aston villa 1-2

Sunday Times
James Collins condemns Chelsea to second lossAston Villa 2 Chelsea 1
David Walsh, chief sports writer, at Villa Park

IF IT is the old-fashioned game you love, where passion counted for more than pace and heart was as important as technique, then you would have enjoyed Villa Park. The tackling was tough but honest, most of Aston Villa’s players ran themselves to a standstill, and then goaded themselves into another effort. All the while Chelsea tried to match their fervour and came close, but Villa deserved their victory.
There is much to admire about Martin O’Neill’s work-in-progress. In a game where it has become almost uncool to roll up your sleeves and fight, his team does just that. Through the last 35 minutes, when hanging on to a 2-1 lead, every Villa player saw himself as a defender and queued up to play a part. Ten, perhaps 15 minutes from the end, they had tackled Chelsea into submission.
You could pick from any one of a hundred challenges but one from James Milner defined the team’s essence. With 72 minutes on the clock, Nicolas Anelka had broken free on the right and, against Villa’s stretched defence there was the chance of an equalising goal. Anelka’s cross flew towards Florent Malouda but Milner, who had tracked back from halfway, got himself in front of the French international to head away. Villa immediately regrouped and attacked down the left, Gabriel Agbonlahor swept in a fine cross beyond the far post and there was Milner guiding a volleyed pass into John Carew’s path. Although the Norwegian failed to finish, you just marvelled at Milner’s enthusiasm. Of course he’s from Yorkshire, so the grit was probably licked from the side of the road.
When the game was perfectly balanced in the first half, Stiliyan Petrov played with that mixture of aggression and authority that forces the away team into thinking a draw wouldn’t be a bad result. If there was a Chelsea weakness, that was it: they would have taken a draw from an early stage in the match. Villa’s desire to win was so desperate that when James Collins headed them 2-1 up in the 52nd minute, they just wanted to dig in and give Chelsea nothing to shoot at. It was dangerous but they managed it.
O’Neill’s achievement isn’t just his ability to create a committed team. He has bought astutely. Needing to reinforce his defence this season, he brought in an Irish centre-back, a Welsh centre-back and an English full-back. Richard Dunne, Collins and Stephen Warnock all played terrifically and the centre-backs got the goals, both from corners. Warnock is a steady defender, old-style in the pride he takes in his performance and you can see why O’Neill wanted him.
Villa’s manager has never hidden his admiration for Chelsea and you wondered in the first period if his players were too respectful. They probed carefully but were mostly content to stay tight and tactically disciplined. That suited Chelsea, who wanted to ease themselves into the battle.
It was Petrov who threw down the gauntlet, making a fine run down the right and delivering an intelligent pass to Agbonlahor, who was readying himself to shoot when Jose Bosingwa’s clumsy challenge brought him down. It looked a penalty but referee Kevin Friend, the fourth official who was a late replacement for the ill Steve Bennett, didn’t give it. As the home crowd voiced their disapproval and Villa’s players nursed their sense of injustice, Chelsea went in front. Didier Drogba got the goal, turning away from Collins about 30 yards from goal and firing in a shot that Brad Friedel should have saved.
That came in the 15th minute and it was equalised in the 32nd when Frank Lampard rose to clear Ashley Young’s corner but miscued and Dunne reacted sharply to head his second goal for Villa.
The first half had been a fine contest, the second was even better. Chelsea weren’t playing badly and Friedel did well to keep out efforts from Deco, Malouda and Anelka. Coming seven minutes after the break, Villa’s winning goal was delivered by a thunderous header from Collins after Petr Cech misjudged the flight of Young’s corner.
Sometime before the end, Petrov, Milner and a few more Villa players were out on their feet. They didn’t give in but it made you wonder how many games they can play like this before a more long-term fatigue afflicts them and it raises the question of squad rotation which, up to now, O’Neill hasn’t done.
That is about to change. “This season we have more depth and I hope we can rotate the squad,” said O’Neill. “I’ve said this to the players, but for whatever reason, when Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal do it, it is called rotating players, when we do it, it’s called dropping players.” Sixth for the past two seasons, on yesterday’s form, it’s not unrealistic for Villa to believe they can climb higher this campaign.
Chelsea, meanwhile, must work on defending set-pieces, as both goals came from corners. Their manager, Carlo Ancelotti, said: “Chelsea played a good game and we don’t want to lose the game in that situation, only if the other team play better than us. Aston Villa were very able on the set plays. We want to do better for sure. We need more concentration.”
Star man: Stiliyan Petrov (Aston Villa)
Yellow cards: Aston Villa: Agbonlahor, Milner Chelsea: A Cole
Referee: K Friend
Attendance: 39,047
VILLA: Friedel 7, Cuellar 7, Dunne 7, Collins 7, Warnock 7, Milner 8, Sidwell 6, Petrov 9, Young 6, Agbonlahor 7, Carew 6 (Heskey 82min)
CHELSEA: Cech 5, Bosingwa 6 (Ivanovic 69min), Carvalho 6, Terry 7, A Cole 6, Deco 6, Essien 6, Lampard 7, Anelka 6, Drogba 6, Malouda 5 (J Cole 85min)
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Telegraph:
Aston Villa 2 Chelsea 1

By Jason Burt at Villa Park

Another mistake by Petr Cech led to Chelsea slipping to a second Premier League defeat of the season – and the second in a row away from Stamford Bridge – with Aston Villa coming from behind to claim victory through two headed goals.
Both came from their central defenders – Richard Dunne with the first and James Collins with the second – and both from set-pieces. While Frank Lampard inadvertently flicked on Ashley Young’s corner, directing it straight to Dunne who headed in from four yards, Cech flapped at another corner in the second-half to allow Collins to also head home. Cech had erred recently against Stoke City, again mis-judging a cross.
On both occasions the Villa goal-scorers had evaded their markers with Chelsea’s defence showing a worrying fraility – similar to the frailties that had afflicted them last season under Luiz Felipe Scolari.
It was at Villa Park that Guus Hiddink had re-focussed Chelsea last season but although they played the more attractive football, they deservedly slumped to a defeat that, although it leaves them still at the top of the table, means they could be overtaken by Manchester United later this afternoon. Villa, meanwhile, move up to fifth place.
For both sides the line-ups were unaltered from their last league matches before the international break – except for the return of Jose Bosingwa, fit again, to the Chelsea defence although he was later replaced by Branislav Ivanovic, hobbling off injured. The whole Chelsea team had featured in midweek internationals and did appear affected by fatigue.
They could have fallen behind when Bosingwa appeared to catch Gabriel Agbonlahor as he shaped to shoot but the appeals were waved away by referee Kevin Friend, a late replacement for Steve Bennett after the official had felt unwell prior to kick-off which meant the start of the game was delayed by five minutes.
Soon after the penalty appeal, Chelsea scored with Didier Drogba superbly turning Collins and striking a shot from 30 yards that kicked up horribly in front of Brad Friedel and spun into the net. It was Drogba’s seventh league goal of the season. Undoubtedly the goalkeeper was culpable although he also went on to make fine saves from Deco and Nicolas Anelka – denying both players in one-on-one opportunities – and beating out a powerful drive by Florent Malouda. Friedel also clawed out a wonderful chip by Deco, just as it had appeared to have looped over him as Villa held on for a landmark win.
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Independent:
Chelsea Dunne and dusted by pure hard work
Aston Villa 2 Chelsea 1: Ancelotti's midfield diamond not allowed to sparkle as Villa use their heads to exploit defensive lapses
By Steve Tongue at Villa Park

A fixture that Chelsea won in Guus Hiddink's first League game last February with an early goal seemed to be going precisely the same way when Brad Friedel allowed Didier Drogba to score from 30 yards. Eight months on, however, Aston Villa have more about them than the side that faded so badly after that defeat last season and by profiting from some unusually poor defensive work they scored twice from corners to achieve another victory over one of the acknowledged big four to follow success at Liverpool in August.
Friedel and James Collins, who had been too easily turned for Drogba's goal, recovered well, the goalkeeper bringing off a series of saves to preserve the lead. James Milner, having demonstrated his versatility for England by filling in at left-back on Wednesday, was excellent on more familiar ground wide on the right, where he worked prodigiously before moving back inside as Villa retreated into a 4-5-1 formation for the final quarter of an hour.
Emile Heskey, another England candidate in need of playing time, was given only 10 minutes as a substitute and cannot expect to displace John Carew in the big Norwegian's current form; Ashley Young, dropped by Fabio Capello, and Gabriel Agbonlahor, who replaced him in the squad, were fitfully impressive, two inswinging corners by the right- footed Young bringing the goals.
The visitors worked some neat triangles in midfield but were dependent as ever on the full-backs to supply their width and even when Joe Cole was introduced for his first League appearance of the season towards the end, he went into Deco's role behind the two strikers. Carlo Ancelotti might have been expected to send John Terry forward for the final fling; instead his team continued to try threading short balls through the needles of the Villa defence. It was a packed defence by then, and with Richard Dunne another lionheart alongside Collins, Drogba and Nicolas Anelka were continually crowded out.
Villa's manager Martin O'Neill said: "Maybe we've learnt some lessons from last year. When we played Chelsea in February we were third in the table, going strong but we surrendered fourth spot and finished sixth. I think we've made progress, we've got some good players and a decent squad and that's been really encouraging."
Having been brought down to earth in embarrassing and painful fashion on the touchline when Anelka crashed into him, O'Neill is now hoping that he and his players will keep their feet on the ground. "It's a setback for Chelsea and a great boost for us, but I wouldn't draw 15 conclusions from one game. I think Chelsea are a great side."
As in defeat at Wigan recently, they rarely looked like one yesterday. Pushed back while Villa started as brightly as the autumn sunshine, they must have surprised themselves in taking the lead after 15 minutes; all the more so since the vastly experienced Friedel was at fault on his 198th consecutive League appearance.
Frank Lampard played an ordinary pass forward for Drogba, who turned it into a threatening one with his sudden turn past Collins. The shot from almost 30 yards was routine until it bounced in front of the goalkeeper, who would have kept it out had he not gone to ground, watching in anguish as the ball reared up over his arm.
Before half-time there were further opportunities for Deco and Drogba, but Friedel redeemed himself with a superb save and Collins blocked bravely. In between times, critically, Villa had won an equaliser. Young whipped over a corner from the left, and Lampard merely nudged his header dangerously across goal, where Dunne was unmarked to head in for the second successive match.
Chelsea were rattled, Drogba running 20 yards to bawl out Ashley Cole, who was immediately booked for an unnecessary foul. Worse, they conceded another bad goal only six minutes into the second half. It was almost what Match of the Day used to call an action replay: Young's corner, dreadful marking with the goalkeeper Petr Cech nowhere and a firm header by an unattended centre-half – this time Dunne's partner Collins.
Ancelotti's initial reaction was that his team had played "a good match". Further analysis of the videotape before he concentrates on Atletico Madrid this week may offer conflicting evidence.
Ref watch
Steve Bennett having declared himself unfit – no jokes please, Sir Alex – the fourth official Kevin Friend took over for his third Premier League match of the season and handled it well.
Attendance: 39,047
Referee: Kevin Friend
Man of the match: Milner
Match rating: 8/10
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Observer:
Aston Villa's James Collins leaves Chelsea heading to second defeat
Aston Villa 2 Dunne 32, Collins 52 Chelsea 1 Drogba 15
Paul Wilson at Villa Park

