malouda (sub: F Lampard, 46), J Cole — S Kalou, F Borini. Substitutes not used: R Turnbull, M Essien, N Matic, J Bruma.
Queens Park Rangers (4-4-2): T Heaton — M Leigertwood, D Stewart, K Gorkss, G Borrowdale — W Routledge, M Rowlands (sub: H Ephraim, 73), A Faurlin, A Buzsaky — R Vine (sub: A Taarabt, 66), J Simpson (sub: A Pellicori, 73). Substitutes not used: R Cerny, P Ramage, G Mahon, P Agyemang.
Referee: M Jones.

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Telegraph:
Chelsea 1 Queens Park Rangers 0
By Jason Burt at Stamford Bridge
A Carling Cup tie in mid-September would hardly appear worthy of the billing - not for a seasoned international, a Champions League veteran and a Premier League winner - but Joe Cole described his return to the Chelsea first-team as “one of the biggest games of my career”.
Given the 27-year-old has been absent, through a cruciate knee injury, since January, and much has changed at Chelsea since then, including two managers, then the sentiment was understandable.
“It’s beautiful to be back playing football again,” Cole, captain for the evening and the architect of Chelsea’s winning goal, added.
“Chelsea are my club. It's the first time I’ve been captain. That was a nice touch. To captain Chelsea is just unbelievable. I was a ballboy here…It was an emotional night for me.”
And, hopefully for Chelsea, and England, in a season that culminates with the World Cup Finals, a significant one also.
The home supporters sang about celery, Cole had talked about playing in the “sausage roll” but Rangers were, ultimately, unable to provide much food for thought for Carlo Ancelotti - a gourmet himself - or his side.
It’s eight wins from eight for the Italian and 23 matches unbeaten - equalling the club record set by Jose Mourinho in early 2007 - for Chelsea.
The “sausage roll” is Cockney-rhyming slang, of course, for “in the hole” (ie behind the strikers) or, alternatively, the tip of the diamond.
Although Cole, who craves the position was far from polished Ancelotti will have noted that it was from his clever through ball that Chelsea struck although the midfielder was denied adding the second late on after exchanging passes with Salomon Kalou only for Tom Heaton to beat out his rising shot.
Kalou had scored early in the second-half, running on from the left wing to meet Cole’s threaded ball through, after the latter’s nimble turn in the centre circle, and curl his shot around the goalkeeper.
The sight - by the end - of John Terry, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard all on the field would suggest that Chelsea made heavy weather of this tie. Although hardly fluent, they didn’t.
The arrival of the substitutes came for various reasons with Lampard upping the tempo as a half-time replacement, Cole replacing the tiring £18 million debutant Yuri Zhirkov, also returning from injury, and Terry, well, it looked like he fancied a run out.
“It was testimony to QPR that we had to use Frank, Ashley and John to shore things up,” said Chelsea assistant manager Ray Wilkins.
Understandably Rangers manager Jim Magilton readily agreed. “That was as a mark of respect for us,” he suggested.
However that wasn’t quite true. Few other leading clubs would have put on their main central defender in such circumstances but even though this is a competition which is firmly last in the list of Chelsea’s priorities, such is the strength of player opinion that it’s difficult for any coach to stop the likes of Terry from appearing.
“When we set our season out we want to win everything we enter,” Wilkins explained.
All in all, Ancelotti made 10 changes from Sunday’s victory over Tottenham Hotspur but also made a mockery of suggestions that he would, in the light of the Fifa transfer ban, surrender this competition even if, finally, here was a Chelsea manager prepared to field an apparently weakened team. But not one packed with youngsters.
There were full debuts for Fabio Borini - the technically-gifted 18-year-old Italian striker who has caught Ancelotti’s eye but who looked a little lightweight at times - and Sam Hutchinson, 20, but others, such as Jeffrey Brouma and Nemanja Matic remained on the bench while Paulo Ferreira, another cruciate victim, also made his comeback.
“If you see the size of the squad that we have it’s vitally important that they get some air-time as well,” Wilkins said in explaining why more academy players were not given a chance.
Even so it left Chelsea a little disjointed and chances were, predictably, at a premium. Rangers played two strikers but also deployed a defensive shield. Two banks of four to be breached.
With 6,000 supporters also in attendance - although disgraced co-owner Flavio Briatore stayed away - there was plenty of backing for the Championship club, buoyed by recent results.
Borini flashed a header wide, from Zhirkov’s cross, but it was a rare moment of threat while Rangers clung to hopes of hurting Chelsea on the counter-attack.
The contest rumbled on until Joe Cole swept Ferriera’s cross past a post and Juliano Belletti stung Heaton’s hands with a fierce free-kick from distance. Then Lampard replaced Florent Malouda and suddenly there was impetus and, finally, there was a goal.
Rangers responded by pouring forward. Corners and free-kicks were won but they, now, were vulnerable to the counter and from one break Lampard cleverly picked out Borini and he scampered into the penalty area to draw a save from Heaton with the ball then falling behind the unmarked Belletti.
Akos Buzsaky, with a shot that bounced just before the goalkeeper, finally forced a meaningful save from Henrique Hilario and although Rangers ended the match in Chelsea’s half they couldn’t really threaten. Instead it was to be Cole’s night.
Match details:
Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2): Hilario; Ferreira, Hutchinson (Terry 77), Ivanovic, Zhirkov (A Cole 69); Mikel; Belletti, Malouda (Lampard 46); J Cole; Borini, Kalou.Subs: Turnbull (gk), Essien, Matic, Bruma.Goal: Kalou 52.
Queens Park Rangers (4-4-2): Heaton; Leigertwood, Stewart, Gorkss, Borrowdale; Routledge, Rowlands (Ephraim 73), Faurlin, Buzsaky; Simpson (Pellicori 73), Vine (Taarabt 66).Subs: Cerny (gk), Ramage, Mahon, Agyemang.Referee: M Jones (Cheshire).

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Independent:
Cole shines in the hole for Chelsea
Chelsea 1 Queen's Park Rangers 0
By Sam Wallace
Eight months had passed since Joe Cole last played for Chelsea, but on his comeback last night he learnt that some things never change. Even in the Carling Cup, Carlo Ancelotti had to rely on the big guns to see Chelsea through.
The Italian might have thought that he could pick any XI from his mighty 29-man squad to dispose of their west London neighbours from the Championship but he was wrong. The fringe players were not good enough and by the end of the game Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and John Terry were all on the pitch to steer Chelsea through to the fourth round of the competition.
Joe Cole could at least reflect on a sweet through ball to Salomon Kalou for the winning goal. It was a vintage Cole pass, of a quality that Chelsea showed too rarely. But it was not until Lampard came on at half-time that Chelsea found the fluency to win the match.
Cole, who ruptured cruciate ligaments against Southend in the FA Cup in January, was captain for the night. "I'm just delighted to be back here," he said. "Everyone at the club has been blinding. I want to be part of a successful season. It was an emotional night for me. I can't thank the fans enough.
"There was a little lump in my throat just warming up against Porto the other night," Cole added. "You think people have forgotten you so to come out there and hear them singing my name, it's just brilliant. Chelsea are my club. It's the first time I've been captain. That was a nice touch. To captain Chelsea is just unbelievable. I was a ballboy here. I know it was the Carling Cup, but tonight was one of the biggest games of my career.
"I know it's a stepping stone for me, it's not 'Joe's back' and I'm going to be how I've been immediately. I don't want people to think that. You have to get the knee used to all the movement and all the twisting and turning which is a big part of my game. If I am back to my best on Saturday, or next week or next month we will have to see."
Unlike Arsène Wenger at Arsenal, Ancelotti does not have a team of brilliant academy players to play in the Carling Cup, although given the money his sporting director Frank Arnesen has spent, he really should. Instead, Chelsea have an enormous first-team squad who have to play at some point. For the likes of Paulo Ferreira and Juliano Belletti this is about as good as it gets.
"Look at the size of our squad," said Ancelotti's assistant, Ray Wilkins, "we have a lot of guys who don't play week in, week out. They need to play and beyond that it is up to the young men to push themselves forward."
Of the estimated £62m that Arnesen has, in his wisdom, spent on teenage players for Chelsea's academy, the only one on show last night was Fabio Borini, a promising 19-year-old signed from Bologna. Sam Hutchinson, 20, who started at centre-back, comes from Slough and does not count as an Arnesen prodigy. For the youngsters in the Chelsea academy it must feel like a long way to the first team.
Jim Magilton's side were magnificently defiant in the face of such an expensively acquired second string, with £18m Yuri Zhirkov at left-back. But the Rangers manager admitted that his side did not create enough goalscoring chances. "We did not have the belief in the final third to take a risk and win the game," he said.
Joe Cole picked out Kalou on the left wing who cut in on his right foot to beat the goalkeeper Tom Heaton in the 52nd minute. Cole might have scored himself on 85 minutes but Heaton did well to save. Chelsea clearly want to win this trophy again, but it may have to be their first team which does it.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Hilario; Ferreira, Hutchinson (Terry, 77), Ivanovic, Zhirkov (A Cole, 69); Mikel; Belletti, Kalou, J Cole, Malouda (Lampard, h-t); Borini. Substitutes not used: Turnbull (gk), Essien, Matic, Bruma.
Queen's Park Rangers (4-4-2): Heaton; Leigertwood, Stewart, Gorkss, Borrowdale; Routledge, Rowlands (Ephraim, 73), Faurlin, Buzsaky; Simpson (Pellicori, 73), Vine (Taarabt, 63). Substitutes not used: Cerny (gk), Ramage, Mahon, Agyemang.
Referee: M Jones (Cheshire).

