morning papers everton away

Guardian: Chelsea falter at last as Moyes shows muscle Richard Williams at Goodison Park Monday October 24, 2005 The Guardian In the old prizefighting adage you box a slugger and you slug a boxer. Recognising that Jose Mourinho's Chelsea are acknowledged masters of their noble art, David Moyes sent out Everton with instructions to ruffle the visitors' composure. His reward was a point, only his side's fourth of the season, after a furiously physical game from which Mourinho's side will count themselves lucky to have escaped with no more damage than the ending of their run of nine successive victories since the start of the season The contest between two intelligent young managers, situated at opposite ends of the Premiership, made for a compelling spectacle. Everton's muscularity set the tone of the first half, in which James Beattie's 36th-minute penalty gave them the lead. Chelsea's more cerebral approach dominated after the interval, with Frank Lampard's 25-yard drive providing the equaliser in the 50th minute. Mourinho felt his side merited a victory. "Maybe I look a bit stupid," he said, "but I go home thinking that we won three points. We scored two good goals. Normally when you conceded one goal and score two, you win." He was referring to Didier Drogba's emphatic strike after 62 minutes, disallowed by the linesman, who had spotted Eidur Gudjohnsen several yards offside inside the penalty area, clearly within the eyeline of Everton's goalkeeper. Mourinho may have been the only spectator in the ground who did not immediately assume that Gudjohnsen was interfering with play. "Even if the linesman has a doubt," he said, "he has to give the advantage to the attacking team. They also have instructions to wait until the last moment before putting up the flag. His went up like a rocket." Moyes endorsed the referee's decision and felt his own team could have been awarded a second penalty with eight minutes left, when Marcus Bent's right-wing cross rebounded from John Terry's superstructure. Whereas the referee, Mark Clattenburg, adjudged the ball to have hit the Chelsea captain's chest, Moyes thought it had struck Terry's arm. But this was, in any case, a good day for Moyes, generally regarded as the Premiership's brightest young manager until Mourinho's arrival a year ago. Modelling his approach on the cold-eyed passion of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Scot seemed destined for great things until Everton's disastrous start to this season took the bloom off his reputation. This resilient display was the reward for a positive approach, if not a particularly progressive one. Moyes had noted Chelsea's weakness against the high ball in the opening quarter of their Champions League match against Real Betis on Wednesday. For the visit of the league leaders he made four changes, notably bringing Beattie and Duncan Ferguson in to replace Bent and James McFadden up front. The return of Ferguson in particular provided a clear signal of Everton's intentions. Anticipating his opposite number's thoughts, Mourinho took advantage of a training-ground injury to Ricardo Carvalho to bring Robert Huth, the young German giant, into the centre of his defence. If any doubts existed about the nature of the contest, they were answered in a five-minute period midway through the opening half. First Terry took a bang on the nose from the back of Beattie's head. Then Shaun Wright-Phillips needed treatment for a clash of heads with Nuno Valente. Finally Beattie jumped into a challenge with Claude Makelele and caught the Frenchman on the back of the head with the sole of his boot. Although Chelsea were putting together a selection of silky moves in the pauses between the outbreaks of trench warfare, Everton seemed to be holding the initiative. After 35 minutes Wright-Phillips paid a high price for his lack of physical presence when he lost possession to Tim Cahill inside his own half and chased the Everton man back towards goal, ignoring the covering presence of Huth and comprehensively mistiming his tackle inside the area. This was the first time in two years that a penalty had been awarded in a league match at Goodison and Beattie, with only one league goal since his transfer in January, had no hesitation in marching to the spot. An apparently nerveless strike went in off the underside of the bar. Mourinho made no tactical changes at the interval but Chelsea came out in a more alert and aggressive frame of mind. The equaliser, nevertheless, came without warning. Asier Del Horno's throw-in from the left, of questionable legitimacy, looked to be directed towards Makelele but the proximity of Clattenburg seemed to confuse the issue and the ball ran to Lampard, who let it roll before unleashing a drive that dipped and swerved beyond Nigel Martyn's left hand. It was his 25th goal of the calendar year, for club and country, and on another day he might have had two or three more. "I thought Frank Lampard was stunning," Moyes said with the generosity of a man seeing dark clouds disperse. "Every time he picked up the ball I thought he was going to be a threat. But Chelsea have got so many good players that you can't plug all the gaps. They're the best team in Europe and I have to give my players a lot of credit for making a game of it today. If we can maintain that level of performance, hopefully we'll be back." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Independent: Mourinho rages at referee as Chelsea juggernaut is halted Everton 1 Chelsea 1 By Sam Wallace Published: 24 October 2005 They have not yet been stopped but after nine games of Premiership domination, of crushing victories and swashbuckling comebacks, the daunting progress of Jose Mourinho's Chelsea juggernaut has at last been slowed. Their nine-game run of victories this season came to an end at Goodison Park yesterday but it was not declared over without an outspoken protest from Mourinho over a winning goal denied to Didier Drogba. The Chelsea manager had watched his side recover from a one-goal deficit dealt them by James Beattie's 36th-minute penalty and, after a second-half equaliser from Frank Lampard, saw a goal by his Ivory Coast striker just after the hour ruled out by referee Mark Clattenberg for offside. It provoked outrage from Mourinho, who even suggested the official should take the example of referee Rob Styles, who apologised to Chelsea for not awarding a penalty against Aston Villa last season. The move in question had been orchestrated by Lampard, who nudged a ball through the Everton line from outside the penalty area. Waiting was Drogba, who struck his shot out of the reach of Nigel Martyn. While television replays revealed the striker to be on-side his team-mate Eidur Gudjohnsen clearly was not, although whether his presence was judged to be interfering with the passage of play was left to Clattenberg's interpretation. "I am going home thinking we won three points," Mourinho said. "We scored two great goals, one was a fantastic shot, the other was a magnificent move through the middle. The second was a clear goal - if the linesman has doubts he has to give the advantage to the attacking team. There were no doubts for me - at the time and on the pitch it was a big mistake." He may hope for an apology, but Mourinho will not be able to rescue a start to the season of nine wins and a draw, which means that the record set by Bill Nicholson's Tottenham in 1961 of 11 straight victories halted there after 34 matches, Liverpool's 1987-88 run of 29 games went the same way and three years ago Wayne Rooney's goal ended an Arsenal run of 30 games. It will be little consolation for Mourinho who, unusually for the Chelsea manager, saw his team more than a little bullied by the side at the bottom of the Premiership for much of the first half. Duncan Ferguson and the impressive James Beattie proved difficult for Mourinho's defence to marshal and, although John Terry and Robert Huth matched those two strikers challenge by challenge, there was a fresh uncertainty to Chelsea's distribution. They were not permitted to build their attacks in the normal methodical fashion, there was pressure applied to Claude Makelele and the usual tempo of Chelsea's advance was disrupted. Shaun Wright-Phillips and Asier del Horno were presented with meaningful chances by Frank Lampard but failed to take them and the penalty that Chelsea conceded before the interval saw them in an uncharacteristic state of confusion. It was Wright-Phillips, caught in possession by Tim Cahill, who chased back without discipline and clipped the Australian midfielder's legs just as he crossed into the penalty area. Until then, Everton had not threatened Petr Cech's goal other than a David Weir header that the goalkeeper punched clear. With the memory of his disastrous sending-off after just eight minutes into this fixture last season, Beattie placed a confident penalty-kick high into the net For at least 30 minutes yesterday the Everton striker will have contemplated what his penalty would have meant for the Premiership had Everton been able to defend their lead and they reached the interval with it still intact. Half-time, however, has of late been the point at which Mourinho has transformed his side and, although this time there were no substitutions, it was a very different Chelsea side that emerged from the tunnel to take control of the match. Perhaps Cahill's injury, picked up in a clash with his own team-mate Tony Hibbert, was the key to the shift in power in the midfield but there could be no denying the enormous influence that Lampard wielded in the second half. This match had quickly become his show and in the fifth minute of the second half he allowed a throw-in from the left to run across his body before striking his ninth club goal of the season inside Nigel Martyn's left post. It became a simple matter of keeping Chelsea out in the closing stages as Mourinho switched to a 4-4-2 formation with Hernan Crespo and the influential Gudjohnsen up front and sent on Arjen Robben to test out the right side of Everton's defence. When Mourinho had finished protesting against Drogba's disallowed goal in the 63rd minute, he paid tribute to his side, who had "dominated the second half and had not stopped running until the last second." Moyes could not celebrate any change in his side's status as the Premiership's bottom team but in response to Mourinho's protests over Drogba's disallowed goal did offer one of his own. Substitute Marcus Bent's late shot appeared to strike John Terry on the arm, although all appeals were waved away. Goodison Park roared in disapproval but after the start to the season they have endured they treated this draw like a victory. Goals: Beattie (pen, 37) 1-0; Lampard (50) 1-1. Everton (4-4-2): Martyn; Hibbert, Yobo, Weir, Valente (Ferrari, 45); Kilbane, Cahill (Davies, 70), Neville, Arteta; Ferguson (Bent, 7, Beattie. Substitutes not used: Wright (gk), McFadden. Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Gallas, Huth, Terry, Del Horno; Makelele; Wright-Phillips (Gudjohnsen, 5, Lampard, Essien, Cole (Robben, 66); Drogba (Crespo 71). Substitutes not used: Ferreira, Cudicini (gk). Booked: Everton: Arteta, Ferrari. Chelsea: Drogba, Huth. Referee: M Clattenberg (Tyne and Wear). Man of the match: Beattie. Attendance: 36,042. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sun: Everton 1 Chelsea 1 CHELSEA dropped their first points of the season as Everton began their survival push. Blues boss Jose Mourinho had warned that the Toffees would be no pushover at Goodison Park, claiming David Moyes' men will finish in mid-table. And he was proved right as the Premiership's bottom side threatened a massive shock. James Beattie sent the Goodison crowd wild with a first-half penalty after Tim Cahill was brought down by Shaun Wright-Phillips. But that sparked the inevitable Chelsea onslaught which saw them secure a point thanks to yet another Frank Lampard howitzer. The reigning champions went all out for the win but were frustrated time and again by Everton's dogged resistance. Everton make a habit of breaking runs. In 1969 they ended Leeds’ 34-match record, in 1988 Liverpool’s 29-game spell was ruined and in 2002 Arsenal’s 30-match effort was ended. Now Chelsea’s nine-match winning streak has gone the same way. And had John Terry been penalised for handball late in the game when he charged down a Marcus Bent drive, Evertonians could have been celebrating a hugely unlikely victory. Mourinho came prepared for an Goodison Park aerial bombardment, with big defender Robert Huth in for his first start of the season alongside skipper Terry. Everton had record signing Beattie in their side for the first time since the opening day of the season, the £6million man having shaken off toe and leg muscle injuries. The hosts also welcomed back Tony Hibbert to defence and Mikel Arteta in midfield after injuries, with Simon Davies, James McFadden, Bent and Matteo Ferrari all dropped to the bench. A blistering start to the game saw Everton go close when Arteta’s corner found David Weir unmarked 10 yards out and his header was palmed away by Petr Cech. Arteta and Hibbert then both fired in dangerous crosses which just failed to get a decisive touch. Wright-Phillips and Lampard both saw efforts flash wide, but Everton were still trying to go forward and when Cahill got past the former Manchester City star down the left, the tackle that followed from the little winger had the stadium in uproar. Wright-Phillips did not need to lunge in, there was plenty of cover around him, but his tackle caught Cahill inches inside the box and referee Mark Clattenburg pointed straight at the spot. Beattie rifled the spot-kick in off the underside of the bar - only the fourth goal Chelsea have conceded in the league this season. Everton lost Nuno Valente just before the break with an ankle knock while Cahill was also forced off with an injury. The home fans knew precisely what Chelsea are capable of after their destruction of Bolton last week when they were behind at the break. And they were right to be wary because five minutes into the second half Lampard lashed in a 25-yard shot for the equaliser, the ball dipping past Martyn’s left hand. Drogba found the net moments later but it was ruled out as Eidur Gudjohnsen was offside. Arjen Robben and Hernan Crespo were thrown on as the Stamford Bridge side went for the throat. Simon Davies launched a 25-yard effort that Cech dropped. While Marcus Bent was denied a penalty when Terry threw himself at a shot in the box which referee Clattenburg adjudged to have hit the England man’s chest. TV replays clearly showed it was the top of Terry's arm. Martyn then saved from Lampard and Michael Essien as Chelsea's march towards the title was temporarily halted. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Telegraph: Everton defy the might of Chelsea to kickstart season By Henry Winter Everton (1) 1 Chelsea (0) 1 The billionaire's club were embarrassed by the fired-up blue-collar workers of the people's club as a welcome bout of democracy broke out in the Premiership yesterday. In front of a jubilant Goodison Park audience, the winning spree of Roman Abramovich's Chelsea foundered on the industry of Everton and particularly James Beattie, who gave a performance rich in running, tackling, competing and scoring. Hailed by Jose Mourinho as "a team of fighters", Everton were terrific here, as strong and up-tempo as they had been anaemic so far this term. Only the brilliance of Frank Lampard, who ran Beattie close as man of this entertaining match, could deny Everton, his equaliser another long-range classic. His sixth goal in October for club and country, Lampard's strike was his 25th of a prolific 2005. "Lampard was stunning at times," said Everton manager David Moyes, "not just with the goal, but with all his work." His watching father, Frank senior, who travels all over, certainly gets value for his petrol money. But it will be the bottom club smiling most. In preventing Chelsea moving closer to Tottenham Hotspur's record 11-game winning start to a season (1960-61), Everton were not reliant solely on Beattie. Duncan Ferguson was a towering presence in attack, conducting an aerial engagement with Robert Huth that could have been overseen by air-traffic control at John Lennon International. Mikel Arteta and Tim Cahill brought guile to midfield where Phil Neville was his usual busy and spiky self. Behind him, Joseph Yobo was outstanding at centre-half. But it was Beattie who earned most of the praise, not simply for a cool penalty but for tracking back to close Asier del Horno down in the dying, nervy seconds. "This is a massive point," said Beattie. "We are bottom of the league, but we showed what we are made of. The manager says the season starts here, hopefully we can climb the table, which we should do with the talent in the dressing-room." Moyes was understandably delighted. "He showed everyone what we hoped James Beattie would be," said Moyes. "With a work-rate like that, he will never be questioned. We had to work hard against the best team in Europe. That will give us a lot of confidence. The players have raised the bar. There is now a standard that they have to play to week in, week out." Everton's captain, David Weir, must have shouted heads when the toss was made. Running on adrenalin, raining high balls on to Chelsea's defence, Everton really rattled the champions, particularly in a first half that had Goodison on its feet in appreciation of the sweat-soaked effort of Moyes' men. Lampard and Shaun Wright-Phillips went close but, with the clock showing eight minutes from the break, Everton went for the jugular. Wright-Phillips endured a hapless and hugely expensive minute, first losing possession to Tim Cahill and then bringing him down as the Australian nipped into the box. Gwladys Street screamed for a penalty. Here was Beattie's redemption moment, a chance to banish all the criticism and months of frustration as he toiled in the gym after injury. "I didn't feel any pressure on the penalty," said Beattie. "Their players were trying to say things to me but I just went off and got ready." He turned, ran in and drilled the ball high into the net. Champions by name, champions by nature, Chelsea refused to be cowed, and hit back after the customary inspirational half-time talk from Mourinho. Within five minutes they were level. If the goal's origin was strange, the finish was sensational. Del Horno's throw-in technique has aroused questions over its legitimacy before, partly because he lowers his head and delivers a fast and flat throw. The ball raced through to Lampard, who sent it flying through the air past Nigel Martyn from 30 yards. The very model of the modern all-round midfielder, Lampard junior then almost created the winner, when his through ball was turned in brilliantly by Didier Drogba. The linesman, Chris Sarginson, signalled an offside against Eidur Gudjohnsen, a seemingly correct decision that angered Mourinho. "Officials are told to wait but his flag was up immediately, like a rocket," said the Portuguese. "Nobody was offside. It was a clear goal. The referee won't be happy when he sees that big mistake. We leave here with a bad taste in our mouths." Moyes' evidence could be deemed tainted by partiality but he did have reason on his side. "Gudjohnsen is in a position where he would affect play," said the Everton manager. "He's right in the middle of goal. That constitutes being in an offside position. Anyway I thought we could have had a penalty when John Terry leaned into the ball." There appeared contact, but the linesman deemed it more chest than arm by Terry. Mourinho ignored this appeal but still brought up mention of Arsenal's spot-kick shenanigans from the previous day. "Arsenal have so many penalties through the season, they have to do tricks," said Mourinho, whose prediction that Chelsea should have retained title by Christmas does not appear complete fantasy. Maybe Boxing Day. And Everton will still be fighting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Times: Chelsea come up short of perfection By Oliver Kay Everton 1 Chelsea 1 GROWN MEN EMBRACED in the Gwladys Street End, unable to contain their delight at the rebirth of a proud club fallen on hard times, while the white-shirted figures on the pitch exchanged doleful looks. It was only as the dust settled and the euphoria died down that the realisation sunk in that nothing, or at least very little, had changed. Everton were still bottom of the Barclays Premiership and Chelsea still nine points clear at the top. Such an assessment is harsh on Everton, who could claim to have won back a little self-belief as well as a valuable point yesterday, but a little perspective is needed when it comes to analysing Chelsea’s first dropped points of the season. If it could be described as a stumble or a slip-up, it seemed no more consequential than the type that might be inflicted by a loose paving stone on the high street. What is important is that, after falling behind to James Beattie’ s 37th-minute penalty, José Mourinho’s team recovered, regained their composure and proceeded to strut their stuff as impressively as ever. In desperation, the rest of the Premiership might seize upon this as evidence that Chelsea are beatable, but, if that were the case, would they not have been beaten? This had all the ingredients for an upset — and Sir Alex Ferguson was heard whispering on Friday that this might finally be the weekend when they slipped up — but Chelsea, through their quality, discipline and sheer bloody-mindedness, did not allow it to happen. They equalised through Frank Lampard five minutes into the second half and would have claimed a tenth consecutive league win had the linesman not ruled a seemingly legitimate goal by Didier Drogba offside. “It’s normal to drop points,” Mourinho said once he had dropped his faintly amusing claim that his team, by virtue of Drogba’s “goal”, had won the game 2-1. “We should have dropped points in the first game against Wigan. Dropping points is part of the game. Only this weekend Manchester United drop points at home, Liverpool drop three points away from home and Arsenal, well, they didn’t drop points, but . . . ,” he said, drifting off as if to suggest that he no longer takes the 2004 champions seriously. Goodison Park has been a graveyard for lengthy unbeaten runs down the years. It was here, in front one of the country’s most passionate crowds, that some of the greatest teams in English football history were brought to their knees, however temporarily — the all-conquering Leeds United side of 1968-69, the wonderful Liverpool team of 1987-88 and most recently an Arsenal team who had looked imperious as they started their defence of the title in 2002 — but Chelsea had no intention of adding their name to the list of scalps. Only once did Chelsea lose concentration against awkward and highly motivated opponents, but that was once too often for Mourinho’s liking. Shaun Wright-Phillips dithered and was beaten to a loose ball by Nuno Valente and, although the winger briefly regained possession, he only compounded his initial error as he lost the ball and hacked down Tim Cahill just inside the penalty area. Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spot and Beattie did the rest, crashing the ball in off the crossbar with rare confidence for a player who had scored just one Premiership goal in nine months since joining the club. It was only Everton’s second goal of the Premiership campaign and their first in 628 minutes of football. The relief that it brought around Goodison Park was almost palpable, perhaps not least on the touchline. Taking players on outward-bound courses often seems to be the last refuge of a desperate manager, but David Moyes had evidence here that his team-bonding break in the Lake District was working. Portrayed in one newspaper on Saturday as being up a particularly notorious creek without a paddle, Everton seemed reinvigorated, their sheer vigour unsettling their well-heeled opponents. There were signs that using two target men, Beattie and Duncan Ferguson, unsettled the visiting defence, but, with Chelsea, these things tend to be relative. Mourinho, always one step ahead, used Robert Huth at centre half and the German, matching Ferguson inch for inch, perhaps just about shaded the aerial contest. “There was a problem with (Ricardo) Carvalho and I knew this was the kind of game it would be,” the Chelsea manager said. “It was better to play Huth against Ferguson and Beattie.” Other individuals contests all over the pitch were just as keenly fought. Phil Neville and Cahill enjoyed their tussle with Michael Essien and Lampard in the heart of the action, while Mikel Arteta and Asier Del Horno, two proud sons of Spain’s Basque Country, exchanged tackles and blows on the fringes. The only area where there was a visible lack of fight was in Chelsea’s front-line, where Wright-Phillips was disappointing and Joe Cole frustrated while Drogba, however well-marshalled by Joseph Yobo and David Weir, at times seemed to lack the heart for the battle. Drogba, in fact, was starting to look like a liability early in the second half, picking up a yellow card for crashing into Tony Hibbert and Arteta in quick succession, when Chelsea forced their way back into the game. Claude Makelele was obstructed by the referee as he went to control Del Horno’s throw-in, but the ball ran loose to Lampard, who took aim in familiar fashion from 25 yards and sent a fierce shot swerving past Nigel Martyn into the bottom corner, his ninth goal from midfield in a season that is barely two months old. Not bad for a player who, to quote Sven-Göran Eriksson, is a slow starter. By that stage, Everton, inevitably, had begun to tire. They had a reasonable penalty appeal in the closing stages when a Marcus Bent shot struck John Terry’s upper arm, but that was an isolated attack, with Chelsea, driven forward by Lampard and given fresh impetus by the perceptive forward play of Eidur Gudjohnsen, the only team who were threatening to win the game. In the end, Everton hung on — and deservedly so, in view of their endeavour — but they will need much more of the same if they are to fight their way out of trouble. As for Chelsea, normal service is likely to be resumed at home to Blackburn Rovers next Saturday. Human after all? Well, yes, but for the rest of the Premiership, not nearly human enough.

