arsenal 1-3

Independent:

Arsenal shake off inferiority complex to heap misery on Blues

Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1

By Sam Wallace at the Emirates Stadium

At this time of year one imagines that Roman Abramovich's yacht is moored somewhere warm, quiet and expensive, far away from the bone-chilling cold of a Premier League Christmas programme.
But no matter how remote, Chelsea's owner is never too far away to eject his managers from Stamford Bridge should he deem it necessary. Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari have all been jettisoned without warning or explanation from the Russian billionaire and this morning, the club waits with trepidation to see whether Ancelotti will go the same way.
A manager who has already been undermined by the sacking of his assistant is now struggling with four defeats in the last eight league games and could see his team go fifth in the table should Tottenham Hotspur win this afternoon. In the golden years of the Abramovich era at Chelsea this is uncharted territory. Neither does it help that Chelsea are six points behind the leaders, Manchester United, who have a game in hand.
This victory for Arsenal was a bold statement about their intentions in the title race and it lifted a Chelsea hex over them that has lasted more than two years and four league meetings. As for Chelsea it is a full-blown crisis and should Ancelotti's team fail to beat a buoyant Bolton Wanderers tomorrow it is hard to see the Italian surviving in the job.
Last night the big players who won him the double last season were overwhelmed by Arsenal. Didier Drogba, ineffective for much of the game, had not been on the losing side against Arsenal before last night. He has now. Frank Lampard and Michael Essien never came close to controlling the match. Only John Terry looked up to it.
Ancelotti says that his team are "sleeping" but it is starting to feel more like a whole winter hibernation. If the manager can be grateful for one thing it is that his side's game against Manchester United nine days ago was postponed because of the weather. On this evidence they would have lost that one, too.
This turned into an occasion on which Arsène Wenger's team played according to their manager's grand plans, those plans that so many at the Emirates struggle to buy into after five seasons without a trophy. Wenger's team were fluent, composed and one step ahead of their opponents.
It was in the space of 90 compelling seconds before the hour mark that Arsenal finally shedded their inferiority complex about Chelsea with two goals that decided the game. Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott both plundered a goal each. It was not the sort of humiliation that Chelsea are accustomed to having to bear.
There were influential performances from the likes of Fabregas and Robin van Persie but it was also the Englishmen in red shirts – Walcott and Jack Wilshere – who caught the eye. This was a big night for Wilshere, a teenager up against the intimidating reputations of Lampard and Essien, and he came through it impressively.
Walcott, selected ahead of Andrei Arshavin, did not get the better of Ashley Cole in the first half but when Chelsea were more stretched in the second half he came into his own. Over the past 12 months, Walcott has demonstrated a newly-acquired calmness about him in front of goal and his finish for Arsenal's third, his first league goal since August, was particularly well done.
It is too soon to make the kind of bold claims that this is the end of an era of dominance of Chelsea over Arsenal but it certainly had the feeling that something had ended. Perhaps it will turn out to be Ancelotti's 18 months at Chelsea but it also might be the psychological advantage – two Arsenal victories aside – that the champions have exerted over Wenger's team since Mourinho arrived more than six years ago.
The first half was a messy game that was difficult to make much sense of until Samir Nasri's shot four minutes before the break. That was pushed over by Petr Cech. By then Arsenal had imposed themselves on the game.
The breakthrough was not long in coming. Alex Song played the ball into Wilshere who was looking for Fabregas with his return pass. As the Arsenal captain lunged for the ball, he blocked Paulo Ferreira's attempt to get it and Song, who had continued his run, was given time and space to beat Cech.
It was a big moment for the Emirates who, for the first time in a long time, sensed a weakness in their old enemy. They departed at half-time with a spring in their step and came back out in the mood to kill the game.
First Walcott seized upon a loose ball from a tackle by Essien on Van Persie which turned into an inviting pass through Chelsea's defence. The England winger carried the ball into the area and released just as Cech closed down on him, allowing Fabregas a clear sight of goal and a chance he could not miss.
Walcott bettered that 90 seconds later when he beat Cech himself with a sweet finish into the far corner. It had been Walcott who had robbed Florent Malouda in the middle of the pitch and then run on to Fabregas' return ball.
On the touchline, Ancelotti will have felt that shiver of dread. He substituted Malouda almost immediately and the Frenchman's rapid trot to the bench told you that he knew he deserved it.
Chelsea scored before the hour, a long free-kick from Drogba that Lukasz Fabianski got nowhere near and was headed in by Branislav Ivanovic. On another night this would have been the cause for much moaning and groaning at the Emirates but this was no ordinary night.
Ancelotti's team were now forced to stretch themselves against an Arsenal side full of confidence on the counter-attack. Nasri and the substitute Abou Diaby both had chances to score and gradually the trepidation at the Emirates that had followed Ivanovic's goal gave way to something else. They realised Chelsea were spent. Now it is Abramovich's decision as to just how radical the remedy must be.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Sagna, Djourou, Koscielny, Clichy; Song, Wilshere; Nasri, Fabregas (Rosicky, 88), Walcott (Diaby, 73); V

an Persie (Chamakh, 76). Substitutes not used Squillaci, Arshavin, Bendtner, Szczesny (gk).
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ferreira (Bosingwa, 61), Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Essien, Mikel (Ramires, h-t), Lampard; Kalou, Drogba, Malouda (Kakuta, 56). Substitutes not used Turnbull (gk), Van Aanholt, Bruma, McEachran.

Match rating 8/10.
Man of the match Wilshere.
Referee M Clattenburg (Tyne and Wear).
Booked Arsenal Fabregas, Van Persie; Chelsea Cole, Lampard, Kalou.
Attendance 60,112.

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Guardian:

Ruthless Arsenal come of age to turn Chelsea's slump into a crisis

Arsenal 3 Song 44, Fabregas 51, Walcott 53 Chelsea 1 Ivanovic 57

Kevin McCarra

The result did not confirm that the days ahead belong to Arsenal, but they have a stake in the future. If Chelsea's display was spasmodic and clumsy, it was, at least in part, because they had no answer to the rhythm of opponents who might now be ready to enter a new phase. After five years without a trophy there should be an ache to succeed.
Arsenal still did not look commanding in defence despite alterations. That was to be of no account as, from the latter stages of the first half, they hit a tempo that made Chelsea ache. While the losers wonder about the years ahead, Arsenal have reached a moment when they must no longer depict themselves as a work in progress.
It is time simply for the club to be a real power. The age profile will usually be in their favour, and while Theo Walcott has seemed to regress at times to the status of impact substitute, he was a force here. His initial purpose would have been to pin down Ashley Cole, but eventually he achieved much more. Arsène Wenger would be happy to see that as the embodiment of the entire Arsenal project.
This, of course, was merely a single match. The win over these opponents did not cancel out three losses already endured at the Emirates to supposedly lesser visitors in the league, but it might encourage an assurance that will limit the number of lapses. Results transform attitudes, and Arsenal had waited a while for this alchemy.
They presented themselves with a 3-0 lead here after opening the scoring on the verge of the interval. A first victory over Chelsea in 25 months was all but inevitable even then, since Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, has a team in decline. Their response with a goal was a last spark of pride in a squad that looked burnt out. Even so, Arsenal had still needed to think long and hard about a test they passed well enough to suggest they may still compete hard for the title.
The match weighed heavily on Wenger. Instead of sticking to habit, he had made decisions that saw, for instance, Johan Djourou and Walcott in the starting line-up in preference to Sébastien Squillaci and Andrey Arshavin respectively. Such verdicts did not have an immediate impact, and for a while Arsenal's play was smooth but lacking a contrasting pointedness in the penalty area.
There had nevertheless been a rising tempo and confidence, which was rewarded in the 44th minute. Alex Song began the move. His pass brushed against Cesc Fábregas before Jack Wilshere returned play to Song, who shot low past Petr Cech from an angle on the left. Arsenal had gradually increased the tempo in a thoughtful fashion that suggested memories of meetings with Chelsea had been cleansed from the memory.
Arsenal's last victory over Chelsea had been in November 2008, the month when they also recorded their most recent win against Manchester United. Arsenal's captain, Fábregas, who had been injured and merely came off the substitutes' bench in the defeat two weeks ago at Old Trafford, said Arsenal had been scared that night. The club does not spend at the level of its peers but, at a time when Manchester City alone look bullish in the transfer market, there should still be a possibility of Wenger's team staying to the fore.
In this match, it was to be expected that there would be a spring in Arsenal's step. Fábregas began his first game for the club since 23 November. Chelsea, too, had a particular midfielder who had not been present at kick-off since 28 August. A 32-year-old Frank Lampard, understandably, could not galvanise those around him or present a danger in the goalmouth. He struck some good passes in the first half, yet did not cause panic.
Arsenal, a goal ahead, had the composure of a side that could afford to be calm, particularly since there was, by then, an erratic tone to Chelsea. With 51 minutes gone, Michael Essien's effort to tackle Robin van Persie merely guided the ball to Walcott, and he drew Cech before setting up Fábregas to shoot into the unattended net.
The competence had deteriorated further at the next Arsenal goal, two minutes later. Florent Malouda was dispossessed by Walcott, and when Fábregas returned the ball to him the finish was elementary. By that stage, all that remained of the once formidable Chelsea was the persistence that counted at a Didier Drogba free-kick, with Branislav Ivanovic leaping above Laurent Koscielny to head a goal in the 57th minute.
In its own way, even that moment has its uses for Arsenal as an indication that they can be more efficient in defence. So far as Chelsea were concerned, the visitors had already been much too capable.