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Guardian:
Salomon Kalou's strike put the gloss on Joe Cole's dream return for Chelsea
Carling Cup Third Round Chelsea 1 Kalou 52 QPR 0
David Hytner at Stamford Bridge

Joe Cole had dreamed of this moment for eight long months. From time to time, during the arduous rehabilitation from his cruciate knee ligament injury, the Chelsea midfielder closed his eyes and heard the roar of the Stamford Bridge crowd and imagined the thrill of a return to first-team football. When the long overdue feelings came back, he could also celebrate his part in what proved to be the winning goal.
Cole's close control and pass early in the second half caught out the Rangers back line and urged Salomon Kalou to gallop forward on goal. There was still plenty of work to be done but the Ivorian's composure and finish matched the slick build-up. For Cole, who was pressed through the whole 90 minutes, and his team, this was an eighth consecutive victory of the season. Carlo Ancelotti, the coach, knows only the grinding satisfaction of result after result.
The Rangers co-owner Flavio Briatore, meanwhile, has already supervised one car crash and he could be pleased that there was not another here. The manager, Jim Magilton, declared himself "immensely proud", but, despite their endeavour, Rangers lacked the finesse to fashion anything of note in front of goal. The moment that most dramatically quickened the pulses of their supporters was Akos Buzsaky's 25-yard shot that reared up and forced Henrique Hilário to paw behind for a corner. Otherwise, Chelsea were comfortable.
"It was an emotional night for me," said Cole, who was named as captain. "There was a lump in my throat just warming up against Porto last week. You think people have forgotten you, so to come out and hear them singing my name was just brilliant.
"Chelsea are my club, I was a ballboy here and to captain Chelsea for the first time was unbelievable. I know it was the Carling Cup, but tonight was one of the biggest games of my career."
The major pre-match talking point concerned the identity of the Chelsea starting line-up. Although Ancelotti retained just Florent Malouda from that which beat Tottenham Hotspur here on Sunday, he began with only two players from the club's academy – the central defender Sam Hutchinson and the striker Fabio Borini. For both, it represented their full debut. Jeffrey Bruma, another academy centre-half, was an unused substitute.
Much has been made of the lack of first-team progress of the club's youth players, who, until recently, were under the charge of the sporting director, Frank Arnesen. Yet, in some respects, the sight of two of them in the team was encouraging. Ancelotti may have discovered that it is no easy task telling John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole et al that they must start on the bench. Chelsea's leading stars always insist on playing.
It was also understood that Gaël Kakuta, the academy winger at the centre of Chelsea's 12-month transfer window ban, could have been selected because the club had still not received Fifa's full written explanation of its ruling by kick-off. Kakuta's four-month suspension is only to begin when the paperwork arrives. Chelsea expect to receive it by 5pm tomorrow.
Rangers, mid-table in the Championship, were up for the fight. So were their supporters, who filled the Shed End. As a light rain fell, there was a real cup-tie derby under the floodlights. Their discipline was laudable but Magilton remarked that they "lacked belief in the final third or someone to take a risk to win the game".
Chelsea, who gave a debut to the £18m summer signing Yuri Zhirkov, went close through Borini, Joe Cole and Juliano Belletti in the first half. They needed a spark in the second half and Lampard's introduction helped to provide it. Yet it was Cole who prised Rangers apart. He released Kalou through the inside-left channel and, with the Rangers back-pedalling, he cut inside Mikele Leigertwood to drill home low and right-footed.
After Borini had shot unconvincingly at Tom Heaton, from Lampard's through ball, and Hilario saved from Buzsaky, Cole almost set the seal on his evening. Having swapped passes with Kalou, he tiptoed into the area but shot straight at Heaton. "I should have scored," he said. "But I'm back and it's just blinding."

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Mail:
Chelsea 1 QPR 0:
Cole returns but Lampard has the answers for Ancelotti
By Simon Cass

Carlo Ancelotti took just over 45 minutes to realise what five of his predecessors would testify to: when in need, call for Frank Lampard.
A returning Joe Cole, captain for the evening, may have provided the pass for Salomon Kalou to score, but it was the introduction of Lampard that finally shook Ancelotti's re-jigged Carling Cup XI into life.
By the final whistle, Ashley Cole and John Terry had also been introduced as, for much of the game, QPR matched their neighbours.
Indeed, if Ancelotti needed any convincing that riding out the FIFA transfer ban may not be as easy as anticipated, then the workout his understudies were handed by Jim Magilton's side was evidence enough.
It was a night for understudies, as assistant-manager, Ray Wilkins, fielded the questions on behalf of the Italian.
'QPR acquitted themselves very well and gave us a tough evening,' said Wilkins. 'It's not a bad substitution putting Frank on. It was a testament to how well QPR played that we had to use Frank, Ashley Cole and John Terry to shore things up.'
Magilton added: 'That was a mark of respect to us. I was hoping they'd remain on the bench. I was immensely proud of the team.'
Chelsea's supporters might not feel the same way, despite the win, and, perhaps, they would have preferred to see more academy products than just Sam Hutchinson and Fabio Borini.
Hardly the Arsenal approach. And Chelsea fans could be forgiven for wondering just whether Frank Arnesen's worldwide scout for talent is actually worth it, such were the familiar names on the bench.
But at least this Carling Cup fixture allowed Joe Cole and Yuri Zhirkov to get up and running. Like Cole, Zhirkov has been dogged by a knee problem but, playing at left back, the Russia international was soon marauding forward.
Chelsea took just two minutes to register their first effort on QPR's goal, but Florent Malouda's strike from Kalou's pass was well held by Tom Heaton. Then Borini headed narrowly wide.
After some initial ring rustiness, Joe Cole, too, began to get into his stride, playing behind the strikers.
As for a nigh-on full-strength QPR, the amount of possession they enjoyed resulted in little action for Henrique Hilario in the Chelsea goal. But neither was Heaton having the busiest of nights. Malouda fired into the side netting and Cole lashed a Paulo Ferreira cross wide, the full back also on his first outing of the season after knee trouble.
QPR midfielder Alejandro Faurlin then failed to trouble Hilario from distance while at the other end, Juliano Belletti sent an effort wide. The former Barcelona star was much more accurate with 30-yard free-kick on the stroke of half-time, stinging Heaton's palms.
Tired of QPR's dogged resistance, Ancelotti brought on Lampard to try to unpick the opposition. But just three minutes after the restart it was Chelsea who came close to being undone as Wayne Routledge find himself one-on-one with Hilario only for the Portuguese keeper to boot the ball clear well outside his area.
Kalou then finally calmed Chelsea nerves with 52 minutes played. Joe Cole's ball out to the Ivory Coast striker was not the best, but neat footwork saw him cut in from the left-wing, jink past Mikele Leigertwood before sending a right-foot strike in off the bottom of the post.
Moments later. Lampard's 40-yard through-ball sent Borini scampering away but, having taken the ball too wide of Heaton's goal, he could not beat the QPR keeper from a tight angle.
To their credit QPR rallied and Akos Buzasky had Chelsea hearts in mouth as his angled drive bounced awkwardly in front of Hilario leaving him to save at full stretch.
With Chelsea's advantage slender, soon Ashley Cole and Terry were called upon to ensure progression to the fourth round.
Joe Cole, clearly out on his feet, came close to rubber-stamping matters for with five minutes to go, his shot striking the shoulder of Heaton after a one-two with Kalou.
Given Chelsea's transfer predicament, the return of the England midfielder could not be more timely.
Cole was certainly delighted to be back. He said: 'It's been a long wait. Tonight is just a stepping stone. It's beautiful to be back out there playing football again. It's what I love doing but there's plenty of hard work ahead.'
CHELSEA (4-1-2-1-2): Hilario; Ferreira, Hutchinson (Terry 77min), Ivanovic, Zhirkov (A Cole 69); Obi; Malouda (Lampard 46), Belletti; J Cole; Kalou, Borini.
QPR (4-4-2): Heaton; Stewart, Gorkss, Borrowdale, Leigertwood; Routledge, Faurlin, Rowlands (Ephraim 73), Buzasky; Vine (Taarabt 66), Simpson (Pellicori 73).
Man of the Match: Frank Lampard.
Referee: Mike Jones.