Should Steve Bruce need any tips on how to pick a man of the match, he might like to contact the Aston Villa sponsors. They plumped for the solid and unspectacular James Collins, no messing about, and rarely can a call have been made more correctly.
For a start, Martin O'Neill's £5m deadline capture from West Ham scored the winning goal, his first for Villa and the first he has managed for four years. Collins also produced a magnificent block to deny Didier Drogba just before the interval and, had Chelsea turned around 2-1 in front, the second half might have been a very different story. Most of all, though, Collins is a capable defender – and this was a defenders' game.
All the Villa back line were superb: Richard Dunne scored the other goal, Stephen Warnock was a revelation at left-back and Brad Friedel proved, once again, that he has few peers as a shot-stopper, even if his mistake let Chelsea take the lead.
Steven Warnock's good work in the final third for Villa contrasted with the more passive role played by Chelsea's Ashley Cole
If Fabio Capello had been hoping to see more of Emile Heskey than a token eight minutes, he will have been disappointed and this was not a game in which Gabriel Agbonlahor or Ashley Young greatly enhanced their reputations, either. At least Young finished quite strongly, finding his passing range in the second half after being wasteful in the first, and Capello could only have been encouraged by another exemplary display from James Milner.
If Villa's defending was the reason for their win, Chelsea's defending was squarely to blame for their second defeat – a second successive away lapse. There were similarities with their unexpected collapse at Wigan and Carlo Ancelotti was not slow to point them out. "We played a good game on the pitch, but lost the match through set plays," he said, reflecting on the fact Chelsea allowed both opposing centre-halves to score with headers from corners. "Players in England are good with their head and we have to show more concentration in the box. We need more markers and to put more pressure on the ball. There are things we have to improve."
He can say that again. Chelsea looked vulnerable to crosses all afternoon and it was frustrating for the home crowd that Young, and others, failed to provide sufficient quality and quantity early on. Conceding twice from corners means that, of the eight league goals Chelsea have let in this season, six have come from set pieces. Alarming as that statistic must be for Ancelotti, Chelsea are far from alone among the top four clubs in taking their eyes off the dead ball. Five of Arsenal's 11 goals conceded have come from set pieces, while Liverpool are the worst of the lot, with 10 out of 13
"It's just a setback for Chelsea, one bad day, I wouldn't go reading too much into it," O'Neill said. "I have every admiration for John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, and Chelsea have won numerous things through goals from set plays. There's nothing wrong with that, it's part of the game, but we deserve a bit more credit for the rest of our play. We may have won through set pieces, but you still have to take into account the running of Milner, Young and Agbonlahor."
Fair comment, though Villa spent the first 15 minutes running up blind alleys and picked themselves up and dusted themselves down only once Drogba had put them behind with an opportunistic strike against the run of play.
Kevin Friend, hurriedly promoted from fourth official after Steve Bennett took ill just before kick-off, had a decision to make when Agbonlahor went to ground under José Bosingwa's challenge in the 10th minute. He decided it was not a penalty and was probably right, though the crowd let him know they didn't like it, and O'Neill later claimed it was an obvious offence.
"He probably didn't give it because he would have had to send the player off," the Villa manager said. "He couldn't have been expecting to be in charge, though, and, since we've won, I'll excuse him." Agbonlahor went to ground rather too easily and, although Bosingwa may have been holding his man, he did not appear to pull him over.
Villa were left to rue their attacking impotence when Chelsea went upfield and scored with almost insolent ease. Drogba received the ball in the centre circle, turned and advanced a few yards, then hit a dipping shot that looked optimistic. Yet, surprisingly, it went straight past Friedel. The ball came down quickly and bounced awkwardly in front of the goalkeeper, but one still does not expect to see him beaten from 30 yards out.
Villa turned the game around with two corners, though in each case Chelsea defending played a part. Frank Lampard attempted a clearing header, but succeeded only in flicking the ball to the far post, where Dunne crashed in an equaliser after half an hour Then, at the start of the second half – with Villa still in the game thanks to Collins snuffing out what looked like a certain second goal for Drogba – Petr Cech was impeded by his own players as he failed to prevent the ball reaching the Welsh centre-half. Collins did not need asking twice to open his Villa account in front of the Holte End.
Chelsea went close to levelling on several occasions. Ancelotti was not exaggerating when he said their play deserved something, he just reckoned without the reflexes of a 38-year-old goalkeeper. Friedel more than redeemed himself for his earlier mistake with terrific saves from Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka, though John Carew, with an uncharacteristic miss in front of goal, passed up the easiest chance of the day, after excellent approach work by Young and Milner.
"It was tough at times, but we saw it through," O'Neill said. "We beat a good team today. I think anyone finishing in front of Chelsea this season will win the title." That depends, of course, on how quickly Chelsea tighten up at the back.

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Mail:
Aston Villa 2 Chelsea 1:
Richard Dunne and James Collins strike to give Carlo Ancelotti the Blues

By Patrick Collins

Martin O'Neill frowned and grimaced and insisted that it was just one victory and that he wasn't about to draw any dramatic conclusions. But still he could not quite conceal the glow of satisfaction.As for Carlo Ancelotti, he did not even try to hide his feelings. Sucking a sombre cigarette before boarding the team bus last night, his eloquent face answered all the important questions. O'Neill was right, of course. These are early days, and when the Villa manager declares that any team finishing in front of Chelsea will probably win the title, he is simply stating the obvious.
Yet the suspicion remains something significant may have happened; that in the course of a crowded lunchtime in the West Midlands, the English season started to wear a different face. Ancelotti blamed the defeat on his side's abject defending of set-plays. It was difficult to argue, since both Villa goals came from central defenders infiltrating the six-yard box to punish permissive marking.Yet O'Neill was irked by the implication that his team had somehow won on a technicality. He thought that did Villa a disservice. And again he was right. They won because they worked harder, thought more clearly and seized the chances when they arose. They fell undeservedly behind to a goal so soft that goalkeeper Brad Friedel is still blushing but they reorganised, spilled their sweat and kept faith in their methods. Chelsea's inability to play with dangerous width or to cajole performances of real authority from their most important players was just as costly as their defence of set-pieces.Indeed, it might have been even easier for Villa had the referee, Kevin Friend, given them the penalty they deserved in the 11th minute, when Jose Bosingwa sliced down Gabriel Agbonlahor and the official decided the challenge was innocent. Friend had been recruited just 20 minutes before kick-off, when the original referee Steve Bennett fell sick.
That decision apart, he did a competent job despite the petulant barracking from O'Neill in the technical area. The manager was unforgiving after the game. Indeed, the best he could come up with for Mr Friend was: 'Since we've won, I'll excuse him.' It was a graceless remark and, on consideration, he may regret it. O'Neill is better than that, and so, on the day, was Friend.Yet Villa were still cursing their misfortune four minutes later when Didier Drogba - apparently on a whim - spun off James Collins some 30 yards out and attempted a wildly ambitious shot. The ball found more lift than the English pacemen managed all summer, Friedel went down clumsily, and Villa Park just boggled as the vastly experienced keeper helped it into the net. The fact that it was wholly against the run of play was of no concern to Chelsea.Four minutes on, Nicolas Anelka was bundled off the pitch and sent thudding into O'Neill. The manager fell, clutching his knee and seemed in intense pain. But he recovered swiftly to resume his rant at the ref. Meanwhile, his team were setting to work and solving their problems. And in the 32nd minute they received a generous reward. Ashley Young's left wing corner found Frank Lampard rising early and misjudging his header. Richard Dunne reacted instinctively, battering his own header into the net from a couple of yards as Villa celebrated equality.But Chelsea were coming on strongly, enjoying greater possession, while failing to put it to effective use. Going into the second half, they seemed ready to lift their game and kill off the challenge. In fact, their designs fell apart in the 51st minute.
Again, it was sheer simplicity. Villa won a left-wing corner and Stiliyan Petrov demanded a short pass from Young. The winger ignored the plea and waited for Collins to complete his long excursion from the back. The kick was swung long and high, and Collins - as unobtrusive as a 6ft 3in centre-half can ever be - devoured the header. John Terry screamed at the innocent ball, thudding it back into the net. He might have reserved his anger for more deserving candidates.Villa were now required to survive for more than 40 minutes, and they managed without too much discomfort. True, Friedel had to make fine, agile saves from Florent Malouda and Anelka, while there was a half-hearted, instantly rejected penalty appeal against Collins for handball.
But had Villa extended their lead, then none could have complained. Instead, they came through by the diligent excellence of players such as Stephen Warnock, James Milner and their wondrously dependable central defenders.Villa Park looked a picture in the autumn sunshine but the day carried a sharp edge, an ominous hint of things to come. As did the football.

