sunday papers brum home

Happy New Year
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Times:
Chelsea 2 Birmingham 0: No more fun in games, says JoseJoe Lovejoy at Stamford Bridge IT IS tempting to suggest that Chelsea ended 2005 the way they started it, fast disappearing over the horizon at the top of the Premier League, but the reality is even more discouraging for the would-be challengers After eight successive wins, the defending champions are six points better off than they were at the corresponding stage last season. Nobody expects them to be caught, least of all their manager Jose Mourinho, who said afterwards: “We have taken 101 points in the Premiership in 12 months, which is an unbelievable record. It has been an unbelievable year and I don’t believe we are suddenly going to start losing, or even drawing a lot of games, so it will be very difficult even for good teams to catch us.” This latest victory was much easier than the scoreline would indicate. With seven senior players out, Birmingham were never competitive. Hernan Crespo helped himself to one goal, and was given a standing ovation when he gave way to Didier Drogba after 70 minutes, but the Argentinian will be kicking himself for not filling his boots against such a shambolic defence.
Arjen Robben was the other scorer, but again it was Joe Cole who caught the eye with a continuation of the dynamic form that augurs well not just for Chelsea’s future but for England at the World Cup. When the outcome was no longer in doubt, he indulged himself with a few party pieces, but when it mattered Cole was creativity personified, and it was unreasonably harsh when Mourinho said: “I had to tell him that one more match like that, playing for himself and the public and not the team, and he would be out. At times it was like watching the old Joe Cole out there — too many flicks and stuff.”
At a time when it is seeking to justify sky-high ticket prices and wages by calling itself an entertainment industry, football needs entertainers, and at the moment they come no more entertaining than Cole.
Birmingham need to be at full strength to compete with the top teams, and the absentees yesterday (Mario Melchiot, Jiri Jarosik, Muzzy Izzet, Stan Lazaridis, Jamie Clapham, Mikael Forssell and David Dunn) read like a St Andrew’s Who’s Who. Without them play became so one-sided that Mourinho had to signal a festive crowd to take it seriously, holding up an admonishing hand to stop supporters from cheering every pass and applauding Cole’s tricks.
In mitigation, Birmingham lost their best defender, Matthew Upson, after only 12 minutes with a damaged ankle after an aerial clash with John Terry, who celebrated his 250th appearance for Chelsea in typically rugged fashion.
In marked contrast to the embarrassment of riches that allowed Mourinho to start with Drogba, Claude Makelele and Shaun Wright-Phillips on the bench, Steve Bruce needed two teenagers to make up his 16. But Birmingham made a decent start, and would have had the lead after 18 minutes had not William Gallas popped up on the goalline to clear a shot from Stephen Clemence.
Birmingham’s chance had come and gone, the rest was torture for the Blues from the Midlands. Crespo was on target after 25 minutes, starting and finishing a move that took in Cole and Robben before the Argentinian sidefooted in at nudging range. It was left to Robben to supply the second goal, accepting Eidur Gudjohnsen’s pass and shooting home coolly.
STAR MAN: Joe Cole (Chelsea)
Player ratings. Chelsea: Cech 6, Paulo Ferreira 6, Ricardo Carvalho 6, Terry 6, Gallas 6, Gudjohnsen 7, Essien 6 (Makelele 65, 5), Lampard 5, Cole 7, Crespo 7 (Drogba 70, 5), Robben 6 (Wright-Phillips 60, 5) 5
Birmingham: Maik Taylor 7, Cunningham 5, Martin Taylor 3, Upson 6 (Tebily 12, 5), Gray 6, Pennant 5, Butt 4, Johnson 5, Clemence 6 (Kilkenny 60, 5), Heskey 5 (Birley 65, 5), Pandiani 5
Scorers: Chelsea: Crespo 25, Robben 43
Referee: M Dean
Attendance: 40,652 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph:
Mourinho warning to showman ColeBy James Mossop at Stamford Bridge Chelsea (2) 2 Birmingham (0) 0
All the fancy flicks of the inventive juggler Joe Cole threw Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho into such a rage that sent he sent young Joe into 2006 with his ears burning and his first-team place in jeopardy.
Blue heaven: Hernan Crespo celebrates his opener Victory over hard-working but inadequate Birmingham, with first-half goals from Hernan Crespo and Arjen Robben, may have virtually secured a second successive Premiership title for Stamford Bridge, but it did nothing to calm Mourinho.
"I've told him [Cole], one more match like that and he's out," he said. "He has to play for the team and not for the public and himself."
During the second half Mourinho appeared on the touchline acting out flicks and back-heels while shouting and gesturing at Cole, whose two-word reply did not appear to be 'thank you'.
Strangely it was only a few days ago that Cole scored the winner against Manchester City and Mourinho called him 'untouchable'.
Mourinho's mood yesterday was not helped by Chelsea's inability to finish off Birmingham. "I was angry at half-time," he admitted after a series of squandered chances.
The most outrageous came after half an hour when Cole darted cleverly between Martin Taylor and Kenny Cunningham to give himself a clear one-on-one confrontation with Maik Taylor.
He could have shot, chipped or tried to take it around the goalkeeper. Instead, unselfishly, he saw that Crespo was unmarked and moving in at the far post. Cole's delivery was perfect but his partner, showing unimaginable clumsiness, allowed Julian Gray to move in and rob him.
Birmingham's chances were damaged when central defender Matthew Upson went off after just 12 minutes with an ankle injury that will keep him out for a month and increase the treatment room crowd that includes Muzzy Izzet, Mikael Forssell, David Dunn, Stan Lazaridis, Mario Melchiot and Jamie Clapham.
Their manager, Steve Bruce, was supposed to be celebrating his birthday but was left lamenting life in the relegation area with crucial first-teamers missing and little money for shopping in the transfer window.
They had their chances and until Crespo's 25th-minute goal had been impressively lively. Stephen Clemence saw a scrambled shot booted off the line by William Gallas and Emile Heskey skimmed the bar with a header.
Chelsea's opener, though, exposed a weakness in the Birmingham defence. Crespo and Cole combined to sweep the ball into Robben's path. His shot was beaten out by Taylor but Crespo was there to nudge it over the line.
Birmingham's resistance never slackened but they were heading for inevitable defeat and that was underlined two minutes from half-time when the Crespo-Cole partnership again found Robben who this time scored.
Clemence had another goal-bound effort, a header from Jermaine Pennant's left-wing corner, cleared as it was about to cross the line with Petr Cech beaten, but Chelsea were cruising. Why sweat and toil when the living is easy and there are important matches ahead?
They begin with the visit to West Ham tomorrow, a game Cole misses because of suspension. But he knows the Fancy Dan footwork will not be welcomed in Saturday's FA Cup tie against Huddersfield Town.
Mourinho's criticism will hurt. Cole has been criticised in the past for show-boating and his manager's outburst is a warning that a return to previous habits could be costly.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Observer:
Chelsea 2 - 0 Birmingham
Amy Lawrence at Stamford BridgeSunday January 1, 2006The Observer
Two-nil down, 20 minutes to go, and Steve Bruce sent Jose Mourinho a rueful smile down the touchline. 'Oh please,' his expression seemed to implore, 'don't bring Drogba on.' A team rooted in the relegation zone, short of players and confidence, didn't need the extra punishment. Naturally, Chelsea's bruising centre-forward trotted on to the field a moment later. Closely followed by Claude Makelele, who had also been allowed to rest his bones on the bench. Chelsea were not about to change the habits that had brought them such an exceptional year.
And so they finished 2005 as they started it. Looking like the most clinical, organised, hard-working team in football, and steamrollering towards the title. It was not quite perfect, as Mourinho pointed out with reference to their Champions League defeats and exits in the domestic cups.
But this comfortable victory clocked up their 101st point in the calendar year. "That's an unbelievable record," assessed Mourinho. "No defeats at home, a lot of victories, overall it has been an unbelievable year."
The cloud on Chelsea's horizon is the prospect of a less than happy start to 2006 for Joe Cole. Having been lauded for the winner at Manchester City last week, he felt his manager's wrath here. It was an old-fashioned show-pony performance. Fancy. Reckless. Indisciplined. Utter anathema to Mourinho. "I just told him, 'One more match like this, one more match for himself and the public, and he's out,'" rapped the king of effective football.
Mourinho had earlier demonstrated his displeasure for all to see when, with Chelsea a goal to the good, Cole and Hernan Crespo contrived to screw up a chance that looked like child's play. Cole had the goal at his mercy, dallied and slipped the ball to Crespo, who delayed sufficiently to let Julian Gray track back. Mourinho kicked the advertising hoardings in a huff. The level of inefficiency by Chelsea standards was stupendous. "They have to score, they have to do it simple, they have to kill the game," he said.
In truth, such fluffiness did not affect the outcome. The killer goal still came before half-time. Eidur Gudjohnsen provided a perceptive pass to invite Arjen Robben to canter in unmarked from the left. His angled finish was ruthless.
Bruce's team talk probably did not ring with abundant zeal. It tells you something about Birmingham's approach that they did not have a player booked. Nobody in the ground had much expectation that a shock second-half turnaround was on the cards.
Such is the chasm between these teams the sense of a contest only materialised briefly, in a five-minute period of Chelsea discomfort around the 20-minute mark. Stephen Clemence's prod was cleared off the goalline by William Gallas, Damien Johnson fired over, and Emile Heskey skimmed the roof of the net with a firm header. Three chances in five minutes. One-way traffic towards Petr Cech. Just what was going on here?
Mourinho blamed the festive fixture list for Chelsea's slow start. Birmingham's spurt was enough to rouse them, however, and they took the lead. Crespo started and finished the move, and was helped along the way by Cole and Robben's shot. There was no halting Crespo from gobbling up the rebound.
The Argentine was a handful but still managed to squander an extraordinary number of opportunities to add to his goal. Once the points were secured, the second-half subplot consisted of a personal duel between Crespo and Maik Taylor. The goalkeeper won convincingly, even though most players treated the last half hour as a glorified warm-down.
Birmingham still look like they have an uphill task to disentangle themselves from the scrap ahead. Unfortunately for Bruce, though, he watched one of his more dependable defenders, Matthew Upson, hobble off with a badly twisted ankle that may sideline him for a month.
Another absentee was their top scorer Jiri Jarosik, ineligible because he is on loan from Stamford Bridge. That Birmingham's best player is surplus to requirements at Chelsea says it all.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Independent:
Chelsea 2 Birmingham City 0: Cole takes foot off gas as Blues cruise Champions hit century of points for the calendar year as Birmingham fall without a fight By Steve Tongue at Stamford Bridge Published: 01 January 2006 Not a bad year then. 2005 has brought Chelsea a first championship for 50 years, one League defeat in 38 games and 101 points, a total they are on course to exceed in the current season while retaining their title. Yesterday's predictable stroll against a side rooted in the Premiership's bottom three was a 13th straight home win, which equals a 95-year-old club record. Since that slip away to Manchester United in November they have won nine games and drawn one.
"Overall, fantastic," said Jose Mourinho, whose only complaint was about Joe Cole briefly reverting from thoroughbred to show pony. "I told him one more match like that, playing for himself and the public, and he's out," said a manager who might now regret having praised the same player to the skies only three days earlier. The England midfielder now has a week for reflection in any case, suspension ruling him out of the visit to his former club West Ham tomorrow.
Cole's over-elaboration, summed up by making a dreadful mess of a chance in each half, was perhaps understandable in one of the many matches that are simply too easy for his side. Hernan Crespo might have scored eight times in his 69 minutes on the pitch, redemption and a standing ovation coming his way because of the goal he tapped in midway through the first half and then his part in the second just before the interval.
Two-nil is normally the scoreline at which Chelsea declare, and although half-time is a little early for even Mourinho to shut up shop, the second period felt like the last afternoon of a cricket match in which everyone knows the result. At one stage he was to be seen enjoying a long chat on the touchline with Birmingham's luckless manager Steve Bruce, who may have been negotiating for an early close.
Bruce's main concern by that time was preventing not so much further goals as more injuries, half a dozen of which had already depleted his squad during the ridiculous programme of four matches in eight days that Mourinho called "not for human beings". If some of his players have occasionally appeared super-human in Chelsea's year of not living very dangerously, Birmingham's have looked all too mortal and Bruce is hoping "to bring in two or three this month if I possibly can".
Credit then to those who were out there yesterday as 16-1 outsiders, for the unexpected flurry of excitement and pressure they produced just before rather cruelly falling behind. In the 18th minute Stephen Clemence cleverly peeled off behind a dozing defence to meet Jermaine Pennant's flighted free-kick and beat Petr Cech, William Gallas hacking off the line at the very last moment. In the next attack Damien Johnson, set up by Emile Heskey, drove over the bar and almost immediately Heskey headed Nicky Butt's cross on to the roof of the net.
That was as good as it got. Chelsea immediately broke to the Shed end, Crespo and Cole putting Arjen Robben in for a shot that the outstanding Maik Taylor parried, Crespo following in to score. Birmingham had already lost Matthew Upson with a badly twisted ankle and his replacement Olivier Tebily was at fault when the second blow fell in the 43rd minute. Lured infield by a smooth move involving Cole, Crespo and Eidur Gudjohnsen, he left Robben utterly unattended.
In between times Crespo might have claimed the Premiership's fastest hat-trick, and later Johnson would stop John Terry's header on the line. Frank Lampard, restored as one of five changes after missing his first Premiership match in 165 last week, was quieter than usual. But it hardly mattered and long before the end the crowd would have been better off heading for the station to beat the Tube strike. Most stayed to wish their heroes a happy new year. Only Barcelona can spoil it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