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Sun:
Chelsea 1 QPR 0
MARK IRWIN at Stamford Bridge
JOE COLE made an emotional return to lead edgy Chelsea into the fourth round.
The England ace proudly wore the captain's armband for his first match back after eight months out with a cruciate ligament injury.
And Cole set up Salomon Kalou's 52nd-minute winner as he ran himself into the ground on pure adrenalin.
Kalou's goal was just enough to maintain Chelsea's perfect start to the season under new manager Carlo Ancelotti.
But this was far from easy for a team who have become accustomed to winning at a stroll of late.
Ancelotti made 10 changes to the side who hammered Spurs 3-0 at the weekend.
But he still had eight internationals in the starting line-up. They also had probably the highest-paid substitutes' bench in the history of football, just in case things did not go to plan.
That plan was to allow Cole, Yuri Zhirkov and Paulo Ferreira to pick up some much-needed match sharpness in their returns from injury.
And for youngsters Fabio Borini and Sam Hutchinson to accumulate experience in their first starts for the club. But QPR clearly had not read Ancelotti's script as they boldly took the game to their billionaire neighbours.
If only they had shown the composure to match their courage, they might just have taken advantage of Chelsea's defensive uncertainty.
Jay Simpson lashed a good opportunity over early on and keeper Hilario twice had to race from his area to avert potential embarrassment.
Chelsea had twice lost at home to Championship sides in this competition in recent years.
But Rangers' hopes of emulating the heroics of Charlton and Burnley were finally dashed by Kalou.
Cole's reverse pass found the Ivory Coast striker, who cut inside Mikele Leigertwood to shoot in off the far post.
Yet Ancelotti was still taking no chances and sent on superstar subs Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and John Terry to see the game out.
Borini, 18, had the chance to put the tie to bed but his impressive turn of speed was thwarted by Rangers keeper Tom Heaton.
And Joe Cole was denied a comeback goal in the 85th minute when his powerful shot cannoned off Heaton's body.
But Cole can wait.
For now he will settle for 90 minutes under his belt.

tottenham hotspur 3-0

The Times
Chelsea stay top after crushing Spurs in London derbyMatt Hughes at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea led from gun to tape on the two occasions they won the Barclays Premier League under José Mourinho, so the sight of Carlo Ancelotti’s side moving ahead by a length should worry the rest of the field.
It is too early for talk of a two-horse title race, but Chelsea appear the best-placed to give Manchester United a run for their money after moving three points clear with a sixth successive victory.
Roman Abramovich, the owner, has seen three further managers depart since Mourinho briefly threatened to bring about a power shift from the North West to West London, making it somewhat ironic that Chelsea have achieved their best start to a season since the reign of the “Special One” by going back to basics.
The managers may change with the seasons at Stamford Bridge, but the awe-inspiring power, professionalism and commitment of their players remains the same.
In fairness to Ancelotti, his rapidly developing side are more than just a Mourinho tribute act, because the Italian appears to have fused the trademark discipline and dynamism of the Portuguese with the flair that briefly flowered under Luiz Felipe Scolari last season. After years spent failing Abramovich’s purist versus pragmatist test, Chelsea’s class of 2009-10 are showing signs of offering the best of both worlds.
Didier Drogba remains as menacing as ever, as he demonstrated by creating goals for Ashley Cole and Michael Ballack before scoring the third, and the midfield diamond contains an impressive blend of adventure and security. But the attacking threat of the full backs is the real revelation.
The best example was provided by Cole, who ghosted in behind Vedran Corluka in the 33rd minute to meet Drogba’s cross with a diving header to open the scoring and help to set a club record of 11 successive Premier League wins.
“This is the best squad, best team and best spirit since I’ve been here,” Cole said. “They won the title before I came here so we’re maybe not as good as that, but we’re getting there. We’re all together, we always fight for each other on and off the pitch.”
The scoreline suggests that Chelsea went on to win at a canter, but the truth is rather more complex. After competing as equals during a first half in which Jermain Defoe, Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas missed good opportunities to give them the lead, Tottenham imploded in the space of ten second-half minutes. Ledley King hobbled off with a hamstring injury, Robbie Keane was denied a clear-cut penalty and Ballack scored Chelsea’s second goal after Carlo Cudicini had saved a volley from Drogba.
Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, was understandably annoyed at Howard Webb’s failure to spot Ricardo Carvalho’s 55th-minute trip on Keane as the Ireland striker reached the byline, but viewed the loss of King eight minutes earlier as more crucial. The visiting team suffered a further blow when Sébastien Bassong was knocked unconscious and carried off with a suspected broken cheekbone minutes from the end, leaving Redknapp without his four first-choice centre backs.
“In the first half-hour I was delighted and thought we could win it,” Redknapp said. “If Robbie went down with the first contact, it’s a penalty, but he was too honest. With all the talk there’s been about diving, he tried to stay on his feet.
“It was a nailed-on penalty, but Ledley going off was the big turning point. Once we lost Ledley there was no way we could deal with Drogba. [Ledley is] the most fantastic player, but if you don’t train, you can’t just go out and play without doing damage to hamstrings, groins or calves. Bassong doesn’t look too good, either. He got a bang on the head and his eye’s all swollen up.”
Drogba was also in need of a stretcher with five minutes remaining, but Ancelotti’s worst fears soon receded as the Ivory Coast striker was revealed to have cramp, meaning that he is likely to be available for Saturday’s visit to Wigan Athletic.
Ancelotti was as deadpan as ever, refusing to heap praise on his players or express an opinion on United’s thrilling victory in their derby. “I’m interested that Chelsea play well and win,” he said. “Other things are not important for us.”
The manager’s refusal to get carried away reflects his realisation that Chelsea are exactly where they should be after six matches against modest opposition. The real tests are to come, starting with Liverpool’s visit a week on Sunday.
Chelsea (4-1-3-2): P Cech 6 J Bosingwa 7 R Carvalho 5 J Terry 6 A Cole 7 M Essien 5 M Ballack 6 F Lampard 6 F Malouda 6 N Anelka 6 D Drogba 7 Substitutes: J O Mikel 6 (for Ballack, 62min), S Kalou (for Drogba, 85), F Borini (for Anelka, 89). Not used: Hilário, B Ivanovic, J Belletti, S Hutchison. Next: Wigan Athletic (a).
Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3): C Cudicini 5 V Corluka 4 L King 6 S Bassong 6 B Assou-Ekotto 6 J Jenas 6 W Palacios 6 T Huddlestone 6 A Lennon 6 J Defoe 5 R Keane 5. Substitutes: A Hutton 5 (for King, 47min), P Crouch 5 (for Defoe, 67), N Kranjcar (for Bassong, 82). Not used: H Gomes, D Bentley, K Naughton, G Dos Santos. Next: Burnley (h).
Referee: H Webb. Attendance: 41,623.