morning papers betis home

The Guardian : Rampant Chelsea in full command Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge Thursday October 20, 2005 There are many ways of approaching a match at Stamford Bridge but all of them lead to defeat. Those who counsel a daredevil attitude towards clashes with Chelsea should keep such advice to themselves for a while. Real Betis tried it and were ultimately destroyed as Jose Mourinho's team gave a perfectly paced display to go top of Group G. Rivals dare not let their minds dwell on the horrible thought that Chelsea had merely been ticking over during the flawless start to the Premiership and a measured opening in European competition. The meter is now rattling to keep pace with the scoring and there have been 13 goals in Chelsea's last three fixtures. This game did have its peculiarities, with Betis's ambition squelched by a horrible mistake from their goalkeeper Antonio Doblas on the edge of the interval to put them 2-0 down, but the coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer was not brazen enough to curse his luck. He had witnessed the might, in particular, of a midfield whose impact will make bodies shudder and minds waver. The tackling from Michael Essien in particular was excruciatingly comprehensive and he would switch from aggression to finesse in an instant once the ball was in his custody. Didier Drogba continues to be more erratic but his overall contribution is profound and he will be uncontainable if the service to him stays at this level. With the 4-0 lead men such as Drogba had helped to construct, Chelsea were relaxed enough to give the youngster Lassana Diarra his debut as a substitute. Even beforehand, though, Mourinho had been confident enough to act on a whim. Carlo Cudicini between the posts? Surely the impeccable manager had not got this match confused with a League Cup-tie. Mourinho does like to give the Italian the occasional outing in place of Petr Cech and, this time, Cudicini could be sure of Mourinho's absolute faith in him. This, despite the outcome, could never have been a night to dawdle in his goalmouth. Betis have a vigorous impulse to attack. In the fourth minute a Joaquín free-kick flew wide after a deflection off Frank Lampard and, from the corner, Claude Makelele needed to kick away Juanito's header at the far post as a vexed Mourinho noted a weakness at set pieces. Betis flowed in open play as well, with a slick touch from the Brazilian forward Ricardo Oliveira enough to strand Ricardo Carvalho in the 17th minute so he could drill a drive that Cudicini held. Chelsea, admittedly with more concern than usual, had none the less protected themselves. They had even kept calm enough to spot opportunities of their own. Shaun Wright-Phillips had taken a pass from Joe Cole in the second minute to move away from Oscar López and rip a drive wide from the wing. Cole, again from the right, would strike a low shot that, like a premonition of goalkeeping frailty to come, cannoned back off Doblas. Having coped with the Betis flurry, Chelsea scored economically after Fernando Varela had fecklessly lost possession. Essien was predatory, striding on and releasing Drogba to slip home a finish. The Ivorian was to be stopped only by the David Rivas foul that ended his night. Three minutes before half-time, Betis's plight became irrecoverable. Lampard meant to test the goalkeeper with his inswinging free-kick from the left but must have been astounded by the way Doblas flunked the exam, dropping the ball so that Carvalho, virtually standing on the line, could be certain of only the second goal of his Chelsea career. Team-mates commiserated with the goalkeeper, surely realising they were sharing the sorrow of an inevitable defeat. After 59 minutes, Chelsea were under-standably and attractively relaxed as they scored a third. Makelele seized the ball and passed through the middle for Drogba's replacement Hernán Crespo. He laid it off to Essien, who set up Cole to plant a painstaking finish into the net. Five minutes later, Lampard switched play to the right and Wright-Phillips, crossing a bouncing ball perfectly on the run, invited Crespo to finish with a strong header. Chelsea's performance had progressed from durable to irresistible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Independent: Chelsea 4 Real Betis 0 Chelsea warn Europe as Crespo crowns night of creative artistry By Sam Wallace Published: 20 October 2005 The scale of Real Betis's destruction could hardly have been grander, their dismissal more brutal, and yet for Jose Mourinho it appears that this kind of display is simply to be expected. Hernan Crespo's fourth goal last night brought an ecstatic Stamford Bridge to its feet once again to salute their team - down on the touchline, the Chelsea manager scarcely bothered to look up from his notes. Mourinho could be excused for saying that he had seen it all before, and with 13 goals in Chelsea's last three matches there was a distinctive sense of déjà vu about another performance of astonishing control and conviction by the Premiership champions. Driven on by the peerless Michael Essien in midfield, they had secured the victory by half-time and are now joint top of Group G with Liverpool on seven points. The fate awaiting the bottom side in the Premiership, Everton, at Goodison Park on Sunday hardly bears contemplation. Mourinho was asked whether there was a flaw in this performance, but his protestation that his side had appeared uncertain around set pieces in the early stages was the only criticism he could raise. Chelsea took the lead through Didier Drogba on 24 minutes and from that point their Spanish opposition simply crumbled under the onslaught of a side that never hesitates when presented with a wounded opponent. The debate about Chelsea's utilitarian approach to winning football matches, the lack of colour in their early season victories, now feels just about as redundant as the Betis defence looked last night. After the 4-1 defeat of Liverpool, the 5-1 crushing of Bolton Wanderers and this victory, Mourinho said that he could not guarantee that there would not be another period when his side did not score many goals. "But I think everyone knows now that we want to score goals," he added. "Sometimes it is not possible. We don't need to send a message to anyone, we just want to achieve our targets." Last night it looked remarkably easy. Essien was a formidable contender in the centre of midfield, alongside him Joe Cole delivered a performance of the highest quality and in goal Mourinho even gave a rare game to Carlo Cudicini. It was a source of some discussion before the match that Cudicini's father Fabio had decided against a trip to London to watch his son in favour of attending Milan against PSV Eindhoven. Cudicini Snr was right - apart from the early stages his son was barely troubled. Betis picked up where Bolton had left off on Saturday, trying - albeit unsuccessfully - to break their hosts down from a series of set pieces and corners. Claude Makelele cleared off the line while Ricardo Oliveira lunged a moment too late at a cross from the left from Joaquin. A delicate pass to Edu on 20 minutes eluded three Chelsea defenders but he could not twist in time to connect for a shot. At that point, Drogba's touch had looked at its unpredictable worst: his connection with Shaun Wright-Phillips' 18th-minute cross was so poor that the ball looped away from goal. The striker's second opportunity, however, was taken with some enthusiasm. A loose ball in the Betis midfield turned up at the feet of Essien and after two strides he released a ball through the back four that Drogba stroked past the Betis goalkeeper Antonio Doblas for Chelsea's first. To concede one goal at Stamford Bridge is to live dangerously, to concede a second is to all but give up hope and Chelsea's second, just a minute before the interval, was a goal that will live with Doblas for the rest of his career. Frank Lampard's free-kick from the left was fumbled horribly by the goalkeeper and gave Ricardo Carvalho the simplest chance to poke in Chelsea's second. As Bolton also discovered to their detriment on Saturday, Mourinho's Chelsea are just as daunting after half-time. The third goal his team scored did at least have Mourinho out of his seat. Makelele's pass into substitute Crespo was laid off to Essien and he fed Cole on the left who gathered the ball into his stride on the edge of the area before weighting a curling shot inside Doblas' left post. Liberated from any concerns of a Betis revival, Chelsea added a fourth on 64 minutes. Lampard found Wright-Phillips on the right and he hooked back a cross that Crespo headed in from close range. Mourinho looked up briefly but not even another rout could distract him from explaining his orders to substitute Eidur Gudjohnsen. It was Gudjohnsen who almost added a fifth on 77 minutes, but his shot was stopped first by Doblas and then, when the rebound bounced back to him, the post. In the meantime Mourinho felt comfortable enough to send on Lassana Diarra, 20, a £2m signing from Le Havre, for his debut. Even in the final minutes, Essien was still driving through the Betis midfield signalling what the rest of Europe must fear most about Chelsea: that they are still yet to reach their very best. Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cudicini; Gallas, Carvalho, Terry, Del Horno; Makelele (Diarra, 76); Wright-Phillips (Gudjohnsen, 67), Essien, Lampard, Cole; Drogba (Crespo, h-t). Substitutes not used: Cech (gk), Geremi, Ferreira, Huth. Real Betis (4-4-2): Doblas; Lopez Xisco, (h-t), Juanito, Rivas, Melli; Varela, Rivera, Miguel Angel (Assuncao, 55), Edu; Joaquin, Oliveira. Substitutes not used: Contreras (gk), Dani, Arzu, Capi, Nano. Referee: T Hauge (Norway). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sun: Chelsea 4 Real Betis 0 By SUN ONLINE REPORTER CHELSEA'S passage into the knockout phase of the Champions League now looks assured after a magnificent victory over Real Betis. Jose Mourinho had pinpointed two wins against the Spaniards as pivotal to their progress in the competition and the first half of the job was carried out with ease. Early on the Spaniards looked lively, full of invention and goalscoring intent. But it wasn’t long though before the Chelsea machine began to crank itself into gear. Shaun Wright-Phillips evaded his marker and delivered a measured cross into the six-yard box where Didier Drogba was inches away from applying the finishing touch. The Ivory coast hitman soon made amends - making Betis pay dearly for giving the ball away cheaply in midfield. Fernando Varela presented the ball to Michael Essien in the centre circle. The Ghanaian international supplied the perfect pass into the penalty area for Drogba to thread the ball under the body of the advancing Doblas in the 24th minute. A minute before the interval and Real’s hopes evaporated completely thanks to another present - this time courtesy of ’keeper Doblas. He kindly dropped Frank Lampard’s free-kick at the feet of Ricardo Carvalho on his own goal line and the Portuguese defender smashed the ball home. Not even the loss of Drogba at half-time could upset Chelsea’s evening. He felt the full force of a David Rivas tackle just before the break and was replaced at half-time by Hernan Crespo. In the 59th minute, Chelsea put the game beyond the reach of their opponents. The prime mover was the impressive Essien who delivered the perfect ball into the path of England midfielder Cole. The youngster despatched a right-foot shot into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of penalty area. But the best was yet to come. It arrived five minutes later courtesy of a stunning three man move. Lampard’s 30-yard pass over the top of Melli’s head was met by Wright-Phillips who half-volleyed the ball into the six-yard box for Crespo to head home from point blank range. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Telegraph: Essien engineers a scintillating show by Chelsea By Henry Winter Chelsea (2) 4 Real Betis (0) 0 Driven on by the heavyweight talent that is Michael Essien, Chelsea were so strong at Stamford Bridge last night that they could have turned back the Thames, let alone disappointing visitors from Seville. Betis played the weakening bull to Essien's vibrant matador. The Ghanaian midfielder, who had displayed a beastly streak with that nasty weekend challenge on Bolton Wanderers' Tal Ben Haim, gave a master class in the real midfield arts here, putting the Spaniards to the sword. He created Didier Drogba's first, and then watched admiringly as Ricardo Carvalho nudged home Chelsea's second. Inspired by Essien, Jose Mourinho's side refused to slacken their pace and their all-action No 5 soon set up Joe Cole before Hernan Crespo applied the final touch with the fourth. The Group G points safely under lock and key, Mourinho gave a debut to the man bought as Claude Makelele's long-term deputy, Lassana Diarra, a summer recruit from Le Havre. Such was Chelsea's control, Mourinho could have brought on the Chelsea Pensioners without risk of losing a goal. Irresistible in possession, brimming with counter-attacking verve, Mourinho's big blue machine seized control of the game with two first-half goals, both courtesy of unforgiveable Betis mistakes. Chelsea are such voracious workers, such brutal exploiters of flaws that the Spaniards' lack of concentration at critical moments bordered on the suicidal. The blunders of Seville began after 24 minutes when Fernando Varela, a right-sided midfielder, transferred the ball across the halfway line without checking to see if a blue shirt was lying in wait. Essien, strong of eye as well as body, saw the wayward pass quicker than anyone, and was on it like a flash. Ignoring the pause option, Essien pressed the fast-forward button, driving through the middle, green-and-white shirts melting away. Aware of Shaun Wright-Phillips' scampering run down the right, Essien used the Englishman as a decoy and instead slid the ball towards Drogba, Ghana meeting Ivory Coast. The Shed held their breath. Some fans probably prepared to take evasive action. Drogba can be as much miss as hit, yet he never stops showing for the ball, never stops trying his luck. Eight minutes earlier, the muscular front-man had missed a chance so close in it was almost across the line. Yet no nerves ate away at Drogba as he confidently controlled Essien's pass and then shot calmly past the advancing Antonio Doblas. Drogba's celebrations were typically unrestrained, albeit too close to Betis' support. It reflected well on his popularity that he was immediately surrounded by delighted team-mates. Having kept faith with Drogba during a barren phase, Mourinho is being handsomely repaid, although the striker was soon shaken by a spite-filled challenge from David Rivas on his left ankle and failed to reappear after the break. Such are Chelsea resources that Crespo immediately sped on to lead the line with gusto. By then, Chelsea were two goals to the good. Again, mistakes cost Betis dear. First Melli fouled the lively Joe Cole deep in Betis territory. Frank Lampard, hitherto quiet by his high standards, injected venom into a free-kick which stung Doblas' hands. As the keeper fell back over the line, he dropped the ball and there was Carvalho, a centre-half showing the predatory instincts and positioning of a seasoned centre-forward, knocking the ball home. The Spanish were shocked by these bolts from the blue, embarrassed by their frailty. Just before the hour mark, Miguel Angel was borne away on a stretcher after failing to stop the charging bull that was Essien. Moments later, Essien came calling again, seizing on Crespo's clever lay-off, muscling his way down the inside-right corridor before guiding the ball expertly to his left and to the receptive feet of Cole. He shimmied one way, then the other, wrong-footing Betis' defence and opening up a window of opportunity. Cole's right foot then came down into the ball, sending it on an unstoppable 25-yard journey into the visitors' net. Brilliant. There was more, sensationally so. Lampard transferred the ball superbly out wide to Wright-Phillips, whose response was marvellous. Making good ground, the England flier then drove in a perfect cross, the ball rising so invitingly for Crespo that it could have been embossed. The Argentine made no mistake with a simple headed finish. Betis were stunned, their night of despair by the Thames compounded when Joaquin was unfairly cautioned for diving after being caught by Asier del Horno's challenge. He should have earned a trip to the penalty-spot; instead Joaquin made his way only into the referee's book. Betis departed humiliated. "Adios, adios, adios," followed them out of the Bridge. Match details Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cudicini; Gallas, Carvalho, Terry, Del Horno; Makelele (Diarra, 75); Essien, Lampard; Wright-Phillips (Gudjohnsen, 66), J Cole; Drogba (Crespo h-t). Subs: Cech (g), Geremi, Ferreira, Huth. Booked: Wright-Phillips, Gallas. Real Betis (4-2-3-1): Doblas; Melli, Juanito, Rivas, Oscar Lopez (Xisco, h-t); Rivera, Miguel Angel (Assuncao, 55); Varela, Joaquin, Edu; Oliveira. Subs: Contreras (g), Dani, Arzu, Capi, Nano. Booked: Rivas, Varela, Joaquin, Xisco, Rivera. Referee: T Hauge (Norway). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Times: Mourinho's marauders turn on the style to sink Spaniards By Matt Dickinson, Chief Football Correspondent Chelsea 4 Real Betis 0 IT WAS direct, as it tends to be with Chelsea, but it was as beautiful as any goal that will be scored this season. It was also the thirteenth strike in three matches for a team that may still be answering the style critics after three European Cups, six domestic championships and 100 goals a season. Chelsea’s remorseless power-play will never be to everyone’s taste, but if it is true that the best football can be set to music, the orchestra should have struck up a symphony last night when Frank Lampard received the ball in the 64th minute and hit a 50-yard pass out to the right flank. Shaun Wright-Phillips was already scurrying towards the byline. Perhaps he was too tired to control the ball — he came off moments later — but the winger hit his cross first-time on the run. On another occasion it might have ended up in somebody’s lap, but he caught it sweetly and the ball arrowed off his boot with such piercing accuracy that Hernán Crespo should have been standing in the penalty area with an apple on his head. The Argentina forward did not have to move an inch to nod his team’s fourth of the night. Call them scoring, scoring, Chelsea. The English champions have won 11 of their 12 matches this season, drawing the other, and, increasingly, they are battering opponents such as poor, shell-shocked Real Betis. There was brilliance on view in West London, particularly in that final flourish, but it may take the visit of Barcelona, Real Madrid or AC Milan to set the stadium on edge. Against the rest, victories are coming too easily. Chelsea were in such control by the end that they started greedily hogging chances, Joe Cole and Michael Essien choosing to shoot when Crespo was screaming for a tap-in. Essien had excelled but, knowing José Mourinho, he will still have taken his players to task for wasting opportunities. Ever the perfectionist, he managed to find fault last night. “When we played against Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers, they had players of 1.85, 1.90 and 2 metres in Peter Crouch, but we had no problems at set-pieces,” he said. “So I don’t accept against Betis, who don’t have a player over 1.85, that we had difficulties in the first 15 minutes.” There was indeed an early flurry of opportunities for the Spaniards and, if one had gone in, questions might have been asked of Mourinho’s choice of goalkeepers. Petr Cech had been rested to give a start to Carlo Cudicini, but it hardly amounted to weakening his team — he has to pick Glen Johnson to do that — and it was to prove an irrelevance by the finish. Chelsea survived those fleeting scares and a familiar tale unfolded. Betis made mistakes and Mourinho’s men, ruthless as ever, made their opponents pay dearly. Didier Drogba scored the first, atoning for a terrible miss a few minutes earlier when he allowed Wright-Phillips’s cross to bounce off his shin. Stamford Bridge groaned, but it was soon saluting the Ivory Coast forward. Under pressure from Claude Makelele, Alberto Rivera tried to pass across midfield, but the ball was intercepted by the rampaging Essien. Driving forward with power and purpose, he found the Betis defence in disarray. Drogba had peeled away from his marker and he applied a composed side-footed finish. The intention for Betis must have been to regroup at the interval, but, with only a minute to the break, they found themselves 2-0 behind after a calamitous mistake by Antonio Doblas, the goalkeeper. Lampard’s free kick was seemingly overhit, but Doblas dropped the ball straight at Ricardo Carvalho’s feet. The defender had the good grace to look embarrassed by the simplicity of his one-yard tap-in. If it was a desperate end to the half, worse was to come for Betis. Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, the coach, bravely threw on another attacker, but he might have been better advised to send out his team to cling to the two-goal deficit. Pacy up front but terribly porous at the back, they could not handle Chelsea’s power on the counter-attack. Shortly before the hour, Essien was set free once more and, in a reprise of the first goal, created the havoc from which one of his team-mates could benefit. This time it was Cole who received the pass and, after delaying his shot for what seemed like an age, curled the ball into the bottom corner from 20 yards. While he ran off to celebrate — he dedicated the goal to his father, George, who is recovering in hospital after a heart attack — John Terry raced to congratulate the creator. A fine goal, it was to be eclipsed five minutes later when Crespo, on for the injured Drogba, scored the last. Humiliation for Betis was completed when Joaquín was booked for diving even though there seemed to be contact from Asier Del Horno, his international team-mate. CHELSEA (4-3-3): C Cudicini — W Gallas, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Del Horno — M Essien, C Makelele (sub: L Diarra, 76min), F Lampard — S Wright-Phillips (sub: E Gudjohnsen, 67), D Drogba (sub: H Crespo, 46), J Cole. Substitutes not used: P Cech, Gérémi, P Ferreira, R Huth. Booked: Wright-Phillips, Gallas. REAL BETIS (4-2-3-1): A Doblas — Óscar López (sub: Xisco, 46), J Gutiérrez, D Rivas, Melli — A Rivera, Miguel Ángel (sub: M Assunção, 56) — F Varela, Joaquín, Edu — R Oliveira. Substitutes not used: P Contreras, Dani, Arzu, Capi, Nano. Booked: Rivas, Varela, Joaquín, Xisco, Rivera. Referee: T Hauge (Norway). Chelsea's 'Bison' shows Betis his better side By Matt Hughes JOSÉ MOURINHO may have borrowed a few of Alastair Campbell’s press conference practices in glossing over Michael Essien’s dubious disciplinary record, but no one could question his assessment of last night’s performance. The man known as the Bison was an absolute beast, displaying pace, power and panache in creating two goals and dominating the midfield. Although reluctant to admit it, Mourinho should be grateful to the FA that the Ghana midfield player will be available to play in Chelsea’s next three Barclays Premiership matches after the governing body decided not to upgrade his yellow card for an awful tackle on Tel Ben Haim, of Bolton Wanderers, at the weekend. “For me, Essien was the man of the match,” he said. “He was the best player, won every challenge in midfield and gave a different pace to the game. He was too strong for them. He was crucial on the first and the third goals and it was his best game for Chelsea. Overall, his performance was amazing.” Essien can be something of a bruiser, having been sent off twice this year while playing for Lyons, though last night he was on his best behaviour, even shying away from a confrontation with Alberto Rivera after a late tackle from the Spaniard on Didier Drogba. The only area of his game that the 22-year-old needs to improve is his aerial ability, surprisingly suspect given his physique, as was shown in the tenth minute when he headed wide an inch-perfect cross from Asier Del Horno. On the ground, though, Essien is imperious, an incredible athlete with a tough tackle but a range of passing to rival the best midfield strollers. Although inventive going forward, Real Betis proved porous at the back and Essien carved them open at will, releasing Shaun Wright-Phillips with a wonderful through-ball in the eighteenth minute only for Drogba to make a mess of the resultant cross. It is possible to teach a Drog new tricks, though, and six minutes later there was no let-off, the Ivory Coast striker taking advantage of another Essien through-ball to give Chelsea the lead. Essien was even more dominant in the second half, creating a good chance for Wright-Phillips before another angled pass released Joe Cole for the third. He could even have scored himself, blasting over the bar after accelerating from a collision he had no right to win, though not even the churlish Chelsea manager complained. Despite ignoring a few facts, Mourinho obviously did his homework after all.