mancity away 1-0

Guardian:

Untouchable Cole lifts Chelsea out of a hole

 Daniel Taylor at the City of Manchester Stadium

For long, uneasy spells even a man of Jose Mourinho's seemingly impregnable self-belief must have wondered whether he was about to suffer an uncomfortable sense of deja vu. Manchester City were a pebble in Mourinho's loafer last season and Chelsea had not managed a shot on target as the game swung into its final quarter of an hour. Then, out of nowhere, Joe Cole struck and Mourinho sprinted down the muddy touchline in his expensive suit. It was a goal which may be pivotal in the title race. The news of Birmingham City's equaliser against Manchester United had come through barely a minute earlier and when the night was done Chelsea's lead at the top of the Premiership, instead of being cut to seven points, had stretched to 11 points. That they did it without Frank Lampard, who was suffering from a virus, was testament to their obduracy on an evening when they racked up their seventh successive victory since losing at Old Trafford on November 6. The Premiership has waited a long time to discover how Chelsea would cope without a player Sir Alex Ferguson has described as a "freak" because of his apparent immunity to fatigue. Ferguson himself has floated the idea that Chelsea's season might be derailed if Lampard's good fortune with injuries were to run out but it now seems a straws-clutching gesture on the part of United's manager. If Lampard's absence posed the champions some searching questions, their retort was the massed huddle of celebrations after the final whistle. "Mentally it was a big test to play without Frank Lampard but the team's answer was fantastic," Mourinho said. "There are many great teams in Europe but you will not see anyone fight like my team. That's not the power of money; it's the power of human beings working together, always ready, from the first day of the season." Mourinho went on to describe Cole as "untouchable" and when he discussed the league table it was noticeable that he mentioned Liverpool more prominently than Manchester United. "We don't have to worry," he said. "Our rivals must not only win but wait for Chelsea's mistakes and we're very strong." He was entitled to be pleased because City, who have provided him with robust opposition since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, put up prolonged resistance on a night when even Stuart Pearce must have been tempted to wear gloves (he didn't). The home players threw themselves into every tackle, ran for every ball and matched their illustrious opponents for prolonged periods. "I don't like to glorify getting beaten," said Pearce, "but the players can walk out of the stadium with their heads held high." Chelsea's methodical build-up will certainly have done little to distress the Barcelona scouts in the VIP seats with February's Champions League ties on their mind. Pearce reflected on the opportunity, after 15 minutes, when Joey Barton's low shot was blocked by Petr Cech's feet. Yet Mourinho was equally justified in arguing that his side ought to have been awarded a first-half penalty when Sylvain Distin misjudged the trajectory of John Terry's long ball and allowed Didier Drogba a yard of space inside the penalty area. As Drogba turned towards goal he was caught by David James only for Uriah Rennie to deem that there had been no contact. Drogba's fall had been exaggerated, to say the least, and thereafter he took the pantomime-villain role vacated by Shaun Wright-Phillips, who suffered the ignominy of not even being on the bench against his former club. Drogba's every touch was booed and whistled, and there was more irritation etched across his face when he wasted Chelsea's solitary chance of the opening half. It had been an uninspiring period and Mourinho deserves acclaim for his boldness, 13 minutes into the second period, when he replaced Drogba and the ineffectual Damien Duff with Hernan Crespo and Arjen Robben. The double substitution invigorated Chelsea and in the 79th minute they finally emphasised the gulf between the two clubs. Even then it required a mistake from Sun Jihai to set them going. Robben led the charge and when James palmed away Eidur Gudjohnsen's deflected shot the ball flicked off Crespo's midriff and fell invitingly for Cole to score a goal which may be remembered with great fondness when Chelsea look back on their season


------------------------

Independent:

Manchester City 0 Chelsea 1: Cole's rich seam of form fires Chelsea

By Sam Wallace Published

Jose Mourinho described them as a "group of human beings ready for anything"; the rest may choose to describe Chelsea's achievements at the half-way stage of the Premiership season as a little closer to the super-human. No Frank Lampard last night for the first time in 164 Premiership matches and no goals before the 79th minute but, in the absence of one inspirational Englishman, Joe Cole assumed the role of match-winner once again. The chasing pack will read Chelsea's statistics and weep: only five points dropped in 19 matches, seven successive victories since defeat to Manchester United on 6 November and five wins by the 1-0 margin already. Manchester City are the only team to have held out against the might of Mourinho for more than two games, but should his side beat West Ham on Monday then the Portuguese coach can claim to have beaten every single Premiership side within 18 months of taking the job. "Untouchable," was how Mourinho described Cole's performance after Lampard was withdrawn at the very last moment. His name was on the team-sheet, and he participated in the warm-up, but the England midfielder eventually succumbed to a virus that ended a record-breaking run in the side that stretched back to October 2001. "Playing without Frank was a big test, he is there for 164 games and then a few minutes before kick-off you realise he is not there," Mourinho said. "The answer was magnificent." It was a match that, in terms of what it symbolised, seemed on a par with the epic defeat of Blackburn last February and it prompted one of Mourinho's grander defences of his club's ethos. "Almost all the great teams in Europe are on their holidays at the moment," he said. "You don't see the big stars fighting and playing like my team played. If you say this is the power of money, I don't agree. "It's the power of the group together, a group of human beings who have been together since the first day and are ready for everything. It is the power of a group of friends working together - it is not the power of money." There is the possibility that Liverpool, with their two games in hand, can cut Chelsea's lead to nine points but the second half of the season, Mourinho said, would be about his team "controlling the situation". "For the rest it is not just about winning, it is about Chelsea making mistakes," he added. "We are strong and we have more points than we did at this stage last season. We will play our matches and we don't need to worry about anyone else." For Manchester City their third defeat in four games was not, their manager Stuart Pearce said, the result of any lack of effort. In Joey Barton, City had arguably the game's outstanding player: he scraped a boot down Michael Essien's shin, slid straight through John Terry and bossed the centre of the midfield in the absence of Lampard. But City rarely came close to scoring. There was not even a place on the Chelsea bench for Shaun Wright-Phillips who, after his £21m signing from City this summer, was considered fourth choice by Mourinho among the wingers he has at his disposal. "You can think what you want but it was just a technical decision," the Chelsea manager said. "No dramas and nothing strange." But for Wright-Phillips it must have been difficult to take - even his younger brother Bradley was afforded a substitute's appearance by Pearce. City were lucky to escape on 23 minutes when Terry's long ball towards Didier Drogba was completely misjudged by Sylvain Distin who, after his disastrous performance against Wigan this week, seems to be enduring some kind of crisis. Drogba controlled the ball and, despite slipping, still beat Distin before nudging the ball past David James, who collided heavily with the striker. Drogba, as is his way, went down with the maximum dramatic effect but there could be no denying that James had stood in his way as he pursued a chance that would have given him a clear sight of goal. The decision looked to be a simple one, but with the referee Uriah Rennie in charge scarcely anything is straightforward and he awarded City a goal-kick. One year earlier, Mourinho's solution might have involved sacrificing Cole for a more direct attacking force but these days he has become increasingly reliant upon what the England winger can conjure up. Chelsea managed only their first shot on goal when the substitute Arjen Robben broke through on 76 minutes, but just moments later it was Cole who came up with the winner. City's defence had already endured one lapse, when Eidur Gudjohnsen's free-kick flashed unchecked across the box before the goal came on 79 minutes. Sun Jihai gave the ball to Robben on the right and he fed Gudjohnsen in the area. His shot deflected off Ben Thatcher, James palmed it out and when the ball dropped it fell to Cole, who poked it home. All his players, Mourinho said, had given "a big answer" - after this the response from the rest of the Premiership will have to be good.

Manchester City (4-4-1-1): James; Onouha, Dunne, Distin, Thatcher (Ireland, 88); Sinclair (Croft, 82), Barton, Sun Jihai, Vassell; Sibierski (B Wright-Phillips, 70); Cole. Substitutes not used: Sommeil, De Vlieger (gk), Jordan.

 Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Geremi, Terry, Gallas, Del Horno; Makelele; J Cole, Gudjohnsen (Ferreira, 82), Essien, Duff (Robben, 58); Drogba (Crespo, 58). Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Huth. Referee: U Rennie (Staffordshire)

------------------------------------


Telegraph:

 Chelsea make room at the top

By Tim Rich

Manchester City (0) 0 Chelsea (0) 1

Chelsea will end their centenary year on New Year's Eve at Stamford Bridge and, should events go to form against Birmingham, their 38 games in 2005 will have yielded 101 points. Thus far, Manchester United have picked up 77 and Arsenal 71. Much more than words, these numbers are the reason Chelsea will retain their title well before May. This scarcely-deserved victory, taken alongside United's draw at St Andrew's, extended Chelsea's lead to 11 points at the halfway point of the season. Jose Mourinho's side have the ability - similar to that displayed by Sir Alex Ferguson's United teams in their pomp - of squeezing late victories from barren draws. They did so against Fulham on Boxing Day and, with 11 minutes remaining at Eastlands, they managed it once more. David James, who had not been required to make a save until the 76th minute, reacted well to parry Eidur Gudjohnsen's deflected cross but succeeded in directing it only into the path of Joe Cole, who had been easily Jose Mourinho's most effective performer and now scored his sixth goal of the season. It had been a dreadfully laboured display but it was one that yielded three more points and a seventh straight victory. "I know what sells, I know the image we have," Mourinho reflected. "But I don't think many teams would have fought like mine. All the great teams of Europe are on holiday now, not fighting like my teams. It is not the power of money that makes Chelsea, it is the power of a group - a group of friends." It may not have been a coincidence that the champions struggled but, for the first time since Sept 2001, Chelsea took the field in a Premiership match without Frank Lampard. His run of 164 consecutive games was ended by a virus that forced him to withdraw 10 minutes before the start. Shaun Wright-Phillips, however, did not even make the bench on what would have been his return to Eastlands, four months after leaving Manchester in return for £21 million. It may have been the unfamiliarity of being deprived of Lampard's energy at the heart of their midfield, but Chelsea responded with strange uncertainty on the ground where they suffered their only League defeat of last season. Their one real opportunity in the first half arrived when Didier Drogba appeared to be bundled over in the area by James, who had been exposed by Sylvain Distin's failure to deal with a routine long ball. It looked a penalty, but replays suggested that, although there had been some contact, Drogba had also dived. Generally, however, City seemed comfortable with what, to most sides in their position, would have appeared a mountainous task. However, last season they had taken four points from the champions and last night they deprived Chelsea of any real space, pressed their holding midfielders, Michael Essien and Claude Makelele, and in the first, plodding hour restricted them to a few uncharacteristic long balls. Before the hour was up, Mourinho had seen enough and replaced Drogba with the far more subtle talents of Hernan Crespo. Stuart Pearce must have reckoned that Mourinho's decision to employ Geremi as a makeshift right-back gave his side a weakness to probe, which he did by shifting Darius Vassell to City's left flank. It threatened to work after a quarter of an hour as Vassell found space and directed a cross which, though it missed Antoine Sibierski, its intended target, fell perfectly for Joey Barton. His shot was blocked by the boots of Petr Cech, whose goalkeeping had come in for rare criticism in the wake of the champions' narrow victory over Fulham on Boxing Day. Last night he displayed more of his usual composure.

Manchester City (4-4-2): James; Onouha, Dunne, Distin, Thatcher (Ireland 88); Sinclair (Croft 83), Barton, Sun Jihai, Vassell; Sibierski (Wright-Phillips 72), Cole. Subs: De Vlieger (g), Sommeil. Booked: Thatcher.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech, Geremi, Gallas, Terry, Del Horno; Makelele, Essien; Cole, Gudjohnsen (Ferreira 83), Duff (Robben 59); Drogba (Crespo 59). Subs: Cudicini (g), Huth. Referee: U Rennie (South Yorkshire).


-------------------------



The Times

King Cole's merry old goal a lift for Chelsea

By Matt Hughes

Manchester City 0 Chelsea 1

JOSE MOURINHO has won most trophies in European football and more seem inevitable after a first win over Manchester City, who were threatening to become his bogey team, having taken four points from two Barclays Premiership matches last season. Handicapped by the absence of Frank Lampard, Chelsea looked like suffering another shut-out by Stuart Pearce's hard-working side last night, but Joe Cole popped up with a 79th-minute winner. There may be more exciting teams than Chelsea, but few can be as relentlessly efficient. Mourinho would not swap his collection of players with anyone and the statistics support this, with his side collecting 52 points from the 57 available this season. "It was a big test for the team from the mental point of view to play without Frank, especially as we only found out ten minutes before the game," Mourinho said. "The answer was magnificent. For me, defeat is the law of the game, the law of the championship, but after we lost at Manchester United there was no panic. I always say the best team is champion over 38 games." After holding out for so long, Pearce felt that his players were hard done by, but took solace from a spirited display. "With the endeavour they put in, we deserved something from the game," he said. "A 0-0 draw would have been a fair result and I'm disappointed for the players." It was fitting that Cole, Chelsea's best player for the past month, should score the goal that brought them the points, his seventh of the season. The England midfield player earned deserved praise from Mourinho, unlike Shaun Wright-Phillips, who was left in London. His New Year's resolution should be learning to keep possession of a football. "Joe at the moment is untouchable," Mourinho said. "He's fantastic in every aspect of the game. He's amazingly strong, controls the ball under pressure and is playing fantastic football." Having lost at Old Trafford this season, Chelsea were expecting a difficult encounter on the other side of the freezing city and their task became harder just before kick-off with the withdrawal of Lampard. The England midfield player was on the teamsheet but went down with a virus, ending a record run of 164 successive appearances stretching back to October 2001. The last time Chelsea played a league game without Lampard, they had just been knocked out of the Uefa Cup by Hapoel Tel Aviv. The disorientation showed as they struggled to impose themselves last night. Darius Vassell's cross from the left in the fifteenth minute found Trevor Sinclair on the opposite byline and he pulled the ball back to Joey Barton, whose low shot was saved by the legs of Petr Cech. Apart from the odd run by Cole, Chelsea were restricted to the physical threat of Didier Drogba, who toiled away like a carthorse, but the Ivory Coast striker should have been rewarded with a penalty. Sylvain Distin failed to deal with Asier Del Horno's ball from the left in the 23rd minute and responded by barging Drogba, who was further impeded by the diving David James. Uriah Rennie, though, chose to give City a free kick, without booking Drogba for diving. Drogba had another chance on the stroke of half-time, shooting over the bar after running on to a through-ball from Michael Essien, but City deserved to go in on level terms. The aerial ball to Drogba appeared to be Chelsea's best hope of breaking the deadlock in the second half, particularly as the unfortunate Distin endured an evening to forget. Cole supplied some excellent ammunition, but after Drogba headed an easy chance wide he was soon replaced by Hernan Crespo, with Arjen Robben coming on for Damien Duff. The Irishman accepted his fate with good grace, unlike Drogba, who stormed down the tunnel without looking at Mourinho. But, as usual, Mourinho's substitutes made the difference and Robben changed the game. The Dutchman's nimble footwork proved too much for both full backs and, after switching to the right, brought a good save from James before creating the winner. After a trademark slaloming run he picked out Eidur Gudjohnsen, whose shot was saved by James before Cole tapped in.

 MANCHESTER CITY (4-4-2): D James N Onuoha, R Dunne, S Distin, B Thatcher (sub: S Ireland, 89min) T Sinclair (sub: L Croft, 83), J Barton, Sun Jihai, D Vassell A Cole, A Sibierski (sub: B Wright-Phillips, 71). Substitutes not used: D Sommeil, G de Vlieger. Booked: Thatcher, 77.

CHELSEA (4-3-3): P Cech Geremi, W Gallas, J Terry, A Del Horno M Essien, C Makelele, E Gudjohnsen (sub: P Ferreira, 83) J Cole, D Drogba (sub: H Crespo, 58), D Duff (sub: A Robben, 58).

Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, R Huth. Booked: Del Horno, 84. Referee: U Rennie.