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Telegraph:
Chelsea 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0 By John Ley
Chelsea returned to the top of the Premier League today by beating Tottenham Hotspur and, in so doing, claimed a club record 11th straight victory, at Stamford Bridge.
Earlier in the day Manchester United had moved into first spot with a dramatic 4-3 win over rivals Manchester City. But after Ashley Cole had given Chelsea an early advantage, second half goals from Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba confirmed the victory.
Spurs were left to rue wasted first half opportunities, with Petr Cech saving from Jermain Defoe and Tom Huddlestone while the recalled Jermaine Jenas also went close.
Chelsea’s Jose Bosingwa struck the angle of right post and cross bar, from 20 yards, Frank Lampard headed wide and Nicolas Anelka found the side netting. And the home side were unfortunate not to win a penalty when Spurs defender Vedran Corluka shoved Ballack.
But, seconds later, Drogba crossed from the right and Cole, slipping inside Corluka, stooped to head the 32nd minute opener.
Before the interval Lampard struck a low free kick narrowly wide and, soon after the restart the England midfielder was allowed to offer another chance when Ledley King pulled up unchallenged.
The Spurs defender appeared to feel his knee and, with only three minutes of the half played, was replaced by Alan Hutton.
In the 55th minute, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp was furious when referee Howard Webb refused to award a penalty when Robbie Keane fell under the weight of a challenge from Ricardo Carvalho.
And Spurs’ woe increased three minutes later when sloppy defending handed Chelsea a second goal. Nicolas Anelka crossed from the right, Drogba’s volley was only parried by former Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, and Lampard was allowed to pull the ball back from the byline, allowing Ballack to bundle it over the line under pressure from Sébastien Bassong.
Corluka was at fault for the third goal, in the 63rd minute. Cole’s long ball sent Drogba chasing and the striker robbed the Croat before stepping around Cudicini to finish in style for his 99th goal for Chelsea.
And then Benoît Assou-Ekotto was lucky not to concede a penalty when he clearly handled Lampard’s latest free kick.
Before the end, Spurs lost another central defender when Bassong fell heavily on his shoulder in a challenge with Anelka and, during lengthy treatment, required oxygen to ease the pain and a neck-brace to support the injury before he was stretchered off.
And then Drogba damaged his right calf with an attempted shot and he, too, had to be carried off, meaning that an extra eight minutes had to be played before Spurs were put out of their misery.
Peter Crouch thought he had scored for Spurs, in the sixth minute of added time – but it was ruled out for offside.

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Guardian:
Chelsea's Didier Drogba completes a miserable day for SpursBuzz up!
Chelsea 3 Cole, A 32, Ballack 58, Drogba 63 Tottenham Hotspur 0
Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge
The fire and brimstone may have been reserved for a venue 200 miles further north, but the Premier League leadership remains in west London. Chelsea's serene progress under Carlo Ancelotti was maintained with a sixth consecutive victory that restored their three-point advantage at the top while most were still digesting events at Old Trafford. The Italian's perfect start almost feels as if it has slipped in under the radar.
The run of wins needs to be put into context. This was actually a club record 11th win in succession – another José Mourinho record has been eclipsed – yet it was Chelsea's sternest test this season. A combination of Tottenham Hotspur's profligacy and an oversight by the referee, Howard Webb, contributed to the hosts extending their sequence. Spurs left crying injustice, after Robbie Keane's penalty appeals were rejected when the visitors were only one goal behind.
In truth, the tide had turned by then. It was the ping of Ledley King's hamstring three minutes into the second half that truly signalled that this game would be beyond Tottenham. By the end they had been buried as Didier Drogba, liberated from his marker's shackles, bulldozed them into submission. The Ivorian still tumbles to the ground too easily, but he is simply devastating when he builds up a head of steam and stays on his feet. Spurs, wounded at the heart of their defence, parted for him as the game slipped away. The cramp that curtailed the striker's afternoon was a blessing, though Tottenham had long since been bloodied and bruised.
Ancelotti said in the aftermath that his team could win key contests without their talismanic forward, pointing to the narrow success over Porto in midweek as evidence, though his anxiety as he awaits news on the forward's calftomorrow will betray the reality. The goal Drogba scored just after the hour, latching on to Ashley Cole's punt to out-pace and out-muscle Vedran Corluka and poke the ball around Carlo Cudicini before slamming it into the empty net, was his fifth of the league season. Yet his game cannot be measured purely in weight of goals.
Too many opponents shrink in his mere presence. King was not one of them – the strength the centre-half showed in holding off the forward towards the end of the first half brought a smile of admiration from Drogba – but Spurs' best defender could not suppress him on his own. The forward merely ventured wider on the field, to find the space and time to whip in the cross that Cole, sprinting, unnoticed, beyond the hapless Corluka at the far post, converted.
Once King had retreated, Tottenham only wilted. The substitute Alan Hutton seemed frozen in blind panic as Drogba cushioned Nicolas Anelka's cross on his chest and drew a save from Cudicini. Frank Lampard reacted from the rebound, dragging the ball back for Michael Ballack to bundle it into the unguarded net.

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Independent:
Drogba unleashed to halt Spurs' progress
Chelsea 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0
By Glenn Moore

This derby may have lacked the drama of Manchester's but it was notably more conclusive. "Tottenham are back" rang around Stamford Bridge at the end but the chant was gloatingly ironic. This has been a sobering nine days for Spurs, their opening burst of four victories followed by successive defeats to "Big Four" clubs with three goals conceded in each. And, with Ledley King and Sébastien Bassong departing with injuries yesterday, making a quartet of lame centre-halves at the club, their defensive insecurities will continue.
For Chelsea, however, it was confirmation that Carlo Ancelotti's low-key arrival could have high-profile results. The Premier League leaders took a while to come to terms with Spurs' formation, and were fortunate to survive a strong penalty appeal at 1-0, but their class and strength won through.
Didier Drogba epitomized both elements and none of the Spurs defenders came to terms with him. His Champions League ban has had the unintended benefit for Chelsea of rendering Drogba fresh for the domestic programme and he set about Spurs' defence with gusto, making the first two goals and scoring the third. However, he then limped off after a mis-hit shot. Ancelotti said it was a calf problem which he hoped was "just cramp". Fortunately Chelsea's next major test is not until Liverpool visit on 4 October.
"We are very happy because we won a difficult, important game," added Ancelotti, who has surpervised the last six of this club record 11-match winning run.
For Redknapp the game swung on two incidents early in the second half, King's exit and Robbie Keane's denied spot-kick. "Ledley's going was a big turning point for us," the Spurs manager said. "Once we lost him there was no way we could deal with Drogba. He's too strong, too powerful." As for the penalty Redknapp, whose ire was aggravated by the memory of Howard Webb wrongly giving a match-changing penalty against Spurs at Old Trafford last spring, said: "If Robbie goes down at first contact it's nailed on, but he tried to keep his feet. He's too honest really. If [the referee] felt he dived, why not give him a yellow card?"
Redknapp's disappointment at the result was compounded by the hope engendered by his side's bright start. He went with a tight midfield three, to counter Chelsea's diamond midfield, with an equally narrow attack which featured Aaron Lennon and Keane buzzing around behind Jermain Defoe. "We caused them problems with our movement and were much the better team for the first half-hour," said Redknapp. However, packing central midfield left a lot of space on the flanks which Jose Bosingwa, who crashed a shot against the bar in the seventh minute, and Ashley Cole utilised.
Chelsea's front men also went wide at every opportunity and the tactic brought reward in the 32nd minute. The home side worked an overload on the right and Drogba delivered an excellent, deep cross which Cole, sneaking in on Vedran Corluka's blind side, headed in at the far post.
It was a grievous blow to a Tottenham side which should have been ahead. Wilson Palacios split the Chelsea defence after 11 minutes to send Defoe clear but the in-form striker's shot hit the outstretched leg of Petr Cech. The keeper then scrambled away a deflected Palacios drive before watching Jermaine Jenas whistle a shot wide. At this point Michael Essien looked lost but he, and Chelsea, adjusted to Spurs' shape and Cole's goal was not a surprise.
Nevertheless, the match seemed in the balance at the break. Then King, soon after the resumption, turned with Drogba to chase a through ball but crumpled to the ground. As he limped off Redknapp, he revealed later, turned to his assistant Kevin Bond and said, "We're in trouble now." He was right, but not before Spurs had one last glimmer of hope. Keane wriggled in to the area before appearing to be tripped by Ricardo Carvalho. Webb, who was close but poorly sighted, waved play on. Keane, furious, demanded to be booked for diving. It was an example of where one of Michel Platini's additional assistant referees might have seen the offence, but only if he was on that side of the goal, and even then it was not clear-cut.
Soon after Nicolas Anelka ran off Palacios to collect a ball down the line and crossed. Drogba held off Hutton and though Carlo Cudicini parried, Frank Lampard, reacting quicker than Corluka or Bassong, squared for Michael Ballack to score. Then Drogba muscled Corluka aside for the third and it could have become a rout.
Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2): Cech; Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Essien; Ballack (Mikel, 61), Malouda; Lampard; Anelka (Borini, 88), Drogba (Kalou, 83). Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Ivanovic, Belletti, Hutchinson.
Tottenham (4-3-2-1): Cudicini; Corluka, King (Hutton, 48), Bassong (Kranjcar, 79), Assou-Ekotto; Jenas, Huddlestone, Palacios; Lennon, Defoe (Crouch, 67); Keane.
Substitutes not used: Gomes (gk), Bentley, Naughton, Giovani.
Referee H Webb (S Yorkshire).
Booked: Tottenham Bassong, Jenas.
Man of the match: Drogba
Attendance: 41,623

