Independent:
Lampard lights the way as Chelsea step out of Mourinho's shadowBayern Munich 3 - Chelsea 213 April 2005
It was in the back of a humble Munich taxi that Jose Mourinho left the Olympiastadion before kick-off last night and what took place in his absence was one of the most accomplished Chelsea performances of his reign. Their leader might have been exiled from the touchline, and defeat came in the game's dying seconds, but what will endure of last night was the resolve that earned Chelsea a place in the Champions' League semi-finals.
Chelsea's passage through the last two rounds of this competition has been a strange tale, interrupted by the savage political feud that burns between their coach and Uefa and the occasional transfer scandal. But last night, for the space of this match at least, it was possible to wonder at the simple achievement of a team that has learned quickly how to take on, and defeat, the grandees of European football.
Eventually they were only beaten by two goals that arrived either side of the 90-minute mark, but that alone does not do justice to the scope of their achievement. They were defeated by a German team that, to their credit, refused to give up on the tie, yet as the old masters from Bayern's past mulled over their elimination, Franz Beckenbauer said that Chelsea "were not better but much cleverer". Coming from a wily old German World Cup winner there can scarcely be a greater compliment.
Chelsea had begun the evening with a statement intended to pre-empt newspaper stories that said the chief executive Peter Kenyon had been spotted in a restaurant with Rio Ferdinand. Then Mourinho added his last few flourishes to the build-up before leaving the real business to his team. He arrived on the front seat of the team bus with an air of affected nonchalance: his feet up and his eyes shut.
If his entrance had been unusual then his exit was spectacular. As most of the stadium's photographers trained their lenses on the VIP seats, Mourinho suddenly appeared on the giant screen in the stadium. This time, however, he was back outside and stepping into a beige Munich municipal taxi for the short ride back to the team hotel. A Chelsea spokesman later said that Mourinho's "privacy" had been invaded at the stadium by cameramen.
On the pitch, Bayern made good on their promise to take the role of aggressors and Robert Huth made an inauspicious start to life as a right-back when he was well beaten by Ze Roberto down the wing. He cut the ball back to Michael Ballack in the area and only a flailing leg from Petr Cech kept the shot out.
Down the opposite wing came Bastian Schweinsteiger who began by causing equal trouble for William Gallas. There are not many bonafide nutmegs in the Champions' League but the young German inflicted the old-fashioned humiliation on the French full-back on 18 minutes and then beat Frank Lampard before unleashing a cross that curled menacingly across goal.
But before the half-hour, Chelsea took a daring lead. The goals Lampard has scored this season, and the games he has dominated, mean that his triumphs are no fluke. But when he struck his 15th of the season the Brazilian Lucio would have been entitled to ask whether the football gods had a grudge against him. Just like Joe Cole's first last week, the ball went in via a deflection off the defender.
There were two scares for Chelsea before half-time, not least when Ze Roberto offered further evidence that Huth is not a natural full-back by beating him down the flank and cutting back another inviting ball. But it was Ballack who wasted the best chance of all when John Terry misjudged a header and presented the midfielder with a simple chance from close range. He could not keep his shot under the bar.
Chelsea resilience and determination to maintain their shape was rewarded when, just before the hour, Damien Duff was presented with a glorious chance to kill the tie. Lampard's innocent free-kick was allowed to trickle through to the Irishman and, holding off Willy Sagnol's challenge he shot from close range. Somehow Kahn turned the ball away.
The Bayern goal arrived on 65 minutes and, by then, they were in control. Sagnol crossed from the right and Ballack, who had established himself as the match's most influential man, crashed a header against the post. Cech was beaten and the ball ricocheted back along his line where it was turned in by Pizarro who looked to have been in an offside position when Ballack made contact.
And so Bayern poured forward. Within four minutes of their goal, Huth had deflected a Bixente Lizarazu cross that struck Cech's bar. From the corner, Ballack once again proved dominant in the air and, although Cech managed to get a glove on the ball it still required Eidur Gidjohnsen to kick the ball off the line.
From nothing Chelsea appeared to seal the tie with 11 minutes remaining. Joe Cole made the crucial breakthrough, crossing from the left for Didier Drogba to flick his header past Kahn. Somehow, Bayern managed to rouse themselves from the depths of a display that saw most of their supporters exit before their winning goals went in.
The first came from the substitute Paolo Guerrero who turned in Schweinsteiger's cross from the right at the near post. Then in injury time, Mehmet Scholl, another substitute, scored with the last kick of the game. It was the first time that Mourinho's Chelsea have conceded three goals but even he might be minded to forgive them for that.
Bayern Munich (4-1-3-2): Kahn; Sagnol, Lucio, Kovac, Lizarazu (Salihamidzic, 78); Demichelis (Scholl, 52); Schweinsteiger, Ballack, Ze Roberto; Makaay (Guerrero, 73), Pizarro. Substitutes not used: Rensing (gk), Frings, Jeremies, Deisler.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Huth, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Makelele; Cole (Morais, 90), Lampard, Gudjohnsen (Geremi, 88) Duff (Tiago, 71); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Johnson, Smertin, Forssell.
Referee: M Mejuto Gonzalez (Spain).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Times:Job is done but late slip-ups dim aura of invincibilityFrom Matt Dickinson, Chief Football Correspondent in MunichBayern Munich 3 Chelsea 2 (Chelsea win 6-5 on agg) LOSING is a rare sensation for Chelsea players and, as for conceding three goals, that had not happened all season. This was not a typical night for José Mourinho’s players but it concluded with the very familiar feeling of satisfaction at a job well done and another target successfully accomplished.
Chelsea will want to tighten up at the back before the European Cup semi-finals — Paolo Ferreira, out for the season, is sorely missed on the flank — but they fully deserved to progress at Bayern Munich’s expense. The Germans had tested them in both legs but without reducing them to panic.
Goals from Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba gave Chelsea plenty of room for error and, although they needed the cushion as they dropped deep into their own area, the strikes from Paulo Guerrero and Mehmet Scholl came far too late to worry Mourinho.
There was barely time to kick off after Scholl’s goal deep into injury time, with Bayern still a goal short of forcing another 30 minutes.
In his hotel room, Mourinho must have sensed that the tie was wrapped up once Frank Lampard had struck in the 30th minute to set Bayern the mighty task of scoring three goals without reply. That was something that none of Chelsea’s previous 50 opponents had managed and, in only four defeats under Mourinho, they had never lost by two clear goals.
“The first goal could be fatal,” Felix Magath, the Bayern manager, had said and his players’ careworn expressions as they trooped off at half-time reflected the significance of Lampard’s deflected strike.
Bayern had created the pressure, and the chances, but it was Chelsea who had scored with their only shot on target.
Responsible for diverting Joe Cole’s shot beyond Oliver Kahn in the first leg, Lucio will claim that luck had conspired against him yet again. As Lampard shot from just outside the area, the ball ricocheted off the Brazil defender’s instep and into the very part of the goal that Kahn had just vacated.
It was unfortunate, but Bayern’s defending had not impressed in either game and they should have known better than to allow Lampard to shoot unchallenged from 20 yards. It was the England midfield player’s sixth goal in seven games and his third of the tie. Bayern had been warned.
If the goal was a huge blow, Bayern had already suffered a spate of little setbacks with their failure to capitalise on some good possession in and around the Chelsea penalty area. As Magath had said, they needed to score first but they were foiled by one fine save from Petr Cech, using his legs to block Claudio Pizarro’s shot, and a dreadful lack of composure in front of goal.
Bayern’s game plan was sensible enough, with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Zé Roberto trying to exploit Chelsea’s weakness at full back in the absence of Wayne Bridge and, particularly, Ferreira. Schweinsteiger nutmegged William Gallas early on while Zé Roberto terrorised Robert Huth. The German had been preferred to Glen Johnson but looked exactly what he is — a big centre half out of position — every time he had to tackle the flying Brazilian.
In one moment of panic, Huth headed straight at Michael Ballack, but the Germany international was equally jittery and wildly mis-hit his shot over the crossbar.
Bayern needed a stroke of fortune if they were to lift the Olympic Stadium from its gloom and it came with an equaliser in the 65th minute.
Pizarro was just offside as he tapped in after Cech had pushed Ballack’s powerful header on to a post. The Czech Republic goalkeeper appeared to hold up a hand a little guiltily, but he had done well just to parry the first effort. He was helpless again when, from Bixente Lizarazu’s cross, the ball deflected off Huth and bounced on to the top of the crossbar. Bayern’s tails were up, and Eidur Gudjohnsen headed off the line from Ballack’s header, but Chelsea then struck against the run of play. Joe Cole crossed and Drogba, who had outmuscled Robert Kovac all evening, beat Kahn with a perfectly directed header. Bayern needed three more goals and, although they must have realised that their efforts were likely to be in vain, they managed to grab two. Both were scrappy strikes, Guerrero and Scholl pouncing after the ball was driven into a crowded penalty box.
The only purpose they served was to remind Chelsea that they are not invincible. But they are formidable.
HOW THEY LINED UP
BAYERN MUNICH (4-4-2) O Kahn — W Sagnol, Lucio, R Kovac, B Lizarazu — B Schweinsteiger, M Demichelis (sub: M Scholl, 52min), M Ballack, Zé Roberto — C Pizarro, R Makaay (sub: P Guerrero, 73). Substitutes not used: M Rensing, T Frings, J Jeremies, H Salihamdzic, S Deisler. Booked: Kovac.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): P Cech — R Huth, J Terry, R Carvalho, W Gallas — E Gudjohnsen (sub: Gérémi, 88), C Makelele, F Lampard — J Cole (sub: Nuno Morais, 90), D Drogba, D Duff (sub: Tiago, 71). Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, G Johnson, A Smertin, M Forssell. Booked: Gudjohnsen. Referee: M Mejuto González (Spain). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph:
Chelsea weather the stormBy Henry Winter (Filed: 13/04/2005)
Bayern Munich (0) 3 Chelsea (1) 2Chelsea win 6-5 on agg
They can ban Jose Mourinho from the dugout but no one can evict his strong Chelsea team from the Champions League. John Terry, Frank Lampard and the outstanding pair of Ricardo Carvalho and Joe Cole ensured that Chelsea progressed to the semi-finals while their beloved manager watched from his hotel-room.
Heads we win: Didier Drogba sealed Chelsea a semi-final place Even before Lampard's 30th-minute goal tempered Bayern's aspirations, German frustration was in evidence. Their fans began swearing en masse at Chelsea - in English. Time-wasting tactics by Petr Cech intensified Baverian ennui. They sang and they screamed but they knew that hope was fading. Even when Claudio Pizarro equalised after 65 minutes, Bayern still had to break the thick blue line twice more, ane the task became impossible when Didier Drogba headed past Oliver Kahn. Late ripostes from Paulo Guerrero and Mehmet Scholl were ultimately meaningless.
All those observations by Kahn that English teams struggle overseas (rather ignoring a certain 5-1 result here) resembled mere hot air as Bayern attacks largely foundered on the twin rocks that were Carvalho and Terry. All those claims from Michael Ballack that he and his team, strengthened by the return of Pizarro and Roy Makaay, would score four were mocked by the outstanding Claude Makelele, who patrolled the area in front of Chelsea's back four with intelligence and unremitting zeal.
Baverian criticism that Mourinho's side relied overly on the long ball to Drogba rang hollow on the half-hour as Chelsea built stealthily towards goal. William Gallas made good ground down the left. Nothing hurried, nothing rash. Gallas took care of the ball, eventually slipping it inside to Cole. The small but perfectly in-form England international is the antithesis of the long-ball philosophy; here he dribbled along the edge of Kahn's penalty box, ignoring a chance to go down when fouled before laying the ball off to Lampard. Why Martin Demichelis was not tracking such a deadly finisher from range is a matter for Felix Magath's post-mortem examination.
Lampard relished the space and duly let fly, the ball catching Lucio's heel on its way past a wrong-footed Kahn. Echoes of the Bridge abounded. The luckless Lucio deflected in a Cole strike last week. One more and Chelsea will get to keep the Brazilian.
Yet Chelsea defenders had to work overtime. Terry, leading by example, threw himself into an effort from Ballack, setting the tone for Chelsea's athletic resilience. Then Cech raced out to stop Pizarro's shot with his feet. Sebastian Schweinsteiger did nutmeg Gallas and trick Terry but the right-winger's shot flew wide.
The alarm bells rang briefly in Chelsea's defence when Robert Huth appeared to hold Pizarro but the referee waved play on. These were good times for those paid so handsomely to protect Chelsea's goal, although Glen Johnson must have been left wandering about his future at the club after starting on the bench. Johnson excels going forward but Mourinho clearly preferred Huth's defensive expertise, albeit a stopper operating at full-back.
Banned from the dug-out, Mourinho entered the stadium briefly but was so mobbed by autograph-hunters when seeking his seat he jumped in a taxi and sped back to the team's hotel. His fitness coach, Rui Faria, took his place on the bench. They had plenty to enjoy. As well as Lampard's 12th goal in 42 European appearances, Chelsea almost added a second through Drogba. Otherwise, there was the visitors' defensive performance to admire. Carvalho, such a clever reader of unfolding dangers, stretched out a foot to hook a Ze Roberto shot out of the damp Baverian air.
As the second half opened, Ballack shot over, a long-ranger from Lucio was held by Cech before Cole then executed two immaculately timed challenges to dispossess Ze Roberto in the box. Bixente Lizarazu had seen enough and promptly clattered Cole. No matter. The thick blue line was holding firm.
Until the 65th minute. Then Willy Sagnol crossed and Ballack headed goalwards, causing chaos in the Chelsea box. Cech managed to reach the ball, turning it against a post, but Pizarro applied the coup de grace: 1-1. Bayern raided forward feverishly. Lizarazu's cross clipped Huth's head and rebounded off the bar. Eidur Gudjohnsen then cleared Ballack's header off the line. Then, marvelously, Chelsea regained the lead. Cole had the ball down the corner flag and it seemed inevitable that he would run down the clock. No chance. He crossed superbly and Drogba, beating Rober Kovac, headed powerfully past Kahn. "Cheerio, cheerio" chanted the Chelsea fans. Liverpool or Juventus await.
Meanwhile, Chelsea last night issued a statement denying that they were seeking to sign Manchester United central defender Rio Ferdinand.
Match details
Bayern Munich (4-1-2-1-2): Kahn; Sagnol, Lucio, Kovac, Lizarazu (Salihamidzic 77); Demichelis (Scholl 52); Schweinsteiger, Ze Roberto; Ballack; Makaay (Guerrero 73), Pizarro. Subs: Rensing (g), Frings, Jeremies, Deisler. Booked: Kovac, Sagnol. Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cech; Huth, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Makelele; Gudjohnsen (Geremi 88), Lampard; J Cole (Nuno Morais 90), Duff (Tiago, 72); Drogba. Subs: Cudicini (g), Johnson, Smertin, Forssell. Booked: Gudjohnsen. Referee: M Mejuto Gonzalez (Spain).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guardian:
Drogba seals Chelsea advance
Kevin McCarra at OlympiastadionWednesday April 13, 2005The Guardian
The ease of Chelsea's progress is adding to its excitement. They are to start a semi-final against Juventus or Liverpool in a fortnight and will do so against a backdrop of belief that the trophy can return to English soil after a six-year absence. Despite the odd conclusion to their evening in Munich, Chelsea have vanquished a potent club. Any misgivings about the team during this 6-5 aggregate win were exceedingly late arriving. Didier Drogba had re-established Chelsea's lead in the 80th minute to put them 2-1 ahead by evading Robert Kovac to head home a Joe Cole cross. With John Terry hampered by a worrying leg injury and his team-mates relaxing, Bayern, however, came back improbably to win.In stoppage-time, one substitute, Paulo Guerrero, turned in a Bastian Schweinsteiger shot before another, Mehmet Scholl, tucked in a cut-back. Those steps to a 3-2 victory went unwatched by the substantial part of the crowd who had already stomped to the exits. When Frank Lampard, assisted by a ricochet, put Chelsea ahead after half an hour Jose Mourinho's side held an unassailable 5-2 aggregate advantage. Those disgruntled spectators could have left much earlier. In causing such dismay to esteemed opponents Chelsea have underlined their new standing.
If they fret now, it is because they realise their sights must be on taking the Champions League prize. In that regard there will be concerns. Glen Johnson was dropped, Robert Huth had a stab at playing right-back and Chelsea may not be watertight again this season unless Paulo Ferreira comes back from injury. The problems may undermine Chelsea, especially if Terry - who said later "my leg's in bits" - is missing for a crucial period. Mourinho may need a brilliant strategy.
Lampard had already claimed two goals in the first leg and Bayern's coach Felix Magath said before this return that "we need to defend well and then the Lampard problem will not be there". His side did not look as if they had enough concentration even to remember hearing his instructions.
Bayern will bemoan the deflections for last night's opener and for Joe Cole's at Stamford Bridge. The Premiership leaders do get goals like that regularly, but there is method involved in setting up positions for controlled drives. They are abetted, too, when a side such as Bayern let Cole come in from the left and roll the ball to an unmarked Lampard. His low 25-yarder skipped off Lucio's heel to wrongfoot Oliver Kahn.
Until then much of Chelsea's energy had gone into thwarting Bayern's quest for the 2-0 win they desired. Mourinho deployed a back four composed wholly of centre-halves. Huth was nominally on the right but usually stayed near the middle so that he could help clear crosses.
Claudio Pizarro pulled the ball back for Michael Ballack in the fourth minute and Terry had to make a block tackle. Almost immediately Ze Roberto came inside Huth for a low cross which set up Pizarro for a drive which Petr Cech denied with his legs.
None the less, Chelsea had already shown they would not be subdued throughout. In the second minute Lampard freed Drogba, who had so intimidated Bayern at Stamford Bridge, but he could not get the better of Kahn. Drogba was injured later and seemed shorn of his usual power after 43 minutes as Kovac tracked the striker down when Lampard seemed to have sent him clear.
Having gone 1-0 down, Bayern required three unanswered goals to advance. But Chelsea still had notions of adding to their lead. With almost an hour gone, Drogba occupied the centre-backs at a free-kick and Damien Duff dashed through, only to be frustrated by Kahn's fine save.
Bayern soon equalised. Cech shoved Ballack's downward header against a post but Pizarro, who had been offside, knocked in the rebound. Five minutes later a Bixente Lizarazu cross came off Huth to strike the bar and, within moments, Ballack's header was kicked off the line by Eidur Gudjohnson.
This reminded Chelsea of the difficulties of the Champions League but the deeper impression is of how regularly they overcome them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sun:
B Munich 3 Chelsea 2
(Chelsea win 6-5 on aggregate)
CHELSEA almost turned a cruise into a nightmare before earning a Champions League semi-final with either Liverpool or Juventus.
Frank Lampard's deflected 20-yarder and Didier Drogba's header put the Blues 2-1 up on the night and 6-3 on aggregate - but Bayern's late double forced them to sweat out the closing seconds.
Maybe, though, on a night when boss Jose Mourinho took a cab journey away from Bayern Munich's Olympic Stadium, it should have been no surprise that Chelsea took an unusual route.