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NOTW:
ASTON VILLA 2, CHELSEA 1

Tormented Terry is armed and dangerous

By Andy Dunn

IT WASN'T quite ripped from his bicep. Angrily yanked, more like. But one thing is for sure, this captain's armband will not be finding a home in John Terry's sprawling collection of memorabilia.
In fact, as he stamped into the privacy of the tunnel - offending item in hand, swearing and shouting to himself like a roaring drunk - I doubt it made it to the dressing-room.
Terry wears his heart, as well as that armband, on his sleeve.
But rarely has his rage been this pure.
Raging, perhaps, against the profligacy of Florent Malouda, Deco and Nicolas Anelka - or maybe their shyness in combat.
Furious, no doubt, with the lamentable and sudden vulnerability to set-pieces.
Angry, probably, that Frank Lampard has been transformed from the epitome of a modern, goalscoring midfielder into a tidy, but mundane, nudger and nurdler.
I wouldn't begin to second-guess Terry's opinion of progress under manager Carlo Ancelotti.
But Terry's torment and Lampard's torpor are significant for Ancelotti.
Chelsea is not unique in this phenomenon but, as Big Phil Scolari discovered en route to a P45, certain players have certain influence.
Comments from the coach afterwards - even allowing for his improving but far-from-footsure English - that he was 'not interested' in Lampard not scoring will need some training-ground explanation.
As will the startling issues surrounding dead-ball defending that allowed Richard Dunne and James Collins to render Brad Friedel's early gift to Didier Drogba irrelevant.
But there is a more general - but more crucial problem - surfacing gradually under Ancelotti.
The stomach for the fight away from Stamford Bridge, this was a second successive reverse, appears to be weakening.
Sure, the Chelsea manager was right to highlight the fact that two poor instances of defending cost them a second successive away defeat. But Martin O'Neill was also correct to point out that it would be doing a major disservice to the application, determination and doggedness of Aston Villa if this result was seen purely through that sort of lens. Villa looked just a smidgeon more committed.
And that, you suspect, is why Terry left the pitch in a prolonged fit of pique, shaking the hands only of people who got in his way. It's certain he would have meant no disrespect to Villa.
Their work ethic was a wonder. James Milner's effort was typified by a wonderfully-timed late block as Malouda cocked his left foot, while Gabby Agbonlahor pulled, pushed, shoved and stretched the Premier League's most experienced defensive unit.
He also pushed Anelka into O'Neill - with the result being that the Villa chief was sent up in the air and needed brief treatment from the team physio.
Stiliyan Petrov revelled in the unaccustomed situation of being allowed to operate unchecked by a Chelsea midfield that looked so unusually awkward, Steve Sidwell was as unfussy as he is unheralded.
Ashley Young was fitful in his contributions - Ashley Cole exposing the reasons why the Aston Villa winger has faded to the back of Fabio Capello's mind.
Yet he could still milk the applause for his significant role in both Villa goals.
His first corner for the equaliser deceived Lampard, whose attempt at a clearing header only produced a telling glance that diverted the ball into the path of a rampaging Dunne.
Nothing gets in the path of a rampaging Dunne and survives. Ball, buried.
Lampard was harsh on himself - but correctly so.
A flicked header was worse than no header at all.
At least it absolved Petr Cech of blame - but only until Collins nodded in the winner.
Wear a luminous jersey and your every move is luminous. Cech's mistake was day-glo.
Granted, Young does spin a mean corner. And sure, if you fail to notice a 6ft 4in ginger Welshman marauding with intent, then you might be in a spot of bother.
But Cech was as culpable as those who laid down the carpet for Collins. He should have been able to place himself in the path of the kick's trajectory but he wandered like a first-day tourist. Chelsea's defending from set-pieces was truly desperate.
And Villa - through a centre-half pairing who could have been named No and Nonsense - threatened to extend their lead.
But contrary to O'Neill's claims, it was Chelsea who created the clearer chances and played the slightly more incisive football.
Not that their lead-taking goal early in the proceedings had anything remotely incisive about it.
A wonderful turn that rooted Collins gave Drogba the shooting chance but even though his long-range effort reared off a length like an Andrew Flintoff special, Friedel should have done better than to be caught in a corridor of uncertainty.
But that turned to certainty and when facing the eye-whites of Malouda, Deco and Anelka, he didn't blink. The Chelsea trio did.
Good saves, yes. But he shouldn't have been offered the chance of redemption.
And what was more significant is that Friedel was at his most comfortable when fielding the efforts of Lampard - who has now gone 10 games without a goal, and that is a double-take statistic.
But you don't need Opta to recognise a dip in the form of such a relentlessly effective performer.
Physically and mentally, he simply didn't bond with Deco yesterday.
His role appears too withdrawn for the comfort of familiarity. Ancelotti needs to sort it out as matter of some urgency.
Of course, this is not a Chelsea crisis.
The loss at the DW Stadium was startling but this Villa team looks to have top-five credentials.
Indeed, they might have handed Chelsea a more damaging setback had rookie referee Keith Friend - a very late replacement for sickness-stricken Steve Bennett - not decided pre-goals that Jose Bosingwa's grappling of Gabby was as much Agbonlahor's fault as the Chelsea defender's.
On that occasion, Ancelotti certainly had a Friend.
He'll need plenty more pretty quickly at Stamford Bridge. Just ask Big Phil.

liverpool 2-0

Mirror:

Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool:

Didier Drogba puts the boot in on Liverpool

By Martin Lipton

Frustrating, ham actor, pain in the backside, someone who spends far too much of the time wincing and rolling about.
But above all, when it really counts, Dider Drogba is a force of nature, the player who transforms Chelsea from a decent side into a trophy-winning outfit.
And as Drogba put the boot into Rafa Benitez and Liverpool once again at Stamford Bridge, producing the two moments of magic that made the difference, he showed why every fan in the country would want the African leading the line for their team.
Without Drogba in Cyprus on Wednesday, Chelsea had been limp and listless, forcing Carlo Ancelotti into a dressing room rollicking and casting the first shadows above the Italian’s reign.
They have still not been blown away completely, yet when Drogba shrugged aside Jamie Carragher to set up Florent Malouda’s clincher in stoppage time, Ancelotti’s reaction showed how important this victory was - and not just in inflicting Liverpool’s third defeat in just eight games.
Going top, taking advantage of Manchester United’s slip-up against Sunderland and also preventing Benitez’s side leapfrogging over both of them, was the happy by-product of a win that Chelsea really needed to cast aside the kernels of doubt.
What really mattered, though, was sending out a marker of renewed intent, and as Fernando Torres chose the wrong afternoon to have an off day, Drogba’s contribution carried Ancelotti’s men over the finishing line.
Drogba still has to serve one match of his Champions League ban, and with the African Nations Cup to come, it might well be that Chelsea’s ambitions for the season are determined by what they do in the games when he is missing, rather than those in which he is present.
Yesterday, for once, it was Drogba - very much in Benitez’s personal firing line for his perpetual antics - as creator rather than scorer, but in key games, assists are truly worth their weight in gold.
And the game-breaker, an hour into a match that appeared set to become only the second goalless draw of the season to date, was indeed priceless.
Javier Mascherano was caught in possession by the back-tracking Frank Lampard and the next time Liverpool touched the ball, it was Pepe Reina picking it out of his own net.
Michael Essien fed Deco, who spotted Drogba racing up the left, dragging Martin Skrtel out of position and then playing the killer ball into the box early, catching Carragher off-guard.
The left-footed cross, low and perfect, begged for Nicolas Anelka to apply the final touch, a task the in-form French striker was delighted to accomplish, finally giving Chelsea the advantage they deserved.
Three times before that, Reina had been forced into saves, denying Michael Ballack - whose energy was important but who should have done better with a free header from Deco’s set-piece - Anelka and Michael Essien.
Liverpool, far too cautious - for all Benitez’s claims to the contrary - will look back on their own moments, two before the interval and a couple more in the last throes.
Certainly, on his normal form, Torres would have buried his header from Dirk Kuyt’s cross five minutes before the break, rather than directing at stand-in keeper Hilario, who then reacted well to turn aside Albert Riera’s free-kick.
But it was only after they went behind that Benitez belatedly threw away his cloak of inertia, sending on schemer Yossi Benayoun as Chelsea relied on John Terry’s formidable resolve and Ashley Cole’s athleticism.
Nine minutes from time, as Liverpool began to load the box, the opportunity came, and to the one player Benitez would have picked.
Benayoun’s cross found its way, via Kuyt and Steven Gerrard, to Torres 16 yards out, but his left-footer flew past the upright.
Stamford Bridge, sighing in relief, sensed the battle was won, confirmed in added time as Drogba, simply too strong for Carragher, bulldozed into the box to tee up substitute Malouda inside the six-yard box.
Benayoun should have scored from 12 yards and Gerrard was thwarted by Hilario in the final knockings, yet the die was now irrevocably cast.
For Chelsea and Ancelotti, the view from the top is clear and bright. For Liverpool, the summit they are peering up towards is getting further away even at this early stage.
They cannot afford any more such errors. Chelsea, by contrast, have emerged stronger from their first wobble. In Drogba they trust.

Chelsea: Hilario 7; Ivanovic 6, Carvalho 6, Terry 8, A Cole 7; Essien 6; Ballack 7, Lampard 7; Deco 6 (Malouda 76, 6); Anelka 7, Drogba 8

Liverpool: Reina 7; Johnson 7, Skrtel 6, Carragher 5, Insua 6 (Aurelio, 83, 6); Mascherano 6, Lucas 6 (Babel, 76, 6); Kuyt 7, Gerrard 7, Riera 5 (Benayoun, 67, 7); Torres

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The Times

Nicolas Anelka takes Chelsea back to the top of the Barclays Premier League

Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0
Oliver Kay, Stamford Bridge