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Mail:
Chelsea 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0:Blues make class tell as suffering Spurs left behind at Stamford Bridge
By Ivan Speck
Nine days ago, Chelsea and Tottenham stood proudly arm-in-arm in perfection atop the Barclays Premier League.
By late afternoon yesterday, as the sun set on Stamford Bridge and John Terry cavorted playfully on the pitch with his young twins Georgie and Summer - in Chelsea kits both with their names proudly emblazoned on the back, a world of ambition separated the clubs.
Chelsea, fortified by Terry's steel, energised by Frank Lampard's persistence and electrified by the effervescent Didier Drogba, know that summit meetings with Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal during the two coming months will define the significance of their unbeaten start.
Tottenham, on the other hand, must now fight to convince their supporters that the dazzling form of August was not another cruel mirage.
What is more, they must almost certainly do so without any of the four recognised central defenders on their books after losing both Ledley King and Sebastien Bassong to injury during a second half that became a slide into oblivion as a tiny gap between the sides became a yawning chasm.Clearly, the secrets they have learned at White Hart Lane of how to beat Chelsea in recent seasons do not apply at Stamford Bridge, and on this evidence their miserable record of not having won there since 1990 will continue for some time.
The paradox that this match presented was that for half an hour Spurs offered the more potent threat.
Harry Redknapp sprang a surprise by releasing Aaron Lennon into a roving role behind Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe, and Chelsea's defenders didn't quite know whether to follow the England winger from flank to flank or to try to manage more the gaps he was creating.A case in point arrived after 15 minutes. Lennon drifted over to the left, picking up the ball in space. As he threatened an angled run, Ricardo Carvalho stood off him, so Lennon simply stroked the ball easily into the path of Jermaine Jenas, whose scorching drive flew inches wide.
The trouble was that, while Tottenham's peaks were spiky, they were also isolated. Too often the front trio were despatched upfield with little support.
Chelsea, by contrast, moved as a unit, one whose powerful insistence could eventually no longer be contained.
If the opening 32 minutes brought only a rasping 20-yard Jose Bosingwa shot which struck the junction of post and bar and rebounded to safety, their next attack was clinical.
Drogba curled a diagonal low cross in at pace from the right. Vedran Corluka, who endured a torrid afternoon, lost his bearings at the far post and Ashley Cole suddenly darted in front of the Croat, stooped and conquered with a diving header little more than eight inches above the turf.
True, it required the majestic Michael Essien to perform a surgically precise tackle at high speed to prise the ball out from under Lennon's feet as the free spirit attacked the Chelsea rearguard at full speed six minutes before halftime.
And, the home support also held its collective breath nine minutes after the interval when Keane stumbled under a Carvalho challenge in the area, but Chelsea, you felt, had been released.It was unclear how much contact was made by Carvalho on Keane - there was some - but within three minutes the game was over.
Nicolas Anelka's deep cross was cushioned with impish precision on the chest of Drogba, whose shot on the swivel caused Carlo Cudicini to push away for a corner.
Except that, sensing the opportunity, Lampard wrapped his foot around the ball before it went out and squared it back across an empty goalmouth for the incoming Michael Ballack to steer home.
Defeat turned to embarrassment in the 63rd minute. A ball over the top found the galloping Drogba outpacing the wooden Corluka once more.
Drogba cut across his man and as the two converged and were met by the onrushing Cudicini, the ball popped out to the side, allowing Drogba to scoot around the keeper and side-foot the ball gleefully over the line.
The only question that remained was the margin of Chelsea's win. A Jon Mikel Obi volley squirmed under Cudicini, who somehow managed to shovel it out for a corner.
By the time Mikel's fellow substitute, Salomon Kalou, burst into the box in the 88th minute and struck a Tottenham post, the ball cannoning back against the hapless keeper, Cudicini would have been forgiven for questioning the wisdom of emerging from the sanctuary of Chelsea's reserves to try his luck at a starting role elsewhere.
Tottenham's misery, which had been compounded by King limping off three minutes into the second half and then the sorry sight of Bassong being stretchered off in clear distress, a brace around his neck, following an awkward tussle with Anelka, was completed six minutes into injury time.
Substitute Peter Crouch rounded Peter Cech and rolled home only for an offside flag to halt even the meekest of Tottenham celebrations. The division between the sides, it appears, remains unbridged.

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Sun:
Chelsea 3 Spurs 0
IAN McGARRY at Stamford Bridge
AFTER the mayhem came the master-class.
Old Trafford may have been the place for thrills yesterday but Stamford Bridge remains a fortress.
Chelsea's demolition of Spurs did not have the drama of the Manchester derby but it starred the country's best team.
Six wins out of six. Eleven consecutive Premier League victories stretching back to last season which beats the club record set by Jose Mourinho's title-winning side in 2005.
A perfect start by a team that is beginning to make flawless look easy.
Tottenham's second league defeat in a week - the other to United - has put them back in their place as title also-rans.
The fact Spurs have failed to beat any of the Big Four in 64 attempts on the road says it all.
Chelsea, on the other hand, continue to enhance their image as the team to wrest the crown from Alex Ferguson's side.
They were simply devastating. Having soaked up 20 minutes of pressure the response was a killer.
Didier Drogba turned from poacher to provider and whipped in a cross that saw Ashley Cole dive at the back post to head the opener.
And despite Harry Redknapp's side having tested Chelsea in all areas until then, the contest was over.
Redknapp complained bitterly that Robbie Keane should have had a penalty nine minutes into the second half but the claim was more doubtful than the outcome.
Four minutes after that, Michael Ballack tapped in to make absolutely sure of the three points.
Spurs boss Redknapp admitted the loss of centre-half Ledley King with a hamstring injury left them at the mercy of the Drog.
And he was not wrong. King was already on the physio's table when Ivory Coast skipper Drogba took Nicolas Anelka's cross on his chest.
His control allowed him to volley at ex-Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini, who could only parry the ball into the path of Frank Lampard.
A simple centre to Ballack put Chelsea 2-0 up but the players ran to Drogba and Lamps to celebrate.
Then Cole dinked a hopeful ball into the inside-left channel on 63 minutes which Drogba chased like his life depended on catching it.
Vedran Corluka - woefully standing in at centre-half - tried to tackle him but only succeeded in knocking the ball round Cudicini.
Drogba followed the same path and swept the ball into an empty net to complete the rout.
The scoreline, though, was a bit harsh on the visitors. After confronting United with a three-pronged attack, Redknapp matched Chelsea with a diamond midfield yesterday.

