norwich 3-1

Independent:

Mata gives Villas-Boas hope of future fluency
Chelsea 3 Norwich City 1:

New signing justifies price tag as Chelsea struggle until Norwich are reduced to 10 men
By Steve Tongue at Stamford Bridge

As Norwich City's chirpy challenge was finally quashed yesterday, there was a glimpse of the new Chelsea but also a strong suggestion that the transition will not be as smooth as anyone at the club would like.
Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaka, some £40 million worth of substitutes, were on the pitch as the former's goal on debut ended the visitors' resistance during 11 minutes of added time caused by a nasty injury to one of the old guard, Didier Drogba. He had crashed to the ground in an aerial collision with the goalkeeper and lost consciousness before being revived and taken to hospital. He was allowed home last night.
"We wanted a full examination but he is showing signs of recovery," Chelsea's manager, Andre Villas-Boas, said later. "I'm very grateful to the players of both sides and many medical staff for reacting so quickly to a dangerous situation."
Both before and after that incident, Chelsea had made the hardest of work of inflicting a first defeat on the Norfolk side, who provided convincing evidence that their successive promotions need not come to be regarded as too much too soon.
A level playing field? Having spent something in the region of £8m this summer, compared with Chelsea's £58m – they announced the signing of Mexican midfielder Ulises Davila last night on a five-year contract – Norwich will be playing uphill for most of the season but can take much heart from their efforts to date. This fixture apart, the League's computer has been kind to them, and after draws with Wigan and Stoke they need not fear facing West Bromwich Albion, Bolton and Sunderland following the international break.
They may not have won an away game at this level since 2004, but even ending that run was briefly a possibility, despite having conceded an early goal to Jose Bosingwa. The vigorous Grant Holt, who had 53 goals to his name in those last two seasons, took advantage of a horrible defensive mix-up to equalise and Norwich were pressing before their goalkeeper John Ruddy was sent off for conceding the penalty from which Frank Lampard regained the lead. Mata's late goal sent them home on the wrong end of a harsh scoreline.
"I thought we were excellent," their manager, Paul Lambert, said. "The penalty turned the game and we could have been 2-1 up then. I can't fault the performance against a club that could win the Premier League." Chelsea have not looked like that team in two laboured home wins and a draw at Stoke, although their manager seemed surprisingly pleased with their work. "We had a solid 90-minute performance," he insisted. "I'm very happy that the team showed commitment and desire in fighting back."
Changing formation for this game to a 4-1-3-2, he paired Drogba with Fernando Torres from the start in a partnership that once more looked flawed. The £50m man was the one who tended to pull wide more but apart from one pass slipped through the middle there was little sign of a growing understanding.
Lambert had opted for wing-backs on either side of three centre-halves, although the earliest stages suggested that they might be in for a torrid afternoon. Ruddy had to push a shot from Ramires round the post and in only the sixth minute Florent Malouda and then Lampard worked the ball square for Bosingwa, who struck an even better shot than Ramires, flying across Ruddy and in off the far post.
If that presented a test of character, Norwich passed it. They passed the ball too, in the manner Lambert likes, and three times before half-time infiltrated the home defence with some ease. First Wes Hoolahan, playing just behind the front two, clipped a ball forward for Holt, who could not quite control it. Next Hoolahan put Chris Martin through – is it a Coldplay when Norwich do that? – and Henrique Hilario had to block the shot, chase him round the penalty area and then scramble back to stop the follow-up by Kyle Naughton. Finally, Naughton hoisted a cross over the central defenders for Holt, whose powerful header was held low down by Hilario.
For a long time only set pieces offered Chelsea the opportunities they craved. Drogba, having hit one free-kick into the top section of the Shed, which takes some doing, kept his next one much lower and close to Ruddy's post. Two corners early in the second half were equally promising, John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic getting good headers in, but the latter's next aerial intervention was catastrophic. Just past the hour he went for a long cross by Naughton that the goalkeeper wanted and merely headed it up into the air, from where Holt was able to hook it into a net that Hilario had rashly left unguarded.
Nicolas Anelka replaced Drogba, Mata came on and Lukaku was preparing to join them as replacement for Torres, who had been booked for a high kick, when Chelsea broke away to dramatic effect. Anelka sent Ramires through and Ruddy brought him down with a challenge that cost a red card and penalty. Declan Rudd came on to face it and had he stood still might have stopped Lampard's kick straight down the middle.
Lambert lost his cool, pushing Chelsea's fitness coach Jose Mario Rocha in the chest becaused he "flew right into our technical area". As a long period of added time in the rain left both managers soaked, Ivanovic somehow missed with a header from five yards and Mata capitalised on Ritchie de Laet's misplaced pass with the third goal.
"When the midweek games come round, it will help the fluency of our game improve," Villas-Boas claimed. Chelsea followers must hope so.

Chelsea (4-1-3-2): Hilario; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Mikel; Ramires, Lampard, Malouda (Mata, 67); Torres (Lukaku, 83), Drogba (Anelka, 67).

Norwich City (3-4-1-2): Ruddy; De Laet, Barnett, Whitbread (Pilkington, 30); Naughton, Crofts, Johnson, Tierney; Hoolahan (Morison, 60); Holt, Martin (Rudd, 81).

Referee Mike Jones
Man of the match Holt
Match rating 7/10

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Observer:

Juan Mata scores on debut as Chelsea sink spirited Norwich
David Lacey at Stamford Bridge

Another easy win for Chelsea against the sort of opposition they should be taking in their stride at Stamford Bridge if their seasonal challenge in the Premier League is to be maintained. Having struggled to find blend and fluency against West Bromwich Albion, they looked like dropping points against Norwich City until a late penalty from Frank Lampard restored some sense of order to their football.In the end the afternoon ended satisfactorily for André Villas-Boas's side when Juan Mata, newly arrived from Valencia for £23.5m, scored a third goal in the 10th of the 11 minutes of stoppage time which were largely due to the prolonged treatment Didier Drogba needed before he could be taken off on a stretcher following a collision with John Ruddy, the Norwich goalkeeper.Norwich, retaining the momentum which had seen them leap two divisions to restore Premier League football to Carrow Road, had already stunned Chelsea by drawing level early in the second half after appearing in danger of being swamped at the start of the game.
Saturday was not so much a meeting of haves and have-nots as a conflict of contrasting ambitions. For Chelsea, the season will be a failure if they do not make significant progress in the Champions League, which means winning it as far as Roman Abramovich is concerned. For Norwich, finishing 17th would bring out the bunting.Shortcomings in defence had ensured the brevity of Norwich's previous visit to the Premier League, and they faced opponents who had gorged themselves on goals in the previous four encounters, scoring 15 times in all competitions.Fifteen and counting, at least that was the way it seemed when Chelsea scored after only six minutes and looked in the mood for another routine rout against opponents who were allowing them too much space within shooting range. José Bosingwa had already drawn a stretching save from Ruddy, and now the full-back moved on to Lampard's pass to beat the goalkeeper from 30 yards with a shot into the far left-hand corner of the net.

With Bosingwa regularly turning Norwich's defence on the right, and Drogba only just failing to make contact with a shrewd through-ball from Fernando Torres, Norwich appeared to be in for an afternoon of damage limitation.The visitors, however, have leapt two divisions playing quick, intelligent, intuitive football, and when they started to get men forward in numbers to support Grant Holt, Chelsea's defence looked almost equally ill at ease. Holt had scored 45 goals in Norwich's two promotion seasons, now he began brushing past John Terry as if the Chelsea captain wasn't there. At times he wasn't.Twice in the first half, timely passes from Wesley Hoolahan found Chelsea's defenders moving up too late for offside. On the first occasion Holt could not reach the cross as it dropped behind him, on the second Chris Martin could only lay the ball back to Kyle Naughton, whose rising shot was pushed over the bar by Henrique Hilário.
The portents were not false. Terry began the second half by meeting a corner with a header which Ruddy managed to push wide, but Norwich now believed they were worth a goal and it was no surprise when they drew level just past the hour, even if the goal owed something to freakish circumstances.There appeared to be no immediate threat in Naughton's lob from the right, but a breakdown in communication between Hilário and Branislav Ivanovic found goalkeeper and defender both going for it. Following the inevitable collision, Holt hooked the ball in under the bar.

Collision-wise, Chelsea had a bad day. A few minutes later Ruddy left his goalline to punch away a centre and inadvertently laid out Drogba instead. Drogba took an age to come round, and although Chelsea quickly introduced Mata and Romelu Lukaku to their attack, Norwich still looked capable of holding out for a point, or something better.
There was no doubt about the penalty which undid them. Ruddy clearly brought Ramires down and had to go, and Lampard's firmly struck kick eased his team's anxieties.A man down and required to slog on for an extra 11 minutes, Norwich were going to do well to get something from the match. Perhaps they did not deserve to lose another goal, neatly taken by Mata from a narrow angle after he had intercepted an aberrant pass from Ritchie De Laet.

Paul Lambert, the Norwich manager, felt the penalty had been the turning point and was angry with the Chelsea fitness coach, José Mário Rocha, who he felt had invaded the technical area after the penalty had been awarded. "You don't do that," he said. "It's disrespectful. I don't speak Portuguese but if he understands Glaswegian he'll know what I said."Villas-Boas said Drogba had "lost consciousness completely" and was grateful to the medical staff for reacting quickly to "a potentially dangerous situation"."However, there is natural physical contact in any game and things like that can happen," the Chelsea manager added.

