Sparta Prague 1-0

Independent:
Simon Johnson

Chelsea began life in the Europa League with an unconvincing victory in Prague which did little to suggest that Rafael Benitez’s love affair with the club has much time left to run.
It took a sublime goal from Oscar to hand Chelsea an undeserved victory with eight minutes remaining and provide the only moment of quality in a dire game.
For the 1,200 Chelsea fans who made the trip, declarations of affection were in short supply on Valentine's Day. Instead, until Oscar lifted their spirits, they again aimed abusive chants in his direction.
Understandably, the former Liverpool coach was in a more positive mood and his team should book their place in the last 16 when the second leg takes place next Thursday.
Benitez said: "We have confidence, with a lot of respect for Sparta. At least we have scored the away goal."
The Spaniard also revealed the continuing problems with John Terry's recovery from a knee problem. "He had a set-back," Benitez said of his captain, who travelled but did not play. "After he was fine again. He had no reaction in the next training session.
"It's a vicious circle: if he cannot play, he cannot improve his match fitness. We have to manage. In the meantime if Cahill and Ivanovic are doing well at least we can keep winning games."
This game just showed how far Chelsea have fallen since they lifted the Champions League last May. They are now struggling to defeat second-rate opposition.
Even though Sparta Prague last played a competitive game on 6 December, any gap in quality between the sides was not evident.
One of the main reasons was striker Fernando Torres, who extended his woeful goal return to just one in his last 13 games.
In the 35th minute Juan Mata rolled the ball into his path with just the keeper Tomas Vaclik to beat and he scuffed his shot straight at him. He repeated the trick four minutes later, this time Frank Lampard the provider.
It always felt like a bit of an understatement when Benitez admitted before the game that having only one striker, Torres, available for the tournament was a "problem".
Near the end Torres sliced a shot so badly it went out for a throw-in and once again Benitez had the difficult job of defending him. He said: "Everybody expects a striker just to score goals, but he's also doing a great job for the team. His work-rate today was really good and thanks to him and the rest of the team, the second line could create." His rhetoric was unconvincing, just as Torres and the rest of his team-mates were.
At least they have Oscar. He showed the guile his team-mates had been lacking seconds after replacing Juan Mata by dancing through the Sparta defenders and rolling the ball into the bottom corner. Sparta never played with enough belief to cause an upset.
This display exposed how far the Champions League holders have fallen and that even the much-derided Europa League looks a step too high for them.

Man of the match Oscar.
Match rating 5/10.
Referee D Orsato (It).
Attendance 18,952.

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Guardian:

Oscar's quick intervention helps Chelsea to victory at Sparta Prague

David Hytner at the Letna Stadium

It is fair to assume that Valentine's Day has lost some of its sparkle for the few hundred Chelsea supporters who travelled to Prague for this tie. It had promised little, apart from the novelty of seeing the club in Europa League action for the first time, and the reality in the sub-zero temperatures was even bleaker.
Thank heavens for Oscar, the 82nd- minute substitute, who scored a lovely goal within seconds of his introduction, and for the interim manager RafaelBenítez, who will surely be hailed for what was a game-defining change. Or maybe not.
The devoted souls in the away enclosure had vented their irritation at Benítez during the second-half as they endured a desperately tedious encounter that looked set to be remembered for the further toils of Fernando Torres. But Oscar brought belated cheer and the prospect of serene passage in next Thursday's return in London, which stands to fulfil the stag do double-header with a last 16 meeting against Ajax of Amsterdam.
The Brazilian ran on from the touchline and almost immediately, he had swapped passes with Eden Hazard and showed his trademark balance and technique to swerve past his marker and open up the chance. His finish was left-footed, sweet and out of keeping with almost everything that had gone before it.
There had been plenty of time to ask searching questions. What were the European champions doing here, in front of 18,952 fans, in the week when the Champions League last 16 had enthralled us? What was anybody doing here? Did anybody care? For long spells, it seemed as though few people did. But Oscar's intervention created a rosy glow. It was the first time this calendar year that Chelsea had won back-to-back fixtures, after Saturday's home win over Wigan Athletic. Perhaps, there is something to build on.
Chelsea had flickered at the outset, with Hazard and Marko Marin getting into dangerous areas and the near sell-out crowd, who had pitched up for Sparta's biggest game in years and their first since 6 December and the Czech league's winter hibernation, did not exactly create a pulsating atmosphere.
But Chelsea came to show alarming defensive vulnerability and Sparta were the better team in the first-half. But for David Lafata's loose finishing, the story could have been different. The winter break signing from Jablonec blew the chance to mark his debut with a goal on 16 minutes, when he fastened unattended on to Tomas Zapotocny's cross. He lifted his shot over the crossbar.
Chelsea lived on the finest of margins and there were nervy moments in their backline, with Petr Cech also catching the bug. Ladislav Krejci went down inside the area after going shoulder-to-shoulder with César Azpilicueta; Lafata was pulled back for offside and Krejci was adjudged to have run the ball out of touch before his cutback for Vaclav Kadlec. Lafata also dragged another excellent shooting chance wide.
Torres was on the end of Chelsea's brightest moments in the first-half, which was annoying, given that he was in one of those moods when he looked disinterested and nothing would go right for him. Twice, Hazard crossed dangerously but Torres could not read his intentions and when Juan Mata opted to pass to him, rather than shoot when well-placed on the break, Torres' weak effort never threatened. The striker stubbed another shot before half-time.
Benítez's defence of Torres was the personification of stoicism. "We have to create more opportunities and then he will score more goals," he said. "His work rate was very good and thanks to him, the offensive line could create. His job was crucial to run and keep the defenders deep to make that space for the other players. Everybody expects a striker to score goals but he is also doing a great job for the team."
It was easy to feel the bitter cold and not only because of the lack of spirit-warming entertainment. Still, Benítez braved the elements in nothing more than a suit and shirt; he has long since eschewed the flak jacket. The first murmurs of dissent from the Chelsea fans came in the 53rd minute, when they told Benítez, impolitely, to leave, as he was not wanted. It has been the soundtrack to his interim tenure. Right on cue, Marin crossed and Torres failed to connect with his volley. It was deeply frustrating.
There was the usual vociferous support of Frank Lampard and the stand-in captain headed a half-chance at the goalkeeper Tomas Vaclikcorrect from Mata's cross. It was a rare moment of second-half enterprise and when Torres shot so far wide in the 71st minute that the ball went out for a throw-in, the evening felt complete. But there was a sting, when Oscar made his dramatic entrance.
Chelsea were more solid at the back in the second-half and Benítez felt that they showed better "concentration and intensity." Torres even finished by drawing a smart save out of Vaclik. The full-time whistle, though, came as a relief.