Lampard's opener on the half-hour slightly flattered them, before Claudio Pizarro bundled Bayern level.
Drogba's neat flick seemed to settle any fleeting nerves - but Peter Cech hade to make two top-class blocks when Munich finally surged forward.
It all seemed irrelevant, though, as John Terry in particular stood firm in the Blues' defence.
But Paolo Guerrero and Mehmet Scholl shot goals in the 89th minute and stoppage time to provoke a strange climax.
England midfielder Lampard and Drogba had led Chelsea's bright start.
And early on the Ivory Coast striker was thwarted only by a sliding tackle from onrushing giant Oliver Kahn in the Munich goal.
Fit-again Pizarro and Roy Makaay were back leading the Munich front line, so the Blues knew their rearguard would have to match their Premiership form.
But it needed Cech's fine save to prevent Pizarro's low drive from putting the Germans in front in two minutes later.
GOAL-DEN ... Lampard after his goalPicture: RICHARD PELHAM
Chelsea, though, still enjoyed the better of the midfield exchanges.
And Bayern's crossing was frustrating the home fans, with Pizarro and Makaay receiving scant service in attack.
Munich's woes deepened, apparently beyond repair, when Chelsea went three goals in front on aggregate.
And again it was Lampard, two-goal hero of the first leg, who put the Blues in control.
Lucio had deflected the busy Joe Cole's wayward shot past his own keeper at Stamford Bridge and the German defender was once more at fault this time.
Lampard's low strike hit Lucio as he turned.
And, despite Kahn's last-ditch attempt to recover, the ball cannoned in off the keeper's foot.
Michael Ballack, whose last-minute penalty at Chelsea had given the Germans hope for the second leg, blazed a clear chance high in the 40th minute as Bayern finally created openings.
Cech pushed Bastian Schweinsteiger's long-range effort round the post when the hosts started to infiltrate the home defence.
But Chelsea almost doubled their lead on the hour after Lampard's free-kick fell to Damien Duff on the edge of the six-yard box.
Kahn, however, thwarted him superbly at point-blank range.
The Blues paid for that miss four minutes later when Pizarro tucked home an equaliser from the goal-line after Makaay's header beat Cech.
OOPS ... Oliver Kahn and Lucio watch the ball go in
The ball bounced off the inside of the keeper's left post and ran across the line for the waiting Pizarro to finish.
Bayern were now in full flow, albeit knowing they still needed two more goals to go through.
And the double miss they will rue arrived in the 68th minute.
Robert Huth, sometimes uncomfortable at right-back, deflected Bixente Lizarazu's cross onto the top of Cech's bar.
Then Eidur Gudjohnsen cleared a Ballack header off the line.
Chelsea, though, seemed to have sealed the tie 10 minutes from time.
Drogba, the physical scourge of the home side in the first leg, soared to glance Cole's cross into the bottom corner.
But the Germans won the game on the night, perhaps deservedly, with a late burst.
Guerrero turned in a Schweinsteiger cross-shot, then Scholl flashed the goal of the night inside the near post.
DREAM TEAM STAR MAN- JOHN TERRY (Chelsea)
Chelsea: Cech 7, Carvalho 6, Terry 9, Gallas 6, Huth 6, Duff 6, Cole 7, Lampard 8, Makelele 7, Gudjohnsen 7, Drogba 7. Subs: Tiago (for Duff, 70min) 6, Geremi (Gudjohnsen, 88) 5, Nuno Morais (Cole, 90) 5. Not used: Johnson, Forssell, Smertin, Cudicini.Booked: Gudjohnsen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Sunday, April 10, 2005
sunday papers birmingham
Independent:
Pandiani pounces on weakened ChelseaChelsea 1 - Birmingham City 1Steve Tongue at Stamford Bridge10 April 2005
The banner hanging from the Matthew Harding Stand that read "Chelsea Champions 2005" would be better left at home for a little while longer. It will be a valid acclamation eventually - probably in two weeks' time at home to Fulham, 50 years to the day after the club's only previous title - but such presumption does not go down well with the football gods. Punishment might have been even more severe; not until eight minutes from the end did Didier Drogba equalise Walter Pandiani's goal.
Jose Mourinho may have been back in his usual seat, with familiar coat and scarf on despite the milky spring sunshine, but the fact that Drogba was one of two half-time substitutes illustrated how concerned he had been about a wretched first-half performance. For once the managerial Midas had failed in the admittedly difficult task of finding a balance between fielding a team to win the game and resting players for a more important one a few days later - in this case, Tuesday's second leg against Bayern Munich.
After using five attacking players in recent matches and being rewarded with 11 goals from the previous three, Mourinho adopted a slightly more conservative approach here, leaving Eidur Gudjohnsen and Drogba in the dug-out with him at the start. The strategy did not work. The first half an hour's football was so inconsequential that both players had to be sent along the touchline to warm up, if only pour encourager les autres, and by the start of the second half they were brought on.
"It was a bad performance in the first half. It looked like a friendly," Mourinho confessed. "Not enough ambition to win the game." Indeed, in the first 30 minutes Chelsea managed two shots on goal. Early on Kenny Cunningham's weak headed clearance allowed Damien Duff to hit a strong drive, which was blocked. Then there was another example of Mourinho's training-ground cuteness - or gamesmanship, take your choice - after Joe Cole had been tripped by Cunningham in a dangerous position just outside the penalty area. Cole stood in front of Damien Johnson, who had been designated to charge down the kick, repeatedly obstructing him, and allowing Frank Lampard a low drive that the goalkeeper Maik Taylor did well to hold.
Mateja Kezman had returned to the side, seeking an improvement on his modest scoring record without success. Tiago and Alexei Smertin were added to the midfield mix and the other one of the four changes, all made with an eye to Tuesday's game, was a rest for Claude Makelele. Smertin, taking the Frenchman's holding role, was substituted at half-time, while Cole, the Barclays' player of the month, was less effective than usual in his new position wide on the right.
Birmingham, who had achieved two gritty goalless draws against Chelsea last season but lost to them 2-0 (in the FA Cup) and 1-0 in this campaign, drew in their horns by replacing the unpredictable Australian winger Stan Lazaridis with Mehdi Nafti, a more defensive midfielder from Tunisia making his second Premiership start. Their manager, Steve Bruce, had urged his club to try and enjoy the occasion, and the supporters did so, regularly chanting "easy, easy", though a certain apprehension set in as chances for the home side began to materialise at last on either side of the interval. The former Chelsea full-back Mario Melchiot offered one of them to his old pals when he was closed down by Tiago, whose low cross from the byline was a whisker in front of the lunging Lampard. Cole also caused a frisson by cutting inside from the right and shooting just past the far post.
Pandiani, the Uruguayan striker, had the visitors' only opportunity of a soporific first half, spinning for a shot that Glen Johnson deflected for a corner. But there was a much better one in the 49th minute, falling to Darren Carter in Lazaridis' position on the left. He hit a volley that forced Petr Cech into a smart save, and Pandiani was just about to knock in the rebound when John Terry threw himself into a crucial blocking tackle. The introduction of Gudjohnsen and Drogba livened up Chelsea, however, and soon each had put a dangerous header just the wrong side of the crossbar.
All this within the first 15 minutes of the half, and then a goal for Birmingham, stemming from Cole's frustration in fouling Emile Heskey and kicking the ball away. The free-kick, moved forward 10 yards, was swung over by Jermaine Pennant and headed back across goal by Matthew Upson as Cech, for once, was guilty of a misjudgment. Pandiani shot from 10 yards, defeating Johnson's frantic attempt to clear off the line.
Mourinho put on Jiri Jarosik for Johnson, going with three men at the back, the equaliser was late in coming. Cole fed a ball in from the left, Lampard turned on it much as he had done against Bayern to such good effect, setting up Drogba for an easy finish. Thus was an embarrassing first home defeat since Arsenal's victory at the Bridge in February 2004 avoided, while Birmingham took a deserved first away point of the year.
"You could say it's a good time to come to Chelsea, but I'm not going to take anything away from my players," said Bruce. Mourinho, meanwhile, was content with a "positive point". And up in the great stand in the sky Matthew Harding was doubtless raising his glass too.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Observer:
Weary Chelsea have Drogba to thank for deserved point
Amy Lawrence at Stamford BridgeSunday April 10, 2005The Observer
'Good afternoon. We need three wins to be Champions,' wrote José Mourinho in his programme notes. Ninety minutes on, they still do. Birmingham took advantage of an unusually weary Chelsea to earn a well-deserved point at a ground where visitors tend to feel they are on a hiding to nothing. City were resolute at the back and perky in attack, where Walter Pandiani fought tirelessly and scored with a thumping drive. It took a late strike from Didier Drogba to prevent Chelsea's first defeat on home soil this season. Although the three wins should come and this below-par display shouldn't necessarily cause concern for their European appointment in Germany on Tuesday, this was as drained a performance as Chelsea have produced all season. With this slightly less august occasion sandwiched between the two Champions League bouts against Bayern Munich, Mourinho took the opportunity to tinker with the spine of his team.
Resting key personnel from back to front - Ricardo Carvalho, Claude Makelele, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Didier Drogba - was an understandable if downbeat decision. The idea may have been to freshen up the team, but it had the opposite effect. Chelsea stuttered. Makelele was particularly conspicuous by his absence. Mourinho considers him 'the most underrated player in the Premiership'. He is so seldom rested that his understudy, Alexei Smertin, last started a league game in January. The oil in the blue machine was missed and the team's movement well below its usual fluency. Early signs of fatigue were apparent as Chelsea failed to muster any goalmouth action of note for the opening 20 minutes.
Birmingham, whose bout of travel sickness is so severe that they haven't won on the road this calendar year, actually found themselves enjoying a reasonable share of possession. Perhaps they hadn't considered the possibility, as they hardly took the chance to go for the jugular. One of Chelsea's first meaningful sorties saw Joe Cole upended en route to the penalty area, but Frank Lampard's free-kick was no great shakes. On and off the pitch, the atmosphere was flat. There was almost a flutter of excitement as Mateja Kezman and goalkeeper Maik Taylor had a race for the ball, but the City man was first, booting it away. Chelsea got closer when Cole shimmied past Kenny Cunningham and drilled an angled shot that nicked the outside of the post. With the home team short of inspiration, old boy Mario Melchiot did his utmost to help Chelsea along their way when he was dispossessed by Smertin. The Russian fizzed the ball across the face of goal, but the onrushing Lampard missed the connection. So few and far between were genuine chances for Chelsea that Mourinho gesticulated his frustration as the half-time whistle blew with Cole advancing down the right.
He may be unable to act officially at half-time in the Champions League, but Mourinho was hands-on here and unsurprisingly rang the changes during the interval. Gudjohnsen and Drogba replaced Smertin and Kezman to add firepower. Both glanced headers over as they eased into the game.
But Birmingham came closer to scoring and Chelsea were indebted to their defensive stalwarts after 50 minutes. Darren Carter connected sweetly with a volley, but Petr Cech's reflex save was superb. Although Pandiani followed up, John Terry threw himself in front of the Uruguay striker.
Chelsea were struggling to crank themselves up. You got the feeling that on another day Lampard - whose finishing was so thrilling against Bayern three days earlier - would have done better with a half-chance he hooked over from 10 yards.
Drogba was denied sight of goal by Matthew Upson's impeccable challenge - and how vital it was. The big defender was up at the other end moments later to play a crucial role in Birmingham seizing a shock lead.
Cech - quite out of character and summing up the hesitancy afflicting Chelsea all over the pitch - flapped and missed Jermaine Pennant's floated free-kick. Upson nodded the ball back and Pandiani's predatory instincts did the rest. For all Terry's attempts to head out, the striker's rifled effort was too powerful to be denied.
Chelsea tried to muster extra energy and pressure, and relied on an increasing number of set pieces and aerial balls. Robert Huth came very close to scoring, but his blistering free-kick was tipped over.
With eight minutes remaining they finally broke through, as Lampard's clever ball invited Drogba to steer a shot past Taylor.
Man of the Match
Matthew Upson Involved in two of the game's critical moments. The calm centre-half produced a splendid tackle to deny Didier Drogba the chance to open the scoring, then appeared in the opposite box and was commanding enough to set up Walter Pandiani's goal. A cool head for Birmingham at both ends of the field.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph:
Drogba joins cavalry to preserve home recordBy Colin Malam at Stamford Bridge (Filed: 10/04/2005)
Chelsea (0) 1 Birmingham (0) 1
Didier Drogba rescued Chelsea from one of the biggest upsets of the season yesterday. Having worried Bayern Munich to death in the Champions League a few days earlier, the Ivory Coast international, on as a substitute, preserved the long unbeaten home record of the champions-in-waiting with a close-range goal eight minutes from the end.
Saviour: Didier Drogba's goal rescued a point for Chelsea It robbed out-of-form Birmingham of a victory against all the odds. When Walter Pandiani, their Uruguayan striker, put them ahead after 65 minutes, it looked as though Chelsea's record of not having lost at home for 14 months was about to go up in smoke.
While Chelsea were unbeaten in 22 Premiership matches and came into the game looking for a sixth successive win, the visitors arrived at Stamford Bridge having lost all five of their previous away games since the turn of the year and never having beaten the London club in the Premiership.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho decided to rest four of the side that had beaten Bayern Munich 4-2 in midweek. Any encouragement for Birmingham was slight, however, because Ricardo Carvalho, Didier Drogba, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Claude Makelele were simply replaced by four other internationals, Robert Huth, Mateja Kezman, Tiago and Alexei Smertin.
Nevertheless, the changes did reduce Chelsea's effectiveness. Birmingham coped so comfortably that it was not until the 22nd minute that their goal was under any kind of threat.
Joe Cole's ability to run at defenders very nearly produced a goal 10 minutes later, however. Having skipped past a couple of opponents on the right, he closed in for a shot that grazed the foot of the far post. Frank Lampard, too, was only inches away from putting Chelsea ahead when he lunged at the low cross from Tiago.
The game remained goalless at the interval, prompting Mourinho to make a double substitution at the start of the second half: two strikers, Drogba and Gudjohnsen replacing Smertin and Kezman. There was almost an immediate dividend: Gudjohnsen heading over from close range from Damien Duff's corner.
The loss of Smertin's holding play in midfield left Chelsea more vulnerable to the counter-attack. Damien Johnson proved that by finding Darren Carter unmarked to the left of goal in the 49th minute. Petr Cech blocked the midfielder's fierce, left-footed shot, but only a last-ditch block by John Terry stopped Pandiani putting away the rebound.
This was a real contest now and Chelsea responded with two attacks of their own. First, Drogba headed Duff's far post centre on to the roof of the net, then Lampard shot wide from a good position.
Cole's contribution had been so considerable that he hardly deserved to become responsible, indirectly, for Birmingham taking the lead in the 65th minute. Tackling back he was penalised for bringing down Emile Heskey on the left.
Worse still, he was booked for kicking the ball away in dissent and the free-kick moved 10 yards closer to goal.
Jermaine Pennant took the kick and floated it so deep to the far post that it looked likely to go out of play, until Upson somehow managed to head the ball back towards Pandiani, lurking unmarked around the penalty spot.
The Uruguayan responded with a firm shot that went in off Terry's head and the underside of the bar as the Chelsea captain dived in a vain attempt to make a goal-line clearance.
The home side finally got what they wanted when Terry slipped the ball inside to Lampard. He played Drogba in adroitly and the big striker calmly slotted the equaliser past Taylor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Times:
Chelsea 1 Birmingham 1: Drogba rescues slack ChelseaJoe Lovejoy at Stamford Bridge
THIS was a case of “after the lord mayor’s show”. Three days after their latest European triumph, Chelsea were desperately close to their first home defeat for 14 months yesterday when Walter Pandiani gave Birmingham a lead they held until the 82nd minute. Then Didier Drogba equalised from close range. Fatigued by their lung-bursting efforts against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the runaway leaders were nowhere near their best, but dropping two points is hardly a disaster with their lead in double figures, and three more wins from their last six games will take them to their Promised Land. The smart roubles are on John Terry getting his hands on the Premiership trophy at Bolton on April 30.
Jaded as they were, Chelsea still created the lion’s share of the chances and would have won comfortably had Drogba, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole scored when they should have done. That said, Birmingham defended well, with Matthew Upson in the form that made him an England centre-half, and they deserved their point. After his midweek ban, Jose Mourinho was back on the touchline in that familiar, “lucky” grey coat. When the visiting supporters called on him to sit down, he did. And when they instructed him to stand up, he did that, too.
The great showman knows how to work an audience, including the press. After the game he was surprised by a question about the Grand National (he had a bet but wouldn’t identify his choice), yet seemed glad to be on his soapbox again.
“We gave a bad performance in the first half,” he said afterwards. “It looked like a friendly in August. The second half was better, we were strong and played to win. We could have had five penalties like the one Michael Ballack had on Wednesday night, but if I say too much about that, maybe I will face another disciplinary process.”
Mourinho rested four regulars after their exertions against Bayern and with Tuesday’s second leg in mind. Ricardo Carvalho, Claude Makelele, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Drogba were all left out, their places going to Robert Huth, Alexei Smertin, Tiago and Mateja Kezman. Had his selection been flawed? The manager shrugged his shoulders and said: “Maybe, but when you have an advantage like we have in the League, you can risk a little bit.”
Birmingham manager Steve Bruce had done his homework and realised that with a right-footer, William Gallas, at left-back, Chelsea tended to initiate their attacks on the right. With that in mind, he used Emile Heskey to close down Glen Johnson at every opportunity.
The first goal attempt came early, from Damien Duff, whose shot from close in hit former Chelsea player Mario Melchiot. The second was delayed until midway through the first half, when Duff rolled a free kick short to Huth, who stopped it for Lampard to let fly from a central position 20 yards out. For once, the master blaster was found wanting, driving the ball straight at Maik Taylor.
For Birmingham, Heskey offered the occasional threat in the air, but they were preoccupied with defence for the most part. Unhappy with his team’s low-key approach to the first half, Mourinho sent on Drogba and Gudjohnsen for the second, and his instructions to step it up a gear almost produced the desired improvement when Duff’s corner found its way via Upson to Gudjohnsen, who wastefully headed over.
Birmingham’s first chance finally arrived in the 50th minute, when Darren Carter’s left-footed volley from 12 yards brought a smart reaction save from Petr Cech. The ball ran loose and Terry’s timely intervention thwarted Pandiani. Chelsea wasted another opportunity when Gudjohnsen’s pass enabled Duff to get in a testing cross, which reached Drogba at the far post. Barely six yards out, he ought to have scored but headed over.
Then Cole’s cross from the right reached Duff, whose shot hit Drogba. The ball bounced obligingly for Lampard, whose instinctive effort was narrowly wide. So much profligacy had its near-inevitable consequence when Birmingham took the lead after 65 minutes. Cole fouled Heskey, then stupidly kicked the ball away, for which he was booked. Not only that, the referee moved the free kick forward 10 yards, into a much more dangerous area on the left flank.
Jermaine Pennant stepped up and sent a right-footed inswinger to the far post, where Cech flapped and missed, allowing Upson to head down to Pandiani. The Uruguayan’s finish, from eight yards, was exemplary and the upset was on.