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 3 Norwich City 1: match report
By Dunacn White, Stamford Bridge

What with Juan Mata scoring on his debut andChelsea briefly going top of the table, this should have been a day of unalloyed positives for Andre Villas-Boas and his team but with Didier Drogba rushed to hospital with suspected concussion and another stuttering performance against a defiantNorwich City, celebrations were subdued.
He was, to Chelsea’s relief, released from hospital last night after scans gave him the all-clear.
The decisive moment, though, came with eight minutes left, after Norwich had played and fought their way back into the game. Villas-Boas was preparing to send on Romelu Lukaku as his last effort to squeeze out a winning goal when Chelsea, with Norwich pushing forward, had the chance for a counter.
Nicolas Anelka, who had replaced Drogba, received the ball near the halfway line and, instead of pushing forward held it and held it. Suddenly his logic became clear as he hit an excellent angled pass into the path of Ramires, who had come surging from deep.
The Brazilian had to drag the ball from slightly behind him and in doing so tempted John Ruddy from his line. Ramires got to the ball first and, while he appeared to be going down before contact was made, won the penalty. There was a bit of melodrama between the two benches and Ruddy was sent off before Frank Lampard converted the penalty, beating Ruddy’s replacement, Declan Rudd.
Against 10 men, Chelsea could add some gloss to the result. Branislav Ivanovic missed header from a Lampard cross and then Lampard himself could not convert after Rudd spilled Lukaku’s shot. In stoppage time they finally got the third. Richie De Laet tried to pass to Anthony Pilkington but overhit it and let Mata scurry in. The Spain winger rolled the ball around Rudd and into the net.
Norwich had started the game playing a Germanic 3-5-2 formation, no doubt influenced by manager Paul Lambert’s time under Ottmar Hitzfeld’s Borussia Dortmund. The idea was to crowd the central areas and prevent Chelsea getting an attacking rhythm together.
Yet with six minutes played, Chelsea had the lead. Just a couple of minutes in, Ramires had been left in space 25 yards out and hit a decent shot towards the bottom corner which Ruddy did well to save. Norwich did not heed the warning and when Lampard squared to José Bosingwa, the Portugal right-back hit a shot across Ruddy which dipped in flight before hitting the net.
Norwich were not about to be rolled over and appeared to take it in their stride, even when Zak Whitbread pulled up with a hamstring injury, Pilkington coming on as they switched to a back four. By then Norwich could have been level. The lively Wes Hoolahan anticipated Grant Holt’s run but the Norwich striker missed the ball as he tried to flick it round Hilario.
In the 28th minute Hoolahan was at the heart of it again, putting Chris Martin through. Hilario did well to block the shot but then, crab-like, strangely shepherded Martin to the edge of the area from the rebound. Martin fed the ball to Kyle Naughton and Hilario pushed the ball behind.
Naughton, a threat coming forward, set up the equaliser in the second half. He sent in a deep cross to the edge of the box and Hilario came out, even though Ivanovic was looking to head the ball clear. The pair collided and Holt hooked the ball into an empty net.
Drogba went down moments later and the hiatus in the game subdued the atmosphere. Fortunately his injury was not as serious as it looked when he was taken from the field in a neck brace. With half an hour to play, it looked as if Norwich could even edge it. Steve Morison, on as a substitute, could not get his shot off after being sent clear by Holt. “I though we were excellent,” Lambert said. “The penalty has turned the game. We could have been up 2-1 and I can’t ask any more from my lads.”
Villas-Boas admitted that his said lacked “fluidity” and hoped the arrival of midweek Champions League games would allow his side to get into a rhythm.
Whether Fernando Torres will still be in the team is another matter. He started alongside Drogba here and, after another frustrating performance has gone 22 games scoring just one goal.
Torres can only recover his confidence by playing but how much longer can the team be expected to carry a player so clearly out of form?


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Mirror:

Frank Lampard and new boy Juan Mata spared Chelsea’s blushes after Norwich threatened to embarrass the Blues on their own turf.

Drogba suffers concussion but "hopefully nothing is wrong" confirms Villas-Boas
Lampard struck from the spot after Ramires was brought down by keeper John Ruddy, who was sent off.
And Mata, on his debut after last week’s £25million move from Valencia, scored in the 11th minute of stoppage time to make it 3-1.

Yet Norwich deserved better, and had held their own for most of the match. When Grant Holt equalised Jose Bosingwa’s goal, it was no less than the visitors deserved.
Their modestly assembled side coped comfortably with Chelsea’s multimillion-pound strikeforce, and once again Fernando Torres had an afternoon to forget, failing to scored and getting booked.
His partner Didier Drogba fared even worse, being carried off on a stretcher after landing awkwardly following a collision with Ruddy.
There were debut appearances for Romelu Lukaku as well as Mata, and a touchline fracas between Norwich manager Paul Lambert and the Chelsea coaching staff, as the Blues ended with three points but no great pride in their performance.
It looked like a slaughter was on the cards as Bosingwa put Chelsea ahead with a screamer after five minutes.
Ramires had already tested Ruddy from 25 yards, the keeper doing well to tip the Brazilian’s shot wide.
Andre Villas-Boas had told his players to shoot on sight, and when Lampard rolled the ball into Bosingwa’s path moments later, the Portuguese full-back had absolutely no hesitation.
But Norwich were not in the mood to roll over and die. For a small fraction of the fee Chelsea paid Liverpool for Torres, Lambert has fashioned a side that is hard-working and well organised. They scored plenty of goals as they won promotion last season, with skipper Holt helping himself to a hatful.
The burly striker was not fazed by facing John Terry, pushing the England skipper into Hilario in the opening minutes and then just failing to convert a clever pass from Wes Hoolahan.
Torres almost put in Drogba, who then skied a free-kick high into the Shed End, before Hilario came to Chelsea’s rescue with a string of fine saves.
Kyle Naughton tried his luck from long range, before putting Chris Martin in on goal. Hilario was off his line quickly to smother the shot, and then tipped over the follow-up from Naughton.
Moments later, Naughton whipped in a cross, Holt rose above Terry to thump a firm header towards goal, but Hilario got down well to save.
Lampard fired a free-kick over and then Drogba went closer with another effort five minutes before half-time, as Chelsea trudged off to a muted reception.
After the break, Terry had a chance with a header from Florent Malouda’s corner, but Anthony Pilkington diverted the ball over.
Then came the moment that sent the yellow and green hordes into raptures.
Naughton crossed from deep and as Branislav Ivanovic headed clear 15 yards out, Hilario crashed into him leaving an empty goal. Holt still had work to do and hooked the ball expertly over his shoulder, his volley dipping under the bar.
Holt almost sent Norwich into dreamland when he put substitute Steve Morison clear in the 73rd minute, only for Terry to save Chelsea with a last-ditch tackle.
Drogba, meanwhile, was on his way to hospital after being carried off when he landed flat on his front after an aerial collision with Ruddy. He was replaced by Nicolas Anelka, who went on with Mata.
The drama went up a notch in the 80th minute when Ruddy was sent off for bringing down Ramires. Lambert was furious and got involved in a pushing match with the Chelsea staff, and they had to be separated by the fourth official Phil Dowd, before Lampard smashed the penalty past substitute keeper Declan Rudd.
Torres was replaced by Lukaku, but it was Norwich who went closest to scoring again, with Morison putting the ball over the bar from close range.
A full 11 minutes of stoppage time was added for the injury to Drogba, and in the final minute Mata seized on a poor back-pass to make it 3-1.


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Mail:

Chelsea 3 Norwich 1: Drogba-Torres combination fails again but it's no Mata for Blues in late show at the Bridge

