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Independent:
Chelsea 1 Middlesbrough 0: Hardly a long shot as Terry drags Chelsea over the line
By Jason Burt at Stamford Bridge
A day which started with a blasé defence by Jose Mourinho of John Terry's habit of frequenting bookie shops with obscenely large wads of cash, ended with the Chelsea captain scoring the only goal and a quip from the manager explaining why the two had high-fived so enthusiastically on the touchline: "Because I bet that he would score," Mourinho said.
Given that Terry was a 25-1 shot - having not struck in the Premiership all season - then the Special One can expect a special return for his wager. He may be disappointed, though, because Terry's thumping header, from a corner, was initially blocked by Fabio Rochemback, who then appeared to turn it over the line himself. An own goal? Probably.
It was tough on Middlesbrough, who were organised and resilient, especially through their captain, Gareth Southgate, and the intuitive creativity of Rochemback, but there had been warnings. Twice before he scored, Terry had goal-bound headers cleared. Both times Rochemback had done his job on the line. The Brazilian could not execute a hat-trick of denials and his side were beaten.
"The game started in a way that you felt things are going on your side," said Mourinho, referring to a missed opportunity by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, who slammed a low shot against a post after the ball broke to him following Terry's block on Yakubu Aiyegbeni's shot. He should have scored.
Hasselbaink's desperate appeal for a penalty, claiming a tug by Asier del Horno, was born of frustration. It could have transformed matters as Chelsea, despite being back on track after their wobble, appeared strangely vulnerable.
Middlesbrough controlled proceedings until a flash of brilliance from Arjen Robben changed the impetus. The winger skipped between two challenges and away from a third before cutting the ball back only for Mark Schwarzer's boot to divert it away. The goalkeeper then rushed from goal to tackle the onrushing Didier Drogba and palmed down Frank Lampard's drive before Robben, twisting brilliantly, dumped Doriva on the turf to tee up Lampard again. He screwed his shot wide.
"We are in early December and a player like him needs to give us a lot," Mourinho said of Robben, his injuries and the so-called fragility of his mental approach having caused irritation. "He has given us very little." The inference was maybe that was about to change and Robben, in for the injured Joe Cole, looked relieved as he was substituted late on.
That followed Terry's goal, from Damien Duff's corner, and although Robben faded, the Irishman grew in influence, taking the challenge to Middlesbrough, riding challenges, and slaloming through to set up Drogba. The striker's miss was pathetic as was his attempt to blame the irregularity of the Stamford Bridge turf. "I think we should score more goals," said Mourinho with a shrug, before declaring a "bigger result" would have been unfair on the visitors.
Middlesbrough's manager, Steve McClaren, went further, lauding the contribution of the talented Rochemback - "he's going to be a great player for us" - and the "fantastic attitude" of a team who have completed five games in 13 days. "I think Chelsea would admit that it was one of the more difficult afternoons here for some time," he said.
That may have been the case but the relentless march of the champions continues and no one, surely, would bet against them right now.
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Telegraph:Terry header keeps Chelsea in ascendancyBy Trevor Haylett at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea (0) 1 Middlesbrough (0) 0
Those in closest pursuit might have assumed a familiar hierarchy over the past week but there is nothing to suggest that Chelsea's hold on their Premiership crown is weakening even though victory here by just a single goal was a poor return for the wealth of opportunities they created.
With Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard both missing chances they would normally put away it came down to John Terry to make the difference with a trademark header. If those successive defeats to Manchester United and Real Betis at the start of November were indeed a crisis then Chelsea have left it behind: four wins in a row now and not a single goal conceded.
Joe Cole was kept out by an injury picked up in training and that allowed Arjen Robben to make his first Premiership start since September. His first touches were tentative but after switching wings the Dutchman reminded us of his bewitching skills, twice ghosting between defenders to fashion openings.
First Chelsea were put on high alert when Yakubu's smart turn and shot fell to Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink following Terry's desperate challenge. A triumphant return to Stamford Bridge flashed before Hasselbaink's eyes but his shot came back off the inside of the post.
It was the wake-up call the home side needed and they began to imprison Middlesbrough in their own half. The corner count mounted and Lampard arrived to meet one with a header which neither Asier Del Horno nor William Gallas could turn in from close range.
Lampard, fed by Drogba, then smacked a drive straight at Mark Schwarzer, the goalkeeper in action again the next instant with a saving tackle after Drogba had been ushered through the gap.
Middlesbrough were defending with tenacity and discipline but you sensed that it was only a matter of time before their ranks were ruptured. From another right-wing corner Terry headed goalwards and was only denied by a clearance off the line.
It was no surprise that Chelsea returned to the dressing room with the game still in the balance. As a rule they don't apply full power until the second half: in 14 previous Premiership fixtures this season they had led at the break only four times.
They needed to apply a little more polish to their attacking game and when Lampard sent Drogba away the home crowd's expectations grew. Gareth Southgate nipped in to dispossess him and a growl of frustration spread around the ground. Yet the breakthrough was only minutes away.
Duff's corner again found Terry unattended on his 250th club career appearance and he directed a strong header towards the right-hand corner of the net. Fabio Rochemback stood guard but there was too much power and the Brazilian succeeded in helping it over the line.
Drogba should have made it two when Damien Duff pulled the ball back. He lifted his shot into the stands as did Lampard when Shaun Wright-Phillips created similar havoc down the same flank.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Sunday Times December 04, 2005
Chelsea 1 Middlesbrough 0: Chelsea hit the jackpot as Terry lands winnerDavid Walsh at Stamford Bridge
FOR those privileged enough to shoot the breeze with The Special One after the game, there was the afternoon’s most entertaining moment. John Terry’s liking for a flutter had been discussed, so too his header that won this game and if there was disapproval of the gambler, it wasn’t coming from Jose Mourinho who thinks the English are addicted to gambling. Then somebody asked if there was any significance in the fact that after scoring his 62nd-minute goal, Terry raced straight towards his manager on halfway. “Yes,” said Mourinho with a flourish, “I had backed him to score the goal.” We laughed, he laughed and though the game was earnest and the football thoughtful, this was as much fun as we had. Watching Chelsea is always interesting but not often enthralling. They deserved this victory because they might have had two or three goals and Middlesbrough had just one chance, although that was a clear opportunity driven against the post by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. After that Chelsea, tightened up and this was their fourth consecutive victory and fourth consecutive clean sheet.
However pleasing they are to the players, clean sheets don’t thrill spectators and the Blues present us with a dilemma. They have many very good players, their tactical formation is intelligent, their attitude first class but, routinely, one’s response to the performance is never greater than respectful. As the game progresses, there is a temptation to withhold even that but, like they do to most oppositions, they grind you down.
Yesterday’s performance was typical of so many from the champions. They were efficient, they worked hard, they never looked liked losing and, in the end, they won decisively enough and in what we might call the Chelsea style — tough game, deadlocked, an hour has passed and the home side increase the tempo desperately searching for the breakthrough. From where does it come? The usual source, of course. A set-piece. This time it was Damien Duff’s corner and Terry’s header. For all their discipline and spirit, Boro’s negligence in giving Terry a virtual free header was staggering.
If the Terry strike was all that Chelsea produced in front of goal, you could condemn them but they had other clearcut chances. Didier Drogba should have scored, Frank Lampard might have netted and there were other chances that slipped away.
Yet here is the question: is the entertainment level commensurate with the team’s talent level? On balance you would say no. Yesterday Arjen Robben produced some outstanding runs down the left wing.
When he was substituted with 16 minutes remaining, the crowd rose and acclaimed the performance. Even Mourinho climbed from the dugout and embraced his Dutch winger. Bad-blood between them? You wouldn’t have thought so yesterday. “I was very pleased with how he played,” said Mourinho. “But he was also very pleased, he felt strong and he was happy with the way his body stood up to the test.
“Now he needs to play more games, he needs to score goals. So far this season, he has given us very little. A player like him must give you a lot.”
But who else would you have paid to watch, besides Robben? Yakubu, perhaps, because he too had that spark, that ability to turn quickly and wrong-foot his marker. Middlesbrough were actually as pleasing on the eye as their opponents and there were hints of real quality from the Fabien Rochembank.
He played behind Yakubu and Hasselbaink and there was much to admire in the way he moved the ball crisply to the front men and he was forever trying to be creative. As might be imagined, he is not a slave to tracking back and with him playing behind two strikers, others had to work extra hard to close down routes to Boro’s goal. But they did and for a team playing their fifth game in 13 days, Boro were very spirited.
It helped, of course, that Gareth Southgate was marshalling the defence and playing with his customary authority. His performance had you thinking that the absent Hernan Crespo must be better than Drogba.
Once, late in the game, Drogba was put through from halfway but the Boro skipper got back, stayed alive to the possibility that the striker would try to cut back inside of him and when Drogba tried, Southgate dispossessed him easily.
It wasn’t bad for a 35-year-old and the less experienced defenders around him fed off his composure. The most pleasing aspect of Boro’s performance was the way they went in pursuit of a goal in the final 30 minutes.
They didn’t get that close because Chelsea are very good with their backs to the wall but Boro’s refusal to lie down was their achievement.
“I don’t think many teams give Chelsea that tough a game here,” said Steve McClaren afterwards. Nobody was arguing with that.
STAR MAN: Arjen Robben (Chelsea) Player ratings.
Chelsea: Cech 6, Gallas 6, Carvalho 6, Terry 7, Del Horno 6, Lampard 6, Essien 6, Gudjohnsen 5 (Geremi 64min,6), Robben 8 (Wright-Phillips 74min,6), Drogba 5 (C Cole 78min,5), Duff 6
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer 6, Bates 5, Riggott 6, Southgate 7, Pogatetz 6, Boateng 6, Doriva 6, Morrison 6 (Queudrue 81min,5), Rochemback 7, Hasselbaink 5 (Viduka 72min,5), Yakubu 6
Scorer: Chelsea: Terry 62
Referee: M Riley
Attendance: 41,666 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Observer:
Chelsea profit after head-boy Terry rises to the occasion
Kevin Mitchell at Stamford BridgeSunday December 4, 2005The Observer
A sure sign that a team in their pomp have the total trust of their supporters is the sight of the home seats emptying five minutes before full-time with only a goal separating their heroes from the visiting team.It's been that sort of season for Chelsea and their fans' confidence was well justified again yesterday, even against a dangerous and vibrant Middlesbrough side.
Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren gambled on his most attacking formation, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink leading Fabio Rochemback and Yakubu Aiyegbeni up front. When the ball did come their way, Hasselbaink and Aiyegbeni were lively around the box.
James Morrison had the first shot of the match, a speculative thrash from 35yards, after a patient build-up that saw George Boateng break down the defence on the right flank. But Chelsea, who haven't conceded a goal in three games, held firm. As they did moments later went Aiyegbeni found himself in space after Boateng had made another raid forward.