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Telegraph :

Sparta Prague 0 Chelsea 1: match report
Paul Kelso

It will take more than an inspired substitution for romance to bloom between Rafael Benítez and Chelsea’s fans, but on a freezing night in Prague a late winner from Oscar ensured that this loveless marriage of inconvenience remains intact.
The Brazilian scored within 45 seconds of being introduced as an 82nd-minute substitute, ensuring Chelsea avoided embarrassment as well as ignominy on a Europa Leaguedebut that saw them largely sink to the occasion. No reigning European Cup holders have competed in the Europa League before and Chelsea marked this unwanted slice of history with a display to match. This is a competition they never wanted to contest but Chelsea could not claim to be out of place, looking champions of Europe in name only.
The game looked destined for a goalless draw that would have done little for fragile confidence when Oscar intervened, exchanging a one-two with the otherwise hapless Fernando Torres and sliding the ball past Tomas Vaclik in the Sparta Prague goal. It brought relief to Benítez and the estimated 1,000 Chelsea fans who made the trip to Prague. It seems a long way to come to boo the manager but that did not stop them.
Unsurprisingly there was no chorus of approval after the Oscar substitution turned the game, but the jeers are unlikely to have any effect on Benítez. His three months at Stamford Bridge have proved beyond doubt he has a thick skin, a point he emphasised by spurning a coat on a sub-zero evening. While he claimed not to feel the cold he did admit to pleasure in the impact of his substitution.
“Normally you try to change things. [Juan] Mata was doing a great job but was a bit tired. We needed fresh legs and the quality of Oscar is pretty good because he made a difference.”
Benítez also maintained it was a competition worth Chelsea’s full attention. “It’s a competition we have to play now. It’s a European competition and we must realise we have an opportunity to win a trophy.”
Despite this commitment Benítez selected an under-strength team with Marko Marin and Ryan Bertrand replacing Oscar and Ashley Cole, and John Terry restored only to the bench because of a lack of match fitness.
Marin is an irregular starter but he was Chelsea’s brightest player in the opening period. His movement and link-up play offering the likeliest source of a breakthrough, but he was undermined by familiar failings elsewhere. Torres endured another evening to forget, and David Luiz’s absence through suspension robbed Chelsea of the midfield assurance that underpinned their 4-1 win over Wigan at the weekend, leaving the back four repeatedly exposed.
Sparta Prague had not played a competitive game since Dec 6 but there was no evidence of rust from the winter break. After weathering a brief early flurry from Chelsea, in which Frank Lampard drew a facile save from Vaclik, the Czechs were far the more threatening side. Had ­centre-forward David Lafata not proved just as ineffective as Torres they might have made Chelsea pay. With no control in midfield Chelsea were reliant on the counter-attack and their best move of the half almost brought them a barely-deserved lead.
Fortunately for the home side the final chance, after a neat combination between Marin, Eden Hazard and the returning Mata, fell to Torres. Presented with a clear shooting chance from around the penalty spot under minimal pressure the Spaniard froze, toe-poking the ball weakly towards goal. Worse was to come. Midway through the second half he managed to slice a half-volleyed shot out for a throw in.
At the start of the second half the Sparta fans unveiled a banner that declared their intentions for the return leg next week. “February 21st 2013 Sparta the brave 3,000” it read. After Oscar’s late winner Benítez and his anti-fan club will be less concerned about their arrival.

Match details
Sparta Prague (4-5-1): Vaclik; Zapotocny, Svejdik, Holek, Hybs; Kadlec, Husbauer (Bednar 85), Vacha, Matejovsky, Krejci; Lafata (Kweuke 76).
Subs Cech, Kweuke, Vidlicka, Polom, Janos. Booked Husbauer.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Bertrand; Lampard, Ramires; Marin (Benayoun 68), Mata (Oscar 82), Hazard; Torres.
Subs Turnbull, Cole, Ferreira, Terry, Ake. Booked Cahill.
Referee D Orsato (Italy).
Goal Oscar 82

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Mail:

Sparta Prague 0 Chelsea 1: Substitute Oscar makes instant impact to give Blues the lead
By Matt Barlow

A touch of brilliance from Oscar lifted Chelsea hearts on the most romantic day of the year and began the process of mending their broken relationship with European football.
This was the first time Roman Abramovich’s club had ventured abroad since the 3-0 defeat by Juventus in Turin which virtually sealed their exit from the Champions League and earned Roberto Di Matteo the sack.
It was an important win but far from impressive. For long periods, it was grim and, despite the pre-match talk, the London side were short of intensity and imagination. Those fans who made the trip to Prague turned their frustration in the second half on interim manager Rafa Benitez, who was unmoved on the touchline, refusing to pull a coat over his suit, even with temperatures below zero.
‘I’m quite agitated and don’t have time to be cold,’ he said with a smile.
One of his substitutions helped turn the game eight minutes from time. Oscar had been on the pitch a matter of seconds when he scored, a rare flash of artistry in a desperate game.
The Brazilian, on for Juan Mata, collected the ball deep in midfield, ran it through the centre, rapped a pass into the feet of Eden Hazard and continued his run. With a flick, Hazard returned the ball, and Oscar continued to glide through the defence to roll a cool finish inside the post.
It was not a similar goal but it rekindled memories of Chelsea’s last visit to Sparta Prague almost a decade ago in the first Champions League game of Abramovich’s era. That too was a dour affair, won by a William Gallas goal five minutes from time.
That was the start of the project and there have been times when it seemed the club had slipped back to square one.
For long spells on Thursday night, they seemed fragile, short of confidence. Not what you would expect from the champions of Europe.
It has been a bruising campaign and Benitez’s presence only irritates the situation. The strange thing is the former Liverpool boss is at his best in Europe, in cagey and tactical games like this.
His team selection seemed questionable, though it perhaps says more about the frailty of the squad than the man picking the team. Petr Cech played despite a broken finger, such is the faith in Ross Turnbull. Ashley Cole had a cold and took a breather to preserve his energy for Sunday’s FA Cup derby against League One Brentford at Stamford Bridge.
John Terry did not play either. He has started only twice under Benitez, who said the captain could be stuck in ‘a vicious  circle’ regarding his fitness. At times the team seem to cry out for Terry’s leadership.
The game limped through 53 minutes before visiting fans launched into the back catalogue of anti-Benitez songs.
Sparta were coming out of mid-winter hibernation after more than two months inactive. Would they be fresh or sleepy?
When Chelsea started with a positive flurry, it suggested the latter. Goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik saved from Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres saw a shot deflected over.
But Chelsea quickly wilted. Tomas Zapotocny sliced open the visiting back four to find  to David Lafata unmarked.  However, the striker volleyed over from 10 yards.
Lafata, the top scorer in Czech football, was making his Sparta debut having signed last month from Jablonec. He could have become an instant hero but wasted a further wonderful opening in the first half, screwing another shot wide.
Confidence seemed to drain from the European champions as the home team dominated, passing the ball freely.
Former Reading midfielder Marek Matejovsky blazed a shot over and Cech reacted well to clutch Ladislav Krejci’s deflected drive.
Sparta’s superiority gave  Chelsea space on the break. Marko Marin, Hazard and Mata combined to set up Torres but his finish was feeble.
The £50million striker stabbed another effort which was easily saved by Vaclik. So was a diving header from Lampard, the first real chance of the second half.
As if to sum it all up, Torres sliced a first-time shot from 20 yards out for a throw. The Spaniard is deep into another of his regular barren spells, with just one goal in his last 13 games.
At least Oscar lifted spirits.Chelsea relaxed after taking the lead. Moments later, Torres burst clear and this time produced a powerful shot which Vaclik turned wide.
But this was a splendid result for Chelsea. Sparta travel to London for the second leg next week, when, even with their inconsistent home form, Chelsea should progress.