By Rob Draper

Come the final whistle it was hard to find fault with Chelsea. Juan Mata had scored a fine debut goal, Romelu Lukaku had looked a vibrant, muscular addition to the side and manager Andre Villas-Boas had secured another home win.
Indeed, for 20 minutes yesterday, Chelsea looked like a side in control.
That was the final 20 minutes, when Norwich has been reduced to 10 men and Didier Drogba, who suffered a serious head injury in a collision with John Ruddy, and Fernando Torres, one goal in 22 games and counting, had been withdrawn.
Given the potential gravity of Drogba's concussion it would be churlish to dwell once again on the incompatibility of his partnership with Torres.
Better to focus on how good Lukaku, Mata and Nicolas Anelka looked as a front line. That told the story.
When Mata snaffled up the third goal, smashing the ball past substitute goalkeeper Declan Rudd in the 10th minute of injury time, it epitomised the difference.
True, it took a loose ball by a tired Ritchie De Laet to allow Mata in.
He seized the ball deep on the right-hand side of the area and the energy with which he pursued it was in stark contrast to that of Drogba and Torres earlier in the game.
Equally, Lukaku, a heavyweight boxer of a player, looked athletic and spritely, complementing Mata and Anelka with well-timed runs and a desire to please.
Villas-Boas attempted to speak up for the seemingly doomed partnership but ended up also conceding their weakness.
'They showed some quality and some of the technical actions were chipped balls, which were not very precise technically,' he said.
'Mata found some good spaces today for a player with only two training sessions. He showed some quickness and the team helped him find the spaces. Lukaku and Nico (Anelka) coming on helped the fluency of our team. In the first-half we had technical mistakes in passing and control, which didn't give us the correct fluency.'
The requirement for a midfield creator in the mould of Luka Modric looks ever more pressing.
Anelka was outstanding, the highlight being the delightful through ball for Ramires to run on to, which exposed Norwich's defence and led to the decisive penalty in the 81st minute.
At that stage of the game, Chelsea were playing on the break. It was Norwich who were on the offensive, buoyed by a superbly-executed volleyed goal by Grant Holt.
Steve Morison might have given them the lead 13 minutes later, had he not delayed his strike and allowed John Terry to make a saving tackle.
'We could have been 2-1 up,' said manager Paul Lambert. 'I thought we were excellent and I couldn't have asked for anything more. The penalty changed the game.'
When Chelsea opened the scoring on six minutes, with a Jose Boswinga strike from 25 yards, it seemed a comfortable afternoon was ahead.
Norwich's back five, a formation inspired by Lambert's days in the Bundesliga, were allowing Chelsea space in midfield and Boswinga simply exploited their inability to close down the ball.
Yet Norwich began to threaten even before they changed formation after half an-hour because of a hamstring injury to Zak Whitbread.
Holt got in behind the defence but could only flick the ball at Hilario and Wesley Hoolahan played in Chris Martin who was denied by the keeper.
When Kyle Naughton swung in a cross in the 63rd minute, Hilario came but never collected and Branislav Ivanovic, colliding with his keeper, headed out weakly and Holt turned the ball in with exquisite skill.
Shortly afterwards came the collision between Ruddy and Drogba, which looked accidental but saw the Ivorian crash to the ground, unconscious.
Norwich continued to press until that quick Chelsea breakaway on 81 minutes.
Anelka played in Ramires, who, racing towards goal, was felled by Ruddy.
It was a clear red card, though it didn't require Chelsea fitness coach Jose-Mario Rocha to stride into the opposition's technical area in a frenzy, provoking a shoving match with Lambert and his staff.
Lampard drove the penalty home and Norwich couldn't recover, although Morison did have one decent chance.
Ivanovic missed an open goal and it was left to Mata to apply the dream finish.
Chelsea got there eventually. It was, however, a struggle.

MATCH FACTS

Chelsea: Hilario, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Lampard, Drogba (Anelka 67), Torres (Lukaku 83), Malouda (Mata 67). Subs not used: Turnbull, Ferreira, McEachran, Alex.Yellow cards: Bosingwa, Torres Scorers: Bosingwa (6), Lampard (82), Mata (90+11)

Norwich: Ruddy, Barnett, De Laet, Whitbread (Pilkington 30), Naughton, Hoolahan, Bradley Johnson, Crofts, Tierney, Holt, Chris Martin.Subs not used: Rudd, Russell Martin, Morison, Jackson, Pilkington, Fox, Bennett.Yellow cards: Crofts, Naughton Red cards: Ruddy Scorers: Holt (63)
Referee: Mike Jones.

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west brom 2-1

Independent:

Malouda sparks Chelsea before finishing the job
Chelsea 2 West Bromwich Albion 1:

Out-of-favour Frenchman reminds Villas-Boas of his worth as Blues recover from early shock

By Trevor Haylett at Stamford Bridge

The Chelsea faithful are not used to having to wait to anoint their new manager with a victory. Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti had all begun their tenures here with a win. Even Luiz Felipe Scolari launched his ill-fated stay on a successful note. For Andre Villas-Boas, the latest to sit on the hottest of hot seats, it looked as if a second game would pass without the satisfaction of that winning feeling. His defence, unnerved by the absence of goalkeeper Peter Cech, had come apart as early as the fourth minute to gift a spirited and dogged West Bromwich Albion the lead. There was good reason for the new man to patrol his technical area with a worried frown as Chelsea laboured to find a response. But it all came right in the end with a winning goal seven minutes from time.

The imminent arrival of Juan Mata from Valencia for £26 million is being tipped to shorten the Chelsea career of Florent Malouda but those in blue were more than happy for the substitute's presence as he appeared at the far post to tuck away a delightful cross from Jose Bosingwa. The Frenchman is said to be a fitful performer but he had proved his value once again.
He also spared the new manager an unwanted inquest into their failure to win either of his opening two fixtures following the stalemate at Stoke six days before. "The players suffered from anxiety and could not express themselves in the way they wanted," said Villas-Boas. "Why were they anxious? Maybe from going behind so early. We said at half-time we had to free ourselves from the anxiety they were feeling and the public were feeling and in the second half it was a great Chelsea performance."

Villas-Boas gave his compatriot Hilario the chance to fill the space vacated by the injured Cech and he was rewarded with a vital save at the death when another substitute, Peter Odemwingie, threatened to steal the headlines from Malouda. He also decided to restore Nicolas Anelka to the firing line while Didier Drogba had again to accept a place among the replacements.
Despite the late afternoon start there was bright sunshine to welcome the dawn of a new era at Stamford Bridge. Keen anticipation swirled around with the sight of these opponents pricking memories of last season's 6-0 rampage here by Ancelotti's army on the campaign's first day.
It didn't take long for deflation to take over from expectation. Hilario got a taste of what he was letting himself in for when he was forced to come to the edge of his area to head the ball away as Shane Long bore down with menace. It wasa desperate measure and a harbinger of a casual start by last season's runners-up that would become even more apparent 60 seconds later.

A square pass from Bosingwa was maybe not the brightest thing he has ever produced on a football field but it still should not have caused Alex problems. The Brazilian got his feet in a tangle and that was enough to encourage a predator of Long's calibre, West Bromwich's new £6m man robbing him with ease before slipping the ball beyond Hilario with the minimum of fuss.
It might have got worse in the 25th minute as Chelsea toiled against opponents who advertise splendidly Roy Hodgson's commitment to hard work and good organisation. Long burned off John Terry in the chase for a flighted ball and rolled a pass across the area to where Somen Tchoyi was waiting to apply a decisive touch. Sadly for the visitors, Long's pass was applied a tad too heavily and the home side escaped.

They departed to boos at the interval but at least signs had emerged that it was starting to come together. Malouda had replaced Salomon Kalou and improvement was almost instant as Ashley Cole drew a flying save from Ben Foster who was grateful to hang on to the firmly-hit drive.
The interval discussion worked wonders. Chelsea dominated proceedings after that although it was not the work of Fernando Torres who departed after an hour to make way for Drogba and they could never count on Albion's compliance with Tchoyi a powerful sidekick for Long. When Frank Lampard went down there were strong appeals for a penalty but Anelka played on, opting to go outside his immediate opponent before angling the ball across Foster and into the far corner.

Albion responded as if affronted by the turn of events. Paul Scharner climbed impressively but nodded into the crowd. Anelka forced a fine save and Malouda was unable to follow up. The game – and Chelsea – had found a better rhythm now but the home team were still indebted to Hilario as Tchoyi took aim for the left-hand corner.

Chelsea pressed and pressed, Drogba first failing to find the target and then seeing a cross run away from him before Lampard demanded a fine stop with his legs from Foster. Then Bosingwa darted between two defenders to deliver an immaculate low cross to the far post where Malouda awaited to apply the decisive finish. For the second weekend in succession Hodgson and his team were left feeling hard done by. "We made two errors down the left to let them in and the better the opposition, the more they will punish you," he said.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Hilario; Bosingwa, Alex (Ivanovic, 66), Terry, Cole; Mikel, Ramires, Lampard; Anelka, Torres (Drogba, 59), Kalou (Malouda, 35).

West Bromwich Albion (4-4-2): Foster; Reid, Tamas, Olsson, Shorey; Brunt, Mulumbu (Dorrans, 87), Scharner, Morrison; Long, Tchoyi (Odemwingie, 75).

