Independent:
Chelsea's new era remains goalless and shows few signs of life
Chelsea 0 Fulham 0:
Benitez booed again by home fans and rests Mata - but his side lack creativity once more
Sam Wallace
At times the game last night was so forgettable that even the militants at Stamford Bridge seemed to have slipped into a daze in which they had forgotten that Roberto Di Matteo had been sacked and Rafael Benitez installed as his successor.
Then, in the final few frustrating minutes of the game, the malcontents found their voice again and sang: "We want our Chelsea back". But what Chelsea? The one that had not won the league championship since 1955 before Roman Abramovich turned up? The one which was creaking under debt? Or the one owned by a Russian oligarch who invested £1bn but is not keen on explaining his decisions?
What they meant was that they do not want the Chelsea they have at the moment, which, two games into the Benitez interregnum, is showing few signs of life. Granted, the team have not conceded a goal in Benitez's two games in charge but they have now won just two games in the last 10 and have not won in the league since the victory over Tottenham Hotspur on 20 October.
As Abramovich watched, chin on palm, non-plussed expression, from his lofty perch in the executive suites, Chelsea's collection of intricate playmakers, disgruntled centre-forwards and toiling midfielders did not look like the billionaire's dream team. They seemed average, shut down by, among others, the industrious Steven Sidwell, who once passed through Stamford Bridge having scarcely made a ripple.
The story always returns to Fernando Torres, however, the man who is wheeled out at Stamford Bridge every home game like some religious relic whom the locals hope will one day spring a miracle to repay their faith. Same old, same old last night from the £50m man. He tried his best; he just did not look any more convincing than he did in the dog days of the Di Matteo reign.
If there was a consolation for Benitez, it was that he was not subject to the same barracking from the Chelsea fans that he endured on Sunday which, from a point of basic decency, was a relief. He slipped into the dugout virtually unnoticed at the start of the game and it was the Fulham supporters who claimed the best chant of the evening with the song: "Rafa Benitez, he works where he wants".
Chelsea were eventually booed off at the end of the match having fallen seven points behind the leaders Manchester United. Their next two league games are away from home at West Ham and then Sunderland and even Benitez conceded that playing away from Stamford Bridge might alleviate some of the pressure and allow his team to play with greater freedom on the counter-attack.
As for Fulham, they have not won in six league games but this was a point that they would not have taken for granted. In Dimitar Berbatov, they had the one man who occasionally raised the tone above the mundane. He slowed it down, he sped it up, he passed and he flicked and if only he had the inclination to run around that bit more he could have bossed the match all evening.
Alas, for Berbatov it is enough to do something clever once every 10 minutes and then spend the rest of the time reflecting on his achievement. Or perhaps that is part of his charm. Either way, the moment when Oriol Romeu tried to bring him down with a rugby tackle around the Bulgarian's waist was the acknowledgement that Chelsea struggled with the Fulham captain all night.
Behind Berbatov, Fulham were extremely solid in a midfield comprising of Sidwell, Giorgos Karagounis, Mahamadou Diarra and Damien Duff. As for Benitez, he demonstrated that he is still wedded to that old strategy of rest and recuperation by leaving Juan Mata out the starting XI. John Obi Mikel was also left on the bench.
Chances? There were too few. On 30 minutes, Torres stopped a cross from Oscar from the right, killing its momentum which forced him to spin round and hit it with his left foot. The shot was straight at Mark Schwarzer. With 10 minutes left, Torres beat Schwarzer with a volley which Aaron Hughes kicked away, although it was debatable whether it was on target.
Before then, Benitez had decided he had no option but to raise the stakes and sent on Mata after the hour. For much of what followed it was more of the same: a lot of running and hard work to provide the crosses for a non-existent goal-scoring centre-forward to convert. Sadly, in his present form, Torres is not that man.
The best chances fell to John Arne Riise, the first of which was 10 minutes after the break when he ran on to Karagounis's long ball from the right side and then miscued his shot at the near post with Berbatov imploring him to cross it.
When the former Manchester United man had the ball he was a pleasure to watch. He pinned Romeu behind him with that usefully obstructive backside when the Chelsea midfielder tried to nip in front and steal the ball away in the first half. On 73 minutes, Berbatov slipped a throughball to Sascha Riether that resulted in a foul on the German that saw David Luiz booked. From the resulting free-kick Berbatov was casually wasteful.
The moment that Fulham really thought they had broken through came on 75 minutes when Berbatov worked the ball out from the right side and found Karagounis who teed up Riise. It took the old reliable Petr Cech to reach down to his right and keep the ball out. It was a scare for Chelsea. There was a penalty appeal for a tackle by Ramires on substitute Kerim Frei but it looked as if referee Anthony Taylor called it right by waving play on.