Huth, with a piledriver from 25 yards, threatened to restore equality but Taylor touched the ball over his crossbar and time was running out when a subdued crowd, who had begun to fear the worst, were able to explode with relief. Chelsea’s English mainstays were the architects of their goal, Terry and Lampard working the ball to Drogba, who drilled it home from the edge of the six-yard box.
Substitute Jiri Jarosik might have won it in added time, but drove negligently into the side-netting from Lampard’s corner. For Chelsea, it was that sort of afternoon. They will need to improve on this if they are to hang on to that two-goal lead in Munich on Tuesday.
STAR MAN: Matthew Upson (Birmingham) Player ratings. Chelsea: Cech 6, Johnson 6 (Jaroskik 69min, 6), Huth 6, Terry 7, Gallas 6, Smertin 5 (Gudjohnsen h-t), Lampard 7, Cole 6, Duff 6, Tiago 5, Kezman 5 (Drogba h-t, 6) Birmingham: Taylor 6, Clapham 6, Cunningham 7, Upson 8, Melchiot 6, Pennant 7 (Gray 80min, 6), Johnson 6, Carter 6 (Lazaridis 60min, 6), Nafti 6, Heskey 7, Pandiani 7 (Morrison 87min, 6)
Scorers: Chelsea: Drogba 82
Birmingham: Pandiani 65
Referee: C Foy
Attendance: 42,031------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NOTW:
Walter wakes Chelsea from their 'wobble'
Pandi poops Jose party
From Matt Driscoll at Stamford Bridge
SO Alex Ferguson was right — Chelsea did plunge into a Premiership wobble.
Both Fergie and Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger have waited all season for Chelsea to stutter.
Neither believed that Jose Mourinho's men were capable of continuing their stunning winning streak.
And when ex-con and ex-Gooner Jermaine Pennant supplied the free kick that led to Walter Pandiani's shock goal for Birmingham, Chelsea were suddenly in total disarray.
But eight minutes away from their first home defeat of the season, sub Didier Drogba put an end to the panic and problems with a timely equaliser.
The draw means that Chelsea can no longer win their first title in 50 years at home to Fulham.
They may have to wait a little longer. But this fight-back by the champions-elect proved conclusively that nothing can stand in their way.
The ‘wobble' had been and gone before either Wenger or Fergie could even get excited.
Silly
Mourinho admitted: "In the first half, we were playing like it was a friendly in August. It was as if we could not run.
"We conceded a silly goal — but we responded well. Yet it would have been unfair for Birmingham had we won.
"It looked like we could have had five penalties — but I will leave it to the TV people to decide."
After his midweek absence, Mourinho reclaimed his place on the Chelsea bench.
This time there was no need for any woolly hat or secret messages. Back, too, was the famous grey coat.
And the colour was apt for a first-half performance that was dull and lifeless.
Only Joe Cole tried to add spark after picking up his Player of the Month award before the match.
Mourinho decided to rest some of his big names in preparation for his European quarter-final away leg on Tuesday against Bayern Munich. Strikers Eidur Gudjohnsen and Didier Drogba were relegated to the bench while Claude Makelele, the most underrated player in the Premiership according to Mourinho, was given the day off.
And Chelsea's unstoppable momentum definitely started to stutter. The problem was that Birmingham did not capitalise on what was becoming an average day at the office for the high-flyers.
But luckily for Chelsea, Birmingham did not have much response for the Blues' poor finishing. Only Pennant, playing his second game since being released from prison, made any headway.
For his efforts down City's right flank, Chelsea fans sang ‘You're supposed to be in jail'.
Mourinho's plan to rest some of his big guns looked capable of backfiring — so he wheeled them back into action straight after half-time.
On came Gudjohnsen and Drogba. The effect was immediate. Chelsea were instantly a more powerful force. That pair had been on the pitch only a few minutes before the were linking up and terrorising the Birmingham defence.
Keeper Petr Cech demonstrated the vital influence he has had on the season by somehow blocking the shot. John Terry denied Pandiani the chance to knock in the rebound.
But Uruguayan Pandiani did not finish second best a quarter of an hour later when Stamford Bridge witnessed a sight not seen before this campaign.
Pennant floated in a perfect free kick which was headed back by Matthew Upson to Pandiani.
Prospect
His shot rifled in off the bar on 65 minutes — and suddenly we were all facing the prospect of Chelsea's first home defeat of the season.
Yet Drogba came to the rescue. He looked fired up every time the ball was sent his way and finally, when Lampard turned and sent a short pass to his feet, he saved a point.
Brum boss Steve Bruce said: "With eight minutes to go, we did think it could be our day.
"We deserved to get something out of this game, especially because of the quality we were up against. We thought we could be the first to get a result here.
"But I cannot see them losing a game between now and the end of the season."
GAMES TO GO — Chelsea: Tue v B Munich (a) Champions League; Apr 20 v Arsenal (h); Apr 23 v Fulham (h); Apr 30 v Bolton (a); May 7 Charlton (h); May 15 v Newcastle (a). Birmingham: Sat v Portsmouth (h); Apr 20 v Man City (a); Apr 23 v Everton (a); Apr 30 v Blackburn (h); May 7 v Norwich (a); May 15 v Arsenal (h).
JOSE MOURINHO: 'In the first half, we were playing like it was a friendly in August and we could not run. We conceded a silly goal — but we responded well' STEVE BRUCE: 'With eight minutes to go, we did think it could be our day. We deserved to get something out of the game because of the quality we were up against' Man of the match JERMAINE PENNANT (Birmingham)
IT is astonishing how Pennant has managed to keep himself in such good condition after spending a month behind bars.The talented midfielder was involved in every move and played a significant role in giving Chelsea a real fight. Score verdict AFTER the exersions in midweek Chelsea should be allowed an off day.
There were tired legs all round and Birmingham almost capitalised from this. But even on a poor day, Chelsea can still escape defeat.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pandiani pounces on weakened ChelseaChelsea 1 - Birmingham City 1Steve Tongue at Stamford Bridge10 April 2005
The banner hanging from the Matthew Harding Stand that read "Chelsea Champions 2005" would be better left at home for a little while longer. It will be a valid acclamation eventually - probably in two weeks' time at home to Fulham, 50 years to the day after the club's only previous title - but such presumption does not go down well with the football gods. Punishment might have been even more severe; not until eight minutes from the end did Didier Drogba equalise Walter Pandiani's goal.
Jose Mourinho may have been back in his usual seat, with familiar coat and scarf on despite the milky spring sunshine, but the fact that Drogba was one of two half-time substitutes illustrated how concerned he had been about a wretched first-half performance. For once the managerial Midas had failed in the admittedly difficult task of finding a balance between fielding a team to win the game and resting players for a more important one a few days later - in this case, Tuesday's second leg against Bayern Munich.
After using five attacking players in recent matches and being rewarded with 11 goals from the previous three, Mourinho adopted a slightly more conservative approach here, leaving Eidur Gudjohnsen and Drogba in the dug-out with him at the start. The strategy did not work. The first half an hour's football was so inconsequential that both players had to be sent along the touchline to warm up, if only pour encourager les autres, and by the start of the second half they were brought on.
"It was a bad performance in the first half. It looked like a friendly," Mourinho confessed. "Not enough ambition to win the game." Indeed, in the first 30 minutes Chelsea managed two shots on goal. Early on Kenny Cunningham's weak headed clearance allowed Damien Duff to hit a strong drive, which was blocked. Then there was another example of Mourinho's training-ground cuteness - or gamesmanship, take your choice - after Joe Cole had been tripped by Cunningham in a dangerous position just outside the penalty area. Cole stood in front of Damien Johnson, who had been designated to charge down the kick, repeatedly obstructing him, and allowing Frank Lampard a low drive that the goalkeeper Maik Taylor did well to hold.
Mateja Kezman had returned to the side, seeking an improvement on his modest scoring record without success. Tiago and Alexei Smertin were added to the midfield mix and the other one of the four changes, all made with an eye to Tuesday's game, was a rest for Claude Makelele. Smertin, taking the Frenchman's holding role, was substituted at half-time, while Cole, the Barclays' player of the month, was less effective than usual in his new position wide on the right.
Birmingham, who had achieved two gritty goalless draws against Chelsea last season but lost to them 2-0 (in the FA Cup) and 1-0 in this campaign, drew in their horns by replacing the unpredictable Australian winger Stan Lazaridis with Mehdi Nafti, a more defensive midfielder from Tunisia making his second Premiership start. Their manager, Steve Bruce, had urged his club to try and enjoy the occasion, and the supporters did so, regularly chanting "easy, easy", though a certain apprehension set in as chances for the home side began to materialise at last on either side of the interval. The former Chelsea full-back Mario Melchiot offered one of them to his old pals when he was closed down by Tiago, whose low cross from the byline was a whisker in front of the lunging Lampard. Cole also caused a frisson by cutting inside from the right and shooting just past the far post.
Pandiani, the Uruguayan striker, had the visitors' only opportunity of a soporific first half, spinning for a shot that Glen Johnson deflected for a corner. But there was a much better one in the 49th minute, falling to Darren Carter in Lazaridis' position on the left. He hit a volley that forced Petr Cech into a smart save, and Pandiani was just about to knock in the rebound when John Terry threw himself into a crucial blocking tackle. The introduction of Gudjohnsen and Drogba livened up Chelsea, however, and soon each had put a dangerous header just the wrong side of the crossbar.
All this within the first 15 minutes of the half, and then a goal for Birmingham, stemming from Cole's frustration in fouling Emile Heskey and kicking the ball away. The free-kick, moved forward 10 yards, was swung over by Jermaine Pennant and headed back across goal by Matthew Upson as Cech, for once, was guilty of a misjudgment. Pandiani shot from 10 yards, defeating Johnson's frantic attempt to clear off the line.
Mourinho put on Jiri Jarosik for Johnson, going with three men at the back, the equaliser was late in coming. Cole fed a ball in from the left, Lampard turned on it much as he had done against Bayern to such good effect, setting up Drogba for an easy finish. Thus was an embarrassing first home defeat since Arsenal's victory at the Bridge in February 2004 avoided, while Birmingham took a deserved first away point of the year.
"You could say it's a good time to come to Chelsea, but I'm not going to take anything away from my players," said Bruce. Mourinho, meanwhile, was content with a "positive point". And up in the great stand in the sky Matthew Harding was doubtless raising his glass too.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Observer:
Weary Chelsea have Drogba to thank for deserved point
Amy Lawrence at Stamford BridgeSunday April 10, 2005The Observer
'Good afternoon. We need three wins to be Champions,' wrote José Mourinho in his programme notes. Ninety minutes on, they still do. Birmingham took advantage of an unusually weary Chelsea to earn a well-deserved point at a ground where visitors tend to feel they are on a hiding to nothing. City were resolute at the back and perky in attack, where Walter Pandiani fought tirelessly and scored with a thumping drive. It took a late strike from Didier Drogba to prevent Chelsea's first defeat on home soil this season. Although the three wins should come and this below-par display shouldn't necessarily cause concern for their European appointment in Germany on Tuesday, this was as drained a performance as Chelsea have produced all season. With this slightly less august occasion sandwiched between the two Champions League bouts against Bayern Munich, Mourinho took the opportunity to tinker with the spine of his team.
Resting key personnel from back to front - Ricardo Carvalho, Claude Makelele, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Didier Drogba - was an understandable if downbeat decision. The idea may have been to freshen up the team, but it had the opposite effect. Chelsea stuttered. Makelele was particularly conspicuous by his absence. Mourinho considers him 'the most underrated player in the Premiership'. He is so seldom rested that his understudy, Alexei Smertin, last started a league game in January. The oil in the blue machine was missed and the team's movement well below its usual fluency. Early signs of fatigue were apparent as Chelsea failed to muster any goalmouth action of note for the opening 20 minutes.
Birmingham, whose bout of travel sickness is so severe that they haven't won on the road this calendar year, actually found themselves enjoying a reasonable share of possession. Perhaps they hadn't considered the possibility, as they hardly took the chance to go for the jugular. One of Chelsea's first meaningful sorties saw Joe Cole upended en route to the penalty area, but Frank Lampard's free-kick was no great shakes. On and off the pitch, the atmosphere was flat. There was almost a flutter of excitement as Mateja Kezman and goalkeeper Maik Taylor had a race for the ball, but the City man was first, booting it away. Chelsea got closer when Cole shimmied past Kenny Cunningham and drilled an angled shot that nicked the outside of the post. With the home team short of inspiration, old boy Mario Melchiot did his utmost to help Chelsea along their way when he was dispossessed by Smertin. The Russian fizzed the ball across the face of goal, but the onrushing Lampard missed the connection. So few and far between were genuine chances for Chelsea that Mourinho gesticulated his frustration as the half-time whistle blew with Cole advancing down the right.
He may be unable to act officially at half-time in the Champions League, but Mourinho was hands-on here and unsurprisingly rang the changes during the interval. Gudjohnsen and Drogba replaced Smertin and Kezman to add firepower. Both glanced headers over as they eased into the game.
But Birmingham came closer to scoring and Chelsea were indebted to their defensive stalwarts after 50 minutes. Darren Carter connected sweetly with a volley, but Petr Cech's reflex save was superb. Although Pandiani followed up, John Terry threw himself in front of the Uruguay striker.
Chelsea were struggling to crank themselves up. You got the feeling that on another day Lampard - whose finishing was so thrilling against Bayern three days earlier - would have done better with a half-chance he hooked over from 10 yards.
Drogba was denied sight of goal by Matthew Upson's impeccable challenge - and how vital it was. The big defender was up at the other end moments later to play a crucial role in Birmingham seizing a shock lead.
Cech - quite out of character and summing up the hesitancy afflicting Chelsea all over the pitch - flapped and missed Jermaine Pennant's floated free-kick. Upson nodded the ball back and Pandiani's predatory instincts did the rest. For all Terry's attempts to head out, the striker's rifled effort was too powerful to be denied.
Chelsea tried to muster extra energy and pressure, and relied on an increasing number of set pieces and aerial balls. Robert Huth came very close to scoring, but his blistering free-kick was tipped over.
With eight minutes remaining they finally broke through, as Lampard's clever ball invited Drogba to steer a shot past Taylor.
Man of the Match
Matthew Upson Involved in two of the game's critical moments. The calm centre-half produced a splendid tackle to deny Didier Drogba the chance to open the scoring, then appeared in the opposite box and was commanding enough to set up Walter Pandiani's goal. A cool head for Birmingham at both ends of the field.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph:
Drogba joins cavalry to preserve home recordBy Colin Malam at Stamford Bridge (Filed: 10/04/2005)
Chelsea (0) 1 Birmingham (0) 1
Didier Drogba rescued Chelsea from one of the biggest upsets of the season yesterday. Having worried Bayern Munich to death in the Champions League a few days earlier, the Ivory Coast international, on as a substitute, preserved the long unbeaten home record of the champions-in-waiting with a close-range goal eight minutes from the end.
Saviour: Didier Drogba's goal rescued a point for Chelsea It robbed out-of-form Birmingham of a victory against all the odds. When Walter Pandiani, their Uruguayan striker, put them ahead after 65 minutes, it looked as though Chelsea's record of not having lost at home for 14 months was about to go up in smoke.
While Chelsea were unbeaten in 22 Premiership matches and came into the game looking for a sixth successive win, the visitors arrived at Stamford Bridge having lost all five of their previous away games since the turn of the year and never having beaten the London club in the Premiership.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho decided to rest four of the side that had beaten Bayern Munich 4-2 in midweek. Any encouragement for Birmingham was slight, however, because Ricardo Carvalho, Didier Drogba, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Claude Makelele were simply replaced by four other internationals, Robert Huth, Mateja Kezman, Tiago and Alexei Smertin.
Nevertheless, the changes did reduce Chelsea's effectiveness. Birmingham coped so comfortably that it was not until the 22nd minute that their goal was under any kind of threat.
Joe Cole's ability to run at defenders very nearly produced a goal 10 minutes later, however. Having skipped past a couple of opponents on the right, he closed in for a shot that grazed the foot of the far post. Frank Lampard, too, was only inches away from putting Chelsea ahead when he lunged at the low cross from Tiago.
The game remained goalless at the interval, prompting Mourinho to make a double substitution at the start of the second half: two strikers, Drogba and Gudjohnsen replacing Smertin and Kezman. There was almost an immediate dividend: Gudjohnsen heading over from close range from Damien Duff's corner.
The loss of Smertin's holding play in midfield left Chelsea more vulnerable to the counter-attack. Damien Johnson proved that by finding Darren Carter unmarked to the left of goal in the 49th minute. Petr Cech blocked the midfielder's fierce, left-footed shot, but only a last-ditch block by John Terry stopped Pandiani putting away the rebound.
This was a real contest now and Chelsea responded with two attacks of their own. First, Drogba headed Duff's far post centre on to the roof of the net, then Lampard shot wide from a good position.
Cole's contribution had been so considerable that he hardly deserved to become responsible, indirectly, for Birmingham taking the lead in the 65th minute. Tackling back he was penalised for bringing down Emile Heskey on the left.
Worse still, he was booked for kicking the ball away in dissent and the free-kick moved 10 yards closer to goal.
Jermaine Pennant took the kick and floated it so deep to the far post that it looked likely to go out of play, until Upson somehow managed to head the ball back towards Pandiani, lurking unmarked around the penalty spot.
The Uruguayan responded with a firm shot that went in off Terry's head and the underside of the bar as the Chelsea captain dived in a vain attempt to make a goal-line clearance.
The home side finally got what they wanted when Terry slipped the ball inside to Lampard. He played Drogba in adroitly and the big striker calmly slotted the equaliser past Taylor.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Times:
Chelsea 1 Birmingham 1: Drogba rescues slack ChelseaJoe Lovejoy at Stamford Bridge
THIS was a case of “after the lord mayor’s show”. Three days after their latest European triumph, Chelsea were desperately close to their first home defeat for 14 months yesterday when Walter Pandiani gave Birmingham a lead they held until the 82nd minute. Then Didier Drogba equalised from close range. Fatigued by their lung-bursting efforts against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the runaway leaders were nowhere near their best, but dropping two points is hardly a disaster with their lead in double figures, and three more wins from their last six games will take them to their Promised Land. The smart roubles are on John Terry getting his hands on the Premiership trophy at Bolton on April 30.
Jaded as they were, Chelsea still created the lion’s share of the chances and would have won comfortably had Drogba, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole scored when they should have done. That said, Birmingham defended well, with Matthew Upson in the form that made him an England centre-half, and they deserved their point. After his midweek ban, Jose Mourinho was back on the touchline in that familiar, “lucky” grey coat. When the visiting supporters called on him to sit down, he did. And when they instructed him to stand up, he did that, too.
The great showman knows how to work an audience, including the press. After the game he was surprised by a question about the Grand National (he had a bet but wouldn’t identify his choice), yet seemed glad to be on his soapbox again.