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Mail:

Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1:

Gunners catch fire as flying Theo Walcott makes it a nightmare for Ancelotti
By Matt Lawton

Only at Chelsea could the manager win a domestic Double and be in danger of losing his job in the same year.But that, as 2010 draws to a close, is the situation Carlo Ancelotti finds himself in after another crushing defeat that has seen his side lose yet more ground in a title race they were dominating only two months ago.
Quite what now happens to the beleaguered Italian really rather depends on how much Roman Abramovich blames himself for interfering in the first place and how much he places at the door of his sixth manager in the seven years he has owned his football club.But the Russian's track record would suggest his trigger finger will be getting itchy now his side seem incapable of pulling out of this extraordinary tailspin.They were five points clear in October but one win in eight league games has seen them drop like a stone down the table and they go into tomorrow night's encounter with Bolton at risk of slipping below Owen Coyle's upwardly mobile side.
For all the brilliance of Arsenal and for all their success in overcoming the 'mental hurdle' that meetings with Manchester United and Chelsea had come to represent, this was dreadful stuff from Chelsea. It might have been expecting too much of Frank Lampard to think his first start in four months would spark a revival. But they were devoid of energy and inspiration as well as confidence. Devoid of belief, too.Sir Alex Ferguson claims never to have dismissed them as an 'old team' but here at the Emirates last night Chelsea looked exactly that - a group of thirtysomething players struggling to maintain the standards they have set in previous years. They used to call Michael Essien The Train but, judging by his recent performances, he is most certainly running out of steam.The absence of Nicolas Anelka and Alex aside, this was about as strong a team as Ancelotti could have selected. But they were no match for a maturing Arsenal team they had beaten 3-0 and 4-1 on their last two league visits.
It was so bad for Arsenal, Wenger admitted his side were suffering from some kind of complex. But thanks to fine goals from Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott and some quite horrific defending, it is now Chelsea who appear to have psychological issues. They had no answer to the class and guile of Fabregas and Robin van Persie, no way of containing Walcott and Samir Nasri on the flanks and Song and Jack Wilshere in the centre.Chelsea were determined enough to begin with, the manner in which Salomon Kalou crashed into Laurent Koscielny in the opening minute suggesting they were keen to flex their collective muscle. Keen to remind everyone, now they had Lampard back in their team, that they are the English champions.In Arsenal, however, they met opponents revived by the knowledge that Fabregas and Van Persie were finally fit and with players like Andrey Arshavin and Marouane Chamakh on the bench.
The fact that only Petr Cech had to make saves was a measure of their dominance, Nasri testing him first with a long-range effort before producing a chip the Chelsea goalkeeper excelled in tipping to safety.But there was nothing he could do to deny Song the opening goal moments before the interval, a goal that was typical of Arsenal but exposed the fragility of a once brilliant Chelsea defence. It was a beautifully executed move, starting with a one-two between Song and Wilshere that was then taken on by Fabregas, who played the ball beyond Paulo Ferreira before Song pounced to guide his shot beyond the grasp of a diving Cech.By then, Fabregas had already dazzled with an almost Cruyff-like turn. But the finish he produced in the 52nd minute was rather more routine and came as the result of some careless midfield play.
In trying to wrestle the ball from Van Persie, Essien succeeded only in diverting it into the path of an advancing Walcott. The England winger then squared to Fabregas and the Arsenal skipper did the rest. Arsenal's third came less than two minutes later. Florent Malouda's hesitancy in receiving a meek pass from Terry enabled Walcott to steal possession and a quick onetwo with Fabregas ended with a super finish from the England winger.While a frustrated, largely ineffective Didier Drogba berated Terry, Ancelotti responded by hooking Malouda. And while the Chelsea manager then saw Branislav Ivanovic quickly reduce the deficit when he flicked on a free-kick from Drogba beyond Lukasz Fabianski, it failed to disguise what a crushing defeat this was. Just as it failed to improve Ancelotti's mood.When he dared suggest last week that the pressure could soon be on Wenger, there was always a danger he might soon regret making such an observation.But not even he would have envisaged this. Not even he imagined his side could have come here and delivered such an inept display. No wonder he left last night admitting it could now be difficult to win the league.By tonight they could have dropped to fifth. By tomorrow it could be even worse. It now depends on whether Abramovich accepts the mess at Stamford Bridge is as much of his making as anyone else's.


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Sun:

Arsenal 3 Chelsea 1
By SHAUN CUSTIS

IS Carlo Ancelotti going to get the sack after this Christmas stuffing? Maybe owner Roman Abramovich fancies a Guus from Turkey instead.

Abramovich's favourite boss, Guus Hiddink, is currently in residence as manager of the Turkish national team but he remains popular after his brief spell in charge as caretaker a couple of seasons ago. And Abramovich will not be full of festive cheer following the Blues latest disaster in which they gift-wrapped Arsenal three points and extended their woeful run to no wins in six games and a paltry half-a-dozen points from the last 24.
Goals from Alex Song, captain Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott put the Gunners in control before the visitors grabbed a consolation through Branislav Ivanovic.
For Arsenal this victory could have an important psychological effect. Arsene Wenger's men were poor in losing to Manchester United at Old Trafford in their previous outing but this result has given their confidence a huge boost.
They are second in the table, two points behind United, while Chelsea are dropping like a stone.
At this rate the team which won the Double under Ancelotti last May could drop out of the top four which would have been unthinkable a couple of months ago.
The dismissal of assistant Ray Wilkins when all was going swimmingly at Stamford Bridge still looks ridiculous.
Abramovich has no one to answer to for that decision but himself, yet he must surely realise it was a monumental cock-up.
It plunged Chelsea into unnecessary turmoil and now they look more like relegation strugglers than a side capable of mounting another title challenge.
For all that Arsenal deserve great credit for this victory with impressive performances all round. Fabregas and Walcott were telepathic while young Jack Wilshere is growing in stature.
The return of Fabregas - who has been dogged by hamstring trouble - and Robin van Persie up front gave them an extra edge and their subs included the likes of Marouane Chamakh, Tomas Rosicky, Sebastien Squillaci and Andrey Arshavin.
By contrast Chelsea had a bench packed with rookies reflecting the fact they have become one of the tight wads of the Premier League.
Arsenal could have been in front inside six minutes when Van Persie got behind the defence as Song played a delightful ball over the top but the Dutchman, perhaps put off by Ivanovic in his eye-line, completely missed his kick six yards out.
Drogba then got away after sloppy play by the home side and there was a sharp intake of breath round the Emirates as the striker drew back his right foot followed by an exhale of relief as his 20-yard shot flashed inches wide.
So often Drogba had been the scourge of Arsenal, having scored 13 goals in 13 games against the Gunners and never being on the losing side.
This was a very different experience for the Ivorian hitman.
You could sense the tension in the air because defeat for either side would represent a major setback in their title aspirations.
And, after a spell of cagey play which also featured some robust challenges, Nasri brought proceedings to life with a magnificent chip from 20 yards towards the top corner which Petr Cech clawed over the bar.
It was the prelude to Arsenal taking the lead just before half-time.
Song created it and scored it. First the Cameroon midfielder played a pass to Wilshere and continued into the box.
When the return came in, Fabregas got a touch and seemed to be fouled by Paulo Ferreira.
But, before the Gunners could start screaming for a penalty or referee Mark Clattenburg could get the whistle to his mouth, the ball ran on to Song who cracked a left-footed strike across Cech into the far right-hand corner.
Chelsea withdrew holding midfield specialist Mikel at the break and replaced him with the Brazilian Ramires - but it made precious little difference. Wenger's men started the second half strongly winning a couple of corners and putting pressure on Cech while the visitors still looked devoid of ideas. Lukasz Fabianski in the Arsenal goal had not dirtied his gloves once.
And it was no great surprise when the Gunners added a second on 51 minutes. Michael Essien, normally such a force in midfield, challenged and only succeeded in giving the ball way to Walcott.
He broke down the right and passed square to Fabregas who had the simple task of rolling it into an empty net.
If that was not bad enough for Chelsea, they conceded a third two minutes later.
Another error at the back saw Terry put Florent Malouda in trouble with a short pass and Walcott was in quickly to whip the ball off the Frenchman's toe. The England winger fed Fabregas, took the return and rattled his shot low past the helpless Cech.
It was fantastic stuff from Arsenal and desperate stuff from Chelsea but the champions did get one back when Ivanovic headed in from Drogba's free-kick as Fabianski flapped at fresh air.
Arsenal, though, could have made it four when sub Gael Kakuta's chest down was too short for Cech and Nasri was in but his shot was saved by Cech.
Then sub Abou Diaby delayed too long when a first-time shot was the best option and Frank Lampard, making his first start in four months, slid in to block.
Lamps needs to get up to speed quickly if Chelsea are to save their season.

tottenham hotspur 1-1

Independent:

Chelsea regain edge but Drogba's soft penalty lets Gomes off the hook
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Chelsea 1


By Sam Wallace at White Hart Lane

They did not leave White Hart Lane having conquered the place but there was more of a familiar strut about the Chelsea team that departed down the stadium's tunnel yesterday evening after they recaptured a little bit of what has made this team so indomitable in the past.
Paulo Ferreira even threw his shirt into the Chelsea away end – there have been occasions over the last month when it might have been thrown back at him – and the likes of Didier Drogba and John Terry wore that grimace at an opportunity missed. It was not a victory, and one win in seven Premier League games is still their worst League run since 1999, but it felt like a corner had been turned.
Had Drogba beaten Heurelho Gomes with his penalty in injury-time at the end of the game, we would have been talking about Chelsea being back on top of the Premier League, until tonight at least, but even so there was enough evidence to suggest that the worst is behind them.
Overrun in the first half by a Spurs team who were open to the point of being naive – albeit in the usual thrilling style – Carlo Ancelotti's team rediscovered themselves after the break. Drogba came on at half-time then Frank Lampard in the 77th minute and suddenly Chelsea looked a lot more like Chelsea.
They should have won the game. Gomes' challenge on Ramires was as rash as the goalkeeper's handling for Drogba's equaliser was clumsy and when the Chelsea striker put the ball on the spot it felt like one of those pivotal moments of a season. Gomes guessed correctly and denied Drogba but that does not diminish the way Chelsea played in the second half.
As for Drogba, there was a definite bolshiness about his reaction to his goal – a stroppy, unsmiling strut to the corner flag to stare at the away fans – that suggests he has not forgiven them for their unenthusiastic response to him during the Everton and Marseilles games. Drogba is not the type to forget a slight.
He did not look happy to start on the bench either, a decision presumably made because of his poor performance in France on Wednesday night. A goal down at half-time, Ancelotti signalled for him to warm up to come on as soon as the whistle blew for the end of the first half. But a bad Drogba mood hung over proceedings right to the end.
Chelsea had 60 per cent of the possession in the game and the best of a hugely entertaining second half in which both teams went for the win with little thought for the possibility of losing. Ancelotti's team did so because they needed a result to break this poor run and Spurs did so because they know no other way.
Harry Redknapp's team had the better of the first half when Roman Pavlyuchenko scored their goal but Spurs' problem is they have no notion of how to close out a game once in front. It has made them the most entertaining team to watch this season in both the Premier League and Champions League but it has its drawbacks, too.
There was always a possibility that Chelsea would find their way back into this game when Redknapp's team began trading punches with them in a compelling second half in which the action roared back and forth from one end to the other. Redknapp makes no apologies for the way his team plays although even he must be having his reservations about Gomes.
On 70 minutes, the Brazilian allowed Drogba's shot, which was hit straight at him, to go in. In the build-up to that goal, as Drogba turned Michael Dawson, himself returning for Spurs for the first time since August, the striker appeared to use the top of his arm to control the ball.
It was Gomes who came ploughing through Ramires in injury-time to concede a penalty so blatant that no one in a white shirt bothered to argue. Last season Lampard and Drogba disputed the responsibility for penalty-taking but yesterday the former was happy to defer to his grumpy team-mate.
The penalty was poor, struck at a manageable height for Gomes and to his left side giving him an immediate chance to redeem himself. Having made excellent saves earlier in the half from Drogba and Wilson Palacios, when he sent a careless header goalwards, Gomes was back in the good books.
Spurs had taken the lead a little too easily for Ancelotti's comfort when Terry allowed Pavlyuchenko to turn away from him in the penalty area and drive his shot inside Petr Cech's near post. Spurs were the better side before the break and the regularity with which Terry pushed forward into the Spurs penalty area showed how desperate Chelsea had become for a goal.
As usual, Luka Modric was excellent and although Gareth Bale was not at his game-changing best he was still a constant worry for Chelsea. To Ferreira's credit, the old Portuguese jack-of-all-trades drew upon all his experience to restrict Spurs' left-wing phenomenon.
It is a mark of how far Spurs have come under Redknapp that they now expect to win games such as these and, like Chelsea, they too have key players missing – Rafael van der Vaart, William Gallas, Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas. However, with Blackpool, Aston Villa and Fulham among the Christmas opponents they have a much less challenging two weeks coming up than Chelsea.
Should Ancelotti's team lose to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday then the pressure will be back on a team who, despite their comeback yesterday, are still up against it. After United they play Arsenal on 27 December and they need Lampard and Terry back to full fitness for those games.
Lampard will play in a specially-arranged practice game on Thursday to improve his match fitness. There is no equivalent remedy for Drogba's mood swings – Ancelotti will just have to hope that his striker snaps out of whatever is bothering him.