Benitez eventually sent on Marko Marin at the end of the game, only the second appearance of his Chelsea career for the Germany international. To no-one's great surprise, he is not yet the game-changer that was needed – he may never be – but he was in good company there. Chelsea lack a match-winner. Benitez needs one fast.
Man of the Match Sidwell.
Match rating 3/10.
Referee A Taylor (Cheshire).
Attendance 41,707.
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Guardian:
Chelsea toil against Fulham on another blank night for Rafael Benítez
Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge
There was no thunderous booing for Rafael Benítez to endure prior to kick-off here, and his adopted side have actually clambered back into third in the Premier League, but there any suggestion progress has been made has to end. All that swashbuckling attacking football that had carried Chelsea through the opening weeks of the campaign has fizzled out, doused by a run that has cast them adrift of the title race. The jeers were delayed until the final whistle.
The interim first-team manager was pursued down the tunnel by the boomed expression of frustration, Roman Abramovich darting for the door at the back of his executive box high up in the West Stand without glancing back at those in blue with shoulders slumped as they trudged from the turf. This is uncharted territory for the oligarch who had never previously seen his team fail to score in three successive matches. The last time their league form had spluttered even with back-to-back goalless draws was back in September 2004. Benítez might have hoped to emulate José Mourinho at this club, though presumably not quite like this.
Acceptance feels further away than ever. Had César Azpilicueta's volley careered beyond Mark Schwarzer in the last minute of stoppage time it would merely have papered over the cracks of another limp display, with too many of the side inherited by Benítez cramped by crises of confidence. Fernando Torres draws the focus, his goal drought in the league now extended to 10 hours and 49 minutes, but others are afflicted. Eden Hazard is anxious and peripheral. Juan Mata was leggy at the weekend and was offered only 27 minutes to impress. Oscar is tidy and busy enough, but he is still adjusting to the game in this country with his better performances at his new club reserved for the Champions League.
All of which has left the Spaniard playing catch-up on and off the pitch. Only Avram Grant of Abramovich's other managers had failed to win either of his first two league games, which casts Benítez uncomfortably into the Israeli's company. "You cannot be satisfied when you haven't won these games," he admitted, reflecting on meetings with Manchester City and Fulham that have seen his charges muster, optimistically, three shots on target of any real spite. "Two clean sheets is something positive, but I still want to score goals and be more offensive." Defensive improvement was necessary, with Roberto Di Matteo's side slipshod at the back, but tightening up has choked the sparkle from this side. The search for balance goes on.
It will proceed amid grumbling discontent from the club's support, and with opponents sensing all too readily that all is not well with the European champions. Fulham were content to contain for long periods here but they might still have registered a first win at Stamford Bridge since 1979, creating the game's most presentable opportunities on the counterattack and inspired by the contest's outstanding attacking talent. Dimitar Berbatov can make football at this level appear ludicrously easy, that characteristic casual class retained. Martin Jol described him as "unplayable" and that was no understatement. Oriol Romeu was left to rugby tackle him in the second period, earning a caution in the process, having exhausted all other means to stifle his threat. The Bulgarian oozed quality throughout.
He played his part in all of Fulham's forays upfield, even if it was the scuttling running of Kerim Frei in the latter stages that left Chelsea panicked. The Turkey international should become key to Jol's side over the second half of the campaign and, if he does, this team can thrive. The visitors were left to bemoan an over-eager assistant referee when Berbatov was free and in front of goal, and Petr Cech's sharp reflexes to turn aside John Arne Riise's rasped shot at the near post. The Norwegian had played for Benítez's Liverpool in the 2005 European Cup final, but a first Fulham goal at his former manager's expense was asking too much.
Even without that indignity, Benítez feels weighed down by other concerns. Di Matteo's name was chorused in the stands when the game was at its most aimless, the other cries of "We want our Chelsea back" bellowed into the night sky while Fulham's tickled support rejoiced in their hosts' discomfort. The interim manager was asked whether five potential trophies might have become four now that the gap from the top stands at seven points. "No, remember last season when Manchester City were ahead and it was going to be easy," he added. "Then they needed to win their last game. It's a long, long competition. Why can't we [win the league]?" At present, his team are answering that question for him.
==============
Telegraph:
Chelsea 0 Fulham 0
By Henry Winter, at Stamford Bridge
Under Rafa Benítez, Stamford Bridge has become the home of clean sheets and dark thoughts. Still seething over the controversial managerial regime change, Chelsea supporters staged a silent protest but they could equally have been struck mute by the soulless quality of the football.
Benítez has had only five training sessions with underachieving players he inherited from the dismissed Roberto Di Matteo. He clearly needs time to impose his ideas but the sight of October’s player of the month, Juan Mata, Chelsea’s most consistently creative force, spending an hour on the bench hardly filled home hearts with joy.