Aaron Lennon was given licence to float on either flank and hover behind Jermain Defoe to make a nuisance of himself.
The ploy worked well enough to set up chances for Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas in the opening exchanges which had Petr Cech scrambling.
It was Michael Essien who made the real difference when he gave a lesson in the lost art of the tackle.
Paul Scholes is rightly considered the finest passer in English football over the past decade but his careless lunging at White Hart Lane last weekend saw him sent off.
United boss Ferguson could do worse than sit Scholes down in front of a DVD of Essien's 40th-minute challenge on Lennon.
He tracked the Spurs winger for 30 yards before stretching perfectly with his right boot to spoon the ball away and collect possession.
Lennon's momentum saw him tumble and his team-mates appealed for a penalty. Not a bit of it. It was the perfect challenge.
The same cannot be said of Ricardo Carvalho's on Keane but the reaction of the Spurs skipper led to justice, regardless of the claims.
Carvalho did make contact but Keane initially stayed on his feet before tumbling like a stuntman.
Ref Howard Webb waved away the appeals and even refused to book Keane for diving - despite his insistence he should get one if there was no foul.
All of this, however, was an example of wasted energy from Spurs.
Even Peter Crouch's introduction had little effect outside of him straying offside in injury-time to score a goal that never was.
Chelsea are top of the league, a 100 per cent record and playing well - who could ask for more?

porto 1-0

The Times
Nicolas Anelka’s strike gives Chelsea laboured victoryChelsea 1 Porto 0
Oliver Kay, Football Correspondent
Roman Abramovich has another holy grail to obsess him after a week in which he was forced to abandon a planned ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro. Back at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s latest crusade in the Champions League began with the first faltering steps on the long road to the final in Madrid next May.
Faltering? Only in the sense that their performance dipped in the final half-hour, after Nicolas Anelka had put them ahead. But Carlo Ancelotti, understandably, was content with a sixth victory in as many games in charge of Chelsea, a result that heightened the perception that his team, even when playing below their best, will be a force to be reckoned with once more this season.
Given that Chelsea routinely sail through group stages, victory in their opening game is no basis on which to judge Ancelotti, but the former AC Milan coach is entitled to a share of the credit for the way in which his team overcame a talented Porto side. Their progress was never entirely convincing, but the breakthrough, three minutes into the second half, came when Anelka was sent clear of the Porto defence by the persistence of Salomon Kalou, who had been pushed farther forward by his Italian coach as part of a tactical reshuffle at the interval.
As such, it would seem trite to pick holes in Chelsea’s performance. Yes, they missed Didier Drogba, starting a three-game suspension for his outburst at the referee after his team missed out on last season’s final in agonising circumstances against Barcelona in May, and yes, they could have been punished for the way they retreated in the closing stages, whether out of caution or fatigue, but Porto are a strong team who impressed in drawing 2-2 at Old Trafford in the quarter-final, first leg last season. Not until Fernando was sent off in the third minute of stoppage time, for a second bookable offence, did they accept that this would not be their night.
In that sense, this was probably the toughest match Chelsea have faced under Ancelotti. Porto are the antithesis of Stoke City, who were defeated on Saturday by a stoppage-time goal from Florent Malouda, but they are not a team to be taken lightly.
Nor are they a soft touch, as John Terry will testify, having been knocked out cold at one point in the first half by an elbow from Bruno Alves and been given an extensive examination in defence by Hulk, the 23-year-old Brazilian forward whose dubious moniker should become better known in the coming years.
One hundred and thirty-two days had passed since Andrés Iniesta plunged a dagger into Chelsea hearts with the stoppage-time goal that sent Barcelona to the final and sparked the furious reaction, led by Drogba, at Tom Henning Ovrebo, the Norwegian referee.
The pain from that elimination cannot be said to have healed and, as a series of half-chances went begging in the first half last night and a succession of menacing crosses from Branislav Ivanovic went unrewarded, the hangover seemed destined to drag on.
Relief came three minutes into the second half when Kalou, taking up a more central position, forced the ball through to Anelka. The France forward’s first attempt was saved by Helton, the Porto goalkeeper, but he was quickest to the loose ball, which he dispatched into the top corner, prompting Ancelotti to smile for the first time all evening.
Kalou had two headed chances to extend Chelsea’s lead, the first sent wide from Ashley Cole’s cross and the second saved by Helton after Ivanovic attacked down the opposite flank. But from that moment on, Porto took the initiative and Joe Cole, back on the Chelsea bench for the first time since suffering cruciate knee ligament damage in January, when Luiz Felipe Scolari was in the dugout, must have sensed that he would have to wait a little longer for his comeback.
With nine minutes remaining, Álvaro Pereira got behind Ivanovic and crossed to the edge of the penalty area, where Silvestre Varela, with a downward volley, forced Petr Cech into an awkward, scrambling save. In stoppage time, Pereira crossed again and this time Falcao, diving to reach the ball six yards out, narrowly missed making a connection.
That was as good as it got for Porto. Within 30 seconds, Fernando, the central defender, had been sent off and Chelsea, finally, could relax. Their latest ascent is off to a successful start, but, as Abramovich will know, it is a long way to the summit.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): P Cech — B Ivanovic, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Cole — M Ballack, M Essien — S Kalou (sub: J Belletti, 77min), F Lampard, F Malouda — N Anelka. Substitutes not used: R Turnbull, S Hutchinson, J Bruma, J Cole, D Sturridge, F Borini. Booked: Essien, Malouda.
Porto (4-3-3): Helton — Fucile, Rolando, Bruno Alves, Álvaro Pereira — F Guarín, Fernando, Raul Meireles — M González (sub: Falcao, 54), Hulk, C Rodríguez (sub: S Varela, 64). Substitutes not used: Nuno, Maicon, C Sapunaru, F Belluschi, T Costa. Sent off: Fernando. Booked: Fernando, Rolando.
Referee: K Plautz (Austria).

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Telegraph:
Chelsea 1 Porto 0:
By Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge
Totally in keeping with the monsoon conditions, Chelsea made heavy weather of defeating Porto on Tuesday night. Nicolas Anelka steadied local nerves, scoring a wonderful winner just after the break, but this was hardly the regal first stride down the road to Madrid expected under Carlo Ancelotti.
The Italian has been brought in by Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, to get the bridesmaids of the Champions League to the altar and they need to move more confidently up the aisle than this. Occasionally wasteful in possession, occasionally far too narrow, Chelsea were unimpressive, under siege for periods and ultimately reliant on the defensive excellence of Ricardo Carvalho and Ashley Cole in particular to see them to safety.
The midfield balance was not right. Michael Essien is a dynamic presence, driving forward from the deep but he lacks the Claude Makélélé traits of sitting and holding, breaking up opposition moves and calmly transferring the ball to the likes of Frank Lampard. Essien also charged upfield, running into space that is usually such fertile ground for Lampard.
But never mind the quality, feel the quantity of points collected and Chelsea can also take heart from the welcome sight of Joe Cole on the bench, following his long absence with a knee injury. In mitigation, Chelsea can also point to the absence of the suspended Didier Drogba, whose battering-ram strength would have brought more pressure on a Porto defence ably organised by Bruno Alves, one of Europe’s most accomplished centre-halves.
Yet Anelka made his mark, settling the game three minutes into the second half. Salomon Kalou appeared to have miscontrolled the ball yet managed to squeeze it through the middle into the path of Anelka, who had timed his run well, staying just onside. Porto’s keeper, Helton, saved well but was caught out by Anelka’s brilliant follow-up, the ball swept between the Brazilian and his left-hand upright.
Chelsea hardly deserved the lead. During the first half, Ancelotti’s side endured awkward times, their composure not helped by a tactical system that meant the wide players, Kalou and Florent Malouda tucked inside. Chelsea sought width from Ashley Cole and Branislav Ivanovic and both full-backs produced a few crosses. Lampard did meet one Ivanovic delivery with a powerful header punched away by Helton.
Chelsea suffered a nervy moment on their next visit to Helton’s area. Rising for the ball, John Terry took a forearm in the face from Bruno Alves and fell to the sodden earth, lying immobile for a worrying minute. Natural gladiator that he is, Terry soon recovered, waving away the stretcher, hobbling to the touchline before resuming his battle with Hulk.
Porto’s deft centre-forward kept running strongly at Chelsea’s defence, imperiously holding off Terry at one point and then demanding a save from Petr Cech. Hulk’s threat became so substantial that Essien foolishly dived in on Porto’s No 12, earning a caution.
Some of Porto’s slick, counter-attacking football left Chelsea groggy. Brazil’s Hulk buzzed around, Colombia’s Fredy Guarin kept raiding through the middle, even heading just over, while Uruguay’s Fucile charged forward from right-back, keeping Ashley Cole on his toes. At times, it seemed like half of Latin America was rolling towards Cech’s box.
Fucile also showed Porto’s defensive resilience, sliding in to dispossess Kalou with only Helton exposed just before the break. No matter, Anelka soon struck. The lead seized, Chelsea should really have doubled their advantage 10 minutes later. When Ivanovic cut the ball back, the unmarked Kalou directed his header too close to Helton who saved.
Porto’s coach, Jesualdo Ferreira, introduced a famous name, Falcao, through the middle, pushing Hulk out to the left where he began to send beads of sweat mixing with the rain on Ivanovic’s forehead. Bustling into Chelsea’s area, Hulk was denied only by a skilled piece of defending by Carvalho, the former Porto player reading the danger well, timing his interception to perfection.
Down the other end, Silvestre Varela slid in athletically to take the ball off Ashley Cole’s toes. The game was opening up, both defences becoming stretched. If Kalou had showed an element of calm, he could have settled this game midway through the second half, ending the growing anxiety. With 15 minutes remaining, Ancelotti acted, removing Kalou, sending on Juliano Belletti to stiffen midfield. The move resembled a declaration by Chelsea’s coach, the Italian clearly wanting to close the game down.
But Porto really went for it, pouring in orange waves towards Cech. Hulk cut in again from the left and sent the ball into the side-netting. Carvalho slid in to nick the ball away from the flying feet of Varela. Guarin shot goalwards but Cech saved. But Carvalho and Ashley Cole stood firm. In clearing one attack, Cole was clattered by Fernando, whose second yellow of the night brought expulsion.
Next up for Chelsea is Apoel away, followed by tricky home-and-away tests against Atletico Madrid, then a trip to Porto before finishing with Apoel at the Bridge. Chelsea will surely qualify but they need Drogba back, the striker returning in Madrid, and must avoid surrendering the ball so easily.