Substitutes: Tottenham Crouch (Defoe, 60), Keane (Pavlyuchenko, 78), Sandro (Palacios, 89). Chelsea Drogba (Mikel, h-t), Sturridge (Kalou, 68), Lampard (Malouda, 77).
Booked: Tottenham Assou-Ekotto, Gomes. Chelsea Essien, Drogba.
Man of the match Modric. Match rating 7/10.
Possession Tottenham 42% Chelsea 58%.
Shots on target Tottenham 3 Chelsea 7.
Referee M Dean (Merseyside)
Attendance 35,787.


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Guardian:

Heurelho Gomes is hero and villain as Chelsea and Spurs share spoils

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Pavlyuchenko 15 Chelsea 1 Drogba 70

David Hytner at White Hart Lane

Carlo Ancelotti had admitted in the build-up to this match that Chelsea were a club in crisis and in that context it felt appropriate that they should blow an injury-time opportunity to seize all three points, with a penalty, and return to the top of the Premier League table. The incident was the climax to a thrillingly open match which advertised plenty of what is good about English football and it saw Didier Drogba step up after the referee, Mike Dean, had ruled that Heurelho Gomes had fouled Ramires inside the six-yard box.
There was little debate about the award; even Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, had no complaints. But there was, briefly, some intrigue over the identity of the taker. Redknapp closed his eyes and pictured Frank Lampard, his nephew, whose comeback from groin surgery had only started 13 minutes earlier as a substitute, putting his hand up, scoring and claiming the family bragging rights.
Lampard, though, was too raw for the moment. Drogba took responsibility. "I could see him scoring, too," Redknapp said, with a smile, but the final twist of an enthralling afternoon was for Gomes to guess correctly and save.
Chelsea's disappointment did not cut too deeply. They had pitched up at White Hart Lane on their worst run of Premier League form in more than a decade and the last thing that they needed was to concede a soft goal to Roman Pavlyuchenko to leave themselves with another mountain to climb.
But their response in the second half delighted Ancelotti, who had introduced Drogba at the beginning of it in a re-tweaked 4-4-2 formation. They earned the slice of fortune that came their way in the 70th minute when Drogba barrelled past Michael Dawson after taking a high ball; Redknapp complained that he had done so with his hand. Drogba's shot packed a punch but it was straight at Gomes. To the goalkeeper's horror, he allowed it to slip through his fingers and into the net.
Gomes would complete a quick-fire transformation from villain to hero with his penalty save but for Ancelotti, despite further dropped points and the fact that his defending champions now sit fourth in the table, there was satisfaction. The penalty miss did not matter, he suggested. His team was back, and just in time for their forthcoming fixtures against Manchester United and Arsenal.
This stadium has not been kind to Chelsea in recent years. Indeed, it has not been kind to many visiting teams of late, as Tottenham have turned it into something of a fortress. The visitors might have feared the worst when they undermined a positive start with their early concession.
Jermain Defoe was allowed to check inside from the left flank by Branislav Ivanovic. He sauntered along and then zipped a low pass in to Pavlyuchenko. Ivanovic's sloppiness was mirrored by his team-mates inside the area. John Terry was yards away from Pavlyuchenko and John Mikel Obi could not make a challenge. The Russian's finish was low and lethal.
The match thundered along, with some of the tackling shuddering bones. Michael Essien seemed to stamp on Gareth Bale, while Terry and Alan Hutton enjoyed putting down their markers.
Chelsea would have been level at the interval had Salomon Kalou converted one of three headed opportunities that were created for him. The first, on 25 minutes, was arguably the best and Gomes was required to save. Nicolas Anelka also had the ball in the net only to be pulled back, correctly, for offside.
Tottenham's defence is not known for its robustness; they have not managed a clean sheet in the league since the opening day, against Manchester City, and Chelsea's second-half barrage was the acid test for them. Redknapp had lost William Gallas, a former Chelsea centre-half, to a hamstring tear in training on Friday – the manager's prognosis sounded gloomy, as it did with Wilson Palacios, who hurt his ankle late on after a challenge from Ashley Cole. But the return of Dawson was a tonic.
The central defender had not played since he tore ligaments while playing for England at Wembley against Bulgaria on 3 September and his seamless adaptation to the pace of the game was remarkable. Sébastien Bassong also emerged with honours, together with the full-backs, Hutton and Benoît Assou-Ekotto. Dawson heard his name chanted by the home crowd.
Tottenham went close with shots from Defoe and Luka Modric immediately after the interval while Pavlyuchenko flickered but it was Chelsea who were on the front foot. Gradually, the pressure built on the Tottenham defence. Drogba forced Gomes into a smart save and the goalkeeper had to be alert to tip over a misdirected header from Palacios. The drama, however, had only just begun.


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Mail:

Tottenham 1 Chelsea 1: Things up looking up for Carlo's battlers
By Matt Lawton

Carlo Ancelotti said there comes a moment when you either have to 'die or improve' and for Chelsea here on Sunday it arrived in the 15th minute. That was when Roman Pavlyuchenko punished them for a moment's loss of concentration with one brilliant touch and a super finish. Chelsea's season could have gone one of two ways then. Ancelotti had spoken of 'destiny' when looking ahead to this absorbing game and the two that follow, at home to Manchester United and at Arsenal, and defeat here might have sent his side down a certain path.
But, after the club's worst run in the Barclays Premier League in more than 10 years, a run in which they had taken five points from six games, they finally responded in the manner we have come to expect from the English champions. Chelsea skipper John Terry buoyed by dominant display against TottenhamThis was much better from Chelsea and in the end they were left to reflect on an opportunity squandered to win the match.Didier Drogba had the chance in second-half stoppage time after Heurelho Gomes flattened Ramires and left Mike Dean with no option but to point to the penalty spot. Gomes took half a step to the right and so invited Drogba to opt for the other side, only to then dive in that direction and save. Ancelotti nevertheless chose to focus on the positives. His side, he suggested, would leave White Hart Lane with much of their confidence restored.
'I think the bad spell is behind us,' said Chelsea's manager, having already heard John Terry declare that the real Chelsea had returned. The good news for them was that Frank Lampard had returned, too. In fact, it was only with regard to Drogba that Ancelotti still appeared to have a problem. It was a bold move to start him on the bench, and one that seemed to anger the Ivorian striker even if his form has been poor.
When Ancelotti asked him to start warming up at the end of the first half, he threw something of a tantrum. If he did not seem terribly happy with his manager, he did not appear too enamoured with Chelsea's travelling supporters either. Some fans had turned on him when he urged them to get behind the team during the 1-1 draw against Everton and he followed his slightly fortuitous 70th-minute equaliser by strutting past them here with a bit of eyeballing.Who knows how he might have reacted had he then scored the winner? Not that Chelsea deserved to take all three points, not when a Tottenham side who continue to impress under Harry Redknapp proved themselves worthy contenders in this most intriguing of title races. This was a fierce, full throttle contest; a breathless, relentless battle between two attacking teams who demanded the best of their more defensive opponents. While Terry probably edged it for the man-of-the-match award with an inspirational performance, Michael Dawson ran him close with a display that was all the more impressive for the fact that it was his first start since September. The rest of Tottenham's back four were superb also, while Wilson Palacios had one of his better games for Spurs alongside the marvellous Luka Modric . They put Michael Essien and John Mikel Obi under pressure before Ancelotti sent on Drogba for Mikel and switched to a 4-4-2 formation that matched the home team's.
Attacking on the flanks through Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale was an approach that worked well for Redknapp's side and they were good value for the advantage they established.It was created by a terrific ball from Jermain Defoe to Pavlyuchenko, aided by the fact that Branislav Ivanovic had been lured out wide and completed when the Russia striker used one touch to take the ball away from Terry before unleashing a left-foot shot that Petr Cech perhaps should have saved. Chelsea were enjoying plenty of the ball but lacked penetration without Drogba and Lampard. They had to wait until the 70th minute for the breakthrough after Drogba had been introduced.
He took advantage of Dean's failure to spot his use of an arm to control Cech's long ball and a major blunder by Gomes, who got both hands to the shot Drogba unleashed after seeing off the challenge of Dawson, yet allowed the ball to spin off his gloves, over his head and bounce across the line. What was Ancelotti saying about the lucky break not coming from 'heaven'? The problems would continue for Gomes, the penalty he then conceded adding to his embarrassment. But he made amends in some style, producing the save that reminded Redknapp why he now regards him as one of the finest goalkeepers in the league. Should Lampard have taken it? Because of a lack of match practice, Ancelotti said no. But it would have been quite a story had Lampard marked his return with a goal that would have ended a run that now stands at one win in seven.
It might have even dissuaded Terry from clashing with the same Tottenham fans who had so abused him. If nothing else it proved that, in Chelsea, there is still plenty of fight.