Chelsea lacked confidence, focus and leadership, although there was the huge positive of a sparkling eight-minute cameo from Marko Marin.
John Terry cannot return from injury quickly enough to instil greater urgency. Benítez’s side enjoyed far more possession, but Fulham were too well-organised, too hard-working, too defiant. Aaron Hughes was superb at centre-half, intercepting danger in the air and on the ground. John Arne Riise and Steve Sidwell kept throwing themselves into blocks.
Dimitar Berbatov, a professor in the playground here, was the epitome of composure as the focal point of Fulham’s 4-5-1 system. He was so good at gliding away from markers. Oriol Romeu was eventually cautioned for clinging to the Bulgarian like a frisky octopus. Out wide, Damien Duff and Hugo Rodallega provided width and a willingness to track back to thwart Chelsea. At the final whistle, following a brief bout of boos and chant of “We want our Chelsea back”, the home supporters left quickly, contemplating the reality that Benítez has made their team harder to break down and harder to love.
Chelsea managed only three shots on target (from 17 attempts) to Fulham’s four (from nine). Some of the joie de vivre that characterised their early-season brio under Di Matteo has disappeared; Chelsea’s players were as subdued as their supporters.
This supine affair brought derbies into disrepute; there was no passion from Chelsea, no attempt to drive up the decibel level. It felt as if an uneasy truce had settled on the Bridge. There was none of the anger spitting forth from the terraces that marked and scarred Benítez’s first appearance last Sunday, none of the many banners and placards.
Clearly, the Chelsea supporters had decided to make their point soundlessly. The Shed and the Matthew Harding Upper and Lower were largely restrained, restricting their show of dissent towards Benítez to some chants after 16 minutes, noting Di Matteo’s old shirt number, and at the end. The main f-word heard was “Fulham, Fulham”.
The visiting fans were terrific, in fine form throughout, beginning by mocking the Bridge announcer’s request for them to sit down by all standing up. They then serenaded the hosts’ interim first-team manager with “Rafa Benítez, he works where he wants”. The Fulham glee club then disagreed with a (fair) decision by Anthony Taylor with a chant of “We want Mark Clattenburg”.
There was little of substantial footballing note to occupy the fans.
Benítez had tweaked the team, removing John Obi Mikel and inserting Romeu alongside Ramires in deep midfield. In Mata’s absence for an hour, Ryan Bertrand strived to provide some invention but he is not in the Spaniard’s class. Bertrand was more there to protect the defence.
Eden Hazard and Oscar failed to impose their undoubted talent.
Fernando Torres, wearing a demeanour of almost permanent vexation, chased the channels but never looked like scoring. He has now gone 648 minutes without a goal in the Premier League.
On the half-hour mark, the Spaniard really should have scored following a quickfire move, the ball flowing from Branislav Ivanovic to Oscar to Cesar Azpilicueta. Chelsea’s tidy right-back drilled the ball in to Torres, who worked a yard of space, controlling it with his right foot before shooting left-footed goalwards.
This was it; the stuff of T-shirt legend. A stunned stadium followed the ball’s journey, a potentially historic voyage to rival anything achieved by Odysseus, Heyerdahl or Palin (Michael, not Sarah). Torres’ shot travelled between the legs of Hughes. On it went, as Chelsea fans in the Shed stood in hope. Then Mark Schwarzer dropped calmly to his knees and gathered the ball. Hope died. Chelsea supporters sighed as their Fulham counterparts chuckled.
The game continued to meander towards the interval. Hazard fired a free-kick into a Fulham wall. Azpilicueta lifted in a promising cross that Hughes did well to clear as Torres lurked. Hazard then picked out Torres, who hoisted over a cross that Sascha Riether headed away.
Fulham were sitting deep, absorbing punches like an experienced boxer, occasionally breaking out in swift combinations. One led to a chance for Rodallega, who drove his shot straight at Petr Cech. The half then expired, brought to a welcome end without an additional second played.
The Bridge’s guest of honour at the break was Charlie Cooke, the club’s wonderfully inventive winger from the Sixties and Seventies.
Cooke was paraded in front of the Chelsea fans to mass calls of “bring him on” — and he’s 70.
More urgency was detected in the second half. Berbatov was harshly ruled offside when he had timed his run perfectly and was through one on one with Cech. Giorgos Karagounis then switched play from right to left, ably picking out Riise, who wasted a glorious opportunity with a weak shot.
Karagounis and Riise then tested Cech. Back came Chelsea but Fulham stood firm. Riise blocked Hazard’s shot. Hughes threw himself into an athletic clearance of a Torres half-volley. Hughes snuffed out a cross from Azpilicueta. Sidwell risked injury ensuring a Mata shot did not travel any meaningful distance. The sub Marin sought to sink the visitors but soon it was all over bar the brief shouting.
Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Luiz, Cole, Romeu, Ramires, Hazard (Marin 82), Oscar, Bertrand (Mata 63), Torres.
Subs: Turnbull, Mikel, Moses, Ferreira, Cahill.
Booked: Ivanovic, Romeu, Luiz.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Riether, Senderos, Hughes, Riise, Duff, Diarra (Baird 64), Sidwell, Karagounis (Frei 73), Rodallega (Petric 83), Berbatov.
Subs: Etheridge, Kelly, Kasami, Dejagah.
Att: 41,707
Referee: A Taylor (Cheshire).
==================
Times:
Chelsea 0 Fulham 0: Rafael Benítez finds no solace as Chelsea and Fernando Torres draw blank again.
Matt Dickinson.
At least they waited to see the game first, but still the boos flowed for Chelsea and for Rafael Benítez at the final whistle.
The champions of Europe are now without a Barclays Premier League win in six matches. It is as much as Chelsea fans can hope for to see a shot on target under their new management.
Roberto Di Matteo is the man whose name was sung again around Stamford Bridge, not just in the sixteenth minute to mark his old shirt number, but intermittently during a game of almost unbroken tedium.
But the hero of Munich who is really missed in these parts is Didier Drogba. Without him, Chelsea carry no attacking punch. If Benítez has been brought back to resuscitate the career of Fernando Torres, Chelsea fans will be required to have a saintly patience.
The Spain striker has one goal in ten matches and shows no belief that things will improve. The doubts seem to have proved contagious among Chelsea’s attacking players, with Oscar and Eden Hazard never threatening to punish Fulham.
The visiting team could be happy with their point, and it could have been a famous victory had John Arne Riise not messed up one good chance and then been denied by a smart save from Petr Cech.
Chelsea had one shot on target against Manchester City on Sunday. Last night they could muster only two. There was nothing for the fans to cheer so, for most of this game, they sat in sullen silence.
After an opening game when the priority was always going to be to solidify a defence that had conceded two goals a game in the previous two months, Benítez said himself that he expected to “build on this performance, create some more chances”.
Dropping Juan Mata, Chelsea’s joint top scorer, and replacing him with Ryan Bertrand seemed an odd way to go about it, especially at home to a Fulham team set up to play deep and hit on the counter.
Bertrand on the left side of midfield to provide extra cover in a Champions League final? That made sense. But, last night, the England Under-21 full back was surely not included in case there was a need to double up against Damien Duff.
Benítez has never been afraid to rotate, though if this was simply to give Mata a rest, he must have mulled over breathers for Oscar and Hazard, too. The Belgium midfielder had started the season so brightly, but last night he roamed across the pitch from a starting position on the right like a lost man in search of a game.
Oscar had been very flat against Manchester City, but last night he was the brightest of Chelsea’s creative stars (which was not saying much), demanding the ball, darting around in the hole behind Torres.
His problem was that every layoff to his striking partner carried little guarantee of getting the ball back.
Torres did have the best chance of the first half, a smart turn and shot after César Azpilicueta crossed from the right. With his back to goal, Torres spun and shot through the legs of Aaron Hughes, but his effort went straight into the clutches if Mark Schwarzer.
And that was about it for the first 45 minutes, apart from a Ramires shot high into the stands, a David Luiz free kick that flew a little closer to goal and a long-range strike from Hugo Rodallega straight at Cech at the other end.
Fulham were compact, happy to wait patiently for a chance to break. Chelsea were dominating possession but creating very little.
Benítez had made a second change to his starting XI, introducing Oriol Romeu to allow John Obi Mikel his first rest in two months, but that was hardly with goals in mind. Something else was required if Chelsea were going to score their first under the interim first-team manager.
On came Mata in the 63rd minute, by which time Fulham had enjoyed the best chance of the game. Giorgos Karagounis dropped a pass over the Chelsea defence for Riise to run on to, and it seemed the perfect counter-attack with Azpilicueta up the field.
Riise has a left foot that can generate net-bulging power but, as the ball bounced invitingly, the best he could manage was a horrible duff.
The ball trickled wide and, for the time being at least, Benítez had no need for ear plugs.
Chelsea were still dominating possession, but even with Mata on for Bertrand to add some creativity, the football was flowing like London traffic.
The crossing from the home team was poor, not that there was much to aim at as Torres struggled to make any impact once more.
In the 80th minute, Torres seemed to have done well to hit a volley as he fell, but his shot was cleared and replays suggested it was going wide in any case.