Referee Lee Mason.
Man of the match Anelka (Chelsea)
Match rating 7/10

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Guardian:

Florent Malouda has Chelsea smiling with late strike against West Brom
Chelsea 2 Anelka 53, Malouda 83 West Brom 1 Long 4

Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

André Villas-Boas's emotions overcame him at the end, the Portuguese greeting the final whistle with a punch to the air and what may have been a cry of satisfaction. In reality, this was probably born more of relief. A narrow victory, even as it kickstarted the new manager's tenure, has actually served to underline the familiar issues that still cramp this squad's progress. Their transformation remains a work in progress.
If there were undoubted qualities to admire here – from José Bosingwa's delivery for Florent Malouda's winner, to the home side's late revival and dogged refusal to accept a point at best – then there were other frailties to alarm.
Chelsea laboured for long periods through the first half, prompting the manager into a tactical substitution after barely half an hour, and, with the hosts trailing, a chorus of boos accompanied the players as they retired at the break. Nerves were frayed. This occasion, a welcome for Villas-Boas and this club's latest bright new era, was not supposed to have involved howls of derision.
There was even an admission in the aftermath that the "emotions" emanating from a frustrated support had gripped the home side. "The public were anxious, the players were anxious," said the manager. "We suffered that anxiety in the first half and couldn't express ourselves." Their toils at that stage suggested the customary accusations that this is an ageing side that have lost their pizzazz were justified, even if Villas-Boas retains faith. "Inter Milan were supposed to be a dead team when they became European champions. That was the same team that won three titles in a row under [Roberto] Mancini. When everyone thought they were dead, they won the Champions League. It's all to do with quality and competence, not age," he said.
It is freshening up that this squad requires, a process that has begun quietly this summer – the teenagers Romelu Lukaku, Oriol Romeu and Thibault Courtois have joined, with Kevin De Bruyne to follow – and is likely to accelerate with more eye-catching arrivals over the next 10 days. Juan Mata, a player whose pace on the flank and invention in the delivery might have prised the Baggies apart sooner here, is on the verge of completing a £23.5m move from Valencia. Villas-Boas spies in him a winger who "scores and assists". The width he provides should drag opponents out of their comfort zones.
Creation through the centre may take longer to unearth, with Tottenham Hotspur stubbornly and understandably refusing to countenance Luka Modric's sale across the capital; but realisation has dawned that strengthening is required. This could have been a flashback to Carlo Ancelotti's first game in charge, an unconvincing late 2-1 success over Hull two years ago, given the familiarity of the personnel involved. For Didier Drogba's late winner then, see Malouda's emphatic far-post finish after Bosingwa's burst away from James Morrison. The manager praised a "dominant" second-half display. Chelsea needed this: a second successive draw would have numbed their early-season ambition.
West Brom players sighed to the turf on the final whistle in deflation that their efforts had come to nothing. Theirs has been a pointless start to the new campaign, but they will emerge stronger from their daunting opening.
Collisions with last season's champions and runners-up have only been surrendered late on, with this squad boasting more of an established Premier League feel to it. They were excellent before the interval, tapping into Shane Long's industrious running and offering a fine blend of aggression and creation through the centre.
The striker's early goal, his second in as many appearances since swapping Reading for The Hawthorns, was admirable both in its anticipation of Ramires's sloppy pass and Alex's lazy collection, and in the strength with which he held off the lumbering centre-half as the forward tore towards goal.
His finish was smartly taken beyond the exposed Henrique Hilário. Chelsea feel vulnerable whenever denied their stalwart Petr Cech, who has been ruled out for a month with a knee injury, though the stand-in was not at fault at that concession. Even so, the jitters that occasionally erupted thereafter when the visitors ventured forward exposed the hosts' sense of fragility.
Long might have created a second, only to over-hit a square pass for Somen Tchoyi. Had that been converted, Chelsea might have withered away. As it was, they mustered a flurry of chances as the break approached – Ben Foster denying Ashley Cole and Alex – with their momentum carried into the re-start. Nicolas Anelka's low finish was deflected in off an unfortunate Jonas Olsson and, even if Tchoyi and, late on, Peter Odemwingie had to be denied by Hilário, the Baggies' chance had gone. "Deja vu," bemoaned Roy Hodgson. Chelsea may have agreed.


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Mail:

Chelsea 2 West Brom 1: Malouda spares Blues's blushes with crucial late winner

By Nick Harris

Squeaky late wins isn’t how it was meant to be for Andre Villas-Boas, protege of a fellow Portuguese who was all but at invincible for years at Stamford Bridge.But a stuttering start at least ended with a first win in his first home match — albeit as Chelsea needed to come from behind to do it.Shane Long opened the scoring early for the visitors before Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda saved the day.
‘I think we suffered a little anxiety after the early goal and we weren’t able to relax,’ said Villas-Boas. ‘The half-time team talk addressed that. Once we scored we felt confident as we went in search of the second.‘We had a fantastic second half and were dominant like we should have been in the first half.’
One thing he can’t doubt is the passion of his players, although emotions ran too freely at the end, John Terry getting embroiled in a scuffle with Peter Odemwingie that led to handbags and a brief swarming of the referee.No doubt tensions were high among the home ranks. Chelsea went into the game without a win in their previous four Premier League matches, having drawn at Stoke last weekend and having failed to beat Everton, Manchester United and Newcastle in the final three fixtures of 2010-11.Villas-Boas will be a relieved rather than happy man. Winless runs like that are not the payback that Roman Abramovich expects for his petrodollars.
The opener came in the fourth minute after Ramires made a bad pass to Alex, who compounded the mistake by being ponderous, allowing Long to bustle on to the ball and run on goal.Alex couldn’t catch him, let alone stop him, and the Baggies’ major summer signing from Reading — already looking a snip at £4.5m that could rise to £6.5m — slammed home his second goal in two games. Last week the Republic of Ireland international forward netted on his club debut against Manchester United. Up the other end, Fernando Torres was less impressive than last week but at least had his shooting boots on, if only to hammer over the bar in the 20th minute.Villas-Boas declined to talk about Torres’ limited contribution saying the win had been achieved ‘as a team’. He was similarly reticent to breakthrough was coming, but not until eight minutes of the second half had passed.West Brom could have — should have — extended their lead shortly afterwards when Long and Somen Tchoyi were two against one on Hilario in the home goal. Long declined to shoot and hit his square ball too hard. It was a Chelsea let-off and Villas-Boas made a change, removing Salomon Kalou and bringing on Malouda with 10 minutes of the first half still to play.Chelsea upped the tempo. Ashley Cole hit a 25-yard left-foot screamer to the top left corner, but Ben Foster was up to it in both senses, leaping to his right to push the ball round the post.A minute later, Chelsea had a penalty shout when Anelka went down as Foster dived to gather — but referee Lee Mason gave nothing.
A breakthrough was coming, but not until eight minutes of the second half had passed. Anelka dribbled into the box and squared to Lampard, who fell under a challenge and appealed for a penalty, not given.But the ball fell back to Anelka who shot, and, via a deflection off Jonas Olsson, it was 1-1.The blood was up. Anelka tore forward again, eliciting an important save from Foster — with his feet.
Back at the other end, Hilario was more impressive still, with a brilliant save to thwart Tchoyi’s curling shot from 18 yards.Chelsea stole ahead thanks to a brilliant low cross from Jose Bosingwa in the 83rd minute, met and converted at the far post by Malouda.In this same fixture last year, also the first home game, Chelsea were rampant and filled their boots, 6-0.
The opposition manager that day was Roberto Di Matteo, now No 2 to a certain Andre Villas-Boas.
They prevailed together on Saturday— in the end.Torres, who was unable to repeat his encouraging performance of the previous week, was withdrawn for Didier Drogba just before the hour, with Olsson booked for dissent during the substitution.Tchoyi's left-foot 25-yard curler forced an acrobatic save from Hilario and an under-pressure Drogba steered Cole's cross wide before Villas-Boas made his final change when Branislav Ivanovic came on for Alex.

MATCH FACTS

Chelsea: Hilario,Bosingwa,Alex (Ivanovic 66),Terry,Cole,Ramires, Mikel, Lampard, Anelka,Torres (Drogba 59),Kalou (Malouda 35).
Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Benayoun, Ferreira, McEachran.
Yellow cards: Lampard,Terry.

West Brom: Foster, Reid, Tamas, Olsson, Shorey, Scharner, Mulumbu (Dorrans 87),Brunt,Morrison,Long,Tchoyi (Odemwingie 75).

Subs Not Used: Fulop, Cech, Jara Reyes, McAuley, Cox.
Yellow cards: Tamas, Mulumbu, Olsson, Odemwingie.

Referee: Lee Mason (Lancashire)
Att: 41,091

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Star:


CHELSEA 2 - WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1; MALOUDA TO CHELSEA'S RESCUE

By Tony Stenson

IF this is Chelsea’s new dawn then expect a lot of nightmares.
They sneaked victory thought substitute Florent Malouda’s 84th-minute goal – but it was terribly hard work.
Albion, in fact, should have equalised in the 87th minute but Youssouf Mulumbu shot straight into Henrique Hilario’s arms in the dying minutes.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas managed just 60 league games in Portugal before being appointed Stamford Bridge boss.
He could last fewer games here on this showing. Chelsea were that poor.
John Terry and company gave their all and dominated the second half but that devilish spark, once a major part of their game, was missing.
At least Nicolas Anelka lived up to his star status.
Chelsea needed wholesale surgery and it was why Villas-Boas was appointed.
Victory yesterday only papered over the cracks.
Villas-Boas must have known that several Chelsea players were past their sell-buy date. AVB had owner Roman Abramovich’s blessing to change direction.
Instead, he has gone for the soft option of not rocking a dressing room full of powerful characters.
Managers manage. You don’t allow others to ensure you fail.
Villas-Boas’ tailored shirt was brilliant white but his face was red after they just held on to a point against a side they hammered 6-0 on the opening day of the season last year.
Chelsea fell behind to an early Shane Long goal.
But they equalised through Anelka in the second half. But overall this was poor fare by a side many thought would be up there again.
They might be, but Villas-Boas has got to stop trusting old legs, go out an buy or encourage his new signings.
Fernado Torres, the most expensive player in the history of British football, who was signed for a reported £50million, looks as if he is a busted flush, his confidence shattered.
And where is the dominance of once Mr Reliable Frank Lampard?
Skipper Terry was forced to plug so many defensive gaps he must not have known whether he was coming or going.
AVB was so desperate he substituted Malouda for Salomon Kalou after just 34 minutes.
Roy Hodgson’s Baggies took the lead after just four minutes.
Ramires, yet to convince Chelsea fans he is a star player, was under no pressure when he pushed the ball sideways to Alex, who was caught
totally wanting. Noel Hunt sped in, brushed off the second challenge and fired home his second goal for the club he joined for £7million from Reading just a few days earlier.
Chelsea are not good enough any more. They don’t have any players who hurt opposition any more.
Kalou? More like without a clue. He’s lost confidence. Jon Obi Mikel? Why did Chelsea pick a player whose father has been kidnapped in his native Nigeria and expect him to perform?
It says a lot about the player. Less about Chelsea picking him. Chelsea can thank stand-in keeper Hilario for keeping about Albion’s robust challenge.
Albion keeper Ben Foster was equally superb, and showed why he must return to the England fold.
Chelsea equalised Anelka, not everyone’s favourite player to dig you out of a hole, shot home in 52nd minute.
Then they won the game when sub Malouda drove home.