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Mirror:

Oscar winner: Chelsea supersub scores within a minute to earn Europa League victory in Prague
From Martin Lipton in Prague

No love for Rafa Benitez on Valentine’s Day. And the possible fall-out with John Terry might make things even tougher now.
As Benitez warned Terry he may spend even longer on the bench, his hate-affair with the Blues faithful ­deepened to another level.
Even a terrific winner by Oscar, which should see Chelsea through to the last 16 of the oft-maligned Europa League, failed to lift the mood as Fernando Torres’ stock falling yet further.
Oscar’s stand-out moment of quality came within 30 seconds of the Brazilian’s arrival from the bench, the South American exchanging with Eden Hazard before steering home with aplomb.
That aside, though, this was a joyless, soulless, miserable experience, for the players, the manager and the fans whose only delight, these days, is calling for Benitez’s head.
A decade ago, when the Roman Abramovich Champions League era began in the Generalli Arena with William Gallas scoring the only goal, it was the beginning of an adventure that reached its crowning glory in Munich.
Here, in a week dominated by Real Madrid against Manchester United, this was the brutal truth of how far Chelsea have fallen from the heights of the Allianz Arena.
A miserable display, nudging past a side which has not played a competitive game in two months and which should have been swatted aside like a fly.
Nothing, though, comes easy for Benitez’s Chelsea, with Torres the lightning rod for all the anger not directed at the manager himself.
Benitez was supposed to be the man to unlock Torres, to rediscover Chelsea’s £50million asset.
Yet the run of seven goals in six games before Christmas now feels like ancient history.
Since Boxing Day, Torres has scored just once - the late equaliser at Brentford - in 13 appearances.
For a top striker, that is pitiful and here it was far too easy to see why,
Torres’ shocking finishes, straight at home keeper Tomas Vaclik, when he was teed up by first Juan Mata and then Frank Lampard, epitomising everything that he is not doing.
Even worse, arguably, was Torres’ unwillingness to do what strikers should do, bust a gut to get on the end of balls played across the box, his lack of endeavour wasting the good approach work of Mata, Hazard and Marko Marin.
When a second half effort from 20 yards went out for a throw-in, it summed it all up, although, soon after Oscar’s goal, Torres did produce a driving run and strike pushed over the bar by Vaclik.
Not enough, by any means and Chelsea were grateful Sparta striker David Lafata was doing a passable Torres impersonation, blazing an unmarked volley over the bar and then missing the target when he had to do better.
While the absence of Terry did not matter this time, Chelsea were exposed far too often, far too easily, Cesar Azpilicueta given no defensive cover by Hazard, Ramires woeful in the middle.
Had Sparta shown any quality, Chelsea could have been really embarrassed.
As it was, with Chelsea offering only a weak Frank Lampard header until eight minutes from time, they had the opportunity for Oscar to steal the win.
It was a temporary plaster.
The wound is getting wider.
Chelsea look like a team losing faith in themselves.

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Sun:

Mark Irwin

RAFA BENITEZ struck Oscar gold in Prague but was still left looking for love on a freezing Valentine’s Day.

An inspired substitution by the interim boss ensured Chelsea’s first venture into the Europa League ended in a win.

Yet it still was not enough to earn Benitez any hearts and flowers from travelling Blues supporters, who serenaded the Spaniard with far from romantic suggestions about their long-term relationship.

Almost three months into the job, Benitez has long since given up hope of winning over his critics.

But at least he bought himself some breathing space with Chelsea’s first back-to-back victories this year.

For more than 80 minutes the fallen European Champions stumbled and fumbled their way through the match.

But then on came Oscar for Juan Mata and within seconds the Brazilian swapped passes with Eden Hazard before scoring with a low shot.

That was Chelsea’s 101st goal of the season and means they are now odds-on favourites to finish the job in next week’s return leg at Stamford Bridge.

But Benitez still has a job convincing his players and the fans this is a trophy worth winning.

This marked Chelsea’s eighth different competition of the season and probably the one they least wanted to participate in.

It was certainly a case of after the Lord Mayor’s Show for the barely few hundred fans who made the trip to the Czech Republic.

Benitez, who did not wear a coat to protect himself against the elements, reckoned he was too focused on the game to feel the cold.

Maybe his skin is even thicker than we all thought.

For Sparta, this was their first game since the Czech League stopped for its mid-winter break on December 6 — during which time Chelsea have played 16 times.

Yet there was no sign of rustiness from the hosts who had been gearing themselves up for weeks for the shot at claiming a famous scalp.

They suffered a couple of early scares when Hazard fired the ball across the face of goal.

But the danger soon switched to the other end of the pitch.

David Lafata had a 15th-minute opportunity to pile on the problems for Chelsea but the Czech League’s 13-goal top scorer fired over.

A second chance fell Lafata’s way just before the interval but he again failed to hit the target.

Petr Cech, nursing a broken finger on his left hand, looked uncharacteristically nervous in his first game against his former club since leaving Prague for Rennes in 2002.

Then again, playing behind a back four as shaky as the Blues’ would give any keeper the jitters.

With John Terry left on the bench and Ashley Cole struggling with a cold, Chelsea were vulnerable to the counter-attack.

Of far more concern were the continuing struggles of Fernando Torres, who looked disinterested.

He had the best chance of the night but toe-poked a half-hearted shot straight at keeper Tomas Vaclik from Mata’s 35th-minute pass.

But that was better than his 71st-minute effort from the edge of the box that went out for a throw-in.

The problem for Chelsea is that with Demba Ba cup-tied, Torres is their only eligible striker.

Maybe they should just write this one off now and concentrate on winning the FA Cup again.

DREAM TEAM RATINGS
STAR MAN - EDEN HAZARD(Chelsea)

CHELSEA: Cech 6, Azpilicueta 7, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 6, Bertrand 6, Ramires 6, Lampard 6, Marin 7 (Benayoun 5), Mata 7 (Oscar 7), Hazard 8, Torres 5. Subs not used: Turnbull, Cole, Ferreira, Terry, Ake. Booked: Cahill.

Wigan 4-1

Independent:

Frank Lampard scored his 198th Chelsea goal to seal victory over Wigan, end a four-match winless run and ease the pressure on interim boss Rafael Benitez.
Glenn Moore