MATCH FACTS

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (4-4-2): Gomes 5; Hutton 6, Dawson 7, Bassong 7, Assou- Ekotto 6; Lennon 6, Palacios 6 (Sandro 89min), Modric 6, Bale 6; Defoe 6 (Crouch 60, 5), Pavlyuchenko 7 (Keane 78). Subs not used: Cudicini, Corluka, Bentley, Dos Santos. Booked: Assou-Ekotto. Scorer: Pavlyuchenko 15.
CHELSEA (4-3-2-1): Cech 6; Ferreira 5, Ivanovic 7, Terry 8, Cole 6; Ramires 6, Mikel 5 (Drogba 46, 6), Essien 7; Kalou 6 (Sturridge 68, 4), Malouda 6 (Lampard 78); Anelka 6. Subs not used: Turnbull, Van Aanholt, Bruma, McEachran. Booked: Essien, Drogba. Scorer: Drogba 70.
Man of the match: John Terry.
Referee: Mike Dean 6.
Attendance: 35,787

==========================================

Star:

TOTTENHAM 1 - CHELSEA 1 - BLUNDER THEN GOMES STEALS DROGBA THUNDER
By David Woods

DIDIER DROGBA and Heurelho Gomes were both hero and villain for their respective teams yesterday in a pulsating clash at White Hart Lane.
Drogba scored the equaliser for Chelsea, then fluffed a great chance at the death by failing to convert a penalty.
Gomes produced one of the gaffes we thought he had eradicated from his game to spill Drogba’s shot into the net in the 70th minute.
Then he gave away the spot-kick, barging over Ramires, before picking himself up to dive to his left to keep out Drogba’s less than convincing effort.
Earlier he had also pulled off a couple of cracking saves as Tottenham tried to prove they have what it takes to be the equal of Chelsea domestically as well as in Europe.
Had Drogba scored in stoppage-time Carlo Ancelotti’s Blues would have gone top again and Harry Redknapp’s title ambitions would have taken a huge knock from which it would have been hard to recover.
As it stands, Chelsea remain fourth with just one win in seven, while Spurs stay in the hunt.
This, though, was a much improved performance from champions Chelsea.
They started well and finished strongly and were boosted by the return of Frank Lampard, who came on as a late substitute.
They certainly did not look like a team in crisis, as has been suggested recently.
Having been dropped by Ancelotti, Drogba came off the bench at the break and struck for the Blues 25 minutes later.
His celebration – if it can be called that – was bizarre, to say the least.
With a face like thunder, he marched towards the Chelsea fans to his right and, looking as glum as can be, gave them the stare.
Eight days earlier supporters at Stamford Bridge had given Drogba stick as he urged them to get behind the team as they stuttered to a 1-1 draw with Everton. This, presumably, was payback.
After what happened later, he may just be wishing he had gone in for something more traditional.
Until then it had looked like one Russian Roman was going to sour further the mood of another Russian Roman.
Roman Pavlyuchenko pounced in the 16th minute as the west Londoners produced some more of the sloppy defending which has marred their campaign recently and led to claims that billionaire owner Roman Abramovich might be losing patience with Ancelotti.
It came after Jermain Defoe drifted wide left to pick up a deep ball from Benoit Assou-Ekotto.
If Branislav Ivanovic gave Defoe too much room to pick out Pavlyuchenko, it was nothing to the error of centre-back partner John Terry.
For the simplest of cutbacks saw Terry melt away, leaving the striker to fire into the corner from 15 yards for his ninth goal of the season. To be fair to Terry, he was immense for the rest of the game.
There was bite to the Blues, with dangerous left-winger Gareth Bale feeling the full force of challenges from Michael Essien and Paulo Ferreira.
In the 54th minute Drogba forced Gomes into a smart save with a swerving 30-yard drive. The Brazilian did even better seconds later when Wilson Palacios almost headed a Florent Malouda centre into his own net.
The gloves came off for Drogba in the 68th minute as he threw his black ones to the sidelines, and two minutes later he out-muscled Michael Dawson, who otherwise did well on his return from injury.
Dawson lost touch of where the ball was, allowing Drogba to rifle home a fierce, angled half-volley – although replays showed he touched the ball with his arm as Cech’s punt dropped to him.
It was straight at Gomes, but the keeper was unable to push away, fumbling the ball over his head and watching it dribble into the net. Frank Lampard made his eagerly-awaited return in the 78th minute, having been out since September, and was caught late by Wilson Palacios seconds after. Welcome back Frank!
In stoppage-time Drogba flicked into the box and Ramires looked set to poke home until Gomes bundled him over.
A moody and sensitive character, it will be interesting to see how Drogba reacts to both being dropped and then failing to clinch what could have been a season-changing win for Chelsea.
Old Trafford next Sunday will be an interesting place to find out!

=====================================

Sun:

Tottenham 1 Chelsea 1
By SHAUN CUSTIS


CARLO ANCELOTTI kept the Drog chained in his kennel for 45 minutes - and when he let him off the leash it was mayhem.
Chelsea boss Ancelotti's decision to drop Didier Drogba to the subs bench did not go down well with the Ivory Coast striker.
And he was an angry man as he entered the fray at the start of the second half.
On 70 minutes Drogba equalised Roman Pavlyuchenko's 15th-minute strike by firing through the hands of Heurelho Gomes and did not even raise an arm in acknowledgement.
He strutted across the penalty area without a hint of a smile, glared at his own visiting fans celebrating in the corner of White Hart Lane and jogged back to the centre-spot.
The reaction was a response to some of the stick he had been getting during the draw against Everton and the Champions League defeat in Marseille.
But Drogba ended up with egg on his face in injury time when he had the chance to win it for the Blues after Gomes barged over Ramires in the penalty area.
Up he stepped and struck his spot-kick - and keeper Gomes redeemed himself with a diving save to his left.
Drogba finished the match with his hands held together in prayer, appealing to the supporters for peace and telling them he was sorry.
Chelsea have now won only one of their last seven games in the Premier League, earning just six points from a possible 21.
But, had Drogba scored, they would have gone back to the top of the table.
And this was a much better Blues performance than anything they have produced since the upset caused when assistant boss Ray Wilkins got the bullet.
In the second half they really roughed up Spurs as Drogba put himself about and made his point that he should have been on from the start.
The sight of Frank Lampard coming off the bench after nearly four months out with injury was another positive sign for the crucial Christmas period.
Spurs will be disappointed they did not get the victory because it would have closed the gap on the top four.
But they had a go and created plenty of chances of their own.
There was no disgrace in losing two points here in what was a cracking battle.
They went ahead as one Roman, Pavlyuchenko, sent a message to another Roman, Chelsea owner Abramovich, that Tottenham are serious kiddies when it comes to challenging them for silverware.
Jermain Defoe held off Branislav Ivanovic and when his pass came in, Pavlyuchenko had one touch which took him comfortably away from John Terry - who stood rooted to the spot as the shot flashed past Petr Cech at his near post.
It was Terry's one mistake on a day when he showed he is almost back to his best after all his troubles on and off the pitch.
He was a colossus at the centre of the Blues defence and it is vital he stays fit if Chelsea are to get their title aspirations back on track.
This was one of the most committed Premier League games you are ever likely to see.
One particular Alan Hutton tackle on Ramires sent shudders reverberating down Tottenham High Road.
But at times it did overstep the mark, such as when Michael Essien went in with his studs on Gareth Bale's ankle.
It was nasty but Essien did not even have a foul given against him, let alone get booked.
The normally mild-mannered Bale was fuming. But he is going to have to get used to it now that he has been identified as one of Tottenham's biggest dangers.
Chelsea finished the first half strongly, although Salomon Kalou could not direct either of his two headed chances on target and when Nicolas Anelka netted he was given offside.
Enter the Drog after a big cuddle and words of encouragement from Lampard, who had clearly seen the red mist in his eyes.
Drogba hit a right-foot shot which Gomes saved and Spurs, with defender Michael Dawson playing his first game for four months, had to dig in.
But with 20 minutes left, Dawson could not hold off Drogba, who knocked the ball on with his shoulder then smashed a shot straight at Gomes.
The Tottenham keeper went down on his haunches and let the ball slip through his fingers and into the net.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp argued afterwards that Drogba had handled - and he might have had a point.
No matter, the goal stood and Chelsea powered on looking for the winner, with Lampard replacing Florent Malouda to add to the attacking options.
It seemed to have worked out. After the board went up for four minutes of added time, Drogba fed Ramires in the box.
The Brazilian got a touch just before being flattened by his fellow countryman Gomes, who was having a bit of a nightmare.
Lampard is usually the penalty taker but, having been out for so long, he did not argue with Drogba as the stroppy striker grabbed the ball to take the kick.
Gomes cleverly feinted to his right before diving the other way and Drogba was denied.
Relief for Spurs, despair for Chelsea and fantastic entertainment for everyone else.