Damien Duff had Middlesbrough worried with a darting run, only for his right-foot shot to slam into Didier Drogba's backside.
Boateng conceded a free-kick 35 yards out and who else stepped up but the man of the moment, Frank Lampard. He is enjoying the most gilded season and was acclaimed before the kick-off for breaking the record of 160 consecutive Premiership games last weekend. (That's still some way behind Phil Neal's 366 in a row for Liverpool under the old set-up.)
But Lampard could not add to his record 25 goals in a calender year - 11 in 14 league games - finding the wall instead of the net.
Hasselbaink should have scored in the 13th minute, hitting the post from eight yards after Aiyegbeni's shot bounced off John Terry. It was an appalling miss by the former Chelsea striker.
The chances were coming thick and fast at the other end. Arjen Robben, who hasn't scored at home since January, nearly did when he beat three tackles to get in a curling shot with his right foot, but it sailed wide.
If Hasselbaink's miss was astounding, there was a ricochet special inches from the Middlesbrough line from Duff's corner, with William Gallas probably the most culpable of the clutch of Chelsea players on hand.
Lampard, bossing the midfield, set up Duff for a left-foot strike that slid past the right post. He might have done better. Lampard brought down Drogba's pass on his chest, swivelled and did well to keep his shot down, but it went straight to Mark Schwarzer. The Boro goalkeeper was alert a minute later when he came out to rob Drogba at his feet, inches inside the box.
Chelsea should have scored through Terry when a strong header from Duff's swirling, left-footed corner again found Schwarzer. Ricardo Carvalho did brilliantly to block Hasselbaink's shot, which looked headed for goal.
Michael Essien limped off briefly, clutching his ankle, as Hasselbaink fell on him in the challenge. He returned quickly, but the prospect of losing him will have alerted Chelsea fans to the fact that the absence of Claude Makelele through injury has left resources thin in the holding position that is so crucial to their team's strategy.
Lampard missed another gimme from short range minutes before the break after Robben had again opened up Boro. The Dutchman was having a wonderful game.
Within two minutes of the start of the second half, Hasselbaink won a free-kick against Carvalho 30 yards out and whacked it high - although not quite as bizarrely as when he found the top tier of the Matthew Harding Stand with a shot last season.
Chelsea were inventive but lacked their usual cohesion, as Duff split Boro wide open with a bewildering, zig- zagging run but then mis-timed his final pass to an offside Eidur Gudjohnsen. Gareth Southgate was doing a splendid job marshalling the Boro back line and he was ably helped by Emanuel Pogatetz, who robbed Drogba in sight of goal with a perfectly timed tackle.
The pressure built steadily, though, and Terry headed home from Duff's well-weighted corner on the hour, as Schwarzer tried desperately to bundle it back from across the line. It was Terry's first goal since December, in his 250th game for Chelsea.
Lampard should have made it 2-0 within moments, but Schwarzer again denied him from point-blank range. Duff, for the umpteenth time, ripped Boro apart and Drogba's ugly shot skewed off his shin.
Chelsea cut loose in the final quarter, Essien charging into the box to head down hard but into Schwarzer's safe hands. Lampard's radar obviously was on the blink as he put the ball over the bar yet again near the end, but the points were in the bag by then, as the fans started to head home.
Man of the match: Damien Duff - Despite the claustrophobic and at times barely legal attentions of Emanuel Pogatetz, Duff pretty much owned the right wing all afternoon, much as Arjen Robben dominated the left. The Irishman, though, was marginally busier as he pulled the Boro defence to pieces almost at will, setting up a welter of chances.
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Mirror:
TERRY KEEPS A COOL HEAD CHELSEA..................1 Terry 62 MIDDLESBROUGH....0
Skipper helps the Blues to march on By Duncan Wright CHELSEA continued their relentless march at the top of the Premiership as John Terry proved patience does pay.
It was a case of "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again" for the England defender who finally headed home at the third time of asking.
Twice in the first half he had nodded Damien Duff corners towards goal - and both times he saw the ball hacked off the line by Fabio Rochemback. But Terry was not to be denied a third time with a carbon copy header from Duff's corner which squirmed through the legs of the Boro man and rolled over the line.
It was no more than Jose Mourinho's side deserved, though they had been forced to work harder than usual to see of Steve McClaren's men.
While events at other clubs have taken most of the attention in recent weeks, Chelsea's continued progress has remained fairly low key.
The absence of Claud Makelele through injury has provided a problem for Mourinho to solve - and he looks to Michael Essien to provide the answer.
The Ghanaian is clearly an impressive footballer, but much of his work is done bursting forward. Makelele's holding role requires a different kind of discipline, and it is one Essien at times forgets despite his undoubted ability.
And Middlesbrough sensed they might just be able to exploit that area of the field by pushing Rochemback into a more advanced position, in an attempt to find space between Chelsea's defence and midfield.
For a while that tactic caused the champions a degree of difficulty as Boro surprised everyone with the positive nature of their play.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink looked intent on marking his return to Stamford Bridge with a goal, while Yakubu's pace and power stretched the home defence.
Petr Cech had already been forced into a sharp save to deny James Morrison when Boro went within a whisker of taking the lead on 14 minutes.
Yakubu's shot deflected off Terry into the path of Hasselbaink who poked the ball past Cech, only to see it rebound off the post and Chelsea were able to clear to safety.
Rarely have Mourinho's men started so slowly and they were looking around for inspiration. That spark came from Arjen Robben on his return to action after injury.
The Dutchman has been a frustration to Mourinho at times, given his tendency to be injured. But when he is on song, there are few better sights than the winger tormenting opposition defences.
Young Boro full-back Matthew Bates was unfortunate to come up against Robben on one of his better days, and he was forced to endure a torrid first half. Time and again Robben jinked and turned his way into dangerous positions and the only disappointment was that Chelsea failed to convert such flashes of genius into goals.
Robben was guilty of the first miss on 16 minutes when he shot high and wide of the top corner after a run taking him past three defenders. And a similar run to the byline on the left saw him cross and Frank Lampard arrive late only to shoot wide of target.
How Bates must have breathed a sigh of relief when Robben was substituted after 75 impressive minutes - though his replacement Shaun Wright-Phillips is hardly the man he wanted to see trotting on to the pitch.
Lampard was not having the best of days in a season of high consistency and he should have done better than shoot straight at Mark Schwarzer when clean through on goal.
With Terry's two headers both being cleared off the line by Rochemback, McClaren knew his team had been fortunate to make it to the break with the score still goalless.
But you cannot continue to give one of the best headers of the ball in the Premiership chances in front of goal and expect to get away with it. And Boro were punished finally on 62 minutes when Terry at last succeeded in meeting a Duff corner and beating Rochemback on the line.
Take nothing away from McClaren's men, for at times they played with enterprise and an openness which had troubled Chelsea more than many sides have.
But they hardly created a clear chance, and had the champions been less wasteful in front of goal this would have finished in a thrashing.
Robben and Duff out wide caused so many problems all game and carved out a stream of opportunities which all went begging.
Lampard, usually so clinical with late runs into the area, twice shot off target. And the worst miss of all came from Didier Drogba who somehow contrived to shoot miles over from 10 yards after some wonderful wing play from Duff.
Mourinho said of his skipper Terry: "He ran over to me because I had a bet on him to score the first goal!"
As for his star winger, the coach added: "Robben is a player who has given us very little this season, and he should be giving us a lot more. He has had problems with injuries but I am happy to have him back."
Boro boss McClaren said: "The player should be proud of themselves, I am certainly proud of them. I wouldn't have thought many sides would have given Chelsea a tougher game and we're disappointed not to get anything."
MAN OF THE MATCH
ARJEN ROBBEN
So often a frustration but on his day brilliant. The Dutch winger tormented Boro until he was substituted late on.
6 Shots on target 1
8 Shots off target 4
3 Shots blocked 4
6 Corners 4
15 Fouls conceded 13
1 Offsides 0
0 Yellow cards 0
0 Red cards 0
RATINGS
CHELSEA: Cech 6, Gallas 7, Carvalho 6, Terry 7, Del Horno 6, ROBBEN 8 (Wright-Phillips 6), Lampard 6, Gudjohnsen 6 (Geremi 7) Essien 6, Duff 7, Drogba 6 (C Cole 6).
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer 6, Bates 6, Southgate 7, Riggott 7, Pogatetz 6, Morrison 6 (Queudrue 5), Rochemback 7, Boateng 6, Doriva 6, Hasselbaink 7 (Viduka 6), Yakubu 7.
MANAGERS: Mourinho 7; McClaren 7
REFEREE: M Riley 7
Boro last beat Chelsea 1-0 in Dec 2000, 12 meetings ago. Only three players from Chelsea's 16 are still at the club, John Terry, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Carlo Cudicini.
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People:
TERRY'S A BET OF ALL RIGHT Chelsea 1 Middlesbrough 0 Paul Mccarthy A MAN who strolls the leafy streets of Surrey with a swag of £50 notes tucked in a plastic bag knows the value of a gamble.
So when John Terry charged forward with deadly intent on his mind, only the biggest mug punter would have bet against the outcome.
Up and above the Middlesbrough defence he rose, trusty forehead meeting leather with a resounding thwack, ball in the back of the net, game over, and Chelsea in the money once more.
Obviously, Terry didn't back himself - there are rules against that, of course. But those in the know would have been quids in.
Because when his side need something decisive, odds on it's JT who steps up to the plate.
Jose Mourinho calls his gambling habit both natural and cultural ... and when it's only five grand out of a weekly haul of £80,000 it's not as if the Chelsea captain is going to have the bailiffs knocking in the morning.
But it's a fair bet he wins a damn sight more often on the pitch than he does at the bookies near Chelsea's Cobham training ground, especially with the spirit that pumps through his body plain for all to see.
On a day when the champions struggled to get out of second gear, Terry was on hand to salvage the three points their performance barely merited.
And with it the knowledge that even when the big guns only splutter intermittently, there's always the rock-solid reliability of The Skipper to save face.
Terry's been more proficient in the back of his Bentley this season than in front of goal but when he's needed he's always ready to, erm, pull out the big one.
As Boro found to their cost.
Boro boss Steve McClaren could have barely believed his luck. There was Frank Lampard being served up chances on a plate, only for the England man to waste each and every opportunity.
Yet just when Lampard had seen another opening slammed in his face, his compatriot in an England shirt charges out of defence and lands the devastating blow.
There was only one man Terry wanted to celebrate with ... and that was Mourinho.
Was it because of his unstinting support through a week of front-page headlines? Was it because this was a move planned to perfection on the training ground? Come on, Jose, what was the reason?
"Because he knew I'd had a bet on him," Mourinho said with a wolfish grin.