Hold the tumbrils, put away the scaffold, Rafa Benitez survives for another week. Probably, since nothing is certain at Chelsea. It was close, though. Had Mike Dean not decided Ashley Cole’s 71st-minute handball was inadvertent when he blocked Ronnie Stam’s shot in the penalty area the executioner may have been put to work.
Having barely got out of their own half Wigan had just halved Chelsea’s lead and nerves were  fluttering all over Stamford Bridge. “If we had got the equaliser the end of the game would have been very interesting,” said Wigan’s manager, Roberto Martinez.
But Dean waved Wigan’s claims away and Chelsea provided a flattering gloss to the scoreline with two goals in the last four minutes. One of them, inevitably, came from Frank Lampard, who finally scored with his seventh effort of the game to take his Chelsea tally to 198, four behind Bobby Tambling’s club record. “Sign him up” came the familiar chant from the stands. Ramires, Eden Hazard and Marko Marin, with his first for the club, were Chelsea’s other scorers as they regained the third place Tottenham Hotspur had stolen into by beating Newcastle earlier in the day.
Wigan, whose reply came from Shaun Maloney, remain rooted in the bottom three with one win in 13 matches. Afterwards Benitez dismissed conjecture about his future had Chelsea’s winless run extended to five games as “just speculation”. He added: “We could have scored six. There were a lot of positives.”
According to the cliché, winning without playing well is a mark of champions, but in Chelsea’s case yesterday it simply reflected a team low on confidence and fluidity. Fortunately for them Wigan have the same problem, but without the quality of player to compensate.
Tottenham’s win had piled on the pressure for, as Andre Villas-Boas discovered last year, the one thing Roman Abramovich and his court will not countenance is the prospect of missing out on Champions’ League qualification.
Benitez responded by picking Fernando Torres ahead of Demba Ba, who was left on the bench nursing his broken nose, Petr Cech, despite a broken finger, and Hazard, following the conclusion of his ban for the ball-boy incident at Swansea. The interim manager was still without John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses, set to play for Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations final today, but Martinez had Arona Koné back from South Africa and on the bench.
A post-international week is often a good time to play the Premier League’s bigger sides, but the majority of Chelsea’s team had travelled no further than north London, with six of the starting XI on duty at Wembley on Wednesday, three on each side. Nevertheless it was a slow start, Torres’s powder-puff shot into Ali Al Habsi’s arms being Chelsea’s only threatening moment in the first quarter. The No 9 shirt weighs so heavily on the Spaniard these days it could be made of chain mail but, while this was the first of three bad misses he did contribute. Torres’s eagerness in pressing the ball made it hard for Wigan to play out from the back and his efforts were instrumental in Chelsea’s opener.
However long Benitez lasts in west London he will leave one legacy; the conversion of David Luiz from a fallible central defender into an influential holding midfielder. It was Luiz who broke from midfield as Wigan lost possession with players committed forward.
The Brazilian played the ball forward to Torres, who was allowed by Gary Caldwell to turn and play a clever first-time pass into the path of Ramires, whose chipped finish was excellent.
The goal was the result of Chelsea targeting the flanks left exposed by Wigan’s three-man defence and so was their second 10 minutes after the break. Gary Cahill released Cesar Azpiliueta down the right and his cross was swept in by Hazard.
Once that would have been game over, but this Chelsea struggle to close out games. A minute later Shaun Maloney’s angled run behind Branislav Ivanovic was picked out by James McArthur and Maloney rounded Cech to score. Then came the penalty incident. “It was a good shot which would have been difficult for Cech to save,” said Martinez. “It is clearly a block, then it is down to [the referee’s] interpretation. I have seen them given. The defender’s arm was not attached to his body.”
For his part, Benitez said: “It was too close [to give].” It took Lampard to end the fretting, drilling home Hazard’s pass aided by a clever dummy by Juan Mata.
Wigan then crumbled and Marin headed in after Al Habsi denied Azpilicueta. Even Torres should have scored, but the Omani goalkeeper produced a superb double save to deny him and Ramires.
Chelsea now face a trio of cup matches, the FA Cup fourth-round replay against Brentford being sandwiched by two Europa League ties with Sparta Prague, before they travel to Manchester City in the Premier League. Best not to stand down the executioner just yet.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Azpiliceuta, Cahill (Benayoun, 87) Ivanovic, Cole; Luiz, Lampard; Ramires, Oscar (Mata, 76)  Hazard (Marin, 90); Torres.
Wigan (3-5-1-1): Al Habsi; Scharner, Caldwell, Figueroa; Stam (Jones, 83), McCarthy, McArthur, Maloney, Beausejour; Espinoza (Koné, 60); Di Santo.

Referee: Mike Dean.
Man of the match: Luiz (Chelsea)
Match rating: 5/10

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Observer:

Chelsea's Frank Lampard eases nerves with goal No198 against Wigan

Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea will feel they have turned a corner. This contest had actually been fraught for a while, the home side's lead halved and Wigan outraged at the non-award of a penalty for handball against Ashley Cole, with all the memories of those recent capitulations to Southampton, Reading and Newcastle creeping back. There was panic in the ranks and anxiety in the stands, and yet they survived, regained composure and eventually prospered. Perhaps lessons are being learned.
Rafael Benítez can sleep a little easier after this, any doubts among the hierarchy over his ability to deliver Champions League qualification during his interim stewardship presumably shelved for a while. This was a first victory in five games in all competitions, and keeps fifth-placed Arsenal at arm's length. The manager did roll his eyes in the post-match inquest, though only in a knowing way as the questions drifted inevitably back to a familiar subject.
It was Frank Lampard who had eased the nerves and, if the veteran's class is permanent, so, too, are the calls for his Chelsea career to be extended beyond the summer. "In the last two months he's scored 10 goals, so I'm really pleased," said Benítez with the chairman, Bruce Buck, watching on from the audience. "He is fit, his understanding of the game is fine, and he can score goals. If he breaks the club record, I'll be really pleased." Asked how long a player who registered a winner in midweek against Brazil can excel at this level, Benítez said: "If he's available for Thursday night in Prague, I'll be really pleased."
Goal 198, edging him ever closer to Bobby Tambling's club record of 202, had been timely, a calm and assured finish fizzed into the corner from the edge of the area after Eden Hazard has squared and Juan Mata dummied. The outpouring of relief among the crowd quickly gave way to that familiar chorus of "sign him up" but, if the club's insistence that the time has come for a parting of the ways is maybe now not quite as set in stone as it once was, the player still awaits a call with a concrete offer. The guessing game is likely to be extended to the summer.
When the 34-year-old makes an impact like this, it is hard to fathom the logic in dispensing with his services. His is a reassuring presence, but his ability to change games makes him invaluable.
Chelsea had been drifting, with Wigan dismayed that Cole's block with an arm from Ronnie Stam's shot, albeit from a few feet away, had not been deemed worthy of a spot kick. "I tell mydefenders not to put themselves in a position where they could concede a penalty like that," said Roberto Martínez. "The shot was on target, and the defender should have had his arm 'attached' to his body so it couldn't have been given. I've seen them too often given against Wigan Athletic."
The Wigan manager could feel aggrieved that his side's flurry of pressure immediately after Chelsea's second goal did not yield parity. Shaun Maloney's skip on to James McArthur's fine chipped pass had culminated in a swerve around Petr Cech and finish into an empty net.
That had prompted the hosts to be jittery but where they had been guilty recently of missing opportunities to settle contests like this, the ruthlessness of old returned. Lampard's third was swiftly followed by Marko Marin's first for the club after the excellent César Azpilicueta had forced Ali al-Habsi to push away a swerving attempt. The gloss had been applied.
Chelsea were always the more dominant side, just as they had been against Southampton and Reading. Their opening goal had been slickly crafted by three of Benítez's bolder selections, David Luiz striding through central midfield and sliding a pass through to Fernando Torres. The striker shifted the ball on instantly, his delivery inside Maynor Figueroa liberating a galloping Ramires in a right-midfield brief, with the Brazilian's finish emphatic.
There is always a risk leaving Mata out of this team, but the management have options returning. Hazard, converting Azpilicueta's delivery, was making his return after the three-game ban following his clash with a ballboy at Swansea. "Now we have options, so we can manage the game in a different way," said Benítez.
His compatriot in the opposite dug-out has more reason for concern. Wigan have won once in 14 league games and will be reliant, yet again, on a late-season rally if they are to haul themselves above the cut-off. "It's a real concern," said Martínez. "But it's the last third of the competition where everything happens. We'll need everyone back from injury and to be perfect, but we have an exciting time ahead of us."
That represented positive spin in trying times, something Benítez has also grown accustomed to delivering.


