Tuesday, December 27, 2011

fulham 1-1






Independent:

Villas-Boas admits title dream over for Chelsea

Chelsea 1 Fulham 1
SAM WALLACE STAMFORD BRIDGE

Given Roman Abramovich's track record of hiring and firing, it is a brave Chelsea manager who concedes the Premier League title in December, but that was exactly what Andre Villas-Boas did yesterday.
Later on in the day, Manchester City's draw at West Bromwich Albion put a different complexion on the top of the table, where Chelsea trail the leaders by 11 points, but the wider point made by the Chelsea manager stands. He said that his team needed six points from this home game and next Saturday's against Aston Villa if they were to stay in contention. It is not what Abramovich will want to hear but full marks for honesty.
This was not the kind of performance of a side capable of winning the title, and when you consider that Manchester United put five goals past Fulham without reply at Craven Cottage six days ago, the problem comes into sharper focus. If Arsenal beat Wolves at home today, they will go above Chelsea into fourth place.
Villas-Boas said there was "no big drama" about his admission and certainly he appears to be a man who has Abramovich's full backing to take his time over remoulding this Chelsea team into something more resembling a Premier League title challenger. "I think it's pretty difficult [to win the title], to be fair," Villas-Boas said. "The distance, by the end of today, will be far to the Manchester clubs for us to challenge for this Premiership.
"A good December for us would have been six points from these two home games, but bearing in mind this draw – if the leading teams do their jobs – it'll be very difficult for us to win it."
Later on in his press conference, when he returned to the subject again, he did not attempt to backtrack. "You assess things as they are. There's no big drama in terms of how we look at things. But you have to be sufficiently real. The difference between us and the top will be big. We had reduced it to seven points recently, but 13 points [it is only 11] would be new for us.
"That is the perspective we have to take at the moment: it's difficult. It's not impossible. You cannot say that. But we have to focus on our position at the moment and make a real assessment. Maybe the Premiership is over for us at the moment.
"We had targeted the December fixtures as an ideal situation to find out what would happen. We continue to do that. There is always tension for you to get results in a massive club like this one. You have to be real. You cannot live under false expectations when the gap is this big."
False expectations? If ever they were evident at Chelsea then it is in Fernando Torres, the £50m man who was given his first start in eight league games yesterday and did not get the goal that his season so desperately requires. He had a good chance saved by Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale in the first half and created Juan Mata's goal, but it was still not enough.
Villas-Boas persisted with Torres for 90 minutes, moving him out to the wing in the end to operate with a "false No 9" in Mata, and the striker faded further. When Didier Drogba came on with 20 minutes left, Torres looked like the natural candidate to come off but instead it was Daniel Sturridge who was summoned and reacted angrily, barging past assistant manager Roberto Di Matteo.
If another game without a goal was not bad enough for Torres, the club only went and made things worse by inviting Jimmy Greaves along as a guest of honour, the man who scored 132 goals in 167 games over four prolific seasons in the first team at Stamford Bridge.
The old rascal was on the pitch waving to the fans at half-time and Villas-Boas later noted that Greaves had been in the dressing room with one of his young grandsons to get autographs. Who knows whether Torres recognised him? The problem for the Chelsea striker is that his goalscoring stats at the club are as bad as Greaves' record is wondrous.
Torres has scored five goals in 11 grim months at Stamford Bridge. In terms of Premier League goals, he has scored one more this calendar year, four, for his former club Liverpool than he has for Chelsea. He left the pitch at full-time with the usual smacked-arse expression.
Fulham? They were a damn sight better organised than the rabble that allowed United to put five goals past them at the Cottage, with Danny Murphy operating behind a midfield quartet that had Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembélé at the centre. Dempsey scored the equaliser on 56 minutes while Dembélé added to his reputation as one of the Premier League's emerging stars.
There was precious little impact from Orlando Sa, alone in attack, but there were excellent performances elsewhere. The Swiss winger Alex Frei had a good Premier League debut and Stockdale kept Fulham in it with a series of saves at the end of the game from Drogba and Florent Malouda.
Martin Jol, the Fulham manager, lost Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson to injuries in training on Friday, he said later, and it will be instructive to see whether the Achilles problem picked up by the former affects his chances of a move away next month.
Even Villas-Boas conceded that his team had been outplayed in the first half when their best chance was a Mata ball taken on Torres' chest. He could not get his shot past Stockdale. Torres set up Mata for the goal two minutes after the break which was crisply struck into the bottom left corner.
The equaliser began with Dempsey heading the ball out to Bryan Ruiz who, in his best moments, is another fine player to watch. He went past Ashley Cole, a rarity, and put in a cross that Dempsey got to just before David Luiz and Petr Cech. Shortly after that, Villas-Boas brought off Frank Lampard. To say the player looked unimpressed by the decision was putting it mildly.
But this is clearly a young manager with a licence to change Chelsea. Afterwards, Villas-Boas admitted the club were in talks over the signing of defender Gary Cahill from Bolton. "We had initial talks, but that doesn't mean a deal will be concluded," he said. He sounded like a man building for the future; not worrying about the present.

Substitutes: Chelsea Malouda 6 (Lampard, 61), Drogba (Sturridge, 70), Ferreira (Bosingwa, 81). Fulham Kasami (Sa, 82).
Booked: Chelsea Bosingwa; Fulham Dempsey.
Man of the match Stockdale.
Match rating 5/10.
Possession: Chelsea 59% Fulham 41%.
Attempts on target: Chelsea 15 Fulham 6.
Referee K Friend (Leicestershire).
Attendance 41,548.


=================

Guardian:

Clint Dempsey punishes lethargic Chelsea to gain Fulham deserved point
Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

The admission, when it came, hardly felt revelatory. André Villas-Boas surveyed another costly stalemate and a stalled title pursuit and merely stated the obvious. "It'll be pretty difficult, to be fair," said the Portuguese. "The distance is too far between us and the Manchester clubs for us to challenge for the Premier League." Chelsea no longer consider themselves contenders.
Times really have changed at this club when a manager can declare the team out of the running even before the league campaign has reached its halfway point, but realism is biting in these parts. Villas-Boas has been charged with revitalising and rejuvenating this squad and that process has taken its toll on short-term prospects. The summit is still a distant 11 points away, with rivals closer to challenging. Should Arsenal beat Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday, Chelsea will even be out of the top four.
There have been too many occasions such as this, when opponents have merited at least the point they have accrued, already this season. Fulham, thrashed 5-0 at home by Manchester United last week, arrived with a makeshift if bold selection which should have rendered them vulnerable, not least in central midfield where attackers filled in for steelier absentees. A blistering start from Chelsea might have settled the contest, but there were no early inroads to be made. The hosts were lethargic before the break, and sloppy once they had prised out a lead. This felt like an opportunity missed.
Chelsea had followed up inflicting Manchester City's first defeat of the campaign by dropping points at lowly Wigan, so there was always the possibility of stumbling having impressed in drawing at Tottenham Hotspur last week. The late flurry of chances created, and denied by the excellent David Stockdale in the visitors' goal, was deceptive. Fulham might even have won in stoppage time only for Pajtim Kasami's attempt to be stifled. They still departed hugely encouraged while their hosts licked their wounds.
A tally of 34 points in 18 games would normally leave a team such as this in contention. "But with City and United continuing to get the points they are getting at the moment, it'll be difficult," said Villas-Boas. "That is the perspective we have to make at the moment. Difficult. Not impossible. But maybe the Premiership is over for us at the moment. There is always tension for you to get results in a massive club like this one, but you have to be real. You cannot live under false expectations when the gap is this big."
That was delivered before City's draw at the Hawthorns but, even so, there are too many teams in between Chelsea and the top for them to feel close. Rather, the process of evolution will continue. Gary Cahill will arrive in the new year from Bolton Wanderers, with potentially one other signing to follow – more significant reshaping of the squad will have to wait until the summer – with the manager's principal consolation being the excellence of some of the additions he has made at this club. Juan Mata scored his team's goal here, a wonderfully snapped finish from Fernando Torres's strong control and astute lay-off. Raul Meireles and Oriol Romeu, not for the first time, also impressed.
More troubling was the negligible impact made by Frank Lampard, and Torres's inability to engineer himself any personal reward. One smart collection on his chest and volley was blocked by Stockdale, but that was as close as he came on his first start since October. The Spaniard still boasts more league goals for Liverpool (four) in 2011 than for Chelsea (three) since his £50m arrival 11 months ago. Didier Drogba may not be as powerful a presence as he once was but he still offers greater bite and, more significantly, a focal point for this team.
Stockdale denied the Ivorian near the end, a save that typified his excellence throughout. Fulham might have been expected to wilt here, with Danny Murphy their lone defensive-minded midfielder in an area Chelsea should be strong. Instead, they imposed themselves early on when Mousa Dembélé and Orlando Sa might have converted. Once behind, their response was admirably swift: Bryan Ruiz teased space from Ashley Cole to centre, and Clint Dempsey slid in to convert ahead of a tentative Petr Cech and David Luiz.
This draw, a rarity for Fulham at bitter rivals, was achieved without Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora, the pair having succumbed to groin and achilles injuries in training on Christmas Eve. The latter is still expected to leave next month and will need to be properly replaced, but this was a display to suggest the loss to United had been an aberration. "We've shown we can take on these good teams," said Martin Jol. "Sometimes you need to take a gamble, and that is what we did today." In contrast, if Villas-Boas is to be believed, nobody should be betting on Chelsea recovering to mount a title challenge.

============================

Telegraph:

Chelsea 1 Fulham 1: match report
By Jason Burt, at Stamford Bridge

Jimmy Greaves went to the Chelsea dressing room after this encounter to share his memories of the club with the players but, hopefully, he also imparted a few words to Fernando Torres to remind him how to score a goal.
One hundred and thirty-two times in 167 matches, between 1957-61, Greaves caressed the ball into the net for Chelsea and, while Torres has also been a great goal-scorer, he still appears a man living on his own memories right now rather than justifying that big reputation and that even bigger, £50m, transfer fee.
Torres has scored more goals for Liverpool in the Premier League this year (four) than Chelsea. And he left Anfield in January.
The Spaniard didn’t play badly but in his first league start since Oct 29 - and the 5-3 home defeat to Arsenal - he simply didnt do enough as Chelsea slid to a third consecutive 1-1 draw that deflated their already flaccid title hopes.
Torres' played a significant part in Chelsea's goal, taking down Ashley Cole's cross but, in truth, it wasn’t a lay-off more a mis-control that then led the ball to run to Juan Mata who struck a whipped, left-foot effort beyond the unsighted David Stockdale.
There was, in the first-half, also a smart chest-down and volley that was clutched by theFulham goalkeeper but, even then, Torres might have been braver had he attempted a header.
Andre Villas-Boas rested Didier Drogba which given his age, 33, and recent workload was no surprise but with the Ivory Coast striker off to the African Cup of Nations soon it was a decision that back-fired. Whichever way Chelsea try and sugar-coat it, Torres was a bitter disappointment although the manager persisted with him – rather than replaced him – throughout 90-plus frustrating minutes.
Greaves, now 71, is a rare visitor to Stamford Bridge and he was presented to the crowd at half-time, alongside his grand-son, but it wasn’t enough to lift a flat atmosphere. Maybe it was the early kick-off, maybe it was a growing sense of apprehension at Chelsea’s chequered campaign, maybe it was the realisation that Fulham were well worthy of their derby draw. By the end there were muted boos from the home support but even those were half-hearted.
It wasn’t a good day for some of Chelsea’s big names with Cole all too easily beaten by Bryan Ruiz – wafting a leg as the Fulham midfielder feinted to cross – for the visitors’ equalizing goal which was turned in from close-range by Clint Dempsey and Frank Lampard a pale shadow of himself as he trudged through 61 miserable minutes before being replaced.
The shape of this ‘new Chelsea’ is becoming clearer by the game and the brutal truth is it doesn’t include Lampard.
Indeed Villas-Boas’s title concession came with the sureness of a man who knows he has a mandate for change as long as he can continue to keep Chelsea in the top four and give the Champions League a go. At least two signings are planned for January – first up is Bolton’s Gary Cahill – but what is more fascinating is who is on the way out.
The major overhaul will wait until the summer but Villas-Boas has to be careful also. Should Arsenal win at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers then Chelsea will, once again, drop out of the top four and whatever backing the manager has suddenly comes into sharp focus again. Roman Abramovich wasn’t here – he was partying in the Caribbean – but he will have watched from afar.
In fairness, Fulham played well. Very well. Stockdale pulled off a series of fine saves but he was pipped as man-of-the-match by the skill and physical endeavour of Moussa Dembele. Chelsea attacked relentlessly in the final few minutes, forcing Stockdale into action. He saved from Drogba’s weak shot, he tipped over Raul Meireles’s header and pushed away a stooping nod on from Drogba and then turned away Florent Malouda’s drive before, finally, diverting Drogba’s dipping free-kick.
Fulham manager Martin Jol lost Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson to injury before this match and decided to roll the dice and go for it. That appeared an absurdly attacking side and it carved out the first opening with Orlando Sa heading over Stephen Kelly’s cross before Dembele cross-cum-shot just evaded the diving Ruiz.
Surely, though, Chelsea would exploit such an approach? Daniel Sturridge failed to properly connect with a Bosingwa cross and Torres fired wastefully over but – apart from his volley – it was toothless before, soon after the break, Mata struck. John Arne Riise then blocked a John Terry volley, from a corner, and a curling shot from Sturridge was comfortably tipped over before Malouda flicked the ball goal-wards from inside the six-yard area – only for Stockdale to save again – and was wrongly flagged for offside.
By the end, Fulham could have inflicted more damage - after Chelsea dozed at a free-kick - but Pajtim Kasami shot poorly at Petr Cech when he was given a glimpse of goal. The watching Greaves would have flicked back his memory banks and replayed how he had scored from that position many, many times. But then he would have thought the same from Chelsea’s chances.



========================

Mail:

Chelsea 1 Fulham 1: Jim can't fix it... Greaves at Bridge to see Torres fail again
By MATT BARLOW

It is half a century since Jimmy Greaves scored his last Chelsea goal, but when Stamford Bridge needed spirits lifting, they were happy to have the 71-year-old in the building.
Greaves was the club's guest at yesterday's west London derby, a rare return to the stadium where he started his prolific career and scored 132 goals in four years before departing for Italy.
Fans stood to salute the former England striker as he walked around the pitch at halftime and, afterwards, Andre Villas- Boas invited him into the dressing room to talk to his players.
'It is important for this club to feel its history,' said Villas-Boas, as he reflected upon a draw against Fulham which he admits ends any pretensions Chelsea had of winning the title this season.
Juan Mata fired the Blues ahead early in the second half but Clint Dempsey quickly levelled and David Stockdale made a string of saves to preserve a deserved point for the visitors.
Villas-Boas must hope Greaves had a gem of advice for Fernando Torres, who showed no signs of recapturing his sparkle as he started his first Premier League game for two months.
Torres has not scored in the league since a goal in the 4-1 win against Swansea in September, when he was later sent off.
He has netted more Premier League goals for Liverpool (four) in 2011 than he has for Chelsea (three) and next month he will be expected to lead the line when Didier Drogba goes to the Africa Cup of Nations.
The silky footwork of Moussa Dembele and shot-stopping skills of David Stockdale lit up a low-key west London derby for a crowd who managed to reach Stamford Bridge despite the Tube strike.
It was a surprise Villas-Boas left Drogba out yesterday, considering the presence of Philippe Senderos in the Fulham back four. The Ivorian usually terrorises Senderos, but Torres got the nod and had the best chance of the first half, after 15 minutes.
Mata clipped a diagonal pass towards his fellow Spaniard. It was there to be headed but Torres opted to control it on his chest. He did this neatly and volleyed with his right foot but too close to Stockdale, who saved.
'We don't judge our strikers on the score,' said Villas-Boas. 'We are one of the most attacking teams in the country. We have a lot of goals spread out among the team. What is important is that they make an impact. That is what we expect.'
Torres can claim an assist in the opener, fighting down a bouncing cross from Ashley Cole on the left and nursing it to Mata, who lashed home from just inside the area. It was Mata's fifth goal for the club he joined in August, but Fulham equalised within nine minutes.
Bryan Ruiz collected a pass from Senderos, twisted past Cole and whipped the ball across the face of goal. Petr Cech could not reach it and Dempsey slid in ahead of David Luiz to score.
Chelsea dominated after the goals but, without the midfield pace and energy of the suspended Ramires, they found it hard to unsettle a well-organised Fulham.
Still, it was peculiar to see Villas-Boas take off his two leading scorers - Frank Lampard and Daniel Sturridge - as the team searched for a winner.
Stockdale was busy, making a fine sequence of saves, but many of them were routine and he was well protected by his splendid back four.
The goalkeeper tipped over efforts from Sturridge, Drogba, and a header from Raul Meireles.
The best was perhaps made with his boot as Florent Malouda tried to divert a John Terry header into the net from close range. Stockdale made the block and the rebound hit Malouda before rolling out for a goal-kick.
Fulham substitute Pajtim Kasami was denied a dramatic late winner by Cech in stoppage time, but boss Martin Jol was relieved to see a reaction from his team after they were thrashed 5-0 at home by Manchester United last week.
'I thought we were the better team in the first half,' said Jol.
'It was only against United we didn't have a good result. We had a good result against Liverpool and at the Emirates. We tried to play our football and did that well, particularly in the first half.'
Fulham, who have not won a league game at Stamford Bridge since 1979, went into the game without strikers Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora, who both limped out of a training session on Christmas Eve.
Zamora has aggravated the achilles problem which has been nagging him for six weeks, said Jol, and Johnson picked up a groin injury, which makes him doubtful for Saturday's trip to Norwich.
Chelsea's injury problems mount too. Jose Bosingwa was forced off with a hamstring injury and is doubtful for Saturday's game against Aston Villa. He was replaced by Paulo Ferreira, who wore a mask to protect a fractured cheekbone. Villas-Boas confirmed he expects to be without Branislav Ivanovic and John Mikel Obi until mid-January at the earliest.
'We are trying to close the deal on a central defender,' he said with regards to signing Bolton's Gary Cahill. 'I don't think we'll do much more than that, maybe one player more. A central defender will be our priority. We had initial talks with Bolton, but that doesn't mean a deal will be concluded. We will see.'


=================

Mirror:
Chelsea 1-1 Fulham:
By Martin Lipton

The mood was resigned, not angry - the fire and fury has gone - just a handful of boos.
It is all about fighting for the minor places now. Seeking to ensure a top four finish.
Chelsea are out of the title race admits Villas-Boas
Not, surely, what Roman Abramovich envisaged when he gave Carlo Ancelotti the push in May and entrusted his club to a relative rookie who promised to bring the good times back.
Yet as a Fulham side taken to the cleaners by Manchester United days before stymied Chelsea with far too much ease, it was a fundamental festive message swirling round south-west London.
Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas knew that beating Manchester City alone was not the key. It was how his Chelsea side kicked on from that victory that mattered.
That response has been three games, three draws, three points, Fulham joining Wigan and Spurs in holding the Blues, City disappearing into the distance as Chelsea face being fifth by close of business on Tuesday.
That was why he gave his concession speech.
When Juan Mata profited from good approach play from the recalled Fernando Torres – wasn’t it supposed to be the other way round? – to smash home, Chelsea should have gone on to win.
Instead, more lax defending was punished by Clint Dempsey, prodding home from close range, Chelsea’s remaining hopes of gate-crashing Manchester’s private title party surely ended for good.
And while there was a late flurry of chances, all denied by David Stockdale, there could be no real complaints either.
Where Chelsea had been full of passionate intensity at White Hart Lane, here they were limp, ponderous and lethargic, only John Terry and David Luiz injecting impetus as they came out with the ball.
Indeed, for all their possession, Chelsea only carved out one real chance in the opening period - one which told both sides of the Torres story.
The Spanish striker’s movement, pulling off Stephen Kelly’s right shoulder as Mata worked space to play the ball in, was excellent, as was the chest control that took the ball into space and the acrobatic volley which followed.
But the shot, well-hit and smashed straight into David Stockdale’s midriff, was grasped easily by the keeper.
Torres was not bad. He did all right. But all right is no longer good enough.
Not after 11 months of staggering under-achievement. Not for £50million.
And while Fulham had far less of the ball – and gave scant support to lone striker Orlando Sa – they threatened to do more with it.
Petr Cech made an uncomfortable early save from Dempsey, Sa headed wide when well-placed, Mousa Dembele created room but shot across the face of goal.
At least the second period was better, starting when Torres teed up Mata to lash home a left-footer from 16 yards.
In other seasons, Chelsea would have put their foot down. But this is not the same Chelsea, and within nine minutes Fulham were level.
Bryan Ruiz sold Ashley Cole an outrageous dummy that was bought hook, line and sinker by the England left-back, and when he rolled perfectly between Terry, Luiz and Cech, Dempsey made the only contact.
Chelsea were stung, Villas-Boas hooking the subdued Frank Lampard and Daniel Sturridge and sending Didier Drogba on to join Torres.
Yet Stockdale was resolute and inspired, sticking out a leg to keep out Florent Malouda’s close-range back-heel, denying Drogba twice and then, in the frantic final five minutes, thwarting everything that Raul Meireles, Malouda and Drogba threw at him.
The jeers at the final whistle told their own tale - one of Chelsea woe as the fans faced up to the new reality.
No longer standard setters. Now just followers of other people’s fashion.