Small details, according to Carlo Ancelotti and Rafael Benítez, are what decide football matches. It sounds like the ultimate truism, but, after two of the Barclays Premier League’s heavyweight teams had spent an hour trading punches at Stamford Bridge yesterday, one of them briefly let their guard down and, from that moment on, Chelsea and Liverpool seemed to be heading in opposite directions.
There was nothing between these teams until that point yesterday afternoon. If anything, Liverpool were the more assured, but then Javier Mascherano disappeared down a blind alley and was tackled by Frank Lampard. Within ten seconds the ball had gone from Michael Essien to Deco to Didier Drogba and finally to Nicolas Anelka, running in to score at the far post. Suddenly the momentum, in the title race as well as in this hitherto balanced encounter, was firmly with Chelsea.
Little wonder that John Terry and his Chelsea team-mates celebrated as joyously as they did at the end. It had been a tough slog, a serious test of their mettle after a week in which they had been soundly beaten by Wigan Athletic and unconvincing in victory over Apoel Nicosia in the Champions League, but they had emerged stronger, two points clear at the top of the table and six points clear of a Liverpool team whose title challenge is already faltering.
Eight days earlier, Terry had stormed out of the DW Stadium with a face like thunder, stopping only to share a withering appraisal of his team’s wretched performance in defeat. Here, though, they dug in, fought for every ball, retained their concentration throughout and, with Terry and his defensive colleagues standing firm at one end, Drogba was given all the invitation he needed at the other to set up the decisive goals for Anelka and, in stoppage time, Florent Malouda.
There is a tendency in Britain to focus unduly on the mental and the physical sides of the game, as opposed to the tactical or the technical, but some matches defy any other interpretation. This was Chelsea digging in, going back to the basics of the José Mourinho era and getting the basics right. Mourinho is no admirer of Ancelotti, going back to their rivalry as the respective coaches of Inter Milan and AC Milan last season, but he would have admired this performance — strong, resolute and, where Terry and Drogba were concerned, just too powerful for Liverpool.
Ancelotti called it an “important victory” and he was entitled to milk it far more than he did. The whisper in the build-up, given the abject nature of the loss away to Wigan, was that defeat would send the Italian’s regime into the same kind of tailspin that did for Luiz Felipe Scolari, one of his many recent predecessors.
The arrival of Roman Abramovich at the training ground on Friday had done little to dispel an air of apprehension around the club, but by last night the mood at Stamford Bridge was one of giddy excitement, further fuelled by Manchester United’s unexpected slip-up at home to Sunderland the previous evening.
It was not a day for Chelsea to demonstrate that they can be expansive, if indeed they can. Ancelotti may have sprung a surprise by giving Deco a rare run-out in his favoured role at the tip of the midfield diamond, but the little Brazilian-born Portgual player was as conspicuous as anyone by his workrate. At one point, just before half-time, he even won a 50-50 challenge with Steven Gerrard and, as he did, the feeling increased that Chelsea would be the team to manage a breakthrough.
Liverpool were not as bad as the scoreline suggests. For the most part, they kept Chelsea at arm’s length, with Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel more sure-footed in central defence than they had been in defeat away to Fiorentina in the Champions League. Skrtel, indeed, had a reasonable claim for a penalty rejected late in the first half, when he was pushed by Drogba at a set-piece, but ultimately Liverpool could not find a way through a resolute Chelsea defence, with Fernando Torres fading after a promising start.
But the moment that Mascherano turned into trouble on the hour, the complexion of the game changed. Having spent the opening weeks of the season sulking about Benítez’s refusal to sell him to Barcelona, Mascherano had been performing better yesterday, but his mistake in conceding possession to Lampard, albeit just inside the opposition half, was a bad one. Deco combined with Essien to send Drogba clear down the left-hand side and, when the cross was delivered, Anelka attacked the ball at the far post to give Chelsea the lead.
With Chelsea now happy to play on the counter-attack, Liverpool had the lion’s share of the possession as the belated introduction of Yossi Benayoun gave them a far more incisive look. Torres, though, was kept firmly in check by Terry and Carvalho. With nine minutes remaining, Gerrard saw a chink of light in a crowded penalty area, but when he managed to get his shot away, Terry, his England team-mate, threw himself in the way. Along with Mascherano’s mistake, it was the game’s defining moment.
England duty this week threatens to be an unhappy experience for Gerrard, the reminders constant in the form of Terry, Lampard and Ashley Cole, who excelled again yesterday. One-nil might have been bearable, but a second goal came in stoppage time when Drogba turned away from Carragher and rolled in another cross from which Malouda slid in to score.
Even then there was time for Benayoun to squander a clear opportunity and for Gerrard to see a fierce shot beaten away by Hilário, Chelsea’s previously untested reserve goalkeeper, before Stamford Bridge erupted into celebration at the final whistle.
Terry and his team-mates had ensured that the small details had gone their way and the bigger picture is that their sights are firmly on the title, leaving Benítez and Liverpool to contemplate anxious times ahead.

Chelsea (4-3-1-2): Hilário 7 B Ivanovic 5 R Carvalho 6 J Terry 8 A Cole 8 M Ballack 6 M Essien 7 F Lampard 6 Deco 6 D Drogba 7 N Anelka 6 Substitute: F Malouda (for Deco, 76min). Not used: R Turnbull, J Belletti, J Cole, Y Zhirkov, S Kalou, D Sturridge.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): J M Reina 6 G Johnson 6 M Skrtel 6 J Carragher 6 E Insúa 6 J Mascherano 5 Lucas Leiva 6 D Kuyt 6 S Gerrard 6 A Riera 5 F Torres 6 Substitutes: Y Benayoun 7 (for Riera, 67min), R Babel (for Lucas, 76), F Aurélio (for Insúa, 83). Not used: D Cavalieri, D Agger, S Kyrgiakos, D Ngog.

Referee: M Atkinson Attendance: 41,732

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0

Chelsea returned to the top of the Premier League on Sunday as goals from Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda clinched an impressive 2-0 win over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

Carlo Ancelotti's side opened up a two-point gap over second placed Manchester United. But perhaps more importantly, the victory over another of the main title contenders restored Chelsea to winning ways after their 3-1 defeat at Wigan last weekend.
After a tight first half, former Liverpool striker Anelka opened the scoring when he converted Didier Drogba's cross. Drogba was the provider again in stoppage time as he over-powered Jamie Carragher and crossed for Malouda to slide home.
Defeat leaves Liverpool six points behind Chelsea and Rafa Benitez's side have now lost three times in their first eight league games after losing just twice through the whole of last season.
Chelsea were without first-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech, who served his suspension following his red card against Wigan, so Hilario was between the posts.
But while Ancelotti's side were without Cech, they were buoyed by the return of Drogba.
The Ivory Coast striker missed the 1-0 win in the Champions League over Apoel Nicosia in midweek owing to his European ban.
Drogba's value to Chelsea is best illustrated by his return of six goals in seven league games going into this fixture.
And here he looked invigorated after his break when he chased down Deco's through-ball in the third minute forcing Carragher into a last-ditch tackle.
Although new to the English league, Ancelotti is no stranger to Liverpool. The Italian was manager of AC Milan in 2007 when they beat Liverpool 2-1 in the Champions League final in Athens - a victory that avenged Milan's defeat to the Reds in the final of the same competition in Istanbul two years earlier.
Benitez would love to repeat another victory in the Champions League this season and in striker Fernando Torres has a world-class player which would help him achieve it.
Torres, fresh from his hat-trick against Hull, has gone on record saying he is determined to end the club's three-year wait for a trophy.
And his team-mates looked to have taken that message on board as the visitors started this match the brighter with Steven Gerrard whipping in some dangerous crosses from the right.
But it was Chelsea who had the first shot on target in the 25th minute when Jose Reina was forced to save from Drogba's header.
Reina then needed to be alert moments later when Anelka tried his luck with a neat header. Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard also tried his luck, but his free-kick from distance was a long way off target.
But just as Chelsea were beginning to find their feet in this match, Albert Riera's free-kick in the 43rd minute nearly squeezed past Hilario at the far post.
After the restart it was Chelsea who looked most likely to make the breakthrough, and so it proved in the 60th minute.
Anelka finished off a neat move after Lampard had disposed Javier Mascherano and fed Deco. The Portugal midfielder in turn played the ball for Drogba and his cross from the left was perfect for Anelka to poke home.
Drogba came close to adding a second with a long-range free-kick which skidded past Reina's right post. But substitute Malouda did add a second in the 90th minute when he turned in Drogba's cross at the far post.

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Independent:

Drogba creates havoc in dodgy Liverpool defence
Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0

By Sam Wallace, Football Correspondent

There comes a moment in the lifetime of every modern Chelsea manager when he must go through that most crucial rite of passage: beating Liverpool. Carlo Ancelotti did it at the first time of asking yesterday and up in the stand, the emperor of Stamford Bridge will have liked what he saw.
That was Roman Abramovich, wearing a grey cardigan that looked like a throwback to the days of perestroika and watching a Chelsea team that looked like a throwback to their 2006 vintage. These are early days for Ancelotti – and it will be a while yet until they start singing his name at Stamford Bridge – but this was a bold statement from a new manager, the kind that makes even a bored oligarch sit up in his seat.
Chelsea had not beaten Liverpool in the Premier League for more than three years before yesterday and the record was starting to get embarrassing. All the usual taunts about five European Cups and Liverpool's glorious past that are thrown at Chelsea when they play this old enemy can weigh heavy on the bad days. But they were easily dismissed yesterday.
There was a certain symbolism to this game for Ancelotti given that his predecessor one removed, Luiz Felipe Scolari, lost this fixture in October last year and never recovered. His regime in ruins, Scolari was sacked four months later, another Chelsea manager who left the club nursing a grievance about the remarkable defiance Rafael Benitez's Liverpool have shown Chelsea during the Abramovich years.
But Scolari and his downfall is in the past. Ancelotti will have been more troubled by last week's defeat to Wigan Athletic and what that said about his players and their season. Yesterday his team was impeccably organised and although they did not dominate every part of this match they were more ruthless in front of goal, stronger in defence and, with Deco at the point of their midfield diamond, more creative in the midfield.
No question who won the battle of two of the league's most celebrated centre-forwards. Didier Drogba did not score yesterday but he made both of Chelsea's goals, bludgeoning his way past no less a defender than Jamie Carragher to make the second goal for Florent Malouda. Yes, there was a lot of the old nonsense from the Chelsea striker, a lot of complaining, but he was unstoppable when it mattered.
It was not the same for Fernando Torres who had one of those afternoons when he was forced to survive on half-chances and never looked like scoring from any of them. Early in the game he raked his studs down John Terry's leg long after the ball had gone, a rare lack of composure from the Liverpool striker that suggested he was not entirely happy and, from there on, he got no better.
Never write off Benitez. It has become an immutable law of English football but this time the wily old boy has strapped one arm behind his own back as he attempts to make a challenge for the title this season. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Liverpool can still win it with three defeats before the middle of October but it will not be simple. Chelsea will be a match for any team this season, and it is some consolation for Benitez that Manchester United and Arsenal are yet to play them.
It is a consistent refrain from the Liverpool manager that games are won and lost on the smallest of details. Never was he proved more correct than when Javier Mascherano dallied on the ball on the hour mark and lost it to Frank Lampard.
Lampard, industrious in a more defensive role, found Michael Essien, who found Deco, who found Drogba. Within seconds of Liverpool's Argentine midfielder losing the ball in the centre of midfield Drogba had picked out Nicolas Anelka at the back post for Chelsea's first goal. The balance of the game had changed in an instant and Liverpool were forced to commit more resources to attack in pursuit of an equaliser.
Until then, they had matched Chelsea for much of the game. But even with Ancelotti's side sitting back and allowing their opponents to attack them, Liverpool did not offer enough to open up a team as powerful as Chelsea. It takes something special to do that and from their players that can offer that spark – Torres, Steven Gerrard, even Yossi Benayoun – there was very little of note.
There was a spectacular tackle by Ashley Cole on Gerrard when, in the 75th minute, the Liverpool captain crept in behind the Chelsea defence and was about to shoot. From nowhere, or at least from the blindside of Gerrard, Cole came to stretch out a leg and take the power away from his shot. The left-back is in the form of his life and he was arguably Chelsea's most impressive player.
On the opposite side, Branislav Ivanovic was effective against the dire Albert Riera. Only once the game had reached the four minutes of added time did Liverpool fashion their best two chances, a volley that Henrique Hilario turned away with his first major save of the second half. Before then Benayoun, on as a substitute, found himself in space and missed with his shot inside the six-yard area.
By then Chelsea had scored their second in the 91st minute of the game. Drogba took a long ball on his chest in the right side of the area and, with Carragher behind him, managed to hold off the defender and go the long way round by the goal line. Carragher will probably cop most of the blame but when Drogba cut the ball back, Pepe Reina completely missed the cross which Malouda scrambled into the goal.
Fabio Capello took his seat just before kick-off but he did not get the chance to see Joe Cole who warmed up in vain. Ancelotti is certainly doing things his way, picking Deco was not something his immediate predecessor Guus Hiddink did a lot and few have made Anelka and Drogba work so well together. What was Abramovich thinking? At the very least that this manager should last in the job past February.
Chelsea (4-1-3-2): Hilario; Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Essien; Ballack, Deco (Malouda, 76), Lampard; Anelka, Drogba. Substitutes not used: Turnbull, J Cole, Zhirkov, Kalou, Sturridge, Belletti.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Insua (Aurelio, 83); Mascherano, Lucas (Babel, 76); Kuyt, Gerrard, Riera (Benayoun, 67); Torres. Substitutes not used: Cavalieri, Agger, Kyrgiakos, Ngog.
Referee: M Atkinson (Leeds).
Booked: Chelsea Essien; Liverpool Gerrard.
Man of the match: Drogba.
Attendance: 41,732.