Mind you, Mourinho could only afford to smile after the game. During it, he'd been at his wits' end as Chelsea tossed away too many chances to put Boro to the sword for his liking.
He could forgive Lampard a rare off-day but Didier Drogba's wastefulness from eight yards after Damien Duff set him up with a snaking run was harder to accept. And Drogba felt Mourinho's wrath when he was hauled off minutes later.
In fact, there wasn't exactly much for Mourinho to salvage from this save for the three points and the reappearance of Arjen Robben.
The Hypochondriac Kid had been sidelined since November 1 with another niggling injury and it's obvious Mourinho has learned not to hurry the fragile Dutchman.
His reward was a performance of sinewy brilliance from Robben, twisting Boro inside out and finding a familiar rhythm and tempo that makes him such a wonder to behold ... at least when his head is right. He lasted until the 74th minute when he found the pace too much for a body unused to the rigours of the Premiership but that was enough to win praise from Mourinho.
"Arjen felt good and strong and showed the qualities that make him an important player for us," stressed the Chelsea boss. "We're into December now and he's given us very little this season - and he's a player who has to give us a lot."
Robben gave poor Matthew Bates all kinds of problems before the break yet Chelsea failed to capitalise with Lampard's radar for once wonky.
The nearest any side came to a goal was when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink hit the base of Petr Cech's post but there was to be no win bonus for Jimmy, no matter what his next book insists.
Instead, it was Chelsea who upped the ante and when Terry surged forward to meet Duff's corner and nod it under the fumbling feet of Fabio Rochemback, it turned out to be a nice little earner for the boys in blue.
CHELSEA: Cech 7 - Gallas 7, Carvalho 7, *TERRY 8, Del Horno 7 - Essien 7, Lampard 7, Gudjohnsen 6 (Geremi, 64mins 6) - Robben 8 (Wright-Phillips, 74mins, 7) Drogba 6 (Cole, 78mins), Duff 7.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer 7 - Bates 6, Riggott 7, Southgate 7, Pogatetz 7 - Rochemback 7, *BOATENG 8, Doriva 7, Morrison 6 (Quedrue, 81mins) - Yakubu 7, Hasselbaink 6 (Viduka, 72mins, 6). Ref: M Riley 8.
SHINER TERRY Put your mortgage on a true captain's performance from the Chelsea skipper
SHOCKER DROGBA The Ivory Coast striker has all the elegance of a horse falling down stairs
Attendance: 41,666

sunday papers portsmouth away

sunday times: Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 2: Pompey fury at Cole penalty Rob Hughes at Fratton Park THE Portsmouth team, by word and by deed, managed to get rid of their manager, but by running into the best team in England they could not arrest the defeats that now number five out of the past five times that Chelsea have come to this part of the south coast. According to the rumour mill, Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock is on his way to Fratton Park and will be paid £1m a year — on the evidence of this performance Warnock will earn every penny. And Chelsea? So much more composed and adept on and off the ball, they won comfortably to stretch their advantage at the top of the Premiership to 11 points. There were mixed emotions towards absent friends here yesterday evening. Nobody seemed to lament Alain Perrin, the Frenchman who had come and gone, dismissed after 21 games as Portsmouth manager. But for George Best, a friend of the chairman Milan Mandaric from their days together in San Jose, California, 27 years ago, there was the kind of reaction to melt the chilled night air. George would have approved. In keeping with the new vogue that began at midday in Wolverhampton, the crowd decided against the traditional silence and paid homage with a resounding applause, a chant of "Only one Georgie Best". Only one indeed. And one player who might have imagined, in his fantasies, that he is the modern entertainer, Laurent Robert, was not on the Portsmouth teamsheet, nor was the regular left-back Gregory Vignal. The revolution had started. And yet, hard and tenacious as Pompey fought, it was mostly Chelsea who had possession. But even then, Lomana LuaLua almost brought off a stunning surprise. In the 17th minute he was lurking 10 yards outside the Chelsea penalty box, with no Claude Makelele to police that space in front of the defence. Languidly, LuaLua allowed the ball to bounce once and then, with a short backlift but tremendous power from his right foot, he aimed his shot. It was heading just beneath the crossbar when Petr Cech arched his back and flicked the ball over the goal. At least we could see that under Joe Jordan, again the caretaker manager, Portsmouth would give up nothing without combat. There was too much of it in the 26th minute when Richard Hughes crash-tackled Joe Cole. Referee Phil Dowd was about to lecture Hughes when he was distracted by the noise from the touchline. The Chelsea head coach, Jose Mourinho, was throwing a tantrum, telling the referee his duty. Without a card for Hughes, but with stern words in the Portuguese ear, Dowd dealt with it in his own way. However, the free kick rewarded Chelsea even without Hughes being booked. It was touched to the right, Paulo Ferreira then drove it hopefully into the danger area, and there, ghosting into the action, was Hernan Crespo. With a deft deflection, the Argentinian striker scored from six yards, his third goal in three games for Chelsea. How can they leave him out? Alas, his contribution did not last until half-time. After being treated for bruising on his left hip bone, he was replaced after 38 minutes by the England Under-21 striker Carlton Cole. "I hope he recovers, because he's on fire," said Mourinho afterwards. In reality the "star man" of this encounter was Team Chelsea as Portsmouth tried to kick the champions out of their stride. "Cheat! Cheat!" the home supporters cried when Joe Cole, as brave as could be, was hauled down inside the penalty area by Dejan Stefanovic. Despite angry protests by the Pompey faithful, Dowd had got this one right. It was a clear penalty. It was the moment for the inevitable Frank Lampard to crown his extraordinary record of 160 consecutive Premiership appearances with the spot-kick, which was his 11th goal in 14 matches. It could have been so much worse for Portsmouth — the yellow cards dished out to Hughes and Stefanovic for their treatment of Joe Cole could so easily have been red. Afterwards, Jordan appealed for Mandaric to appoint a successor to Perrin as soon as possible — provided they make sure it is the right man. Jordan could still be in charge against his old club Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday but has made it clear he does not want the manager's job and would prefer to remain as coach. He picked the team for this match, and said: "I enjoyed the responsibility of that but I'm content to work with the players on the training field. They were up for this match and I had high hopes until the first goal. That made it a hard task for us, but the team played with good spirit. "When Chelsea got the second goal from the penalty spot it was very difficult for us. But there are some good players here and we have a good set of supporters. "What we need now is to have the right man in charge. That's up to the chairman to get who he wants. He's made changes over his time here but it is his choice. "I know that I will be going to Old Trafford next week either as temporary manager or coach. I've got a contract until the end of the season but as long as I'm working in football I'm happy." Mourinho saw his team go those 11 points clear at the top of the Premiership and said: "We were quite comfortable in the end. Portsmouth's players were aggressive but not too aggressive and our players did well to cope. "Joe Cole played a good game and I only took him off before the end because he has four bookings and will be suspended after the next one. "Joe is one of the best wingers in the game but I'm going to leave him in peace and not call him the new George Best like you ask. "We could have had two penalties, not just one. Joe Cole was fouled inside the box after Frank Lampard scored the first but the free kick was outside. "Frank was in good form as usual. It is an incredible feat to play 160 games in a row in the League." Of Crespo's injury, Mourinho said: "It could be his back, his ribs, his leg, anything. We are not sure yet. We have Didier Drogba and Claude Makelele out injured but Carlton Cole came on as a substitute and did well for us." STAR MAN: Joe Cole (Chelsea) Player ratings. Portsmouth: Ashdown 7, Priske 6, O'Brien 6, Stefanovic 5, Griffin 6, O'Neil 7, Diao 6, Hughes 5, Taylor 5, Silva 4 (Todorov 64min, 6), LuaLua 6 Chelsea: Cech 7, Ferreira 7, Carvalho 7, Terry 7, Gallas 7, J Cole 8 (Geremi 82min, 6), Gudjohnsen 7, Essien 7, Lampard 7, Duff 7 (Wright-Phillips 80min, 6), Crespo 7 (C Cole 38min, 6) Scorers: Chelsea: Crespo 27, Lampard 67 pen Referee: P Dowd Attendance: 20,182 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ mirror: HE'S JUST FRAN-TASTIC PORTSMOUTH......0 CHELSEA...............2 Crespo 27, Lampard (pen) 67: Lampard wraps it up on his day to remember Paul Smith FRANK LAMPARD put the seal on his record-breaking day with the penalty that wrapped up another three points for Chelsea and prolonged the misery for Portsmouth. A week of turmoil on the South Coast finally ended with the departure of French coach Alain Perrin on Thursday morning. Perrin's pleas to be given more time following a dismal run of just four wins in 21 games, the worst record of any manager in the club's history, fell on deaf ears as chairman Milan Mandaric reluctantly wielded the axe in an attempt to save the club from relegation. In the absence of an immediate successor, Joe Jordan took temporary charge as Pompey welcomed the defending Premiership champions. George Best, who had been a regular visitor to Fratton Park over the years because of his 27-year friendship with Mandaric, received a fitting send-off from the capacity crowd, who witnessed a historical day for Lampard, playing in his 160th consecutive Premiership game and beating the record previously held by Man City goalkeeper David James. Pompey belied their position at the foot of the table by taking the game to the leaders. But it was Lampard who came closest to opening the scoring when his 25-yard free-kick went narrowly wide. Then an astonishing save from Chelsea keeper Petr Cech in the 18th minute denied Pompey's Lomana LuaLua when he struck the ball from 20 yards with the outside of his foot only to watch in dismay as the Czech international tipped the ball over the bar in full flight. Pompey continued to trouble the leaders as their renewed confidence was evident. However, the danger signs were there every time the visitors pushed forward in numbers. When Jose Mourinho remonstrated with the referee following a late tackle by Richard Hughes on Joe Cole, the goading by the home fans backfired on them. Barely a minute later the ball reached the feet of Paulo Ferreira and when Jamie Ashdown appeared to have his shot covered, Argentine striker Hernan Crespo nipped in to divert the ball into the net. Crespo was to play no further part in the game - he limped off the field in the 38th minute and was replaced by Carlton Cole. Pompey almost equalised in first-half stoppage time. LuaLua sent the ball in hard and low and when Gary OiNeill picked it up and centred for Dario Silva, Cech dived at his feet to retrieve the ball. Pompey came out fired up for the second half and immediately embarked on trying to find an equaliser. But once Chelsea had weathered the homes side's early storm, they began to take control of the game. To their credit Pompey, backed by the vocal support of their fans, continued to plug away. Midfielder Richard Hughes, who was lucky to escape a caution in the first half when he brought down Joe Cole, wasn't so lucky when he went in late on the same player in the 59th minute and referee Phil Dowd immediately brandished the yellow card. Jordan decided to freshen up his striking options in the 63rd minute and sent on Svetoslav Todorov. But four minutes after he entered the field of play Pompey went 2-0 down when Dejan Stefanovic brought Joe Cole down in the penalty area and Lampard stepped up to score his 12th goal of the campaign from the spot. The home side were fortunate not to concede another penalty just minutes later when Stefanovic brought that man Cole down again and referee Dowd adjudged it was just outside the box. The second goal effectively killed the game off as a contest and as the home side's discipline appeared to disintegrate, only the intervention of Jordan, who took Hughes off the pitch, prevented the midfielder from leaving the field in shame. Sadly his replacement, John Viafara, took on Hughes's mantle and brought Cole down with his first tackle. Eidur Gudjohnsen almost added a third from the subsequent free-kick but was denied by Ashdown. Chelsea barely broke sweat as they saw out the game to take the three points and strengthen their position at the top MAN OF THE MATCH JOE COLE The Chelsea star simply tormented Pompey with a vintage display on the wing. Cole was in irresistible form.RATINGS PORTSMOUTH: Ashdown 7, Stefanovic 7, O'Brien 7, Priske 7, Griffin 7, Hughes 6, Diao 6, O'Neil 7, Taylor 7, Silva 6 (Todorov 6), LuaLua 7. CHELSEA: Cech 7, Essien 8, Carvalho 7, Lampard 7, Crespo 7 (C Cole 6), J COLE 9, Duff 7, Gallas 7, Ferreira 7, Gudjohnsen 7, Terry 7. MANAGERS: Jordan 7; Mourinho 7 REFEREE: P Dowd 7 Portsmouth's last victory over Chelsea at Fratton Park is almost ancient history, 3-0 on Boxing Day 1957. Russia had just launched the first ever living being into space, a dog called Laika. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Observer: Chelsea in cruise control to glide past shaky Pompey Gerry Cox at Fratton Park Sunday November 27, 2005 The Observer Chelsea moved 11 points clear at the top of the Premiership after yet another functional rather than thrilling victory, a result that leaves Portsmouth still deep in trouble. Having sacked Alain Perrin earlier in the week and then seen the death of his close friend, George Best, Pompey chairman Milan Mandaric must have been hoping for a ray of light from this game, but with Chelsea cruising mercilessly towards a second successive title, an upset was never on the cards. A first-half goal from Hernan Crespo and a second-half penalty from Frank Lampard were enough to see Chelsea through what became a bad-tempered game, but they hardly got out of second gear against caretaker-manager Joe Jordan's side. What must have dismayed Jordan was that on this evidence, Chelsea's players possessed not just superior skill and confidence, but greater strength and determination to win the ball. Their hunger is easily explained. With such a large and talented squad, no one - with the possible exceptions of Petr Cech, John Terry and Frank Lampard - can allow his performance to dip without fear of losing his place. Didier Drogba was the victim on this occasion, the £26m striker not even making the substitutes' bench. Whatever the reason, the move gave a rare opportunity for Carlton Cole to play a Premiership game for Chelsea, the England under-21 striker going on as substitute for Crespo not long after the Argentine forward put his side ahead in the 27th minute. It was either a superb opportunist goal or somewhat fortunate, depending on your view. Certainly Paulo Ferreira's 30-yard shot appeared to be covered by goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown as he went towards the far corner of his goal before Crespo appeared from nowhere to divert the ball into the opposite side of the net with the outside of his boot. But when Crespo trotted off holding his ribs 12 minutes later, Cole got his chance to impress. Even though Pompey were on the back foot from the start, Chelsea played a patient game, happy to knock the ball around in their own half while waiting for openings. If the first half had been a curiously passionless affair, things livened up after the break, no doubt due to Jordan impressing on his players that they had half a chance if they were to take the game to Chelsea. Portsmouth started to show plenty of passion, certainly, but there was a bit too much bite for referee Phil Dowd, who produced a flurry of yellow cards for incidents involving the two Chelsea Coles, Joe and Carlton. The latter was also booked after a late challenge on Andy Griffin, but it was the former who caused most problems for Pompey and their supporters. Joe Cole had taken some heavy tackles from the opening minutes, but as the game opened up and he started running at opponents, they simply could not cope with him. Richard Hughes was booked for hauling him down on the hour, and five minutes later Dejan Stefanovic was cautioned after tripping the England midfielder in the penalty area. The resultant penalty brought protests from Portsmouth's players, howls of derision from their supporters and jibes towards Joe Cole and the referee. Television replays, however, showed that Mr Dowd was correct to spot Stefanovic trip Cole, and Lampard duly sent Ashdown the wrong way from the penalty spot. Not a bad way to celebrate his 160th successive league appearance, a new Premiership record. The crowd should have been grateful that the referee did not award another penalty when Cole was brought down by Stefanovic again. It looked marginally inside the penalty area, but Mr Dowd gave a free-kick outside. Lampard's free-kick was blocked by the defensive wall, and Joe Cole's follow-up shot flew over the bar, to the delight of the home supporters. Lomana LuaLua curled another one over the bar for Portsmouth, but despite the introduction of Svetoslav Todorov as a replacement for the disappointing Dario Silva, the home side hardly threatened Cech again. Chelsea could have had more, with Ricardo Carvalho missing a free header in front of goal, Carlton Cole volleying wastefully wide and Eidur Gudjohnsen having a fierce free-kick saved by Ashdown in the closing stages. But this Chelsea side seem happy enough to get the job done with the minimum of fuss, and the final whistle was as low-key as the rest of the match, except for more jeers aimed at the referee and the muted celebrations of the small band of Chelsea supporters. Man of the match: Joe Cole - Home fans howled 'diver' and worse every time he earned a free-kick, but in truth Cole was a step ahead of his heavy-tackling markers and just too quick for them. 'He's one of the best wingers in the game today,' said Jose Mourinho. 'The only way they could stop him was to foul him. He should have had two penalties, not one.' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Telegraph: Record-breaker Lampard seals it for Chelsea By Trevor Haylett at Fratton Park Portsmouth (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 2 It really matters not a jot who is in charge of Portsmouth, Chelsea will usually come here and win 2-0. They did so in Harry Redknapp's time and again when the luckless Velimir Zajec took his turn at the helm. Showing Alain Perrin the door last week was never likely to affect the stranglehold the champions enjoy over these opponents. If the fixture observed a rare symmetry it also showed that Frank Lampard, among all his other qualities, has a special gift for timing. On the day when he established a new record with a 160th consecutive Premiership appearance, the England midfielder rapped home a second-half penalty to seal a victory which sent Chelsea 11 points clear at the head of the field and again owed more to their application and understanding than outstanding skill. Then again there was not a lot for them to beat. Even for a chairman who's axe is constantly kept sharp - the next appointment will be the eighth manager to work under Milan Mandaric since he took control in 1999 - this has been a particularly hard week. Following Perrin's departure after a miserable record of four wins in 21 games, bookmakers have stopped taking bets on the return of Harry Redknapp to Fratton Park. Would Harry cross the South Coast divide a second time? It seems an unlikely possibility with Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock remaining the more likely candidate. Joe Jordan's first selection as caretaker gave his club's supporters an immediate lift as it showed the return of Dario Silva. The significance lay in the fact that Portsmouth would be confronting Chelsea with two strikers, a positive step forward from the previous era when attackers were burdened with solo duties. Initially Lomana LuaLua took strength from having company and showed nifty footwork to spread concern among Chelsea's defenders. From the opposite flank he dispatched an awkward low cross which Petr Cech was relieved to deal with cleanly. Soon Chelsea took control though their possession was confined to the central areas as the home team guarded their 18-yard line zealously. Lampard's free-kick skidded wide on 14 minutes but Chelsea had not seriously threatened before they took the lead in the 27th minute. Maybe Mourinho's protests after a particularly stiff challenge on Joe Cole, helped to stir his team. Lampard swept the ball square to Paulo Ferreira who' s shot from distance carried power. Jamie Ashdown probably had it covered but in nipped Hernan Crespo to apply the decisive touch. It was just about the last contribution from the Argentinian who took a knock and hobbled off in pain. Portsmouth, still without a home win after seven attempts, were having to work exceptionally hard for their openings. The home crowd demanded a more vigourous response from their team and it was answered with a spate of second-half bookings. Joe Cole aroused mounting hostility with the way he went to ground and there was a furious response when he tumbled in the area as Dejan Stefanovic caught him with a boot. Replays showed, however, that Phil Dowd had called the penalty correctly. Lampard's successful conversion was followed three minutes later by another Cole charge at Stefanovic. Down went the England man again in the box though he was quickly up on his feet to signal no foul. Dowd overruled him and then placed the ball outside the area, a decision which succeeded in baffling both sets of players. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Independent; Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 2: Pompey wait on Warnock to chime in Sack-happy Mandaric watches his leaderless side succumb to the class of Crespo and Cole By Steve Tongue at Fratton Park Published: 27 November 2005 Sacking a manager generally has the desired effect of shaking a team up, with the players whose performances have brought the bad results suddenly stirring themselves. Finding that Chelsea are the next opposition, however, sharply diminishes the chances of improving a poor run, as Portsmouth discovered yesterday evening. However soon a new man is appointed in succession to Alain Perrin he can hardly look forward to the forthcoming trips to Manchester United and Tottenham, two of the sides in the group at the top of the Premiership who are playing for second place behind Chelsea. Goals by Hernan Crespo and Frank Lampard earned the visitors a comfortable victory here, extending their lead to a daunting 11 points. Lampard, after misplacing some early passes, became his usual influential self and converted a penalty to commemorate the day he broke David James' Premiership record of 160 consecutive appearances; it is a staggering run for an outfield player. Joe Cole, though less renowned for his consistency, outshone his midfield colleagues here and George Best, for all his allegiance to Portsmouth and their chairman Milan Mandaric, would have admired the brave way Cole continued to go at the home defenders despite some brutal treatment. His tangible reward was to earn the penalty that sealed the points. The names of Neil Warnock, Ruud Gullit and - intriguingly - Harry Redknapp are believed to be on the short-list compiled by the sack-happy Mandaric. Logically, even the promise of a huge wage increase ought not to be enough to tempt Warnock to leave his home-town club, Sheffield United, now that he finally has them in a position to reach the Premiership - all the more so since Pompey could pass them on the way down unless the right signings are made in January. But when did logic count for anything in the world of football management? "We've been through tough times before and we need unity from you all," Mandaric wrote in the match programme. The crowd were as good as ever, getting behind their team from the start and encouraging them into a reasonable first 20 minutes before the first goal. Portsmouth had one good moment before that occurred. In the 19th minute, the Uruguayan Dario Silva touched on a long clearance from the goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown and Lomana LuaLua hit a fierce shot that Petr Cech turned expertly over the bar with his left hand. But eight minutes later Paulo Ferreira moved forward to send in a drive towards the far side of the goal and an unmarked Crespo, showing dazzling reflexes, diverted it into the other side of the net past a startled Ashdown. It was the Argentinian's third goal in as many games, but he would not last as long as half-time. After taking the second of two bangs in the back he persuaded Jose Mourinho to replace him, Carlton Cole coming on for a rare and undistinguished appearance. Earlier Mourinho, understandably upset by three bad fouls on Joe Cole just in front of him, had been sharply spoken to by the referee, Phil Dowd, for making his displeasure known too vigorously. Soon after half-time Dowd was noting the names of Salif Diao, Carlton Cole and Richard Hughes all for bad tackles, quickly followed by Andy Griffin. The home crowd felt that Joe Cole went down too easily for that last challenge and they were furious when he fell under Dejan Stefanovic's challenge in the penalty area midway through the second half. But television replays confirmed the initial impression that he had turned too quickly for the Serbian international's lunge, and the penalty award was quite correct. Lampard banged in the spot-kick and only a couple of minutes later Stefanovic dived in on Cole equally rashly right on the edge of the area and was fortunate to escape with a free-kick and no second card. As Chelsea have not conceded a goal in the second half of their last 19 Premiership games, they were entitled to believe the hard work was done and the points were secure. So it proved and Mourinho was able to give a run to Shaun Wright-Phillips and Géremi, the latter almost adding to the lead with a deftly curled free-kick. "It was not easy," Mourinho said of the win, which counted as generosity in victory.