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 West Bromwich Albion 1:
By Oliver Brown, at Stamford Bridge

André Villas-Boas might be depicted as the quiet man of the Premier League but last night he celebrated Chelsea’s winning goal with a quite unhinged abandon.
He had just watched Florent Malouda, the very player whom he had deployed as an early substitute to help energise a leaden performance, dispatch West Bromwich Albion with an emphatic finish. Such was the sense of vindication, this urbane 33 year-old let out a primal roar.
Crouching on the touchline seven minutes from time, staring down the barrel of a second straight draw, Villas-Boas was aware that two points from six probably signalled a sackable offence under the warped logic
of Roman Abramovich. But persistence was rewarded as strikes by Nicolas Anelka and Malouda helped ease Chelsea out of the blocks.
Still, unanswered questions linger about this Chelsea side. Does Fernando Torres, with a solitary league goal after seven months at the club, represent the worst signing of the Abramovich era since Juan Sebastián Verón? Or even Andrei Shevchenko?
A man who cost roughly the same as the gross national product of a small African country is turning out to be a staggering waste of money.
Villas-Boas was reluctant to criticise his misfiring striker openly, but he seemed perturbed by the scattering of boos that rang out around Stamford Bridge at half-time. Here was a man for whom any kind of 45-minute deficit had been a novelty during his garlanded year at Porto.
“We need good commitment, good empathy from the public,” he said. “This team want to be champions. We are listening to their demands and we want to perform, but we need their support.”
There was always Juan Mata poised to inject some dynamism. A curious ambience pervaded the stadium yesterday, after a spot of dithering by Alex had allowed West Bromwich to gatecrash the party.
The Brazilian looked as if his mind was on the beach rather than the ball as he dallied near the centre circle, inviting Shane Long to surge clear and slot a shot past the onrushing Hilario, neatly into the bottom corner.
Roy Hodgson was content simply to lap up the spectacle while his charges led Chelsea’s strikers up blind alleys, thwarting Anelka and Salomon Kalou at every turn.
West Bromwich hardly wanted chances to punish such lack of penetration. Chris Brunt, fashioning the deftest pass off the outside of his boot, helped fracture the Chelsea back line once more as he put Long clean through.
Somen Tchoyi implored wildly for a cross to the middle but Long miscued, putting too much weight on the pass to surrender the opportunity.
Chelsea appeared reduced to speculative digs from distance, as John Terry met a dropping ball with a lethargic volley that looped closer to the corner flag than the goal. Villas-Boas had clearly seen enough, hooking Kalou to find room for Malouda, although his team had been so toothless that almost any of his players were vulnerable to an early substitution.
“Our half-time talk was aimed at freeing the players from the anxiety that they were suffering,” Villas-Boas explained. “The public were anxious, and then the players were anxious. It played on them a little. This was due to a mental block.”
Torres, perhaps sensing the crowd’s annoyance, began putting himself about more in the second half, attempting a smooth turn in from the left and screaming for a foul when it did not quite work.
It was left to Frank Lampard to seek to inflict some damage, as he tumbled over Martin Olsson’s leg in the six-yard box before seeing his penalty appeal turned down.
Anelka, though, saw the opening and pounced, letting
fly with a low drive that took a deflection off Olsson’s ankle and beyond the sprawling Ben Foster.
It needed some belated brilliance from Jose Bosingwa to cement Chelsea’s advantage. The right-back drew the ball past two inert Albion defenders on the right, laying off a first-time cross straight into the path of the grateful Malouda.
Chelsea’s reprieve was secured, although perhaps the final analysis was best left to that amateur philosopher Hodgson. The visiting manager had faced the league’s two best teams in
his first two first games of the season, so who did he think was better: Chelsea or Manchester United?
“I’m an Oscar Wilde type of man,” he smiled. “I don’t believe in comparisons.”

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Mirror:

Chelsea 2 West Brom 1

Match Report

Albion manager Roy Hodgson must have been cursing his luck when the fixtures were published.
The champions first up was testing enough — but to play the runners-up in the second match would have left him scouring his house for broken mirrors.
But at least his first two matches of the season will have provided Hodgson with an accurate barometer of the potential of his squad.
And his men may have assumed that Chelsea, ­without the towering presence of goalkeeper Petr Cech, may be a touch vulnerable to the kind of ­attacks that unnerved Manchester United for long spells six days earlier.
It took only four minutes for West Bromwich to expose the fragility in the normally rock-solid Blues defence.
Alex would have preferred not to have been given possession 20 yards from his goal but he still had time to clear. He dithered and Shane Long acted.
He pestered the Brazilian into losing the ball, resisted Alex’s attempts to regain it and accelerated clear to poke the ball past Henrique Hilario.
Stamford Bridge was stunned and now Albion had something to hang on to. And Gabriel Tamas made sure Salomon Kalou was unable to mount an immediate response with an ugly challenge that brought him a booking from referee Lee Mason.
But Kalou was a threat again in the 14th minute when his run from the left gave him a sight at goal but his shot was too high.
Boosted by their early strike, the visitors looked more than capable of causing problems on the counter-attack and Paul Scharner’s shot from an angle forced a decent save from Hilario.
By now, Andre Villas-Boas had discarded his jacket as the incessant rain of the afternoon gave way to evening sun and he was certainly in a sweat as ­Chelsea went looking for the equaliser.
The frustration on the bench was matched by that in the stands as Chelsea failed to prise open a stubborn and well-organised defence.
Too many attacks lacked thrust and petered out where it counted. Come the 34th minute and Villas-Boas had seen enough. As Frank Lampard was booked for a wild hack at Long, Salomon Kalou was taken off and replaced by Florent Malouda.
Echoes of Joe Cole at Fulham under Jose Mourinho there. Chelsea’s most effective attacker was Ashley Cole and Ben Foster had to produce an excellent save to dent the England left-back’s 20-yard effort. Foster then saved Alex’s free-kick as the pressure grew.
There was certainly more zip and purpose to Chelsea’s game at the start of the second half and the immediate reward was a corner. Albion — as they had done in the first 45 minutes, cleared without much trouble.
Indeed, they looked more composed and had more ­momentum to their play when they went forward with Somen Tchoyi’s physical presence and Long’s darting runs a constant threat.
Chelsea broke through to equalise in the 53rd minute —and there was a hint of controversy.
Albion’s defence claimed Lampard should have been penalised for a dive. Referee Mason waved play on and Anelka gathered possession and drove home from an acute angle.
Chelsea’s belief grew and so did the pressure on the Albion goal. The dynamic changed and Chelsea twice went close when Foster saved from Anelka and then Reid blocked the follow-up effort from Malouda.
Fernando Torres was replaced by Didier Drogba on the hour and the Ivorian was much more of a physical threat.
But it was Malouda who got the winner with a far-post tap-in on 83 minutes.

VERDICT: The new Chelsea era was launched in victorious fashion at Stamford Bridge yesterday. Chelsea have that special trait - the ability to win when below your best.


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NOTW:
No answer, I've left a message.

stoke 0-0

Independent:


Villas-Boas criticises referee as physical Stoke spoil his big day

Stoke City 0 Chelsea 0

By Sam Wallace at the Britannia Stadium



Warning: these are still very early days for Chelsea's young manager but nevertheless, as Andre Villas-Boas dropped to his haunches in the technical area here yesterday, he will have reflected that this was not what he had in mind for his grand entrance to English football.

Villas-Boas is a sober young coach whose professional life is built around modern tactical theories of possession and territory, laid out in dossiers and post-grad theses. He won four trophies in his only season as a manager of a top-flight professional team. But he proved yesterday that when push comes to shove, especially when the pushing and shoving involves Stoke players, he can be rattled like anyone else.

In an ideal world, Villas-Boas would have breezed into Stoke yesterday, taken the three points and headed back to London with his career as a Premier League manager safely launched and his team off to a flier.

As it turned out, the reality was very different. For much of the first half Chelsea floundered under Stoke's bombardment and, when finally they did take control after the break, they could not score the goal that would make the difference.

It is not in Villas-Boas' nature to complain. Why should it be? His career so far has been one of unparalleled success. Yesterday, he tried his best to be polite, he noted Stoke's impressive home record last season and observed that this would be a difficult place to come to win regardless of whether it was the first game of the season or not. But eventually he could help himself.