=========================================

marseille 0-1

Independent:

Ancelotti insists he is ‘strong’ despite latest loss for sorry Chelsea

Marseilles 1 Chelsea 0

By Mark Fleming at Stade Vélodrome

Roman Abramovich has been preoccupied of late, busy helping out Russia's successful bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Sooner rather than later, however, the ruthless Russian oligarch is going to decide the time has come to act as Chelsea's season limps from one disaster to another.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti was visibly upset after this defeat in Marseilles, Chelsea's fourth loss in eight games in all competitions. His normal humour and optimism had evaporated, and somehow he looked older, as if carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, when he emerged for a press conference half an hour after the final whistle. Ancelotti has not looked this troubled and gloomy in his 18 months at Chelsea. It was as if he knew his fate hangs in the balance.
Chelsea began and ended the game poorly. For an hour sandwiched in the middle of the contest they more than matched the French champions, and could have had two penalties after fouls on Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou that were incorrectly called by referee Vladislav Bezborodov.
However, by the end of the contest their frailties were once again exposed as Marseilles' bustling Brazilian striker Brandao was left unmarked in the six-yard box to score a late winner.
Ancelotti had put out a strong team against Marseilles in a bid to rebuild some confidence ahead of a testing run of games against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Bolton Wanderers and Arsenal, but it was not to be.
Ancelotti said: "The bad moment continues, but we have to keep going. We've lost some confidence in our play. I'm not low. I'm strong. I want to resolve this problem quickly. I'm focused on my job. This is normal. I think my players have that same focus. I'm sure of this.
"We have a great opportunity against Tottenham, a difficult game away against a top team. But we must consider that a good opportunity. Now everyone thinks we will lose that game. For this, we need to prepare for that game well and try to win it."
Ancelotti is certainly living on borrowed time, for Abramovich is not known for his patience. He sacked Luiz Felipe Scolari in 2008 after three wins in nine games; Avram Grant got the boot a few months later despite being a penalty kick away from winning the Champions League; and Jose Mourinho was fired despite a record haul of six trophies in three years.
The ray of hope for Chelsea came not in Marseilles but in Cobham, where Frank Lampard continued his rehabilitation after nearly four months out following hernia surgery, and he could be fit to face Spurs on Sunday.
"Frank trained today and had a good session. We'll take a decision in the next two days," Ancelotti said. With Lampard and the captain John Terry on the pitch, Chelsea have a chance of turning this slump around; without them, they look doomed.
Terry managed 71 minutes here before he was forced to leave the pitch with an ankle injury that is not expected to keep him out of the weekend's game at White Hart Lane. It was no coincidence that within 10 minutes of Terry leaving the pitch, Chelsea conceded the game's only goal. Marseilles left-back Taye Taiwo was allowed time and space to cross from the wing, the pass took a deflection off the ineffective Ramires and Brandao was free to score from close range.
Chelsea were unfortunate to lose this game, not that it will help Ancelotti in the final analysis when he has to explain the club's loss of form. They started poorly, and almost went behind when Mathieu Valbuena hit the bar with a shot from distance, but should by rights have had two penalties in the first half.
The first, a foul by Souleymane Diawara on Malouda, was initially given by the Russian referee but he changed his mind after receiving advice from his linesman on his headset. The second, when Diawara clattered into Kalou, occurred yards from the assistant referee standing beside the goal, but no penalty was given.
Chelsea had their moments, and the performance of 17-year-old Josh McEachran in only his second start was full of promise. Didier Drogba, however, was a major disappointment on his return to his former club, and the standing ovation he received when he was substituted with half an hour to go was markedly out of sync with his lacklustre performance.
With Ancelotti in the doldrums, it was left to Terry to deliver the rallying cry ahead of Sunday's game at Spurs where Chelsea will be without Jose Bosingwa who limped off with a hamstring injury.
"There is no point us panicking," Terry said. "We realise we are not playing as well as we can, the players realise there is a lot more to give and to come. Sunday is a massive derby for us and for the fans. We're hoping to kickstart an important time for us."

Marseilles (4-3-3): Mandanda; Kaboure, Diawara, Heinze, Taiwo; Abriel (A Ayew, 63), N'Diaye (J Ayew, 86), Cheyrou; Valbuena (Lucho, 62), Brandao, Remy. Substitutes not used Andrade (gk), Cissé, Sabo.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Bosingwa (Van Aanholt, 80), Ivanovic, Terry (Bruma, 72), Ferreira; Essien, McEachran, Ramires; Kalou, Drogba (Sturridge, 62), Malouda. Substitutes not used Turnbull (gk), Mikel, Kakuta, Sala.

Referee: V Bezborodov (Russia).
Booked: Marseilles A Ayew.
Attendance: 57,650.
Man of the match: Valbuena.

Group F

Results so far: Marseilles 0-1 Spartak, Zilina 1-4 Chelsea; Spartak 3-0 Zilina, Chelsea 2-0 Marseilles; Spartak 0-2 Chelsea, Marseilles 1-0 Zilina; Chelsea 4-1 Spartak, Zilina 0-7 Marseilles; Chelsea 2-1 Zilina, Moscow 0-3 Marseilles; Marseilles 1-0 Chelsea, Zilina 1-2 Spartak Moscow.
MSK Zilina 1-2 Spartak Moscow
Spartak beat Zilina 2-1 in a dead rubber hit by crowd trouble. Fans launched a fire cracker on to the pitch and the sides briefly went off after three minutes.


=====================================

Guardian:

Brandão leaves Carlo Ancelotti feeling blue as Marseille beat Chelsea

Marseille 1 Brandao 81 Chelsea 0

Dominic Fifield at Stade Vélodrome


Chelsea's conviction continues to wilt. This may have been the least significant of the four defeats suffered in their past eight matches, with the result long since meaningless in the context of qualification, but the sense that this season is veering away from them has been maintained. Confidence has taken another pounding.
Carlo Ancelotti, ashen-faced and desperately downbeat in the immediate aftermath, bemoaned sloppiness up front, had cause to complain over the rejection of two clear penalties but admitted his side will travel to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday with the world expecting them to lose. That is an unfamiliar scenario. "They [Tottenham] are very close to the top of the table and doing well," he said. "They're fit. It will be difficult. Everyone thinks we will lose that game. But we have to consider this a great opportunity, not a problem.
"The bad moment continues but we have to keep going. We've lost some confidence in our play. Now we have to come back and keep going. This is football. You don't always get what you deserve. We mustn't lose composure, character, our ability. We have to maintain confidence for the future. Am I low? No, not low. I'm strong. I want to resolve this problem quickly. I'm focused on my job. I'm sure my players have that same focus."
His monotone suggested even he may be losing faith. This team, once so prolific, have mustered five goals in eight matches, only two of which have been won. Previous managers have been dismissed for less by Roman Abramovich, who seems to crave attacking football, flair and the hoarding of silverware. At present this team suggest they will struggle to provide any of the above.
At the other end there is vulnerability where, only recently, they felt impregnable. José Bosingwa had endured a harrowing evening with Taye Taiwo surging beyond him. Bosingwa's departure before the end clutching his left hamstring will spare him potentially trying afternoons ahead against Gareth Bale and Patrice Evra but Paulo Ferreira, restored to right-back, was immediately skinned in the build-up to the only goal.
That was scored with John Terry already substituted after taking a knock to an ankle, – he should be fit for White Hart Lane – though Ancelotti will have been just as disturbed at his team's inability to retain possession or break slickly, as once they did, with real pace.
"There is no point us panicking," said Terry. "We realise we are not playing as well as we can. The players realise there is a lot more to give and to come."
The public message remains the same, from players and management, after each new setback. Behind the façade, though, concern has long since set in. It should be acknowledged that this defeat arguably owed much to erratic refereeing. Souleymane Diawara, once of Charlton Athletic, twice clearly felled Chelsea players though neither foul prompted the award of a penalty. The official, Vladislav Bezborodov, had pointed to the spot after the centre-half's crude challenge on Florent Malouda, only for an assistant referee to persuade him to change his mind. The award, instead, was a corner. "He gave a penalty, then said Florent dived. But, if that's the case, you have to give him [Malouda] a yellow card," said Didier Drogba. "It changed the game."
The second foul, a trip on the slippery Salomon Kalou, occurred right in front of the additional assistant referee, though again no foul was given. Had Drogba been sharper, or at least not as overcome by emotion at his first return to the Stade Vélodrome since his departure six years ago, then Chelsea might still have prospered. But the Ivorian seemed distracted. "Obviously it was not a good performance from him," added Ancelotti. "Maybe the emotion ... could be, I don't know."
His only effort of note sailed high and wide with his opposite number,Brandão, sharper when his clearest opportunity arrived. Taiwo's cross flicked off Ramires – who continues to labour, sometimes painfully –and both centre-halves, Branislav Ivanovic and the substitute Jeffrey Bruma, were wrong-footed in the six-yard box. The Brazilian was free to steer the shot into the corner.
Defeat was hardly calamitous. Chelsea had claimed Group F by winning their first five fixtures. Yet each time an opportunity to haul themselves out of their nosedive is passed up, the sense of doom and gloom deepens. At present all hope is increasingly being pinned on Frank Lampard making a seamless return to the first team either at Spurs or against Manchester United, having been absent since August. That, surely, is unrealistic with the England midfielder likely to need time to find rhythm but any hint of hope must be seized upon at present. These are troubled times.


======================================


Mail:

Marseille 1 Chelsea 0: Brandao strikes as problems pile up for Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti
By Matt Barlow