Benítez tried to find a fresh answer to his side’s attacking problem when he threw on Marko Marin for his Premier League debut, but the diminutive signing from Werder Bremen had no more luck than Hazard, Oscar or Mata in his short cameo.
Chelsea’s new manager inherited a team with poor form and low confidence — and it may be a while before they come out of the slump.
=================
Mail:
Chelsea 0 Fulham 0: Rafa's men fire blanks again as Benitez can't inspire Torres and co
By Neil Ashton
Rafa Benitez addresses the English-speaking players in their native tongue in the dressing room and communicates in Spanish with the rest of Chelsea’s team.
Last night Chelsea’s players created a language all of their own and no-one inside the home of the European champions can understand a word of it.
They are speaking gibberish and so is Chelsea’s interim manager after his opening two fixtures, both at home, ended in depressing goalless draws.
There is another way to describe it and that was the four-lettered verdict offered by Chelsea supporters at the final whistle. No-one can understand what they’re seeing, particularly after the club’s interim manager left out the creative juices of Juan Mata.
The thing is, Chelsea didn’t even play like they wanted to win this match. Not really.
Chelsea fans, the real diehards sat in the Matthew Harding and Shed End, knew that too. They’re no mugs; they’ve been watching John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba dig in to win games like this for years. They sang ‘We want our Chelsea back’ in the dying minutes.
Two wins in 10 suggests that won’t happen any time soon; two successive 0-0 draws, the first time since September 2004, confirms it.
In the past, a home game against Fulham was a routine win, another three points as Chelsea packed off their annoying little neighbours back to Putney. Not any longer.
There are lost souls in this Chelsea team, searching for a common goal and a sense of purpose after yet another traumatic managerial change.
A team who have won three Barclays Premier League titles and four FA Cups in the Abramovich era are not only being broken up but destroyed. Chelsea are lacking direction and even the club’s own official Twitter feed is giving up on them.
Chelsea’s timeline read: ‘Corner. I don’t need to tell you that nothing comes of it’ midway through the first half. It must have been tempting for the author to say so much more. This team are looking for leadership, turning to each other in a time of crisis and wondering when the wheel of fortune will turn in their favour again.
The hostility for Benitez continues and judging by the tribute to Roberto Di Matteo in the 16th minute, when Chelsea fans stood as one to salute their sacked, Champions League-winning manager, it won’t be stopping any time soon. No-one can move on just yet. And no-one can blame them.
Chelsea fans are watching a team racked with nerves and indecision, uncertain about the future after the appointment of a manager for six months. Just like their owner, who was sat high up in the stands with his Champions League bench-warming jacket on again, they want Chelsea to play at breakneck speed.
They long for the days when they scored 20 goals in five games against Wolves, Arsenal, Nordsjaelland, Norwich and Tottenham earlier in the season. Chelsea were ripping teams to bits back then, pushing the ball across the pitch with pace and purpose.
Even Fernando Torres was among the goals, finding the back of the net four times in the opening phase of the Premier League season.
Look at him now, a desperate figure looking to rediscover his love of the game again under Chelsea’s latest manager. Torres has gone more than 10 hours without a goal in the Premier League and even his strike against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on October 7 was a fluke.
It’s almost heartbreaking to watch. On Sunday he touched the ball 27 times and had just one shot. Last night he showed signs of improvement, but not by much; 34 touches, three shots.
The most important statistic is the big fat zero alongside Torres’s name after yet another blank.
The supply line into the Spain striker has been stopped and Chelsea are struggling to fix the problem. Benitez tried to address it, exchanging John Mikel Obi and Mata for the fresh legs of Oriel Romeu and Ryan Bertrand.
The Spain striker managed a shot on target against Fulham in the first half, a half-decent effort straight into the arms of Mark Schwarzer. Perhaps, in times gone by, he might have picked his spot and put his team ahead from that kind of position.
Sadly those days are in the past, all saved for the highlights reel at the end of his career. That’s what it is coming to for Torres, unable to function whatever the formation or whatever the first XI.
Instead the moments of class were left to Dimitar Berbatov, captaining his team in the absence of the suspended Brede Hangeland.
At times he was in the mood, wrapping his right foot around the ball and teasing it into the path of his team-mates. He has always been flaky, but remains one of the game’s most charismatic forwards.
His awareness and anticipation is the mark of a Champions League player, creating space and time in the tightest positions.
Martin Jol played Berbatov up front alone for Fulham and by the final whistle he had almost twice the number of touches on the ball as Torres. Fulham could have nicked this, particularly when Giorgos Karagounis’s wonderful cross-field ball fell into the path of John Arne Riise.
The left back is usually so reliable from these positions, but he miscued an effort 10 minutes after the break. He had another chance 15 minutes from time when his spectacular left-foot shot was beaten away by Petr Cech.