===========================

Sun:

Chelsea 1 Fulham 1
By MARK IRWIN

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS might have thrown in the title-race towel but he is still not prepared to give up on Fernando Torres.
The £50million Spaniard made his first Premier League start since October after warming the bench for Chelsea's last seven games.
And he even looked half interested for the first 30 minutes. Which is a start.
But by the end of another disappointing day at the Bridge, it was the same old story of Britain's most expensive player failing to justify his record transfer fee and £9m-a-year contract.
True, he did set up Chelsea's 47th-minute goal when he held off Philippe Senderos for long enough for Juan Mata to shoot home.
He also managed a decent shot on target himself, chesting down from Mata's first-half chip before delivering a volley which was well saved by Fulham keeper David Stockdale.
Yet, surely, Chelsea are entitled to expect more for their money than one shot and one lay-off.
The fact that Torres has still scored more Premier League goals for Liverpool (4) than for Chelsea (3) in 2011 surely says it all.
But maybe Villas-Boas has more patience than his touchline histrionics would suggest. How else can you explain his extraordinary tolerance of such mediocrity?
AVB insisted after a third draw in nine days: "We don't judge our strikers on the goals they score." Which is just as well for Torres.
He added: "We are one of the most attacking teams in the country and we have a lot of goals spread out among the team.
"Didier Drogba has been playing in every recent fixture apart from the Carling Cup game so, today, we decided to bring Fernando in and he worked well for the team.
"He assisted Mata for his goal and he showed the level of commitment he has been showing in training."
Yet even a dressing-room visit from Chelsea legend Jimmy Greaves was unable to provide Torres with the inspiration to get his a*** into gear.
Greaves' 41 league goals in a single season in 1961 is still a Chelsea club record to this day.
On his current scoring rate, Torres should hit that figure somewhere around 2025.
Even allowing for his eagerness to get Torres back into action, Villas-Boas clearly missed a trick by allowing Fulham centre-half Senderos to avoid the confrontation with Drogba he must have been dreading.
The former Arsenal defender probably still has nightmares about his previous encounters with the Drog and could hardly believe his luck when he heard his nemesis would be starting on the bench.
Fulham arrived at the Bridge fresh from a 5-0 home battering by Manchester United just five days earlier and appeared to be there for the taking. Yet Chelsea were unable to pose anything like the same kinds of problems as United managed as they struggled to make an impact on a lethargic Boxing Day crowd.
Mata's 47th-minute strike briefly promised to open the floodgates for Chelsea.
But they were able to hold their lead for only nine minutes before Fulham deservedly levelled.
Just as at Tottenham on Thursday night, they were undone by a dangerous low cross into the six-yard box which Petr Cech and his central defenders were unable to deal with.
This time it was Bryan Ruiz, given far too much room by Ashley Cole, who fired the ball into the danger-zone.
And Clint Dempsey was able to force home ahead of home defenders John Terry and David Luiz.
The introduction of Drogba as a sub for the final 20 minutes prompted a response from a Chelsea team who suddenly seemed to realise their title hopes were disappearing down the plughole.
Florent Malouda, Raul Meireles and Drogba were all denied by important late saves from stand-in Fulham keeper Stockdale.
Daniel Sturridge and skipper Terry also went close in a hectic final half hour.
Yet the visitors had a late opportunity to snatch all three points themselves when Swiss substitute Pajtim Kasami fired straight at Cech deep into stoppage time.


DREAM TEAM
SUN STAR MAN — DAVID STOCKDALE (FULHAM)


CHELSEA: Cech 6, Bosingwa 6 (Ferreira 5), Luiz 7, Terry 7, Cole 6, Meireles 6, Romeu 6, Lampard 5 (Malouda 6), Sturridge 7 (Drogba 6), Torres 6, Mata 7. Subs not used: Turnbull, Lukaku, McEachran, Kalou. Booked: Bosingwa.
FULHAM: Stockdale 8, Kelly 7, Hangeland 7, Senderos 6, JA Riise 6, Dempsey 7, Murphy 6, Frei 6, Dembele 7, Sa 5 (Kasami 5), Ruiz 6. Subs not used: Etheridge, Sidwell, Baird, Hughes, Etuhu, Briggs. Booked: Dempsey.
REF: K Friend 7

==========================

Express:


CHELSEA 1 - FULHAM 1: FERNANDO TORRES IN NEED OF A JIMMY GREAVES LESSON
Fernando Torres has had a chastening time at Stamford Bridge so far
By Simon Yeend

THERE was one striker at Stamford Bridge getting a standing ovation yesterday.
Sadly for Andre Villas-Boas it was not Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba or Daniel Sturridge. It was Jimmy Greaves – who began his career at Chelsea and banged in 132 goals in 169 games – returning as a guest of honour.
Villas-Boas handpicked this game for Torres – a chance to exploit the lack of pace in the Fulham back line and rediscover his long-lost goal touch. It didn’t happen. To revisit an old quote from Bill Shankly, Torres looks as good as Jimmy Greaves, but then Jimmy is 71 now.
Torres had one decent chance in the first half but volleyed straight at the impressive David Stockdale. He did have a hand in Chelsea’s goal in the 47th minute, but only because he mis-controlled the ball on the edge of the area and it fell invitingly to Juan Mata, who curled it expertly into the corner. That lead lasted just nine minutes, though.
Bryan Ruiz made a fool of Ashley Cole on the left-hand side of the area, selling him a sweet dummy and crossing low. John Terry stretched and missed the ball, Clint Dempsey stretched and poked it home, just ahead of Petr Cech.
Greaves is second to none in this club, which is why he was invited to the dressing room to share those memories
Chelsea poured forward, threw on Drogba for Sturridge and Florent Malouda for a nonplussed Frank Lampard, but could not get the breakthrough.
Stockdale was the main reason, the keeper making great saves from Drogba, Sturridge, Malouda and Raul Meireles. Just two weeks ago Chelsea thought they were back in the title race after they ended Manchester City’s unbeaten run to close the gap to seven points. Three 1-1 draws have followed and the gap to the leaders has stretched back to 11 points, despite City being held at West Brom yesterday.
Villas-Boas admitted this is a bridge too far. He was anticipating a City win when he said: “The distance to the Manchester clubs can be too far to challenge for the title. It will be very difficult for us to win it. We had reduced it to seven points recently, but 13 points would be new for us.
“There’s no big drama in terms of how we look at things. But you have to be sufficiently real. Maybe the Premier League is over for us at the moment. You cannot live under false expectations when the gap is this big.”
Villas-Boas was equally frank in why his side did not win; they ‘weren’t good enough’. This against a side that lost their previous game 5-0 to Manchester United.
He kept Torres on the pitch for the full 90 minutes and praised his attitude. But how he would love a Greaves, who gave a pep-talk in the dressing room after the game.
“I don’t know what kind of impact the United result had on Fulham, but Martin Jol made enough changes to provoke some kind of revolt, and his players played brilliantly well. We had a good second half, had a lot of good opportunities, but always collided with a brave Fulham defence or against Stockdale, who had a fantastic game.
“We’ve just come from a fantastic game against Tottenham. Today we weren’t good enough to get the three points, that was clear.
“We decided to bring Fernando in. He has been working well and he had an impact in the game. He worked well for the team, assisted Mata for his goal, and showed the level of commitment he has shown in training. Greaves is second to none in this club, which is why he was invited to the dressing room to share those memories.”
The Blues will now move for reinforcements in January. With Drogba off to the African Nations Cup and Torres in wretched form, a striker would seem to be a priority. But the first bit of business will be a central defender, with Gary Cahill close to moving in from Bolton.
Fulham had striker problems of their own, with both Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora picking up injuries in a training session on Christmas Eve.
Jol, happy with the way his side responded after the mauling by United, said: “Our two main strikers dropped out so we had to come up with something else. It paid off. We tried to play our football, and we did that, particularly in the first half.”

Friday, December 23, 2011

tottenham 1-1





Independent:


Stunning stalemate delights Manchester

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Chelsea 1

SAM WALLACE



As the latest John Terry turmoil engulfed his club this week, Andre Villas-Boas would have settled for a draw, a decent performance and getting the hell out of White Hart Lane with a team even remotely still in with a chance of the Premier League title come May.

In the end, the Chelsea manager got just that last night: he got a hard-won point from a team that edged it on the night and showed, once again, that there is life in this club yet. They are 11 points behind the leaders Manchester City at Christmas but no-one was shaking their head in disbelief after the match when Villas-Boas declared after the game that Chelsea were still in contention in the title race.

They fought their way back into the match after going behind to Emmanuel Adebayor's goal in the eighth minute and, until a late flurry of chances for Spurs at the end of the game, it was Chelsea who looked most likely to win the match. It was close for most of it, thrillingly so, and it was played out in an intense, charged atmosphere that the players could not avoid being affected by.

Much of the aggression from the stands was directed, as expected, at Terry who was booed and abused in song by the Spurs fans even more than he usually is when he comes here. He left the pitch at the end of the match shirtless and defiant, his jersey thrown to the away supporters, typically a sign that he believes he has had a good game and, on this occasion, there was no disputing that fact.

But this was not just the John Terry show, even though it was the Chelsea captain who slid in behind Petr Cech to clear Adebayor's shot away from goal in the last minute. This was a much more rounded Chelsea performance from the likes of Daniel Sturridge, the goalscorer, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba. A special mention too, to Jose Bosingwa who deputised admirably at centre-back for the second half.

That is not to diminish the performance of Spurs in the first half who hit Chelsea like a hurricane in the early stages and scored within eight minutes. For those early assaults, marking Gareth Bale became the job of three Chelsea players at times and even they were not enough. Harry Redknapp's team would have put in the performance of the season had they sustained it but Chelsea came right back at them.

It was wonderful to watch. One mistake would have decided it either way but there were none from these two impressive sets of players. Cech made some fine saves in the late stages, amending for his error against Wigan. Ramires wasted a great chance to win the game with a free header in the 87th minute. He is, Villas-Boas said, the player who has had the most one-on-one opportunities this season in the whole squad.

Where does it leave both teams? Even further from the two Manchester clubs. The gap between Tottenham in third and Manchester United in second is seven points. This Christmas, the Premier League's two leading teams are pulling away and if Chelsea and Spurs are to get back into it then they will surely have to take points off the Manchester teams in the second half of the season

Redknapp lost Rafael Van der Vaart at half-time to a hamstring injury which undoubtedly reduced his team's capacity to attack Chelsea. The Dutchman was partly culpable in Chelsea's goal which came from Cole on the right side of Spurs' defence but Van der Vaart does offer more than Roman Pavlyuchenko who gave his team little in the second half.

The Tottenham team that began the game was close to the best team at Redknapp's disposal. In full cry they are a fearsome sight. The goal came from the run of Bale who went past Bosingwa as if he had not noticed the full-back. His cross, hit while going at pace, was beautifully placed and Adebayor came onto it perfectly to score.

Chelsea were leaning into a gale. There was a shot from Juan Mata, hit first time, that was saved by Brad Friedel. Sturridge put the rebound over. Then it was back down the other end for Spurs to continue their siege. A goal down, Villas-Boas was under pressure.

It is a times such as these that you wonder whether the young manager feels the brooding presence of Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres in their now customary positions on the substitutes' seats behind him. Torres came on for 13 very forgettable minutes. Lampard did no more than warm-up. This is how it is now at Chelsea.

The equaliser came on 23 minutes. There was a question mark over whether Cole handled the ball as he went past Van der Vaart on the left side, the ball ricocheting up and striking him. Clear of the Spurs man he crossed the ball for Sturridge in the centre to score. Shortly after Drogba, jumping behind Kyle Walker, took Raul Meireles' cross from the right on his chest and struck the ball first time. He hit the post.