Beyond the emotion of Didier Drogba’s return to Marseille came another defeat and another of those misfiring Chelsea performances which must be driving Carlo Ancelotti to the brink of tears.
The Chelsea manager admits his sleep is disturbed by his team’s terrible dip in form and he sent a strong side into this dead rubber in the hope they might stumble upon some rhythm. They didn’t.
This was a long way from fluent and, although defeat does not stop them qualifying for the Champions League’s last 16 as winners of Group F, the worrying trend continues.
They were second best in the Stade Velodrome, unable to inject any zip into their passing and only fitfully threatening in attack. They were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty or two but at the back they continued to look vulnerable.
It did not help that Drogba was awful. ‘You say you love L’OM, prove it,’ said a banner held by Marseille fans, and he did nothing to hurt the club where he remains a hero more than six years after leaving for London. Seemingly incapable of holding anything up or linking play, and perhaps still suffering the after-effects of malaria, Drogba also flicked Chelsea’s best chance over in the first half with the outside of his boot and was replaced by Daniel Sturridge after an hour.
‘Maybe the emotion got to him, I don’t know,’ shrugged Ancelotti.
John Terry had also been substituted by the time Brandao forced in the only goal of the game nine minutes from time. Taye Taiwo’s cross deflected off Ramires and fell for the Brazilian striker, who escaped Branislav Ivanovic to score.
To make matters worse, Jose Bosingwa then hobbled off with a hamstring injury which will rule him out of Sunday’s derby at Tottenham. Ancelotti’s squad cannot afford to take many more hits. Luck is running low for the manager.
On another night, Chelsea might have had a couple of penalties before half-time. Florent Malouda appeared offside as he broke clear of the Marseille back four but the linesman’s flag stayed down and Souleymane Diawara chased back to slide clumsily into the striker as he prepared to shoot.
It looked a penalty and referee Vladislav Bezborodov, in charge of his first Champions League game, pointed to the spot, only to change his mind after a frantic conversation with his linesman, after which he signalled a corner. Chelsea were furious and Terry, captain of the team for the 350th time, charged to discuss the issue forcefully with the Russian referee. It was to no avail.
They had another decent penalty shout rejected before the break, when Diawara tripped Salomon Kalou from behind. In between, however, they were fortunate to escape when Gabriel Heinze glanced Benoit Cheyrou’s free-kick into Petr Cech’s net. It was ruled out for offside but television replays proved the former Manchester United full back was probably level.
Marseille dominated from the start, with Fabrice Abriel tormenting stand-in left back Paulo Ferreira and Mathieu Valbuena causing problems in the hole behind Brandao.
Valbuena was impressive for France against England at Wembley last month and revelled in the early positional uncertainty of Josh McEachran, rattling the bar from 25 yards and flashing a diving header narrowly wide.
McEachran, anchoring the midfield trio with John Mikel Obi on the bench to avoid collecting a booking which would mean a ban, slowly adjusted to his defensive duties but Ancelotti made a change at half-time, releasing the teenager into a more advanced position and dropping Michael Essien back.
The change almost paid off immediately, with McEachran sliding a wonderful pass behind right back Charles Kabore to release Malouda, who cut inside but could muster no power in his shot.
Steve Mandanda in the Marseille goal was rarely extended and, once Brandao struck, there was only one outcome.
Defeat means Chelsea failed in their bid to become the first English team to win all six group games in the Champions League but they had already won Group F and go into next week’s draw for the first knock-out round as a seeded team.
Holders Inter Milan, who beat Chelsea last season, are among those they could face in the last 16. Ancelotti’s former club AC Milan and Valencia are other dangers lurking in the pot of runners-up.
Chelsea can hide behind the fact that they have finished top of the group and are in touch with Premier League leaders United but the trends are disturbing for Ancelotti - and they must be altered soon.

======================================================

Mirror:

Marseille 1 Chelsea 0

By Martin Lipton

No excuses, Carlo. They don't wash any more.
Even if you were denied two stone-wall penalties, nobody wants to listen.
Not when it is four without a win, not after the worst league run in a decade, not when you are likely to be in fourth by the time you kick off at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
And as Chelsea's slump threatened to spiral totally out of control at the Stade Velodrome, Ancelotti had to realise that it was he himself who had turned a dead Champions League rubber into a must-not-lose game that he promptly went and lost.
It is a fundamental truth of football that when things turn against you, Dame Fortune kicks you in the guts.
The capricious old lady certainly has it in for Chelsea in this "difficult moment", not only with the two spot-kicks that any other Russian officials would certainly have given to the club owned by Roman Abramovich, but the latest injury blow as Jose Bosingwa's hamstring twanged, ruling him out of the trip to Spurs.
But at Chelsea, there is no margin for error, no leeway.
The reality is that Ancelotti's side look utterly bereft of self-belief and self-expression, that they are more vulnerable now than at any time since the dark days that brought the demise of Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Ancelotti, ashen-faced, knows it too. "Tottenham is a difficult game away against a top team," said the Italian. "Now everyone thinks we will lose that game.
"I don't understand the term 'underdogs' but they're very close to the top of the table and doing well at this moment. They're fit. For us, it will be difficult."
Hardly the mood of a man happy with his life and Ancelotto was as gloomy last night as at any point in his reign, hoping that Spurs can be the turning point and not further evidence of what is going wrong.
Ancelotti added; "We're not doing our best. This is the problem. We have to do better and move on quickly.
"Sometimes in football you don't get what you deserve. This is normal but we mustn't lose our composure, character, our ability. We have to maintain confidence for the future.
"So I'm not low. I'm strong. I want to resolve this problem quickly. I'm focused on my job. This is normal. I think my players have that same focus. I'm sure of this."
Yet Ancelotti is in a diminishing club, the doubts intensifying with every game, every draw or defeat.
Last night, admittedly not helped by Didier Drogba being far too overwrought by the emotions of his return to the Stade Velodrome to be even a pale shadow of his normal self, Chelsea appeared to be falling further into the crisis of confidence.
Defensively, even if they were eventually breached via a deflection, off Ramires and straight into the path of a grateful Brandao, Chelsea were a shambles.
Both full-backs, Bosingwa and the horribly out of position Paulo Ferreira, were terrible, while only youngster Josh McEachran looked up for the fight in the midfield battleground.
Too few of Ancelotti's players look like they really wanted it, ignoring the need for a morale-boosting win.
Indeed, by the time they were robbed of a spot-kick that referee Vladislav Bezborodov initially gave, as former Charlton man Souleymane Diawara blatantly clipped Florent Malouda's heels, they could have been four down.
Loic Remy, unmarked, mis-kicked completely just eight yards out, Mathieu Valbuena smashed against the bar and then headed inches wide, Remy and Brandao were both close.
Even so, the penalty decision might have changed everything, only for Marseille to persuade the referee to consult his linesman and give a corner instead.
If that was a shocker, Diawara's subsequent and similar foul on Salomon Kalou, two minutes before the break, was even more clear-cut, more than evening out the luck when Gabriel Heinze - again all alone - had his header wrongly chalked off by the flag.
But the second half saw Chelsea get even worse, dropping deeper and deeper and allowing Marseille to call the shots, the withdrawal of ankle victim John Terry - "not a problem" insisted Ancelotti - preceding that of Bosingwa.
They looked as if they might hang on, until Ferreira failed to close down Teye Taiwo and the lightweight Ramires' efforts to block turned into a perfect set-up as Brandao swept home.
The last thing Ancelotti needed and he seemed genuinely shaken in the immediate aftermath.
Spurs, United and Arsenal look like three mountains when he is struggling to climb any small hill.
It is serious. Very serious. And unless it changes soon, it could be fatal.


===================================================

Star:

MARSEILLE 1 CHELSEA 0: CARLO ANCELOTTI BRANDED BY NEW MISERY

By Scott Coleman

CARLO ANCELOTTI was hit by a hammer blow last night, as the pressure cranked up on the Italian following another dismal defeat.
Ancelotti has seen his side plunge to three defeats in six games and score just once in their last seven.
Chelsea looked like they had ridden the storm in Marseille against a determined side, but Brandao’s goal nine minutes from time sank them and piled more misery on the Italian.
Chelsea had been nervous and edgy all the way through, with Didier Drogba having a ­miserable night on his return to his old club.
But they were denied two ­blatant penalties, when Salomon ­Kalou was twice brought down.
Chelsea’s grim winter goes on and it is beginning to be a matter of how long owner Roman Abramovich’s patience lasts.
With both teams qualified for the knockout stages, and with Chelsea having already won the group, this game should have been a no-interest dead rubber.
Instead, with Chelsea’s current wretched run of form, it meant considerably more to Ancelotti.
Chelsea’s worst run of results in the Premier League in a decade had seen them squander a five point lead at the top of the table and drop to third place.
For the locals last night, it was all about the return of Drogba, their former hero.
He rattled in 19 goals for Marseille in 2003-04 before they sold him for a huge profit to Chelsea.
In the build-up to the game, the Ivorian told how he had been in tears when he left, and how much he wanted to perform for the fans of a club he still holds dear.
The Chelsea striker, though, needed a performance for a far more urgent reason.
One goal in open play since the beginning of October tells the story of how he has struggled to shake off his bout of malaria. Ancelotti gave youngster Josh McEachran only his second start, but otherwise it was the strongest side he had available.
Midfielder John Obi Mikel, who had one yellow card going into the game, was the only other change, being left on the bench.
Drogba got a standing ovation from the home fans as he ran out.
But it was – as it has been so ­often lately – a nervous start from Chelsea.
Benoit Cheyrou fired over when he should have done better and the dangerous Mathieu Valbonne got clear and slammed a shot from 25 yards against the bar.
A minute later the same player flashed a diving header just wide as Chelsea, looking horribly low on confidence, dithered. Luc Remy then fired a foot wide, ­before Brandao was allowed too much room to turn and shoot wide.
Out of the blue and against the run of play Chelsea thought they had the opportunity to snatch the lead as Souleymane Diawara brought down Florent Malouda.
Russian ref Vladislav Bezborodov gave the spot kick, but then to Chelsea’s fury was overruled by the linesman, and changed his mind to award a corner.
Drogba then flicked wide after a neat move as Chelsea began to get a grip.
They were fortunate when Gabriel Heinze’s header was ruled out for offside, but should have had another penalty when Kalou was again brought down.
Marseille, apart from the odd free kick, did not look as dangerous as they had in the opening stages.
If any team looked like ­breaking the deadlock, it was Chelsea.
McEachran in midfield was proving the one bright spark of the evening, with another ­assured and cool performance.
The 17-year-old’s passing was accurate and unhurried, and his positioning good, unlike Drogba, whose performance in front of the fans he so wanted to impress was woeful.
Why he got another standing ovation when he was subbed just after the hour was a mystery. Ancelotti, though, was looking to Sunday’s critical clash at ­Tottenham.
Andre Ayew missed from only eight yards out as Marseille found a second wind, but it was beginning to peter out.
Then disaster as Taye Taiwo crossed from the left, and Brandao was all alone to stab in from six yards out.