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Independent:
Anelka fires but Chelsea miss Drogba
Chelsea 1 Porto 0
By Sam Wallace at Stamford Bridge

Didier Drogba shook the hands of a few supporters at the final whistle and took his leave down the tunnel – which was a good deal more dignified than his last Champions League exit on this ground. The first big game without Drogba had been negotiated by Chelsea but no one needed telling twice that this team is not the same without him.
The winning goal was scored by Nicolas Anelka, a delicate chipped finish after his initial, fiercely-hit shot had been saved. For that moment alone the finesse in front of goal that comes as standard with Drogba was replicated but there were too many times when the decisive touch of the big man from the Ivory Coast was badly missed.
That was why there was a frantic defensive action from Chelsea as Porto tried their luck in the last 10 minutes when really Carlo Ancelotti's team should have been comfortably home and dry. Dry was not really the word on a night when west London was deluged with a downpour so relentless that at times Chelsea's stars passed the ball as if they were wearing the wrong boots on a devilishly slick surface.
A couple of miles north at Loftus Road, Queen's Park Rangers' game against Crystal Palace was called off because of a waterlogged pitch and the rain made no distinction between the Championship and the Champions League. The conditions did not make it any easier for Chelsea, they were not at their most fluent in their first group game but they got the job done. Drogba will miss the next two Champions League fixtures against APOEL and Atletico Madrid through suspension for his outburst against Barcelona in May, but it will be his absence for the African Cup of Nations in the new year that will hurt as well. Anelka is not a bad replacement but on nights such as these Chelsea really miss a centre-forward capable of putting the finishing touches to periods of dominance.
It is the first small step on the long Champions League journey that Chelsea have embarked upon in the previous six years in pursuit of the one trophy that Roman Abramovich's money has not been able to buy. They look no less equipped to win it than usual. You just have to wonder where the goals would come from if the team was to lose Anelka as well as Drogba.
As Porto pressed for an equaliser in the closing stages of the match, their midfielder Fernando was sent off for a dismal tackle on Ashley Cole that earned him a second booking. His was not the worst challenge of the night – that dishonour belonged to the Porto right-back Fucile whose two-footed lunge on Florent Malouda was so full-blooded that you shudder to think of the damage had he made contact.
This Porto team bears no resemblance to the side that won the 2004 Champions League with Jose Mourinho. In fact, as Ricardo Carvalho, who played in that team, pointed out before the game, there are more veterans of that 2004 side at Chelsea than there are at Porto. Like most summers, the Portuguese club have had to sell this year but they are wily campaigners at this level and they kept Chelsea out in the first half.
There was one iffy moment for Petr Cech in the first half when a shot from Porto's Brazilian striker Hulk – Givanildo Vieira de Souza if you want to be polite – looked so unpredictable that the goalkeeper saved with his knees. Chelsea created plenty of chances. A header from Frank Lampard stood out. When they were on their game, Chelsea weaved some beautiful moves down the left wing, most notably an interchange between Malouda and Lampard that presented Anelka with a chance that he hit straight at Helton. Salomon Kalou might have done better – Drogba surely would – when Lampard chested a ball in to his stride.
As Chelsea do when the game appears to be slipping away from them, they scored. Three minutes after half-time, Kalou flicked the ball on to Anelka whose first shot was saved by Helton. When the rebound came back, the striker chipped his shot beautifully inside the near post.
It was hard on Helton, who had done more than any other in the Porto team to keep his team in the game but Chelsea should have scored many more. Their was an invitation to score a second 10 minutes later when Branislav Ivanovic's cross found Kalou unmarked and his header forced another great save from Helton.
There was no run-out for Joe Cole, on the substitutes' bench for the first time since he ruptured his cruciate ligaments in January, but he did get an exceptionally warm welcome from the Chelsea fans. He looked over longingly at Ancelotti as the clock ran down. This has to be the toughest midfield in the Premier League to break into, especially with Malouda on such good form.
Porto's best chance was a volley that Silvestre Varela struck into the ground and forced a good save out of Cech before Fernando was sent off. It was strangely tense at the end but it often is when you fail to take your chances.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Essien; Kalou (Belletti, 77), Ballack, Lampard, Malouda; Anelka. Substitutes not used: Turnbull (gk), J Cole, Sturridge, Hutchinson, Bruma, Borini.
Porto (4-3-3): Helton; Fucile, Rolando, B Alves, Pereira; Guarin, Fernando, Meireles; Gonzalez (Falcao, 54), Hulk, Rodriguez (Varela, 64). Substitutes not used: Nuno (gk), Belluschi, Maicon, Costa, Sapunaru.
Referee: K Plautz (Austria).

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Guardian:
Nicolas Anelka gives Chelsea winning start against Porto
Chelsea 1 Anelka 48 FC Porto 0
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge

Carlo Ancelotti, to his regret, cannot shake off his image as the impresario of the Champions League. This awkward match at least supplied him with more evidence that the tournament is full of strain and doubt, no matter who happens to be in the dug-out.
As he so often did in the past with Milan, Ancelotti simply achieved the desired result. He was not much of an orchestrator and the match approached its end with Petr Cech pulling off a good save from the substitute Silvestre Varela. Porto did not look wholly discouraged until the midfielder Fernando was sent off, for a second yellow card, in stoppage time.
Credit is due the visitors, but they were seldom forced to panic. Didier Drogba, suspended for his outburst after last season's Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, was badly missed. It is no surprise that Chelsea should pine for a man who spreads terror so liberally.
Victory was achieved, in any case, with a good goal from another striker, Nicolas Anelka. This opening to Group D felt as if it belonged to a far more advanced date in the Champions League calendar. Domestic matches in this stadium seldom keep Cech so occupied.
John Terry also had to make decisive challenges. That was a reflection of the shaky display that Chelsea gave. Passes went awry and the fragmented showing left many gaps for Porto to explore. Joe Cole, who has not played since January, is over his knee surgery and returned to the bench here, but any notion that he could have an outing had to be shelved.
This fixture was no place for a convalescent. The adjustment Ancelotti did make was to remove the attacker Salomon Kalou and introduce the more conservative Juliano Belletti. By then, Kalou had made his mark by putting Anelka through in the 48th minute. Helton saved the first effort but could not prevent the Frenchman from finding the net from an angle with the rebound.
The goal had come in a spell where Chelsea raised the tempo while also distributing the ball with some care. Their difficulties may have had their origins in the enterprise of Porto. When Jesualdo Ferreira's side came to London a year ago, they were routed 4-0 by Arsenal, but considerable improvement followed.
Last night the team reminded you that they had run Manchester United very close in last season's quarter-final, when it took a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo at Estadio do Dragao to win the match. It would be pleasing to think that a side from Portugal could once more hold its own against clubs from wealthier nations. Atlético Madrid's goalless draw at home to Apoel Nicosia will have heartened them.
Porto, after four successive domestic titles, ought to have faith in themselves, but they were still prudent. Four of their new signings were named purely as substitutes, despite the fact that the Colombian striker Falcao had found his goal-scoring rhythm in the Portuguese League.
Ferreira's team did have a settled air and there was enterprise as well. They were ready to search for goal and Cech had to save well from Hulk early in the match. The striker has an unpredictability about him as well a sense of purpose. Terry had trouble containing him, but the centre-half may also have been affected by a first-half collision that left him dazed.
Ancelotti was right in his prediction that Porto would seek to attack whenever possible. There was a balance to the game. Although Chelsea did have a desire to assert themselves, they could not lay siege for long because Porto continually took their opportunities to break.
When the moments of crisis did come in the first half, the visitors reacted well. Helton coped with efforts by Frank Lampard and there was a decisive tackle from Fucile on Kalou when it looked as if he would burst through on goal.
Chelsea found the match taxing enough for Michael Essien and Florent Malouda both to be booked early on. Essien had not seemed particularly suited to the holding role in midfield, even though his sheer physical presence ought to be a deterrent. Porto were full of hope and confidence.
Considering the absence of several experienced Chelsea players, it was no surprise to see an unchanged line-up emerge after the interval, but there was a new focus and a spurt of energy. Porto, in any case, were not allowed to regroup before Anelka had landed the critical blow.
Chelsea, with the advantage of the goal, could make this a more conservative display. Ferreira's introduction of two substitutes, including the predator Falcao, by the 64th minute confirmed that he was obliged to reshape his approach. A lapse in the Chelsea back four did give Falcao scope on the edge of the area but his attempt ran straight to Cech.
If there had been neutrals present, some members of the crowd would have been enjoying themselves. As it was, this match must have had an uncomfortable grip on Chelsea fans.