Then the injuries started to undermine Chelsea. Both Branislav Ivanovic and John Obi Mikel were hobbling and for Villas-Boas there was no obvious replacement for the former. In the end Paulo Ferreira came on at right-back and Bosingwa was moved to centre-half. It was far from ideal but with Alex out the picture there was no option.

Despite that the second half was much better for Chelsea. Terry had a header saved. Sandro, the Spurs midfielder, put a header wide. In the last six minutes of the game, chances started to present themselves. Bale shot over. Cech pushed away a shot from Sandro that took a nasty deflection off Meireles. Then came Ramires' header, wide from Mata's cross.

Terry's clearance behind Cech was the final major act of the game. Villas-Boas was delighted, and given the issues he has had to manage at Chelsea this week, it is little wonder why.

Attendance 36,141.

Referee H Webb (South Yorkshire).




==========================




Guardian:


Daniel Sturridge earns Chelsea a draw against Tottenham Hotspur


Dominic Fifield at White Hart Lane


John Terry departed the turf here bare-chested and with a trademark salute to the travelling support, his evening transformed from a shaky start into a familiar show of strength. The defender might have arrived vulnerable, confronted by the capital's rising force in Tottenham Hotspur and distracted by the furore that had engulfed him in the build-up, but he grew into this contest in defiance of a din of abuse. In dragging his team with him any lingering frustrations at the end were Spurs' to endure.

A draw may not prove enough in the long-term to revive Chelsea's own interest in the title race – they now trail Manchester City by 11 points – yet they will have been buoyed at resisting Tottenham so impressively. A blip at Stoke recently aside, Spurs had felt irrepressible since the autumn and would have approached this encounter hoping to squeeze further breathing space from local rivals. Yet by weathering their early storm and imposing themselves impressively thereafter Andre Villas-Boas' team rather demonstrated that the balance of power in London has not tipped decidedly just yet.

The Portuguese's giddy reaction at the performance was evidence of satisfaction, though there was so much to admire from both sides in a contest that thrilled from the opening exchanges. Tottenham's start had been blistering, the hosts threatening to run riot for a period while Gareth Bale tore into the visitors' right flank with glee. Chelsea's subsequent recovery was just as admirable, restoring their poise by hauling themselves level against the run of play, then hinting that they might edge ahead with Didier Drogba thudding a half-volley on to the woodwork.

Their dominance was more persuasive after the interval, a fact acknowledged by both managers afterwards, even if the evening was denied a decisive third goal for all the rat-tat of chances created. The script felt somehow prescribed for Terry to block Emmanuel Adebayor's goal-bound attempt deep into stoppage time with his back as he slid in to intercept the Togo forward's shot. Villas-Boas claimed he would not have been dismayed to have lost in the dying seconds, so encouraged was he by the team's display, but the visitors were not to be denied the point they merited. Theirs had arguably been the more coherent attacking threat.

That had felt an unlikely conclusion to have eventually drawn when Chelsea were so tentative and Tottenham briefly untouchable at the start. Bale drove them on, the notion promoted by Harry Redknapp the previous day that the Welshman was "extremely doubtful" for the game at best appearing a deception as Jose Bosingwa and Branislav Ivanovic gasped in his early vapour trail. The Serb would not see out the half, limping livid from the fray with a hamstring strain to be replaced by Paulo Ferreira. A pair of Portuguese right-backs would eventually fare better against Bale but, while his adrenalin was pumping, Chelsea wilted.

For a period Spurs threatened to administer a thrashing. Bale had already veered across the penalty area, opponents shrinking in front of him, before seeing a shot at goal blocked. As it was, Chelsea were still breached by the eighth minute, Sandro Raniere claiming possession from Daniel Sturridge with the ball squirting out to Bale on the flank. Bosingwa was powerless to haul the winger in, with the Wales international's cross beautifully angled as it fizzed across the six-yard box beyond Terry for Adebayor to tap home ahead of a Petr Cech's tentative dive.

Yet, once behind, Chelsea appeared to recover some resolve. Indeed Spurs' better opportunities thereafter – Adebayor being denied a second, first by a linesman's flag and then by Terry's block, or Sandro's deflected shot tipped over the bar by Cech – were chiselled out on the break.

Instead the visitors, encouraged by Brad Friedel's spill from Juan Mata's attempt, found some rhythm. Sturridge had missed from the rebound but he would make amends. The England forward duly converted a ninth league goal of a productive campaign by tapping in Ashley Cole's cross with home players in uproar that the full-back had been waved on after the ball cannoned up kindly on to his arm from Rafael van der Vaart's attempted tackle.

Tottenham's approach was undoubtedly disrupted by the Dutchman's own hamstring strain – his team-mate Younes Kaboul had succumbed to the same problem in the warm-up, while the visitors' John Mikel Obi joined the walking wounded at the break – which prompted a reshuffle. Redknapp bemoaned a lack of options on the right with Aaron Lennon already absent, leaving Spurs to tweak their system and surrender numbers in the centre.

Ramires' rampaging runs from deep should have claimed the game for Chelsea, the Brazilian invariably free to burst forward only to prove profligate in front of goal. But, even if a draw leaves both these teams on the fringes of the title race, there is encouragement to be had.

Third and fourth at Christmas, they retain plenty of incentive.




===========================




Telegraph:


Tottenham Hotspur 1 Chelsea 1


By Henry Winter, at White Hart Lane



Even in troubled times there is a remarkable resilience to John Terry. Even with the abuse falling from the skies like acid rain, Chelsea’s captain rescued his team when it mattered most, making an astonishing last-minute clearance. Say what you like about Terry, and Spurs fans certainly did relentlessly, but he never hides.

He finished the game sliding across his six-yard box, somehow getting his body in the way of a goalbound shot from Emmanuel Adebayor.

Moments later, on the safe side of the final whistle, Terry marched across to the away fans congregated in the corner of the Park Lane End. He thumped the lion on his shirt, then removed his top, launching it into the away fans.

“There’s only one England captain,’’ chanted theChelsea fans. On this evidence, and even taking into account the reality that Terry was partly culpable for Adebayor’s goal, it is easy to understand from a footballing perspective why Fabio Capello sticks by him during his journey through the legal system. Like him or loathe him, Terry’s a leader.

Even in a season of transition, there is a seam of mettle running through Chelsea, embodied by Terry. They withstood the early tempest whipped up by Gareth Bale, recovered from Adebayor’s strike and injuries to Branislav Ivanovic and John Obi Mikel. They hit back through Daniel Sturridge and produced some splendid chances, two gilt-edged ones missed by Ramires.

Taking a point at the Lane is a fine achievement. Harry Redknapp’s hosts have been in such vibrant form, rising to third in the table, yet the feeling remained that those most pleased by last night’s draw hailed from Manchester. Spurs, who have a game in hand, are seven points adrift of United, themselves two behind City.

Chelsea are two points behind Spurs after this enthralling, end-to-end game ended with honours even, deservedly so. Spurs came flying out of the blocks, seeming to feed on the adrenalin cascading from the terraces on another memorably atmospheric occasion at the Lane. The chants were endless, the Spurs fans targeting Terry with all manner of invective.

Terry, typically, ignored all the barracking in the background. He needed all his concentration dealing with Spurs, who were inspired by Bale, the winger leaving Jose Bosingwa choking on his vapour trails. Taxi for Bosingwa? Almost.

The Portuguese was left standing again when Bale came calling after eight minutes. The excellent Sandro began the move, winning possession with a thunderous tackle on Sturridge. The Brazilian released Bale down the flank and the Welshman was on his bike. Not even Mark Cavendish would have caught him. Bosingwa certainly couldn’t.

For all the low, drilled quality of Bale’s cross, Chelsea should still have prevented its arrival at the feet of Adebayor. Petr Cech, seemingly fallible of late, failed to grab the cross. Terry also erred, responding too slowly to Adebayor’s run, allowing the Spurs striker to exploit Cech’s hesitancy and turn the ball in.

Chelsea responded. Ashley Cole, again excellent, began to push down the left. Sturridge started to move in menacingly from the right, his progress unhindered by Benoît Assou-Ekotto. Juan Mata settled, soon unleashing a drive that Brad Friedel pushed out. Sturridge seized on the loose ball but shot over under pressure from Ledley King.

Belief increasingly filled the blue shirts. Deserved reward soon came for Chelsea. Didier Drogba began the move to the equaliser, playing the ball towards Cole. Rafael van der Vaart, desperately seeking to intervene, simply knocked it on to Cole’s arm. Parker screamed for hand-ball but it was accidental.

Cole darted on, crossing to the far-post where Sturridge had again escaped the intermittent attentions of Assou-Ekotto. Sturridge is making a habit of appearing in these situations and he calmly swept Chelsea level.

The Blues were now in the mood. Raul Meireles had a shot saved. Drogba chested the ball down and almost broke the bar with an effort.

Ivanovic and then Mikel limped off. Paulo Ferreira went to right-back, Bosingwa impressively to centre-half while Oriol Romeu slotted in to deep midfield.

Still Chelsea feared Bale. Ramires was booked for a scissors-tackle on the Welshman. Spurs, having let the initiative slip, at least finished the half on an upbeat note. Assou-Ekotto’s cross was well controlled by Adebayor, who turned and opened a yard of space for himself. Cech was equal to the shot.

Another injury then forced a re-jig, this time for Spurs. Van der Vaart, who had been playing off Adebayor, felt his hamstring and failed to re-appear for the second half. Roman Pavlyuchenko strolled on but made little impact as Spurs lined up in more 4-4-2 mode. With Luka Modric moved to the right, Spurs lost some of their central creativity.

Chelsea still threatened. Drogba teased a pass through the middle for Ramires, whose first touch nudged the ball forward, taking him through one-on-one with Friedel. Ramires shot but Friedel blocked well.

Some controversy ensued as Adebayor, already on a yellow, went in on Terry, leaving the Chelsea fans baying for red. Howard Webb showed leniency.

Andre Villas-Boas made his last change with 14 minutes left, bringing on Fernando Torres. Frank Lampard, who had been warming up, receiving a few compliments from Spurs fans, sat down in the dug-out and removed his boots. He watched intently as Chelsea chased a winner. Sturridge was finding more room, testing Friedel with a drive.

Spurs had some glorious chances to win it through Bale, who shot wildly over, and then Sandro, who was brilliantly denied by Cech.

Still Spurs attacked, William Gallas just failing to score at the near-post.

Chelsea then wasted an even better chance. Ramires had the freedom of White Hart Lane as a free-kick came in. The midfielder was totally unmarked but he steered his header wide. Bad miss. Then Romeu clubbed a shot just wide. Then came that superb piece of defending by Terry.

It was all over bar the shouting at Terry. He shrugged it off.




============================




Mail:


Tottenham 1 Chelsea 1: Fair and square at the Lane with honours even in quality game

By MATT LAWTON



Saving his career remains a more serious battle but John Terry certainly saved Chelsea here on Thursday night, putting his body on the line once again to deny Tottenham victory in second-half stoppage time.