morning papers anderlecht away

Chelsea cruise on with Crespo
Jon Brodkin at Constant vanden Stock StadiumThursday November 24, 2005The Guardian
Jose Mourinho's sums may have let him down on the eve of this fixture but his team did nothing of the sort last night. Two early goals enabled Chelsea to play in cruise control for much of the match. With Real Betis failing to win at Anfield this took the Premiership champions through to the last 16, meaning their manager was spot on in suggesting that three more points would suffice. A similar result at home to Liverpool would secure the group's top spot.
Far tougher tests than this lie ahead but Chelsea are entitled to feel satisfied with a first away win in this tournament for just over a year. They were stronger, slicker and of a higher quality than a poor Anderlecht team, who barely looked like scoring after they wasted a fine chance to take the lead and have now lost 12 straight Champions League matches. When asked to, Chelsea defended soundly, with Michael Essien growing into his role as the holding midfielder.Hernán Crespo underlined his increasing value with a second strike in as many games and some nice touches with his back to goal as Chelsea, afforded far more space than usual, dictated the pace and rhythm. They started excellently and were content to play within themselves in the second half. Late on they struck a post through the influential Frank Lampard, who had set up both goals.
Chelsea could hardly be blamed for not expending energy in searching relentlessly for a bigger margin of victory or potentially exposing themselves to counter-attacks. They have plenty of Premiership business to attend to, starting at Portsmouth on Saturday, and Mourinho took the opportunity to bring on Lassana Diarra, Geremi and Carlton Cole.
The final group match against Liverpool in a fortnight will be nothing more than a face-off for first place. Mourinho said he would set out to win but that it was "not important" where his team finished. "If you are first you can get Real Madrid," he noted. "If second, you can get Lyon. What's the difference between playing Juventus and Bayern Munich? Maybe if you are first you have to play against Milan and second against PSV Eindhoven. Like last season, we finished first and played Barcelona."
Events here were as good as over after goals from Crespo and Ricardo Carvalho inside 15 minutes. Mourinho had called on his players to begin brightly and not underestimate the task after the failure to beat other troubled teams in Betis, Manchester United and Everton in recent weeks, and they did precisely that.
The identity of the goalscorers vindicated the manager's selections. He had stuck with Crespo and left Didier Drogba on the bench, and the Argentina striker coolly volleyed Chelsea's opener after Lampard robbed Anthony Vanden Borre, accelerated down the left and centred with his supposedly weaker foot.
It was Crespo's first start in this competition under Mourinho, who was surely reiterating that the striker has a future at the club despite suggestions to the contrary. Crespo's goals against Newcastle and here have shown his desire to succeed at Chelsea. "Hernán's performance was very good again," Mourinho said.
The advantage was doubled by Carvalho, chosen at centre-back instead of William Gallas, who was deployed at full-back. Carvalho does not score many but hit a powerful shot across goal after a Lampard corner was flicked on.
Chelsea were in control, retaining possession comfortably as Lampard and Eidur Gudjohnsen dictated matters, with good support from Joe Cole, but they might have faced a far tougher night had Anderlecht accepted an opening about 40 seconds before Crespo scored. A quick throw sent Christian Wilhelmsson down the right but Mbo Mpenza's shot from the Swede's cross spun wide.
The gap in class and muscle was soon evident and it was not hard to believe Anderlecht have been troubled by poor domestic results and infighting. They were jeered off by their fans. Mourinho had only praise for his players. "Our performance in the first half-hour was very good, very strong - quality in the game with intensity," he said. "The second half was not as beautiful as the first half but we controlled the game. We were under a little bit of pressure to qualify [but] we did it very well."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Anderlecht 0 Chelsea 2 Crespo's class tells as Chelsea cruise into knock-out stages By Jason Burt at the Vanden Stock Stadium Published: 24 November 2005 It isn't over until the fat lady sings, or so the saying goes. But she was warming up her tonsils on a bitter night in Brussels from the moment Hernan Crespo tapped the ball off the centre-spot to start proceedings. Never mind the opera, this was barely a drama, as one-sided a mismatch as the Champions' League gets, and it allowed Chelsea to record their first away win in seven matches in Europe.
A bizarre record indeed for such a formidable, and formidably resourced, opponent, and one stretching back to November last year, but by ending it - and with Real Betis failing to beat Liverpool - Chelsea qualified from Group G for the knock-out stages of this competition without having remotely to extend themselves.
Not that the Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, cares whether his side or Liverpool top the group. "I think it is not important at all," he said, reasoning that facing Bayern Munich or Barcelona in the next round was much of a muchness. "But it would have been funny if Betis had won," he said. "Imagine Chelsea versus Liverpool. Ten points each and the loser is out of the competition. It would have been a fantastic night."
Some sense of humour that - and there was also a little dig at Rafael Benitez, saying he hoped he would come to entertain at Stamford Bridge next month. Mourinho also opened his comments with a swipe at having been criticised for his pre-match remark that all Chelsea needed to do was win. "First of all," he said, "I'm very good at maths because I told you three points was enough."
He was, again, right. Mourinho also got his permutations correct in playing Crespo ahead of Didier Drogba, and he was rewarded with a performance of class from the Argentinian, who is shifting into form, and into the limelight, just as Chelsea need him.
Crespo looked every bit the top international striker that he undoubtedly is and his employers would do well to smooth whatever unrest there remains in his heart over staying in London.
Crespo's name rang long into the night from the travelling Chelsea fans, whose team killed the game with two early goals in a first half that their manager described as "beautiful". That beauty was not maintained after the break although the firm grip established by the relentless power of Michael Essien was never loosened.
But Chelsea eased ahead through a goal created solely by Frank Lampard, who sent in what Mourinho described as an "unbelievable" cross for Crespo to leap and volley in. That came soon after Anderlecht should have scored when, with the disappointing Asier del Horno out of position, a quick throw-in released Christian Wilhelmsson, who pulled the ball back only for Mbo Mpenza to steer wide.
Soon the home side were further behind and again Crespo was involved. Lampard's corner was flicked on by the striker and Ricardo Carvalho half-volleyed into the roof of the net. Game over and with that Anderlecht were consigned to a record 12th consecutive Champions' League defeat.
Their only hope was the energy of Wilhelmsson but, in truth, and until Bart Goor made a hash of a cross late on, they were completely colourless and departed at both the half and full-time whistles to derision from their otherwise mute fans.
Perhaps because of the ease of it all, Chelsea dipped and a third goal would not come, as Crespo - in his final act before being replaced to a rich ovation - volleyed into the side-netting. His performance confirmed again the astonishing choices Mourinho has. There is the target man bludgeon of Didier Drogba, or the appealing rapier of Crespo. Last night belonged to the latter and he slit Anderlecht's throats. The smoothest of assassins.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Gallas, Terry, Carvalho, Del Horno; Lampard, Essien, Gudjohnsen (Geremi, 78); J Cole (Diarra, 62), Crespo (C Cole, 86), Duff. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Drogba, Ferreira, Huth.
Anderlecht (4-4-2): Proto; Zewlakow, Kompany, Tihinen, Deschacht; Wilhelmsson, Vanden Borre, Vanderhaeghe (Iachtchouk, h-t), Goor; Mpenza (Zetterberg, 60), Akin (Ehret, 74). Substitutes not used: Zitka (gk), Juhasz, De Man, Mitu.
Referee: S Farina (Italy).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sun:Anderlecht 0 Chelsea 2 By SUN ONLINE REPORTER
CHELSEA have qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League.
After some poor performances, boss Jose Mourinho had ordered his side to put an end to their sloppy attitude.
And they did so in a fashion that would have delighted the coach with goals inside the first 15 minutes from Hernan Crespo and Ricardo Carvalho.
The win was also was enough to see the Blues progress to the next phase - as Mourinho had predicted.
In contrast, the Belgian side, without a goal in Europe this season or a victory in the Champions League for 12 games had nothing in their armoury.
Crespo, preferred in attack to Didier Drogba put the Blues in front after only seven minutes.
Frank Lampard enjoyed plenty of time and space on the left to deliver a pinpoint cross for Crespo.
And the Argentinian gave keeper Silvio Proto no chance by volleying the ball into the net.
In the 15th minute the away side doubled their advantage through Carvalho.
A corner on the right from Lampard was knocked on by Crespo for the Portuguese international to despatch a vicious volley into the top right-hand corner of the Anderlecht net.
It was Carvalho’s second goal in the competition and put Chelsea in complete control.
The rest of the first half saw Chelsea continue to dominate proceedings without adding to the scoreline.
Crespo saw a looping volley go just over the target and Joe Cole was unlucky with a chip that Proto just managed to collect from under the crossbar.
In the second half a clever run by Damien Duff almost opened up the Anderlecht defence once more.
But this time the Belgians managed to scramble the ball to safety.
Carvalho found himself through on goal in the 50th minute after Duff had put him clear but he did not have the legs to finish off the run and settled for a corner.
That resulted in Duff chancing his luck from 20 yards with a fierce shot that Proto did well to punch clear in a crowded goalmouth.
Anderlecht finally managed to get a shot on target in the 66th minute when Petr Cech was forced to dive low to his right to prevent Serhat Akin’s effort from creeping into the net at the near post.
But Chelsea almost added a third in the 84th minute when Lampard’s left-foot effort from just outside was pushed on to the foot of the post by Proto.
Seconds later Crespo should have done better with a right-foot shot that he place wide of the upright from six yards.
It was to be his last contribution of the night as Mourinho replaced him with Carlton Cole.