"We have a referees' visit this Wednesday, so... the point I want to make, when you play in difficult games like this one, is the amount of pushing and grabbing in the box," he said. "It's out of this world. We had to deal with Stoke's set-plays and were competent enough to avoid the dangers they create from those plays, but I think there's a limit to the pushing and grabbing that makes it impossible. Referees have to pay attention to these kind of details."

Of course, he has a point but he might as well complain about house prices in London or the rain in Manchester. Roman Abramovich did not appoint him Chelsea manager ahead of every other willing candidate in world football in order that he could tell his Russian boss that Stoke are a bit physical on set-pieces. Abramovich appointed him to find a way to win those kind of matches, and spare him the details.

In criticising Stoke, Villas-Boas needs to be careful that he does not invite greater scrutiny of his own defenders' transgressions. Had Stoke pushed the boundaries of fair play? "Not of fair play, pushing the boundaries on pushing and grabbing, for sure," Villas-Boas said. "It's difficult [for the referee]. You have to keep your eye on the ball, and be aware of certain situations. In this case, maybe the referee is in need of some help.

"I may raise this on Wednesday, but it's difficult. When you know that this is one of the main strengths of Stoke. [Could we have more] fourth-referee awareness? A bit more focus on the situation? But, no excuses. We were able to defend those set-plays, but I think it was happening at our [attacking] set-plays as well."

No excuses. Abramovich might as well have it nailed above the dressing room door. It was a tough start for Villas-Boas because he will know that every one of his predecessors appointed by Abramovich won their first game in charge of Chelsea, with the exception of Avram Grant and that is not a group of one Villas-Boas will particularly relish joining. Jose Mourinho, as if anyone needed reminding, beat Manchester United in his first game at Stamford Bridge.

In Villas-Boas' defence, without Romelu Lukaku yet and no other major new signings, he is still trying to reinvigorate the same group of players who fell short last season. Yesterday he picked Fernando Torres ahead of Didier Drogba and was rewarded with what was arguably the best Chelsea performance on the day. Yet by the end of the game he had reverted to an approach that has been tried before: Torres, Drogba and Nicolas Anelka on the pitch together.

Leaving out Drogba and Anelka are bold decisions from Villas-Boas and he needs them to work out to reinforce his credibility. His team were narrowly denied a penalty when Frank Lampard went down just a bit too easily under Marc Wilson's challenge in the 55th minute. The most credible appeal was when Torres was brought down by Ryan Shawcross deceptively close to the edge of the area, the only one Mark Halsey called wrong.

As for Stoke, they had Asmir Begovic to thank for keeping them in the game in the closing stages. He tipped a shot from John Obi Mikel over the bar in the aftermath of Lampard's penalty claim and then made an even better save from Anelka in the 72nd minute.

It will have meant a great deal to Tony Pulis not to lose on his home patch in the first game of the season against a manager 20 years his junior. No-one could pretend that this was anything other than a robust performance in the Stoke style, but there were flourishes too. Matt Etherington was excellent until he was substituted in the 62nd minute with what looked like a dislocated shoulder but it will be assessed this morning.

There were times in the first half when you wondered what Torres might do with the crosses provided by Etherington and Jermaine Pennant but Stoke could not sustain that after the break. They lost Rory Delap to injury with about 19 minutes to play and so went another crucial part of their attacking strategy for the day.

There was defiance about Torres in his post-match interview in which he said, with a serving of irony, that he had not "forgotten how to play and score goals." "Last season was a season to forget," he said. "A lot of things have happened but it's in the past and I am looking forward."

Villas-Boas has placed his faith in Chelsea's £50m man yesterday and – in all but scoring a goal – he was not found wanting.

Again, these are early days but against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, Villas-Boas needs to get Chelsea going. The gap to Manchester United, it will not have escaped their attention, is already two points.


Man of the match Begovic.

Match rating 6/10.

Referee M Halsey (Hertfordshire).

Attendance 27,421.



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Telegraph:


Stoke City 0 Chelsea 0:


By Jonathan Liew


Dawn broke on the Andre Villas-Boas era in a hail of flying crosses and a flurry of entangled limbs. But from the melee emerged only stalemate and, once the smoke had cleared, Chelsea were able to reward their seventh manager in four years with nothing more than a point.

It was a most English welcome for this Portuguese man of war. Stoke threw bodies and brawn into the path of Chelsea’s charge; scrapped and harried, lunged and leapt, met cosmopolitan culture with Staffordshire stoicism and emerged with a deserved share of the spoils.

Though the scoreline hints at another limp, tepid affair in a strangely cautious opening round of Premier League fixtures, there was just enough guile to Chelsea’s hustle to offer their sizeable travelling contingent grounds for optimism.

Fernando Torres was back to his twinkling, innocent best. Full-backs Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa timed their surges to cause maximum consternation in the Stoke defence. John Terry and Alex dealt adeptly with Stoke’s aerial bombardment, whether from long balls to Kenwyne Jones or long throws from Rory Delap.

What of Villas-Boas? On the touchline (right) he cut a passive figure, communicating not through wild gesticulations or throat-scraping invective, but through hand signals and modest applause. He is not a thrower of water bottles. He is not a molester of fourth officials. Not yet, anyway.

He could have pointed to two strong penalty appeals, a string of fine saves forced from Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, and a near monopoly of possession in a second half that Chelsea dominated.

Tony Pulis might counter with a rejected penalty appeal of his own, but Stoke’s role in this game was by and large one of containment, and one they ultimately fulfilled with aplomb.

Torres was at the heart of almost everything Chelsea did well, vindicating his manager’s faith in him over Didier Drogba. No longer was he being muscled off the ball by second-rate bruisers. No longer was he trotting listlessly into culs-de-sac. Instead, he was darting intelligently into space, holding the ball up with real purpose, even — remember this? — taking players on.

It is the dancing feet of Torres rather than the imposing presence of Drogba that Villas-Boas appears to believe are best equipped to carry out his intricate, give-and-go attacking strategy, and if the Spaniard can stay fit, he could make himself an automatic first choice before autumn is out. One sumptuous piece of Torres skill lit up an earnest first half, a twisting, mesmerising run into the Stoke area thwarted only by Ryan Shawcross’s desperate heel. The longer he continues to play with this kind of gay abandon, the more inclined we may be to believe Villas-Boas when he insists that his two-year-long trough was the result of dwindling confidence rather than physical decline.

He received little support from Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou, both of whom were substituted in the second half. Instead, it was Stoke who enjoyed the brighter of the opening exchanges as Chelsea gave away far too many throw-ins and corners in their own half. Robert Huth had Stoke’s best chance, heading over a Delap long throw.

Stoke pleaded for a penalty when Jonathan Walters brought the ball down inside the area and it appeared to flick Terry’s arm. Referee Mark Halsey waved them away. Replays showed that the ball had rolled across Terry’s shoulder.

In the second half it was Torres’s turn to cry foul as he and Begovic tussled for a loose ball in the Stoke area. Shortly afterwards came the most persuasive penalty shout of the lot. Lampard burst into the box, where he was upended by Marc Wilson. Lampard did not help himself by appearing to go down before contact was made, but Stoke could count themselves a touch fortunate.

Little by little, Chelsea’s superior quality was telling. Stoke’s midfield, deprived of a valuable attacking outlet by the loss of Matthew Etherington to a suspected dislocated shoulder, was being pushed further back until it was almost on the toes of the back four. As Chelsea pounded at the door, Stoke again took to the skies, attempting to buy themselves valuable seconds. But with Walters dropping back to plug the gaps in midfield, Jones was often stranded in the centre circle with no team-mate within 40 yards of him.

And so, back the blue shirts would come. John Obi Mikel had a fine volley palmed over by Begovic. The Stoke goalkeeper also tipped Nicolas Anelka’s cross-cum-shot on to the crossbar with his fingernails. Kalou and Alex had headers saved. But although they saw little of the ball, Stoke scurried, jostled and just about did enough.





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Guardian:

Chelsea fail to learn past lessons in draw with Stoke

Kevin McCarra at the Britannia Stadium


Encountering Stoke City is a repetitive experience but few learn from it. Chelsea drew at the Britannia Stadium as they did last season, although there was not even a goal apiece in André Villas-Boas's first competitive fixture. Many of the questions raised by the appointment of the Portuguese remain because this hard-fought contest revealed little about how his side will fare in the more considered matches.

It was always certain that Stoke would operate in their well-drilled manner and show the intense competitiveness that ensure the atmosphere the fans create has a strong sense of pride to it. Time worked in Chelsea's favour to a degree as measured play started to look feasible once tiredness had set in. Nonetheless Chelsea had a predictability that assisted Tony Pulis's men.

The evidence here was virtually enough to reactivate speculation about Luka Modric leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Chelsea. Given that Villas-Boas needs that type of individualism so badly, the valuation of the midfielder can only rise. At least there is no reason for a Chelsea fan to despair over the line-up as a whole. It continues to be well-drilled and resolute.

The difficulties could lie with the fashioning of goals. As Frank Lampard edges closer to being reclassified as a veteran it is implausible to suppose that he will roam between penalty areas and regularly drill shots into the net. When Chelsea endure a stalemate, attention turns to Fernando Torres. In view of the £50m fee paid to Liverpool for him in January, curiosity about the Spanish striker and his fortunes will not wane in the near future.