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Guardian:

Nicolas Anelka sends Chelsea top with victory over Liverpool

Chelsea 2 Anelka 60, Malouda 90 Liverpool 0
Kevin McCarra at Stamford Bridge

Predictability was a delight for Chelsea. The side must reduce their opponents to fatalism when they have this durability and efficiency about them. Liverpool, eager as they were in the hunt for revival in the Premier League, were well contained. Hilario, deputising for a suspended Petr Cech, did not have an outstanding save to make until dealing with a Steven Gerrard effort in the last few moments.
It must, of course, be a pleasure to the manager, Carlo Ancelotti, that there is searing reliability to Didier Drogba these days. Once again he could not be denied and in this case he set up both goals. Liverpool's effort was great and they may therefore be all the more despondent that they have been defeated for the third time in the league, with October barely begun.
Rafael Benítez's side stand fifth in the table, but Manchester City will overtake them and Arsenal if they are not beaten at Villa Park this evening. The Liverpool manager has aimed to give his team a more enterprising air, but he has sacrificed more durability than he intended.
Chelsea have no cause to question their approach, since it has been effective for a long time. This was precisely the type of victory they have counted on ever since Jose Mourinho's time. Ancelotti cannot mind following in such footsteps since this win puts the club two points clear at the top of the Premier League.
There seems to have been too little money at his disposal for the Italian to put his imprint on the team. Then again, even stagnation could have been a delight so long as it meant Drogba was still on the payroll. The histrionics when he goes down, as he did here, and looks terribly wounded will annoy neutrals, but Chelsea fans can never have the slightest problem in ignoring that trait.
There are far more rewarding matters to occupy their minds. Liverpool were undone by the sheer fluency with which Chelsea broke for their opener after an hour. Once Frank Lampard had won the ball there was speed and intent on the break. Passes from Michael Essien and Deco took play down the left and Drogba's perfect low cross was converted by Nicolas Anelka at the far post.
The Ivorian was just as unsparing in stoppage time. His determination and finesse allowed him to roll the ball in from the right for the substitute Florent Malouda to snuff out any flickering hope in the visitors. This campaign, which includes last week's defeat away to Fiorentina in the Champions League, is turning into a trial for Liverpool.
Followers of the team will go on mourning the loss of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid, but the irony is that this defeat offered some encouragement. The centre-back Jamie Carragher, for instance, was much better than he has been of late. Liverpool's midfield also had a degree of enterprise.
Chelsea, indeed, might be most gratified of all by their steeliness. Onlookers nearly forgot what a terror Fernando Torres has been recently. The centre-forward had been irrepressible in piling up eight league goals before he got to this ground. At Stamford Bridge, though, he was to be subdued by a defence in which John Terry dominated.
The Spain attacker did get an opportunity after 40 minutes but he headed a Dirk Kuyt cross well within the reach of Hilario. At that stage, Chelsea were similarly lenient. Anelka permitted Pepe Reina a much too simple save from his header after being picked out by Essien.
Ancelotti's side were seldom in jeopardy. In the last few moments of the first half, Albert Riera sought to score with a free-kick from 40 yards. The element of surprise may have been the only advantage he enjoyed, but Hilario was alert enough to tip that effort round the post.
Neither team could be considered outstanding. Ancelotti did not have to denounce his side as he had in the wake of defeat to Wigan and a tight victory over Apoel Nicosia, but he will still be wondering how he can sustain the slickness that was displayed only spasmodically by his squad here.
Benítez, too, has had it in mind to develop Liverpool. Perhaps he supposed he could take the final step that would give Anfield the championship for the first time since 1990, but the project is evidently at an early stage. The preference for attacking full-backs is laudable, yet the immediate requirement is for more solidity.
Ancelotti, to a degree, has been luckier. A side in decline under Luiz Felipe Scolari underwent remedial work during the caretaker management of Guus Hiddink. There were no immediate crises for Ancelotti to face, and his main regret must presumably be that he could add just one proven player, Yuri Zhirkov, to the squad.
That is not such a handicap given the means he inherited. A year or two from now, the need for rebuilding will be far more obvious, but this Chelsea team seems to have the means to press on with a potent bid for the title this season.

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Mail:

Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0:

Drogba the destroyer as one-man wrecking ball clears way for knockout blow

By Matt Lawton at Stamford Bridge

After all the talk of a gladiatorial encounter between the world’s two finest strikers here at Stamford Bridge, it turned out to be a case of cometh the hour, cometh the other bloke.
Nicolas Anelka it was who struck after 60 minutes with a goal to which Liverpool had no response. But it was still Didier Drogba who emerged as Chelsea’s one-man wrecking ball, smashing Liverpool’s defence into submission in a manner that seemed beyond Fernando Torres on this occasion.
Where Torres disappointed for Liverpool, Drogba was simply devastating for the new Barclays Premier League leaders, performing the role of creator and provider with a magnificent combination of strength, speed and skill.
It was a superb first-time cross that enabled Anelka to break the deadlock of a fiercely contested game; and a marvellous individual effort that then saw him escape the clutches of Jamie Carragher before delivering the ball to the feet of Florent Malouda, who increased the margin of victory in second-half stoppage time.
Drogba performed the dark arts of deception too, collapsing so frequently and so easily to the ground even John Terry appeared to suggest it might be prudent to try staying on his feet a bit more.
But Drogba was up for this. Up for the fight and and so pumped up Liverpool just could not cope. When the visitors reflect on their third defeat in eight Premier League matches and their second in a week after Tuesday’s 2-0 setback against Fiorentina in Florence, they will struggle to think of reasons to be optimistic.
They will remember how efficiently Michael Essien, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack removed the threat of Steven Gerrard and how well Terry and Ricardo Carvalho dealt with Torres.
They will also have to recognise how ineffective they were in other areas, and the fact that Rafa Benitez came here with too many ordinary players.
Albert Riera, Lucas and Emiliano Insua are not individuals one can imagine securing the league title Liverpool so crave. Already it looks like a prize that is beyond Benitez’s team.
They are not the same side as last season, not least because of the absence of Xabi Alonso from their midfield. Results prove as much.
Last season they beat Manchester United and Chelsea home and away. This season they have lost at Tottenham and Chelsea and at home to Aston Villa, as well as in that chastening Champions League game against Fiorentina.
The contrast with Chelsea is staggering. Here are a team with balance, power and class, a team who have not been disrupted by the departure of key players and are now under the expert guidance of Carlo Ancelotti.
Defeat at Wigan the previous weekend did raise the obvious concerns. Was this going to be a repeat of last year, when some decent early-season form proved unsustainable under Luiz Felipe Scolari?
Were Chelsea once again wobbling under yet another new manager? The answer was an emphatic ‘no’ yesterday. The manner in which they crushed the ambition out of Liverpool and killed them off with a goal that was beautiful in its execution suggested that there is unlikely to be a crisis while Ancelotti is around.
Even in a relatively uneventful first half the pace of the game was ferocious, but Liverpool had no answer to the speed with which Chelsea executed their opening goal.
It was a terrific demonstration of one-touch football, a move that started with Lampard winning the ball off Javier Mascherano and finished, via Essien, Deco and Drogba, with Anelka converting his colleague’s delivery at full-stretch.
Only an Olympic sprinter would have got there with time to spare, so rapidly did Chelsea move the ball forward before Drogba crossed first-time with his left foot.
Anelka did well not just to finish but to escape the attention of Carragher, whose afternoon went from bad to worse when he then allowed Drogba to muscle past him for Chelsea’s second.
Spotting Malouda’s run, Drogba delivered another ball to the feet of a team-mate before turning away in celebration. Only once Chelsea were home and clear did Liverpool even begin to threaten Henrique Hilario’s clean sheet. Yossi Benayoun squandered one opportunity when he pulled a shot wide and Gerrard forced a fine save from Chelsea’s reserve goalkeeper with a sweetly struck half-volley.
It amounted to much too little, much too late for Liverpool. That is something of a recurring theme this season and evidence, along with the startling gulf in quality between the two benches, that says only one of these two sides will still be challenging for the title come next spring.

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Star:

DROG WINS BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE

By Danny Fullbrook

DIDIER Drogba won the battle of the super strikers in style yesterday.
There was so much anticipation before this game about who would come out on top between Drogba and Liverpool’s Fernando Torres.
And despite the Ivory Coast man’s amateur dramatics, Drogba won hands down.
This was a tight, defence-dominated game, but eventually it was the power and pace of Drogba that unlocked the door and took Chelsea soaring back to the top of the Premier League table.
Drogba is like marmite, you either love him or hate him.
One minute he is rolling around on the floor like he has been shot, but when he eventually means business he is unstoppable.
And that was how it proved yesterday at Stamford Bridge as this cat-and-mouse clash exploded on the hour.
Chelsea’s opening goal came about after Frank Lampard expertly dispossessed Javier Mascherano in the centre of the pitch.
Michael Essien then found Drogba bursting down the left and with a brilliant first- time cross Nicolas Anelka was given the opportunity to rifle the ball into the top of the Liverpool net.
It was a fantastic goal which emphasised the threat and pace of the front two.
Drogba’s ball was exquisite, while Anelka’s finish unerring. It was the Frenchman’s fifth of the season, and his second on the trot after scoring against Apoel Nicosia in midweek.
Anelka has admitted in the past that he would have loved to have stayed on at Liverpool when he was on loan, but Gerard Houllier let him go.
But he now says he has found his rightful home, and he is true to his word at the moment.
Chelsea’s second goal came in the dying embers of the game after they withstood any pressure that Liverpool could throw at them, and again Drogba was the catalyst.
Lampard played a free-kick into the corner as Chelsea looked to run time down as they had reached the 90th minute.
But Drogba was having none of it. He managed to turn Fabio Aurelio and Jamie Carragher inside out on the right wing as he bustled past the pair, despite a tug on his shirt.
Having reached the byeline he then crossed for sub Florent Malouda to bundle the ball home. Malouda was the scorer but it was all about Drogba.
By contrast Torres hardly got a sniff. Despite scoring a hat-trick against Hull last weekend, the whole team were disappointing against Fiorentina in midweek in the Champions League.
And this time the super Spaniard came up against a colossal defensive performance by John Terry.
There is a banner that decorates the Matthew Harding Stand at the Bridge which says: JT Captain, Leader, Legend.
And he lived up to every part of that yesterday.
Everywhere Torres went, Terry was there. El Nino got half a chance in the first half when he did get across the front post but his glancing header was easily held by Henrique Hilario who was in for the suspended Petr Cech.
Apart from that, Torres was starved of service.
There was one moment before Chelsea’s second when he perhaps could have scored. Steven Gerrard had shifted the ball on to his left foot inside the Chelsea area, and it was that man Terry who threw himself into the challenge to block his England team-mate.
The ball bobbled to Torres but he blazed his effort wide. And that was it from Liverpool’s main striker.
Liverpool had two other great chances to score, but only once Chelsea had already gone two goals ahead.
First Yossi Benayoun dropped his shoulder and found some space in the area, but somehow he rolled his effort past the far post.
Then right at the end, Gerrard hit a great strike which Hilario saved brilliantly.
Chelsea had had the better of a drab first-half with Michael Ballack, Anelka and Drogba all wasting half-chances, with perhaps the big German’s the best of the opportunities.
As for Liverpool, they had offered a lot of hustle and effort, but the only time they threatened Chelsea’s goal was when Albert Riera’s low free-kick was seen very late by Hilario and he turned it around the post.
Liverpool seemed by far the more dangerous outfit once Rafael Benitez brought on Benayoun.
The little Israeli recently scored a hat-trick against Burnley but for some reason was left out for Riera.
From Chelsea’s point of view, this was the perfect response for a slightly unsettling week.
They hate losing to Liverpool, and it was Benitez’s side which broke their record- breaking unbeaten league run last season.
At the final whistle the Chelsea players all hugged each other with Cech running on to the pitch to join in, and Terry was seen pumping his fist at the fans as he knew what it meant to pass their first real major test of the season.
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti had told everybody not to get carried away with Chelsea losing to Wigan last weekend.
It looks like the Italian knows exactly what he is talking about.

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Sun:

Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0

SHAUN CUSTIS at Stamford Bridge

CARLO ANCELOTTI could enjoy a celebratory cigarette after this impressive victory took Chelsea top of the table.
But the manager was not the only one smoking at Stamford Bridge - Didier Drogba was on fire.
Chelsea's top-scorer may not have hit the net for a fourth straight Premier League game, but he was instrumental in this success and eclipsed his strike rival Fernando Torres, who failed to spark at all.
Drogba created goals for both Nicolas Anelka and sub Florent Malouda as he tormented Liverpool warhorse Jamie Carragher, who had no answer to the Ivory Coast hitman's pace and power.
He had his infuriating moments - rolling around complaining when he should have got on with the game - but his brilliance when he stayed on his feet overshadowed the theatrics.
There were other stars for Chelsea, too. John Terry was immense at the back, getting above Torres time and again to head decisively away from the danger area.
And behind the captain, Henrique Hilario, making his first league start for eight months because of Petr Cech's suspension, was outstanding in goal when Liverpool hoped he would be the weak link.
Not a bit of it. Hilario did everything asked of him, including two outstanding saves - one from an Albert Riera free-kick and a blinder at the death from Steven Gerrard.
You could see the relief on Ancelotti's face at the end of a difficult week.
Chelsea were soundly beaten 3-1 at Wigan before struggling to overcome APOEL Nicosia in the Champions League.
The Italian admitted he was not happy with either of those performances but this was much more to his liking and should keep owner Roman Abramovich off his back for a fortnight.
Abramovich flew into training last Friday to 'take a look at things' and immediately the rumours started that Ancelotti's position was under threat.
After all, the last time Abramovich ran the rule over training he sacked Big Phil Scolari within days.
Abramovich is expecting big things this season and he cannot ask for much more than to see Chelsea sitting top of the table.
Liverpool's last visit to Stamford Bridge produced a sensational 4-4 Champions League draw - but this was more physical, while chances were few and far between.
In the first half, particularly, it seemed both sides were scared to open it up for fear of losing - and this result certainly raises an awful lot of questions about Liverpool's title chances.
This was their third Premier League defeat in eight matches and came on the back of a disappointing display in losing to Fiorentina in midweek.
The out-of-sorts Torres had a golden opportunity on 40 minutes when Dirk Kuyt picked him out but the Spaniard's attempted header seemed to come off his nose and it bounced down apologetically into Hilario's arms.
A minute before the break, Michael Essien - who was strong in the holding role - got a little excitable and took out Lucas.
From the free-kick, Riera's 35-yard effort somehow found a way through a raft of bodies and Hilario did well to react and turn it round the post.
The resulting corner saw Drogba grab Martin Skrtel's shoulder and push the centre-back to ground but referee Martin Atkinson waved away penalty claims - much to the annoyance of Rafa Benitez.
The Reds boss was even more upset when Chelsea took the lead on the hour after Essien robbed the dithering Javier Mascherano.
The ball broke to Deco, who fed Drogba down the left. The Ivorian's cross was a belter - curling across the six-yard box away from Pepe Reina and on to the outstretched right boot of Anelka, who gleefully converted.
Liverpool battled for an equaliser and Gerrard worked an opening but the moment he pulled back his left foot, Terry flung himself forward and blocked the shot.
Chelsea made it two in injury time as Drogba beat Fabio Aurelio and Carragher to muscle his way into the box. Carragher pulled Drogba back by his shirt but the Blues striker was in full flow and his low cross was buried by Malouda.
Liverpool could still have mounted an unlikely comeback as sub Yossi Benayoun missed a sitter, rolling a shot wide of the post with the goal gaping. Then Hilario pounced to his right to beat away Gerrard's volley.
So, a job well done by Chelsea but it will be an uncomfortable international break for Benitez as the inquest into Liverpool's performances gathers momentum.

apoel 1-0

The Times
Nicolas Anelka leads Chelsea to victory Apoel 0 Chelsea 1
Matt Hughes, Deputy Football Correspondent, Nicosia

Chelsea returned to winning ways in the least convincing manner last night, requiring an early goal from Nicolas Anelka to sneak past the champions of Cyprus.
On this evidence, Carlo Ancelotti’s team could do with the riches of Roman Abramovich in the transfer market — Fifa permitting, that is — if they are to end the long hunt for the trophy their owner craves. After their dismal defeat away to Wigan Athletic in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday, this was another poor performance. The visiting team were very much second-best in an error-strewn second half, during which they gave the ball away far too easily, leading Ancelotti to admit that they were lucky to escape with all three points.
Another win, at home to Atlético Madrid in three weeks, will effectively secure their place in the first knockout round, which says more about the strength of the Champions League than the might of Chelsea.
Ancelotti, the manager, can consider himself fortunate to have inherited a second-choice striker such as Anelka, who, after finishing as the top goalscorer in the Premier League last season, has kicked on.
The suspension of Didier Drogba was supposed to hinder the London club’s Champions League campaign, but it has ended up working in their favour, with Anelka stepping out of his team-mate’s shadow and the Ivory Coast striker resting for greater challenges ahead. Unlike Fifa’s dispute resolution chamber, Uefa’s disciplinary panel may yet appear on Chelsea’s Christmas card list.
Any chance for Drogba to rest during a long season is a bonus, but Anelka’s re-emergence as a threat at the very highest level is more significant. The 30-year-old endured an unwanted break from the Champions League after winning it with Real Madrid nine years ago and struggled to readjust after signing for Chelsea 21 months ago, but he has already made his mark on this season’s competition.
After scoring just twice in his first 17 European appearances for the club — both against Bordeaux last season — he has managed two in as many matches in this campaign to edge the club towards the knockout stage at the earliest opportunity.
Anelka was the one accomplished Chelsea player in a scratchy performance that became increasingly ragged as they sat back to protect their lead in the second half. Ashley Cole was twice required to be vigilant to clear dangerous crosses from Nectarios Alexandrou and Constantinos Charalambides, while Petr Cech made an outstanding save with his feet as Savvas Poursaitides ran through on goal.
It was just as well that the Cypriot authorities have so much contempt for smoking bans, because Ancelotti needed several cigarettes to calm his nerves, particularly when Charalambides headed narrowly wide at the far post with four minutes remaining.
Chelsea held on for their first win in continental Europe since December 2007, although they could easily have drawn. Against modest opponents making their first home appearance at this level, they looked far from assured.
As in the Premier League, it is difficult to assess their efforts at the moment, beating teams they should without convincing and yet to be tested against the best.
This performance provided more questions than answers, most notably over whether Michael Essien has the discipline to anchor midfield, which he was asked to do in the absence through injury of John Obi Mikel, and for how much longer the lightweight Salomon Kalou can continue to be indulged.
It looked like panning out differently in the first half, as Chelsea dominated possession without killing off their opponents. Branislav Ivanovic should have given them the lead in the twelfth minute, but headed wide from a free kick by Frank Lampard.
Kalou shot wide soon after in a wonderful passing move instigated by the outstanding Cole, but they did not have long to wait. The source was something of a surprise, Juliano Belletti crossing from the right for Anelka to score his fourth goal of the season with a powerful shot across the goalkeeper.
Chelsea made hard work of it thereafter and will need to improve against Liverpool on Sunday to avoid a repeat of last year’s autumnal malaise.

Apoel (4-4-2): D Chiotis — S Poursaitides, C Kontis, B Grncarov, A Haxhi — C Charalambides (sub: J Paulista, 85min), N Morais, C Michail (sub: M Breska, 80), H Pinto — N Alexandrou (sub: K Kosowski, 58), N Mirosavljevic. Substitutes not used: T Kissas, A Papathanasiou, M Satsias, M Elia.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): P Cech — B Ivanovic, R Carvalho, J Terry, A Cole — M Essien, J Belletti (sub: Deco, 69) — S Kalou (sub: J Cole, 80), F Lampard, F Malouda — N Anelka. Substitutes not used: Hilário, Y Zhirkov, D Sturridge, S Hutchison, J Bruma. Booked: Kalou, Ivanovic.
Referee: B Layec (France).