Liverpool’s goalless draw with Betis at Anfield ensured that both English sides qualified from Group G. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Telegraph:
Crespo steers Chelsea through By Christopher Davies in Brussels Anderlecht (0) 0 Chelsea (2) 2
Latin flair and Belgian despair combined to see Chelsea gain the victory over Anderlecht which, with the failure of Real Betis to beat Liverpool, ensured the Premiership leaders of a place in the Champions League knockout phase for the third consecutive season.
Game over: Ricardo Carvalho celebrates Chelsea's second Hernan Crespo justified his selection ahead of Didier Drogba, the Argentine scoring the opening goal and laying on the second for Portugal international Ricardo Carvalho.
It brought to an end Chelsea's European travel sickness and was their first away win in the Champions League since their victory in Russia over Spartak Moscow just over a year ago.
With Liverpool also progressing to the next stage, it means the English derby between the Premiership and European Champions at Stamford Bridge in the final tie will decide which finish first in the group and become a seed for the next round. As Chelsea won their group last season and were then drawn to play Barcelona, Mourinho may question the value of winning the qualifying group.
However, it was never really in doubt that they would win a Champions League tie after eight failures because Anderlecht must be one of the most mediocre teams ever to rub shoulders with Europe's elite. The scoreline does not do justice to Chelsea's almost embarrassing superiority.
As the game progressed Chelsea, understandably, were happy to maintain their two-goal lead while Anderlecht were similarly content not to suffer a humiliating defeat. If it did not make for the most enthralling of matches, Chelsea flew home from Brussels with their mission of reaching the knockout stage accomplished.
Mourinho's mathematics had been questioned as he waded through the complexities of the qualification possibilities on the eve of the tie but the manager's team selection proved to be spot on, the choice of Crespo ahead of Drogba as the lone striker paying quick dividends.
With eight minutes gone Christian Wilhelmsson crossed from the right and Mbo Mpenza was a foot wide as he slid in on the centre. Anderlecht paid the heaviest of prices for Mpenza's profligacy because from the resulting goal-kick Chelsea scored.
Petr Cech's clearance found Damien Duff who helped the ball on to Frank Lampard on the left flank. The Footballer of the Year's centre was volleyed home by Crespo, making his first Champions League start under Mourinho, the Argentina international unmarked as he beat Silvio Proto from six yards.
Without a point or a goal in Group G, Anderlecht were looking at a fifth consecutive double-blank this season and when Ricardo Carvalho made it 2-0 in the 15th minute the game as a true contest was effectively over.
Lampard's right-wing corner was flicked on by Crespo to Carvalho by the far post and the Portugal defender scored with a half-volley from eight yards. Chelsea may have lost six of their last seven away ties in the Champions League but they had never been defeated when leading 2-0 under Mourinho and a side going into the match in the wake of 11 successive European defeats seemed unlikely to create a minor piece of Chelsea history.
Two minutes after the interval Mpenza was clear with only Cech to beat and for a moment the Constant Vanden Stock stadium held its collective breath.
Was Anderlecht's Champions League goal drought about to end? No. Mpenza's shot was saved by Cech's legs and, perhaps to the relief of the Anderlecht striker, he was offside, something he was unaware of at the time.
Apart from Lampard's shot with five minutes remaining that struck a post there was little to raise the pulse as the match became almost a glorified European training session for Chelsea though the suspicion is that their reserves would give them a tougher time than Anderlecht.
Match detailsAnderlecht (4-1-4-1): Proto; Zealakow, Kompany, Tihinen, Deschacht; Vanderhaeghe; Wilhelmsson, Vanden Borre, Akin (Ehret 75), Goor; Mpenza (Zetterberg 60). Subs: Zitka (g), Juhasz, Lachtchouk, De Man, Mitu. Booked: Vanden Boore. Chelsea ( 4-1-4-1): Cech; Gallas, Terry, Carvalho, Del Horno; Essien; J Cole (Diarra 63), Lampard, Gudjohnsen (Geremi 78), Duff; Crespo (C Cole 86). Subs: Cudicini (g), Drogba, Paulo Ferreira, Huth. Booked: Del Horno, Terry. Referee: S Farina (Italy).
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Times:
It all adds up fine for Mourinho as Chelsea saunter onFrom Matt Hughes in BrusselsAnderlecht 0 Chelsea 2
JOSÉ MOURINHO may have failed his own maths test, but it would be impossible to argue with his logic. The Chelsea manager had demanded an improved attitude from his players and they responded with a performance of outstanding professionalism, securing the win that takes them through to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

The match was over as a contest after 15 minutes thanks largely to Hernán Crespo, who kissed and made up with his manager by scoring the first goal and creating the second for Ricardo Carvalho. Such was the sense of lethargy among the away team’s fans that they amused themselves, if no one else, by singing about supposed slums in Liverpool, whose visit to Stamford Bridge next month will decide who finishes top of group G. Mourinho also appeared relaxed, even giving Gérémi a rare runout, before defending his mathematics.
"First of all I’m very good on maths because I thought three points would be enough and it was," Mourinho said. "The performance was very good in the first half. The attacking was very good and the intensity was there. We played very, very well and controlled the game."
Crespo was crucial to Chelsea establishing such control, making his first Champions League start under Mourinho and the first since scoring two goals in last season’s final for AC Milan. Mourinho has gone out of his way to make the fragile Crespo feel at home after a bust-up before Chelsea’s defeat away to Real Betis and made a big statement by overlooking his beloved Didier Drogba, the sledgehammer he uses to crack nuts. A knee injury to the Ivory Coast forward also influenced his decision.
"I choose Hernán because first of all I feel Didier is a target player and Hernán is a movement player," Mourinho said. "I always pick the team depending on what we need in each game. Hernán gave us what we needed and I also need to motivate players.
"Hernán performed very well for us and I always felt he was settled. He has great quality. I always wanted two players for every position and am happy with them. I’m getting what I want from both of them."
Crespo appeared determined to make the most of his opportunity from the outset, demonstrating surprising machismo for one usually so meek. Mourinho’s message — perspiration beats inspiration every time — may have got through. In the seventh minute he reached a through-pass from Joe Cole he had no right to get to, beating Hannu Tihinen to the ball and showing strength to hold off the Anderlecht captain, but his shot was saved by Silvio Proto.
In an entertaining opening Anderlecht threatened themselves a minute later, Mbo Mpenza shooting across goal after a cross from the right by Christian Wilhelmsson with Petr Cech nowhere, but that was the end of their evening.
Chelsea are a class apart when they counter-attack and 30 seconds on they scored when Crespo showed wonderful balance to direct a Frank Lampard cross into the net with a crisp volley from 12 yards, for his fifth goal in seven starts this season.
Having lost their previous 11 Champions League games and fought among themselves during a defeat by Westerlo at the weekend, Anderlecht’s heads understandably dropped and seven minutes later were between their knees. Crespo was again their tormentor, heading a Lampard corner across goal from the right for Carvalho to provide a neat finish. They may share a fondness for lank locks but their goalscoring records could not be more different, with the Portuguese celebrating his third goal for the club.
Despite their contribution to an open contest the home side were greeted with jeers at half-time. Many of their players, fatigued by weeks of failure, may not have wanted to return for the second half but they showed commendable character in coming back for more. They had chances too, Mpenza stealing the ball in the 47th minute from Carvalho, perhaps dreaming of further attacking glory, only to be ruled offside.
Carvalho’s dreams almost came to fruition four minutes later after a rare foray forward but his cross was cut out by Tihinen, while Lampard hit the post late on.
For the most part, though, Chelsea were happy to keep the ball, contentedly killing a game well and truly under control. The most interesting aspect of the second half was the introduction of Lassana Diarra, who was given the final half-hour. The 20-year-old Frenchman was signed as a long-term replacement for Claude Makelele, but on his second Chelsea appearance operated ahead of Michael Essien on the right of midfield, keeping the ball well without demonstrating any real quality. Tougher tests await for both the player and his club.
ANDERLECHT (4-3-2-1): S Proto — M Zewlakow, V Kompany, H Tihinen, O Deschacht — A Vanden Borre, Y Vanderhaege (sub: O Iachtchouk, 46min), B Goor — C Wilhelmsson, A Serhat (sub: F Ehret, 74) — M Mpenza (sub: P Zetterberg, 59). Substitutes not used: D Zitka, R Juhasz, M De Man, D Mitu. Booked: Vanden Borre.
CHELSEA (4-3-3): P Cech — W Gallas, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Del Horno — M Essien, F Lampard, E Gudjohnsen (sub: Gérémi, 78) — J Cole (sub: L Diarra, 63), H Crespo (sub: C Cole, 86), D Duff. Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, D Drogba, P Ferreira, R Huth. Booked: Del Horno, Terry.
Referee: S Farina (Italy).
INS AND OUTS
Qualified for knockout stages: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lyons, Ajax, Bayern Munich
Cannot qualify: Rapid Vienna, FC Bruges, Rosenborg, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Sparta Prague, FC Thun, Anderlecht, Real Betis, Fenerbahçe ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mirror:
HERNAN ON CRESP OF A WAVE TO PUT BLUES THROUGHCHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Group G: Anderlecht 0-2 ChelseaBy Darren LewisHERNAN CRESPO showed Chelsea fans just what a class act he is last night.
Crespo had talked of leading his Argentina side against England with a knife between his teeth. Last night he plunged that knife right into the heart of Anderlecht's slim hopes of reaching the UEFA Cup with an outstanding performance.
And the Chelsea supporters that had sided against him before and during that roller-coaster ride of a contest in Geneva welcomed him back with open arms.
Because Crespo is finally producing for Chelsea the kind of form Blues fans have wanted to see ever since he joined two years ago from Inter Milan.
Unsettled under Claudio Ranieri, he was packed off to Inter's rivals AC on a year-long loan in the summer of 2004 after falling foul of new Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
He did not want to come back to England but had to because of Mourinho's failure to land his prime targets, the likes of Andriy Shevchenko and Adriano. But with Crespo playing like he did last night, who needs them? And there was an edge and a purpose to Chelsea's all-round play right from the start on this freezing night in Brussels.
The west Londoners were desperate not only to end their appalling away record in the Champions League but also not to show up their manager again.
Mourinho had gaffed 24 hours earlier by insisting his team were guaranteed to make the knockout stages as long as they took the three points here. What he had forgotten was that Liverpool needed to beat the Spaniards of Real Betis to make that happen.
In any case, the fact remained that Chelsea still needed to do their bit.
Mourinho stuck with Crespo in attack even though powerful Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba was available after being banned for last Saturday's 3-0 win over Newcastle.
The Special One was proved right yet again after just seven minutes when Crespo speared home a peach of a cross from Frank Lampard with the home defence all over the place.
Seven minutes later, Ricardo Carvalho added a second. Well, he could do little else as he had found himself unmarked on the far post after Crespo had headed on Lampard's corner.