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Sun:

Marseille 1 Chelsea 0

By MARK IRWIN

CARLO ANCELOTTI look away now. And pray that Roman Abramovich is still celebrating Russia's World Cup win.
Because the bare facts behind Chelsea's alarming fall from grace make for bleak reading.
Four defeats in eight games, no clean sheet in six and Chelsea's worst run of results since Abramovich bought them in 2003.
Ancelotti does not need any reminding that previous Chelsea managers have been sacked for much, much less.
And he knows that even last season's League and FA Cup double will not save him if he does not stop the rot immediately.
It is no exaggeration to say his fate will be decided by his team's next three games against Spurs, Manchester United and Arsenal.
Win those three and it will be back to the top of the Premier League and crisis over. But right now there is little about Chelsea's play to suggest things are going to turn around any time soon.
And if the worst should happen and they lose the forthcoming terrible trio, Ancelotti could well be back with his old mate Ray Wilkins looking for a job.
The pressure weighing down the amiable Italian right now is almost unbearable. It showed in his demeanour as he reflected on yet another setback last night.
Brandao's 81st-minute strike was no more than Marseille deserved as Chelsea's dreams of becoming the first ever English team to win all six of their Champions League group games were dashed.
The Brazilian pounced from close range after Taye Taiwo's shot was deflected into his path by Ramires.
Maybe things would have been different if skipper John Terry had still been on but he had been subbed to protect an ankle injury.
Fortunately for Ancelotti, Terry will be back for Sunday's make-or-break trip to White Hart Lane.
The prognosis on full-back Jose Bosingwa is not so good and he will definitely miss the Tottenham game after suffering a recurrence of his old hamstring problems. So everything that could go wrong for Ancelotti is going wrong.
His team were denied two clear penalties and even with his strongest available side out, they were still unable to turn things around.
Many of Chelsea's superstars thought they were going to be spared the flight to the South of France after securing qualification for the last 16 in double quick time.
But that was before Ancelotti ruled no one would get time off until they have seen off this crisis. John Obi Mikel was the only one allowed to sit this out - to protect him from a booking which would rule him out of the next round.
So it was left to 17-year-old Josh McEachran to protect the defence in the holding midfield role. And his assured performance was one of the very few positives to emerge from last night's game.
Not that it looked good early on as Marseille threatened to overrun Chelsea with the intensity of their attacking.
The French champions could have been out of sight in 15 minutes as Mathieu Valbuena hit the bar while Benoit Cheyrou, Loic Remy and Brandao shot just wide.
It was Chelsea, though, who should have led on 16 minutes.
Florent Malouda sprung the offside only to have his legs taken away by Souleymane Diawara. Ref Vladislav Bezborodov pointed to the penalty spot but then allowed himself to be overruled by one of his many assistants, who pointed for a corner.
It was a dreadful decision by the Russian officials as TV replays clearly confirmed.
The ex-Charlton defender could have conceded another penalty just before half-time when he caught Salomon Kalou but escaped again.
The linesmen at the other end were just as inept and Marseille will argue Gabriel Heinze's 34th-minute header was incorrectly ruled out for offside.
But while they continued to live dangerously, Chelsea did make chances and Kalou worked a good position but shot wide, then soon after fired over.
Didier Drogba was just as wasteful when his chance arrived to score a first goal from open play for two months.
The ex-Marseille striker got a hero's welcome on his first return since his £24million move to London in 2004.
But there was nothing for Chelsea fans to cheer in his showing here.
Drogba has not been the same since a bout of malaria last month and the swagger which accompanied so many of his early-season performances has completely evaporated.
He is by no means the only player to have lost his aura of invincibility.
No one can fault their commitment but if they do not rediscover their bite soon, there might be yet another manager coming in with the New Year.


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everton 1-1

Independent:

Baines pains below-par champions
Chelsea 1 Everton 1:

Ancelotti angry with his players after another limp display allows improved Everton a point
By Steve Tongue at Stamford Bridge

Having threatened to run away with the Premier League title, Chelsea are losing ground by the week. In the past six matches they have scored three goals and taken a mere five points, surrendering the leadership first to Manchester United and now to Arsenal, both of whom they face later this month, after an away game at Tottenham.
At least as worrying as the statistics yesterday was a feeble performance against one of the few sides who traditionally enjoy a visit to Stamford Bridge. Everton left with a fifth successive draw on this ground, this one fully deserved and all the more meritorious after they had been so badly beaten at home by West Bromwich Albion last week. That result had dropped them into the bottom six.
"We had harsh words but the players responded really well," Everton's manager, David Moyes, said. "We deserved the result. Chelsea are hurt and needing a result and in the first half we were hanging in there for some periods."
It was hardly the stuff of desperation even then. John Terry, playing on the back of only three days' training, hit the bar but it took a penalty to bring the champions a goal, Didier Drogba striking it confidently for his first League score in eight games. By his own admission, the Ivorian striker is not fully recovered from his dose of malaria; of his partners in attack, Nicolas Anelka had one of his more frustrating days and Salomon Kalou became the butt of the crowd's wrath.
Michael Essien's return after suspension added some drive to the midfield that still failed to translate into scoring opportunities – of which Chelsea had barely one in the whole second half – and more hope than ever is now being invested in Frank Lampard, who has not started a game since August. If he is not back soon – next weekend is being pencilled in – the title may slip away.
Carlo Ancelotti admitted to being "angry" at the way the performance tailed off in the second half, accusing his team of deserting their natural game for long-ball football. "The first half was good but the second half was totally different," he said. "We work towards a particular kind of football and I don't understand why we changed. Second half we were afraid, scared and unable to play our football, just big ball to Didier alone up front."
After a stunning start to the season that brought five successive wins and 21 goals, Ancelotti knew "a difficult moment" would arrive at some point. "But not for so long," he said last night. He will not agree, publicly at least, that the changes to the coaching hierarchy forced upon him, with the popular Ray Wilkins being brutally sacked, have had any effect. "The problem is not on the bench, it's on the pitch," he said.
In addition to Chelsea's self-inflicted problems, those created by Everton stemmed from the excellence of Leighton Baines, the left-back who was in line to go to the World Cup before Aston Villa's Stephen Warnock stole his place as reserve to Ashley Cole. Yesterday Baines overshadowed England's first choice with his runs and crosses. He would have a decisive effect on the result.
In the first half, Terry and Petr Cech dealt with them and the visitors' only direct threat on goal came in the first half-minute, Cech holding Louis Saha's low drive. Then the referee, Lee Probert, became a central figure. He might have dismissed Florent Malouda and Tim Howard in separate incidents. Malouda reacted to two fouls from behind by Phil Neville with a hand-off to the face but did not receive a card of any colour. "Phil got up and got on with it, then a minute later their player got him booked," Moyes claimed. "I was disgusted."
Everton received the benefit of any doubt a few minutes before the interval when Howard blocked Anelka to concede a penalty but was allowed to stay on the pitch. Drogba thumped in the penalty and all seemed well with Chelsea's world. It was an illusion. Throughout the second half they worried Everton just once, when Seamus Coleman possibly fouled Cole, who was about to turn in a cross from the substitute Paulo Ferreira. It was significant that the move involved two full-backs.
Another back, however, was becoming the dominant figure. From one Baines cross, Jack Rodwell headed against the inside of a post. From his corner, Phil Jagielka back-headed over the bar. Finally, four minutes from time, Baines hoisted another centre, Tim Cahill nodded back across goal and Jermaine Beckford, equally loosely marked, headed in.

Attendance: 41,642
Referee: Lee Probert
Man of the match: Baines
Match rating: 6/10


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Observer:

Jermaine Beckford's late equaliser piles the pressure on Chelsea

Chelsea 1 Drogba (pen) 42 Everton 1 Beckford 86

Anna Kessel at Stamford Bridge

If a victory over Everton would have "resolved everything" for Chelsea, then where exactly does yet another draw leave Carlo Ancelotti's flagging side?
"Disappointed" was the manager's response. "Angry. Not just for the result, but we played a poor second half. We lost our idea to play our football. Just a long ball, we were scared. I didn't like this."
Are his team still smarting from the fallout of that controversial reshuffle among his backroom staff? "The problem is not there on the bench, it's out there on the pitch," he said, citing a lack of concentration and focus. "Obviously I am worried because we didn't win a lot of games. We have to do better."
That much is crystal clear after Chelsea lost their way in a match in which, early on, they appeared to have the upper hand. With just one win in their past six Premier League games, the London club have slipped to third in the table and, judging by today's performance, may falter further as the December fixtures pit them against a series of high-calibre opposition: Tottenham, Manchester United, Arsenal and Bolton.
today, despite the feted return of John Terry and Michael Essien to the side, Chelsea's performance still left much to be desired. Certainly, though, the captain's return helped. Chelsea's talisman brought instruction and good practice all over the pitch: from defensive headers at the back to a double strike at the front, which almost gave Chelsea an early lead.
An eventful game, during which the referee, Lee Probert, could easily have reached for the red card on several occasions, grew bad-tempered when Everton's returning captain, Phil Neville, made a two-footed tackle on Florent Malouda which led to the France winger petulantly retaliating – although, to his credit, Neville let the matter lie.
But the Everton captain's sense of responsibility deserted him just minutes later, when he clouted Didier Drogba around the side of the head with a loose arm. Worse was to come when Neville inexplicably chose to play a casual backpass into Drogba's path which sent his goalkeeper Tim Howard recklessly crashing into the Ivory Coast striker to make the save. Neville gasped in horror as Howard sent Drogba tumbling.
A sending off did not materialise, instead just a yellow card and a penalty. Drogba duly scored, leaping into the air – elated – after his first league goal since early October. At the half-time whistle, his side 1-0 down, Neville sought the refuge of the tunnel, eyes down, red-faced.
With Neville in chaotic mode, it fell to Leighton Baines to take the hero's role for Everton in the second half. The left-back instigated the visitors' comeback with a series of threatening and inspired breaks down the flank.
Ancelotti tried to stem the flow, substituting an ineffective José Bosingwa for the experience of Paulo Ferreira, but Baines could not be stopped, firing in crosses that brought his team-mates ever close to an equaliser.
Before it came, there was more controversy in the Chelsea goalmouth when Tim Cahill's studs struck Petr Cech in the face as the keeper dived for the ball. Terry was furious with Cahill, defender and striker grabbing fistfuls of each other's shirts while Cech lay immobile on the pitch for several minutes receiving medical attention to a cut above one of his eyes. Remarkably the referee again failed to send anyone off.
With Chelsea in disarray, Everton had the momentum and Baines popped up with yet another beautiful weaving run; Cahill nodded on and the substitute Jermaine Beckford headed home only his second league goal of the season. With seven minutes of injury time to negotiate, Chelsea clung on to a single point for dear life.
"The players responded well," said David Moyes of his side's fourth draw in six games. "When we have had a bad one [a reference to the 4-1 defeat by West Brom], players here tend to respond in the right fashion. Chelsea are hurting right now because they need a result so we knew it was going to be tough."
It was Moyes's 400th game in charge of Everton, but the manager's passion certainly has not receded. Asked whether Cahill should have been sent off for the challenge on Cech, Moyes reacted furiously. "Because he [Cech] has a history of injury does not mean my players don't go for tackles," he said. "He [Cahill] better go for it. After our performance last week? He'd better go for it. If he hadn't gone for that I'd have been out there wringing his neck."
Everton remain just two points off the relegation zone in a season that Moyes had hoped might be his best yet at the club. He will have to continue hoping; Champions League qualification looks like an impossible dream.