It would have been some goal. A move that started with a superb ball from Luka Modric and one that ended at the feet of Emmanuel Adebayor via Roman Pavlyuchenko and Gareth Bale. Suddenly it seemed Adebayor had only Petr Cech to beat. Suddenly it seemed he had beaten him with a curling right-foot shot.

But then, seemingly from nowhere, Terry arrived, launching himself across the face of Chelsea’s goal to divert the ball to safety.

It amounted to a piece of pure sporting theatre on a night when the focus of the cameras as well as the fans was never off the troubled England and Chelsea captain.

His performance, much like the statement he issued after the CPS announced this week that he would face prosecution for those events at Loftus Road in October, was one of defiance and here at White Hart Lane his colleagues followed his example.

A far better way to show their solidarity than a set of ill-advised, entirely inappropriate T-shirts.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas had described this as a must-win match in the context of the title race and his players certainly gave it a go. They conceded an early goal, scored in the eighth minute by Adebayor and in part down to a mistake by Terry.

But they responded with an equaliser from the excellent Daniel Sturridge, overcame yet more injury problems and finished the better side. They had roughly twice as many attempts on goal as their hosts.

Not that Harry Redknapp’s side were poor last night. On the contrary. They had that chance in the dying minutes and a goal disallowed for offside when it seemed Adebayor was onside. That said, he scored with his arm so it probably should not have stood anyway. In the end a draw seemed fair.

The right result for the two Manchester clubs but something that highlighted the quality of those chasing them and the excitement that is sure to come over what remains of the season. With Arsenal and Liverpool also in touch, it promises to be some battle for the minor Champions League places, never mind the championship.

Fast, furious and full of finesse, this was a fine way for the Barclays Premier League to sign off before Christmas, and despite dropping two more points Villas-Boas was quite right to praise his team for some ‘outstanding’ football.

A draw against a Tottenham side capable of challenging for the big prizes this season was a good result. It is more the draw at Wigan last weekend that they should regret, particularly when it followed a fine performance in Europe as well as the Premier League.

Terry appeared more determined than anyone to put that setback behind them, producing another excellent block in the opening couple of minutes to deny Bale.

How much of a distraction the allegations proved is hard to ascertain. But Terry was at fault for losing Adebayor in the seconds before Tottenham’s striker struck. In fairness, he was not helped by the fact that Sturridge lost possession to Sandro and the speed with which Tottenham turned defence into attack.

Bale accelerated down the wing and then delivered a cross that was just perfect for the advancing Adebayor. With Terry half a yard behind him and Cech perhaps a little hesitant in coming forward, Adebayor was left to execute what remained a courageous close-range finish.

Sturridge was presented with a chance to redeem himself almost immediately. When Ledley King misdirected a pass into the path of Juan Mata, the Spaniard responded with a shot Brad Friedel could only parry.

Sturridge got to the rebound but sent his effort over the bar.

The equaliser arrived after 23 minutes. There was a cry for handball, Scott Parker complaining to Howard Webb that Ashley Cole had handled before crossing to Sturridge.

But Parker might have to concede that it was ball to hand as Cole rode the challenge from Rafael van der Vaart. Webb clearly thought so, allowing Sturridge to level with another close-range finish.

It lifted Chelsea and it was not long before they nearly scored a second, Drogba drifting off Kyle Walker to control a Jose Bosingwa cross on his chest before driving a left-foot volley against the post.

But problems began to present themselves for Chelsea, with Villas-Boas losing both Branislav Ivanovic and John Mikel Obi to injury.

A booking for Ramires, for a naughty challenge on Bale, added to Chelsea’s difficulties. And yet it was the visitors who adapted better to the changes despite Fernando Torres making no impression, with Ramires and Raul Meireles outstanding in midfield and Sturridge continuing to press hard for inclusion in Fabio Capello’s plans.

Yes, the final chance fell to Adebayor and it took a fine save from Cech to divert a deflected effort from Sandro to safety. But Ramires missed with a free header and Romeu missed by inches from 30 yards.

Some game. Some finish.




============================




Mirror:


Tottenham 1-1 Chelsea: Terry leads Blues in thrilling draw

By Martin Lipton



No winner at the Lane. Not in London at least.

But while Spurs may feel this was a chance wasted, in truth Harry Redknapp will know that being third at Christmas is not a bad place to start.

After all, it is a long time since Tottenham have eaten their turkey as the capital’s top club, two points clear of Chelsea, another ahead of Arsenal, with a game in hand.

That will be some consolation, alongside the knowledge that Spurs can dig deep when needed, even if City and United seem further entrenched in a private battle for the title.

This was not so much a game of two halves as one of four quarters, the first dominated by Spurs, two bossed by the Blues, the final one a coin toss that could have gone either way.

By full-time, it went neither, as Spurs’ six-match winning home league run came to an end and Chelsea’s hopes of a first top-flight victory in N17 since 2005 were also thwarted. Yet this was a game that told us plenty about both teams. That Tottenham, even when they lose their way, are no longer the “soft Spurs” of old.

That Chelsea, with John Terry impervious to the storm raging around him, are not ready to give up the ghost yet either, that Andre Villas-Boas has a firm hand on the tiller.

And, in the final analysis, that probably neither are quite good enough to mix it with the Manchester giants when the big prize is fought over after Christmas.

Of course something had to give last night, although for 20 minutes, as Gareth Bale ran riot on the left, the expectation might have been that it was Chelsea’s challenge that would evaporate.

The Welsh wizard, unsurprisingly cleared to play after his injury scare, terrorised Jose Bosingwa from the start and when Sandro’s superb tackle gave him the chance to run at the Portuguese in the eighth minute, he took it with alacrity.

Bosingwa was destroyed by Bale’s pace and the ball in asked questions Petr Cech failed to answer.

The Chelsea keeper, guilty at Wigan, was too slow to get down and then let the cross through his arms as Adebayor, who had run off Terry, poked home.

Lift off for Spurs? It looked that way, even when Daniel Sturridge, a constant thorn in Tottenham’s side thereafter, spooned over the top after Brad Friedel parried from Juan Mata.

But Chelsea, relentlessly, took a grip, even if the equaliser was slightly fortunate.

Didier Drogba turned round the corner and Rafael van der Vaart’s attempted clearance cannoned against Ashley Cole’s right arm and into space.

Referee Howard Webb rightly ignore the appeals, Cole centred and Sturridge tapped in.

Almost instantly, Drogba slammed against the post on the half-volley and even when injuries to both Branislav Ivanovic and John Obi Mikel forced changes before the break, Chelsea, with the extra man in midfield, were dominant. Chances came and went. Ramires, played in by Drogba, missed the best of them, Friedel saved from Terry and Sturridge, and without Ledley King – glass knees notwithstanding – Spurs would have folded.

Then again, Adebayor did have a late goal disallowed while Terry reacted brilliantly to clear his stoppage-time shot off the line.

Luka Modric hit the side-netting and Sandro flashed a header wide at one end, Kyle Walker nearly put through his own net at the other.

Cech made up for his earlier error when Sandro’s shot deflected wildly off Raul Meireles, before Mata’s free-kick gave Ramires a free header which he missed.

Breathless, thrilling, but ultimately frustrating for both bosses, both teams.

Redknapp will know Spurs can play better. Villas-Boas will fear the injury count. But Fergie and Roberto Mancini have most to smile about.






=========================




Sun:


Tottenham 1 Chelsea 1


By SHAUN CUSTIS


ONLY one race mattered last night — the title race.

And both Tottenham and Chelsea lost vital ground in the battle to catch Manchester City and United at the top.

Daniel Sturridge cancelled out Emmanuel Adebayor's opener.



But incredibly — or perhaps predictably — it was the man at the centre of a race storm, John Terry, who denied Harry Redknapp's side victory.

Adebayor was released in space with the last chance of the match and, as his shot beat Petr Cech, it rolled towards the empty net.

Somehow Chelsea skipper JT slid across to get in a block, the ball struck him on the backside and trickled wide of the post.

At the final whistle, Terry whipped off his shirt and raised his hands to applaud the fans who had cheered him on from start to finish.

He can count on their support at least but it will be a lonely day when he appears in court on February 1.

It was justice Chelsea should get at least a point because they had far more shots at goal than Spurs.

But it is Redknapp's boys who go into Christmas in third place, two points ahead of Andre Villas-Boas' men with a game in hand.

When you think of the horrendous start Spurs made to the season, getting thumped by both United and City, it is a commendable recovery.

Though he finished the night on a high, Terry was partly at fault for the eighth-minute opener — though not as much as keeper Cech.

Sandro crunched in to win the ball off Sturridge and Gareth Bale went haring down the flank. His low cross into the six-yard box was good but Terry let Adebayor go, Cech failed to claim it, and the big striker finished it off.

It was Adebayor's ninth goal in 14 league starts and another poor effort from Cech, who cost his team two points at Wigan on Saturday.

Cech is struggling and it will not get any easier with Chelsea down to the bare bones in defence.

They lost Branislav Ivanovic to injury before half-time and had to employ Jose Bosingwa as a makeshift centre-back alongside Terry.

JT received plenty of abuse from Spurs supporters. He was booed before the game, as he led Chelsea out and every time he touched the ball.

There were chants of "John Terry, you know what you are," which were met by a response from the away fans of "One England captain".

Chelsea should have levelled almost immediately after Spurs scored only for Sturridge to blaze over when Brad Friedel parried Juan Mata's 20-yard strike.

Sturridge though was on the spot when he escaped the attentions of Benoit Assou-Ekotto to bag the 23rd-minute equaliser, albeit a controversial one.

The ball spun off the sliding Rafael van der Vaart and struck Ashley Cole's hand before the left-back crossed for Sturridge to finish in clinical style.

While the handball was not intentional, it had given Chelsea a clear advantage.

Spurs midfield scrapper Scott Parker complained bitterly to ref Howard Webb but he was wasting his breath.

Didier Drogba needed treatment on his left leg in the warm-up but showed no ill-effects in the game.

The striker was desperately unlucky after bringing down Bosingwa's cross.

His control, high on his chest, was exquisite while his shot cannoned back off the angle of post and bar. Chelsea were piling up the injuries and they lost John Obi Mikel too before half-time allowing Oriol Romeu into the action.

It was a surprise Romeu had not started anyway because the youngster, 20, has been a shining light this season.

Spurs had their own problems and had to substitute hamstring-victim Van der Vaart with Roman Pavlyuchenko at the break.

They switched their system to an orthodox 4-4-2 with Chelsea's major transfer target last summer Luka Modric shoved out to the right.

Modric had one of his quieter nights and could not impose himself on his opponents who were enjoying the lion's share of the chances.

Drogba picked out Ramires with a precision defence-splitting pass but the Brazilian failed to beat Friedel who spread himself well.

Then Friedel held Terry's header at a corner. Imagine if that had gone in.

Adebayor put the ball in the net with his upper arm just before the hour.

But it was ruled out for what appeared to be an offside flag against William Gallas after he flicked the ball on to the Togo man from a Modric free-kick.

Fernando Torres came on for Chelsea's final push but made no impact.

Spurs went close when Cech turned away Sandro's deflected shot and Gallas shot wide at the near post from Bale's cross.

But Ramires missed a golden chance to win it at the other end as he headed wide from eight yards out.