“We gave a bad performance in the first half,” he said afterwards. “It looked like a friendly in August. The second half was better, we were strong and played to win. We could have had five penalties like the one Michael Ballack had on Wednesday night, but if I say too much about that, maybe I will face another disciplinary process.”
Mourinho rested four regulars after their exertions against Bayern and with Tuesday’s second leg in mind. Ricardo Carvalho, Claude Makelele, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Drogba were all left out, their places going to Robert Huth, Alexei Smertin, Tiago and Mateja Kezman. Had his selection been flawed? The manager shrugged his shoulders and said: “Maybe, but when you have an advantage like we have in the League, you can risk a little bit.”
Birmingham manager Steve Bruce had done his homework and realised that with a right-footer, William Gallas, at left-back, Chelsea tended to initiate their attacks on the right. With that in mind, he used Emile Heskey to close down Glen Johnson at every opportunity.
The first goal attempt came early, from Damien Duff, whose shot from close in hit former Chelsea player Mario Melchiot. The second was delayed until midway through the first half, when Duff rolled a free kick short to Huth, who stopped it for Lampard to let fly from a central position 20 yards out. For once, the master blaster was found wanting, driving the ball straight at Maik Taylor.
For Birmingham, Heskey offered the occasional threat in the air, but they were preoccupied with defence for the most part. Unhappy with his team’s low-key approach to the first half, Mourinho sent on Drogba and Gudjohnsen for the second, and his instructions to step it up a gear almost produced the desired improvement when Duff’s corner found its way via Upson to Gudjohnsen, who wastefully headed over.
Birmingham’s first chance finally arrived in the 50th minute, when Darren Carter’s left-footed volley from 12 yards brought a smart reaction save from Petr Cech. The ball ran loose and Terry’s timely intervention thwarted Pandiani. Chelsea wasted another opportunity when Gudjohnsen’s pass enabled Duff to get in a testing cross, which reached Drogba at the far post. Barely six yards out, he ought to have scored but headed over.
Then Cole’s cross from the right reached Duff, whose shot hit Drogba. The ball bounced obligingly for Lampard, whose instinctive effort was narrowly wide. So much profligacy had its near-inevitable consequence when Birmingham took the lead after 65 minutes. Cole fouled Heskey, then stupidly kicked the ball away, for which he was booked. Not only that, the referee moved the free kick forward 10 yards, into a much more dangerous area on the left flank.
Jermaine Pennant stepped up and sent a right-footed inswinger to the far post, where Cech flapped and missed, allowing Upson to head down to Pandiani. The Uruguayan’s finish, from eight yards, was exemplary and the upset was on.
Huth, with a piledriver from 25 yards, threatened to restore equality but Taylor touched the ball over his crossbar and time was running out when a subdued crowd, who had begun to fear the worst, were able to explode with relief. Chelsea’s English mainstays were the architects of their goal, Terry and Lampard working the ball to Drogba, who drilled it home from the edge of the six-yard box.
Substitute Jiri Jarosik might have won it in added time, but drove negligently into the side-netting from Lampard’s corner. For Chelsea, it was that sort of afternoon. They will need to improve on this if they are to hang on to that two-goal lead in Munich on Tuesday.
STAR MAN: Matthew Upson (Birmingham) Player ratings. Chelsea: Cech 6, Johnson 6 (Jaroskik 69min, 6), Huth 6, Terry 7, Gallas 6, Smertin 5 (Gudjohnsen h-t), Lampard 7, Cole 6, Duff 6, Tiago 5, Kezman 5 (Drogba h-t, 6) Birmingham: Taylor 6, Clapham 6, Cunningham 7, Upson 8, Melchiot 6, Pennant 7 (Gray 80min, 6), Johnson 6, Carter 6 (Lazaridis 60min, 6), Nafti 6, Heskey 7, Pandiani 7 (Morrison 87min, 6)
Scorers: Chelsea: Drogba 82
Birmingham: Pandiani 65
Referee: C Foy
Attendance: 42,031------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NOTW:
Walter wakes Chelsea from their 'wobble'
Pandi poops Jose party
From Matt Driscoll at Stamford Bridge
SO Alex Ferguson was right — Chelsea did plunge into a Premiership wobble.
Both Fergie and Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger have waited all season for Chelsea to stutter.
Neither believed that Jose Mourinho's men were capable of continuing their stunning winning streak.
And when ex-con and ex-Gooner Jermaine Pennant supplied the free kick that led to Walter Pandiani's shock goal for Birmingham, Chelsea were suddenly in total disarray.
But eight minutes away from their first home defeat of the season, sub Didier Drogba put an end to the panic and problems with a timely equaliser.
The draw means that Chelsea can no longer win their first title in 50 years at home to Fulham.
They may have to wait a little longer. But this fight-back by the champions-elect proved conclusively that nothing can stand in their way.
The ‘wobble' had been and gone before either Wenger or Fergie could even get excited.
Silly
Mourinho admitted: "In the first half, we were playing like it was a friendly in August. It was as if we could not run.
"We conceded a silly goal — but we responded well. Yet it would have been unfair for Birmingham had we won.
"It looked like we could have had five penalties — but I will leave it to the TV people to decide."
After his midweek absence, Mourinho reclaimed his place on the Chelsea bench.
This time there was no need for any woolly hat or secret messages. Back, too, was the famous grey coat.
And the colour was apt for a first-half performance that was dull and lifeless.
Only Joe Cole tried to add spark after picking up his Player of the Month award before the match.
Mourinho decided to rest some of his big names in preparation for his European quarter-final away leg on Tuesday against Bayern Munich. Strikers Eidur Gudjohnsen and Didier Drogba were relegated to the bench while Claude Makelele, the most underrated player in the Premiership according to Mourinho, was given the day off.
And Chelsea's unstoppable momentum definitely started to stutter. The problem was that Birmingham did not capitalise on what was becoming an average day at the office for the high-flyers.
But luckily for Chelsea, Birmingham did not have much response for the Blues' poor finishing. Only Pennant, playing his second game since being released from prison, made any headway.
For his efforts down City's right flank, Chelsea fans sang ‘You're supposed to be in jail'.
Mourinho's plan to rest some of his big guns looked capable of backfiring — so he wheeled them back into action straight after half-time.
On came Gudjohnsen and Drogba. The effect was immediate. Chelsea were instantly a more powerful force. That pair had been on the pitch only a few minutes before the were linking up and terrorising the Birmingham defence.
Keeper Petr Cech demonstrated the vital influence he has had on the season by somehow blocking the shot. John Terry denied Pandiani the chance to knock in the rebound.
But Uruguayan Pandiani did not finish second best a quarter of an hour later when Stamford Bridge witnessed a sight not seen before this campaign.
Pennant floated in a perfect free kick which was headed back by Matthew Upson to Pandiani.
Prospect
His shot rifled in off the bar on 65 minutes — and suddenly we were all facing the prospect of Chelsea's first home defeat of the season.
Yet Drogba came to the rescue. He looked fired up every time the ball was sent his way and finally, when Lampard turned and sent a short pass to his feet, he saved a point.
Brum boss Steve Bruce said: "With eight minutes to go, we did think it could be our day.
"We deserved to get something out of this game, especially because of the quality we were up against. We thought we could be the first to get a result here.
"But I cannot see them losing a game between now and the end of the season."
GAMES TO GO — Chelsea: Tue v B Munich (a) Champions League; Apr 20 v Arsenal (h); Apr 23 v Fulham (h); Apr 30 v Bolton (a); May 7 Charlton (h); May 15 v Newcastle (a). Birmingham: Sat v Portsmouth (h); Apr 20 v Man City (a); Apr 23 v Everton (a); Apr 30 v Blackburn (h); May 7 v Norwich (a); May 15 v Arsenal (h).
JOSE MOURINHO: 'In the first half, we were playing like it was a friendly in August and we could not run. We conceded a silly goal — but we responded well' STEVE BRUCE: 'With eight minutes to go, we did think it could be our day. We deserved to get something out of the game because of the quality we were up against' Man of the match JERMAINE PENNANT (Birmingham)
IT is astonishing how Pennant has managed to keep himself in such good condition after spending a month behind bars.The talented midfielder was involved in every move and played a significant role in giving Chelsea a real fight. Score verdict AFTER the exersions in midweek Chelsea should be allowed an off day.
There were tired legs all round and Birmingham almost capitalised from this. But even on a poor day, Chelsea can still escape defeat.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, April 07, 2005
morning papers bayern munich
Times:
Penalty takes shine off polished performance by ChelseaBy Rick BroadbentChelsea 4 Bayern Munich 2
HIS most committed critics may claim that José Mourinho is not quite all there and, while that state of affairs was incontestable last night, a coruscating victory for Chelsea suggests that there is method in his madness. If the display of Frank Lampard was anything to go by, absence clearly makes the heart of this team grow stronger. Shorn of their emotional leader, Mourinho’s side pummelled Bayern Munich into submission during a second half when the rapier was replaced by the sledgehammer. When Didier Drogba stabbed home the fourth from close range after a corner nine minutes from the end, their progress to the European Cup semi-finals seemed inexorable.
This being Chelsea, though, no road is pothole-free and stoppage time provided a sobering stumble. Ricardo Carvalho’s tug on Michael Ballack’s sleeve was the soft side of innocuous, but the Germany midfield player licked his mythical wounds to caress a penalty that ensures there is still work to be done next week.
With the scores tied at 1-1 after an hour and Chelsea needing some inspiration, Lampard took the game by the scruff of the neck. Drogba’s aerial prowess had been a thorny subject for Bayern throughout and his header gave Lampard the chance to swivel and guide a 20-yard daisycutter beyond Oliver Kahn.
Ten minutes later he went one better, a pirouette enabling him to chest down Claude Makelele’s cross and thunder a deft half-volley across Kahn. “We know he is a class player and just hope that he has emptied his locker,” Felix Magath, the Bayern coach, said before indulging in a touch of the Mourinhos and lambasting the referee: “The referee was not for us.” Mourinho might wonder whether that should merit a disrepute charge.
Magath said that the late, late show gave his side “a lot of hope”, but Baltemar Brito, Mourinho’s assistant, was less sure. “It’s frustrating but I’m not angry with the players,” he said. “We scored four goals and we were fantastic, but we can look back and improve.”
It takes some doing to be the centre of attention without turning up, but after Mourinho’s millions had dominated the build-up, it was left to his minions to blossom away from his cavernous shadow.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Bayern chairman, had suggested that Chelsea’s wealth was not good for football, but given that Bayern have long been viewed as the playground bullies of German football, any pretence at impoverishment sounded hollow and he would have been more justified highlighting their depleted playing resources, Roy Makaay, the Holland striker, pulling out hours before kick-off.
Makaay, who had been expected to recover from a hamstring injury, joined Claudio Pizarro, his Peruvian partner, and Martin Demichelis, the midfield anchorman, on the sidelines. The doctor had passed Makaay fit, but he said that the injury was troubling him and he was rested with a view to having him fit for the second leg.
The opening exchanges lent credence to the sob story. Only three minutes had gone when John Terry’s long ball was tentatively dealt with by Robert Kovac and fell to Damien Duff. His lay-off was typically deft and Joe Cole’s 20-yard strike took a decisive deflection off Lucio’s heel. If the goal owed much to good fortune, it was symptomatic of Cole’s renaissance.
With Eidur Gudjohnsen starting in midfield, but acting an an ancillary forward, Chelsea debunked the negative jibes by often finding themselves with four up front. They threatened to add to their lead, a header from Terry was palmed over, Duff taking the wrong option after side-stepping towards gilt-edged glory.
However, Bayern were not intimidated. Magath had a good look at the Mourinho-lite version of Chelsea last year while at Stuttgart and the victory over Arsenal in the last round meant that they were confident.
After half an hour, the Bundesliga leaders should have levelled when Glen Johnson inexplicably chested the ball to Zé Roberto from Hasan Salihamidzic’s cross. The Brazilian dragged his shot wide of the post, but it was the sort of error that might have caused Mourinho to suffer a blistered thumb from over-strenuous text messaging.
Zé Roberto curled a free kick just over and a volley from Lampard whistled past a post as chances came and went, but the greater parity spawned greater spice. Terry thundered into Kahn when he had no chance of winning the ball,sparking vociferous protests from all but the doyen of dotty German goalkeepers.
Chelsea might have entered the comfort zone just after the restart when Drogba and Gudjohnsen shovelled the ball across to Duff, but Kahn managed to slow his shot with a strong hand and Willy Sagnol completed the rescue mission. Disappointment quickly turned to regret. Another free kick from Ballack cannoned into the wall, but when Zé Roberto flashed the rebound goalwards, Petr Cech blotted a hitherto spotless copybook by pushing the volley to Bastian Schweinsteiger, who finished with aplomb. It was a situation that called for a hero. They chanted Mourinho’s name at the end, but it was Lampard who deserved the plaudits.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): P Cech — G Johnson (sub: R Huth, 65min), R Carvalho, J Terry, W Gallas — E Gudjohnsen, C Makelele, F Lampard — J Cole (sub: Tiago, 81), D Drogba (sub: M Forssell, 89), D Duff. Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, A Smertin, Gérémi, Nuno Morais. Booked: Drogba, Carvalho, Gallas, Makelele.
BAYERN MUNICH (4-4-1-1): O Kahn — W Sagnol, Lucio, R Kovac, B Lizarazu — H Salihamidzic (sub: B Schweinsteiger, 46), O Hargreaves, T Frings, Zé Roberto (sub: M Scholl, 73) — M Ballack — P Guerro. Substitutes not used: M Rensing, V Hashemian, J Jeremies, T Linke, S Deisler. Booked: Frings, Schweinsteiger.
Referee: R Temmink (Belgium).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph:
Chelsea cheers quelled by BallackBy Henry Winter Chelsea (1) 4 Bayern Munich (0) 2
Managing well without their manager for 89 minutes, Chelsea were left kicking themselves last night when they allowed Michael Ballack to claim a late penalty that gives Bayern Munich hope for next week's second leg of this fascinating Champions League quarter-final.
Late hope: Bayern's Michael Ballack scores a late penalty Amid claims that the banned Jose Mourinho was communicating with a colleague in a woollen hat on the Chelsea bench, seeking to pull the wool over UEFA's eyes, Chelsea had appeared to be coping well without their talismanic coach until Ballack's intervention.
Frank Lampard struck twice to take centre stage, but Chelsea had leaders all over the field and will still expect to progress to the last four. Claude Makelele was superb, disrupting the Germans' supply lines and ushering Chelsea upfield. Out wide, Joe Cole and Damien Duff ensured Bayern's attack-minded full-backs stayed deep. Cole had opened the scoring and Didier Drogba finished it, deserved reward for his selfless running.
Banned from the bench, Mourinho had beseeched the media not to track him down as he found a quiet place away from the Bridge to watch. This did not stop newspapers scrambling photographers to likely bolt-holes, including the London residence of the super-agent, Pini Zahavi.
Television briefly speculated that the Blue Pimpernel was actually present at the Bridge, which precipitated another media sweep of the ground, a fruitless one unless he was hiding under the Dutch referee's rather bulky shirt. Those who had forced Mourinho into temporary exile from his beloved team, UEFA, found their Champions League anthem roundly abused by Chelsea fans. 'Jose; they may all hate us,' read one banner, 'but we love you'.
Driven on by the outstanding Lampard, given midfield steel by the terrific Makelele, Mourinho's men did not appear to be missing their Portuguese beacon unduly. Even when Bayern levelled after the break, Chelsea just went through the gears again. Bayern's coach, Felix Magath, had predicted Lampard and Cole, Duff and Drogba would "run their socks off to show they can do without him".
Chelsea had run Bayern's socks off, such was the energetic nature of their start, the lead seized within four minutes. The goal was rooted in surprisingly poor Bayern defending. Normally, so resolute a central pairing, Robert Kovac and Lucio were both caught out. Kovac's clearing header was directed straight at Duff, who neatly turned it inside to Cole. The England midfielder, lurking 20 yards out, let fly, the ball deflecting off Lucio past Oliver Kahn.
Bayern, though, are too experienced a unit to crumble at such a setback. Magath's side, lining up in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Ballack seeking to pull the strings behind Paolo Guerrero while Ze Roberto attempted to give width down the left. The Germans enjoyed plenty of possession, with Owen Hargreaves working hard in the anchoring role. Hargreaves even tested Petr Cech's reflexes from a free kick.
Still Bayern came, Ze Roberto seizing on a terrible piece of chested control by Glen Johnson but shooting wastefully wide from left to right. Shortly after the restart, the Germans had the equaliser their persistence deserved. Given a promising free-kick situation by a foul by William Gallas, Ballack launched the dead-ball into the wall, the ball rebounding out to Ze Roberto. The Brazilian's first-time strike flew through the wreckage of Chelsea's wall, forcing Cech into a scrambling stop. Yet the Czech international could not hold the ball, which ran free. Schweinsteiger, newly arrived from the bench, was the first to react, crisply drilling the ball back past the stricken Cech.
Bayern had their precious away goal. Yet Chelsea had their self-belief. Refusing to panic, Mourinho's side simply imposed their technique and superior pace on Bayern. A wonderful break down the right saw the ball flowing from Cole to Drogba, whose centre was cleverly helped on by the omnipresent Gudjohnsen to Duff. The Irishman's strike was hard and true but Kahn managed to take some of the sting off it, although the Bayern keeper required Willy Sagnol to clear off the line.
Chelsea rolled forward again, this time far more fruitfully on the hour mark. Johnson lifted the ball over from the right, Drogba headed on and there was Lampard, finishing expertly with his left foot. Stamford Bridge exploded into song again, the volume rising even higher 10 minutes later as Lampard struck again, showing why he has matured into one of the most accomplished midfielders in Europe. Chesting down Makelele's pass, Lampard turned and swept it brilliantly past Kahn: 3-1.
There was more, wonderfully so for Chelsea and their ecstatic supporters. When Lampard curled over a tempting, 80th-minute corner, Duff's shot was blocked but Drogba proved deadly from five yards, poaching a fourth. Yet just as Chelsea were contemplating an untroubled trip to Munich, Ricardo Carvalho appeared to make slight contact with Ballack's arm. He fell like a stone, climbed to his feet and placed the subsequent penalty coolly to Cech's left. Bayern are 4-2 down, but not out.
Team details
Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cech; Johnson (Huth 65), Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Makelele; Gudjohnsen, Lampard; J Cole (Tiago 81), Duff; Drogba (Forssell 89).Subs: Cudicini (g), Smertin, Geremi, Nuno Morais.Booked: Drogba, Carvalho, Gallas, Makalele.Bayern Munich (4-4-1-1): Kahn; Sagnol, Lucio, Kovac, Lizarazu; Salihamidzic, (Schweinsteiger h-t), Hargreaves, Frings, Ze Roberto (Scholl, 72); Ballack; Guerrero.Subs: Rensing (g), Scholl, Hashemian, Jeremies, Linke, Deisler. Booked: Frings, Schweinsteiger.Referee: R Temmink (Holland).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guardian:
Lampard's blasts fuel Chelsea fire
Kevin McCarra at Stamford BridgeThursday April 7, 2005The Guardian
The Germans have a way with penalties. There was no doubt that Michael Ballack would convert one in stoppage-time, even if there was hot debate as to whether the touch of Ricardo Carvalho's hand on him merited the award. With that goal, Bayern have revived a Champions League quarter-final which Chelsea appeared to have killed stone dead. Sympathy for Carvalho will be stifled by anyone who remembers how he hindered the goalkeeper Víctor Valdés at the John Terry goal that settled the tie with Barcelona in the last round. Jose Mourinho, who is now expected to sign an improved contract that will see him paid £5.2m a year until the end of the deal in 2008, must remind the squad that they are still in a promising position.