morning papers arsenal away

Guardian: Chelsea raise their game to leave Wenger alone in despondency Kevin McCarra at Highbury Having dominated the Premiership, Chelsea are now winning the struggle with themselves. Their quality of play is on the rise again and while they were lucky not to fall behind to a Robin van Persie goal that was mistakenly ruled offside, Jose Mourinho's side was superior to Arsenal in all areas. The Highbury team, beaten in a third consecutive Premiership fixture for the first time in Arsène Wenger's reign, will fear sloping despondently into their new stadium. They have now lapsed into eighth place, with a strong revival necessary if they are not to be left with the hazardous Liverpool route, of lifting the trophy itself, to get them back into the Champions League next season. Chelsea, nine points clear and quoted at 40-1 on to retain the title, have a habit of leaving despondency in their wake. They struck a well-gauged balance yesterday that made them simultaneously secure and dangerous. There were fewer ventures into attack than usual from Frank Lampard, but then there did not need to be. He could hold his ground more often when the three-pronged attack, at differing times, kept the Arsenal defence off balance. The heft and aggression of Didier Drogba made them wobble at the start, when he appealed for a penalty after being touched by Jens Lehmann as he sought to burst through, and the growing impact of Joe Cole polished off Arsenal. And then there was Arjen Robben. For as long as the two of them are at Stamford Bridge, there will be the occasional barbed comment from the manager and the odd inscrutable display by the Dutchman. The relationship between them is charged, though, because they are both conscious of the effect he can have. No one else at Chelsea undoes a defence with quite such smooth economy. Even if he was not the outstanding performer, it was Robben himself who determined whether or not he would succeed. It had nothing to do with the Arsenal back four that, after the interval, he should make the unwise choice to try and find Cole with a cut-back when he could have finished himself or, conversely, to decide against releasing Drogba as he continued on a run of his own. He had been utterly composed, however, when scoring the opener after 39 minutes. At the second attempt, following a William Gallas throw-in, Drogba pushed the ball through to Robben. Kolo Touré had left him unescorted while Sol Campbell played him onside and the winger glided through from the left to strike a finish that bounced into the net off the inside of the far post. The victory was clinched in the 73rd minute. Lauren mis-controlled when he intercepted a pass by Lampard and was robbed by Cole, who then sidestepped Campbell and slotted a low finish into the far corner. Arsenal were simmering long before then with all manner of regrets and grievances. Thierry Henry, in the 20th minute, had gathered Alexander Hleb's pass and, as Ricardo Carvalho slipped, surged beyond Paulo Ferreira to place a shot wide of John Terry that bounced off the far post. If they cursed their own bad luck then, there were soon officials to be sworn at instead. After 21 minutes, Van Persie tidily slipped home a pass from Freddie Ljungberg only to learn that the linesman, unable to see that Gallas had kept him onside, had mistakenly raised his flag. Henry had been positioned well behind Chelsea's defence but, under the modern interpretation, he was assuredly in a passive position. Eleven minutes before the interval, the referee decided that the swing of Michael Essien's arm at Lauren was not violent enough to merit more than a yellow card. It was a delicate judgment to make, but the Ghana international was at even greater risk following a foul on Van Persie in the 52nd minute, when a caution would have seen him ejected from the match. Essien has become notorious since his onslaught on Dietmar Hamann and it was intriguing that Mourinho did not opt to replace the player. The manager had a residual faith in Essien's capacity to keep himself out of further trouble and, just as tellingly, was adamant that he would not undermine his team in that area. The centre of the pitch had been critical. Arsenal, with Patrick Vieira gone and Gilberto Silva suspended, were either callow, in the case of Cesc Fábregas, or outmatched, as Ljungberg and Mathieu Flamini were. Wenger had opted to mirror Chelsea's formation, only to find this reflected badly on his own side. The visitors, with Claude Makelele as shrewd as ever on his comeback from a knee injury, wielded his authority in midfield. As early as the 16th minute, there was proof, too, that his side could flow. Drogba, Gallas and Cole all linked before an Essien drive was blocked. Chelsea can also afford to be patient. Since the loss at Old Trafford, they have hardened their hearts and their defence. This was a fifth consecutive clean sheet in the Premiership and any saves Petr Cech did make were entirely routine for a goalkeeper of his calibre. A first Premiership win at Highbury was always on the horizon once Van Persie's goal had been disallowed. That statistic, however, counts for less than the fact that Chelsea have completed all the league business with Arsenal for the season and have ticked off their trips to Old Trafford, Anfield and White Hart Lane as well. The remainder of the fixture list must look as comely to Mourinho as the Premiership table. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Arsenal 0 Chelsea 2: Fates mock 'lucky Arsenal' as Cole gives Chelsea control of destiny By Glenn Moore at Highbury Published: 19 December 2005 Lucky Arsenal? There were not many suggesting that at Highbury last night. Fortune may balance out across a season but over 90 minutes a twist of fate can seriously tilt the scales. So it was for Arsenal, whose dwindling title hopes were extinguished in a bitter tale of linesmen's flags and goal posts. Manchester United, too, may feel this marked the beginning of the end of the title race. They are now nine points behind Chelsea and barring an improbable implosion the champions will be celebrating back-to-back titles by the time United go to Stamford Bridge on 29 April. For Arsenal, languishing in eighth, 20 points behind Chelsea and 11 behind United, the domestic League season is now reduced to a scramble for a Champions' League place and a period of deep introspection. This is the first time in a decade they have lost three successive Premiership matches and it is now six hours and 25 minutes since they scored a Premiership goal. Robin van Persie may disagree. He believed he had scored a perfectly good "goal", indeed a very good one, 20 minutes into this then-goalless match. A linesman, wrongly, ruled otherwise. Eighteen minutes later another marginal decision went, correctly, in favour of Arjen Robben. He scored. Add the fact that Henry had already seen the ball hit the post and bounce out, while Robben and Joe Cole with the clinching second, scored in-off-the-post, and the "Lucky Arsenal" sobriquet should not just be laid to rest but entombed. Not that Chelsea were unworthy winners. They controlled much of the game and might have won it in the opening 15 minutes. Claude Makelele returned to deliver another performance of quiet influence, Didier Drogba terrorised the Arsenal defence, Robben showed signs of regaining his best form, and the defence showed why it is now 11 hours and 29 minutes since they have conceded. Cole had another excellent match, defensively and offensively. Such is the pressure Chelsea's growing hegemony places on opponents that Arsène Wenger made a rare change in formation, adopting a 4-3-3 system which sought to ape his opponents'. However, Freddie Ljungberg and Van Persie, Arsenal's wide men, were naturally inclined to move inside which made Arsenal even more narrow than usual. On occasion the full-backs got forward but too rarely - and when they did there were not enough strikers in the area. While Arsenal felt their way into this unfamiliar approach Chelsea went for their throats. In the opening minute Frank Lampard intercepted a wayward pass from Alexander Hleb and chipped a cross to Drogba. He nodded the ball down to the unmarked Cole but he sliced his volley. Jens Lehmann was tested a minute later, the keeper palming Lampard's free-kick over the bar. The pressure continued with Drogba appealing for a penalty after Lehmann pulled his arm in the area and Lauren making a vital block from Essien's shot. Arsenal needed a catalyst, a means of raising their game and lifting the siege. Lauren, then Henry provided it. First Lauren crunched into a challenge on Cole, leaving the England man complaining and Highbury roaring. Then came a more elegant statement of intent as Henry weaved through the Chelsea defence, neatly sidestepping John Terry, then steered a shot past Petr Cech, agonisingly against the outside of the post and away. Chelsea were rattled, Arsenal resurgent. Campbell crashed into a tackle and the ball span to Ljungberg, who fed Van Persie. He drilled the ball inside Cech's near post and wheeled away to celebrate. A linesman's flag stopped him dead. Yet William Gallas, on the other flank, had played him onside. Perhaps the linesman has been confused by Henry, offside but not interfering with play under current guidelines. Van Persie's anger grew as Essien escaped punishment for elbowing him as both jumped for a header. He was soon booked for dissent, the first of seven yellow cards. Justice, of sorts, caught up with Essien four minutes later after his wayward elbow felled Lauren. As Arsenal demanded a red card Chelsea accused Lauren of faking so strongly he had to be restrained by his physio, Gary Lewin. Then Arsenal's concentration and luck slipped away. A throw-in fell to Drogba and, with Kolo Touré ball-watching, he released Robben. The flag stayed down and the ball went in off the post. Arsenal did not go quietly into a twilight of domestic irrelevance but only Lauren and Henry tested Cech. From less possession Chelsea were more threatening. Robben twice broke but took the wrong decision, passing to Cole when he should have shot, shooting when he should have fed Drogba. Eventually Cole mugged a hesitating Lauren, dummied Campbell and beat Lehmann, off the post. Soon after he struck woodwork again, and the ball stayed out. Had Arsenal's luck changed, or were the fates, like the away support, laughing at them? Goals: Robben (3 0-1; Cole (72) 0-2. Arsenal (4-3-3): Lehmann; Touré, Senderos, Campbell, Lauren; Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb (Pires, 69); Ljungberg (Bergkamp, 69), Henry, Van Persie (Owusu-Abeyie, 81). Substitutes not used: Almunia (gk), Eboue. Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech; Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Makelele, Essien, Lampard; Cole, Drogba (Huth, 87), Robben (Geremi, 76). Substitutes not used: Crespo, Cudicini (gk), Gudjohnsen. Referee: R Styles (Cheshire). Booked: Arsenal Van Persie, Senderos, Henry. Chelsea Essien, Robben, Makelele, Lampard. Man of the match: Cole. Attendance: 38, 347. Head-to-heads Where the battle of Highbury was won and lost By Jason Burt THIERRY HENRY v JOHN TERRY The two captains. Henry was his side's greatest hope, Terry his team's greatest barrier. Henry almost struck the first blow after ghosting away from Terry to hit a post. Terry was not at his imperious best but his determination saw him through. A frustrated Henry was booked for tripping Ricardo Carvalho. AP MATHIEU FLAMINI v FRANK LAMPARD Handed a huge role and, despite his occasionally tidy, alert play, Flamini was exposed as the limited performer he is. Exchanged early tackles with Lampard, and also drew blood when he caught the England midfielder's head, but did not exert control. Lampard's defensive discipline was vital to Chelsea. REUTERS PHILIPPE SENDEROS v DIDIER DROGBA Scared and scarred by his previous meetings with the Chelsea striker, Senderos was a ponderous, nervous wreck. Drogba provided the pass for Arjen Robben's goal and once again proved an effective, if far from pretty, bludgeon in Chelsea's attack. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Telegraph: Wenger throws in the towel as Chelsea triumph By Christopher Davies Arsenal (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 2 The rest of the Premiership did not get the result needed to make the title at least a two-horse race. Manchester United trail runaway leaders Chelsea by a daunting nine points and, since they beat Jose Mourinho's side at Old Trafford on Nov 6, the Premiership champions have won every game and have not conceded a goal in 689 minutes. Opponents can't even score against Chelsea let alone beat them. At the end of what was ultimately an easy victory over Arsenal, Frank Lampard turned to the Chelsea dug-out with his fist clenched in a celebratory gesture. The title holders would need to go on an unprecedented poor run under the self-styled Special One - two defeats in 55 Premiership games - for a different name to be engraved on the trophy next May. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, conceding defeat in the title race after his side lost their 100 per cent record at Highbury this season, said: "We are too far behind Chelsea to challenge them." Wenger, whose target is now a top-four finish, added: "We have to be in the Champions League next season and we want to finish as close to the top team, be it Chelsea or some other team." It would have been naively optimistic to expect a game between the capital's two heavyweight clubs with a recent history of managerial scraps to pass without incident and their pre-Yuletide duel inevitably had its controversies. The first came in the 11th minute when Didier Drogba claimed Philippe Senderos had pulled him down as the pair tussled inside the penalty area. Mourinho said it should have been a red card but would he have done so had John Terry similarly challenged Thierry Henry at the other end? Unlikely. After 20 minutes, Henry, who has scored 10 times against Chelsea, was put clear by Mathieu Flamini and, as Ricardo Carvalho slipped, the Arsenal captain evaded John Terry and put his shot past Petr Cech only for it to strike a post. A minute later, Chelsea's back-line was caught out again and, while Henry clearly offside but not interfering with play, Robin van Persie was marginally onside as Freddie Ljungberg played the ball though and the Holland striker's low shot gave Cech no chance. Van Persie's celebrations were curtailed because linesman Darren Cann had raised his flag, leaving Styles no option but to rule out the effort for offside. Being a linesman is an almost impossible job at times, especially without the aid of slow-motion replays that their critics enjoy. If Cann made an error with his decision made at "real speed", it was so marginal that he is entitled to a little understanding that armchair viewers rarely give. Michael Essien, whose technique is in danger of being overshadowed by his temperament, swung an arm at Lauren as they challenged for possession 10 minutes before the interval. Styles had failed to send off the Ghana international for a studs-up tackle on Bolton's Tal Ben Haim in October and again showed the Chelsea midfielder the yellow card for his latest indiscretion. Such is Essien's growing reputation for being one of football's hard men, the popular decision would have been a dismissal. Styles should have sent off Essien in the Bolton game instead of cautioning him, but it would have been equally incorrect to have ordered off the Chelsea midfielder this time as the contact appeared to be with Lauren's upper chest rather than his head. Guidelines to officials state that this is a cautionable offence. Had the Arsenal player been hit in the face, a red card would have been the proper sanction but Styles was right to show only a yellow. The Highbury faithful were baying for Essien's blood in the second half when he caught Van Persie's heels but the Arsenal striker's theatrical fall did not help the case for a second yellow card although Styles left the offender in no doubt he was in the last chance saloon. Arsenal knew their own chances were slim once they conceded a goal in the 29th minute. Drogba flicked on William Gallas' throw-in on the halfway line and Robben took advantage of a free run down the left before cutting inside and scoring his second goal of the season with a low drive that went in off the far upright. The Arsenal goalkeeper was beaten for a second time in the 74th minute after Lauren had failed to control Lampard's crossfield pass, losing possession to Cole. The midfielder punished Lauren's mistake in the harshest manner, racing to the edge of the area before scoring with an angled shot. As Chelsea had not conceded a single goal in the second half of a competitive game this season, the game was over. "We were the best team and played very well but they are a side with such quality they can kill you," said Mourinho afterwards. ''It's more difficult to beat Arsenal than other team. It's more difficult to win at Highbury than win at home. So it was a very important victory for us.'' • Man of the match: Joe Cole. Arsenal: Lehmann, Toure, Senderos, Campbell, Lauren, Ljungberg (Bergkamp 70), Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb (Pires 70), Van Persie (Owusu-Abeyie 82), Henry. Subs: Almunia, Eboue. Booked: Van Persie, Senderos, Henry. Chelsea: Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Terry, Gallas, Essien, Makelele, Lampard, Joe Cole, Drogba (Huth 8, Robben (Geremi 77). Subs: Crespo, Gudjohnsen, Cudicini. Booked: Robben, Essien, Makelele, Lampard. Goals: Robben 39, Joe Cole 73. Att: 38,347 Ref: R Styles (Hampshire). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Times: Chelsea make it look too easy By Matt Dickinson Arsenal 0 Chelsea 2 SO THE TITLE RACE IS OVER, BUT THEN it never really began. Anyone who bet against Chelsea retaining their domestic crown must have had more money to burn than Roman Abramovich. José Mourinho would not accept that his side's lead was impregnable, at least not publicly, but the handshake he gave each of his backroom staff a few minutes before the final whistle yesterday revealed a man in total control. He has been known to skip down the touchline at moments of triumph but this gesture was composed, business-like and assured, much like his Chelsea team. Manchester United and Liverpool are still in pursuit but it is impossible to believe that the champions will drop more points than either. Mourinho's biggest concern over the next few months may be ensuring that his team's success is not taken for granted, with attention turned away from Chelsea's strengths and focused on the failings at Old Trafford and Highbury. It can be argued that no one does more to divert the focus from his squad than the Portuguese peacock himself, but he did rush off down the tunnel at the final whistle yesterday — presumably to avoid Arsène Wenger — leaving his players to celebrate with their supporters towards one corner of the pitch. At the other end, the clock continued the countdown to the day that Arsenal move into the new Emirates stadium but their supporters may not bear to look at it much longer. There are 141 days left and they must be wishing the time away. They have much to play for before May, particularly as they lie eighth in the table, a long way off the Champions League places, but trying to leap above Manchester City, Wigan Athletic and, worst of all for them, Tottenham Hotspur, is an unseemly business for the club who won the championship only 18 months ago and, in going unbeaten throughout a whole campaign, appeared ready to establish a dynasty. Arsenal are more in debt to Wenger than they are to the banks who have funded the new stadium just down the road but the sale of Patrick Vieira, which looked risky at the time, looks positively foolhardy on days such as this. It would make sense from a financial perspective if the money had been reinvested but still the fans wait for their manager to spend the £30 million that is said to be available to him. Asked if it was the end of an era for a team who have not finished outside the top two under Wenger, the Frenchman replied that it was the start of one but there will have to be shrewd investment on top of the maturing process if they are to challenge Chelsea for the title any time in the next few seasons. They will also have to retain Thierry Henry, who may have been dreaming of Barcelona when, in the second half, he was cautioned for a frustrated hack at Ricardo Carvalho. A rare flash of rage, the Arsenal captain may still have been thinking of those pivotal few moments in the first half when he hit a post after a balletic piece of footwork and then saw himself ruled offside when Robin van Persie placed the ball in Chelsea's net. Those chances were to prompt Arsenal into their best period of the match but, just as they looked in control, Chelsea scored at the other end. Arjen Robben's finish was superb but Wenger could ask questions of Kolo Touré, Sol Campbell and Philippe Senderos. The latter two will be glad that they are not due to face Didier Drogba again. Wenger had said that the first goal would be crucial. Chelsea had not conceded a goal in the second half in 26 Barclays Premiership matches and they rarely looked like doing so yesterday. The Arsenal manager threw on Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires, changing the 4-3-3 shape that he had picked at the start in the vain hope of matching Chelsea man for man, but just as they sought to make an impact, Joe Cole took advantage of Lauren's slip to shoot brilliantly with his left foot from just outside the area. Arsenal's third league defeat in a row was guaranteed and Wenger was left to reflect on the fact that Chelsea would almost certainly retain their championship — a feat that he has never achieved despite a hat-trick of titles since he came to England. "You're even worse than Tottenham," the Chelsea supporters crowed, as well as drawing attention to the 20-point gap between the champions and their London rivals. Meanwhile, that clock in the corner at Highbury was ticking slower than ever for the Arsenal fans. Every second felt like an age.