He would have felt even worse had Terry not come to the rescue in stoppage time.

DREAM TEAM

STAR MAN — WILLIAM GALLAS (Spurs)

SPURS: Friedel 7, Walker 6, Gallas 8, King 6, Assou-Ekotto 5, Modric 5, Parker 7, Sandro 7, Bale 7, Adebayor 7, Van der Vaart 8. Subs: Pavlyuchenko (Van der Vaart 46) 6. Not used: Gomes, Kaboul, Bassong, Kranjcar, Rose, Livermore. Booked: Adebayor, Bale.

CHELSEA: Cech 5, Bosingwa 6, Ivanovic 6, Terry 7, Cole 7, Ramires 6, Mikel 5, Meireles 7, Sturridge 7, Drogba 7, Mata 7. Subs: Ferreira (Ivanovic 33) 6, Romeu (Mikel 45) 6, Torres (Drogba 78) 6. Not used: Turnbull, Lampard, Malouda, Kalou. Booked: Ivanovic, Ramires.

REF: H Webb





===========================

Sunday, December 18, 2011

wigan 1-1






Independent:


Wigan Athletic 1 Chelsea 1: Chelsea lose chance to make up ground on top two after Sturridge's opener scoring
STEVE TONGUE DW STADIUM


On a ground where they won 6-0 last season, Chelsea found the going far harder yesterday evening and were denied a victory that would have cut the gap on second-placed Manchester United to two points and Manchester City to four ahead of today's games involving the leading pair.
Daniel Sturridge further enhanced his burgeoning reputation with a well taken goal in the second half before Wigan's late rally brought an equaliser from Jordi Gomez that even Chelsea's manager Andre Villas-Boas admitted they deserved. It leaves Roberto Martinez's team in the bottom three but with the bonus of defeats for Lancastrian rivals in distress Blackburn and Bolton this was a welcome start to a demanding programme that brings games with Liverpool and United next.
From a run that brought nine successive defeats in all competitions, Martinez has reshaped his troops and instilled new belief in them too, leading to successive away victories and now a point against a side he called "one of the elite teams of world football". Chelsea did not live up to that billing and on the long journey home last night must have been bitterly regretting the failure to steal a march on the teams around them.
Villas-Boas was forced to admit that they lacked creativity and penetration, which was why he took off Oriol Romeu at half-time and changed to a 4-2-3-1 formation. It appeared to have paid off with Sturridge's goal, but the gamble to sit back thereafter was flawed, allowing Wigan to gain the initiative for the first time after an ineffective first half.
"We could have gone on for the second goal but decided to hold on and try to exploit the spaces," the manager said. They failed in both objectives and paid a heavy price after a rare lapse by Petr Cech for the equalising goal. Martinez was understandably delighted, all the more so since his team had folded to a 4-0 defeat after conceding the first goal in their last home game against Arsenal. "If you concede like that and accept it then you give the game up" he said. There was never any chance of that and his double substitution in bringing on the strikers Franco Di Santo – against his old club – and Hugo Rodallega proved crucial.
Four successive Chelsea victories appeared to have restored any flagging confidence and early on the visitors flowed forward confidently with Sturridge particularly threatening. That meant that David Jones, nominally one of the wing-backs in Wigan's unusual 3-4-2-1 formation, was forced backwards when he would have wanted to be pushing on. By half-time Chelsea had nevertheless been restricted to shots from distance, mostly by defensive players. Romeu, now established in the holding role, hit the first and Terry the second, both going the wrong side of a post. The same fate befell the closest effort of the opening half, when Raul Meireles crossed for Didier Drogba to stoop for a brave low header from six yards.
Apart from a drive by Mohamed Diamé, also wide – though not by much – Wigan were dependent on the referee Martin Atkinson awarding them a penalty, which to the crowd's fury he was notably reluctant to do. A collision between Ashley Cole and Gomez early on brought the first optimistic shouts and there seemed to be merit in the appeals when Branislav Ivanovic blocked a fierce shot by Victor Moses with his arm just before the interval.
For the second half Villas-Boas brought on Salomon Kalou, moving Frank Lampard – who had returned for the injured Ramires after being dropped – and Meireles deeper. Lampard continued to see plenty of the ball and knock it around intelligentlybut it was further forward that Chelsea needed some inspiration. It came at last when he was off the field having prolonged treatment for a bang in the face. Ashley Cole carried the ball forward to a position just inside the Wigan half then played a perfect diagonal pass over the retreating defence for Sturridge, who took it down with his left foot and shot low across Ali Al Habsi into the far corner.
This time Wigan refused to submit and took control for the first time. Maynor Figueroa, culpable in not tracking Sturridge closely enough for the goal, hit a left-footed shot from 25 yards that Cech had to push round the post for his first save of the night and suddenly the defence were looking vulnerable. They survived one bizarre incident in which Rodallega was foiled by Cech, who was lying on the ground as Di Santo had a follow-up shot headed off the line by Ivanovic. And with two minutes left Cech failed wretchedly to hold a toe-poke from the left by Rodallega, Gomez tapping in for his fourth goal in five games.

Wigan (3-4-2-1): Al Habsi; Caldwell, Alcatraz, Figuero; Stam, Diame, McCarthy, Jones (Rodallega, 72); Moses, Gomez; Sammon (Di Santo, 73).


Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Lampard, Romeu (Kalou, h-t), Meireles; Sturridge (Malouda, 80), Drogba, Mata (Mikel, 66).


Referee Martin Atkinson.
Man of the match Sturridge (Chelsea).
Match rating 7/10.


==============================

Observer:


Jordi Gómez grabs late Wigan Athletic equaliser to foil Chelsea
Paul Wilson at the DW Stadium

A dramatic late equaliser by Jordi Gómez robbed Chelsea of two points just when an efficient if uninspiring performance seemed to have preserved their winning habit. In a pulsating game on a cold night and a wet pitch neither side truly deserved to lose, but Wigan will undoubtedly be more pleased with their point than Chelsea, who played well enough to put suggestions of disunity or unrest to bed but not well enough to close out the victory that Daniel Sturridge's splendid opening goal seemed to have earned.
"We just let it slip in the end," André Villas-Boas acknowledged. "But this is a different Wigan, they have picked up momentum from recent results. It's disappointing, but we have to put it behind us and focus on a massive game against Tottenham on Thursday."
Wigan have been showing signs of life of late, briefly climbing out of the bottom three as a result of back-to-back away wins at Sunderland and West Brom, though they have not won on their own ground since beating a still shaky Queens Park Rangers back in August. Picking up points against a Chelsea side beginning to look lean and businesslike again seemed a tall order.
"We frustrated Chelsea for most of the game," Roberto Martínez said. "It was disappointing to go behind. That was the only real piece of quality they produced and it led to their only shot on target."
Despite their lowly league position, the home side began with confidence and verve. Victor Moses tricked the Chelsea defence in the opening five minutes and Gómez had a penalty appeal against Ashley Cole turned down, probably correctly as he seemed to be seeking a decision rather than threatening the Chelsea goal. Wigan were somewhat oddly set up, with David Jones detailed to follow Daniel Sturridge and Mohamed Diamé only notionally operating on the right wing, leaving only Ronnie Stam regularly covering the flank where Juan Mata and Cole found unexpected freedom.
When Didier Drogba turned up in the wide open spaces on the left in the 12th minute it led to Chelsea's first attack of note, though ideally Drogba would have been in the middle to meet Mata's cross instead of the less imposing Sturridge.
Wigan were managing to keep Chelsea at bay. The visitors' best efforts of the first half-hour were a speculative shot from 25 yards by John Terry that flew narrowly wide and an effort from a similar distance by Oriol Romeu that Ali al-Habsi tipped round a post, though by the mid-point of the first half the home side were being penned in their own half and struggling to get hold of the ball.
For all Chelsea's control of the game they created very few chances, perhaps exhausted after their efforts in defeating Manchester City on Monday. Five minutes before the interval, Wigan were unable to close down Raul Meireles in time to prevent him crossing for Drogba at the far post, but the striker could only manage a stooping header that went the wrong side of the post.
Wigan's conviction that they were not getting any of the marginal decisions from Martin Atkinson increased when Moses saw a shot stopped on the line by Branislav Ivanovic. The referee immediately waved play on, despite a strong suggestion that the ball had hit the defender on the arm. Replays confirmed that it had, though it was not a raised arm and Ivanovic would have had difficulty getting out of the way.
The Wigan main stand gave Atkinson a spontaneous standing ovation when he finally blew for a foul on Moses minutes later. With the same striker narrowly failing to reach a Jones cross on the stroke of the interval in what was probably the first half's clearest chance, the home side could feel more than encouraged by reaching the break level. Moses continued to pose problems for the Chelsea defence in the second half with his control and tricky turns, even if his finishing and decision-making was not always as sound.
At one point he flicked the ball over two Chelsea defenders to leave himself with only Petr Cech to beat from inside the six-yard box, only to fire a volley that went out for a throw-in.
Drogba hit the side-netting with Chelsea's best chance after Salomon Kalou had escaped Antolín Alcaraz to skip to the goal-line, before the visitors finally opened up Wigan with a classy move to take the lead just before the hour mark.
Cole advanced to half way on the left and sent a diagonal ball forward to pick out Sturridge's run into the box from the opposite wing. Simultaneously bringing the ball down and getting goal-side of what little remained of Wigan's defensive cover, Sturridge managed a decisive finish to beat Habsi from a narrow angle.
The goal was all the more remarkable for coming at a stage when Chelsea were down to 10 men, Frank Lampard having temporarily left the field for treatment after being accidentally struck by Diamé.
Wigan kept to their task, Jones sending a shot over the bar and Maynor Figueroa bringing a save from Cech. Villas-Boas was sufficiently concerned to make a defensive substitution to protect what he had, replacing Mata with Mikel John Obi. Martínez responded by throwing on two more attackers in Hugo Rodallega and Franco Di Santo to chase the game, the latter bringing a sensational headed clearance off the line from Ivanovic after Cech had been caught out of position.
Never completely convincing, Cech was at fault again for the late equaliser, allowing Rodallega's shot to squirm out of his grasp for Gómez to sweep home.
It was nothing less than the home side deserved, even if Chelsea must have thought they had done enough to seal a victory. "We could have kept the ball better in the last moments," a resigned but fair Villas-Boas admitted. "But Wigan had the momentum by then and they got the goal and the point they deserved."