The evidence of a deadlocked match should be mistrusted where he is concerned. Torres was fit and resolute. Chelsea brought on Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka but the man who had started at centre-forward could not be taken off while there was realistic hope of victory for Chelsea. Torres was withdrawn only in the 90th minute and, while it made sense to send on a playmaker such as Yossi Benayoun, there was still scant logic in doing so then or at the striker's expense.

The happiness rests with the hosts. Stoke can be proud that this ground is such a stronghold. Their method is imposed with admirable thoroughness and there are nuances to this method as well, particularly since Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant are on the flanks, but the crowd at this ground relishes the direct approach as if it were a reproach to opponents such as Chelsea, who are supposed to be so rich as to have been cut off from reality.

It was unfortunate that Etherington, who adds finesse to Stoke, did not last the day and had to be substituted because of injury. Villas-Boas might have been bemused even though he knew what to expect. His own side, like many others who come here, found themselves playing a little like Stoke. On the verge of the interval it was largely determination that led to Torres bearing his way into the area, only for him to miskick.

Tony Pulis's team do not flourish by accident. After a powerful campaign that swept them to the FA Cup final they are in the Europa League qualifiers and seem set to advance further, having already beaten Hajduk Split home and away. Those fixtures were helpful, too, in making them look more ready than Chelsea for the realities of a testing fixture in August.

Stoke's style works and rests on skills of their own. If Chelsea were largely subdued in the first half, they at least found some rhythm after the break, with Stoke unable to sustain the energy levels on show earlier. There was at least the obvious possibility of a goal. Mikel John Obi had a drive tipped over in the 56th minute but Chelsea felt closer to a goal just before that. Frank Lampard might have had a penalty but did seem to be going down before Marc Wilson challenged. Torres was soon to miskick when Terry headed a Florent Malouda corner to him. It was a match that could never quite find the one sure touch required.

Villas-Boas is under no pressure whatsoever but this afternoon gave him his first piece of substantial evidence to examine. His line-up is sound, with the midfield imposing enough and the defence ready to meet the sort of ordeal that Stoke tried to create for them. The long-throws rained down but Chelsea dealt with them.

In a sense this game has given Villas-Boas a little time. Few sides are allowed to look their best at the Britannia Stadium. It was not a typical Premier League contest and Chelsea will tell themselves that they should be judged by a higher and more sophisticated standard. For Stoke, though, these are just another bunch of visitors given a tough fixture. Pulis and his men will beam over the outcome. There is no such luxury for Chelsea, even if they did share the points.





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Mail:


Stoke 0 Chelsea 0: New manager but same old troubles for the Blues

By Matt Lawton


It was all so terribly familiar. A pouting Portuguese manager in the technical area and a Chelsea team faced with exactly the kind of problems that led to the departure of Carlo Ancelotti.

How does he accommodate Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in the same team? And how does he do so while trying to remain on the right side of Roman Abramovich?

Fortunately for Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea’s Russian owner gave this game a swerve and missed his new man wrestling with the conundrum. He started his first Premier League encounter with Torres but in his desperate search for a goal ended up with all three on the pitch after 75 minutes, and to no avail against a Stoke side that deserved their point from a predictably physical contest.

Rather like a certain predecessor, Villas-Boas did have a whinge afterwards. Stoke, he said, were guilty of some serious ‘pushing and grabbing’ in the penalty area. ‘It was out of this world,’ he declared, to which someone quite rightly pointed out that it was not a great deal different to tactics that were often employed by you-know-who.

As a central defensive partnership, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho were masters of the art and Stoke’s defenders — in particular Jonathan Woodgate and Robert Huth — deserve credit for the way they played here.

But it was all rather fascinating. Villas-Boas is just as animated as the other guy but a touch more unusual. He sank into a squat every time he got excited — which was so often he is in danger of wearing out his knee joints before he reaches 40 — and waved his arms around in a manner that made him look ever so slightly metrosexual alongside the Man at Sports Direct, Tony Pulis.

Stoke’s affable manager even played up to the contrast. ‘I know you all want to speak to the other bloke so I’ll be off,’ he said after answering the first question of his post-match press conference.

Villas-Boas does seem to possess a certain aura though and there is no doubt Torres has responded well to his arrival. Stoke did not make life easy for the Spanish striker, in the way they handled him directly as well as the way they cut off his supply, but he looked the sharpest he’s been since he joined Chelsea from Liverpool in January.

Villas-Boas will take some encouragement from that and when he watches a tape of the game he will see that his side not only created the best of the chances but could have also had two penalties; first when Ryan Shawcross brought down Torres and then when Marc Wilson planted a boot in front of an advancing Frank Lampard.

While there was a drop of the leg that convinced Mark Halsey that Lampard might have dived, Wilson will not want to make a habit of doing that.

Had Abramovich been at the Britannia Stadium, he would have also appreciated the improvement Chelsea made after the break; the fact that their football was more fluid and purposeful and the fact that Asmir Begovic had to make some excellent saves to keep his side in the game.

They are moving in the right direction even if Villas-Boas was so disappointed with the draw that doesn’t quite stand up to the defeat of Manchester United that marked one predecessor’s introduction to English football’s top flight.

This was always likely to be a tough game, though, and so it proved. Stoke lost out in the battle for possession — Chelsea enjoyed 66 per cent of the ball yesterday — but made the kind of advances that created real problems for their visitors. In dealing, in particular, with those long throws from Rory Delap, Petr Cech, Terry and Alex had to be as alert as they were athletic.

Torres threatened a couple of times in the opening half, at one stage beating two players only to then scuff his shot. But the touch was assured and the movement was excellent, and at times there were even flashes of the old acceleration. He was pulling clear of Woodgate at one stage until the centre half dragged him back by the shirt.

It was after the break that Chelsea could have had a penalty or two. There was another incident when Torres felt he had been dragged down by Woodgate, and again he had a point.

It was moments after Lampard went crashing to the ground that John Mikel Obi forced a fine save from Begovic with a super volley. And it was soon after Anelka came on that the Frenchman so nearly beat Stoke’s goalkeeper with a delightful chip. A further opportunity then fell to Salomon Kalou. Torres planted the ball on his head with a perfect delivery but the striker directed his effort straight at Begovic.

Villas-Boas responded to that by replacing Kalou with Drogba, which gave Chelsea more of a physical presence in the box but did not give his side the width they really needed.

‘I was happy with the width,’ their manager said afterwards but he also said enough to suggest he is looking to bring in some new players before the transfer window closes.

Yesterday, there was not one new face in Chelsea’s ranks — just on the bench — and until that changes there might be only so much Villas-Boas can do.

He needs to put his own signature on this Chelsea team; he needs a player like Luka Modric in midfield; and he needs Torres to continue his current rate of improvement to justify Drogba’s presence on the bench. A win against West Bromwich next weekend would obviously help, too.


MATCH FACTS

STOKE (4-4-2): Begovic 8; Huth 7, Shawcross 7, Woodgate 7, Wilson 6; Pennant 6, Delap 6 (Pugh 71min, 6), Whelan 6, Etherington 7 (Whitehead 62, 6); Walters 6, Jones 6 (Shotton 86). Subs not used: Sorensen, Collins, Diao, Wilkinson.

Booked: Shawcross, Wilson.

CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech 7; Bosingwa 6, Alex 7, Terry 7, Cole 6; Ramires 6, Obi 6, Lampard 6; Kalou 6 (Drogba 75, 6), Torres 7 (Benayoun 89), Malouda 6 (Anelka 66, 6). Subs not used: Hilario, Ivanovic, Ferreira, McEachran.

Booked: Cole, Lampard.

Man of the match: Fernando Torres.

Referee: Mark Halsey 6.




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Mirror:


Stoke 0-0 Chelsea

By David McDonnell



Two points dropped for Chelsea, but a player reborn in Fernando Torres.

Andre Villas-Boas will not worry unduly at points lost at the embryonic stage of the campaign.

Of far greater significance is the return of Torres to his former self – after months masquerading as the Invisible Man.

Against arguably the Premier League’s most physical side, he played with a verve and hunger unrecognisable from the striker who scored just once in 18 games last term after a £50million January move from Liverpool.

Torres failed to find the back of the net and hand Villas-Boas the perfect start to his Blues reign, but served emphatic notice he is close to returning to the devastating form that made Chelsea shatter the British transfer record to sign him.

Torres rediscovered his mojo at Stoke, principally his explosive burst of pace and the ability to glide past opponents to create goalscoring chances out of nothing.

Villas-Boas resisted the temptation to lavish praise on Torres afterwards, preferring to focus on the collective effort of his players.

But the Chelsea boss will have been relieved that his decision to start the Spaniard, ahead of Didier Drogba, was vindicated.

Drogba, given his bigger physique, had been expected to start against Stoke to help Chelsea deal with the Potters’ robust approach. But Torres coped with any brutal treatment and refused to hide.

A cynical 10th-minute tackle on the forward earned Ryan Shawcross a yellow card, and he was also hounded by Robert Huth.

But Stoke’s belligerent tactics towards him were just evidence of the constant threat he posed.