sunday papers bolton home

The Sunday Times:
Chelsea 5 Bolton 1: Chelsea burst shatters BoltonJoe Lovejoy at Stamford Bridge
FOR THE second season in succession, Bolton had the audicity to pull the tiger’s tail, but this time they paid a painful price. Stelios Giannakopoulos put them ahead in the fourth minute, but the League leaders bit back savagely, scoring four times in a second-half purple patch to maintain that 100% start to their title defence. Nine played, nine won and 23 goals scored. Boring Chelsea indeed.
“Stand Up For The Special One” the delirious home crowd chanted in appreciation of the managerial expertise of Jose Mourinho, whose substitutions at half-time transformed the game. With his team in arrears and struggling to break down obdurate opponents, Mourinho switched from 4-3-3 to 3-3-4, and was rewarded for his more adventurous approach.
Didier Drogba quickly restored equality on the resumption, then he and Frank Lampard rattled in three more goals by the 61st minute to leave poor Bolton out for the count.
Ricardo Gardner, only on because Henrik Pedersen had been getting such a chasing from Shaun Wright-Phillips, was sent off for deliberate handball after 57 minutes, but although his dismissal affected the scoreline, Chelsea had the bit between their teeth, and that familiar winning look about them, before his departure.
Their first-choice wingers, Arjen Robben and Damien Duff, were both absent, injured on international duty, so there was a welcome chance for the pair who played for England in midweek, Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole. It was the pacy £21m recruit from Manchester City who made the most of the opportunity. By the 42nd minute, Wright-Phillips had embarrassed Pedersen so much that he was withdrawn in favour of Gardner.
In the match programme, Mourinho had insisted that his team deserved “total respect”, but Bolton respect nobody’s reputation. Just three minutes and 50 seconds had elapsed when El-Hadji Diouf took the ball on his chest and turned inside William Gallas before crossing low from the left. Asier Del Horno failed to cut out the danger, and Giannakopoulos was left to steer his shot, from eight yards, into Petr Cech’s right-hand corner.
Bolton went into what-we-have-we-hold mode. Chelsea might have equalised after 10 minutes, but Del Horno headed wide from Wright-Phillips’s cross. They thought they were level after 32 minutes when Lampard supplied Wright-Phillips, who drove the ball low towards goal. Drogba diverted it past Jussi Jaaskelainen, only to be flagged offside.
John Terry had one of his less impressive afternoons and was absent when Gary Speed headed on to the roof of the net. When the Welsh veteran tried his luck again, his 25-yard drive rattled Cech’s right post.
One goal down at half-time, Chelsea were fortunate not to be a man down too. Michael Essien’s late and dangerously high tackle on Tal Ben Haim earned a yellow card but warranted red and his challenge will surely be examined further by the Football Association.
Mourinho reorganised at half-time and sent his charges out to resume in 3-3-4 formation. Withdrawing Del Horno and sending on Eidur Gudjohnsen, he deployed Gallas, Terry and Ricardo Carvalho at the back, with Gudjohnsen reinforcing the attack.
The transformation was all he hoped it would be and more. In the 52nd minute Gudjohnsen rolled a 25-yard free kick to Lampard, whose shot was parried by Jaaskelainen. The loose ball fell obligingly for Drogba to lash home. Little more than two minutes later Chelsea were in profit when Gudjohnsen supplied Drogba, who cleverly played in Lampard to shoot in low from 12 yards.
Bolton’s hopes of repeating last season’s comeback, from 0-2 to 2-2, were fatally undermined after 57 minutes when Gardner misjudged a through ball from Claude Makelele and, with Joe Cole threatening, the defender was panicked into handling on the 18-yard line.
Gardner was sent off and from the consequent free kick Lampard drilled in his second. Chelsea’s fourth soon followed. Lampard sent a corner low to the near post where Drogba arrived to volley in his fifth goal of the season.
Four goals in 10 minutes. Even by the standards Chelsea are setting, it was some comeback, but they were not finished. Gudjohnsen broke away in pursuit of Makelele’s long pass and finished with characteristic aplomb, left to right. Who can stop the Londoners now?
STAR MAN: Frank Lampard (Chelsea) Player ratings. Chelsea: Cech 7, Gallas 7, Carvalho 7, Terry 6, Del Horno 6 (Gudjohnsen h-t, 7), Makelele 7, J Cole 7 (Ferreira 59min, 6), Lampard 8, Essien 6, Wright-Phillips 7 (C Cole 74min, 6), Drogba 7
Bolton: Jaaskelainen 6, Faye 6, Ben Haim 5, N’Gotty 5, Jaidi 5, Giannakopoulos 7, Speed 7 (Nakata h-t, 5), Nolan 5, Diouf 5, Davies 5 (Fernandes 75min, 5), Pedersen 4 (Gardner 42min, 5)
Scorers: Chelsea: Drogba 52 61, Lampard 55 59, Gudjohnsen 74
Bolton: Giannakopoulos 4
Referee: R Styles
Attendance: 41,775
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Observer :
Mourinho's gamble pays off gloriously
Will Buckley at Stamford BridgeSunday October 16, 2005The Observer
Before the match Sam Allardyce, perhaps jokingly, had hinted that Jose Mourinho had copied his 4-5-1 system from Bolton. Whether true or not, while both sides were playing that formation it was Bolton who had the edge over their supposed imitators. But it is the genius of Mourinho and his team that they are so mutable. Finding themselves behind, they went all in with 3-3-4 and ended up with a royal flush. It was a second-half performance of extraordinary power and elan. They have now played nine, won nine, and if this level is maintained all records are within their reach.Big Sam having noted that Claude Makelele enjoyed approaching a hundred 'possessions' in a match deputed Kevin Nolan to man-mark him. It didn't appear to be a conspicuous success when as early as the second minute it was Makelele who produced the pass which set up a half-chance for Didier Drogba.
Bolton's response was immediate. El-Hadji Diouf received the ball from a throw, turned William Gallas and crossed for an unmarked Stelios Giannakopoulos to pass the ball past Petr Cech from close range.
It had been one day shy of a year since Chelsea had last lost in the Premiership and then it had been by a solitary goal, away at Manchester City.
A man who had been on the winning side that day led the fightback as a cross from Shaun Wright-Phillips was headed wide by Aiser del Horno. On the quarter-hour mark Cech appeared a bit flappy, palming a ball needlessly away for a corner. At the other end, a shot from outside the area by Joe Cole, similar to the one that opened the scoring against Poland, failed to find a deflection and was saved by Jussi Jaaskelainen.
John Terry looked uncharacteristically hesitant and a missed header from him almost allowed Giannakopoulos a chance to double the lead. His England team-mate Frank Lampard was equally out of sorts. The Chelsea machine, which was expected to cruise through the season, was stuttering. Unable to find any space in which to pick up speed. And when they did they were flagged, as Drogba was rightly deemed to be offside after he converted a Wright-Phillips cross.
Bolton continued to impress as a Gary Speed half-volley from the corner of the area rattled against the apex of bar and post. The 10-1 against shots before play started were looking favourites.
For Chelsea, Wright-Phillips so consistently bamboozled Henrik Pedersen that the Bolton man was replaced by Ricardo Gardner before half-time. It was a wise call, Gardner within a minute doing something Pedersen had conspicuously failed to do when he tackled the smallest man on the pitch. Mourinho disappeared down the tunnel to work on his half-time speech.
After which he decided to risk all on a 3-3-4 system, with Eidur Gudjohnsen coming on for Del Horno. Inevitably, it worked. Radhi Jaidi conceded a free-kick, Gudjohnsen rolled it to Lampard, his shot was parried by Jaaskelainen and Drogba buried the rebound. Mourinho gave a calm and composed punch of the air.
A minute later Drogba nearly bundled his way through. Mourinho, manager turned conductor, used his arms to encourage the crowd to greater efforts. Drogba broke through again, back-heeled the ball and Lampard swept in the chance. It had been a scintillating passage of play spearheaded by a resurgent Drogba.
Four minutes later, Gardner misjudged a bounce on the edge of the area, flailed at the ball with his hand and was sent off. Lampard scored from the free-kick. Having scored three goals in eight minutes, Mourinho replaced Joe Cole with Paulo Ferreira and reverted to 4-4-2. He would have done it after the second goal, but the third came too quickly.
It had been an object lesson in how to gamble. Make your play, take the money, shut up shop. Or not. Two minutes later Wright-Phillips won a corner, it was whipped in and Drogba scored at the near post. Four goals in 10 minutes. It was a Bon Accord pace. If they kept it up for a whole match they would win 36-0. And Bolton hadn't really done much wrong. They were simply overwhelmed by a team who, with the guile of Gudjohnsen being added to the strength of Drogba, were unstoppable. Bolton had appeared to be an immovable object, but they were no match for this unstoppable force.
Gudjohnsen, without breaking into a trot, created a chance for Gallas. And then, with equal calm, drifted through on the left and lifted the ball over Jaaskelainen. 5-1 up, Chelsea brought on another striker, Carlton Cole.
Chelsea might have had half-a-dozen if Gudjohnsen had not strayed offside before putting the ball in the net.
Man of the match: Didier Drogba - playing with a strength and pace that makes Chelsea unstoppable.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph:
Bolton blown away by record-chasing BluesBy Roy Collins at Stamford Bridge (Filed: 16/10/2005)
Chelsea (0) 5 Bolton (1) 1
He continually bangs on about his brilliance as a manager, insisting only recently that he would be the ideal man to restore the fortunes of Real Madrid before taking over as manager of England and winning the World Cup.
Despite his lack of modesty, Bolton's Sam Allardyce was on course, at least for 50 minutes, to make himself the most popular manager in the Premiership by interrupting what threatens to be a season-long victory march by Chelsea and their manager Jose Mourinho, who does not even need to ask the mirror who is the fairest of them all.
In the end, Bolton's early lead and their challenge to a Chelsea team who last lost a year ago today turned out to be just a trick of the light, a mirage created by the heat haze that covered the Stamford Bridge pitch on an afternoon that started in brilliant sunshine. After it disappeared, Bolton were dazzled not so much by the brilliance of Chelsea's football but by the thought of what they were about to accomplish.