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Telegraph:

APOEL Nicosia 0 Chelsea 1 By Jason Burt at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia

Chelsea are dominating Group D without Didi. At least, according to the table they are. Once again they coped, just about, with the loss of Didier Drogba, to suspension, with Nicolas Anelka, so long in the shadows of the powerful, talismanic striker stepping up to the plate to score a decisive goal. Two matches, two goals for Anelka and six points for Chelsea in the Champions League. That should have been the story. Instead, it’s a different tale. Against Apoel, Chelsea were, at times, rotten.
The signs are worrying. A lack of concentration, sloppiness, errors and, above all, an edginess to Chelsea. It’s not exactly a slide, but it’s looking a little slippery at the top and they almost fell flat on their faces at the end and were dependent on a save by Petr Cech, with his legs, and the Cypriots’ inability to take the gifts on offer to them.
Ancelotti acknowledged his side’s fortune. “It was a good result but not a good performance,” he said. Chelsea had started well, scored for the first time inside the opening 30 minutes this season, but, according to the manager, it was different in the second half. ''We tried to control the game with possession, but we made a lot of mistakes. Nicosia played very well and deserved to draw this game. This is football. Sometimes that happens.
Ancelotti’s angst was written on his face. “I’m not satisfied. I wanted Chelsea to play better and to take more control, to play with courage,” he added. “We have to change, for sure.”
That change will have to come quickly. Liverpool, smarting from defeat against Fiorentina, are next up and Ancelotti pledged an improvement.
This win and Anelka’s goal should have calmed nerves. But instead there will now be more introspection, greater analysis, further reasons to doubt. Maybe, by the end of this group, when Porto and Atletico Madrid also visit Apoel, this victory will appear more impressive, which is something captain John Terry claimed. “It’s a difficult place to come,” he said. “Teams are getting better and better in the Champions League.”
Chelsea will hope so. This was probably the biggest night Apoel have had in European football and with the anticipation, the clamour for tickets, the sea of orange, the relentless chanting of the club’s 'ultras’ and the chaos around the stadium – cars and mopeds strewn everywhere – it was set up for the kind of frenzied evening that Chelsea have survived so many times before.
Survive and thrive and when Juliano Belletti darted down the right, beyond the Apoel defence, he smartly pulled the ball back. Anelka, the lone striker, just inside the area, was unmarked and stroked a first-time, right-footed shot across goalkeeper Dionisios Chiotis and into the net.
That was good. But then there was a lot of bad. Chelsea deployed a Christmas tree formation and with it they started to offer up far too many presents to the Cypriot champions. Maybe it had all been too easy for Chelsea. Chances were spurned by Salomon Kalou, Florent Malouda and Branislav Ivanovic and they were coasting. Chelsea struck on the counter but didn’t find the killer blow.
Instead complacency set in and when Carvalho surrendered possession, it needed Ashley Cole to scamper back and head clear. It got worse. Malouda erred and Savvas Poursaitides had a gilt-edged chance. He shot, but Cech parried with his feet and the ball was scuffed away. From the corner Nenad Mirosavljevic headed across goal and wide.
Cole had to head another cross clear before Cech pounced on a low centre. Once again Chelsea lost the ball and once again Apoel failed to capitalise, with John Terry intercepting as Mirosavljevic waited to meet the cross.
Ancelotti threw on Deco and Joe Cole and pleaded with his players to retain possession. Malouda should have settled nerves but shot weakly at Chiotis and Chelsea had to endure a difficult final few minutes with Constantinos Charalambides heading over at the far post. He should have scored. For Ancelotti there was relief. Anything short of victory and the pressure would have started to ratchet up even more.

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Independent:
Chelsea ride luck after Anelka's classy strike
Apoel Nicosia 0 Chelsea 1
By Glenn Moore at GSP Nicosia

Angry though he was at Chelsea's performance, Carlo Ancelotti reflected, as he pondered his old club Milan's home defeat to FC Zurich last night, that there are worse things than playing badly and winning. "I'm sad, but it shows there are no easy games in the Champions League," he said. However, this tepid performance, coming after Saturday's surrender at Wigan, has worried him, especially with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Ahead, and seemingly cruising after Nicolas Anelka's 18th-minute goal, Chelsea gradually lost control of this tie against eager but limited opposition. But for a sharp save from Petr Cech and some poor finishing by the Cypriot champions, they would have been held to a draw, or worse. In the event, thanks to Porto's defeat of Atletico Madrid, they lead Group D by three points with the struggling Spanish team due in London next.
Qualification to the knock-out stages now seems virtually assured, not least because Porto seem the only credible opposition, but further progress will require much better displays. Having initially dominated their opponents Chelsea conceded the initiative so alarmingly that Ancelotti admitted Apoel deserved a draw. Absentees were a factor, but a club of Chelsea's financial muscle should be able to compensate for the loss, through suspension or injury, of Jose Bosingwa, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack and John Obi Mikel.
The less stellar Branislav Ivanovic, Salomon Kalou and Juliano Belletti came in to the side with the Brazilian partnering Michael Essien in midfield. This allowed Frank Lampard to operate between two advanced wide players, Florent Malouda and Kalou, with Anelka leading the line.
This the Frenchman did superbly for an hour, capping a performance of impressive sharpness and movement with his goal, curled in from the edge of the area after Belletti had broken to the byline and pulled the ball back.
At that stage Chelsea were comfortable. Essien, Ivanovic, Lampard and Kalou had all had chances. However, Dionisis Chiotis was tested by none of them and with Ashley Cole and Anelka wasting further opportunities Apoel went in to the break just a goal adrift.
This seemed to boost their confidence, and that of a raucous home support. This was a big night for Cyprus. Not only was this Apoel's home Champions League bow but it was also a chance to remind the world of the Greek Cypriot plight. This is a partitioned city in a divided island and from the towering main stand of this decade-old stadium could be seen an extraordinary sight. Glittering on the hills north of Nicosia was the outline of the crescent and star of the Turkish flag, picked out in lights.
It was a reminder, a sinister one to locals despite the current relative thaw in relations, that just a few miles from here is occupied territory. The signs wishing "Good luck Chelsea" in the cafes and bars of the Turkish quarter were not just a marketing device to lure in those travelling fans who had crossed the Green Line UN buffer zone, but also a heartfelt wish.
The Greek Cypriot response was a long banner facing the TV cameras which told the world, "Cyprus is Greek." Were Muzzy Izzet still a Chelsea player that might have made the atmosphere intimidating, in the event it was merely lively.
Chelsea's first-half superiority failed to dim the decibel level even if Apoel created few significant opportunities with Constantinos Charalambidis wasting the main one, created after Essien had let his man run off him. The volume increased as the second period wore on and it became clear that Chelsea were content to sit back, protect their lead, and look to counter.
This, though, invited pressure from Apoel whose growing confidence was illustrated by a switch to 4-3-3. Chelsea struggled to cope with substitute Kamil Kosowski, on the fight flank, and the Pole created a superb opening for Savvas Poursaitidis after 64 minutes. The full-back appeared to freeze with fear but eventually got off a shot which took a deflection off John Terry before Cech saved with his feet.
In an attempt to keep hold of the ball, Ancelotti introduced Deco, then Joe Cole, but his team continued to look disjointed. They should have put the tie to bed with 10 minutes left but neither Malouda nor Lampard could convert Ivanovic's cut-back. That could have proved expensive as, with six minutes to go, Charalambidis met Kosowski's deep cross. However, he put it into the side netting, leaving Apoel to take the plaudits, and Chelsea to steal the points. Ancelotti must settle for that, for now, but as he told the players in the dressing room, they will need to play better, starting on Sunday.
Apoel Nicosia (4-4-2): Chiotis; Poursaitidis, Kontis, Grncarov, Haxhi; Charalambidis (Jean Paulista, 85), Morais, Michael (Breska, 79), Pinto; Alexandrou (Kosowski, 58), Mirosavljevic. Substitutes not used: Kissas (gk), Papathanasiou, Satsias, Elia.
Chelsea (4-1-2-3): Cech; Ivanovic, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Belletti (Deco, 68); Essien, Lampard; Kalou (J Cole, 79), Anelka, Malouda. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Zhirkov, Sturridge, Hutchinson, Bruma.
Referee: B Layec (France).
Group D
Chelsea previous result: 15 Sept Chelsea 1 FC Porto 0.
Chelsea remaining fixtures: 21 Oct Atletico Madrid (h), 3 Nov Atletico Madrid (a), 25 Nov FC Porto (a), 8 Dec Apoel Nicosia (h).

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Guardian;

Nicolas Anelka proves the difference to bring sweet relief for scrappy ChelseaBuzz up!
Apoel Nicosia 0 Chelsea 1 Anelka 18
Dominic Fifield at GSP Nicosia

Chelsea look down from the top of their qualifying group having reverted to victorious ways after the trauma of Wigan, though that is not to suggest all is once again rosy with Chelsea. Carlo Ancelotti prowled his technical area throughout this contest against a depleted Apoel Nicosia, his frustration at his side's wastefulness transformed into genuine anxiety before the end. There was relief rather than glee at the final whistle.
The Premier League team did just enough to prevail here, securing their first away win on foreign soil in this competition since Avram Grant's side thumped Rosenborg in Trondheim almost two years ago, yet their Italian manager will not rest entirely easy before Liverpool's visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Victory will not disguise the reality that too many passes went astray, the midfield lacked fizz and a normally reliable defence appeared jittery; Rafael Benítez will have taken note.
Ancelotti's livid post-match reaction in the dressing-room spoke volumes. This was not a fortunate win in the same fashion as those against Hull or Stoke in the Premier League this term, matches in which the Londoners had dominated and been guilty principally of profligacy before striking in stoppage time. Rather, Apoel deserved more than defeat. The Cypriots are limited but committed and a better side would have converted one of the half-chances eked out as Chelsea froze late on. The likes of Fernando Torres or Steven Gerrard, even after their own travails in Florence, would surely not pass up similar opportunities.
It was telling that the contest ended with Petr Cech clawing down a looping header from underneath his crossbar. That rather summed up the occasion, with Apoel vaguely threatening and Chelsea, becalmed and almost complacent at times, apparently perplexed by their own shortcomings. Constantinos Charalambides, ignored by Branislav Ivanovic, might have converted a free header at the far post. Christos Kontis could have flicked in Nektarios Alexandrou's corner: ifs and maybes, perhaps, but Chelsea were left clinging to their lead when they would have expected to have prevailed far more comfortably.
The Cypriots' best opportunity had actually been squeezed from their only spell of genuine pressure. The hour-mark had come and gone with Chelsea in cruise control when Apoel roused themselves to shrug their panicked opponents from their comfort zone. Florent Malouda's horribly misplaced header fed the substitute Kamil Kosowski, one of the hosts' walking wounded but summoned from the bench in desperation to add bite and invention, with his pass finding Savvas Poursaitides. The full-back's shot deflected off John Terry and forced Cech into a fine reaction save with his legs with the goalkeeper exposed, and Chelsea breathed again.
The sloppiness was all the more troubling given that the home side were severely shorn of key players. Apoel had drawn at Atlético Madrid in their opening group match but were shorn here of striking talent in Adrian Sikora. They missed the Pole last night, their industry taking them only so far. Chelsea may have been lax in too many areas but the best attacking player on the pitch duly made his presence felt.
So much has depended upon Nicolas Anelka in the continued absence of Didier Drogba, suspended from European competition, yet the Frenchman is thriving with added responsibility. Where his team-mates were error-prone and sloppy in possession, he was slick and threatening throughout. The forward eagerly tormented his markers to slalom into space or burst to the byline, setting up Salomon Kalou who side-footed disappointingly wide before securing his own reward, and ultimately the victory, some 18 minutes into the match.
Chelsea's most coherent passing exchange sliced the hosts apart, Kalou spreading possession wide for Juliano Belletti, who cut inside Hélio Pinto and waited for Altin Haxhi to overcommit and go to ground. The Brazilian relished the space created and calmly pulled his cross back to the unmarked Anelka on the edge of the area and the striker guided his shot beautifully across Dionisis Chiotis into the far corner. Ancelotti punched the air on the touchline, hopeful that the hosts could be picked off on the break thereafter, yet that was as impressive as this got.
Malouda scuffed a shot into a grateful Chiotis late on and Frank Lampard crashed a couple of efforts high and wide to suggest the visitors might add a flattering second on the counter but this increasingly felt like an upset in waiting rather than a dismissal of unfancied opponents. Ancelotti flapped with nervous energy as the clock ticked down, his midfield tinkering desperately searching for composure in possession, before almost apologising to his opposite number, Ivan Jovanovic, once the win had been confirmed. Top of Group D they may be but Chelsea have still to convince.