Dropping deep to collect the ball and pulling defenders out of position by running to the flanks, Torres gave Chelsea a penetrative edge, despite widemen Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou offering little support.

This was the first time in 10 years that Chelsea had failed to win their opening Premier League game – not a stat Villas-Boas would have wanted in his first competitive match.

But there was enough in his side’s second-half display to give him optimism. Stoke matched Chelsea in the first period, putting constant pressure on them with their favoured reliance on Rory Delap’s long throw-ins and free-kicks into the danger area, but Blues imposed themselves after the break.

Chelsea felt aggrieved by Mark Halsey’s failure to award any of three second-half penalty appeals.

When Torres was felled on the edge of the penalty area by Shawcross their cries to the referee appeared to have some merit.

The others, a theatrical dive from Frank Lampard after Marc Wilson had clumsily stuck out a leg, and a fall from Torres under pressure from Jonathan Woodgate, were rightly turned down.

Stoke were thankful to young keeper Asmir Begovic, who kept them in the game with two stunning second-half saves as Chelsea began to exert relentless pressure, with the home side visibly tiring.

The first was a dipping long-range strike from John Obi Mikel, which Begovic tipped over, before he pushed a goalbound shot from sub Nicolas Anelka on to the bar.

The introduction of Anelka and Drogba, for Malouda and Kalou, gave Chelsea greater urgency and purpose in attack, but they couldn’t find a way past Stoke’s disciplined defence.

Their frustration was epitomised by Lampard’s 87th-minute booking for throwing the ball down in disgust at a decision.

Torres was replaced by Yossi Benayoun with a minute to go, having reminded the football world of the validity of the old adage that form is temporary, but class is permanent.

Accommodating Torres, Drogba and Anelka is likely to be a headache for Villas-Boas this season, as it was for his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti.

But if Torres can sustain this level of performance, he will be hard to dislodge.





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Star:


STOKE 0 CHELSEA 0: ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS LEARNS IT’S ROUGH AT THE TOP

By Jeremy Cross


NEW Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas wasted no time in setting a record of the wrong kind as his side drew a disappointing blank.

This stalemate was the first time the Blues had failed to win their opening league game in 10 seasons.

It is far too soon to cast doubts on the 33-year-old Portuguese coach, of course, but his side’s failure to convert pressure into goals was all too familiar.

Substitute Nicolas Anelka came closest to finding a breakthrough late on, but a defeat would have been harsh on Stoke, whose boss Tony Pulis had warned his opposite number of what to expect.

Villas-Boas cost the Blues more than £13m in compensation and ­arrived at Stamford Bridge with huge expectations on his young shoulders.

But he couldn’t have had a tougher start to life in English football.

Yet Villas-Boas showed he wasn’t afraid to make big decisions.

He left Didier Drogba and Anelka on the bench and started with Fernando Torres in a brave ­attempt to succeed where Carlo Ancelotti failed.

But despite Torres’ hard work and determination, it was a repeat of last season as the £50m flop continued to finds goals hard to come by.

Things were more straight­forward for Pulis, however, who was without new signing Matthew ­Upson due to lack of fitness but handed a league debut to fellow centre-back Jonathan Woodgate.

The Blues had to weather the ­expected storm, with Rory Delap’s thunderbolt long throw causing havoc within two minutes.

Ryan Shawcross then welcomed Torres to the new season with a crude challenge that earned him the first booking of the game.

When matters settled down, it was the visitors who looked the more dangerous going forward.

Asmir Begovic was forced to tip wide a long-range effort from ­Ramires and Torres also fired wide as the Blues looked to take the sting out of the contest.

Tempers threatened to flare when Ashley Cole avoided a booking for chopping down Robert Huth as the Blues were in danger of being sucked into a physical battle.

The closest the first half came to providing a goal was when ­Ramires ghosted between two defenders, only to see his effort flash across the face of Asmir Begovic’s goal.

At the other end, Petr Cech was under aerial siege from Kenwyne Jones and Jonathan Walters but was just about coping.

Stoke lacked finesse, not to mention a killer touch in the final third, as they continued to waste promising breaks with a poor final ball.

Not that the Blues’ finishing was any better. Torres tried his luck on the stroke of half-time but stabbed his effort well wide before Ramires failed to hit the target as his side’s huff and puff came to nothing.

Moments later, Torres was ­denied again, this time from point-blank range, as he tried to latch on to John Terry’s knockdown.

Chelsea were beginning to gather speed but so were their frustrations when Frank Lampard was denied a penalty after tumbling under a challenge from Marc Wilson.

The England star was adamant he had been tripped but replays suggested he was already going to ground when contact was made.

The visitors were denied the lead when Begovic tipped over John Obi Mikel’s powerful volley from the edge of the penalty box.

Begovic was at it again after 72 minutes, tipping Anelka’s curling effort on to the bar before keeping out Salomon Kalou’s header.

At least Villas-Boas showed ­ambitions to win the game, as he threw on Anelka and Drogba in the final quarter while also keeping Torres on the field.

This must have made a pleasant change for Spain’s World Cup ­winner, but it made no difference to Stoke’s determination.

Woodgate was immense in keeping the Blues’ attacking trio at bay, while Shawcross alongside him was not far behind.

The visitors squandered two ­vital points on this ground last season in the title run-in and only time will tell how costly this result will prove, but it will not have done Villas-Boas’s men much good, that’s for sure.





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Sun:


Stoke 0 Chelsea 0

By STEVEN HOWARD


ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS wore a black tie.

It was all rather appropriate considering it was one of THOSE occasions, a funereal-style afternoon when the new Chelsea manager discovered to his cost just why teams hate coming to Stoke.

It's cold, miserable, in the middle of nowhere, the defenders are all giants of 6ft plus and the football is a throwback to a bygone era.

And you also don't get penalties. Well, you didn't yesterday.

And he probably imagined Chelsea didn't get much luck, either, with Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic - a player the Blues tried to sign a year ago - making stunning second-half saves from Jon Obi Mikel, Nicolas Anelka and Salomon Kalou.

OK, Stoke do what they do well, they got to the FA Cup Final, they're in Europe, they won 10 games at the Britannia last season and they've got loud, noisy fans who make it tough for visiting players and referees alike.

But it ain't much fun.

As Villas-Boas found out on his much-awaited Chelsea debut.

He certainly looked the part, trim, healthy and dapper in a charcoal suit, black shoes and that black tie.

In fact, it was Tony Pulis who seemed more like the 33-year-old in his blue football top, tracksuit bottoms, baseball cap and white trainers - rather than, as he is, a man 20 years older.

And yet it was a long 90 minutes for the former Porto boss, who complained: "I was astonished by all the pushing and grabbing."

He spent much of the time squatting on his haunches in the technical area, employing his own version of semaphore to get his message over, pointing to where he thought players should or shouldn't have been - all accompanied by ear-splitting whistles and frustrated tosses of the head as Chelsea contrived to draw a game they should have won.

That Stoke's first three excursions into the penalty area should have been courtesy of Rory Delap doodlebugs won't come as too much of a surprise.

That they took 76 minutes to get their one and only shot on target might be seeing the success they enjoyed at home last season.

Then, again, Chelsea didn't test the Bosnian-Canadian Begovic until the 55th minute themselves.

The first half was a total and utter washout.

There is poor and there is poor. This was worse.

Was this really what Sky TV had been devoting 24 hours a day, seven days a week to for a seeming eternity?

Why newspapers had cut down forest after forest of newsprint?

Why all those teams had been doing all that training and working themselves to a frazzle for the last four to six weeks?

Why they had travelled thousands of miles on pre-season tours and stayed studiously abstemious?

For THIS?

Thankfully, Chelsea upped the ante after the break and created enough chances to have been rewarded with all three points.What they WERE rewarded with was a decent enough performance from Fernando Torres.

It's fashionable, of course, to hammer the £50million Spaniard after the start he has had to his Chelsea career.

And to crack the odd joke. As we did yesterday when someone asked how long Torres had been suffering from concussion for and the general consensus was eight months.

And, yes, it IS now just one goal in 19 starts. But even those on his case will have to admit he looked sharp and had one of his better games yesterday (though they will say that isn't too difficult).

He certainly should have had a penalty early in the second half when he was brought down by Ryan Shawcross.

A second call, after he was grounded as he turned to shoot minutes later, wasn't so convincing.

A third Chelsea appeal when Frank Lampard went down under a challenge from Marc Wilson in the 54th minute was touch and go.

Sixty seconds later, the visitors might well have taken the lead when Mikel got hold of a volley outside the area and only a spectacular late tip-over by Begovic saved the day.

Villas-Boas then sent on Anelka for Florent Malouda and Chelsea as good as took over. Their two greatest chances came in the 73rd minute when Anelka's beautiful chip seemed to have eluded Begovic only for the keeper to twist and turn it on to the bar.

Then within seconds he was diving to his right to clutch a Kalou header from a well-flighted Torres cross.

At this point, Chelsea realised it wasn't going to be their day and the storm blew itself out.

Even the entrance of Didier Drogba could not do the trick.

If Villas-Boas wants to win the title in his first season then someone has to start scoring the goals that yesterday's chances should have brought.

One thing is certain. The Torres-Drogba debate has a long way to go.

Even though Villas-Boas does not want to take part in it.