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Mail:

Chelsea 1 Everton 1:

Jermaine Beckford strikes late as Carlo Ancelotti prepares to grill 'scared' stars
By Malcolm Folley

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti - anger burning in his eyes if not in his voice - last night promised his players an uncomfortable reunion on the training ground today. Judging by his mood, Chelsea's extravagantly paid and highly pampered players are not so much reporting for training as an inquest. Chelsea's slump is becoming contagious and Everton's thoroughly deserved draw brought more anxiety to Ancelotti ahead of upcoming matches with Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Those games, over 15 days this month, could define their season.'Of course I am worried,' said Ancelotti. 'There are no smiles around the club because there is no reason to smile. I explained tonight what I feel.'And tomorrow we have a training session to talk about this more. Tomorrow, we have to change our behaviour to training. We have to be more focused, show more concentration. This difficult moment has gone on too long. We have to change something about our behaviour.' The confidence and bravado that was the hallmark of Chelsea's play during their boisterous romp to the summit of the Premier League is now a distant memory.
They have won only five points from their last six matches. Ancelotti was infuriated by the unexpected manner in which Chelsea abandoned the principles he demands, as Everton produced a second-half resurgence springing from the enterprise of left-back Leighton Baines. Ancelotti said: 'I'm disappointed, angry, not just because of the result, but because we played a poor second half. We are working to play a particular kind of football - and I don't understand why we changed this. We lost our ideas, we played long balls as I thought we were scared and afraid to play. I don't like this.' Ancelotti is at a loss to explain the disintegration of Chelsea's season. Only last month he was powerless to prevent the club sacking coach Ray Wilkins. He also appeared mystified when Michael Emenalo was elevated from the club's scouting network to a senior coaching role in Wilkins' place, while Paul Clement was promoted to be his first lieutenant. Evidence that the club had become destabilised increased when their sporting director Frank Arnesen announced that he wished to leave at the end of this season.
Since then, Chelsea results have gone south, as games against Liverpool, Birmingham and Sunderland were lost in close harmony. Coincidence? Ancelotti is unwilling to assume otherwise.'The problems are on the pitch, not on the bench,' he said. He had called yesterday's game the "most important of the season". Unfortunately, his players did not rise to the occasion. Everton's belief and confidence on the ball ensured Chelsea became hesitant and reliant on striking the ball from one end to the other. And Everton manager David Moyes, smarting from his own discomfort with his team's slide towards the relegation zone, a condition exacerbated by last Saturday's 4-1 loss at home to West Brom, watched with growing pride as his men redeemed themselves at the home of the champions. Even Chelsea's goal smacked a little of good fortune. When Nicolas Anelka took possession from a careless back pass by Phil Neville, he flicked the ball one side of goalkeeper Tim Howard, then opted for a route through the American. The two men collided hard and referee Lee Probert awarded Chelsea a penalty.
'Howard couldn't get out of the way,' said Moyes. 'But if it was me, I'd have wanted a penalty. I was just relieved it was not seen as a sending off.' It left Drogba to score his first Premier League goal for two months with a flawless penalty. Justice was served however, when Baines dribbled through Chelsea's defence in the 86th minute and his cross was met by Tim Cahill, whose header back across goal was headed in by Jermaine Beckford. Ancelotti's patience is close to breaking point, as he will remind his players at today's training session for Wednesday's Champions' League match in Marseille - but which is now nothing less than a wake-up call.

MATCH FACTS

CHELSEA (4-3-3): Cech; Bosingwa (Ferreira 65min), Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Essien, Mikel (Sturridge 88), Malouda; Anelka (Ramires 78), Drogba, Kalou. Subs (not used): Turnbull, Bruma, Kakuta, McEachran. Booked: Terry.

EVERTON (4-4-1-1): Howard; Neville, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Pienaar (Bilyaletdinov 87), Fellaini, Rodwell, Coleman; Cahill; Saha (Beckford 58). Subs (not used): Mucha, Heitinga, Osman, Yakubu, Anichebe. Booked: Neville, Howard, Coleman, Jagielka. Referee: L Probert (Wiltshire).


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Star:

CHELSEA 1 - EVERTON 1 - BECKFORD GOAL PAIN FOR CARLO ANCELOTTI
By Tony Stenson

CHELSEA boss Carlo Ancelotti hit out at his “wasters” after they failed to kill off brave Everton.
Striker Jermain Beckford came off the bench to inflict another wound on a manager who has seemingly lost his way.
Boos from Chelsea fans will been heard all the way to owner Roman Abramovich’s £70million floating gin palace as he celebrated Russia winning the 2018 World Cup. Roman does not do failures.
Chelsea, top of the table only a month ago, took a controversial lead only to lose it and they’ve now gone four games without a win. Fans were streaming out long before the final whistle.
Abramovich was last seen hitting high fives after his country had won the rights to host the 2018 event.
But this swiftly brought him down to earth and you fear here for Ancelotti. His side seriously squandered a chance to go back to the top of the table as Everton stopped their own rot.
But Everton skipper Phil Neville should hold his head in shame after almost costing his side the game.
Neville almost got keeper Tim Howard sent off but overall Everton displayed a snarling, fighting quality few rarely thought them capable of.
They refused to be overawed and stuck rigidly to a format that paid off. Chelsea did not have a plan B as Everton closed down all the corridors.
Everton manager David Moyes, celebrating his 400th match in charge of the club, has gained a reputation for producing the kind of team that makes him one of the favourites to take over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. Yesterday this was Everton in the raw, a side of the club rarely seen.
When Tim Cahill lunged studs-high into the face of Chelsea keeper Petr Cech, you realised then they were fighting for their professional lives.
Blood dripped from Cech’s eye. Not nice, while Cech had been previously been inspirational.
Neville, booked earlier for clattering into Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, had acres of space in the 40th minute and colleagues nearby when he stroked a casual 40th-minute back-pass to keeper Howard.
Drogba’s strike partner Nicolas Anelka seized the moment and headed for goal. Howard leapt from his line and collided with the Chelsea striker for a definite penalty – and nailed -on dismissal.
But referee Lee Probert chose not to send him off because other defenders were closing gaps and Anelka made such a meal of the collision.
Howard should have gone, but it would only deflect from Chelsea’s poor performance and Everton’s fighting spirit which was richly rewarded in the 85th minute.
Leighton Baines crossed for the left, Cahill headed back and Beckford rose to score.
Everton had earlier survived a decent penalty call when Sylvain Distin looked to try and control a ball that had sneaked through Salomon Kalou in the 10th minute.
The woodwork prevented Chelsea from taking the lead in the 27th minute when captain John Terry, back after a sciatic nerve injury, sent a shot against the bar.
Everton arrived with their reputation in shreds, having taken just 16 points from their opening 15 matches – and just one win in the last seven.
But, despite their first half bombardment, Moyes’s men deserved everything they got yesterday.


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Mirror:

Chelsea 1-1 Everton:
By Paul Smith

The crisis engulfing Chelsea continued to deepen as they failed to see off struggling Everton at home.
On the balance of play the visitors thoroughly deserved to pick up a point but in a first half embarrassingly dominated by Chelsea they failed to take their chances and go into the break firmly out of sight.
Returning captain John Terry hit the crossbar before Didier Drogba scored a penalty after Tim Howard fouled Nicolas Anelka five minutes from the interval.
Victory would have seen Chelsea reclaim top spot with Manchester United’s game at Blackpool postponed.
But instead they slipped to third, with Arsenal moving up to first after defeating Fulham.
Needless to say it was Chelsea’s woeful performance in the second half that would have set the alarm bells ringing in the corridors of power at Stamford Bridge.
As good as they were in the first half they were dreadful in the second.
“I am very disappointed and very angry because we got what we deserved,” said Carlo Ancelotti.
“In the first half we played well with good spirit. In the second half we were awful, lost our way and played with fear.
“I don’t think we deserved to lose the game but I need to understand why the team is playing like they are.
“Of course it worries me. Everyone knows it was an important game for us to move on from a difficult moment we still find ourselves in.
“We knew a victory would take us back to the top of the table and improve our confidence. We didn’t take it.”
In contrast Everton boss David Moyes was delighted and even felt his side’s second-half dominance should have yielded all three points.
“The second half we deserved the result,” he said. “We expected it to be tough; it always is when you come to Chelsea.
“I thought our lack of quality in the final third of the game prevented us from winning the game.
“Leighton Baines’ run for the goal was terrific. Obviously the best left-back in the country plays for Chelsea but arguably the second best was playing for Everton yesterday.
Despite worrying form of late Chelsea laid siege on the Everton goal from the opening minute.
It was all Everton could do to defend in numbers, sitting deep and inviting Chelsea to come at them.
Yet despite embarrassingly dominating play the defending champions could find no way through.
Chances came and went and futile claims for penalties were swiftly waved away until Terry hit the Everton crossbar with a tenacious chip in the 26th minute.
They had to wait until eight minutes from the break before they threatened the Everton goal again, Salomon Kalou woefully heading over from barely seven yards out.
The game eventually exploded into action in the 40th minute when Nicola Anelka raced through on goal only to be rugby tackled by Tim Howard in the penalty area.
Referee Lee Probert immediately pointed to the spot but refused to send Howard off despite widespread protest.
Didier Drogba, without a goal in six matches, stepped up to emphatically convert the spot kick.
The home side continued to dominate as they looked to increase their lead. But as the break approached a second goal continued to elude them.
Everton returned after the interval to put up a more convincing fight.
Indeed in the opening ten minutes of the half Everton put Chelsea under more pressure than they had in the entire opening 45 minutes.
In the 61st minute they were denied an equaliser when Jack Rodwell struck the post with a header from Leighton Baines cross.
To their credit Everton maintained the momentum, as Chelsea looked increasingly fragile.
As Chelsea stood back Everton began to threaten with increasing regularity much to the annoyance of Ancelotti and the home fans.
Yet ironically Chelsea should have extended their lead before Everton’s second half dominance finally paid off four minutes from time.
Substitute Paulo Ferreira crossed low for the right and Ashley Cole was inches away from getting a clinical touch as he slid in at the far post.
Everton immediately moved upfield and when Baines deep cross was headed back across the face of goal, sub Jermaine Beckford headed home unchallenged.
Even seven minutes of extended time couldn’t save Chelsea. Long before Beckford had found the net for the Toffees the Blues had completely run out of steam.


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