Chelsea barely functioned. Branislav Ivanovic had a penalty appeal turned down 20 minutes from time when his run was halted by Hangeland’s deputy, Philippe Senderos. That was about it.
At the final whistle, Abramovich made his way across the pitch for his traditional post-match visit to the dressing room. This time, words will have failed him.
====================
Mirror:
Chelsea 0-0 Fulham From zero to zero: More boos for Benitez after another goalless draw
By Victoria Lee
Abramovich's dreams of free flowing football don't look like being realised under the Spaniard
Rafa Benitez claimed Chelsea can still win the title.
But the jeers of the Blues fans after this utterly dismal display suggested the Spaniard is in a world of his own.
Benitez may have been spared a repeat of the pre-match booing that marked his introduction to the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Two games without a goal, barely a shot, and even less entertainment add up to four points out of 18 and a seven point gap from the top.
Hopes that Benitez could wave a magic wand and turn Fernando Torres back into a striker had already evaporated long before the frustrated fans gave vent to their feelings.
Benitez tried to talk up the few positives as he insisted: "We are not out of the league yet.
"There's still a long way to go and we have to keep going.
"Remember last season when Manchester City were ahead and it was easy but they needed to win their last game. It's a long competition. Why can't we win the league?"
Because, it seems, they are not good enough even for a manager in his first week at the helm.
It is all well and good shoring it up at one end - back to back clean sheets after shipping goals in the previous 10 games.
But while Roman Abramovich might understand just two shots on target against Manchester City, the same tally against Fulham is unacceptable.
Indeed, had John Arne Riise made proper contact when Giorgos Karagounis sent him cantering clear 10 minutes after the break, or not been denied by Petr Cech's outstanding low save late-on, it would have been even worse.
Benitez added: "Everybody is disappointed. Fulham worked very hard, but these are the games we have to win. We still have to score goals."
Not from Torres, who has now gone 648 minutes since his last Premier League goal and while the Spaniard was not embarrassing, neither was he any good.
One smart turn and left footer at Mark Schwarzer in the first half was followed by a shot Aaron Hughes needlessly hacked away.
Yet even with Juan Mata, surprisingly benched at the start, on for the last half-hour, Chelsea were all huff and puff, no quality.
The most ingenuity on display - apart from the sublime skill of Dimitar Berbatov - came from the visiting fans, with chants of "Rafa Benitez, he works where he wants" before, as the ground emptied early: "Is there a fire drill?"
Those remaining gave their muted verdict on Benitez . When the limited scale of a protest is the best part of the evening, you know how bad it was.
====================
Sun:
Chelsea 0 Fulham 0
By ANDREW DILLON
HOW long before Chelsea ‘regret’ giving Rafa Benitez a job?
The current buzzword at Stamford Bridge sums it all up rather nicely after such a soulless performance.
Two shots on target from the team which just a few weeks ago modelled itself on Brazil. A second successive goalless draw.
Another night and another opportunity wasted for Fernando Torres to come out of mothballs and become the force he was for Benitez at Liverpool.
It certainly did not take Chelsea fans long to ‘regret’ handing over their hard-earned on a cold night to head home chilled to the bones by what they saw and what they fear for the future at their favourite club.
Games like this will not help the punters warm to Benitez, the new interim manager. Hang on a mo, aren’t all Chelsea managers interim these days?
If this is what is on the menu from now until the end of the season, the European champions seem poised to go into hibernation with all the pace and passion of a tortoise descending into a winter-long slumber.
Holding the Premier League champions Manchester City to a 0-0 last Sunday is acceptable for a club in transition, even one of Chelsea’s standing.
But failing to see off Fulham, a team which normally turns up to away games with three points on the team bus ready to hand over, is dereliction of duty.
Apparently, Benitez has been told by owner Roman Abramovich that Chelsea do not have to play like Barcelona.
Just as well then, because this was nothing like Barcelona — or Chelsea for that matter.
A week has passed since the sacking of Robert Di Matteo but already Stamford Bridge is a vastly different place — and the fans do not like it.
As we laboured towards the relief of the final whistle there was one last defiant but muted cry of ‘We want our Chelsea back’. Abramovich would have heard it from his posh box in the East Stand but he rarely listens to anyone but himself. The euphoria of making history as London’s first European champions last season is long gone.
The trademark Chelsea swagger has gone.
There were not even any boos aimed at the widely disliked Benitez.
Instead, resigned groans greeted confirmation over the PA before kick-off that he had dropped swashbuckling winger Juan Mata — Chelsea’s joint top scorer and the most exciting player by far at the club this season.
In the dazzling Spaniard’s place was Ryan Bertrand as bold Benitez opted for two left-backs on the same flank.Consequently, it was half an hour before anyone managed a shot on target as Mark Schwarzer easily denied Torres.