sunday papers wigan home

Sunday Times: Chelsea 1 Wigan 0: Chelsea accuse Wigan of cheating John Aizlewood at Stamford Bridge JOSE MOURINHO clashed with his Wigan counterpart Paul Jewell after the Chelsea manager accused Lee McCulloch of cheating by feigning injury during the second half, as his side were struggling to break down a dogged Wigan defensive performance. That his champions eventually prevailed 1-0 seemed secondary to the flashpoint just before an hour had elapsed. A rattled, ungallant Chelsea refused to yield possession from a throw-in after a McCulloch injury. David Connolly allowed the ball to run out after his teammate went down clutching his ankle after a clash with Joe Cole. "A little bit unsporting," reflected Jewell. "Their manager told them to keep possession." "Yes, I did," agreed an unrepentant Mourinho. "And I will do it again. We know what fair play is, but we're not stupid; their player was cheating by pretending to be injured. My players pretend not to be injured when they are." Mourinho, who was fined £5,000 by the FA after using the word "cheat" towards Manchester United players after their Carling Cup semi-final in January, continued: "Fair play is not to cheat, so if someone is guilty of unsporting behaviour, it is them. It happened two metres in front of me and all my bench was completely sure about it. "It hurts to be called unsporting because we are a team that respects the game and we proved that five minutes later when we kicked the ball out because McCulloch was injured," said Mourinho. Jewell thought it showed an amount of trepidation. "When we kick the ball out when one of our players is injured, and they keep it," he said, "it just shows how much they must fear us." Back to the impact of the actual result — after a club record 11th successive home League victory, Chelsea are masters of all they survey. They have a 12-point cushion at the summit of the League, have not dropped a home point since April and have both the Premiership's meanest defence and its most potent strike force. Yet, they struggled to three points yesterday. Before John Terry struck, the champions were thwarted for more than an hour by a stubborn Wigan, who gave hope to the rest of the Premiership by making Chelsea look lacklustre. "They're world class," said Jewell, "but we've come down here, lost to a lapse of concentration at a set-piece and I'm very disappointed." After a hat-trick of League defeats, Wigan did not create a chance of note, but how they relished pitting their wits and their never-say-die defending against a Chelsea whose far-from-lupine lethargy scared themselves, if not their guests. As Chelsea struggled for coherence, Wigan defended deeply but not suicidally and with the excellent Graham Kavanagh simultaneously anchoring midfield and shadowing Joe Cole, they looked comfortable until their only attack of the first half broke down in the 16th minute. Then, Cole collected inside his own half, outfoxed Stephane Henchoz, sprinted towards goal and shot low. Michael Pollitt saved well, Josip Skoko hacked away and Chelsea had served false notice that second gear might easily become fifth. The hosts might have had a penalty when Terry was bundled over by Lee McCulloch in the 25th minute, but without looking threatening, Wigan rarely looked threatened until they fell asleep in the 31st minute. Asier Del Horno took a quick free kick, the unmarked Hernan Crespo headed over Pollitt to the far post only to see Leighton Baines emerge from nowhere to head clear with a majestic combination of timing and athleticism. Mourinho reshuffled at the break, introducing Drogba for Duff, and Chelsea briefly exuded wolverine menace. Two minutes into the second period, Michael Essien's gorgeously weighted through-ball enabled Drogba to nip in ahead of Baines and shoot hard and low at goal only to discover that Pollitt's reflexes were exemplary. Wigan did not wilt and if Chelsea's patience had long worn thin, theirs was infinite and the more the game progressed the more McCulloch became an able foil for the hitherto isolated David Connolly and Jason Roberts. Indeed, when a thoroughly exasperated Mourinho sent on Gudjohnsen for the hapless Arjen Robben, Wigan were, territorially at least, on top. Just when Wigan saw a heroic point edging their way, Chelsea won it. Lampard slung over a corner from the right. Drogba's marvellously intelligent run drew Matt Jackson and created space for Terry to sneak in front of a lax McCulloch to head past Pollitt. STAR MAN: Matt Jackson (Wigan) Player ratings. Chelsea: Cudicini 6, Gallas 6, Terry 7, Carvalho 6, Del Horno 6, Essien 6, Cole 6, Lampard 6, Robben 4 (Gudjohnsen 59min, 6), Crespo 5 (Geremi 69min, 5), Duff 5 (Drogba h-t, 6) Wigan: Pollitt 7, Chimbonda 7, Henchoz 7, Jackson 7, Baines 7, Taylor 5 (Teale 80min, 5), Kavanagh 7 (Bullard 73min, 5), Skoko 6, McCulloch 7, Connolly 6, Roberts 6 (Camara 73min, 5) Scorer: Chelsea: Terry 67 Referee: H Webb Attendance: 42,060 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ People: TERRY'S A FIRST CLASS ACT Chelsea 1 Wigan 0 DEFENDER STAMPS HIS AUTHORITY WITH WINNER AGAIN Andy Dunn IF JOHN Terry, instead of that less distinguished football leader Adam Crozier, was running the Royal Mail, our postal worries would be sorted. Terry delivers. And he delivers on time. Just as he had done in the previous Premiership game against Middlesbrough, Terry knew the moment had come. Over an hour of a laborious Chelsea performance had passed and there were precious few signs that Wigan's staunch resistance would be broken. Hope glinted for Manchester United, Liverpool and the small chasing pack ... before Terry took matters on to his own granite forehead. An unstoppable run and an unstoppable header kept Chelsea on their seemingly unstoppable charge to the title. Terry's threat in opposition areas is what should give him the nod over Rio Ferdinand in Germany next year. Rio has been up for about a million consecutive set-pieces and has barely made contact with leather, let alone score. Terry is always a potent threat. And he spared Jose Mourinho a blush or two, with the Chelsea manager resting a couple of big names ahead of more rigorous tests to come. It is a tough school here at The Bridge, a piffling run of five clean sheets not enough to keep Petr Cech away from the bench. Presumably he was rested. Rested from what? Doing nothing? And the only difference to Carlo Cudicini's afternoon was that he had to do nothing standing up rather than sitting down. Defences aren't this well-prepared at the Old Bailey. There was never any chance of Wigan keeper Mike Pollitt - neck and neck with Peter Crouch, don't forget, in the goalscoring tables - being similarly under-employed. A week after his comic turn, this was a star turn - a strong-wristed flick around the post from Joe Cole's strike being the pick of his early saves. Cole was one of few Chelsea performers who started on time. He has developed a penetration in his play that could yet see him claim that fourth sport in England's midfield alongside Sven Goran Eriksson's holy trinity of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. But the new direct approach has not diluted the trickery and it was a familiar Cole turn that should have led to a Chelsea opener just after the half-hour mark. Cole was still grounded after winning the free-kick that Asier Del Horno quickly sent towards an alert Hernan Crespo. The Argentinian striker was long odds-on to score from six yards out but Leighton Baines came from out of the clouds for a dramatic headed clearance. And that was as close as it got for Chelsea in a first half that was more cobblestone than King's Road. Terry probably should have earned his side a penalty when Lee McCulloch appeared to rugby-tackle him as he zeroed in on an Arjen Robben set-piece. But the Chelsea skipper has got away with so much in both penalty areas in his time that he cannot really complain. Despite Cudicini's idleness, Terry did have a string of defensive duties to perform, twice proving to be one hurdle too many for Jason Roberts to clear. But while hardly disturbing Cudicini, Wigan had every right to head off at half-time feeling fairly upbeat. Their main triumph had been to knock Chelsea's midfield out of its usual regal stride. Paul Jewell's team harass the opposition like celebrity stalkers and frequently hunt in pairs. They were helped not only by a contrite Michael Essien's refusal to even breathe on an opponent but by an imbalance in Chelsea's system that saw Robben playing just behind Crespo. The communication lines between Damien Duff and Robben were particularly fuzzy and the Irishman was held responsible, staying underground as Didier Drogba was sent on for the second half. And the man from the Ivory Coast immediately tickled Chelsea into some sort of life, muscling his way on to an Essien pass before forcing a top-class, point-blank save out of Pollitt. But rather than take the champions up a notch it lifted the underdogs and, on a rare foray, McCulloch took an air-shot from a centrally promising position. It was a moment of illusory hope because, midway through the second half, Chelsea resorted to their fail-safe mechanism, otherwise known as their captain. Lampard's corner was his best-struck piece of work all afternoon and Matt Jackson was like a passenger on a platform as an express-train run from Terry used the ball as a buffer and sent it thundering at Pollitt. The Wigan keeper got his fingertips to it - and they probably ended up with the ball in the back of the net. Presumably, Pollitt won't be given this one. No. The goal, the game and the victory - not for the first time - belonged to John Terry CHELSEA: Cudicini 6 - Gallas 6, Carvalho 7, *TERRY 8, Del Horno 6 - J Cole 7, Lampard 7, Essien 6, Duff 5 (Drogba 45mins, 6) - Robben 5 (Gudjohnsen 59mins, 6) - Crespo 7 (Geremi 69mins, 6). WIGAN: *POLLITT 8 - Chimbonda 5, Henchoz 6, Jackson 6, Baines 7 - Taylor 6 (Teale 79mins, 6), Kavanagh 7 (Bullard 73mins, 6), Skoko 6, McCulloch 7 - Roberts 6 (Camara 73mins, 6), Connolly 6. Ref: H Webb 7. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mirror: TERRY HEAD MAN AGAIN CHELSEA...............1 Terry 67 WIGAN.................0 Chelsea's Captain Marvel to the rescue Anthony Clavane JOHN Terry's diving header gave Chelsea their 12th straight Premiership win at the Bridge against stubborn Wigan. For the second week running the Blues captain rode to his side's rescue, showing his misfiring strikers the way to hit the back of the net. Terry, who scored the winner against Middlesbrough last Saturday, met Frank Lampard's corner to keep Chelsea on course for the title and preserve their unbeaten home record. Wigan chairman Dave Whelan seemed upset that Roman Abramovich had rejected his club's pies at the start of the season. But for over an hour yesterday his side, patronised as flat-capped pigeon-fanciers, contained their illustrious opponents and showed a point at Chelsea was not pie in the sky. In the end the Blues, as expected, won again and are well on the way to retaining the title. They were solid in defence - it is now 419 minutes since they conceded a goal - and dominant in midfield. The only worry for Jose Mourinho was that they had to rely on Terry again to spare their strikers' blushes. Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, who believes Chelsea's unrivalled riches will ruin English football, had called for a cap on salaries and squad sizes. Whelan said Abramovich's spending power was "damaging to football and to the competition. You see Chelsea at home and it is a 90 to 100 per cent guaranteed home win". But until Terry broke the deadlock, the paupers put a cap on the princes' progress, soaking up the pressure with a mixture of self-assuredness and luck. Mourinho's men certainly weren't guaranteed a win despite dominating and creating a host of chances. Lampard set up Michael Essien for an early strike after good work from Arjen Robben but the midfielder snatched at his shot and launched the ball high into the stands. Then Hernan Crespo's neat flick sent Joe Cole racing through and the England star adroitly sidestepped Stephane Henchoz before forcing a great save from Michael Pollitt. Chelsea should have had a penalty when Lee McCulloch's rugby-tackled Terry, as the centre-back went for Lampard's free-kick, but referee Howard Webb was unmoved. Wigan had an even bigger escape shortly afterwards when the unmarked Crespo nodded Asier Del Horno's quickly-taken free-kick past Pollitt but Leighton Baines, chasing back heroically, somehow managed to head the ball off the line. Then just before half-time Lampard's weakly-hit volley was easily collected by Pollitt. All the Latics could offer by way of a reply was a Graham Kavanagh volley from 25 yards, which sailed past Carlo Cudicini's left-hand post. Mourinho's half-time team changes are the stuff of legend, and bringing on Didier Drogba for the anonymous Damien Duff almost paid immediate dividends. The Ivory Coast striker, was immediately sent through by Essien for a one-on-one with Pollitt but the keeper pulled off a superb stop with his legs. Changing from a 4-5-1 to a 4-4-2 system galavanised Chelsea and the brilliant Pollitt had to make two more magnificent saves, one at the feet of Cole, the other from Lampard. But even the 33-year-old, who recently replaced John Filan in goal, could not keep out Terry in the 67th minute. The England central defender's header was powerful and Pollitt could only get a hand to it as it flew into the net. This was Wigan's fourth defeat in a row, following losses at Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool, but they collected 25 points by the first weekend in November and, on this form, it's only a matter of time before results go their way again. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Observer : Terry gives Chelsea wedge the edge Will Buckley at Stamford Bridge Sunday December 11, 2005 The Observer On the opening of the season, Wigan came very close to upsetting the champions in a game Jose Mourinho graciously described as being one of a very few played this season his side didn't deserve to win. If Damien Francis's header had been an inch lower they might indeed have won a game they lost thanks to a late and magnificent strike from Hernan Crespo. Yesterday the score was the same, but the game was very different. Chelsea dominated, but had little to show for their domination. Wigan battled, but were always going to lose the fight. Chelsea lined up in a 4-3-2-1 formation, or flying wedge as it should perhaps be known, with Arjen Robben and Damien Duff playing either side and just behind Crespo. It is a system they have to rely on in the coming months when, with Didier Drogba away at the African Nations' Cup and Carlton Cole more effective on the Playstation than he is on the pitch, they will depend on Crespo. He has enjoyed a flickering start to the season. Since opening day - when fit to work - his performances have been on and off. Their first chance arrived after Robben dribbled across the pitch and found Frank Lampard, who set the ball up for Michael Essien only for him to blast over. For a while they faltered but then a Crespo flick released Joe Cole on the halfway line and he ran half the length of the pitch before being denied by a smart save from Michael Pollitt. It was patient rather than penetrating stuff. And Mourinho was on his feet with regularity attempting to teach his players how to play the new system. More often than not his lectures were directed at Cole, who seemed required to play everywhere. On 25 minutes Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty as Lee McCulloch rugby-tackled John Terry in the area. Wigan, meanwhile, seemed content to be level. Their system was less wedge and more sponge, with the aim of soaking up everything and then maybe squeezing a little something out at the end. On the half-hour Del Horno took a free-kick quickly, an unmarked Crespo headed towards goal and Leighton Baines running backwards remarkably contrived to head the ball off the line. More Chelsea pressure followed. Their fans, who had been quiet, became anxious. The team followed their lead, passing sloppily and showing their frustration. For a moment, Wigan threatened, only for a smart Lampard volley almost provide the opening goal in a disappointing half of football. During half-time, Mourinho decided to dispense with his flying wedge and fall back on the blunderbuss, replacing one DD with another as Drogba came on for Duff. The second DD nearly worked immediate wonders as an Essien lay-off allowed Drogba to advance on goal and shoot strongly only for Pollitt to save with his legs. The change in formation failed to prevent Crespo continuing to drift offside. And, as so often this season, with the Chelsea machine stuttering the manager called for Eidur Gudjohnsen. The Icelander coming on for Robben, who had started boldly before fading, and Del Horno pushing up into midfield. From 4-3-2-1 to 3-1-4-2 via 4-2-4. It was all somewhat confusing and Cole sensibly stuck to the right wing. The first booking followed a minute later with Jason Roberts being shown the yellow card for time-wasting, quite an achievement for a striker. But this was a team effort from Wigan. Their endeavour, however, was finally undone when a Lampard corner was met with maximum power by Terry and, despite the best efforts of Pollitt, snuck into the net. Mourinho celebrated the goal with another formation change as Geremi replaced the fitful Crespo and Chelsea lined up as something between a wedge and a blunderbuss. Wigan changed personnel, but not formation as they attempted to chase a game that they had previously tried to contain. After a bright opening to the Premiership campaign they were now facing a fourth consecutive defeat. But their spirit suggested the points gathered during their time of plenty will not be wasted come the end of the season. There are three worse teams than them in the division. Some of their best football came towards the end as they enjoyed a flurry of possession that kept the ball near the Chelsea area. At no time, however, did they manage to register a shot on target. And Carlo Cudicini, selected so Cech might rest, passed a untroubled afternoon. At the other end, Lampard and Cole nearly added a second after individual runs. And Chelsea might for the second time in the afternoon have received a penalty after Gudjohnson was sent sprawling. MAN OF THE MATCH John Terry Commanding at the back, albeit with little to command. And for the second home game in a row it was his header that made the difference. Mourinho has said he has no qualms about his captain going down the bookies, but would be appalled if a Portuguese player was to behave in such a way. Carvalho has been warned. Referee H Webb - average. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Telegraph: Tireless Terry stoops to conquer cornered Wigan (Chelsea (0) 1 Wigan (0) 0 For three quarters of the match, Wigan, whom Paul Jewell had fashioned into a more solid unit than at Liverpool a week earlier, held out and were starting to sniff a reward when Chelsea unhinged them at a corner, John Terry heading the winner. Jewell's team have now lost four Premiership contests in a row and, given that they visit Manchester United on Wednesday, must be glad that they put together a sequence of six consecutive wins that sent them to second place in the table. Not surprisingly Wigan were on the back foot for most of the afternoon and it was to their defence's credit that their goalkeeper Mike Pollitt, though busy enough and more then competent, was not required to cover himself with glory. And Chelsea, after the controversy of last week, were pleased to rely on the relentless efficiency that is their hallmark. The widespread revulsion over Michael Essien's lunge at Dietmar Hamann during the Champions League match with Liverpool here on Tuesday night was admirably recognised by UEFA, who have charged the Chelsea midfielder with gross unsporting conduct, and few would disagree with the view of the Wigan chairman, Dave Whelan, that a 10-match ban would be in order. Something has to be done about these so-called tackles, which have crept back into football over the past few years and, if unchecked, will end careers (as Whelan's was in notionally less civilised times for the game). Essien continued in the Claude Makelele role, protecting the back four from a Wigan team who seemed undaunted by their recent change of fortune but were unable to stem the flow towards Pollitt. After Essien had shot over, a superb break saw Hernan Crespo - the plunger of a late dagger through Wigan's hearts when, freshly promoted, they performed splendidly against the champions at the JJB Stadium in August - flick cleverly for Joe Cole, who got past Stephane Henchoz and sidestepped Leighton Baines but was frustrated by Pollitt's save. Chelsea were in complete control. They had a case for a penalty, which was briefly but powerfully argued by John Terry as he ran back after being rugby-tackled to the ground by Lee McCulloch while endeavouring to reach an inswinging free-kick by Frank Lampard. They showed a quick wit when another free-kick was awarded in a wide position and Asier Del Horno chipped it through the unprepared visiting ranks for Crespo, whose delicately glanced header Baines did extremely well to deny on the line. You hardly noticed that Chelsea had restored Carlo Cudicini in goal, all but unemployed as he was. Although Terry and his rearguard fellows had much to do with that, a fine illustration of Jose Mourinho's belief that defending is a team game was provided near the interval when Jason Roberts surged past two men in a threatening manner only to be harried and halted by not Terry, nor Essien but Damien Duff. In the circumstances Wigan were pleased to reach the halfway mark level, a status preserved by Pollitt when, after Crespo's chest had served Lampard, the England midfielder shot from 25 yards but was thwarted by the diving goalkeeper. Pollitt made an even better stop on the resumption, getting his body in the way of a blast by Didier Drogba, though the substitute, newly on for Duff, might have been better advised to take aim; certainly Wigan could count themselves lucky that the chance did not fall to Crespo, who had been retained in a 4-2-4 formation with Cole and Arjen Robben on the flanks. As if this were not adventurous enough, Mourinho waited only a quarter of an hour before replacing Robben with Eidur Gudjohnsen and switching to three at the back, with Del Horno pushed into midfield. Still Wigan refused to buckle - until a rehearsed set-piece succeeded where formations had failed. Lampard took a corner on the right and, while Drogba ran to the near post, taking Matt Jackson with him, Terry stole in behind to stoop and head so powerfully that the ball went in off Pollitt's hands. Blameless there, Pollitt still had time for another smart stop, advancing to thwart Cole at the end of a thrilling individual thrust that threatened a second Chelsea goal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Independent: Chelsea 1 Wigan 0: Terry's head for heights lifts Chelsea By Steve Tongue at Stamford Bridge Wigan Athletic's chairman, Dave Whelan, wants a salary cap to prevent Chelsea dominating English football as comprehensively as his town's team once did rugby league, but some sort of points handicap is the only thing that will stop them retaining the Premiership title this season. With two for a Chelsea win, for instance, they would be trailing only Liverpool and Manchester United at the head of the table. As things stand, the lead is 12 points and counting. This ninth home win out of nine was one of the more mundane ones, achieved by the minimum margin while preserving a sixth successive clean sheet in all competitions. Wigan did not threaten to dirty the laundry with a single shot on target, though they held out for over an hour, resisting as doggedly as expected before accepting a fourth defeat on the bounce to follow those by Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. With Manchester United to come at Old Trafford on Wednesday, it is a sadistically testing run. After offering a glamorous welcome to the big league with Chelsea's visit in August (Hernan Crespo scoring the sole goal only in added time), the fixture computer was kind for a while; not that anyone expected the run of eight wins and a draw from nine games that propelled the newcomers to second place in the table. Since then the going has got tough and, tough as they are, Wigan have not been able to get going again. The admirable Paul Jewell is not dispirited, though he was annoyed to concede a winning goal from a corner, when Lee McCulloch allowed John Terry to burst past him. "The first game of the season they beat us with a wonder goal, but this was a 'gimme' goal," he said. "We forced them to change their shape and we put in a good stint, but it's a harsh lesson." He was also upset that at one stage Chelsea declined to return the ball after it had been played into touch because of an injury. But Jose Mourinho claimed that was on his orders because the Wigan player concerned was not hurt. "We know what fair play is but we are not stupid," he said. "The player was cheating. It happened two metres in front of me. And I would do it again." So one way and another, Wigan found getting possession off Chelsea difficult all afternoon. With one eye on another daunting fixture in midweek, and one looking back critically at the 3-0 defeat at Liverpool last weekend, Jewell made four changes to his line-up, including the demotion of Jimmy Bullard after 123 consecutive appearances and a first Premiership match in almost 10 years for Matt Jackson, once of Everton, at centre-half. Mourinho also swapped a quartet around and made a further change at half-time after a first 45 minutes of few clear chances. Joe Cole, for once in his favoured position just behind the attack, created the first by zipping away from Stéphane Henchoz and forcing Mike Pollitt to parry at full stretch. A desperate McCulloch held Terry by the arms, the waist and finally the legs without being punished to prevent Chelsea's captain reaching a free-kick. Then Asier del Horno took a free-kick before Wigan were organised, Leighton Baines scrambling back to clear off the line from the unmarked Crespo. The visitors were happy enough at the interval, despite leaving Carlo Cudicini underemployed in only his second Premiership appearance of the season. He watched a 25-yard volley by Graham Kavanagh drift wide and held one cross under rarely exerted pressure. Mourinho, less pleased with the way things were going, changed tack at the start of the second half by sending on Didier Drogba in place of the injured Damien Duff to link up for once with Crespo. Reward almost materialised within 90 seconds, Michael Essien picking out Drogba for a shot from 10 yards that struck the goalkeeper's legs. The manager still did not like the balance and next put on Eidur Gudjohnsen for Arjen Robben to play behind the front two. That experiment lasted just long enough for Chelsea to grab a goal, whereupon Mourinho immediately pulled Crespo off for another defensive midfielder, Géremi. For all the firepower, there had been no further scoring opportunities before, in the 68th minute, Frank Lampard's corner found the thrusting head of his trusty England colleague Terry. Pollitt got both hands to the ball but could only help it on its irresistible way.