===========================

Telegraph:


Wigan Athletic 1 Chelsea 1
By Duncan White, at DW Stadium


Just when Chelsea had began to build momentum, they found it checked where they least expected it.
In their last three games against Wigan Athletic Chelsea had won with a cumulative score of 15-0 and came up here expecting more generosity of the season. Roberto Martinez’s side had different ideas.
Chelsea had led this game through Daniel Sturridge’s technically accomplished finish – his 19th goal of the calendar year – but Wigan had been more than a match for the visitors throughout.
There was resolve and courage in the way they played and their continued appetite for the fight brought them a late equaliser.
Jordi Gomez prodded in from close range after Hugo Rodallega had forced an error out of Petr Cech. That point could be invaluable when the reckoning is tallied next summer.
Roberto Martinez knew he had to change something if he was to avoid defeat to a Chelsea side buoyant after their victory over Manchester City.
He sent his team out in a robust 5-3-2, starting very deep and hoping to suffocate the space in midfield when Chelsea had the ball and counter-attack quickly when they won it back.
Martinez’s approach was brave and imaginative and, once his players had settled into it, gave a jaded-looking Chelsea plenty of problems.
Without the direct running of Ramires, missing this game through injury, Chelsea struggled to penetrate the Wigan ranks.
They were restricted to moments of individual inspiration. Sturridge was full of twists, tricks and turns on the right but could not quite deliver the right final ball.
John Terry hit a remarkable shot from range that had Ali Al Habsi at full stretch while the Bahrain goalkeeper had to tip Oriol Romeu’s effort around the post at full stretch after Chelsea’s young holding midfielder meet a Wigan clearance with an accurate volley.
Having survived the first half an hour, Wigan began to grow in confidence. Victor Moses, brash and pacy, was starting to look dangerous and Conor Sammon seemed less intimidated after having turned neatly past Terry.
Mohamed Diame even gave Petr Cech a nervous moment when his ferociously struck outswinger whistled past his far post.
Chelsea were swiftly back in possession. Camped outside the Wigan box and allowed the time and space to leisurely pick his pass, Raul Meireles sent a pitching-wedge pass into the six yard box which Drogba met with a diving header, sending the ball just wide of the far post.
Despite the non-appearance of the promised dancing troupe (pitch too muddy), there was plenty of action at the break.
On came a horde of ground staff to try to prod the pitch back into a respectable state while Chelsea’s fitness coach Jose Mario Rocha put Salomon Kalou through a humiliating one-on-one dance routine in anticipation of his arrival.
So we were entertained after all. Romeu was the man to make way as Villas-Boas sought a tactical answer to his team’s frustration, trying to find more width.
The trade-off was that, with out Romeu, Wigan might find space of their own. Gomez hit a shot into the side-netting early into the second half while Moses impudently flicked the ball up for himself not once but twice in the Chelsea box. Shame about the wild effort to finish.
The game was much more lively with Chelsea’s increased intensity and Wigan’s growing ambition.
Kalou did superbly to wriggle down the by-line and find Drogba and the Ivorian’s outside of the boot effort was so close that the ripple of the side-netting deceived the away fans into celebration.
They got to celebrate for real moments later. Chelsea were actually down to 10 men with as Frank Lampard was off the field getting treatment for a bloody lip sustained in a clash with Diame.
Ashley Cole edged forward into the Wigan half and, spying Sturridge’s run, sent a long diagonal ball into the area. Wigan tamed the ball with his first touch and then struck the ball crisply with his – supposedly weaker – right foot low and past Al Habsi from a narrow angle.
It was a compliment to Wigan that Villas-Boas then replaced the subdued Mata with John Obi Mikel to try to tighten things up.
With Maynor Figeroa drawing a good save out of Cech and James McCarthy’s shot swerving wide you could see why he feared the equaliser.
They went even closer with 15 minutes to go. Cech did well to race out and get to the ball ahead of substitute Hugo Rodallega.
The loose ball went to Gomez whose heavy touch denied him the chance to shoot into the empty net. The ball rolled to Franco di Santo, though, and he turned and shot, only for Ivanovic to divert the ball behind with his head.
Wigan, though, carried on pressing and with three minutes left they finally got their goal. Hugo Rodallega got in the wrong side of Jose Bosingwa and his low shot was fumbled by Cech straight into the path of Gomez. He made no mistake.

=========================

Mail:
Wigan 1 Chelsea 1: Gomez pounces to land late blow on AVB and check Blues revival

Chelsea let relegation favourites Wigan snatch an unlikely 88th-minute equaliser with a comedy of errors at the DW Stadium. Instead of putting Premier League leaders Manchester City under pressure at the top, Andre Villas-Boas must hold a major dressing- room inquest into how Jordi Gomez was allowed to snatch a dramatic leveller.
Goalkeeper Petr Cech was clearly at fault, allowing a tame scuff from Hugo Rodallega to squirm out of his hands and bounce off his knee into Gomez's path. But others were culpable, too. Jose Bosingwa should not have allowed Rodallega to get his shot away in the first place and Ashley Cole seemed to get in his keeper's way as he bent to pick up the ball.
AVB himself will also have to answer questions, having made a negative substitution as soon as Daniel Sturridge had given his side the lead after an hour, taking off his most creative player, Juan Mata, for a holding midfielder John Obi Mikel.
The result was a draw and instead of being only two points behind Manchester United and four behind City this morning, Chelsea could be nine points off the pace by Sunday night.
The feelgood factor garnered by Monday's win against City has evaporated.
'We could have gone for the second goal but we preferred to hang on to what we had,' admitted Villas-Boas candidly.
'It was three points we expected. We won't blame any individual for the equaliser. We had plenty of players back but there was a loss of concentration. We seemed to lose track of our keeper's position.'
Villas-Boas has made big decisions all season but they did not work out for him yesterday.
Frank Lampard was recalled in place of the injured Ramires but was largely anonymous.
Lampard was not even on the pitch when Chelsea scored their goal, receiving treatment on a cut lip when it happened.
Poor Fernando Torres was kept shivering on the bench for 90 minutes, seeing first Salomon Kalou, then Mikel and finally Florent Malouda sent on ahead of him.
In retrospect, perhaps the £50million striker should have been given the chance to score Chelsea's second goal but he has played just 23 minutes for AVB this month.
Chelsea's anguish was Wigan's delight. Nobody gave Roberto Martinez's team a prayer but they might have won it had referee Martin Atkinson ruled Branislav Ivanovic's first-half hand-ball as deliberate.
'We lost eight games in a row earlier in the season, so to come through a test like that shows huge character,' said Martinez.
'It feels like this team are just beginning to know each other and understand each other.'
Wigan narrowly edged the first 45 minutes. In the most contentious moment of the half, a Victor Moses shot struck Ivanovic on the forearm but Atkinson ruled it ball to hand.
Chelsea knew they had to up their game and Villas-Boas threw on Kalou for Oriol Romeu at the interval. Didier Drogba showed urgency and fired into the side netting.
Lampard's evening had not gone as planned and he was off the field receiving treatment for a badly cut mouth when Chelsea went ahead.
The England midfielder was behind Mohamed Diame when the big Wigan player leaned back and accidentally caught him in the face with the back of his head.
The spillage meant the Chelsea man had to come off temporarily to get cleaned up. And while Lampard was indisposed, Chelsea scored a goal that was ruthlessly executed.
Wigan stood off Cole just inside their own half and the England leftback pinged a terrific diagonal pass to Sturridge, just inside the angle of the penalty area.
Sturridge then showed why he is a serious contender for Fabio Capello's Euro 2012 squad. His first touch brought the ball under control and gave him enough room to shoot. His second was an unerring finish across Al-Habsi into the bottom corner. It was Sturridge's ninth goal of the season to make him Chelsea's top scorer this campaign.
In front of the dugout, Cole, Drogba and Terry hugged each other and yelped in celebration. On the bench, Torres shivered. No sooner had Chelsea scored than AVB brought on Mikel to provide extra defensive insurance. But the move backfired as Martinez threw on two strikers, Franco Di Santo and Rodallega, and Chelsea started backpedalling.
Di Santo almost levelled after Cech raced from his goal and needed Ivanovic to head away the striker's goalbound shot. And when Sturridge rolled around soon after, Wigan became convinced their illustrious visitors were using gamesmanship to get over the line.
If that was the plan, and remember Villas-Boas learned at the side of the master of dark arts, Jose Mourinho, it did not work. Chelsea had too many men back and they got in each other's way as Gomez scored.
So the two youngest managers in the Premier League shared the spoils. But while Martinez, 38, may feel he can keep Wigan up, the odds on Villas-Boas, 34, winning the league title are lengthening.


==========================

Mirror:


Wigan 1-1 Chelsea
By Derick Allsop

Petr Cech was handing out Christmas presents as Chelsea tossed away three points at the DW Stadium.
The visitors were cruising to a win that would have closed the gap on the two Manchester clubs at the summit of the Premier League.
But then the fallibility in the Chelsea defence – so often exposed this season – returned. They failed to block Hugo Rodallega’s run into the penalty area. That was bad enough.
The way Cech fumbled his shot was calamity goalkeeping of the most embarrassing order. And Jordi Gomez popped up to tap home his fourth goal in five games to earn relegation-threatened Wigan a precious point.
Cue a frantic finale in which the home side sensed they might even snatch a momentous victory.
Daniel Sturridge had earlier given Chelsea the lead with a touch of class, but Wigan refused to lie down and came back to regain parity with a stirring finish.
Roberto Martinez’s side felt aggreived they had not been awarded a first-half penalty and eventually a mesaure of justice was one.
After fending off the hounds and reaffirming their Premier League title intentions by ending Manchester City’s unbeaten start to the season, Chelsea arrived here anticipating nothing short of three more points.
They won 6-0 in the corresponding fixture last season and Wigan collapsed in the face of another A-list team, Arsenal, in their last home match.
But Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is nothing if not optimistic and, on the back of consecutive away victories, he insisted that a positive approach – allied to more resilient defending – could ensure them something from this daunting encounter.
Not surprisingly, the Spaniard stuck with side successful at West Brom the previous week, while Andre Villas-Boas acknowledged Frank Lampard’s decisive contribution against City by naming him in Chelsea’s starting line-up for injured Ramires. Out-of-sorts striker Fernando Torres (above) was again on the bench.
Wigan’s revived confidence was evident in the early play, although a hopeful penalty appeal was ­emphatically rejected by referee Martin Atkinson. Chelsea gradually dominated possession without ­immediate success and were limited to a long range effort from John Terry, which drifted harmlessly wide of Ali Al Habsi’s goal.
The Wigan goalkeeper had to react to Oriol Romeu’s 30-yard volley and duly turned the ball around his right-hand post.
Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge repeatedly probed the wings and tested Wigan’s back three with their crosses only for Gary Caldwell and Co. to stand defiant.
Victor Moses darted into the Chelsea area to earn a corner and suddenly lift the home support. Mohamed Diame gave the Londoners a little more concern with a shot across goal.
The threat was enough to move Didier Drogba to demand more from his team-mates. For all their poise on the ball and movement off it, they hadn’t offered the big striker a chance on goal. His pleas clearly worked. Rual Meireles swung in a centre from deep on the right and Drogba went close with a lunging header.
Wigan’s response was bold and, they believed, worthy of a penalty. Moses drove the ball on target and it struck Branislav Ivanovic on the arm. But again, referee Atkinson was unmoved.
Villa-Boas brought on Salomon Kalou for Romeu at the start of the second half and he instantly forced a corner with a jinking run.
Wigan survived again and Cech had to field a shot from Maynor Figueroa. Moses threatened again juggling the ball into the six yard box yet ultimately making nothing of the half chance.
The energetic Kalou made more in-roads down the left and picked out Drogba who tried to improvise but stabbed the ball off target.
That miss was soon forgotten, however, when Chelsea produced a goal of the highest order.
Ashley Cole spotted the run of Sturridge, whose control was superb, and his finish even better.
But then David Jones charged through to shoot wide before the ever-adventurous Figueroa brought Cech into action.
But with the clock ticking down the home side got the goal they craved to further dent Chelsea’s title ambitions.
VERDICT: On a day in which both Manchester clubs were out of action, Gomez's late strike for Wigan will have been a real blow for Andre Villas-Boas' attempts to out pressure on the top two.
***
THE BIG ISSUE: Will Roman Abramovich allow Andre Villas-Boas a transitional, trophyless season?
It is always a guessing game when it comes to affairs at the Bridge because the owner’s intentions tend to be leaked only when he feels inclined to do so.
He took a huge gamble when he shipped out an experienced, serial winner and appointed AVB, and time will tell whether it is the second coming of the Special One.
But the Silent One will not relish being proved wrong and logic suggests he will be prepared to give his young manager a minimum of one full season to reshape the Chelsea team in his own image and likeness.
At the very least, the owner will expect his club to secure Champions League qualification and make their presence felt at the business end of the season.
A trophy would simply confirm AVB’s position.