After sloppily conceding an equaliser when Jussi Jaaskelainen knocked out a Frank Lampard free-kick and Didier Drogba beat everyone to the rebound to drive home, they simply fell apart.
Chelsea, on the other hand, were like a dog that had just been thrown a bone with Drogba again turning into a second half rottweiler, just as he had at Anfield during another high-scoring romp. He neatly laid off a ball for Lampard to score the second and thumped the fourth from Lampard's corner.
Between those goals, any hopes of a Bolton revival were ended by the sending off of substitute Ricardo Gardner for a blatant handball on the edge of his box, Lampard sinking the free-kick with a kiss off the wall. Although Gardner could have no complaints, Bolton would have been aggrieved that Chelsea's Michael Essien was allowed to stay on after a violent first-half challenge.
If Chelsea are hard to break down, they are almost impossible to stop once they are in front, Eidur Gudjohnsen effortlessly curling the fifth past Jaaskelainen after Claude Makelele rolled the ball into his path. That was the cherry on a ninth successive victory, leaving Chelsea only two short of the record start of 11 wins by the Tottenham Double-winning side of 1960-61.
Allardyce had said that you can often feel 1-0 down before you kick off against teams like Chelsea, so he would have been delighted that his side managed to get their equaliser in first, scoring the first goal of the match before it was four minutes old.
El-Hadji Diouf, normally a controversy waiting to happen, found a pass that neatly dissected Aiser Del Horno and John Terry with Stelios Giannakopolous waiting to apply the scalpel in the middle.
Big Sam was so excited that he came straight down from the directors' box, forgetting to take off his taxi controller's earpiece and comically using it to communicate with assistant Sammy Lee, who was standing two feet behind him. In his confusion, he also kept waving his troops forward in search of a second. Surely some mistake.
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, beaten only once before at Stamford Bridge this season, must have expected to spend the afternoon sunning himself. But for once, Terry and his team-mates looked as wobbly as every other Premiership defence and Cech was beaten by a Stelios effort that thumped into the angle of post and crossbar.
Mourinho maintained an air of calm as he observed by the side of the pitch, perhaps encouraged by the manner in which England's Shaun Wright-Phillips was destroying makeshift left-back Henrik Pedersen. Allardyce stood for it for 42 minutes before replacing the tormented Pedersen with Ricardo Gardner.
Mourinho, who warned his players before the match that he would drop anyone who allowed their minds to wander towards next summer's World Cup, contained himself until half-time when he yanked off Del Horno for Gudjohnsen.
His tinkering would have been made far more complicated, however, if Essien had been rightly sent off just before the interval for an absolutely shocking challenge on Tal Ben Haim. But referee Rob Styles decided it was worth only a yellow card.
Although Chelsea won the title at the Reebok last season, Bolton, who came back from 2-0 down to force a draw at the Bridge, are regarded as a bogey team. Let us face it, Bolton, the punk rockers of the Premiership who continually spit at the Establishment, sometimes literally so in Diouf's case, are everyone's bogey side.
Their biting tackles and all-action style in the first half looked as though it might earn them another point or even all three. But all the big ambitions of their manager disappeared as soon as Chelsea drew level and when the home fans burst into a late chant of "Stand up for the Special One", Allardyce stayed firmly in his seat.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Independent:
Chelsea 5 Bolton Wanderers 1
Take five as Chelsea hit the right notes
By Steve Tongue at Stamford Bridge
Boring, boring Chelsea? Nine goals in the last two games and 23 from nine straight wins suggest not, although there was a strange tale to be told in west London yesterday, when Bolton Wanderers were ahead from the fourth minute until the 52nd before collapsing as Jose Mourinho made a decisive attacking substitution. Sending on Eidur Gudjohnsen for his left-back, Asier Del Horno, at half-time, he was rewarded with such a rush of goals that the game was over by the hour. So no famous comeback this time for Bolton, their chaotic defending further exposed by the red card shown to Ricardo Gardner a quarter of an hour after he came on.
Last beaten by Manchester City exactly a year ago, the champions have now completed the equivalent of a Premiership season - 38 games - without defeat. It is too early to talk about the possibility of matching Arsenal's unbeaten campaign of two years ago, but Tottenham's record of 11 straight wins from the off in 1960 would be equalled with victories over Everton and Blackburn in the next fortnight.
Like the Spurs Double team, they are a class above the rest, a fact acknowledged by Bolton's Sam Allardyce, whose team had achieved a 2-2 draw here last autumn. "To get a result here you need a slice of luck," he said. "If you score first, you might have a chance, but in the last five minutes, not the first. They're a great team with a great manager, but they're still human."
Allardyce, torn between playing up to the stereotype of Big Fat Sam the long-ball man, or acknowledging something more sophisticated, had looked forward to the challenge of mixing it with Mourinho again. He was even bold enough to reveal before the game that a key to playing Chelsea was to clamp down on Claude Makelele, whom he had once recorded having possession 98 times in a match.
Kevin Nolan or Gary Speed were upon the Frenchman as soon as he received the ball, which went some way to explaining why Chelsea initially struggled in the sunshine. Keeping Stelios Giannakopoulos and El Hadji Diouf out wide to pump crosses in worked equally well in the first half and brought a goal within four minutes. Henrik Pedersen, a fish out of water at left-back, made his one positive contribution by feeding Diouf, who clipped a clever low ball between John Terry and Del Horno. The Spaniard appeared to slip, allowing Giannakopoulos to collect the ball six yards out and guide it calmly past Petr Cech. It might have been worse by half-time, the ageless Speed hitting a fizzing drive from way out that beat Cech and struck the frame of the goal.
Didier Drogba was rightly given offside after tapping in a cross by Shaun Wright-Phillips and the subdued home crowd's displeasure was reflected at the interval when the 71-year-old former England winger Frank Blunstone, a star of the 1955 championship side, was introduced to them. "Bring him on" was the chant. Instead, Mourinho turned to Gudjohnsen, taking Del Horno off, briefly settling for three men at the back and reaping a dramatic reward. Six minutes after the resumption, Michael Essien was fouled by Rahdi Jaidi, and when Jussi Jaaskelainen could only parry Frank Lampard's fierce free-kick, Drogba reacted fastest and knocked in the rebound.
Drogba was suddenly on fire and Bolton felt the heat again two minutes later. As Gudjohnsen laid off Makelele's pass to him, the Ivorian found Lampard well placed to strike his seventh goal of the season. Three more minutes and the visitors committed suicide. Gardner, brought on for the hapless Pedersen before half-time, jumped like a basketball player to handle, preventing Wright-Phillips from stealing in behind him, and was rightly dismissed. Worse, from the free-kick, there was a huge gap on the left of the defensive wall, which Lampard exploited to curl his shot into the half of the goal not covered by a perplexed Jaaskelainen.
Next it was Drogba again, meeting Lampard's corner with a half-volley for the fourth goal in nine minutes. It was a full 13 minutes more before Gudjohnsen, sent clear by Makelele, scored the fifth, and Bolton kept it to that. The crowd, meanwhile, had changed their tune to: "Stand up for the Special One." For once, the great man looked almost embarrassed. "I did my work, but you win matches on the pitch," he said later.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

morning papers liverpool away

Times: Benitez put in his place by Chelsea By Matt Dickinson Liverpool 1 Chelsea 4 RAFAEL BENÍTEZ’S SUGGESTION IN midweek that Chelsea might be “afraid” of Liverpool sounded unusually boastful at the time. By the end of a torrid afternoon yesterday, his remark could be described as wishful thinking (if you were being kind) or, bluntly, as utterly ludicrous. Benítez and his players had picked a fight with the biggest bully in the playground and, at Anfield, Chelsea meted out painful punishment. They did not outplay them — they rarely do — but they totally overwhelmed them in the end; first with goals, then with their celebrations and, lastly, with a barrage of statistics. “Gerrard, Gerrard, what’s the score?” the Chelsea fans sang, throwing some humiliation into the mix. The goals came from Frank Lampard, from the penalty spot, Damien Duff, Joe Cole and Geremi. The celebrations involved every one of Jose Mourinho’s players as they demonstrated the value of an eighth consecutive victory in the Barclays Premiership by gathering in a huddle in the centre circle. Their delight was not just in putting Liverpool back in their place (currently below Newcastle United) but in retaining one of their biggest weapons, the air of invincibility. As for the statistics, Mourinho deploys them like Didier Drogba to batter his team’s opponents. This was their 37th league match unbeaten (of which 31 have been won) and they remain on course to match the best ever start to a top-flight campaign of 11 consecutive victories. “We have more points, more victories, more goals than anybody else,” the Chelsea manager said. The question was, presumably, rhetorical so do not tell Mourinho that the country will not have been swooning at his team’s performance. They will have admired the ceaseless endeavour of the midfield, in which Michael Essien threatens to make even the indefatigable Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele look like slouches. They will have been impressed by the bravery of John Terry who, even at 3-1, was using his head to win tackles against other people’s feet. They will even have conceded that Didier Drogba can, despite appearances, turn games with moments of deftness but they will also have pointed out that this was another low-quality game between the English and European champions — worse on the eye, indeed, than the goalless draw in the Champions League in midweek — and one that was decided as much by Liverpool’s mistakes as by Chelsea’s ability. At least there were goals — five of them — and any criticism of Chelsea, the champions-elect with almost eight months of the season left, can be regarded as nit-picking. You did not have to be a perfectionist to find flaws in a Liverpool team whose European Cup triumph is becoming even more extraordinary with every mediocre performance. The Kop almost sounded embarrassed when, in response to some crowing from the Chelsea end, they burst into a chorus of “champions of Europe”. What, Liverpool? Really? There was dejection for Sami Hyypia, anonymity for Luis García and embarassment for Djimi Traoré. As for Peter Crouch, it is as if Benítez seems determined to highlight his limitations by ensuring that there is never anyone close enough, or quick enough, to receive his knockdowns and flicks. After 26 minutes of feisty but inconsequential combat, it was Traoré who stepped forward to give Chelsea a helping hand. Having hoofed a clearance straight into Drogba’s chest, his idea of making amends was to scythe down the forward in the area. Despite some helpful advice from Jamie Carragher about where to put the ball, Lampard kept his composure to bury his penalty under José Manuel Reina. He was so delighted that he ran past the home fans kissing his badge and raising his finger to his lips in a “shushing” gesture. No doubt they would have recovered from the trauma but Graham Poll, a referee broad-minded enough to have tolerated a torrent of four-letter abuse from Wayne Rooney, decided to book him. Liverpool roused themselves and responded within 11 minutes when Steven Gerrard met a corner at the far post with a powerful drive, but parity lasted only another six minutes. With by far the afternoon’s most memorable piece of skill, Drogba beat Hyypia with a neat turn. Duff was the beneficiary, taking Drogba’s pass and then sliding the ball past Reina for a 2-1 lead. With Crouch being mugged by several Chelsea players every time he received the ball, Liverpool’s efforts to put Mourinho’s defence under sustained pressure were never convincing. Benítez’s refusal to introduce Djibril Cissé until the 81st minute was baffling. And the more Liverpool pushed forward, the more Mourinho will have fancied his team’s chances on the counter-attack which is just what happened in the 63rd minute. Asier Del Horno stole the ball from García and knocked the ball forward to Drogba. His attempt to go for goal alone was thwarted but the ball squirmed free for Cole to finish. Eight minutes from time, Gérémi, on as a substitute, added the fourth when a now disorganised defence failed to react to a quick throw-in. Drogba crossed, Arjen Robben miscued and Geremi was at the far post to ensure Chelsea’s biggest victory at Anfield since 1907. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Telegraph: Chelsea scale new heights By Henry Winter at Anfield Liverpool (1) 1 Chelsea (2) 4 Clear blue water, as wide as the ocean, now separates Chelsea from the rest of the Premiership fleet. Nine points clear, brimming with intelligence and industry, Jose Mourinho's record-breaking Uncatchables are truly a class apart. The Romanovs were the talk of Russia, not Roman Abramovich, the last time Chelsea enjoyed a victory as large as this at Liverpool. Anfield's DJ had played U2's Vertigo before kick-off. Wishful thinking. Chelsea's head for heights is strong indeed, particularly with Frank Lampard dominant from box to box, John Terry a leader by loud word and stirring deed in defence and Didier Drogba a muscular destroyer of Liverpool's back-line. If Mourinho might have preferred Rhapsody in Blue as the accompaniment for Chelsea's exertions, Feel the Force would have been more accurate. Far from a creature of beguiling beauty, Chelsea are more a fast-moving beast of a team who prey mercilessly on opponent's weaknesses. No wonder they wear a menacing lion on their crest. Drogba had a field day running at Sami Hyypia and Djimi Traore, the weak links in Liverpool's defence, helping to create goals for Lampard (a penalty), Damien Duff, Joe Cole and Geremi. Chelsea's increasing control, which resembled a slip-knot being tightened as Liverpool slumped to their heaviest home defeat since 1969, was also rooted in Mourinho's canny tactics. Aware that Liverpool would launch long balls to Peter Crouch, Mourinho stationed Claude Makelele in front of the target man. Despite the disparity in heights, Makelele leapt and blocked prodigiously, often frustrating Crouch. At one point, the 6ft 7in Crouch complained to Graham Poll that the diminutive Makelele was short-pulling. In possession, Chelsea kept pulling fast ones, beginning in the 25th minute when Drogba's pace drew a foul from Traore. Classic gamesmanship followed Poll's award of a spot-kick. Jamie Carragher sought to psyche out Lampard, even whispering "good luck" as he ran in to address the penalty. Pepe Reina guessed correctly, but Lampard's kick was too quick and it skidded under the Spaniard's despairing body. Having bizarrely had his weight questioned by the Kop in midweek, the lean machine that is Lampard clearly enjoyed reminding Liverpool fans of his heavyweight talent. His badge-kissing, finger-pointing dance of celebration along the front of the Kop brought inevitable sanction from Poll. Lampard was not the only England international in flying form. Steven Gerrard was magnificent, raging against the fading of the red light in the Premiership, willing his team to believe they could live with Chelsea. Within 10 minutes of Lampard's goal, Gerrard was supplying an emphatic riposte, sprinting in to finish off John Arne Riise's corner with a powerful drive from right to left. Game on. For a while. Briefly, Liverpool dreamt that they could handle Chelsea. Gerrard executed a wonderful challenge on Terry. Xabi Alonso piled into Michael Essien. But Liverpool's back door was never securely fastened, and once again Hyypia was caught out. When Asier Del Horno's delivery found Drogba, the striker deceived Hyypia to race into the area. His cutback was placed for Duff, who comfortably swept the ball home. A game high on tempo, soon became higher on temperature when Alonso and Drogba squared up, Carragher joined in and Poll brandished some yellows to cool the reds and blues. Tested physically, technically or tactically, Chelsea are equal to any challenge. They certainly outwitted Liverpool, who must be kicking themselves for failing to land a run-through striker like Michael Owen. Crouch spends so long with his back to goal that he looks almost startled when finally facing the opponents' net. Just after the hour, the day darkened further for Liverpool. Del Horno again ushered Drogba down the left, and again he made good ground, rounded Reina and moved the ball across. Joe Cole applied the coup de grace. As Mourinho danced like a Latin David Pleat on the pitch, Benitez was also up out of his dug-out, screaming at the officials that Cole must have been offside. Liverpool's complaints rang hollow. With nine minutes remaining the queues for the exits thickened. Del Horno again released Drogba, whose centre was missed by Arjen Robben but not Geremi: 4-1 to the Chelsea and didn't their fans revel in the moment. "Gerrard, Gerrard, what's the score?" they inquired of the midfielder who spurned their advances last summer. "Boring, boring Chelsea," they reprised, managing to sing with tongues firmly in cheek. Boring? No. Catchable? Definitely no. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guardian: Stunning Chelsea in a league of their own Kevin McCarra at Anfield Monday October 3, 2005 Managers can snipe and disagree but only a football team itself can settle an argument. Chelsea left no room at all for bickering yesterday and barely allowed Liverpool a speaking part on their own Anfield stage. Rafael Bentez, manager of the losers here, has talked freely about the defects in his side but surely can never have guessed that they would be exposed so brutally. He was unable to sign a midfielder for the right flank or, crucially in this match, a new centre-half. Didier Drogba, with no one to check him, went on a rampage that strewed four goals for others in its wake and he was never as isolated as he had been last Wednesday in the 0-0 draw in the Champions League. Chelsea poured greater energy into this game and they will probably exercise themselves as strenuously to deny that there was any malice behind their attitude. Nonetheless they performed like men who were seething over the suggestion that Liverpool, their nemesis in the European Cup semi-final in May, do have some sort of hold of them. Bentez's team had no grip at all on this fixture. After the interval expert counter-attackers ransacked Liverpool on the break. It was the club's worst result at home since Manchester United trounced them by the same margin in December 1969. The Anfield side are now 17 points behind Chelsea, although they do have two games in hand. In all likelihood they may not be much worse than any of the supposed challengers and the reigning champions already have a nine-point lead in the Premiership. This match had a different character from Wednesday's encounter from the start. Chelsea had clearly resolved not to concede territory as they had then and the midfield engaged with Liverpool early and often. Michael Essien, somewhat bemused in the Champions League fixture, left others in a daze with his bulldozer tackling. While Peter Crouch had some telling moments, such as the chest control and flick that bamboozled Ricardo Carvalho before he lashed over in the 73rd minute, he was usually isolated. It appeared that only Steven Gerrard could be counted upon to put pressure on Chelsea and, with so little assistance, he eventually wearied. Events were going far too well for Chelsea to get tired and Drogba, in particular, has a boundless power. Djimi Traore, with a lapse into the waywardness that Bentez must have thought had been purged, hit a clearance at the Ivory Coast forward and then, in a folly spawned by his panic, lunged into a tackle that brought down Drogba inside the penalty area. Jamie Carragher, disregarding the fellowship of men who will meet up in the England squad on Tuesday, yapped at Frank Lampard but did not prevent the midfielder from converting the spot-kick with a finish that went under the torso of the diving Jose Reina. For all their endeavour it was still a surprise that Liverpool should equalise nine minutes later. Carragher flicked on a John Arne Riise corner and Gerrard rifled home a drive from a tight angle on the right. The Chelsea left-back Asier del Horno instinctively turned away as Liverpool's captain let fly but he can revel in the recollection of most other incidents that involved him. It was the Spaniard's header down the left, two minutes from the interval, that triggered the move that cracked the match open. Drogba pounced, beat the struggling Sami Hyypia with a turn and neat touch before laying the ball back to Damien Duff. Reina hesitated and the Irishman controlled before finishing a second before Xabi Alonso could challenge. The game continued to be heated but a desperate Liverpool made all the mistakes. In the 63rd minute Del Horno dispossesed Luis Garca to release Drogba and the latter stubbed the ball into the goalmouth where Joe Cole waited to score. Eight minutes from the end, to the ignominy of Liverpool and the inattentive Steve Finnan, the Chelsea left-back released Drogba with a mere throw-in. One substitute, Arjen Robben, failed to connect properly with the cut-back but the other, Geremi, did not. The dream of parity with Chelsea, which Bentez has maintained so resourcefully, had vanished. The Liverpool manager is left with a rather cold reality. Those shortcomings that he recognises cannot always be borne and the suspicions grow that he did require another striker far more than he would concede when the club was engaged in its attempt to re-sign the unaffordable Michael Owen. Liverpool cannot compete for the league unless there are improvements to the squad and they will depend for glory on the defence, with all its obvious hazards, of the European Cup. By contrast Paulo Ferreira and Shaun Wright-Phillips did not even make Jose Mourinho's squad here. This was Chelsea's biggest win at Anfield since 1907 but, if the club's history has had long lacklustre passages, the future looks spellbinding. Man of the match: Didier Drogba (Chelsea) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Independent: Drogba leads the rout as last bastion of resistance crumbles Liverpool 1 Chelsea 4 By Sam Wallace at Anfield Published: 03 October 2005 As an act of vengeance for that European Cup semi-final defeat that still lives on in the memory of Jose Mourinho, there could scarcely have been a Chelsea victory as punitive as this. On Wednesday night, Anfield again represented the last football outpost of this country to resist the domination of the blue empire with proud defiance; by yesterday evening, the old ground had been sacked in the most savage style. Four goals, the evisceration of Liverpool and suddenly the memories of last season's European Cup semi-final second-leg victory, when Anfield turned back what seemed like English football's inevitable tide, felt more like a piece of history. Led by an outstanding performance from Didier Drogba, Mourinho's Chelsea controlled in a manner they were never permitted to in the Champions' League match on Wednesday and extended their own lead at the top of the Premiership to nine points. As first Frank Lampard, then Damien Duff, Joe Cole and Geremi scored the goals that extinguished Anfield's frail hope, all the discussion of Chelsea's style and of their value as entertainers was rendered meaningless. What matters about them is that they are, for the moment at least, unstoppable. And Rafael Benitez, the man who so skilfully unpicked their Champions' League dream last season, is no closer to beating them this time than his humble neighbours at Wigan. Respect for his team, for their