morning papers home europe

Guardian:
Liverpool see red over Essien challenge
Jon Brodkin at Stamford BridgeWednesday December 7, 2005The Guardian
Liverpool may have beaten Chelsea to win the group last night and showed how far they have come defensively since October's 4-1 league defeat by these opponents at Anfield but few departed discussing those matters. More lively debate surrounded the dangerous tackle with which Michael Essien hit Dietmar Hamann in the first half. Somehow the Chelsea midfielder escaped a red card but then he has a history in that department.
Just as Essien avoided expulsion for a bad challenge on Bolton's Tal Ben Haim, with the incident not seen in its full ugliness by the officials, he got away with similar here. The Ghanaian's studs raked into Hamann just below the knee as he went over the top for a loose ball and Hamann did not hide his disappointment afterwards. "That is the worst tackle I have ever received," he said, "and he has not apologised either." Liverpool's manager Rafael Benítez called on Uefa to take action on video evidence but Essien looks set to escape punishment because the governing body tends to act retrospectively only on off-the-ball incidents such as spitting, elbowing and headbutts that have been missed by officials. It seems the nearby linesman believed he had seen the tackle clearly because he waved away protests from Liverpool's coaching staff. How neither he nor the German referee saw fit to take action is a mystery.
Jose Mourinho responded to protests by Liverpool's bench with gestures and words and Chelsea's fitness coach Rui Faria appeared to offer the use of his glasses. Later Mourinho showed a rare affinity with Arsène Wenger by saying he had not seen the tackle, though that had not stopped him getting involved, with the Liverpool coach Alex Miller bearing the brunt of his feelings. "In a good way," the Chelsea manager insisted. "I was telling him: 'You are crying all game, you are crying all the time.' I was telling him 'it's enough, sit down a little bit.'"
He felt it was fair to make his feelings known. "Because referees to me are always very direct and very strong to put me in my place but other managers can do what they want," he said. "You can imagine if I did in the Premiership what Stuart Pearce did against Blackburn [running on to the pitch to hurry the opponents along]. 'Jose Mourinho should get a three-month ban', so I cannot do a few things. I think it gives them status."
Benítez kept his true feelings to himself but said of Mourinho: "I think he talks a lot, it's true." Of the challenge itself he offered: "If you see the video you can decide. I don't want to talk about things that are so clear. I could see the tackle, it was in front of the bench but I could see the [scarred] leg of Dietmar Hamann, too."
Hamann went on to play his part in a strong Liverpool defensive performance as they restricted Chelsea to few chances despite the home team's growing control in the second half. Chelsea had begun the game poorly but, even when their passing improved, they found it hard to break down opponents who have now prevented them from scoring in four successive Champions League games.
Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia were impressive at centre-back for Liverpool, with Hyypia winning plenty of high balls and Carragher reading the play well to make potentially difficult moments look comfortable. Ahead of them Mohamed Sissoko was assured with his defensive work and simple passing.
Liverpool were increasingly content after the interval to sit back, close the space and play on the break, where they created little. Throughout Chelsea failed to make significant headway in wide areas, with Arjen Robben and Damien Duff kept in check by Djimi Traoré and Steve Finnan, and Shaun Wright-Phillips made no impact when he came on as a substitute.
This was also an occasion on which Didier Drogba looked anything but a £24m striker, even if he set up his team's best chance with a knock-back from which Robben hit the side-netting. In a poor game of few openings, Jose< Reina's only testing save came in the seventh minute from an effort by Frank Lampard, who had a rare off night with his passing.
Liverpool enjoyed their best period shortly after that when Steven Gerrard had his most influential spell of the match, shooting narrowly wide and then setting up John Arne Riise to bring Petr Cech into rare action.
In the second half they seemed content to eke out a draw which guaranteed them first place and a knock-out game against a group runner-up, with the second leg at Anfield. Mourinho insisted he was not bothered to have ended as runners-up. "For me it's the same to finish second or first," he said, "but I'm not happy because we didn't win the game."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Independent:
Chelsea 0 Liverpool 0: Liverpool rely on defensive power to win phoney war By Sam Wallace Published: 07 December 2005 The mood was malevolent at times but with their Champions' League lives ensured, all Liverpool and Chelsea could conjure was a phoney war to close out three months of living dangerously in Group H. Michael Essien's appalling first-half tackle on Dietmar Hamann was the moment the match threatened to spark into life, but in the end this felt much more like a prelude to the far more serious business that awaits them both in the knock-out rounds.
The result, however, makes Chelsea vulnerable as the group's second-placed team. In next Friday's draw they could, for instance, be paired with Barcelona, Milan or Internazionale.
They have scored just one goal between them in four Champions' League encounters since May and, on the occasion of their eighth meeting in 16 months, they wrestled each other into a third, unlovely draw. Rafael Benitez was the only manager on his feet when this match finally ended and his team's fifth consecutive clean sheet will be some source of pride -- precious little else will survive in the memory.
The competition to be the Chelsea squad's PlayStation Pro Evolution champion came to a climax at John Terry's house in Surrey this week and during the build-up to last night's Champions' League match you could be forgiven for wondering which contest had more at stake. December promises to be a decisive month in the Premiership for both these teams and the prospect of a dead rubber in the Champions' League offered some respite from a long, hard winter.
But on the occasion of their eighth meeting in English football since they arrived in the summer of last year, the team selection of Benitez and Jose Mourinho did nothing to suggest that these managers were prepared to give more than an inch. Injuries may have denied Chelsea of Joe Cole and Claude Makelele, and Benitez was without Xabi Alonso, but none of the fit front-line troops were spared duty.
In the first-half action, Frank Lampard forced Jose Reina to throw himself at a shot after a poor clearance from the goalkeeper on seven minutes and there was plenty more of the mutual loathing from the stands to remind both sets of players of the recent history this match carries. Arjen Robben, desperately ineffectual in the first half, gave the ball away to Luis Garcia outside his own area and when the slight Spanish striker tumbled along with John Terry, Stamford Bridge feared the award of a penalty.
Chelsea escaped that punishment but they were much more fortunate in the judgement of the referee, Herbert Fandel, on 23 minutes when Michael Essien ground his studs into the shin of Dietmar Hamann just yards from the two dug-outs. It was an assault rather than anything like a legitimate tackle and the Liverpool bench emptied immediately in protest. Mourinho gestured at Benitez and Rui Faria, the Chelsea fitness coach with an opinion for every occasion, began his own round of finger-pointing.
It leant the contest a proper edge and the mood changed then. Essien did not earn even a yellow card for a foul that was comfortably as bad as the lunge at Bolton's Tal Ben Haim in October that mysteriously earned him nothing more than a booking. Fandel could not have seen anything of this incident to have allowed the Ghanaian to stay on the pitch and Hamann, television replays showed, had red marks on his leg.
John Arne Riise, fed the ball by Steven Gerrard, had his shot saved by the legs of Petr Cech and Mohamed Sissoko, in winning the ball, caught the ankle of Eidur Gudjohnsen painfully.
Whether half-time allowed the sting of Essien's tackle to fade, or Liverpool to forget, the fire in the contest waned after the interval. Peter Crouch competed as gamely as any striker but was eventually replaced by Fernando Morientes. Mourinho did not gamble upon a new formation until the 73rd minute when he sent on Carlton Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, who was immediately cut down by Djimi Traoré.
Traoré was booked and so too Lampard, for protesting too strongly against an offside decision. The England midfielder had come to the touchline in the first half to be administered what appeared to be a pill by the club doctor, Brian English, but looked out of sorts for most of the game. One promising free-kick was blazed wildly off-target.
The Fifa world player of the year nominee did little better when presented with a shot at the end of one of Chelsea's best moves on 67 minutes. Robben's ball out left was directed by Gudjohnsen on to Damien Duff, whose cut-back to Lampard was lifted carelessly over the bar.
Liverpool finished on the back foot and William Gallas would have rued a late miss had he not been flagged offside. The European champions have the dubious honour of first place in Group H - but whether that protects them from the most dangerous predators in the next round is anything but certain.
Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Ferreira (Del Horno, h-t), Terry, Carvalho, Gallas; Essien; Robben (C Cole, 73), Gudjohnsen, Lampard, Duff (Wright-Phillips, 73); Drogba. Substitutes not used: Cudicini (gk), Geremi, Diarra, Huth.
Liverpool (4-4-1-1): Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Traoré; Gerrard, Sissoko, Hamann, Riise (Kewell, 60); Luis Garcia (Sinama-Pongolle, 79); Crouch (Morientes, 68). Substitutes not used: Carson (gk), Cissé, Josemi, Warnock.
Referee: H Fandel (Germany). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph:
Essien excess turns up heat By Henry Winter at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea (0) 0 Liverpool (0) 0
Full of blood and blunder, a match of little significance will be remembered primarily for a horrendous challenge by Michael Essien on Didi Hamann, which almost broke the German's leg. The Lancet will be kicking themselves for not sending a reporter, such was the amount of cuts and bruises on view.
Going flat out: Chelsea’s Eidur Gudjohnsen fails to evade Mohammed Sissoko of Liverpool
Little entertainment should really have been anticipated, as both sides have now managed only one goal in their four Champions League ties against each other in 2005. Liverpool finish as Group G winners while Chelsea follow them into the Dec 16 draw. Sadly, the two Premiership sides progress with bad blood existing between the champions of England and the champions of Europe.