Having been banned from the touchline after the Anders Frisk episode, the manager exiled himself entirely last night. Perhaps he just wanted to be left to scowl in peace over a supposed injustice, but the net effect was to let the side show that they could prevail even when he was not around to pull the strings overtly. No matter what influence the Portuguese may have had, words of advice would have been of limited help to a team who were below their best when Bayern deservedly levelled the score at 1-1 soon after the interval. It was Frank Lampard, with two goals, and the rest of the players who had to rally themselves.
The tactical switch that did bear fruit, however, was the increasing emphasis on the high ball which invited Didier Drogba to tyrannise Bayern. Though the score was identical to the triumph over Barcelona in the last Champions League match here, few other similarities existed.
Had it not been for Roy Makaay's unexpected failure to recover from a thigh injury, Felix Magath's team could have equalised earlier. Lacking a finisher, they had to squirm when Ze Roberto shot wide after Glen Johnson, in the 29th minute, accidentally chested the ball to him.
Chelsea, to Mourinho's certain disgust, have changed and there has been only one clean sheet in their last nine fixtures. Random events and their own rescourcefulness are having more of a bearing on results than scientific planning.
They got a break in the fourth minute here. With a glimpse of things to come, Robert Kovac was flustered by Drogba's challenge for a high ball and headed weakly. Damien Duff set up Joe Cole for a drive which would not have eluded Oliver Kahn but for a deflection off Lucio.
But there was no moping by Bayern. Given the grandeur with which Lampard would later reshape the contest, it is strange to reflect that the visitors had midfield supremacy for an extended period.
Chelsea were unsettled, conceding free-kicks on the edge of their penalty area which Owen Hargreaves and Ze Roberto used poorly. Chelsea could not weather such troubles indefinitely and as the second half began they sought, fleetingly, to reimpose themselves. Drogba played the ball in and Eidur Gudjohnsen set up Duff but the Irishman's finish was stopped by Kahn.
Bayern's advances continued and William Gallas brought down the substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger after 52 minutes. The free-kick struck the defensive wall but Ze Roberto then drilled a shot which Petr Cech pushed away at full stretch. Schweinsteiger himself burst on to the loose ball to finish confidently.
Instinct and instruction may have had an equal influence on Chelsea's riposte. It is in their nature to be forthright and Bayern could not withstand the aggression they had awakened. The effect also depended on majestic skill by Lampard.
Drogba climbed to knock down a long ball from Johnson, Lampard's left-foot drive was executed precisely and Lucio became an obstacle to Kahn's view of a finish which ran sweetly into the corner of the net.
Eleven minutes later Bayern did little more than hack possession away from Duff and, when Claude Makelele chipped it back, Lampard showed remarkable technique to spin as he took the ball on his chest and fire another left-foot finish beyond Kahn.
In the 81st minute Chelsea notched a goal which may prove even more precious. Bayern could not cope with Lampard's corner and, although Gudjohnsen was unable to convert, Drogba rammed home the loose ball from close range.
That deficit was hard on losers who will view the Ballack penalty as belated recompense for their suffering. Should Chelsea rediscover the defensive solidity that has eluded them of late, though, there will be more sorrow in store for Bayern in Munich next week.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Independent:
Lampard punishes Bayern as Chelsea toast absent friendsChelsea 4 - Bayern Munich 2By Sam Wallace07 April 2005
There was no Jose Mourinho in the dug-out at Stamford Bridge last night but by the end it hardly seemed to matter because the Chelsea's coach influence could be detected all over this remarkable match. The principles he holds so dear were there in another swashbuckling Champions' League performance, in the goals his valiant side scored and in the decisions made in his absence by the Chelsea bench.
Especially, it seemed, those decisions. On one of those nights when Stamford Bridge staked another claim to host to one of European football's most uninhibited attacking teams it might seem ungrateful to tear the gaze away from the pitch but it was the activity on the touchline that also caught the eye. Mourinho's whereabouts remained a mystery during the match, but the note-passing on the bench hinted at an involvement that was much harder to measure.
The conspiracy theorists will point to the notes that were passed by the fitness coach Rui Faria, who wore a hat pulled low over his ears, to Mourinho's assistants Baltemar Brito and Steve Clarke which seemed to coincide with major decisions. And the intervention of the Uefa official Pieter Vink suggested that he too was suspicious, but from Brito came a flat denial of any wrongdoing. "There was no contact with Mourinho," he said. "The last time I saw him was two hours before kick-off and I have not seen him since."
If Uefa still have the stomach for another dispute with Mourinho after serving him with the two-match ban that will also prevent him from manning the touchline in Munich on Wednesday then that will be some charge to prove. The club's spokesman denied that Faria had an earpiece and even the frequent trips down the tunnel by the goalkeeper coach Silvinho Louro were dismissed as innocent errands.
By the end, Chelsea had scored four but their potential passage into a semi-final against either Juventus or Liverpool did not feel as comfortable as it should have been. Just as they had put on Mikael Forsell in injury time for his first appearance in 17 months, Michael Ballack appeared to fool the referee Rene Tremmink into awarding a penalty and the German international slotted home a vital second away goal.
Theories on Mourinho's whereabouts last night ranged from his home in Eaton Square to the health club that adjoins the stadium, but after four minutes you began to wonder whether Chelsea would miss him at all. Against Arsenal in the previous round, Bayern had rolled into Highbury for the return leg and subjugated their hosts but this time they were subject to the classic Chelsea ambush.
It took Chelsea just four minutes to carve open Bayern's defence with the kind of unapologetic direct football that they were to employ all night. John Terry's long punt was fed in to Joe Cole by Damien Duff but not before Didier Drogba had muscled out Robert Kovac in an aerial challenge. Cole's shot cannoned off the defender Lucio and past Oliver Kahn.
In the role of lone aggressor, the same that he had occupied against Barcelona in the previous round first leg at the Nou Camp, Drogba was at the very centre of all that was good about a rampaging Chelsea attack. Only once did they look threatened in the first half when Hasan Salihamidzic's cross to the far post was chested by Glen Johnson towards Ze Roberto, who struck the ball wide of Petr Cech's goal.
Bayern were scarcely worth their equaliser but it came none the less on 52 minutes. Ballack struck a free-kick against the Chelsea wall and when his shot rebounded, Ze Roberto threaded the rebound back through. At full stretch, Cech's long reach could only palm the ball away and the substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger finished.
The response from Mourinho's team could not have been better if he had been prowling the touchline himself and he must have given thanks once again for the sublime talent that Chelsea have in Frank Lampard. He scored his 13th of the season on the hour when Drogba's knock-down fell to him in the box and he struck the ball past Kahn from close range.
Lampard's next goal on 70 minutes came was made by Makelele, who picked him out advancing unmarked into the Bayern area he took one touch to gather in possession and another to poke the ball past Kahn. Any pretence at cohesion in Bayern's defence was lost and they conceded a nightmarish fourth when Lampard's corner from the left was allowed to drop in the area. Kahn did well to stop Eidur Gudjohnsen's first effort but he had no chance with Drogba's follow-up.
It was in injury time that Ricardo Carvalho was harshly judged to have pushed Ballack in the penalty area and the spot-kick gave Bayern hope.
In Munich next Wednesday, a semi-final place lies within Chelsea's grasp and, wherever he is, they have a manager who is not accustomed to throwing such advantages away.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Johnson (Huth, 65), Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Makelele; Cole (Tiago, 81), Gudjohnsen, Lampard, Duff; Drobga (Forssell, 89). Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Smertin, Geremi.
Bayern Munich (4-4-2): Kahn; Sagnol, Lucio, Kovac, Lizarazu; Hargreaves, Frings, Ballack, Ze Roberto (Scholl, 77); Guerrero, Salihamidzic (Schweinsteiger, h-t). Substitutes not used: Rensing (gk), Hashemian, Jeremies, Linke, Deisler.
Referee: R Temmink (Netherlands).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sun:
Chelsea 4 B Munich 2 By SUN ONLINE REPORTER
JOSE MOURINHO managed to weave his magic as Chelsea powered towards the Champions League semi-finals.
The Blues boss watched this massacre from the Chelsea Village Hotel, just behind the Stamford Bridge pitch.
But whether he did somehow have an influence on tactics despite his touchline ban, it was his players who we should be talking about this morning.
Frank Lampard continued his meteroic rise with a two-goal supershow but his team-mates were also immense as they ran Bayern Munich ragged to earn a 4-1 lead.
Only Michael Ballack's injury-time penalty, after the midfielder dived to win the spotkick, took the gloss of surely Chelsea's greatest European night ever.
Joe Cole got the Londoners off to a flyer in the fifth-minute thanks to a deflected effort.
Bastian Schweinsteiger brought the Germans level before Lampard took over with two stunning goals in 10 minutes.
Didier Drogba sent the Blues into dreamland before Ballack quietened the celebrations a few decibels.
Back to Mourinho, though, and the Chelsea dugout. Fitness coach Rui Faria, who donned a woolly hat on a relatively mild evening, seemed to be having a major say on the touchline.
Faria continually passed notes to Mourinho's assistant Steve Clarke and was seen repeatedly fiddling with his ear while looking decidedly shifty.
The fourth official did have words with the Chelsea bench but the note-passing continued throughout the second half with three tactical substitutions taking place as the Blues roared into their handsome lead.
In Mourinho’s physical absence, fortune had favoured Chelsea as they seized the lead after just five minutes.
Robert Kovac failed to clear the ball properly but Damien Duff’s ball to Cole still carried little obvious danger and neither did the midfielder’s shot from the edge of the penalty area.
However, the ball took a wicked deflection off Lucio and left keeper Oliver Kahn stranded as it rolled into an empty net.
Glen Johnson again showed why he still has a lot to learn with another nervy display and his mistake almost let Bayern back in.
The former West Ham defender was caught in two minds as he attempted to chest down a spinning cross into the penalty area.
He slipped at the crucial moment to allow Ze Roberto the chance to shoot only for the ball to fizz wide.
Lampard then curled a volley wide before Kahn smothered the ball at Duff’s feet.
Duff was a constant menace and just after the break he broke again only for the German goalkeeper to parry his shot before Willy Sagnol hooked the rebound off the line.Chelsea were still vulnerable at the back and Petr Cech made an uncharacteristic error as Bayern drew level on 51 minutes.
The Czech Republic international could only parry Ze Roberto’s shot after Ballack’s free-kick had cannoned into the wall and Schweinsteiger pounced from close range to bury his shot.
That at least spurred Chelsea into renewed activity. Drogba shot weakly at Kahn but then flicked a header into Lampard’s path and the midfielder’s finishing once again did not let him down.
Lampard may not have struck the ball as sweetly as normal but it still evaded Kahn as the shot inched just inside the far post.
Clarke just happened to have a brief chat with Faria before deciding to bring on Robert Huth for Johnson, while Chelsea’s resurgence continued.
Duff had a drive tipped around post by Kahn but Lampard was not finished there.
If his first goal was not struck perfectly, his second was a pile-driver, controlling a cross from Claude Makelele on his chest before swivelling and powering a half-volley past Kahn.
Chelsea moved further ahead with 10 minutes left as Lampard’s corner was flicked on by Huth and even though Eidur Gudjohnsen’s initial effort was blocked, Drogba rammed home the loose ball.
With Mikael Forssell making a long-awaited comeback from injury as a late substitute, Chelsea’s evening looked to be complete - until Ricardo Carvalho was harshly penalised for pulling back Ballack.
Deep into injury time, the Bayern skipper converted the spot-kick to give his side a glimmer of hope. Even Mourinho could do little about that.
DREAM TEAM STAR MAN
FRANK LAMPARD (Chelsea). Improves with every big-match performance.
SUN RATINGS
CHELSEA: Cech 6, Johnson 6 (Huth 6), Carvalho 7, Terry 7, Gallas 6, Cole 7 (Tiago 5), Lampard 8, Makelele 7, Duff 7, Gudjohnsen 7, Drogba 7 (Forssell 5). Booked: Drogba, Gallas, Makelele, Carvalho. Subs not used: Cudicini, Smertin, Geremi, Nuno Morais.
Penalty takes shine off polished performance by ChelseaBy Rick BroadbentChelsea 4 Bayern Munich 2
HIS most committed critics may claim that José Mourinho is not quite all there and, while that state of affairs was incontestable last night, a coruscating victory for Chelsea suggests that there is method in his madness. If the display of Frank Lampard was anything to go by, absence clearly makes the heart of this team grow stronger. Shorn of their emotional leader, Mourinho’s side pummelled Bayern Munich into submission during a second half when the rapier was replaced by the sledgehammer. When Didier Drogba stabbed home the fourth from close range after a corner nine minutes from the end, their progress to the European Cup semi-finals seemed inexorable.
This being Chelsea, though, no road is pothole-free and stoppage time provided a sobering stumble. Ricardo Carvalho’s tug on Michael Ballack’s sleeve was the soft side of innocuous, but the Germany midfield player licked his mythical wounds to caress a penalty that ensures there is still work to be done next week.
With the scores tied at 1-1 after an hour and Chelsea needing some inspiration, Lampard took the game by the scruff of the neck. Drogba’s aerial prowess had been a thorny subject for Bayern throughout and his header gave Lampard the chance to swivel and guide a 20-yard daisycutter beyond Oliver Kahn.
Ten minutes later he went one better, a pirouette enabling him to chest down Claude Makelele’s cross and thunder a deft half-volley across Kahn. “We know he is a class player and just hope that he has emptied his locker,” Felix Magath, the Bayern coach, said before indulging in a touch of the Mourinhos and lambasting the referee: “The referee was not for us.” Mourinho might wonder whether that should merit a disrepute charge.
Magath said that the late, late show gave his side “a lot of hope”, but Baltemar Brito, Mourinho’s assistant, was less sure. “It’s frustrating but I’m not angry with the players,” he said. “We scored four goals and we were fantastic, but we can look back and improve.”
It takes some doing to be the centre of attention without turning up, but after Mourinho’s millions had dominated the build-up, it was left to his minions to blossom away from his cavernous shadow.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Bayern chairman, had suggested that Chelsea’s wealth was not good for football, but given that Bayern have long been viewed as the playground bullies of German football, any pretence at impoverishment sounded hollow and he would have been more justified highlighting their depleted playing resources, Roy Makaay, the Holland striker, pulling out hours before kick-off.
Makaay, who had been expected to recover from a hamstring injury, joined Claudio Pizarro, his Peruvian partner, and Martin Demichelis, the midfield anchorman, on the sidelines. The doctor had passed Makaay fit, but he said that the injury was troubling him and he was rested with a view to having him fit for the second leg.
The opening exchanges lent credence to the sob story. Only three minutes had gone when John Terry’s long ball was tentatively dealt with by Robert Kovac and fell to Damien Duff. His lay-off was typically deft and Joe Cole’s 20-yard strike took a decisive deflection off Lucio’s heel. If the goal owed much to good fortune, it was symptomatic of Cole’s renaissance.
With Eidur Gudjohnsen starting in midfield, but acting an an ancillary forward, Chelsea debunked the negative jibes by often finding themselves with four up front. They threatened to add to their lead, a header from Terry was palmed over, Duff taking the wrong option after side-stepping towards gilt-edged glory.
However, Bayern were not intimidated. Magath had a good look at the Mourinho-lite version of Chelsea last year while at Stuttgart and the victory over Arsenal in the last round meant that they were confident.
After half an hour, the Bundesliga leaders should have levelled when Glen Johnson inexplicably chested the ball to Zé Roberto from Hasan Salihamidzic’s cross. The Brazilian dragged his shot wide of the post, but it was the sort of error that might have caused Mourinho to suffer a blistered thumb from over-strenuous text messaging.
Zé Roberto curled a free kick just over and a volley from Lampard whistled past a post as chances came and went, but the greater parity spawned greater spice. Terry thundered into Kahn when he had no chance of winning the ball,sparking vociferous protests from all but the doyen of dotty German goalkeepers.
Chelsea might have entered the comfort zone just after the restart when Drogba and Gudjohnsen shovelled the ball across to Duff, but Kahn managed to slow his shot with a strong hand and Willy Sagnol completed the rescue mission. Disappointment quickly turned to regret. Another free kick from Ballack cannoned into the wall, but when Zé Roberto flashed the rebound goalwards, Petr Cech blotted a hitherto spotless copybook by pushing the volley to Bastian Schweinsteiger, who finished with aplomb. It was a situation that called for a hero. They chanted Mourinho’s name at the end, but it was Lampard who deserved the plaudits.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): P Cech — G Johnson (sub: R Huth, 65min), R Carvalho, J Terry, W Gallas — E Gudjohnsen, C Makelele, F Lampard — J Cole (sub: Tiago, 81), D Drogba (sub: M Forssell, 89), D Duff. Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, A Smertin, Gérémi, Nuno Morais. Booked: Drogba, Carvalho, Gallas, Makelele.
BAYERN MUNICH (4-4-1-1): O Kahn — W Sagnol, Lucio, R Kovac, B Lizarazu — H Salihamidzic (sub: B Schweinsteiger, 46), O Hargreaves, T Frings, Zé Roberto (sub: M Scholl, 73) — M Ballack — P Guerro. Substitutes not used: M Rensing, V Hashemian, J Jeremies, T Linke, S Deisler. Booked: Frings, Schweinsteiger.
Referee: R Temmink (Belgium).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph:
Chelsea cheers quelled by BallackBy Henry Winter Chelsea (1) 4 Bayern Munich (0) 2
Managing well without their manager for 89 minutes, Chelsea were left kicking themselves last night when they allowed Michael Ballack to claim a late penalty that gives Bayern Munich hope for next week's second leg of this fascinating Champions League quarter-final.
Late hope: Bayern's Michael Ballack scores a late penalty Amid claims that the banned Jose Mourinho was communicating with a colleague in a woollen hat on the Chelsea bench, seeking to pull the wool over UEFA's eyes, Chelsea had appeared to be coping well without their talismanic coach until Ballack's intervention.
Frank Lampard struck twice to take centre stage, but Chelsea had leaders all over the field and will still expect to progress to the last four. Claude Makelele was superb, disrupting the Germans' supply lines and ushering Chelsea upfield. Out wide, Joe Cole and Damien Duff ensured Bayern's attack-minded full-backs stayed deep. Cole had opened the scoring and Didier Drogba finished it, deserved reward for his selfless running.
Banned from the bench, Mourinho had beseeched the media not to track him down as he found a quiet place away from the Bridge to watch. This did not stop newspapers scrambling photographers to likely bolt-holes, including the London residence of the super-agent, Pini Zahavi.