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Telegraph:

Chelsea 4 Wigan Athletic 1
Jason Burt

They came to bury Caesar, not to praise him. Defeat — even a draw, which appeared likely at one stage of this nervy contest — could have spelt the end for Rafael Benítez as Chelsea’s interim manager. But, instead, the goals and the relief came and the César in question was César Azpilicueta, another Spaniard, who was comfortably his team’s man of the match and gained the plaudits.
The attention, however, will inevitably turn to Frank Lampard – and why not? In a week in which the focus again was on whether or not the 34-year-old would be offered a new contract — no deal at present — he scored. Again. It is now 198 goals for the midfielder, four in his last four Premier League games, and 10 in 14 games, and more pertinently he is now just four behind Bobby Tambling’s all-time Chelsea record of 202.
His goal on Saturday was of vital importance as it settled the result just as Wigan, with one win in 13 league matches, and sitting in the relegation places, were pushing for the equaliser that could have shoved the beleaguered Benítez over the brink. Almost as pivotal was a penalty appeal turned down, with the score at a precarious 2-1, when Ashley Cole blocked a Ronnie Stam shot with his arm, but referee Mike Dean was unmoved.
“It is a difficult decision,” Wigan manager Roberto Martínez said. “I have seen them given.”
Instead Chelsea reclaimed third sport, leapfrogging Tottenham Hotspur with a sugar-coated final scoreline, and Benítez can expect to survive as long as he holds that position. Well, probably.
Ties at home to Brentford, in theFA Cup, and Sparta Prague, in the Europa League, are followed by a momentous league match away to Manchester City. But do not underestimate how crucial this fixture was either.
It halted a run of four matches without a win but Benítez was irked when asked about his future. “It was just speculation,” he said. “Nobody is in contact with the owner [Roman Abramovich] to find out if he says this or that. It’s just speculation. I have to concentrate on winning games. You have to win: if you want to compete to win something, you have to concentrate on that.
“It’s not the end of the world if you draw a game you deserve to win. The problem for me would be if we didn’t create chances. We always do.”
He has a point. His position is precarious but Chelsea are not playing badly and he will be able to argue that with reinforcements arriving — players returning from the Africa Cup of Nations and from injury — then the situation can be expected to improve but while there was no anti-Benítez protest there was a degree of indifference which was almost as worrying.
Instead the fans focused on Lampard’s future with more chants of “sign him up” after he superbly drove home a low shot, when substitute Juan Mata stepped over Eden Hazard’s cut back, to beat Ali Al-Habsi from the edge of the penalty area.
Chelsea had began sloppily and while Fernando Torres’s build-up play was impressive, his finishing poor. He wasted several chances before playing a fine first-time pass into the path of Ramires who sprinted on and coolly bent his shot around the goalkeeper to open the scoring.
The relief was palpable but Wigan scented they were still in the contest and Franco Di Santo was unfortunate when he worked his way in behind the Chelsea defence only to over-hit his pullback with Jean Beausejour beckoning.
Immediately Chelsea broke and Azpilicueta cut back inside to find Hazard who struck a first-time shot that easily beat Al-Habsi.
Game over? Not a chance. Within 90 seconds Wigan hit back through Shaun Maloney who sprang the offside trap, with Branislav Ivanovic losing concentration, to run onto James McArthur’s lofted through ball. Petr Cech hurtled from his goal-line but was not quick enough and, from a tight angle, Maloney steered his shot beyond Gary Cahill as he desperately tried to cover the goal.
Lampard shot narrowly wide before there was the Wigan penalty appeal — and then the Chelsea captain did strike. Although it did not end Wigan’s resistance there was no way back and, in injury time, substitute Marko Marin added a fourth after Al-Habsi could only parry Azpilicueta’s powerful shot into his path and he headed home.
There could have been a fifth but, inevitably, Torres fluffed it after Ramires shot was parried and the ball fell to him. His effort was too deliberate and Al-Habsi recovered.

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

Mail:

Chelsea 4 Wigan 1: Rafa gets a stay of execution as Lampard strikes again

By ROB DRAPER

By the end, it all looked remarkably comfortable. Chelsea had won 4-1, Frank Lampard had edged another step closer to Bobby Tambling's record and Rafa Benitez could relax for a few days, at least.
Yet that summary was far removed from what might have been at Stamford Bridge yesterday.

The fate of managers and their reputations turns on horribly fine margins. And as Chelsea laboured in the final quarter of this game, as the crowd grew restless and as another twogoal lead looked like being threatened, Wigan's Ronnie Stam unleashed a shot that Ashley Cole handled in the penalty area.

Everyone waited for Mike Dean's whistle, and those of us of a neutral disposition prepared for the vitriol you knew was coming.

Chelsea are an accident waiting to happen these days - or more accurately they are a club where any setback, however minor, is seen to legitimise a cacophony of abuse directed at the manager.
But that whistle never came. Whether Dean judged the hand-ball accidental or the proximity too close to get his hand out of the way, or whether he simply missed it, was unclear.

But on such moments, football matches turn; entire careers, too.
'It was a good shot and it was going very close to the post and it would have been difficult for Petr Cech,' said Wigan manager Roberto Martinez.

'It's one that I've seen given and not given. I've seen them too often given against Wigan and I haven't seen given too much in the other box.'

To Martinez's credit, he did not seize on the incident as a major theme, questioning instead his side's incisiveness in that key period when they were able to prey on the vulnerability of Chelsea.

'We were in their defensive box enough times to get the equaliser and, if we had, the ending of the game would have been very, very interesting,' said the Spaniard.

For, despite that evident fragility about Chelsea - not helped by Oscar having to be withdrawn for Juan Mata, who was suffering from a virus but who came on nonetheless - Wigan could only boast of a strike from Arouna Kone on 82 minutes, despite enjoying plentiful possession.

Benitez said that his team have worked on their shape in such situations after the capitulations at Reading and Newcastle and at home to Southampton.

More pertinently, he suggested, the ability to make changes, with squad players returning from injury and from the Africa Cup of Nations, will shore up the team.

But Wigan had started well, with Franco Di Santo's early shot being saved by Cech, while the goalkeeper did well to gather Shaun Maloney's curling effort on seven minutes.

Fernando Torres responded with a flicked header that went just wide on 15 minutes and a good turn but a weak shot a minute later.

But the striker was instrumental in Chelsea's opener, providing a delightful flick-on from David Luiz's through-ball for Ramires, who took a touch before curling the ball past Ali Al Habsi.

Torres went close again on 27 and 33 minutes before Cesar Azpilicueta was required to head clear on 42 minutes from Maloney's teasing cross.

The full-back, who made his Spain debut last week, was instrumental in the second goal, sprinting away down the right to pick up Gary Cahill's chipped free-kick, cutting back inside and pulling the ball back for Eden Hazard to finish from the edge of the box on 56 minutes.

Chelsea should then have imposed their control on the game. Instead, within two minutes, the old insecurities returned.

James McArthur played a superb ball over the top of Chelsea's back four and Maloney proved its equal, rounding Cech and finishing well from a tight angle.

'The goal we scored was as good as you'll see,' said Martinez.

And so followed that 20-minute period in which the ghost of leads thrown away haunted the atmosphere all around; on the bench they must have dreaded it, in the stands they feared it and, judging by the frantic defending, on the pitch it seemed they half-expected it.

In the end it was Lampard who provided the necessary reassurance with his 198th Chelsea goal, now four short of a club record.

He owed much to Hazard's burst down the left, cut-back and cross - and to Mata's dummy - before driving in from the edge of the box in characteristic fashion.

And a familiar refrain of 'Sign him up' echoed around the stadium. That was on 87 minutes and the first moment that Chelsea could truly relax, which enabled them to add to their total.

Azpilicueta's fine shot forced a one-handed save from Al Habsi in injury-time, and it fell nicely for Marko Marin, who struck first time to score his first goal for Chelsea.