At half time, one-time Chelsea darling and flamboyant winger Charlie Cooke was paraded on the pitch. The wise-crackers could not resist a cry of ‘Bring Him On’ in a telling statement on what passes for expensive entertainment at modern-day Chelsea.
Even at 70, Cooke would have coped easily with the pace.
Chelsea were slightly more adventurous in the second half but only had a Ramires effort to show for it, whereas John Arne Riise should have snatched a win for Fulham but for a panicky finish.
These two West London neighbours have vastly different budgets and vastly different approaches to the game at present.
The contrast could not be greater between Torres and his opposite number Dimitar Berbatov last night.
Both play No 9 as the main man up front.
Torres did have one decent chance but the body language speaks volumes about them both at the moment.
Berba directs and leads by example.
He never defends but has a habit of hitting a world-class ball just at the moment he starts to look a luxury player.
And whether he scores or not, he is a pleasure to watch and you enjoy the ride with him.
In contrast, Torres looks grumpy and plays like it.
There is not much fun at Chelsea at the moment — just ‘regrets’.
DREAM TEAM
SUN STAR MAN — STEVE SIDWELL (FULHAM)
CHELSEA: Cech 6, Azpilicueta 7, Ivanovic 7, Luiz 6, Cole 6, Romeu 6, Ramires 5, Hazard 5, Oscar 5, Bertrand 5, Torres 5. Subs: Mata (Bertrand 62) 6, Marin (Hazard 81) 5. Not used: Turnbull, Mikel, Moses, Ferreira, Cahill. Booked: Ivanovic, Luiz, Romeu.
FULHAM: Schwarzer 6, Riether 7, Senderos 7, Hughes 7, Riise 7, Duff 6, Diarra 7, Sidwell 8, Karagounis 6, Rodallega 6, Berbatov 7. Subs: Baird (Diarra 63) 6, Frei (Karagounis 73) 6, Petric (Rodellaga 82) 5. Not used: Etheridge, Kelly, Kasami, Dejagah.
==========================
Star:
CHELSEA 0 - FULHAM 0: TORR-MENT FOR RAFA BENITEZ
The “Rafa Out” banners were gone and there was no jeering or anti- Benitez chanting, just a kind of resigned air of disappointment
By Paul Brown
RAFA BENITEZ promised to get his shot-shy striker Fernando Torres scoring again – but Chelsea struggled in front of goal last night.
Torres and Co were off colour in a tame west London derby at Stamford Bridge, but at least the fans kept their powder dry.
The “Rafa Out” banners were gone and there was no jeering or anti- Benitez chanting, just a kind of resigned air of disappointment.
Benitez was given a less than friendly welcome on his debut in the dugout during Sunday’s goalless draw with Manchester City.
But he still refuses to apologise for any of the negative things he has said about Chelsea in the past, and insists he does not listen to the fans.
The Spaniard certainly did not seem to be trying to win them round with his decision to leave Juan Mata on the bench against Fulham.
Erratic full-back Ryan Bertrand was the man who replaced him in the starting line-up, along with young, previously out-of-favour midfielder Oriol Romeu.
He had not started a game since the defeat at West Brom, when he was the first man to be substituted by Roberto Di Matteo.
But he was back last night for John Obi Mikel.
The loudest noise the Chelsea fans made in the first half was when they rose to sing: “One Di Matteo, there’s only one Di Matteo” in the 16th minute – the Italian’s old squad number.
That was hardly surprising, because both sides were shocking.
Chelsea had most of the ball but looked clueless, while Fulham were content to sit back and wait for an opening.
Torres did not manage the game’s first shot on target until the 29th minute, when he was picked out by Cesar Azpilicueta.
His first touch was good as he turned to fire a shot in from 12 yards – but it was a painfully weak effort and easily held by Mark Schwarzer.
Fulham were playing without inspirational centre-back Brede Hangeland, serving the second game of a three-match ban.
But the Cottagers looked comfortable. Hangeland’s under- study Philippe Senderos barely broke sweat keeping Torres quiet.
Mata was soon out warming up down the touchline as the second half got under way.
But if the sight of him was supposed to spark his team-mates to life, it failed.
Without the injured John Terry and Frank Lampard, Chelsea lack leadership and direction.
Content with a draw, Fulham lapped it up. And if not for a marginal offside call against Dimitar Berbatov in the 54th minute, they would probably have taken the lead.
An even better chance quickly followed for the visitors when Giorgos Karagounis picked out John Arne Riise. He took it on his chest one-on-one with Petr Cech but scuffed his shot.
Mata finally got in on the action and almost had an instant impact, with Branislav Ivanovic glancing his corner just wide.