========================

Sun:


Wigan 1 Chelsea 1


JORDI GOMEZ pounced on Petr Cech's howler two minutes from time to put the breaks on Chelsea's revival.Daniel Sturridge had given Andre Villas-Boas' men the lead with a stunning 59th-minute strike.But Cech spilt Hugo Rodallega's tame cross in the dying stages to hand Wigan a simple leveller.
Chelsea had put SIX past Wigan here last term — yet the Latics had the edge in the early exchanges.
The home fans were shouting for a penalty when Gomez went down under pressure from Ashley Cole but ref Martin Atkinson waved play away.
Gary Caldwell then blocked a dangerous cross from Sturridge before John Terry tried his luck from 30 yards.
Chelsea were settling in now and almost broke through when Ali Al Habsi saved Oriol Romeu's 23rd-minute volley.
At the other end, a Wigan period of pressure ended with Mohamed Diame gunning a shot narrowly wide.
Didier Drogba had a sniff seven minutes before the break but the veteran hitman nodded Raul Meireles' cross wide.
Wigan had another penalty shout when Branislav Ivanovic blocked Victor Moses' shot with his arm — but Atkinson was once again having none of it.
And Roberto Martinez's men ended the half on the up when Moses just missed David Jones' dangerous low cross.
Villas-Boas threw Salomon Kalou into the mix after the break, with Romeu making way.
And the Ivory Coast star almost made an instant impact with a slalom run and shot that was blocked by Ronnie Stam.
Moses was the main threat to the Blues and his brilliant ball-juggling act was followed with a shot that just crept wide.
Instead, it was Chelsea who broke the deadlock thanks to Sturridge's sizzling effort.
Cole made tracks into Wigan territory and picked out the striker in the Latics' box.
Sturridge brought it down first time, picked his spot and lashed it past Al Habsi.
Maynor Figueroa came close to an instant leveller but Cech tipped his shot wide.
Chelsea then had their hearts in their mouths when Terry went down cluthcing his knee.
However, the magic sponge did the job and the Blues' captain was thrown back into action.
Wigan almost grabbed an equaliser in a nerve-shredding minute following Branislav Ivanovic's blunder.
The defender sent a hospital pass back to Cech, who scrambled the ball clear under pressure from Hugo Rodallega.
With the keeper stranded, Franco di Santo tried his luck — and his shot would have gone in had Ivanovic not redeemed himself with a stunning header behind.
There was time for more drama, however, and Cech's blooper gifted Gomez a leveller.
And Wigan could have even had a late spot-kick after Di Santo tangled with Chelsea's Jose Bosingwa.

Wigan: Al Habsi, Caldwell, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Stam, Jones (Rodallega 72), Diame, McCarthy, Moses, Gomez, Sammon (Di Santo 73). Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Gohouri, Crusat, Watson, McArthur.
Goals: Gomez 88.


Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Romeu (Kalou 46), Lampard, Meireles, Sturridge (Malouda 80),Drogba, Mata (Mikel 66). Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Torres, Ferreira, McEachran.
Goals: Sturridge 59.
Att: 18,320
Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).

=====================

Star:

WIGAN 1 CHELSEA 1: MY SWEET JORD Wigan boss Roberto MartinezI will probably be disappointed tomorrow that we didn’t get three points
By Paul Hetherington

JORDI GOMEZ stunned Chelsea with an equaliser two minutes from time last night.
Daniel Sturridge’s ninth goal of the season looked like giving Chelsea their fourth successive league win.
But when Chelsea keeper Petr Cech failed to hold Hugo Rodallega’s effort, Gomez was on hand to give Wigan a deserved point.
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez admitted: “I will probably be disappointed tomorrow that we didn’t get three points.
“That was a perfect performance from us. We lost eight games in a row and we needed to gain some momentum.
“Now, we have that understanding you need as a team and we played with a real belief.”
The Latics went into battle with their survival hopes lifted by their away form.
While Wigan men have struggled at the DW Stadium, they faced Chelsea having won their last two games on their travels.
Victories at Sunderland and West Brom had lifted Wigan off the bottom of the table. And they felt they had an early case for a penalty, when Gomez went down in the box after being challenged by Ashley Cole.
The well-positioned referee, Martin Atkinson, however, did not agree.
But with Sturridge having joy down the right flank, Chelsea were soon on top.
Skipper John Terry sent a long-range effort across the face of the goal and just wide.
And midfielder Oriol Romeu was denied by Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi, when Chelsea tried again from distance.
Too often, Chelsea’s final ball wasn’t precise enough.
But when Raul Meireles produced a fine delivery from the right, the diving Didier Drogba saw his header travel just wide.
Wigan and their fans weren’t happy with Atkinson’s decision-making.
They felt they had another case for a penalty four minutes from half-time, when a Victor Moses drive hit Branislav Ivanovic on the arm.
But as the Chelsea defender had his arms down, the referee once again ruled it was not a spot-kick. His view, presumably, was that it was a case of ball to arm, rather than hand to ball.
Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas adopted a positive attacking approach from the beginning of the second half.Striker Salomon Kalou came on to replace defensive midfielder Romeu.
But Moses cleverly created an opportunity for himself, only to waste it by blazing wildly across the face of the goal.
With Frank Lampard – in for the injured Ramires – off the field to receive attention to a facial injury, Chelsea took the lead in the 59th minute.
Cole’s long ball was superbly control- led by Sturridge, who then fired a right- foot shot across Al Habsi and into the far corner.
When Wigan tried to hit back quickly, Maynor Figueroa was denied by Cech’s fine save.
Wigan kept battling to the end and Gomez added the finishing touch.
Villas-Boas insisted: “There were collective mistakes and Wigan made the most of our lack of concentration.
“Our confidence is not affected and it was a fair result.
“We didn’t get the three points we could have got and thought we could get, but we will have to see the other results over the next 24 hours to see where we stand.
“It’s always a battle in the Premier League and we now have a massive game against Tottenham. Wigan fought hard and deserved their equaliser.”

===========================

People:


Wigan 1 - 1 Chelsea: Cech lets two precious points slip through his fingers
by Alan Nixon

Petr CECH let two precious points slip through his fingers as Chelsea paid a heavy price for complacency.
Keeper Cech made a real hash of stopping sub Hugo Rodallega’s scuffed shot with a couple of minutes left and watched the ball squirm from his grasp.
A hard-earned win vanished asdelighted Spaniard Jordi Gomez stabbed in an equaliser that the lively Latics deserve for a gutsy performance but thought had gone.
The mistake from the Czech – shaken up just before by a tackle on Rodallega – summed up the slipshod show from the Stamford Bridge side who blew their chance and were never on their game.
Until that feeble fumble Chelsea were grateful to Daniel Sturridge.
Sturridge was on his way to the north west as the calendar flicked over, a loanee at Bolton and unsure about where his future lay after a couple of seasons of Stamford Bridge frustration.
But now – as Andre Villas-Boas builds a brave new Chelsea world – there is one lad on the centre stage and dragging some of his senior mates along with him.
Villas-Boas saw that Sturridge was the right stuff when he took over and the way he has put him in from the start is probably the Portugeezer’s biggest triumph so far.
Sturridge paid back that faith with his latest major contribution.
He controlled a fabulous long ball from Ashley Cole with the kind of technique that marks him out from most of his contemporaries.
And the confidence of the kid, who should spend next summer in England’s starting line-up, was there to see with the punishing finish.
The angle was tight and Ali Al Habsi had to be beaten, but a crisp drive flew into the net under the delighted noses of the Chelsea travelling support.
And how Villas-Boas needed that one as his team laboured for so long, looking nothing like the side that ended Manchester City’s unbeaten run.
Chelsea had the air of a side that thought they only had to turn up to collect the points, while the Latics fought for their lives.
These games have been painfullyone-sided of late, but that was not the script this time round as Roberto Martinez’s men made a real go of it.
Wigan yelled for a penalty when Jordi Gomez fell over Ashley Cole but the appeals were met with disdain by referee Martin Atkinson – and a snarl from England’s fesity full-back.
There was more justifiable home indignation when Branoslav Ivanovic tried to behead danger man Victor Moses. The challenge deserved abooking but the Serb got off.
Slackness
Chelsea needed the class of Sturridge to wake them up. He was double-marked but still had the skill to cause chaos with a run and cross.
Young Oriol Romeu hit the target with a controlled and crafty 30-yarder but Al Habsi was alert and turned the shot round the post.
But there was a bit of slackness about Chelsea despite the promptings of Frank Lampard, restored to the starting line-up.
Cech showed signs of complacency with a kick-out that almost handed Moses an early present, but the young forward failed to make him pay.
Cavalier centre-back Antolin Alcaraz was close to heading in a corner before Mohamed Diame flashed a screamer past the far post as Wigan matched their big-name rivals.
Wigan did retreat towards their own box a bit too much, but Chelsea found the midfield too cluttered for their liking and showed a surprise lack of invention.
Juan Mata pinged the odd long ball that promised but it was one of those days when Didier Drogba cried out for more help in the middle.
Drogba’s diving header from Raul Meireles’ astute cross before the break was the big target man’s first real chance to break the deadlock.
Even a side with Wigan’s defensive deficiencies coped quite well with the predictable stuff they faced – as Villas-Boas looked on and wondered what change to make.
It could have got worse as Moses slammed a shot goalwards and Ivanovic blocked the drive with his arm,with Latics denied a penalty on half time.
TV replays showed that ref Atkinson could easily have pointed to the spot and the home fans howled at yet another key call going against them this season.
Danger man Moses was inches from connecting and Gomez hit the side-net as Wigan kept up their surprise bid for one of the results of the campaign.
Villas-Boas went on the front foot to his credit and put on Salomon Kalou, but the home tails were up and the game just got harder.
Chelsea were in real discomfort and nobody more than Lampard who took an accidental blow to the nose from Diame. Sturridge showed why he is the new go-to guy with a quite brilliant finish that made a nonsense of what had gone before.
Cech needed treatment after a collision with Rodallega before gifting Wigan and unlikely point.

=========================