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

Mirror:

Chelsea 4-1 Wigan Athletic 198 not out: Frank Lampard approaches double-century as Chelsea cruise to victory against Wigan
Matt Law

IT wasn’t exactly a Rafa love-in at Stamford Bridge, but there was finally some relief for Chelsea’s interim boss.
And it was no surprise that it was Frank Lampard who finally calmed the nerves of Benitez by moving to within four goals of becoming the club’s all-time ­leading scorer.
With the Roman Abramovich axe hovering over his head already, Benitez needed a win – no matter how it came.
The result may look impressive, but this was no stroll in the park for Chelsea against relegation-threatened Wigan.
It was not until Lampard netted his 198th Chelsea goal with four minutes remaining that the home side could finally relax.
There may soon be a contract offer on the table for Lampard, even though it is ­unlikely to match what LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to give him. Benitez can also feel grateful to ­referee Mike Dean, who turned down a strong penalty appeal from Wigan that would have given the visitors the chance to make it 2-2.
Ramires, Eden Hazard and ­substitute Marko Marin joined Lampard on the scoresheet. But a Shaun Maloney goal had ­ensured Chelsea were not sure of securing all three points until they netted twice late on.
Benitez said: “I’m pleased ­because the team worked very hard. You could see the commitment of the players.
“Lampard is fit and his ­understanding of the game is fine. He can score goals. If he scores 20 goals and breaks the record, I’ll be really pleased.” But Wigan boss Roberto Martinez was less happy. He said: “We left ourselves a bit ­exposed late on. The scoreline wasn’t a fair reflection, but we wanted a ­positive result, so I had to stretch the game. They took advantage of that on the counter-attack.”
Benitez took a gamble by ­leaving Juan Mata and Demba Ba on the bench. He put his faith in Fernando Torres, pushing David Luiz into midfield and asking Ramires to play ­further upfield.
The bold move paid off in the 23rd minute, as Luiz and Torres ­combined to set up Ramires to score the opener. Luiz hit a pass into the feet of ­Torres and the Spaniard played a wonderful ball through for Ramires, who beat Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi with a cool finish.
Chelsea had looked nervous before taking the lead. Former Blues striker Franco Di Santo forced Petr Cech to save with his foot and the keeper produced a good save to deny Maloney.
Torres wasted two good first-half chances to get on the scoresheet himself. First, he shot straight at Al Habsi after turning past Paul Scharner.
And the Spaniard beat Scharner again, this time to a Cesar ­Azpilicueta cross, but the striker’s header was saved ­acrobatically by Al Habsi. It should have been game over for Chelsea, as the home side ­doubled their lead 11 minutes into the second period.
A long ball out of defence from Gary Cahill set Azpilicueta away down the right and he rolled the ball into the penalty area for the unmarked Hazard to score.
But Chelsea shot themselves in the foot straight away. Hazard stupidly lost the ball to Scharner and James McArthur’s pass over the top sent Maloney away.
Cech rushed from his line, but Maloney comfortably rounded the home keeper and rolled the ball into the empty net – much to the disgust of Benitez.
The hearts of the Chelsea fans were in their mouths with 16 minutes left as Wigan appealed for a penalty after Ronnie Stam’s shot hit Ashley Cole. Referee Dean ruled no penalty, but ­replays showed the ball had clearly hit Cole’s arm.
With four minutes left, Chelsea were able to breathe easy when Lampard ­netted his latest effort before sub Marin completed the scoring with a late header.
But Benitez will know deep down this was a stay of execution rather than a reprieve.

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

Sun:

Chelsea 4 Wigan 1

Matt Irwin

WHEN Frank Lampard was told just before Christmas that he would not be getting a new contract it would have been easy for him to have chucked in the Chelsea towel.
But that is not the Lampard way.
And while too many of his colleagues have gone missing in recent weeks, Super Frank has redoubled his efforts to keep the Blues on course for Champions League qualification.
Since that bad news was delivered to him at the World Club Championships in Japan, Lampard has scored a staggering nine goals in 15 games.
Chuck in Wednesday’s Wembley winner for England against Brazil and it represents one of the most productive periods of his remarkable career.
He was at it again yesterday, easing Stamford Bridge nerves just when it looked as though Chelsea were going to chuck away another three points.
Lampard struck in the 87th minute with an unerring low shot into the bottom corner after Juan Mata had dummied Eden Hazard’s cross.
That was goal number 198 for the Blues, leaving him just four short of Bobby Tambling’s club record.
It is no longer a question of if he can break that milestone before the end of season. It is simply a matter of when.
It would be no wonder if the club were having second thoughts about allowing the 34-year-old to leave at the end of the season.
There might not be any contract talks pencilled in just yet, but even an owner as rich as Roman Abramovich surely appreciates the value of a genuine world-class star.
Chelsea supporters are certainly unanimous in their desire to keep Lampard at the Bridge for the rest of his career, with the all-too familiar chants of “Sign him up’ echoing around the stadium.
And even though interim manager Rafa Benitez will not be allowed any say on Lamps’ long-term future, his relief at such a regular and reliable source of goals was there for all to see.
After four games without a win and with fans baying for his blood, he knew that nothing but victory against a struggling Wigan side would be enough to keep him in his job.
They started the game fourth in the Premier League table thanks to Tottenham’s lunchtime win against Newcastle — and in serious danger of being swallowed up by the chasing pack.
Wigan, encouraged by Chelsea’s recent failures to beat QPR, Southampton, Swansea, Brentford and Reading, certainly fancied their chances of adding to Rafa’s misery.
Franco Di Santo and Shaun Maloney both had early chances which were saved by keeper Petr Cech, who played despite breaking a finger in last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Newcastle.
And even when David Luiz and Fernando Torres combined to carve the visitors open for Ramires to fire the hosts into a 23rd minute lead, no one at the Bridge was taking three points for granted.
Spanish striker Torres was denied by a tremendous save from Ali Al Habsi and Wigan skipper Gary Caldwell hacked one clear from his own six-yard box before a spectacular disagreement with his own keeper.
Yet Wigan still fancied their chances.
And only a vital last-ditch header from Cesar Azpilicueta prevented James McArthur from getting on the end of Maloney’s inviting cross.
It should have been game over 11 minutes into the second-half when Gary Cahill’s raking long ball picked out the excellent Azpilicueta behind the Wigan defence.
The full-back rolled a pass into the danger zone for Hazard to celebrate the end of his recent three-match ban for that infamous ball-boy incident with a neat finish.
But nothing is ever that straightforward with Chelsea any more and the days when they could just shut up shop and squeeze the life out of the opposition are long gone.
That two-goal lead lasted just 90 seconds before Hazard lost the ball to Paul Scharner and McArthur’s long pass allowed Maloney to spring the offside trap and beat Cech from the tightest of angles.
Benitez’s whole life was suddenly flashing before his eyes as he faced up to another late capitulation and the dreaded tap on the shoulder from one of Red Rom’s henchman.
With 15 minutes to go, Wigan were convinced they should have been awarded a penalty when Ronnie Stam’s powerful shot was blocked by the outstretched arm of Ashley Cole.
But referee Mike Dean correctly ruled the Chelsea defender was far too close to the Dutchman to get out of the way and he waved away Roberto Martinez’s frenzied appeals from the technical area.
It was just the break Chelsea needed and with the relegation-threatened visitors forced to throw caution to the wind Lampard’s strike on the counter-attack ended any thoughts of yet another Bridge collapse.
There was even time for Marko Marin to claim his first Premier League goal, heading in on the rebound after Al Habsi had failed to hold Azpilicueta’s stoppage-time shot.
Marin came on, scored and was booked inside three crazy minutes in injury time.
It was enough to take Chelsea back up to third place and even reignite ambitions of pinching runners-up spot from fading Manchester City.
But do not be fooled by the final score.
This was another nervy 90 minutes at the Bridge and Rafa is not out of the woods yet.

