Independent:
Villas-Boas admits title dream over for Chelsea
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.
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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.
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.”
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