Television briefly speculated that the Blue Pimpernel was actually present at the Bridge, which precipitated another media sweep of the ground, a fruitless one unless he was hiding under the Dutch referee's rather bulky shirt. Those who had forced Mourinho into temporary exile from his beloved team, UEFA, found their Champions League anthem roundly abused by Chelsea fans. 'Jose; they may all hate us,' read one banner, 'but we love you'.
Driven on by the outstanding Lampard, given midfield steel by the terrific Makelele, Mourinho's men did not appear to be missing their Portuguese beacon unduly. Even when Bayern levelled after the break, Chelsea just went through the gears again. Bayern's coach, Felix Magath, had predicted Lampard and Cole, Duff and Drogba would "run their socks off to show they can do without him".
Chelsea had run Bayern's socks off, such was the energetic nature of their start, the lead seized within four minutes. The goal was rooted in surprisingly poor Bayern defending. Normally, so resolute a central pairing, Robert Kovac and Lucio were both caught out. Kovac's clearing header was directed straight at Duff, who neatly turned it inside to Cole. The England midfielder, lurking 20 yards out, let fly, the ball deflecting off Lucio past Oliver Kahn.
Bayern, though, are too experienced a unit to crumble at such a setback. Magath's side, lining up in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Ballack seeking to pull the strings behind Paolo Guerrero while Ze Roberto attempted to give width down the left. The Germans enjoyed plenty of possession, with Owen Hargreaves working hard in the anchoring role. Hargreaves even tested Petr Cech's reflexes from a free kick.
Still Bayern came, Ze Roberto seizing on a terrible piece of chested control by Glen Johnson but shooting wastefully wide from left to right. Shortly after the restart, the Germans had the equaliser their persistence deserved. Given a promising free-kick situation by a foul by William Gallas, Ballack launched the dead-ball into the wall, the ball rebounding out to Ze Roberto. The Brazilian's first-time strike flew through the wreckage of Chelsea's wall, forcing Cech into a scrambling stop. Yet the Czech international could not hold the ball, which ran free. Schweinsteiger, newly arrived from the bench, was the first to react, crisply drilling the ball back past the stricken Cech.
Bayern had their precious away goal. Yet Chelsea had their self-belief. Refusing to panic, Mourinho's side simply imposed their technique and superior pace on Bayern. A wonderful break down the right saw the ball flowing from Cole to Drogba, whose centre was cleverly helped on by the omnipresent Gudjohnsen to Duff. The Irishman's strike was hard and true but Kahn managed to take some of the sting off it, although the Bayern keeper required Willy Sagnol to clear off the line.
Chelsea rolled forward again, this time far more fruitfully on the hour mark. Johnson lifted the ball over from the right, Drogba headed on and there was Lampard, finishing expertly with his left foot. Stamford Bridge exploded into song again, the volume rising even higher 10 minutes later as Lampard struck again, showing why he has matured into one of the most accomplished midfielders in Europe. Chesting down Makelele's pass, Lampard turned and swept it brilliantly past Kahn: 3-1.
There was more, wonderfully so for Chelsea and their ecstatic supporters. When Lampard curled over a tempting, 80th-minute corner, Duff's shot was blocked but Drogba proved deadly from five yards, poaching a fourth. Yet just as Chelsea were contemplating an untroubled trip to Munich, Ricardo Carvalho appeared to make slight contact with Ballack's arm. He fell like a stone, climbed to his feet and placed the subsequent penalty coolly to Cech's left. Bayern are 4-2 down, but not out.
Team details
Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cech; Johnson (Huth 65), Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Makelele; Gudjohnsen, Lampard; J Cole (Tiago 81), Duff; Drogba (Forssell 89).Subs: Cudicini (g), Smertin, Geremi, Nuno Morais.Booked: Drogba, Carvalho, Gallas, Makalele.Bayern Munich (4-4-1-1): Kahn; Sagnol, Lucio, Kovac, Lizarazu; Salihamidzic, (Schweinsteiger h-t), Hargreaves, Frings, Ze Roberto (Scholl, 72); Ballack; Guerrero.Subs: Rensing (g), Scholl, Hashemian, Jeremies, Linke, Deisler. Booked: Frings, Schweinsteiger.Referee: R Temmink (Holland).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guardian:
Lampard's blasts fuel Chelsea fire
Kevin McCarra at Stamford BridgeThursday April 7, 2005The Guardian
The Germans have a way with penalties. There was no doubt that Michael Ballack would convert one in stoppage-time, even if there was hot debate as to whether the touch of Ricardo Carvalho's hand on him merited the award. With that goal, Bayern have revived a Champions League quarter-final which Chelsea appeared to have killed stone dead. Sympathy for Carvalho will be stifled by anyone who remembers how he hindered the goalkeeper Víctor Valdés at the John Terry goal that settled the tie with Barcelona in the last round. Jose Mourinho, who is now expected to sign an improved contract that will see him paid £5.2m a year until the end of the deal in 2008, must remind the squad that they are still in a promising position.
Having been banned from the touchline after the Anders Frisk episode, the manager exiled himself entirely last night. Perhaps he just wanted to be left to scowl in peace over a supposed injustice, but the net effect was to let the side show that they could prevail even when he was not around to pull the strings overtly. No matter what influence the Portuguese may have had, words of advice would have been of limited help to a team who were below their best when Bayern deservedly levelled the score at 1-1 soon after the interval. It was Frank Lampard, with two goals, and the rest of the players who had to rally themselves.
The tactical switch that did bear fruit, however, was the increasing emphasis on the high ball which invited Didier Drogba to tyrannise Bayern. Though the score was identical to the triumph over Barcelona in the last Champions League match here, few other similarities existed.
Had it not been for Roy Makaay's unexpected failure to recover from a thigh injury, Felix Magath's team could have equalised earlier. Lacking a finisher, they had to squirm when Ze Roberto shot wide after Glen Johnson, in the 29th minute, accidentally chested the ball to him.
Chelsea, to Mourinho's certain disgust, have changed and there has been only one clean sheet in their last nine fixtures. Random events and their own rescourcefulness are having more of a bearing on results than scientific planning.
They got a break in the fourth minute here. With a glimpse of things to come, Robert Kovac was flustered by Drogba's challenge for a high ball and headed weakly. Damien Duff set up Joe Cole for a drive which would not have eluded Oliver Kahn but for a deflection off Lucio.
But there was no moping by Bayern. Given the grandeur with which Lampard would later reshape the contest, it is strange to reflect that the visitors had midfield supremacy for an extended period.
Chelsea were unsettled, conceding free-kicks on the edge of their penalty area which Owen Hargreaves and Ze Roberto used poorly. Chelsea could not weather such troubles indefinitely and as the second half began they sought, fleetingly, to reimpose themselves. Drogba played the ball in and Eidur Gudjohnsen set up Duff but the Irishman's finish was stopped by Kahn.
Bayern's advances continued and William Gallas brought down the substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger after 52 minutes. The free-kick struck the defensive wall but Ze Roberto then drilled a shot which Petr Cech pushed away at full stretch. Schweinsteiger himself burst on to the loose ball to finish confidently.
Instinct and instruction may have had an equal influence on Chelsea's riposte. It is in their nature to be forthright and Bayern could not withstand the aggression they had awakened. The effect also depended on majestic skill by Lampard.
Drogba climbed to knock down a long ball from Johnson, Lampard's left-foot drive was executed precisely and Lucio became an obstacle to Kahn's view of a finish which ran sweetly into the corner of the net.
Eleven minutes later Bayern did little more than hack possession away from Duff and, when Claude Makelele chipped it back, Lampard showed remarkable technique to spin as he took the ball on his chest and fire another left-foot finish beyond Kahn.
In the 81st minute Chelsea notched a goal which may prove even more precious. Bayern could not cope with Lampard's corner and, although Gudjohnsen was unable to convert, Drogba rammed home the loose ball from close range.
That deficit was hard on losers who will view the Ballack penalty as belated recompense for their suffering. Should Chelsea rediscover the defensive solidity that has eluded them of late, though, there will be more sorrow in store for Bayern in Munich next week.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Independent:
Lampard punishes Bayern as Chelsea toast absent friendsChelsea 4 - Bayern Munich 2By Sam Wallace07 April 2005
There was no Jose Mourinho in the dug-out at Stamford Bridge last night but by the end it hardly seemed to matter because the Chelsea's coach influence could be detected all over this remarkable match. The principles he holds so dear were there in another swashbuckling Champions' League performance, in the goals his valiant side scored and in the decisions made in his absence by the Chelsea bench.
Especially, it seemed, those decisions. On one of those nights when Stamford Bridge staked another claim to host to one of European football's most uninhibited attacking teams it might seem ungrateful to tear the gaze away from the pitch but it was the activity on the touchline that also caught the eye. Mourinho's whereabouts remained a mystery during the match, but the note-passing on the bench hinted at an involvement that was much harder to measure.
The conspiracy theorists will point to the notes that were passed by the fitness coach Rui Faria, who wore a hat pulled low over his ears, to Mourinho's assistants Baltemar Brito and Steve Clarke which seemed to coincide with major decisions. And the intervention of the Uefa official Pieter Vink suggested that he too was suspicious, but from Brito came a flat denial of any wrongdoing. "There was no contact with Mourinho," he said. "The last time I saw him was two hours before kick-off and I have not seen him since."
If Uefa still have the stomach for another dispute with Mourinho after serving him with the two-match ban that will also prevent him from manning the touchline in Munich on Wednesday then that will be some charge to prove. The club's spokesman denied that Faria had an earpiece and even the frequent trips down the tunnel by the goalkeeper coach Silvinho Louro were dismissed as innocent errands.
By the end, Chelsea had scored four but their potential passage into a semi-final against either Juventus or Liverpool did not feel as comfortable as it should have been. Just as they had put on Mikael Forsell in injury time for his first appearance in 17 months, Michael Ballack appeared to fool the referee Rene Tremmink into awarding a penalty and the German international slotted home a vital second away goal.
Theories on Mourinho's whereabouts last night ranged from his home in Eaton Square to the health club that adjoins the stadium, but after four minutes you began to wonder whether Chelsea would miss him at all. Against Arsenal in the previous round, Bayern had rolled into Highbury for the return leg and subjugated their hosts but this time they were subject to the classic Chelsea ambush.
It took Chelsea just four minutes to carve open Bayern's defence with the kind of unapologetic direct football that they were to employ all night. John Terry's long punt was fed in to Joe Cole by Damien Duff but not before Didier Drogba had muscled out Robert Kovac in an aerial challenge. Cole's shot cannoned off the defender Lucio and past Oliver Kahn.
In the role of lone aggressor, the same that he had occupied against Barcelona in the previous round first leg at the Nou Camp, Drogba was at the very centre of all that was good about a rampaging Chelsea attack. Only once did they look threatened in the first half when Hasan Salihamidzic's cross to the far post was chested by Glen Johnson towards Ze Roberto, who struck the ball wide of Petr Cech's goal.
Bayern were scarcely worth their equaliser but it came none the less on 52 minutes. Ballack struck a free-kick against the Chelsea wall and when his shot rebounded, Ze Roberto threaded the rebound back through. At full stretch, Cech's long reach could only palm the ball away and the substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger finished.
The response from Mourinho's team could not have been better if he had been prowling the touchline himself and he must have given thanks once again for the sublime talent that Chelsea have in Frank Lampard. He scored his 13th of the season on the hour when Drogba's knock-down fell to him in the box and he struck the ball past Kahn from close range.
Lampard's next goal on 70 minutes came was made by Makelele, who picked him out advancing unmarked into the Bayern area he took one touch to gather in possession and another to poke the ball past Kahn. Any pretence at cohesion in Bayern's defence was lost and they conceded a nightmarish fourth when Lampard's corner from the left was allowed to drop in the area. Kahn did well to stop Eidur Gudjohnsen's first effort but he had no chance with Drogba's follow-up.
It was in injury time that Ricardo Carvalho was harshly judged to have pushed Ballack in the penalty area and the spot-kick gave Bayern hope.
In Munich next Wednesday, a semi-final place lies within Chelsea's grasp and, wherever he is, they have a manager who is not accustomed to throwing such advantages away.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Johnson (Huth, 65), Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Makelele; Cole (Tiago, 81), Gudjohnsen, Lampard, Duff; Drobga (Forssell, 89). Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Smertin, Geremi.
Bayern Munich (4-4-2): Kahn; Sagnol, Lucio, Kovac, Lizarazu; Hargreaves, Frings, Ballack, Ze Roberto (Scholl, 77); Guerrero, Salihamidzic (Schweinsteiger, h-t). Substitutes not used: Rensing (gk), Hashemian, Jeremies, Linke, Deisler.
Referee: R Temmink (Netherlands).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sun:
Chelsea 4 B Munich 2 By SUN ONLINE REPORTER
JOSE MOURINHO managed to weave his magic as Chelsea powered towards the Champions League semi-finals.
The Blues boss watched this massacre from the Chelsea Village Hotel, just behind the Stamford Bridge pitch.
But whether he did somehow have an influence on tactics despite his touchline ban, it was his players who we should be talking about this morning.
Frank Lampard continued his meteroic rise with a two-goal supershow but his team-mates were also immense as they ran Bayern Munich ragged to earn a 4-1 lead.
Only Michael Ballack's injury-time penalty, after the midfielder dived to win the spotkick, took the gloss of surely Chelsea's greatest European night ever.
Joe Cole got the Londoners off to a flyer in the fifth-minute thanks to a deflected effort.
Bastian Schweinsteiger brought the Germans level before Lampard took over with two stunning goals in 10 minutes.
Didier Drogba sent the Blues into dreamland before Ballack quietened the celebrations a few decibels.
Back to Mourinho, though, and the Chelsea dugout. Fitness coach Rui Faria, who donned a woolly hat on a relatively mild evening, seemed to be having a major say on the touchline.
Faria continually passed notes to Mourinho's assistant Steve Clarke and was seen repeatedly fiddling with his ear while looking decidedly shifty.
The fourth official did have words with the Chelsea bench but the note-passing continued throughout the second half with three tactical substitutions taking place as the Blues roared into their handsome lead.
In Mourinho’s physical absence, fortune had favoured Chelsea as they seized the lead after just five minutes.
Robert Kovac failed to clear the ball properly but Damien Duff’s ball to Cole still carried little obvious danger and neither did the midfielder’s shot from the edge of the penalty area.
However, the ball took a wicked deflection off Lucio and left keeper Oliver Kahn stranded as it rolled into an empty net.
Glen Johnson again showed why he still has a lot to learn with another nervy display and his mistake almost let Bayern back in.
The former West Ham defender was caught in two minds as he attempted to chest down a spinning cross into the penalty area.
He slipped at the crucial moment to allow Ze Roberto the chance to shoot only for the ball to fizz wide.
Lampard then curled a volley wide before Kahn smothered the ball at Duff’s feet.
Duff was a constant menace and just after the break he broke again only for the German goalkeeper to parry his shot before Willy Sagnol hooked the rebound off the line.Chelsea were still vulnerable at the back and Petr Cech made an uncharacteristic error as Bayern drew level on 51 minutes.
The Czech Republic international could only parry Ze Roberto’s shot after Ballack’s free-kick had cannoned into the wall and Schweinsteiger pounced from close range to bury his shot.
That at least spurred Chelsea into renewed activity. Drogba shot weakly at Kahn but then flicked a header into Lampard’s path and the midfielder’s finishing once again did not let him down.
Lampard may not have struck the ball as sweetly as normal but it still evaded Kahn as the shot inched just inside the far post.
Clarke just happened to have a brief chat with Faria before deciding to bring on Robert Huth for Johnson, while Chelsea’s resurgence continued.
Duff had a drive tipped around post by Kahn but Lampard was not finished there.
If his first goal was not struck perfectly, his second was a pile-driver, controlling a cross from Claude Makelele on his chest before swivelling and powering a half-volley past Kahn.
Chelsea moved further ahead with 10 minutes left as Lampard’s corner was flicked on by Huth and even though Eidur Gudjohnsen’s initial effort was blocked, Drogba rammed home the loose ball.
With Mikael Forssell making a long-awaited comeback from injury as a late substitute, Chelsea’s evening looked to be complete - until Ricardo Carvalho was harshly penalised for pulling back Ballack.
Deep into injury time, the Bayern skipper converted the spot-kick to give his side a glimmer of hope. Even Mourinho could do little about that.
DREAM TEAM STAR MAN
FRANK LAMPARD (Chelsea). Improves with every big-match performance.
SUN RATINGS
CHELSEA: Cech 6, Johnson 6 (Huth 6), Carvalho 7, Terry 7, Gallas 6, Cole 7 (Tiago 5), Lampard 8, Makelele 7, Duff 7, Gudjohnsen 7, Drogba 7 (Forssell 5). Booked: Drogba, Gallas, Makelele, Carvalho. Subs not used: Cudicini, Smertin, Geremi, Nuno Morais.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
sunday papers southampton
Independent:
Gudjohnsen's double drives Chelsea closer to the dreamSouthampton 1 - Chelsea 3By Nick Townsend at St Mary's03 April 2005
Jose Mourinho returned to public scrutiny here yesterday evening and, hands in his designer-suit pockets, watched his men's performance state as eloquently as any words could: the championship is ours.
As the sun set at the conclusion of a bizarre week, in which despite Uefa's apparent leniency over charges brought against him and his club following that Champions' League game at the Nou Camp in February, the Chelsea manager appeared determined to pursue his own agenda, Chelsea claimed another victory, with a brace from Eidur Gudjohnsen and another from Frank Lampard. As they did so, they were aware that they are three more victories away from the title - given a little earlier help from their friends in the north.
Saints had approached the match with a burgeoning belief of survival following two successive League victories; but they were faced by a Chelsea seeking confirmation of their champions status, with election becoming all the more inevitable following Manchester United's concession of two points at home to Blackburn in an earlier kick-off.
Despite the distraction of Wednesday night's forthcoming Champions' League game against Bayern Munich, Chelsea extended their away record to a remarkable 41 points from a possible 48, although here there was to be no addition to their record of lock-outs of the opposition attack. The Southampton substitute Kevin Phillips saw to that with his second-half goal that brought the scoreline back, temporarily, to 2-1. But Gudjohnsen sealed it with a late third.
Unbeaten in their last five matches in the League, and with Crystal Palace defeated at home earlier, there was a massive incentive for Saints to secure victory here and put daylight between themselves and those in the relegation positions.
It had taken a James Beattie goal to breach Chelsea's rearguard in the corresponding fixture at Stamford Bridge. The striker's move to the North-west has provided an inviting opportunity for Peter Crouch, who has responded with 12 goals since Harry Redknapp arrived as manager in December, with his latest five in the same number of matches.
This was a rare occasion when the Saints forward was meeting the opposition virtually eyeball to eyeball, with goalkeeper Petr Cech only an inch or two his inferior in the battle of the vertical supremacists.
Yet, the remainder of the Chelsea back division - reorganised because of Paulo Ferreira's absence with a broken bone in his foot with Robert Huth partnering the captain, John Terry, in central defence - hardly possess the same physique.