DREAM TEAM

STAR MAN - AZPILICUETA

CHELSEA: Cech 8, Azpilicueta 8, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7 (Benayoun 5), Cole 6, Luiz 7, Ramires 7, Oscar 5 (Mata 5), Lampard 7, Hazard 6 (Marin 6), Torres 7. Subs not used: Turnbull, Ferreira, Ba, Bertrand. Booked: Marin.

WIGAN: Al Habsi 6, Stam 5 (Jones 5), Scharner 6, Caldwell 7, Figueroa 6, McCarthy 6, McArthur 7, Beausejour 6, Espinoza 5 (Kone 6), Maloney 7, Di Santo 6. Subs not used: Robles, Henriquez, Gomez, McManaman, Golobart.
Att: 41,562
Ref: Mike Dean (Wirral).

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

Express:

Chelsea 4 - Wigan 1: Rafa Benitez lift as Lamps lights way

John Richardson

Defeat at home to Wigan would have left Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in a predicament – what to do with the interim manager.
Suddenly a dead man walking – Benitez has no chance of taking the job on a full time basis – would have been a dead man going through the Stamford Bridge exit door.
At least any call for thankful employees like the Russian’s big mate Guus Hiddink can be placed on hold for the time being, leaving Benitez to concentrate on forthcoming Europa League and FA Cup issues.
By the end of the season – if he lasts that long – Benitez will be worked up into a lather judging by his eccentric gesticulations in the technical dug out.
This is a side who can’t hold onto leads. Three had disappeared in the previous four games so no wonder Benitez looked on with increasing anxiety as a 2-0 advantage was cut in half and Wigan scented blood. There were justifiable claims for a penalty, too, as Wigan went in search of the equaliser. Ronnie Stam fired in a shot which appeared to strike the outstretched hand of Ashley Cole inside the box.
To a man Wigan appealed but referee Mike Dean refused to take action to fan the ongoing debate that the smaller clubs don’t get the big decisions.
So a potential 2-2 with all its repercussions ended up 4-1 for Chelsea and those at home wondering what all the fuss had been about.
But in truth it was only when Frank Lampard edged ever closer to Bobby Tambling’s all-time Chelsea scoring record three minutes from time that Benitez could relax and the home supporters found their voices.
Substitute Marko Marin’s follow-up from Cesar Azpilicueta’s saved effort in added time was flattering in the extreme. Ironically the anti-Benitez chants had just started to crank up when Chelsea themselves turned up the pressure to snatch the lead in the 23rd minute.
It was a move and finish to surely satisfy even the cravings of owner Abramovich, whose demands for cultured attacking football allied to Premier League points had already seen off Roberto Di Matteo and put Benitez under threat.
David Luiz, again pushed into midfield to utilise his passing skills rather than expose his defending deficiencies, found Fernando Torres who responded with a sublime ball into the on-running Ramires’ path.
Without hesitating the Brazilian placed the seal on as good a counter break goal as you could wish to see by sweeping his sixth goal of the season over the advancing Ali Al Habsi.
Cue relief all around Stamford Bridge – especially in the home dug-out. But what was this? Within a couple of minutes Benitez, normally content to rely on his suit for warmth in all weathers, suddenly reached for his coat.
Was he about to leave? No such luck for those Chelsea fans who have never given the former Liverpool manager a chance since taking over from Di Matteo.
The extra nervous energy expended on the sidelines was enough for him to ditch the coat at half-time.
Chelsea doubled their lead when Eden Hazard, on his return from a three-game ban, neatly side-footed past Al Habsi from an Azpilicueta pass. The Chelsea wobbles, however, quickly returned when Shaun Maloney pulled one back for Wigan after he was sent clear by James McArthur.
In times of trouble send for Super Frank. Fresh from his England goal in midweek Lampard crept within four goals of Tambling’s 202, calmly stroking home from a Hazard cut-back. With Marin’s strike it was game over – and no need for an emergency summit in the Abramovich household. Benitez insisted: “My job is to win games. You know it will be difficult to do this sometimes but I am confident we will finish in the top four.”
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez, who looks like having to repeat last season’s record of seven wins from their last nine games to avoid the drop, admitted: “We were trying to get a positive result and left ourselves exposed.”

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

Newcastle 2-3

Independent:

Rafael Benitez in denial as Moussa Sissoko and Newcastle United expose the truth about Chelsea

Martin Hardy

You can, at least, not fault the defiance of Rafa Benitez. He again proved immovable, unlike his side. "We could have won every single game we draw or we lost, every single game," he insisted after yesterday's defeat. "In all the games we had chances and played good football in the majority of them. When we couldn't we still had chances to win."
Fact: Chelsea have picked up 22 points from a possible 39 during his reign, two points less than Roberto di Matteo picked up from one less game this season.
"We are trying to finish in the top four, or top three, and we can," added Benitez. "We are still looking up towards Manchester City. With some players coming back I think we have more options. When we are in form and doing well we can beat anyone."
Fact: Chelsea have won three games out of their previous 10 in all competitions.
"I was really pleased with the reaction of the players," said the interim manager of Chelsea. "That is the main thing for me. The players showed character in the second half. It means something is right. If we cannot control these games, it is something we will have to improve."
Fact: they were gun-ho, leaving gaping holes all over their defence and allowing Newcastle to fight back from a lost position.
With Rafa there is always a "but".
Frank Lampard's goal tally reached double figures for the 10th season running, a quite phenomenal achievement, with a breathtaking strike in the 54th minute
"I'm here to talk about the game," said Benitez when asked about the fact Lampard is set to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer.
There was, and indeed still is, some sympathy for Benitez. His looked a losing hand when he succeeded Di Matteo.
Yesterday, a crucial decision went against him. Demba Ba had seen a shot saved by Tim Krul when the ball came back to him in the Newcastle penalty area. He headed the rebound narrowly wide. As he lowered his head, Fabricio Coloccini's desperate attempt at a saving tackle saw him smash his former team-mate in the face.
"We couldn't change the situation of Demba Ba," he added. "It was a penalty and a red card for me. In the middle of the park [it would be] carry on, go back, free-kick. In the penalty area [it would be] carry on, go back, penalty and red card. It would have changed the game. We lost one player with a broken nose.
"It is something we have to consider. In other circumstances everybody would be talking about this. I want to remind you that that happened. Sometimes we don't remember these things. After watching the replay it is very clear. A player with a nose broken and bleeding for five minutes I think is good evidence. Demba has a broken nose and we will have to wait and see."
Ba received lengthy treatment. Eventually, with his face taped up, he returned to the game. It was short- lived. By the time he was forced to leave the field, to cruel jeers from the majority of Newcastle supporters, his new club were behind. Davide Santon had crossed from the left and Jonas Gutierrez stole in ahead of a flat-footed John Terry to glance a header past Petr Cech.
Lampard had missed a fine opportunity after just quarter-of-an-hour but on 55 minutes made amends in style, crashing a 25-yard shot past Krul. At that point Benitez was correct. Chelsea took control. A second, delightful goal would come their way just past the hour, Fernando Torres, who entered as Ba went off, laid the ball to Juan Mata and the finish was precise, curling into the top corner of the Newcastle goal.
At this point Benitez needed his new team for once to speak up for his endless work on the training ground. They did not.
Moussa Sissoko, the January signing from Toulouse, had become an increasing presence in the game. In the 68th minute, when fellow home debutant Yoan Gouffran broke free of an absent Chelsea defence and saw his shot parried by Cech, Sissoko was there to equalise.
That was the end for the visitors. Newcastle had new energy. In the 90th minute Sissoko passed to Santon, took the return and drilled a fierce, low drive into Cech's goal.
"It is undoubtedly the game of the season," said Alan Pardew. "It was fabulous. I do not think we will better that. When you play the top sides, it is important to knock them out of their stride.
"We got the goal and in the second half Chelsea came out and showed why they had such fabulous players. We struggled for 15 minutes. They were two unbelievable goals. It can knock the stuffing out of sides but we didn't let that happen. We had intelligence. We got a breakaway and then we were back in the game. It was a fantastic winning goal. It nearly took the roof off. The whole team was magnificent. Sissoko? I don't really need to say too much. His performance spoke for itself."
Something Benitez's Chelsea still cannot do.