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Mail:

Chelsea 1 Porto 0: Nicolas Anelka's the top dog in the absence of Didier Drogba
By Matt Lawton
Before Chelsea set their sights on the Champions League final Carlo Ancelotti has identified as the minimum requirement for this season, they need to remember how long and potentially perilous a road it is to Madrid.
They made hard work of the first of their first-round encounters, underestimating a Porto team that made it an anxious opening European night for Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge.
In the end they got there, and it is a measure of their sheer quality, solidity, professionalism and, in the case of John Terry, heroism after withstanding an elbow in the face that they did.
After what must have been something of a dressing-down from Ancelotti during the interval, Nicolas Anelka took little more than three minutes to score what amounted to an excellent winning goal.
But for the opening 45 minutes and the concluding 20, Porto demonstrated how they gave Manchester United a run for their money last season and reminded Chelsea just how much they can struggle without the suspended Didier Drogba.
Anelka might find such an assessment rather unfair when his finish was as good as it was, but Drogba is to Chelsea what Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres are to their respective clubs and success is unlikely to come for Ancelotti in the absence of the Ivory Coast striker. Especially when the Italian might not be able to sign a replacement until January 2011.
It is with some relief that Ancelotti will, no doubt, reflect on this game, not least because of the price his more recent predecessors have had to pay for early-season mediocrity in the Champions League.
A draw with Rosenborg and a crushing defeat in Rome certainly proved costly for Jose Mourinho and Luiz Felipe Scolari.
A master of European football, Ancelotti made sure there would be no such repeat on this occasion and for a decent spell after the break Chelsea were much more like the side that have made a perfect start to their Barclays Premier League campaign with five straight wins.
This amounted to the continuation of another impressive run. The 19th consecutive European tie at Stamford Bridge without defeat. But they should have won it more comfortably than they did, given the amount of possession they enjoyed.
It is only when you see Chelsea like this, though, that one realises exactly the role Drogba performs.Not just the prolific scorer of often spectacular goals but a forward around whom the other attacking players dovetail to such good effect.
Drogba is the oil in the machine as well as Chelsea’s most devastating weapon, andsomeone they would have badly missed had they allowed him to leave during the last two summers. Given the threat of this FIFA transfer ban, it is enough to give Ancelotti nightmares.
Porto almost gave him one or two as well on Tuesday night, most memorably in the form of the opportunities Hulk and Freddy Guarin would have converted had it not been for an excellent performance from Petr Cech.
Too often Chelsea conceded possession cheaply and it was only because of their goalkeeper that they kept their noses in front. Porto unleashed 17 shots. Far toomany for a former coach of AC Milan whose Champions League success was built asmuch on defensive discipline as flair and invention going forward.
The conditions might have contributed to Chelsea’s problems but Porto seemed to cope well enough in the rain with some fluent passing football.
Incredible is not a word one could normally associate with this particular Hulk but he was certainly impressive here, as much with his dribbling and passing as a blistering shot that forced Cech to make a desperate save with his knees.
Frank Lampard also looked sharp, a shot from distance and a header from close range demanding that Helton make two terrific saves. But it was Porto who probably went closest to breaking the first-half deadlock, Guarin powering in a header that skimmed the roof of the net.
That Anelka scored so soon after the break was tough on Porto. That the Frenchman did it the hard way must have made it all the more painful.
Helton had done so well to parry Anelka’s first effort but the Chelsea striker somehow struck a second with a shot that had to clear a sliding defender before squeezing between Porto’s goalkeeper and his left-hand post.
For Porto, however, time enough remained to hit back and how close they went topunishing Chelsea for squandering what chances they created for the remainder of atense contest. Salomon Kalou was chief among the offenders.
Had it not been for Cech, Guarin and Silvestre Varela would have been celebrating amuch-deserved equaliser. But Cech did his job and when Fernando was then sent off for a second yellow card — for a nasty challenge on the excellent Ashley Cole — Porto’s challenge died.
For Ancelotti, it meant a sixth consecutive victory as the new manager of Chelsea. As good a start as it gets.
But if he is glad to have Joe Cole back in his squad, he will be even more relieved when Drogba has finally served his suspension.
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Sun:
Chelsea 1 Porto 0
By IAN McGARRY
NICOLAS ANELKA'S winner meant Carlo Ancelotti was left with something to smile about last night.
But Ancelotti knows only too well there is a fine line between success and failure in the Champions League.
Witness the 2005 final when his AC Milan side were three up against Liverpool at half-time before losing on penalties.
So if he thought managing Chelsea in the competition was going to be any different, then last night burst that bubble.
Chelsea, of all teams, have a habit of making it hard for themselves in the competition coveted more than any other by Roman Abramovich.
They have made four semi-finals and one final in the last five years and have still to be crowned champions.
A lot of the shortcomings which have dogged the Blues in Europe in recent years were evident here against Porto.
Gone was the cock-sure confidence which has seen them bulldoze their way to five wins in five in the Premier League.
In its place was a much more stuttering performance where mistakes almost cost them. But their indomitable spirit was enough to see them through.
Well, that and an exquisite finish from Anelka who chose to first miss the easy chance and then score with a chip from an angle.
It was a fitting response to the absence of the suspended Didier Drogba and one which drew a sigh of relief from Ancelotti on the bench.
The Italian was bullish enough in the build-up to this match - proclaiming he had a squad good enough to qualify without the services of the banned Drogba and Jose Bosingwa.
For long periods of this contest, that statement looked more than optimistic as Chelsea laboured in the pouring rain.
You would think the September showers would have suited the home side much better but in the opening exchanges it was the Blues who were slipping up.
Porto forward Hulk tried his best to fire a shot in anger.
A long-range effort had Petr Cech squirming in the conditions but he did enough to block Hulk's blow.
In response, Chelsea were weak as milk. Salomon Kalou and Anelka barely showed any teeth never mind bite up front.
Their best chance came when Branislav Ivanovic's cross was met by Frank Lampard but his header was well saved by Helton.
During the patchy periods of play, the most consistent factor was the downpour.
Cech was caught in the floodlights as a cross came in and Fredy Guarin rose above Hulk to head powerfully towards goal. The Blues keeper, who conceded an awful goal at Stoke on Saturday, watched in gratitude as the ball floated over.
Ancelotti is a coach renowned for his patience so there was no surprise the same players returned for the second half.
And he was rewarded with a goal in the 48th minute.
Kalou, who improved as the game went on, first collected and then seemed to lose control of a long pass through the middle.
It did not matter as he was given the chance to stab a short pass into Anelka who had already run off his marker.
The French ace should have buried it first time. But, after Helton saved, he clipped it into the net at the second offering. Ancelotti celebrated like a man who had been freed from prison - perhaps a hint of the pressure he is under to deliver in his first season at the Bridge.
Lifted by the lead, Chelsea started to play with more freedom.
Ivanovic's cross was met brilliantly by Kalou but Helton stuck out a strong hand to deny the striker.
Signs of a Chelsea charge were there - but they did not shut the door on Porto.
And the Blues almost paid for it as they needed Cech to save from Silvestre Varela.
The Portuguese visitors finished the night with 10 men as Fernando saw red for a second bookable offence.
So Chelsea won the battle - but the march to Madrid and the Champions League final looks to be as hard as ever.