The belief was that Saints would attempt to capitalise on Crouch's height advantage with an sustained aerial assault. Yet, curiously, it was not until the latter stages of the first half, with Southampton already a goal adrift, that Saints attempted to profit from that factor.
By then Chelsea had established their rhythm and their dominance with a formation in which Mateja Kezman was given a starting role, while Didier Drogba, who is likely to play against Bayern, was restricted to the bench.
For 21 minutes Chelsea enticed Saints into their half, craftily probing on the break then, Andreas Jakobsson was adjudged to have fouled Kezman. The ensuing free-kick was struck with typical venom by Lampard, but probably would have been dealt with by Antti Niemi, had not the ball taken a mischievous deflection off the end of the wall.
Crouch looked to have burst clear on the half hour, but to the chagrin of all Southampton connections, the referee, Mark Halsey, brought play back because of an infringement against the visitors. "Have you bought the referee?" the frustrated locals chanted at the visiting team.
Later, a long throw by Rory Delap was headed narrowly wide by Claus Lundekvam. But that was the closest the hosts came to a first-half equaliser.
It was Niemi who was by far the busier and his agility was personified when he performed a save in the air, with his feet, to prevent a back-pass from Lundekvam, under pressure from Kezman, entering the net. From the resulting corner, the goalkeeper responded well to keep out Huth's low drive.
But he was powerless when, seven minutes before the interval, a splendid run by the full-back Johnson into the heart of the home defence, left four Southampton players in his wake, before pulling the ball back, allowed Eidur to slide the ball home.
After the break, Saints still retained a conviction that all was not lost. A Crouch header unnerved the Chelsea defence, and a header from the substitute Phillips was tipped over. But from the resulting short corner from Anders Svensson, and an interchange with Delap, Phillips was unmarked as he converted the chance.
Drogba was sent on for Kezman, and, he made a telling contribution at the end of an incisive Blues move, combining superbly with Gudjohnsen, culminating in a second for the Icelander.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Observer :
Gudjohnsen keeps Chelsea on course
Amy Lawrence at St Mary's Sunday April 3, 2005The Observer
You can take José Mourinho away from centre stage, but you cannot take centre stage away from José Mourinho. The notion that he might consider his Chelsea future at the end of the season was leaked in Portugal over the weekend, presumably with the man's approval as a gentle reminder to the powers-that-be at Stamford Bridge: don't mess with 'the special one'. It is hypothetical to imagine what another manager would have done with the scenario Mourinho walked into last summer. What we do know is that the Chelsea side he constructed need win only three more matches to be crowned Premiership Champions. All season, on the pitch at least, Chelsea's players have proved impervious to the turbulence emanating from the dug-out. After a week when more punitive measures were doled out by their good friends at Uefa, the men in blue simply carried on playing with the immense focus that is hurtling them towards the title. Their manager may be under the cosh and their squad weakened by injuries to Paulo Ferreira and Arjen Robben. But shaken? Stirred? Of course not. Mourinho sprang a selection surprise by starting the beefy German defender Robert Huth in place of the smaller but slicker Ricardo Carvalho. The logic was blindingly obvious and a compliment to Southampton's biggest goal threat, Peter Crouch. The other unexpected choice was to play Mateja Kezman as their own target striker.
After a slow, patient start, Chelsea eased into the lead after 22 minutes. When Claus Lundekvam was penalised for fouling Kezman, Frank Lampard confidently struck the free-kick even though it was 30 yards out. His effort deflected off the wall, wrongfooting Antti Niemi, and the ball sailed into the centre of the goal.
Chelsea could have doubled their lead 10 minutes later in risible circumstances. Lundekvam, under pressure from Nigel Quashie's slack pass, could only hook the ball towards the top corner of his own goal. Niemi's reaction was excellent, adjusting quickly enough to kick away with a sprawling leg.
Six minutes before the break, Chelsea got their second, and it was stylishly constructed by Glen Johnson. The right-back danced down the right flank into the box. In the process he bewildered four defenders, before prodding a perfect lay-off for Eidur Gudjohnsen. The Icelander clipped clinically home.
Southampton threatened only through a Lundekvam header that fizzed wide. Crouch, who comes from solid Chelsea stock and was once a ballboy at Stamford Bridge, did his utmost to inspire a second-half rally, and his looping header earned the applause of the home crowd, even if it was easy pickings for Petr Cech. The keeper had a far tougher examination once Kevin Phillips came on to lend Crouch brisk, bright support.
Cech was soon in action, clawing away from the substitute, but Phillips gave him little chance from the resulting corner, steering Southampton rousingly back into the game with 21 minutes to go.
It is not often we see the entire Chelsea team back in their own half, but such were the home efforts that the Premiership leaders temporarily lost their shape.
Balance was restored with Gudjohnsen's second goal. A move of pinged passes throughout the team ended with Didier Drogba flicking the ball to find Gudjohnsen's ghosting run. The finish was crisp, crafty and conclusive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph ;
The end in sight for Chelsea By Patrick Barclay (Filed: 03/04/2005)
Southampton (0) 1 Chelsea (2) 3
Three more victories will do it for Chelsea. If they keep winning Premiership matches, the club will be celebrating their first title in half a century on April 23, after they have met Fulham at Stamford Bridge. In between they have two more home matches, against Birmingham and Arsenal, so it might be all over before Jose Mourinho's team make their next journey, which will be to Bolton at the end of the month.
At the double: Eidur Gudjohnsen celebrates Chelsea's second In truth, Chelsea's supporters have been pretty sure where the English game's top prize is going for some time. But this was a place where a lesser side might have stumbled; Southampton, revived under Harry Redknapp, had gone five league matches unbeaten. But Chelsea took control through goals from Frank Lampard and Eidur Gudjohnsen and only between the 69th and 83rd minutes, after the substitute Kevin Phillips had reduced the deficit, was there any doubt about the outcome. Gudjohnsen removed that with his second. And so to the Champions League quarter-final confrontation with Bayern Munich.
Both UEFA and Chelsea, incidentally, are to be commended on a satisfactory conclusion to the Anders Frisk affair. Satisfactory, that is, as long as we work on the assumption that Mourinho never repeats the offence of questioning a referee's integrity without sufficient reason - and reports from Portugal are not encouraging in this respect. Apparently Mourinho was furious with Chelsea, whose chairman, Bruce Buck, issued a dignified apology to Frisk in Nyon on Thursday, for declining to appeal against the his two-match suspension from the dugout and dressing room, which he will begin to serve when Bayern visit Stamford Bridge for Wednesday's first leg.
Mourinho will still be the centre of attention in the stands, which makes me wonder if the professional game should not take a leaf out of amateur football's rulebook and banish offenders from matches completely.
Banishing Mourinho from the limelight would, of course, be a different matter and here he took time off from playing mind-games with his own employers to reshape his team, Gudjohnsen taking a midfield role alongside Lampard in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
The pair all but ran the 21 minutes that elapsed before Lampard gave Chelsea the lead. Claude Makelele made sure Southampton got little through to the lanky Peter Crouch, with whom John Terry and Robert Huth coped comfortably, and meanwhile Chelsea posed a mounting threat in attack. Then Mateja Kezman, the spearhead of their attack, was fouled by Claus Lundekvam and Lampard's free-kick, sweetly struck but covered by Antti Niemi, veered off Rory Delap on the near end of the defensive wall, leaving the goalkeeper helpless.
The consequent raising of Southampton's tempo produced a couple of aerial opportunities from set-pieces, Crouch's header across goal from a free-kick by Jamie Redknapp finding no colleague and Lundekvam missing the target from close range after Delap had delivered one of his prodigious throws. Niemi had, however, remained the busier keeper.
Improvising wonderfully, he had used a flicked-out foot to divert an injudicious pass back from Lundekvam; it was a thrilling save. But soon Niemi was beaten again, Glen Johnson slicing through four defenders on a run towards the byline before judging his short cutback to perfection; Gudjohnsen peeled off and took one touch before scoring with a low shot on the half-turn.
The Icelander was given a new role on the right at half-time, when Tiago took over from Joe Cole, but Chelsea, if they imagined they could coast, were wrong. Phillips, who replaced Henri Camara, had an instant effect, his header from a Crouch nod-back making Petr Cech move smartly to turn it over, and from the corner, taken short, Paul Telfer's cross was diverted in by the striker.
All Chelsea required was to slip up a gear, which they did, a slick move culminating in Lampard and Didier Drogba (on for Kezman) working the ball to Gudjohnsen, who rolled it wide of Niemi.
This made Gudjohnsen the first Chelsea player to 10 goals in the Premiership, and put him above Drogba in all-competitions with 14.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Times :
Southampton 1 Chelsea 3: Chelsea ease to 13-point leadRob Hughes at St Mary's Stadium CHELSEA are simply strolling to the title. They assume now the aura that cows Premiership opponents and Southampton looked beaten from the start — outclassed on their home turf where they had not lost since Newcastle beat them on September 19. So Chelsea, now 13 points ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United with just seven games remaining, are the champions elect.
After the hot air of the past week, it was business as normal for Mourinho. And last night, seeking a record seven successive away victories in a single Premiership season, he was so laid back, so relaxed in the south coast sunshine that you looked for the deckchair.
Southampton, themselves unbeaten at St Mary’s for six months, were possibly lulled to believe that their safety was assured.The strangest of formations by Chelsea — operating with just Mateja Kezman as a pivotal centre-forward, with Eidur Gudjohnsen in a withdrawn role almost part of the midfield, and Joe Cole to the right and Damien Duff to the left, simply seemed to be playing a waiting game.
Their strategy appeared to be that they would take the pace out of the contest, that they would neutralise Southampton, and their quality would surely provide the decisive moment.
So it was, less a true footballing contest between one fighting for their Premiership existence and the other approaching the first English championship in 50 years of their history.
There was almost nothing to report until the opening goal. It arrived precisely halfway through the meandering first half; and if Mourinho will forgive the use of the word, the goal was an “adulteration”. It came from a free kick generously awarded to Kezman when to many the forward appeared to be backing into Andreas Jakobsson. Nevertheless referee Mark Halsey awarded the kick in favour of Chelsea and, five yards out to the right edge of the penalty area, Frank Lampard struck it.
It took a huge deflection off the end of the defensive wall off Rory Delap. Antti Niemi was already committed when the deflected ball looped slowly into his net on the other side.
If it is accepted as a Lampard goal, it is the 12th for his club. Soon the home crowd were seeing corruption or adulteration: “Have you bought the referee?” they chorused when the arbiter somehow decided that Nigel Quashie had unfairly impeded Claude Makelele on what would have been a rare Southampton break.
But, back to the other end, Niemi had to make two athletic saves in the 33rd minute. First, shocked by a back pass from Claus Lundekvam, the goalkeeper had no option but to bring up an acrobatic stop, using his left foot at shoulder height. And from the resulting corner, when the ball fell to Robert Huth, the German’s shot was hard and low, and the goalkeeper’s dive upon the ball was fantastic.
Nine minutes later Niemi was defenceless. Glen Johnson, displaying hypnotic technical control and movement for a full-back, glided through what looked like the entire Southampton rearguard and when Johnson turned and cut the ball back. Gudjohnsen had the time to control it with one touch and dispatch it low into the furthest corner of the net from eight yards with the other.
Some people have been presuming that Harry Redknapp is the Harry Houdini of the south coast, but from the first-half showing it was the backbone of his reshaped team that had disappeared.What could turn the mismatch into something resembling a contest? Redknapp found something up his sleeve; he called Kevin Phillips off the bench, and within five minutes the aging goalscorer proved that the art of popping up where nobody expects it is still in him. He rose like a salmon, clearly two feet off the ground, to produce a header that stretched Petr Cech for the first time in this lazy afternoon. The goalkeeper was equal to it, he flicked the ball over his crossbar.
Undaunted, after Southampton took a short corner on the right and Paul Telfer rolled the ball towards his feet, Phillips, from nine yards, scored with an instant, drilled, low shot. In the air, on the ground, a cut above his Southampton teammates.
Yet it was all an illusion. Seven minutes from time Gudjohnsen, receiving the ball from Didier Drogba simply helped himself to his second goal.
Gudjohnsen believes the Londoners will cope without Mourinho on the touchline in their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich. He also admitted Chelsea had not been at their best but, with the club needing three wins from seven games to win the title, he was happy with the result.
“There were a few tired legs after the internationals,” he said. “But it was a great result. We’re close.” Redknapp blamed defeat on the decision to penalise his side for a foul on Kezman by Jakobsson. “There was nothing in the game until a bad decison by the referee,” he said. “Kezman was backing in as he did all game. He had no intention of playing the ball, he just fell to the floor. It wasn’t a great strike and it took a wicked deflection.
“I thought the referee got a few key decisions wrong today. How many saves did our keeper have to make?”
STAR MAN: Eidur Gudjohnsen (Chelsea)
Player ratings. Southampton: Niemi 7, Delap 6, Lundekvam 6, Jakobsson 6, Bernard 6, Telfer 6, Redknapp 6, Quashie 7, Le Saux 5 (Svensson 62min, 5), Camara 5 (Phillips 62min, 6), Crouch 6
Chelsea: Cech 6, Johnson 8, Huth 7, Terry 7, Gallas 6, Makelele 7, Lampard 7, Cole 6 (Tiago 46min, 6) Gudjohnsen 8, Duff 6, Kezman 6 (Drogba 65min, 6)
Scorers: Southampton: Phillips 68
Chelsea: Lampard 22, Gudjohnsen 39, 83
Referee: M Halsey
Attendance: 31,949
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTW :
Eidur double puts Blues on brink
Another Gud day
From Matt Driscoll at St Mary's Stadium
CHELSEA took another emphatic step towards their first title in 50 years.
Two-goal Eidur Gudjohnsen put them on the way to victory — and a massive 13-point lead over Asenal and Manchester United.
These were apparently troubled times for Chelsea. A two-game Champions League touchline ban for their boss, a fine and even a behind-the-scenes row was hardly the best preparation for this evening clash.
But if Mourinho was unsettled by his latest spat with officialdom, that emotion certainly did not transfer to his team under the spring sunshine at St Mary's.
Within 22 minutes Chelsea had taken the lead and Mourinho's domestic dream was back on track, despite what many believed to have been a difficult couple of weeks in the camp.
Chelsea would have been buoyed by the fact that, once again, Manchester United dropped two points, giving them the chance to wrap up the title even earlier than expected.
Victory would leave Chelsea just three games away from making history — possibly even nearer if United's erratic form continues.
Playing a 4-1-4-1 formation, the Blues were faced with a Southampton side determined to add a point to their survival cause.
Threat
Harry Redknapp's side sat deep and were happy to try and find the 6ft 7in frame of Peter Crouch to try and hold the ball up on counter attacks.
But that plan failed as soon as the Saints gave away a free-kick.
It was a full 30 yards out, yet with England midfielder Frank Lampard placing the ball, the threat was always plain to see.
And when he thumped the ball, sending it hurtling towards goal, a deflection off the Southampton wall made sure keeper Antti Niemi was wrong-footed and beaten.
Southampton nearly made it even easier for the champions-elect when a dreadful back pass into his own box left defender Claus Lundekvam having to lunge out to prevent Mateja Kezman from getting to it first.
Niemi was left to perform a karate kick to clear the ball from the mouth of his goal.
Saints did finally go close on the half-hour when Lundekvam headed a corner just wide of the post.
But nine minutes later Saints' day took a further turn for the worse. Chelsea right-back Glen Johnson — back in the England Under-21 squad as well as Mourinho's plans — made a sensational run into the area passing, one, two and then a third Saint.
With a quick look up he pulled a square ball back to Gudjohnsen who, despite starting the game from midfield alongside Lampard, had made enough progress to blast it low to extend the lead.
If anyone expected Chelsea to wobble after the turbulence witnessed off the pitch, what with the war of words with Barcelona and UEFA, they now had the answer.
Chelsea's historic title charge was back in full swing and Southampton could do little to get in its way.
With Bayern Munich waiting on Wednesday, the first in Mourinho's two-match touchline ban, he was ready to give some of his key players a rest ahead of the Champions League quarter-final.
Didier Drogba started on the bench and even Joe Cole was replaced at the break after a strenuous week playing for his country.
Cole, who may have solved England's left midfield headache after starring against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan, found life hard on the right in support of Kezman.
Southampton needed a lot more than a substitution to get back into the game after an opening half of sub-standard football.
After back-to-back wins they had managed to drag themselves out of the bottom three.
But, despite Crystal Palace's 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough, they were heading back into trouble.
Manager Redknapp resorted to a double substitution to try and kick-start his side.
Graeme Le Saux and Henri Camara were replaced by Kevin Phillips and Anders Svensson.
And the effect was almost instantaneous.
Both had only been on the pitch a couple of minutes before Saints managed to put Chelsea on the back foot for the first time in the game.
Spurred
Svensson's cross from the left was headed back across goal by Crouch and only a stunning swipe of Petr Cech's glove prevented Phillips from nodding in.
The home side seemed to be spurred on when the crowd reacted to a high arm from Kezman into the face of Andreas Jakobsson. The Chelsea striker had only just been booked but escaped a red card.
And as the St Mary's faithful roared their side on from the corner awarded after Cech's heroics, Chelsea suddenly froze.
Paul Telfer whipped in a low cross from the short corner and every Chelsea player ball watched until it was turned in off Phillips' right boot.
It appeared to be a minor lapse of concentration but it had the effect of giving Southampton the belief that they could grab a draw.
What should have been a comfortable run in to the final whistle became a hard slog for the Blues.
But, as they have proved before, Chelsea can dig in and battle with the best of them when they have to.
And with seven minutes left sub Drogba helped secure the win with a top-drawer pass to Gudjohsen after Southampton were landed in trouble by a poor Lundekvam pass out from the area.
Nothing can stop Chelsea now. Not even UEFA.
Man of the match FRANK LAMPARD (Chelsea)
THE Blues midfielder again showed international class to dominate the middle of the park.
He grabbed the opener with a cracking 30-yard drive and kept the leaders on the front foot all afternoon. His driving force will surely see Chelsea to the title. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gudjohnsen's double drives Chelsea closer to the dreamSouthampton 1 - Chelsea 3By Nick Townsend at St Mary's03 April 2005
Jose Mourinho returned to public scrutiny here yesterday evening and, hands in his designer-suit pockets, watched his men's performance state as eloquently as any words could: the championship is ours.
As the sun set at the conclusion of a bizarre week, in which despite Uefa's apparent leniency over charges brought against him and his club following that Champions' League game at the Nou Camp in February, the Chelsea manager appeared determined to pursue his own agenda, Chelsea claimed another victory, with a brace from Eidur Gudjohnsen and another from Frank Lampard. As they did so, they were aware that they are three more victories away from the title - given a little earlier help from their friends in the north.
Saints had approached the match with a burgeoning belief of survival following two successive League victories; but they were faced by a Chelsea seeking confirmation of their champions status, with election becoming all the more inevitable following Manchester United's concession of two points at home to Blackburn in an earlier kick-off.