No wonder this Anderlecht team are such Champions League whipping boys. Beaten in their previous 11 straight ties in this competition. But Chelsea still had to go about their business in the right manner - and they did.
In fact, the way in which they set about dismantling sorry Anderlecht, chasing down every pass, fighting for every ball, showed they had finally taken heed of their manager's pre-match insistence that they needed to be ruthless against the weaker teams. Before the international break, during their run of conceding in seven out of eight, they had been held by Everton and beaten by both Charlton and injury-hit Betis.
Mourinho admitted that this was because his men had deluded themselves into taking victory for granted against their, on paper, inferior opponents.
Chelsea could in no way be found guilty of that last night.
The versatile Michael Essien, in for the injured Claude Makelele, was an effective screen in closing out Anderlecht's attempts to force their way through the heart of the Blues defence. Lampard in front of him was up and at it, looking as though he was about to lash in one of his trademark screamers every time he latched on to a loose ball.
And Crespo tore apart the charge often levelled at South American stars that they are unable to roll up their sleeves on a freezing night when it matters.
This was so one-sided it was embarrassing. And, remember, Chelsea were without Dutch winger Arjen Robben, just recovering from a hamstring injury, while Shaun Wright-Phillips was suspended.
It did not matter. Chelsea had this game by the scruff of the neck and they were never going to let go.
ANDERLECHT: Proto, Deschacht, Tihinen, Kompany, Zewlakow, Goor, Vanderhaeghe, Vanden Borre, Akin, Mpenza, Wilhelmsson.
CHELSEA: Cech, Del Horno, Terry, Carvalho, Gallas, Duff, Essien, Lampard, Joe Cole, Crespo, Gudjohnsen.
ATTENDANCE: 21,070
MAN OF THE MATCH: Crespo
REMAINING GAMES: Dec 6: Chelsea v Liverpool, Betis v Anderlecht

sunday papers newcastle home

The Sunday TimesNovember 20, 2005Chelsea 3 Newcastle 0: King Cole hurts NewcastleJoe Lovejoy at Stamford Bridge
CHELSEA were out of sorts again throughout a goalless first half, but found their form after the interval, when nicely taken goals from Joe Cole, Hernan Crespo and Damien Duff saw off a below-strength Newcastle team lacking England’s man of the moment, Michael Owen.
Recent results had come as something of a shock for the champions, with elimination from the Carling Cup at home to Charlton Athletic followed by back-to-back defeats against Real Betis and Manchester United, and Stamford Bridge was not its usual cocky, raucous self until Cole settled the crowd’s nerves with the first goal, in the 47th minute.
Well before that stage, Newcastle were hard done by when Mark Halsey, the referee who failed to punish Grimsby Town’s Justin Whittle for elbowing Alan Shearer, refused them an obvious penalty for John Terry’s scything tackle on Lee Bowyer. Their sense of injustice was fuelled when they had a second appeal turned down, Frank Lampard appearing to handle the ball well inside the area.
Chelsea are back on track then, but for a long time they had only one tactic: get the ball wide and cross it. For most of the match, there was not much by way of constructive passing movement, and when the crosses did come in, they were generally wide of the target.
After their recent stutter, and with Wednesday’s Champions League tie away to Anderlecht in mind, Jose Mourinho rotated his star-studded squad and started without four regulars: Didier Drogba (suspended), Michael Essien, William Gallas and Paulo Ferreira. In their absence, opportunity knocked for Glen Johnson, who failed to take advantage, plus Crespo and Eidur Gudjohnsen, who did.
Essien’s rest lasted all of 13 minutes, at which point he was called on to replace Claude Makelele, who injured a knee in making a typically robust challenge on Scott Parker. One man who is never rested, of course, is Lampard, who equalled David James’s record of 159 consecutive Premiership appearances. He marred the occasion with a booking late on, but made his usual thoroughly effective contribution, producing the final pass for Crespo’s goal.
For Newcastle, the omens weren’t good. They arrived without a win in 16 previous visits to the Bridge, or even a goal in their past four, and were without not only the talismanic Shearer but also Owen, the “Lion of Geneva”, absent with groin trouble.
Their midfield anchor man, Parker, was always in for a busy afternoon against his former club, and was not found wanting. The men in the famous zebra stripes could scarcely believe their ill fortune when they were denied two penalties in the first ten minutes. Graeme Souness was apoplectic when Terry got away with taking Bowyer’s legs instead of the ball close in.
“It looked like a penalty to me, and Bowyer was adamant that it was,” the Newcastle manager said. Had he asked the referee about it? “I don’t do that, you don’t get any sense out of them,” he snorted. Struggling to find any sort of rhythm or cohesion, Chelsea should nevertheless have scored after 18 minutes, when Ricardo Carvalho rose unchallenged to meet Duff’s free kick eight yards out, only to head horribly wide.
The chance sparked intermittent pressure from the league leaders, but they failed to translate a sudden glut of possession into anything worthwhile. Mourinho preferred to credit the opposition rather than criticise his own players, saying: “We were not playing well in the first half because Newcastle were. They gave us a difficult game.”
Crespo did manage to scramble the ball into the net in the 35th minute, but his supplier, Duff, had strayed offside. Cole let fly, but Celestine Babayaro, playing against his old club, was in smartly to deflect the shot behind, and from the consequent corner, taken by Duff, a glancing header from Asier Del Horno was inches wide of the far post. At half-time the honours belonged to Newcastle, but within two minutes of the resumption Chelsea were ahead, courtesy of a misplaced pass from the hapless Titus Bramble.
Gudjohnsen fastened on to it and from the edge of the centre circle delivered a pass that invited Cole to run through in the inside-right channel. The England midfielder did so with pace and purpose before scoring with a crisp shot. Newcastle’s obdurate defence had cracked, and after 51 minutes the margin was doubled by a lovely finish from Crespo. Essien originated the move, winning possession from Nolberto Solano before transferring it to Lampard, on the edge of the
‘D’. From there, the England man’s expertly weighted pass enabled Crespo to embarrass Bramble before curling his shot inside Given’s left-hand post.
Charles N’Zogbia gave the Geordie contingent belated reason to warm their hands with a rising 20-yarder that Peter Cech was happy to tip over. But the last word went to Chelsea, in the 90th minute, when Duff, out on the left, stepped inside Peter Ramage before scoring with a shot from 17 yards that deflected in off Parker. Souness said: “I didn’t think there was a great deal between the two teams, other than the fact we made two defensive ricks.”
Mourinho, asked about his reported contratemps with Crespo, replied: “It was suggested that he was injured playing for Argentina and that I ordered him to come home. The injury was cramp and I didn’t. He came back on Thursday and there were no problems as far as I was concerned.” After yesterday’s match, the Chelsea manager refused to speak to the daily newspapers that had reported the “row”.
STAR MAN: Joe Cole (Chelsea)
Player ratings: Chelsea: Cech 6, Johnson 5 (Gallas, 60min 6), Carvalho 6, Terry 6, Del Horno 6, Makelele 5 (Essien, 13min 6), Gudjohnsen 8, Lampard 7, Cole 8, Crespo 7 (Wright-Phillips, 80min 5), Duff 7
Newcastle United: Given 5, Babayaro 5, Boumsong 5, Bramble 4, Ramage 5, N’Zogbia 5, Bowyer 6, Emre Belozoglu 5, Solano 5 (Chopra, 70min 5), Ameobi 5
Scorers: Chelsea: Cole 47, Crespo 51, Duff 90
Referee: M Halsey Attendance: 42,268 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mirror:
IT'S A BLUES CRUISE CHELSEA...............3 Cole 47, Crespo 51, Duff 90 NEWCASTLE..........0 Cool Crespo has Chelsea back in the title mood Anthony Clavane
THE visit of one of Roman Abramovich's closest aides to Chelsea's training ground got everyone's knickers in a twist earlier in the week.
After back-to-back defeats there was ludicrous talk of the wheels coming off. And rumours that overpaid, underachieving stars like Hernan Crespo would soon be shown the door.
A tad premature, perhaps.
If Eugene Tenenbaum returns in the next few days, he will have to congratulate Jose Mourinho on extending the Blues' lead at the top of the Premiership to a staggering nine points.
And heap praise on Crespo for a wonderful goal that killed off a Newcastle side on a bit of a high after four straight wins.
Crisis? What crisis?
True, this was a routine, at times mundane victory over Graeme Souness's outfit - who, without England hero Michael Owen and Alan Shearer, had nothing to offer up front.
But winning 3-0 without hitting top form is the mark of champions.
With Didier Drogba suspended, Crespo seized his chance to stake his claim as first-choice centre-forward with both hands.
The South American followed up last week's strike for Argentina against England with his fourth goal of the season.
The club have denied a rift between Crespo and Mourinho. There are even suggestions that the Argentine striker, whose unauthorised time in the Middle East with his country didn't go down well with his club boss, will leave when the January transfer window opens.
But that would be a big mistake, for the Blues aren't exactly spoilt for attacking options. It took Joe Cole to calm the home side's nerves after a stuttering, at times sloppy first half in which they failed to produce one shot on target.
Receiving the ball from Eidur Gudjohnsen after a mistake by Titus Bramble in the Magpies' defence, the England midfielder struck a low drive past keeper Shay Given with great precision.
Then Crespo, playing in only his sixth Premiership match of the season, was put through by Frank Lampard after Nolberto Solano had been dispossessed.
The striker sublimely curled the ball around Given to make it 2-0 - and it was game over.
A third strike with just seconds remaining - Damien Duff gliding past Peter Ramage to fire home - sealed victory and proved that Chelsea are back on track.
Before yesterday, they had won only one out of their last five games in all competitions. The critics claimed they'd never been the same since losing their 40-game unbeaten run in the Premiership at Old Trafford.
A 1-0 Champions League defeat at Real Betis, and being knocked out of the Carling Cup by Charlton, meant the rot had set in.
What rot.
Mind you, they were lucky to be on level terms at half-time. The Toon Army might never have won a Premiership match at the Bridge but they had Chelsea pinned back in the opening quarter of an hour.
After only a few minutes, John Terry brought down Lee Bowyer in the box; yet referee Mark Halsey was the only person in the ground not to think it was a penalty.
Halsey turned down another good spot-kick appeal soon after when Lampard clearly handled the ball.
The home side were getting frustrated, and Claude Makelele was lucky to escape being booked after taking a flying leap at Scott Parker - the Frenchman injuring himself in the process and being replaced by Michael Essien.
Parker obviously felt he had a point to prove against his old club on his first return to the Bridge - as a crunching, but fair, challenge on his former team-mate Cole demonstrated.
But the first real chance fell to the Blues, Ricardo Carvalho making a complete hash of a free header after Duff had picked him out.
The Irish winger's corner was then glanced wide by Asier Del Horno.