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Mail:

Apoel Nicosia 0 Chelsea 1:

You beauty, Nicolas Anelka! Pity the game did not match up

By Matt Barlow

Cyprus may be the mythical birthplace of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty, but this was far from pretty. Chelsea got straight back into the winning groove after their shock defeat at Wigan and secured their first win outside England for nearly two years.
Nicolas Anelka’s fourth goal of the season, a rare moment of clear thinking in a frantic and scrappy game, has them perched neatly on the top of Group D with maximum points from two games.But manager Carlo Ancelotti was not satisfied as his team failed to sparkle and ended up clinging on against Champions League newboys APOEL.He confessed they were lucky to escape with three points, for which they can thank Anelka. Chelsea had arrived here determined to recapture the winning habit after Saturday’s surprise defeat ruined a run of eight victories.
You won’t like us when we’re angry — that was the message from inside the camp, so perhaps it was only right Anelka stepped forward. He was known as the Incredible Sulk in moodier days.
Last night, he was asked to lead the line again in the absence of Didier Drogba, who was serving the second of his three-game ban for his X-rated rant into a TV camera after last season’s Champions League semi-final loss to Barcelona.
Anelka responded well to the responsibility, sometimes dropping deep to link up play, chasing in the channels at other times and taking his goal coolly.
Salomon Kalou released Juliano Belletti in space on the right and the Brazilian jinked inside before dragging a smart pass back to Anelka, lurking on the edge of the penalty area.
Without taking a touch to control the ball, he clipped it into the far corner with his right foot, fading it beyond goalkeeper Dionisios Chiotis. It was Anelka’s fourth of the season and his second in Europe.
He scored the only goal of the game in Chelsea’s first European tie of the season, at home to Porto.Ancelotti said: ‘Anelka is scoring at a good time and that’s important. He moved very well out there, not only in scoring but in front of our attack. This is good.’
APOEL had started well against their illustrious visitors, cheered on loudly by 22,000 packed inside the GSP Stadium for their first proper Champions League game. The fans were packed in well before kick-off, whipping up a wonderful atmosphere, as it was when they beat FC Copenhagen here to qualify for the group stage.
Partizan Belgrade were another experienced team to lose in Nicosia in the qualifying rounds and the Cypriot champions held Atletico Madrid to a goalless draw in Spain in their Group D opener.
The warnings were there for Chelsea but they were slow to find their rhythm, with APOEL pinging the ball around confidently in triangles neat enough to have made Pythagoras swell with pride. Bald striker Nenad Mirosavljevic was spinning wide to cause Branislav Ivanovic problems.
Ivanovic rarely looks like a full back with everything under control but he survived his early wobble and Ancelotti’s team slowly took control. By the time Anelka struck in the 18th minute, they were in command but the goal that ought to have been a nervesettler only prompted them to lose their focus again.
APOEL squandered the opportunity to strike back immediately when the ball dropped to Constantinos Charalambides in a crowded penalty box but he slashed a shot high and wide.
Charalambides proved wasteful to the end, missing his team’s best chance of an equaliser with a diving header at the back post, which he lifted over the bar, when Chelsea’s back four had been dragged out of position.Early in the second half, APOEL manager Ivan Jovanovic sent on Kamil Kosowski, not considered fit enough to start after injury problems, and he injected new urgency into the Cypriot champions.
Chelsea panicked as the momentum swung against them. Ivanovic came under pressure again and Florent Malouda made mistakes in dangerous areas.It was a careless Malouda header which presented Savvas Poursaitides with a glimpse of goal in the 65th minute but Petr Cech, sent off at Wigan, made a fine save with his left boot.
APOEL went close again from the corner which followed as Ashley Cole had to be alert at the back post to clear a dangerous cross from Charalambides and John Terry came to the rescue more than once.
At least Ancelotti, flapping his arms in exasperation on the touchline, knew something had to be done to protect the lead.
He sent on Deco to nurture possession and it helped take the menace out of the home team’s attacking. Malouda should have made it safe when he arrived on the end of a low cross from Ivanovic but his effort was feeble and easily saved by Chiotis.
At least AC Milan, Ancelotti’s former club who lost at home to FC Zurich last night, proved it could have been far worse.
‘I’m very disappointed for this but it shows there are no easy games in the Champions League,’ said Ancelotti.‘We are happy. Joe Cole has started to play and Deco is in good condition.‘We’ve rested Michael Ballack for Sunday against Liverpool and we have Drogba and Jose Bosingwa.’
What would Liverpool have given for an ugly away win in beautiful Florence on Tuesday?
MATCH FACTSAPOEL NICOSIA (4-2-3-1): Chiotis 5;Poursaitides 6, Kontis 6, Grncarov 6,Haxhi 5; Morais 5, Michail 6(Breska 80min); Alexandrou 5 (Kosowski 58, 6), Pinto 5, Charalambides 5 (Paulista 85); Mirosavljevic 6.
CHELSEA (4-3-2-1): Cech 6; Ivanovic 5, Carvalho 6, Terry 6, A Cole 7; Belletti 6 (Deco 68, 5), Essien 7,Lampard6; Kalou 6 (J Cole 80), Malouda 5; Anelka 7.Booked: Kalou, Ivanovic.
Man of the match: Nicolas Anelka.Referee: Bertrand Layec (France).

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Sun:
Apoel Nicosia 0 Chelsea 1
IAN McGARRY in Nicosia

CHELSEA had to sing for their supper before they made APOEL crumble in Cyprus last night.
A goal from Nicolas Anelka was enough to claim the spoils in Nicosia - but this was a performance starved of any substance.
There was no goal glut, no delicious skill and certainly no feast of football.
In fact, most of what was tasty about this tie came from the Cypriots. They hassled and harried, pressured and pushed and generally made a nuisance of themselves.
And when Chelsea did think they had got on top, APOEL just kept coming back - like a kebab the morning after the night before.
For Carlo Ancelotti, it must have felt like Groundhog Day.
Last weekend his team were outfought at unfancied Wigan.
Last night they came to one of the furthest outposts of the Champions League and failed to match the effort of the minnows from Cyprus.
Skipper John Terry made the point after their first defeat of the season that every player had to stand up and be counted.
But for much of this contest, Chelsea looked more like they were still lying by the pool of their hotel.
The Blues fans - some 1,400 of them - had all opted to stay by the sea on this holiday island.
They were then bussed into Nicosia a couple of hours before kick-off but they surely did not expect to see their team treading water when they got there.
Chelsea's form in away matches in the group stage of this competition has been poor - two draws and a defeat last season. Up until last night they had not won a match in mainland Europe since beating Rosenborg in December 2007.
Progress was again patchy last night, with the visitors' best chances coming from scrappy set-pieces.
Frank Lampard supplied decent crosses but Branislav Ivanovic failed to get his head on the end of them.
The first clear sight of goal came after 15 minutes when Michael Essien and Anelka linked up and a speedy centre found Salomon Kalou in space.
He made a decent fist of a first-time shot but it trundled harmlessly past a post.
APOEL had a bad habit of giving the ball away cheaply and, when Juliano Belletti went galloping down the right, they were made to pay dearly. A simple cutback found Anelka, who pinged a gorgeous right-footer high into the far corner.
The France striker also hit the only goal in Chelsea's win over Porto on Matchday One and he is proving a brilliant stand-in for the suspended Didier Drogba.
Remarkably, it was the first time Chelsea have scored before the half-hour mark in any competition this season.
Yet, within a minute, APOEL were on the attack and the ball fell to Constantinos Charalambides on the edge of the box. He had time to do much better than scuff his volley well wide. APOEL refused to lie down and let their more prestigious opponents walk all over them.
They kept Chelsea waiting to start the second half - and, when they did, they came out fighting.
First, Terry gave the ball away 40 yards out and had to backpedal to snuff out the danger.
Just as silly, Ricardo Carvalho gifted it to Nektarios Alexandrou - and Ashley Cole had to sweep in and knock the ball out for a corner. The hosts could smell fear and swarmed forward in waves - a tactic they would not have dared risk in the first period.
Kamil Kosowski came on to add some height to the industry on the flanks and, for 10 minutes or so, Chelsea were on the back foot.
And they should have been pegged back after 64 minutes.
Savvas Poursaitides found himself completely alone just 12 yards out. But he hesitated and shot weakly at Petr Cech, who cleared with his feet.
Inevitably, with APOEL pushing forward, there were gaps left at the back and Lampard crossed with 12 minutes left.
Florent Malouda met the ball just 10 yards out but his finish was poor and straight at the feet of keeper Dionisis Chiotis.
Joe Cole came on for a late cameo which could yet be a preview to playing at the weekend.
Along with Drogba, midfielder Cole is Chelsea's top-scorer against Liverpool and, on the evidence of the last few days, Ancelotti will need all the firepower he can get if the Blues are to beat the Reds on Sunday.