Despite the distraction of Wednesday night's forthcoming Champions' League game against Bayern Munich, Chelsea extended their away record to a remarkable 41 points from a possible 48, although here there was to be no addition to their record of lock-outs of the opposition attack. The Southampton substitute Kevin Phillips saw to that with his second-half goal that brought the scoreline back, temporarily, to 2-1. But Gudjohnsen sealed it with a late third.
Unbeaten in their last five matches in the League, and with Crystal Palace defeated at home earlier, there was a massive incentive for Saints to secure victory here and put daylight between themselves and those in the relegation positions.
It had taken a James Beattie goal to breach Chelsea's rearguard in the corresponding fixture at Stamford Bridge. The striker's move to the North-west has provided an inviting opportunity for Peter Crouch, who has responded with 12 goals since Harry Redknapp arrived as manager in December, with his latest five in the same number of matches.
This was a rare occasion when the Saints forward was meeting the opposition virtually eyeball to eyeball, with goalkeeper Petr Cech only an inch or two his inferior in the battle of the vertical supremacists.
Yet, the remainder of the Chelsea back division - reorganised because of Paulo Ferreira's absence with a broken bone in his foot with Robert Huth partnering the captain, John Terry, in central defence - hardly possess the same physique.
The belief was that Saints would attempt to capitalise on Crouch's height advantage with an sustained aerial assault. Yet, curiously, it was not until the latter stages of the first half, with Southampton already a goal adrift, that Saints attempted to profit from that factor.
By then Chelsea had established their rhythm and their dominance with a formation in which Mateja Kezman was given a starting role, while Didier Drogba, who is likely to play against Bayern, was restricted to the bench.
For 21 minutes Chelsea enticed Saints into their half, craftily probing on the break then, Andreas Jakobsson was adjudged to have fouled Kezman. The ensuing free-kick was struck with typical venom by Lampard, but probably would have been dealt with by Antti Niemi, had not the ball taken a mischievous deflection off the end of the wall.
Crouch looked to have burst clear on the half hour, but to the chagrin of all Southampton connections, the referee, Mark Halsey, brought play back because of an infringement against the visitors. "Have you bought the referee?" the frustrated locals chanted at the visiting team.
Later, a long throw by Rory Delap was headed narrowly wide by Claus Lundekvam. But that was the closest the hosts came to a first-half equaliser.
It was Niemi who was by far the busier and his agility was personified when he performed a save in the air, with his feet, to prevent a back-pass from Lundekvam, under pressure from Kezman, entering the net. From the resulting corner, the goalkeeper responded well to keep out Huth's low drive.
But he was powerless when, seven minutes before the interval, a splendid run by the full-back Johnson into the heart of the home defence, left four Southampton players in his wake, before pulling the ball back, allowed Eidur to slide the ball home.
After the break, Saints still retained a conviction that all was not lost. A Crouch header unnerved the Chelsea defence, and a header from the substitute Phillips was tipped over. But from the resulting short corner from Anders Svensson, and an interchange with Delap, Phillips was unmarked as he converted the chance.
Drogba was sent on for Kezman, and, he made a telling contribution at the end of an incisive Blues move, combining superbly with Gudjohnsen, culminating in a second for the Icelander.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Observer :
Gudjohnsen keeps Chelsea on course
Amy Lawrence at St Mary's Sunday April 3, 2005The Observer
You can take José Mourinho away from centre stage, but you cannot take centre stage away from José Mourinho. The notion that he might consider his Chelsea future at the end of the season was leaked in Portugal over the weekend, presumably with the man's approval as a gentle reminder to the powers-that-be at Stamford Bridge: don't mess with 'the special one'. It is hypothetical to imagine what another manager would have done with the scenario Mourinho walked into last summer. What we do know is that the Chelsea side he constructed need win only three more matches to be crowned Premiership Champions. All season, on the pitch at least, Chelsea's players have proved impervious to the turbulence emanating from the dug-out. After a week when more punitive measures were doled out by their good friends at Uefa, the men in blue simply carried on playing with the immense focus that is hurtling them towards the title. Their manager may be under the cosh and their squad weakened by injuries to Paulo Ferreira and Arjen Robben. But shaken? Stirred? Of course not. Mourinho sprang a selection surprise by starting the beefy German defender Robert Huth in place of the smaller but slicker Ricardo Carvalho. The logic was blindingly obvious and a compliment to Southampton's biggest goal threat, Peter Crouch. The other unexpected choice was to play Mateja Kezman as their own target striker.
After a slow, patient start, Chelsea eased into the lead after 22 minutes. When Claus Lundekvam was penalised for fouling Kezman, Frank Lampard confidently struck the free-kick even though it was 30 yards out. His effort deflected off the wall, wrongfooting Antti Niemi, and the ball sailed into the centre of the goal.
Chelsea could have doubled their lead 10 minutes later in risible circumstances. Lundekvam, under pressure from Nigel Quashie's slack pass, could only hook the ball towards the top corner of his own goal. Niemi's reaction was excellent, adjusting quickly enough to kick away with a sprawling leg.
Six minutes before the break, Chelsea got their second, and it was stylishly constructed by Glen Johnson. The right-back danced down the right flank into the box. In the process he bewildered four defenders, before prodding a perfect lay-off for Eidur Gudjohnsen. The Icelander clipped clinically home.
Southampton threatened only through a Lundekvam header that fizzed wide. Crouch, who comes from solid Chelsea stock and was once a ballboy at Stamford Bridge, did his utmost to inspire a second-half rally, and his looping header earned the applause of the home crowd, even if it was easy pickings for Petr Cech. The keeper had a far tougher examination once Kevin Phillips came on to lend Crouch brisk, bright support.
Cech was soon in action, clawing away from the substitute, but Phillips gave him little chance from the resulting corner, steering Southampton rousingly back into the game with 21 minutes to go.
It is not often we see the entire Chelsea team back in their own half, but such were the home efforts that the Premiership leaders temporarily lost their shape.
Balance was restored with Gudjohnsen's second goal. A move of pinged passes throughout the team ended with Didier Drogba flicking the ball to find Gudjohnsen's ghosting run. The finish was crisp, crafty and conclusive.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph ;
The end in sight for Chelsea By Patrick Barclay (Filed: 03/04/2005)
Southampton (0) 1 Chelsea (2) 3
Three more victories will do it for Chelsea. If they keep winning Premiership matches, the club will be celebrating their first title in half a century on April 23, after they have met Fulham at Stamford Bridge. In between they have two more home matches, against Birmingham and Arsenal, so it might be all over before Jose Mourinho's team make their next journey, which will be to Bolton at the end of the month.
At the double: Eidur Gudjohnsen celebrates Chelsea's second In truth, Chelsea's supporters have been pretty sure where the English game's top prize is going for some time. But this was a place where a lesser side might have stumbled; Southampton, revived under Harry Redknapp, had gone five league matches unbeaten. But Chelsea took control through goals from Frank Lampard and Eidur Gudjohnsen and only between the 69th and 83rd minutes, after the substitute Kevin Phillips had reduced the deficit, was there any doubt about the outcome. Gudjohnsen removed that with his second. And so to the Champions League quarter-final confrontation with Bayern Munich.
Both UEFA and Chelsea, incidentally, are to be commended on a satisfactory conclusion to the Anders Frisk affair. Satisfactory, that is, as long as we work on the assumption that Mourinho never repeats the offence of questioning a referee's integrity without sufficient reason - and reports from Portugal are not encouraging in this respect. Apparently Mourinho was furious with Chelsea, whose chairman, Bruce Buck, issued a dignified apology to Frisk in Nyon on Thursday, for declining to appeal against the his two-match suspension from the dugout and dressing room, which he will begin to serve when Bayern visit Stamford Bridge for Wednesday's first leg.
Mourinho will still be the centre of attention in the stands, which makes me wonder if the professional game should not take a leaf out of amateur football's rulebook and banish offenders from matches completely.
Banishing Mourinho from the limelight would, of course, be a different matter and here he took time off from playing mind-games with his own employers to reshape his team, Gudjohnsen taking a midfield role alongside Lampard in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
The pair all but ran the 21 minutes that elapsed before Lampard gave Chelsea the lead. Claude Makelele made sure Southampton got little through to the lanky Peter Crouch, with whom John Terry and Robert Huth coped comfortably, and meanwhile Chelsea posed a mounting threat in attack. Then Mateja Kezman, the spearhead of their attack, was fouled by Claus Lundekvam and Lampard's free-kick, sweetly struck but covered by Antti Niemi, veered off Rory Delap on the near end of the defensive wall, leaving the goalkeeper helpless.
The consequent raising of Southampton's tempo produced a couple of aerial opportunities from set-pieces, Crouch's header across goal from a free-kick by Jamie Redknapp finding no colleague and Lundekvam missing the target from close range after Delap had delivered one of his prodigious throws. Niemi had, however, remained the busier keeper.
Improvising wonderfully, he had used a flicked-out foot to divert an injudicious pass back from Lundekvam; it was a thrilling save. But soon Niemi was beaten again, Glen Johnson slicing through four defenders on a run towards the byline before judging his short cutback to perfection; Gudjohnsen peeled off and took one touch before scoring with a low shot on the half-turn.
The Icelander was given a new role on the right at half-time, when Tiago took over from Joe Cole, but Chelsea, if they imagined they could coast, were wrong. Phillips, who replaced Henri Camara, had an instant effect, his header from a Crouch nod-back making Petr Cech move smartly to turn it over, and from the corner, taken short, Paul Telfer's cross was diverted in by the striker.
All Chelsea required was to slip up a gear, which they did, a slick move culminating in Lampard and Didier Drogba (on for Kezman) working the ball to Gudjohnsen, who rolled it wide of Niemi.
This made Gudjohnsen the first Chelsea player to 10 goals in the Premiership, and put him above Drogba in all-competitions with 14.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Times :
Southampton 1 Chelsea 3: Chelsea ease to 13-point leadRob Hughes at St Mary's Stadium CHELSEA are simply strolling to the title. They assume now the aura that cows Premiership opponents and Southampton looked beaten from the start — outclassed on their home turf where they had not lost since Newcastle beat them on September 19. So Chelsea, now 13 points ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United with just seven games remaining, are the champions elect.
After the hot air of the past week, it was business as normal for Mourinho. And last night, seeking a record seven successive away victories in a single Premiership season, he was so laid back, so relaxed in the south coast sunshine that you looked for the deckchair.
Southampton, themselves unbeaten at St Mary’s for six months, were possibly lulled to believe that their safety was assured.The strangest of formations by Chelsea — operating with just Mateja Kezman as a pivotal centre-forward, with Eidur Gudjohnsen in a withdrawn role almost part of the midfield, and Joe Cole to the right and Damien Duff to the left, simply seemed to be playing a waiting game.
Their strategy appeared to be that they would take the pace out of the contest, that they would neutralise Southampton, and their quality would surely provide the decisive moment.
So it was, less a true footballing contest between one fighting for their Premiership existence and the other approaching the first English championship in 50 years of their history.
There was almost nothing to report until the opening goal. It arrived precisely halfway through the meandering first half; and if Mourinho will forgive the use of the word, the goal was an “adulteration”. It came from a free kick generously awarded to Kezman when to many the forward appeared to be backing into Andreas Jakobsson. Nevertheless referee Mark Halsey awarded the kick in favour of Chelsea and, five yards out to the right edge of the penalty area, Frank Lampard struck it.
It took a huge deflection off the end of the defensive wall off Rory Delap. Antti Niemi was already committed when the deflected ball looped slowly into his net on the other side.
If it is accepted as a Lampard goal, it is the 12th for his club. Soon the home crowd were seeing corruption or adulteration: “Have you bought the referee?” they chorused when the arbiter somehow decided that Nigel Quashie had unfairly impeded Claude Makelele on what would have been a rare Southampton break.
But, back to the other end, Niemi had to make two athletic saves in the 33rd minute. First, shocked by a back pass from Claus Lundekvam, the goalkeeper had no option but to bring up an acrobatic stop, using his left foot at shoulder height. And from the resulting corner, when the ball fell to Robert Huth, the German’s shot was hard and low, and the goalkeeper’s dive upon the ball was fantastic.
Nine minutes later Niemi was defenceless. Glen Johnson, displaying hypnotic technical control and movement for a full-back, glided through what looked like the entire Southampton rearguard and when Johnson turned and cut the ball back. Gudjohnsen had the time to control it with one touch and dispatch it low into the furthest corner of the net from eight yards with the other.
Some people have been presuming that Harry Redknapp is the Harry Houdini of the south coast, but from the first-half showing it was the backbone of his reshaped team that had disappeared.What could turn the mismatch into something resembling a contest? Redknapp found something up his sleeve; he called Kevin Phillips off the bench, and within five minutes the aging goalscorer proved that the art of popping up where nobody expects it is still in him. He rose like a salmon, clearly two feet off the ground, to produce a header that stretched Petr Cech for the first time in this lazy afternoon. The goalkeeper was equal to it, he flicked the ball over his crossbar.
Undaunted, after Southampton took a short corner on the right and Paul Telfer rolled the ball towards his feet, Phillips, from nine yards, scored with an instant, drilled, low shot. In the air, on the ground, a cut above his Southampton teammates.
Yet it was all an illusion. Seven minutes from time Gudjohnsen, receiving the ball from Didier Drogba simply helped himself to his second goal.
Gudjohnsen believes the Londoners will cope without Mourinho on the touchline in their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich. He also admitted Chelsea had not been at their best but, with the club needing three wins from seven games to win the title, he was happy with the result.
“There were a few tired legs after the internationals,” he said. “But it was a great result. We’re close.” Redknapp blamed defeat on the decision to penalise his side for a foul on Kezman by Jakobsson. “There was nothing in the game until a bad decison by the referee,” he said. “Kezman was backing in as he did all game. He had no intention of playing the ball, he just fell to the floor. It wasn’t a great strike and it took a wicked deflection.
“I thought the referee got a few key decisions wrong today. How many saves did our keeper have to make?”
STAR MAN: Eidur Gudjohnsen (Chelsea)
Player ratings. Southampton: Niemi 7, Delap 6, Lundekvam 6, Jakobsson 6, Bernard 6, Telfer 6, Redknapp 6, Quashie 7, Le Saux 5 (Svensson 62min, 5), Camara 5 (Phillips 62min, 6), Crouch 6
Chelsea: Cech 6, Johnson 8, Huth 7, Terry 7, Gallas 6, Makelele 7, Lampard 7, Cole 6 (Tiago 46min, 6) Gudjohnsen 8, Duff 6, Kezman 6 (Drogba 65min, 6)
Scorers: Southampton: Phillips 68
Chelsea: Lampard 22, Gudjohnsen 39, 83
Referee: M Halsey
Attendance: 31,949
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTW :
Eidur double puts Blues on brink
Another Gud day
From Matt Driscoll at St Mary's Stadium
CHELSEA took another emphatic step towards their first title in 50 years.
Two-goal Eidur Gudjohnsen put them on the way to victory — and a massive 13-point lead over Asenal and Manchester United.
These were apparently troubled times for Chelsea. A two-game Champions League touchline ban for their boss, a fine and even a behind-the-scenes row was hardly the best preparation for this evening clash.
But if Mourinho was unsettled by his latest spat with officialdom, that emotion certainly did not transfer to his team under the spring sunshine at St Mary's.
Within 22 minutes Chelsea had taken the lead and Mourinho's domestic dream was back on track, despite what many believed to have been a difficult couple of weeks in the camp.
Chelsea would have been buoyed by the fact that, once again, Manchester United dropped two points, giving them the chance to wrap up the title even earlier than expected.
Victory would leave Chelsea just three games away from making history — possibly even nearer if United's erratic form continues.
Playing a 4-1-4-1 formation, the Blues were faced with a Southampton side determined to add a point to their survival cause.
Threat
Harry Redknapp's side sat deep and were happy to try and find the 6ft 7in frame of Peter Crouch to try and hold the ball up on counter attacks.
But that plan failed as soon as the Saints gave away a free-kick.
It was a full 30 yards out, yet with England midfielder Frank Lampard placing the ball, the threat was always plain to see.
And when he thumped the ball, sending it hurtling towards goal, a deflection off the Southampton wall made sure keeper Antti Niemi was wrong-footed and beaten.
Southampton nearly made it even easier for the champions-elect when a dreadful back pass into his own box left defender Claus Lundekvam having to lunge out to prevent Mateja Kezman from getting to it first.
Niemi was left to perform a karate kick to clear the ball from the mouth of his goal.
Saints did finally go close on the half-hour when Lundekvam headed a corner just wide of the post.
But nine minutes later Saints' day took a further turn for the worse. Chelsea right-back Glen Johnson — back in the England Under-21 squad as well as Mourinho's plans — made a sensational run into the area passing, one, two and then a third Saint.
With a quick look up he pulled a square ball back to Gudjohnsen who, despite starting the game from midfield alongside Lampard, had made enough progress to blast it low to extend the lead.
If anyone expected Chelsea to wobble after the turbulence witnessed off the pitch, what with the war of words with Barcelona and UEFA, they now had the answer.
Chelsea's historic title charge was back in full swing and Southampton could do little to get in its way.
With Bayern Munich waiting on Wednesday, the first in Mourinho's two-match touchline ban, he was ready to give some of his key players a rest ahead of the Champions League quarter-final.
Didier Drogba started on the bench and even Joe Cole was replaced at the break after a strenuous week playing for his country.
Cole, who may have solved England's left midfield headache after starring against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan, found life hard on the right in support of Kezman.
Southampton needed a lot more than a substitution to get back into the game after an opening half of sub-standard football.
After back-to-back wins they had managed to drag themselves out of the bottom three.
But, despite Crystal Palace's 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough, they were heading back into trouble.
Manager Redknapp resorted to a double substitution to try and kick-start his side.
Graeme Le Saux and Henri Camara were replaced by Kevin Phillips and Anders Svensson.
And the effect was almost instantaneous.
Both had only been on the pitch a couple of minutes before Saints managed to put Chelsea on the back foot for the first time in the game.
Spurred
Svensson's cross from the left was headed back across goal by Crouch and only a stunning swipe of Petr Cech's glove prevented Phillips from nodding in.
The home side seemed to be spurred on when the crowd reacted to a high arm from Kezman into the face of Andreas Jakobsson. The Chelsea striker had only just been booked but escaped a red card.
And as the St Mary's faithful roared their side on from the corner awarded after Cech's heroics, Chelsea suddenly froze.
Paul Telfer whipped in a low cross from the short corner and every Chelsea player ball watched until it was turned in off Phillips' right boot.
It appeared to be a minor lapse of concentration but it had the effect of giving Southampton the belief that they could grab a draw.
What should have been a comfortable run in to the final whistle became a hard slog for the Blues.
But, as they have proved before, Chelsea can dig in and battle with the best of them when they have to.
And with seven minutes left sub Drogba helped secure the win with a top-drawer pass to Gudjohsen after Southampton were landed in trouble by a poor Lundekvam pass out from the area.
Nothing can stop Chelsea now. Not even UEFA.
Man of the match FRANK LAMPARD (Chelsea)
THE Blues midfielder again showed international class to dominate the middle of the park.
He grabbed the opener with a cracking 30-yard drive and kept the leaders on the front foot all afternoon. His driving force will surely see Chelsea to the title. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)