achievements was what Mourinho demanded in the aftermath, and as the Chelsea manager punched the air with every goal you sensed that this one counted more than most. The Kop's pre-match banner proclaiming "This is the Special One" was quietly rolled up and taken away as the away support mockingly asked whether they could play Liverpool every week. After two meetings in five days it has felt like they have of late, but yesterday there was no disputing who has emerged from the two games on top. Liverpool's defeat was about their failure to contain the awkward, truculent presence of Drogba and an old problem concerning their own goalscoring. They have just four goals in six Premiership games and for all the neat flicks of Peter Crouch, they would have exchanged all for just one goal from the England striker in waiting. Liverpool finally gave way in the 26th minute and for blame you needed to look no further than Djimi Traore. Dawdling down the left flank he cleared the ball against Drogba and allowed the Chelsea striker to go past him before offering a challenge so imprecise that it was bound to draw a penalty decision from the referee Graham Poll. Frank Lampard drilled his shot low past Jose Reina. Liverpool's equaliser came on 36 minutes and Chelsea will not be breached the same way too often this season. There was a corner from John Arne Riise on the left, a flick by Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard stole in at the back post to lash the ball into the far corner. Asier Del Horno won no awards for bravery with his shrinking attempt at a block, and Petr Cech brushed the ball as it went past, but the old stadium thrilled to the sense of parity. Not for long. It was removed before the end as Benitez committed to attack, but Sami Hyypia will not remember this day with any fondness. The old Finnish centre-half was reduced to his trundling worst for Chelsea's second: beaten by a flick from Drogba down the left wing, he could only watch as the striker crossed for Damien Duff at the near post to take one touch and score. Five minutes after the interval Hyypia was panicked into heading Duff's long ball straight to Drogba and he should have beaten Reina. That miss, and Drogba's fortune to have been only booked for a confrontation with Alonso in which he seemed to throw a punch, were the only flaws in an unimpeachable performance from the Ivory Coast striker and his role in the third goal was crucial. Settling on to a through ball from Lampard he cut in front of the pursuing Liverpool defenders and went round Reina. When his weak shot found Cole alone in the penalty area, the winger appeared to have drifted offside but there was no argument offered by Poll as Cole rolled the ball into the unguarded goal and ended any hope Liverpool might have had of a reward from the game. The fourth belonged to substitute Geremi, who converted a Drogba cross that Robben had not been able to reach on 82 minutes. Before then Crouch had turned Ricardo Carvalho with the most delicate of touches and then rattled his shot into the Kop. Upon such moments are the destiny of seasons decided; the problem for the rest is that, with eight successive victories, Chelsea appear to be deciding their own without toleration of any intervention. Goals: Lampard (26) 0-1; Gerrard (36) 1-1; Duff (43) 1-2; Cole (63) 1-3, Geremi (82) 1-4. Liverpool (4-1-3-1-1): Reina; Finnan, Hyypia (Sinama-Pongolle 71), Carragher, Traore (Cisse, 82); Hamann (Sissoko, 67); Alonso, Gerrard, Riise; Garcia; Crouch. Substitutes not used: Carson (gk), Josemi. Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Gallas, Terry, Carvalho, Del Horno (Huth, 84); Makelele; Cole (Robben, 67), Essien, Lampard, Duff (Geremi, 76); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Crespo. Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire). Booked: Liverpool Carragher; Chelsea Cole, Lampard, Drogba. Man of the match: Drogba. Attendance: 44,235. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sun; Liverpool 1 Chelsea 4 CHELSEA sent shockwaves through the rest of the Premiership by doing a demolition job on Liverpool at Anfield. Jose Mourinho's men had been criticised for their dour display in the Champions League clash between these two sides on Wednesday. They hit back in sensational style with a clinical exhibition of counter-attacking football to become the first team to hit four past the Kop in the Premiership. Man of the match Didier Drogba had a hand in all four of the Blues goals. He won the penalty converted by Frank Lampard just before the half hour. Steven Gerrard smashed an equaliser nine minutes later from a John Arne Riise corner and it looked like the game had the makings of a classic. But the Kop were caught out by a sucker punch two minutes before the break when Drogba's surging run set up Duff. Goals from Joe Cole and Geremi humiliated the Reds late on. Rafa Benitez and Mourinho made minor changes to the teams which drew in midweek. The Anfield chief left out Djibril Cisse and included John Arne Riise down the left, with Luis Garcia moved to the right. His plan was aimed at getting Gerrard further forward to support Peter Crouch. Asier Del Horno returned to take over at left-back for Chelsea, with William Gallas moving to the right and Paulo Ferreira dropping out, while Joe Cole took over from Arjen Robben. The visitors were content to sit deep and draw Liverpool on to them. Even so, Drogba had the first real chance of the match, firing in a low shot which Jose Reina saved comfortably. The Ivory Coast international then won his side a 27th-minute penalty. Djimi Traore tried to play the ball out of his own box but it rebounded back off Drogba's chest into the danger zone. Off balance and out of position, Traore lost his cool and hacked down the former Marseille ace. Despite some choice words of discouragement in his ear from England team-mate Jamie Carragher, Lampard stepped up and fired an unconvincing spot-kick which somehow found its way under Reina. Liverpool gathered themselves and surged back at the champions. Carragher flicked on Riise's header and Gerrard was there to smash a right-footed drive across Petr Cech and into the far corner. Less than three minutes from half-time Chelsea were back in front. Drogba battled his way down the left and shook off Steve Finnan and Sami Hyypia before laying the ball back for Duff to guide in off the far post. Drogba could have virtually finished things when a poor Hyypia header left him clear early in the second half. But he fired wastefully wide from the edge of the box. Chelsea made it 3-1 on 63 minutes as Drogba’s surging run ended with a pass for Cole to tap in at the far post. Riise fired over from 25 yards and Crouch produced a clever turn and flick over a defender but then blazed his 12-yard shot high into the Kop. Liverpool took off Hyypia and sent on Florent Sinama-Pongolle in attack, while Mourinho sent on Geremi for Duff. Drogba grabbed his fourth assist of the match eight minutes from time. He sprinted unmarked onto a long throw and threaded a ball to the back post where Geremi was there to stab home. CHELSEA DREAM TEAM RATINGS PETR CECH 6 ASIER DEL HORNO 7 RICARDO CARVALHO 6 MICHAEL ESSIEN 8 WILLIAM GALLAS 6 JOHN TERRY 8 DAMIEN DUFF 7 FRANK LAMPARD. Booked. 7 CLAUDE MAKELELE 6 JOE COLE. Booked. 7 DIDIER DROGBA. Booked. DREAM TEAM STAR MAN 9 SUBS Geremi (for Duff) 6, Huth (Del Horno) 5, Robben (Cole) 6. Not used: Cudicini, Crespo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mirror: NOW WHO'S BORING? CHAMPS v CHAMPS: PART 2 LIVERPOOL CHELSEA FROM ANFIELD Blues batter Rafa's Reds ..and their critics Martin Lipton Chief Football Writer THEY MIGHT lack dignity, but they don't lack class, they don't lack desire, and they don't lack the killer instinct. And listening to the Chelsea fans celebrating at Anfield last night, it was hard to disagree with the sentiment: "That's why we're champions." Insults had flown back and forth for a week, with Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez suggesting Jose Mourinho's team were scared of them. Some fear. Some response. Mourinho's men simply annihilated Liverpool, embarrassing them in front of their own shocked supporters. Tormentor-in-chief was Didier Drogba, who smashed Sami Hyypia into pieces, trampled all over Djimi Traore, and shook Jamie Carragher out of his poise and confidence. Drogba has been criticised even by Chelsea supporters, but his sheer physical power created all four goals as Blues rubbed Liverpool out the championship equation. Only Steven Gerrard looked capable of holding the Blue tide at bay. But Gerrard alone could not deny the elemental force of nature that is Mourinho's team, so rock-solid from back to front, so quick and incisive, so sharp, above all so full of determination. Even at the start, as Liverpool took the route-one option of throwing everything towards Peter Crouch, there was a sense of destiny about what was to follow. For all that possession, for all the high balls launched in the direction of the towering Crouch, Liverpool had created nothing by the time Chelsea went ahead. Drogba fired a warning shot moments earlier when, first to react to the rugged Michael Essien's knock-down, he let fly with a left-footer that had Jose Reina scrambling to stop. And the breakthrough came after 26 minutes as Drogba, having slipped the ball beyond Hyypia, charged down Traore's attempted clearance. The bounce was fortunate for the Chelsea man but catastrophic for the Liverpool defender, whose reckless, scything lunge on the African represented the most blatant penalty offence seen at Anfield since... last Wednesday. Unlike Massimo De Santis, though, Graham Poll does not miss them, or the potentially inciting "shush" gesture Lampard gave to the Liverpool fans as he wheeled away in celebration after slotting underneath Reina's dive. Given that Chelsea had conceded only one goal so far this season, that looked as if it might prove the decisive moment of the game. But with Gerrard and his desire pumping the blood through Liverpool veins, the Reds were back on terms within 10 minutes. John Arne Riise's corner was flicked on by Carragher and, while the angle was tight, Asier Del Horno's decision to turn his back rather than attempt to block Gerrard's fierce shot proved fatal as even Petr Cech's right hand was unable to keep the ball out. It was Gerrard's eighth of the season, but his first Premiership strike since he spurned Chelsea at the 11th hour this summer. Anfield hailed its native son yet Chelsea have not built their reputation without an iron resolve and the ability to come up with something special in their hour of need. So it proved again two minutes before the break when Drogba's adroit turn left Hyypia looking like a man in need of a pension book as he powered into the box. Damien Duff's first touch gave Xabi Alonso hope of closing him down, but the second was sufficiently directed to slip past Reina and into the net - although if Joe Cole had been successful in producing the touch to make certain, he would have been offside. But while Liverpool came again at the start of the second period, there was only one winner in this one. Drogba, who wasted a chance gifted to him by Hyypia's error, made amends for his miss just after the hour, stealing in after Del Horno robbed Luis Garcia, with the ball running loose for Cole to mark his first start in more than a month by slotting home. And while Riise and Crouch - after expertly turning Ricardo Carvalho - both went close, the fourth goal was inevitable. Del Horno's throw sent Drogba deep into Liverpool territory and the unmarked Geremi converted at the far post after fellow substitute Arjen Robben had miskicked. It was as emphatic and unarguable as the scoreline suggested. Benitez's claims to the contrary were meaningless. Lacking dignity? Perhaps.But they don't lack much else. LIVERPOOL: Reina 5; Finnan 5, Hyypia 4 (Sinama-Pongole 71, 5), Carragher 6, Traore 4 (Cisse 82, 5); Luis Garcia 5, Hamann 6 (Sissoko 67), Gerrard 8, Xabi Alonso 7, Riise 7; Crouch 6. CHELSEA: Cech 7; Gallas 6, Carvalho 7, Terry 8, Del Horno 7 (Huth 84, 5); Essien 8, Makelele 7, Lampard 7; Cole 7 (Robben 67, 7), DROGBA 9, Duff 7 (Geremi 76, 7)60% POSSESSION 40% 3 SHOTS ON TARGET 6 5 SHOTS OFF TARGET 4 0 OFFSIDES 7 4 CORNERS 2 16 FOULS 18 1 YELLOW 3 0 RED CARDS 0 ATTENDANCE: 44,235 MAN OF THE MATCH: Drogba