As against Bolton a month ago, when they won 5-1 after being a goal down, Chelsea responded to their boss's interval blast to return a different side in the second period
And the Toon Army could only sit back and watch as Crespo and the rest, without breaking sweat, tore them apart.
MAN OF THE MATCH
JOE COLE
Chelsea's best player in a poor first half, and scored a great goal to calm the home side's nerves after the restart.
RATINGS
CHELSEA: Cech 7, Johnson 6 (Gallas 6), Del Horno 6, Terry 6, Makelele 6 (Essien 6), Carvalho 6, Lampard 6, COLE 8, Duff 7, Gudjohnsen 7, Crespo 7 (Wright-Phillips 6).
NEWCASTLE: Given 7, Solano 6 (Chopra 5), Emre 7, Babayaro 6, Ramage 7, Boumsong 6, Bowyer 6, N'Zogbia 6, Parker 7, Bramble 5, Ameobi 6.
MANAGERS: Mourinho 7; Souness 6
REFEREE: M Halsey 4
OVER the last 25 years Newcastle have not always enjoyed the trip to Stamford Bridge. They lost 4-0 in 1979-80, 1983-84 and 2004-05. They lost 5-0 in 2003-04 and 6-0 in 1980-81.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Observer
Cole strike restores Chelsea's swagger
Will Buckley at Stamford BridgeSunday November 20, 2005
One of the more wearisome traits of the times is the obsession with novelty. These days to be ahead of the game you have to call it before you see it. So it was that a handful of attention-seeking bookies paid out on Chelsea winning the Premiership before the end of September. It is an age of prematurity.And the bookmakers who had gone so early were in danger of seeming foolish during a sterile first half yesterday afternoon. Not only were Chelsea failing to beat a weakened Newcastle, they were also both cumbersome and lumbering, more cart-horse than champion.
Thanks to some half-time kidology from Jose Mourinho, normal service was resumed after the interval and their eventual win was comfortable. But they still need to take care for they are far from impregnable.
Both line-ups contained surprises, Newcastle not being able to play Michael Owen due to a groin injury and Chelsea opting to select Glen Johnson ahead of William Gallas.
The early play came from Newcastle. A header from Lee Bowyer flashed past the post and then the Newcastle player appeared to have been tripped up in the penalty area very slowly and very deliberately by John Terry. Perhaps it was too slow for referee Mark Halsey to catch it. Whatever, he declined to give a penalty.
Chelsea seemed both hesitant and rash, a combination made worse when their calmest player, Claude Makelele, had to come off after sustaining an injury making a high challenge on Scott Parker. That said, being able to replace him with Michael Essien lessened the blow.
And they might have taken the lead had not Ricardo Carvalho got underneath a threatening free-kick from Damien Duff. That proved to be a brief flash of inspiration, however, and too often they hoofed the ball forward.
Newcastle, meanwhile, hurtled around and harried their opponents without creating a chance. Chelsea managed to put the ball in the net, Hernan Crespo bundling it in from a yard, but Duff had been a whisker offside in the build-up.
The first half passed without a single save. There were no shots on target and precious few off it. Without the suspended Didier Drogba Chelsea lacked a focal point, and purpose.
Usually when Chelsea find themselves out of sorts they call for Eidur Gudjohnsen but he had been on from the start, albeit a yard off the pace and the target. Perhaps they just pretended to bring him on as a sub because within minutes of the restart he released Joe Cole who scored with the game's opening shot on target. The next one came four minutes later with Frank Lampard bringing the ball forward and releasing Crespo who calmly bypassed Shay Given.
Newcastle had to attack but in doing so left themselves pitifully weak at the back. Chelsea, now keeping the ball on the deck, were now rampant, as fluent as they had once been faltering.
Newcastle threatened briefly - a Charles N'Zogbia effort being well saved by Petr Cech - before Chelsea glossed their goal difference with a fine individual effort from Damien Duff.
Man of the match: Joe Cole - inventive in attack and mindful in defence.
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Telegraph:
Chelsea ease back into the winning habitBy Patrick Barclay at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea (0) 3 Newcastle (0) 0
Maybe it was the pressure of performing in front of Malaysia's Minister of Tourism that caused Chelsea to seize up in the first half. And maybe Jose Mourinho used the interval to remind them of his recent remark that, if his team lost three matches in a row, he would expect to be sacked.
At any rate, they wasted little time in stopping what passes round these parts for a rot. Beaten by Real Betis and then Manchester United, they scored twice in a burst that proved lethal to a Newcastle side who had won three in a row in the Premiership but seemed to sense that the addition of Michael Owen to their casualty list was a signal to embrace realism.
Even so, Graeme Souness's team had been slightly the better of the two in a dire opening 45 minutes during which the manager exuded frustration over decisions that went against his side, in particular a penalty claim by Lee Bowyer. But once Joe Cole and Hernan Crespo had struck, the contest was dead. There were only seconds left when Damien Duff scored Chelsea's third.
While Newcastle were under-strength because of injury - their good news was that Owen's groin strain is not expected to keep him out of the match at Everton next weekend - Chelsea indulged in a spot of rotation. No doubt with an eye on Wednesday's visit to Anderlecht, rests were prescribed for Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, William Gallas and Paulo Ferreira. Within a quarter of hour, however, Essien was required to replace Claude Makelele, who had hurt himself in challenging Scott Parker.
The suspicion that it might still be an unequal struggle was enhanced when Titus Bramble underhit a pass back, obliging Shay Given to rush from his goal and boot clear of Crespo. Yet Newcastle settled and had two plausible appeals for penalties rejected. Their system involved Shola Ameobi up front, supported by Lee Bowyer, who in one of his early forays danced daintily past John Terry, inviting a tackle that arrived late; referee Mark Halsey's unwillingness to point to the spot infuriated Souness.
Next, Frank Lampard appeared to handle in the area. Chelsea needed all the luck that was going. Their sluggish movement offered Newcastle every encouragement to show a little more aggression and, from Emre's free-kick, a subtle header by Ameobi held promise - until it hit his team-mate, Charles N'Zogbia. No sooner had Asier del Horno raised Chelsea's hopes by advancing to meet a corner with a glancing header that went wide than the visitors were on the attack again, although a poor cross by, of all people, Emre let them down.
Any notions that Chelsea could go through an entire match without posing a sustained threat were, of course, far-fetched and they improved after the interval, as they had done against Bolton a few weeks back.
Only two minutes of the second half had gone when Ricardo Carvalho forced the ball forward, Crespo nodded on and the errant Bramble, having intercepted, gave it to Eidur Gudjohnsen. Cole duly presented himself to the Icelander's right and drove wide of Shay Given. Another example of Chelsea's speed on the break came four minutes later.
Essien won the ball from Nolberto Solano deep in the home half, accelerated and found Lampard. The England midfielder ran on and pushed the ball wide to Crespo, who side-stepped Bramble and sent a curling shot beyond Given.
Gallas came on for the limping Glen Johnson, Shaun Wright-Phillips for Crespo, who had done enough to suggest he might be preferred to Drogba in Brussels. Newcastle supplanted Solano with Michael Chopra and kept fighting, but only a low, left-foot drive from Ameobi made Petr Cech work before Chelsea again counter-attacked in numbers and Duff cut in before beating Given with the aid of a deflection.
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Independent;
Chelsea 3 Newcastle United 0 Cole strikes to end Chelsea 'crisis'
By Adrian Curtis at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea delivered the perfect response to their critics with an emphatic second-half display that crushed stubborn Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.
Newcastle had matched the reigning champions for effort and endeavour in a goalless opening half but strikes from Joe Cole and Hernan Crespo inside four minutes ensured that Chelsea restored their nine-point advantage at the top of the Barclays Premiership. Damien Duff completed the scoring right on the final whistle when his shot was deflected over the luckless Shay Given.
Jose Mourinho, clearly infuriated by his side's recent dip in form, had made a number of significant changes with William Gallas and a partially fit Michael Essien relegated to the substitutes' bench along with winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. There was no place at all in the line-up for Paulo Ferreira.
The Portuguese coach opted to replace the latter with Glen Johnson at right back in what was only his second start of the season, while Ricardo Carvalho slotted into the centre of defence alongside skipper John Terry.
Didier Drogba's suspension was overcome by the choice of a fit-again Crespo as Chelsea looked to banish the defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford last time out. However, the home side were lucky to escape what appeared to be a valid penalty appeal in the fifth minute when Terry felled Lee Bowyer. But referee Rob Halsey turned down the appeals.
In the seventh minute, Claude Makelele needed lengthy treatment after a dangerously high tackle on former Blue Scott Parker and was replaced five minutes later by Essien. Chelsea survived a second penalty scare in between when Del Horno appeared to handle inside the area as Newcastle gave the champions a few restless moments.
However, Carvalho wasted the clearest chance to opening the scoring in the 18th minute when he rose unmarked in the area only to head Duff's free-kick wide of the target.
Frank Lampard, equalling David James's record of 159 consecutive appearances in the top flight, was unable to impose himself on the game and as a result, Newcastle had more than their fair share of possession in the opening period.
But the critics who claimed Chelsea were beginning to lose a bit of their self-belief would have been heartened by a display that lacked guile and style.
This was not the Chelsea that swept all before it on its way to the first top flight title in 50 years last season. Their performance was a far cry from the team that went 40 matches unbeaten and only occasionally did Chelsea show any signs of their old swagger.
Mourinho resisted the urge to change his personnel during the interval, clearly hoping that his faith in the individuals that had failed to shine in the opening half would repay him.
His judgement was as astute as ever with Cole putting the Londoners in front two minutes into the second half.
Titus Bramble gave the ball away to Eidur Gudjohnsen and the Icelandic striker, playing in a midfield role behind Crespo, slotted the ball into the path of Cole who ran on to despatch a right-foot shot into the corner of the net for his fourth of the season. The goal lifted the gloom surrounding Stamford Bridge and sent the previously mute home fans into full voice.
It was now all Chelsea as the familiar style and panache returned with their confidence and four minutes later they doubled their advantage.
This time the architect was Lampard who provided a trademark pass into Crespo's path after Essien had won the ball in midfield. The Argentine striker checked his run before turning to fire the ball into the top corner to deliver the perfect response to those critics who claim he is unhappy at the club.
It was Chelsea at their very best once more and the fight, so evident in the opening half, had now evaporated from Newcastle's game.
Mourinho made his second change of the game on the hour, again enforced, when he replaced the injured Johnson with William Gallas at right back.
Crespo was replaced by Wright-Phillips with just over 10 minutes of the game remaining as Chelsea continued to exploit the space they were now enjoying.
The home side were content to play the game out to its conclusion with Newcastle demonstrating very little threat in attack to worry Terry or Carvalho.
Indeed, Chelsea had the last word when Duff burst into the penalty area and his shot was deflected over Given for the third.
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