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Express:
CHELSEA 0 - FULHAM 0: IT’S BORING, BORING RAFA BENITEZ
By Tony Banks
SO NOW we know what Roman Abramovich’s Plan B was when he sacked Roberto Di Matteo. Bore Chelsea’s fans to death.
Come back Robbie, all is forgiven, Chelsea’s long suffering fans could be forgiven for screaming from the stands. Anything is better than this.
Chelsea’s second successive goalless draw under new interim-manager Rafa Benitez is hardly the kind of fare that is designed to win those already disgruntled fans over.
Now it is just four points from the last available 18 in the league for Chelsea and any hope of a league title is disappearing with every minute at the moment.
Only one other manager under Abramovich has failed to win his first two games – Avram Grant.
Mind you, he reached the Champions League final.
Benitez has work to do and on this evidence it is going to take time. He has until the end of the season to work it out. He sprang a surprise by leaving out joint top scorer Juan Mata, perhaps because of the heavy schedule ahead of his team with three games in eight days looming before their trip to Japan for the Club World Cup.
Only one other manager under Abramovich has failed to win his first two games – Avram Grant
It could also, though, have been a desire to make his team more solid with Ryan Bertrand also replacing John Obi Mikel.
But after his team managed just two shots on target in his opening game as interim manager against Manchester City on Sunday, he was looking for more firepower from his side against their local rivals.
Fulham, without suspended skipper Brede Hangeland, were, like Chelsea, looking to improve recent results – both teams, bizarrely, were looking for their first league win in six games.
The Chelsea fans must have exhausted their ire at Benitez’ appointment when the Spaniard’s entrance on Sunday was greeted with an unprecedented storm of booing. Last night, he slipped into his seat almost unnoticed. The atmosphere as a whole was more subdued and downbeat, as if the crowd were waiting to see what Benitez could muster from his reshaped side.
The fans did however, do their now traditional “There’s only one Di Matteo” in the 16th minute in honour of their ex manager, who wore that shirt number as a player at Stamford Bridge.
It was the most exciting moment of a numbingly-dull half up to that point.
David Luiz curled a free kick over the bar after Hugo Rodallega handled, but the teams were cancelling each other out.
It was extraordinary how the fluid, adventurous Chelsea of the early weeks of the season had disappeared seemingly overnight.
Then Cesar Azpilicueta crossed low and Fernando Torres spun to shoot, but drove the ball straight at keeper Mark Schwarzer.
Rodellega then drove straight at Petr Cech at the other end, but it was a game being strangled by two rigid systems.
Gradually, Chelsea began to make headway as Azpilicueta made some adventurous runs down the right and the skills of Oscar started to open up chinks in the Fulham armour.
Eden Hazard, whose dip in form after a bright start to his career in English football had mirrored Chelsea’s slump, almost put Oscar through after a delightful run, but Schwarzer galloped out to save the day.
Even Dimitar Berbatov, whose sublime skills have lit up Fulham’s season so far, seemed subdued, though he got little service as Martin Jol’s team retreated in numbers whenever there was any danger.
They did waste one glorious chance on the break, though, as Giorgos Karagounis’ long ball found John Arne Riise galloping clear down the left.
The Norwegian left Luiz for dead, but as Cech came out to narrow the angle, he fluffed his shot and Chelsea scrambled the ball away.
Ramires then tested Schwarzer as Chelsea replied, and Benitez’ side finally cranked up the pressure.
Fulham were resticted to rare breaks and Karagounis should have done better than shoot straight at Cech.
Substitute Chris Baird then drilled a free kick at the goalkeeper.
Benitez threw on Mata in an attempt to add some craft to an up until then dreadfully mundane display from his side.
It was a decision greeted by a huge cheer from a crowd, for whom the football was doing nothing to take the edge off a very chilly night.
Branislav Ivanovic glanced a header just wide from a typically accurate Mata corner, but then Fulham broke again and after Berbatov expertly held the ball and then laid it off, Riise cracked in a low shot that Cech brilliantly turned round the post to save Chelsea some real neighbourlt embarrassment.
Now Fulham were beginning to sniff the chance of an upset as Chelsea laboured, though Torres turned in the box, and Aaron Hughes booted his shot off the line. Had it gone in, it would have been an injustice. Fulham had defended magnificently. “There’s only one Di Matteo” Chelsea’s fans sang again at the end.
Wonder why?
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Luiz, Cole; Romeu, Ramires; Hazard (Marin 82), Oscar, Bertrand (Mata 63); Torres. Booked: Ivanovic, Romeu, Luiz.
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Schwarzer; Riether, Hughes, Senderos, Riise; Sidwell, Diarra (Baird 64); Duff, Karagounis (Frei 73), Rodallega (Petric 83).
Referee: A Taylor (Cheshire).