A largely featureless first half still contained the 22nd-minute horror show that was Essien's in-depth examination of the bone structure of Hamann's knee. The ball was loose, running free between Essien, Gerrard and Hamann, a convention of strong hearts and minds. And, mercifully, strong legs in Hamann's case.
Essien's tackle, his studs hurtling into the German's right knee, was filthy, an instant stain on relations between two leading clubs. Luis Garcia was livid, a player not known for showing aggression sprinting across to remonstrate with Essien. Liverpool's manager, Rafa Benitez, was similarly incensed, signalling to the linesman that the Chelsea No 5 had deliberately gone over the top on Hamann.
Benitez's assistant, Alex Miller, was also up out of the dug-out, only to be waved away dismissively by Jose Mourinho, who told him to "sit down". Liverpool's consternation was understandable: as Hamann was helped to his feet, the raw, red marks from Essien's tattoo work were easily in evidence.
Shocking.
Nicknamed the Bison, Chelsea's Ghanaian midfielder has previous, having caught Bolton Wanderers' Tal Ben Haim badly earlier this season. Essien was cautioned by Rob Styles on that occasion, and the English referee was subsequently willing to upgrade the card after watching the video. Fifa forbade him.
Remarkably, last night's referee, Herbert Fandel, failed even to punish Essien with a caution. Uefa will take no action because they respond only to violent acts, like elbowing. Under Mourinho, and before him Claudio Ranieri, Chelsea have been noted for being largely a clean side, but Essien threatens to damage that reputation.
Fandel's inexcusable refusal to sanction Essien inevitably raised the temperature. Liverpool's players, by nature and managerial guidance, are not the type to charge around seeking retribution from those who have wronged them. They prefer to exact revenge with goals. Yet the mood had darkened. Momo Sissoko caught Eidur Gudjohnsen, who in turn clattered into Steve Finnan as the half concluded on a fractious note.
The few positive moments had inevitably flowed for Chelsea from Frank Lampard, who twice tested Jose Reina's reflexes from range. For Liverpool, Garcia pleaded for a penalty after tangling with John Terry - both were equally culpable of pushing and pulling -while John Arne Riise let fly with a trademark left-footer that Petr Cech was forced to push away.
Chelsea are renowned for their second-half shows of counter-attacking expertise and they immediately tore into Liverpool. Didier Drogba teed up Arjen Robben, whose left-footed strike swerved just wide.
Feeling the tide was turning against Liverpool, Benitez sought to shake up his midfield, though Riise was hardly impressed at being replaced by Harry Kewell and threw a water bottle across the dug-out in frustration.
Still Chelsea came, not with their usual machine-like inexorability but containing danger. A fine link-up between Robben, Gudjohnsen and Damien Duff created a chance for Lampard but the England midfielder fired wastefully over, admittedly under strong pressure from Jamie Carragher.
Benitez attempted to give his team a greater cutting edge by withdrawing Peter Crouch, who had been ridiculed constantly by Chelsea's fans. Fernando Morientes glided on, soon followed by two Chelsea subs, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Carlton Cole. Wright-Phillips was immediately scythed down by Djimi Traore.
At last, Fandel located his book, the name of Traore followed by Lampard, who had thrown the ball away in disgust at a completely correct offside decision.
The mercury continued to bubble higher, this time when Kewell complained that William Gallas had sliced open his leg. Blood flowed from Kewell's ankle, staunched only through the appliance of a bandage by the overworked medical men.
Match detailsChelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cech; Ferreira (Del Horno, h-t), Carvalho, Terry, Gallas; Essien; Gudjohnsen, Lampard; Robben (C Cole, 73), Duff (Wright-Phillips, 73); Drogba. Subs: Cudicini (g), Geremi, Diarra, Huth. Booked: Lampard, Carvalho. Liverpool (4-4-2): Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore; Gerrard, Hamann, Sissoko, Riise (Kewell, 60); Luis Garcia (Sinama Pongolle, 80), Crouch (Morientes, 69). Subs: Carson (g), Cisse, Josemi, Warnock. Booked: Traore. Referee: H Fandel (Germany).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Times:
Essien makes his mark in wildest wayBy Matt DickinsonChelsea 0 Liverpool 0
THE MEMORIES WILL NOT LAST AS long as some of the bruises. The only significant impression was left on Dietmar Hamann’s shin, courtesy of a terrible challenge from Michael Essien, but Liverpool will have felt that the pain was worth it as they left with leadership of Champions League group G, their modest prize.
A goalless draw that kept the European champions above Chelsea was celebrated like a victory by the visiting team’s supporters and, given that they had seen only one win in seven previous encounters with José Mourinho’s team, they were entitled to their triumphant roar.
Mourinho is not used to finishing second best and his substitutions, throwing on attacking players, suggested that he was more eager for victory than he had admitted 24 hours earlier. His players will have been irritated not to have beaten opponents who have competed with them for trophies and the affections of Steven Gerrard in the past 18 months, but they did not create nearly enough chances to argue that they deserved victory. And when Essien escaped sanction midway through the first half, they forfeited any claims to bad luck.
No amount of rivalry between these clubs could excuse the studs-bared assault on Hamann’s upper shin. Missed by Herbert Fandel, the German referee, it was only ten yards from the Liverpool bench. Rafael Benítez leapt to his feet and he was entitled to his fury, given that no punishment was being administered for a red-card offence.
As Hamann lay on the ground, both sets of coaches became embroiled in a slanging match. Mourinho bluntly told Alex Miller, one of Benítez’s assistants, to return to his seat, but this was not the first time that the Chelsea manager had sought to defend Essien for leaving an unwelcome calling card.
The Ghana midfield player has been a fine addition to Mourinho’s squad, impressing when bursting from midfield or, as last night, standing in for Claude Makelele in the holding role, but his lunge on Tal Ben Haim, the Bolton Wanderers defender, in October was equally crude. The FA was powerless to intervene, despite calls for a yellow card to be upgraded, so Essien can regard himself as doubly fortunate.
Remarkably, Hamann managed to complete the game. Not so Peter Crouch, who appeared to be complaining about seeing two of everything after a blow to the head — an affliction that some may say could explain a few things — but Benítez will have been pleased that his players showed more of the resolve that has characterised their recent charge up the Barclays Premiership table.
A patternless match mostly fought out between congested midfields, it was probably more feisty than anyone had a right to expect. With Mohamed Sissoko catching Eidur Gudjohnsen’s ankle and the latter raising a foot for a challenge on Steve Finnan, it was evident that appearances are not deceptive. Despite the mutual respect between Mourinho and Benítez, these teams do not like each other.
There have been plenty of opportunities to fall out and the two sets of fans were engaged in their own battle for supremacy. Liverpool’s travelling army taunted Chelsea for having "no history", a jibe that was met with cries of "champions". With a fifth European Cup sitting in the Anfield trophy cabinet, the Scousers clearly felt that they were entitled to the last word.
Finishing top of the group would hardly be a significant addition to either club’s boasts, but with two strong XIs on the field, there was intent from both sides. José Manuel Reina saved smartly from a Frank Lampard shot as Chelsea exerted early pressure, but it was Liverpool who created the best chance of the first half when Gerrard slipped the ball to John Arne Riise, who shot crisply but too close to Petr Cech.
Aside from the knowledge that they should have been playing against ten men, Liverpool also felt that they had been deprived of a penalty, but the referee judged, probably correctly, that John Terry had simply won a shoulder-barging contest with the lightweight Luis García. Like the game, it was too close to call.
Chances were being strictly rationed, which will have suited Liverpool after their 4-1 humbling at Anfield in the Premiership two months ago. Defensive resilience has been the cornerstone of their surge up the table and, with Sissoko, Hamann and Gerrard snapping away in midfield, they mostly succeeded in restraining Mourinho’s men, although, inevitably, there were times when Chelsea’s greater possession looked as though it might count.
When Didier Drogba chested the ball down to Arjen Robben, the winger should have done better than hit the side-netting and Mourinho threw on Carlton Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips in search of the elusive goal. It was a measure of their frustration when mild-mannered, polite Lampard was booked for dissent after complaining about an offside decision. More frustratingly still, his judgment had been right.
With Gudjohnsen subdued and neither starting winger dominating their opponent, Chelsea had lacked penetration and they were reduced to pumping long passes down the middle in the final ten minutes.
Mourinho may rue their failure to score if they are drawn against Barcelona and lose to the form team in Europe, but if he had regrets, he was hiding them well. He knows that other teams will want to avoid Chelsea every bit as much as Ronaldinho’s cavaliers.
Chelsea (4-3-3): P Cech — P Ferreira, R Carvalho, J Terry, W Gallas — E Gudjohnsen, M Essien, F Lampard — D Duff (sub: S Wright-Phillips, 73min), D Drogba, A Robben (sub: C Cole, 73). Substitutes not used: C Cudicini, A Del Horno, Geremi, L Diarra, R Huth. Booked: Lampard, Carvalho
Liverpool (4-4-2): J M Reina — S Finnan, J Carragher, S Hyypia, D Traoré — S Gerrard, M Sissoko, D Hamann, J A Riise (sub: H Kewell, 61) — L García (sub: F Sinama Pongolle, 80), P Crouch (sub: F Morientes, 68). Substitutes not used: S Carson, D Cissé, Josemi, S Warnock. Booked: Traoré
Referee: H Fandel (Germany)
GROUP G
Anderlecht salvaged some pride from a miserable campaign when they took their first points with a 1-0 win at Real Betis. Vincent Kompany, the defender, spared his team the embarrassment of becoming only the second side to end a group stage without scoring when he drilled home the winner a minute before the break.
MIDFIELD PLAYER LEAVES STAMP OF DISAPPROVAL
Michael Essien has made an immediate impact on English football since his £24.4 million move from Lyons, but he has also made a mark with his studs. The Ghana midfield player must include referees on his Christmas card list. Last night’s let-off, when Herbert Fandel failed to notice a foul, that Dietmar Hamann rated the worst of his lengthy career, is not the first time Essien has been reprieved. During a Barclays Premiership match against Bolton Wanderers in October, an horrific challenge on Tal Ben Haim, right, was punished with a yellow card and, after consultation with Fifa, was not upgraded by the FA, to the fury of Sam Allardyce, the Bolton manager. Matt Hughes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------