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

Observer:

Newcastle's Moussa Sissoko shatters Chelsea with last-gasp winner
Paul Wilson at St James' Park

This was one of the best games of the season, a marvellously entertaining and eventful contest between two well-matched sides. Whether that flatters Newcastle or Chelsea most is a moot point, given their respective positions in the table, though it would appear the home side's latest top-up of French talent has restored the feelgood factor on Tyneside. That was true even before Moussa Sissoko rifled home a last-minute winner. That sort of finale always send a crowd home happy, though even before that Newcastle had shown guts to climb back into the game at a point in the second half when Chelsea looked capable of running away with it. While it is not quite true these days to say not many teams come back against Chelsea, few will manage it when the Blues are playing this well.
"It was an unbelievable game, I'm not sure I can remember one as good," Alan Pardew said. "We were hit by two unbelievable goals too, but we were not to be denied. To play so well against a team as good as Chelsea will give this place a real lift."
With two goals on his home debut, Sissoko proved an instant hit, as well as looking an absolute steal at £1.8m, though Newcastle were so wasteful in the first half that Pardew must half been preparing an interval pep talk on the importance of turning pressure into goals until Jonás Gutiérrez relieved the situation with a lovely header four minutes before the break.
It was not that Newcastle were not creating opportunities, it was the fact they were missing gilt-edged invitations to score that was visibly driving their manager wild. Papiss Cissé was foiled by a decent save from Petr Cech midway through the first half, though with only the goalkeeper to beat from a good position it was hardly the clinical finish we have come to expect from the Senegal striker. Sissoko should have done better than shoot too high after half an hour, then Cissé squandered the best chance of the lot, again allowing Cech to save when the ball dropped perfectly for him near the penalty spot.
It appeared the home side might be in for a frustrating afternoon, though the goal they eventually scored was not only high quality it was a superb finish from a player who is not a prolific scorer. Much of the credit should go to Davide Santon for an excellent right-foot cross from the left wing, one that Gutiérrez attacked with much more conviction than Gary Cahill or John Terry, beating the latter to the ball to send a glancing header into Cech's bottom left corner.
Not even Chelsea fans could deny that a goal had been coming, and the visitors were hardly cheered by the simultaneous forced departure of Demba Ba with a bloodied nose. Naturally the Chelsea striker received scant sympathy from his former public after receiving an accidental boot in the face from Fabricio Coloccini, though his former manager could afford to be diplomatic. "He's not a bad looking boy, but I think he might be needing a bit of surgery," Pardew said. "He was having a good game."
Rafa Benítez was predictably less generous, and might have had a point. "It should have been a penalty and a red card," the Chelsea manager said. It certainly could have been, though like the player he injured, Coloccini was going for a loose ball at head height after Tim Krul had kept out Ba's initial shot, and did not have his opponent in direct view. "It had to be dangerous play," Benítez argued. "A broken nose and five minutes of bleeding is evidence."
Chelsea can also score spectacular goals from midfield, and the reliably prolific Frank Lampard came up with one of his very best to level early in the second half. Not much looked on as Ashley Cole took a throw in on the left, indeed the full-back hesitated when the ball was returned to him as if he could not see a pass worth making, but once he chipped the ball inside to Lampard, a sublime turn past Yohan Cabaye transformed a static situation and no sooner had space opened up than Krul was being beaten by a venomously dipping, early shot from just outside the penalty area. Seven minutes later, after Lampard had headed straight into Krul's arms from Juan Mata's teasing cross, Chelsea were in front. Again the finish was of the highest quality, Mata taking a short pass from Fernando Torres and striking a curling shot from the angle of the area so sweetly that he was wheeling away in celebration before the ball had even crossed the line.
Now it was Newcastle's turn to show character and they duly hit back with an equaliser. Yoan Gouffran showed a turn of speed to outstrip the Chelsea cover, and though his shot never seemed likely to beat Cech, Sissoko was on hand to tuck away the rebound with a calmness that ought to have made Cissé blush.
Not for the first time in the pandemonium peculiar to this ground, inflamed passions spilled over to the technical areas, where a heated argument broke out between the two sets of coaching assistants shortly after the fourth goal. Directly after the third goal Cissé and Cole had both been booked for unnecessarily squaring up to each other, but peace had broken out by the time Santon set up his second goal of the afternoon, this time with a simple square pass inside the area that Sissoko emphatically thumped home.
Never think St James' Park cannot possibly get any louder, because it always can. All it takes is something worth cheering.

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

Telegraph:

Newcastle United 3 Chelsea 2
Luke Edwards

Newcastle United toasted a new hero after a magnificent match-winning home debut from Moussa Sissoko, while Chelseacould soon be looking for yet another manager as the pressure grows on Rafael Benítez.
The London club, who have now won one game in six, were poor in the first half, much better at the start of the second, yet still managed to lose a game they had fought back to lead, thanks to sumptuous strikes from Frank Lampard and Juan Mata. Sissoko inspired the comeback that had St James’ Park enthralled.
Just as Chelsea did at Reading in their last game, Benitez’s side have thrown away three points from a winning position.
The Spaniard, an unpopular replacement for Roberto Di Matteo, is now fighting just to remain as interim manager until the end of the season.
Even when they play well, as Chelsea did for 30 minutes after half-time, they are still failing to control games in the manner expected of such an experienced and expensively assembled squad.
When Mata scored their second goal, curling the ball into the top corner after Lampard had found the net with a thunderous long-range strike, Chelsea’s fans chose to remind their hosts that they are the champions of Europe.
But that title was earned last year and the way they surrendered that lead was very much indicative of their current status.
If they are not careful, the memory of that famous victory in Munich will provide scant comfort should Chelsea miss out on a top-four finish in May.
“We are still aiming for the top three or four,” said Benítez when asked about the growing pressure on him. “The reaction of the players in the second half was fantastic and that was really pleasing.
“What we have to improve is how we manage situations like this. We allowed them to play on the counter-attack when we were leading the game.”
It has been a season full of suffering on Tyneside, but Newcastle appear to have found the perfect painkiller in the January transfer window. Sissoko was the star performer, although Mathieu Debuchy at right-back and Yoan Gouffran – another January acquisition – on the right side of midfield were almost as impressive.
The plan had been to sign Sissoko on a free transfer at the end of the season, but Newcastle, wary of their precarious league position, instead persuaded Toulouse to release him early for a little more than £2 million.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a better home debut,” Pardew said. “I’ve seen two players since I’ve been here who I’ve been desperate to sign. One is Yohan Cabaye, one is Moussa.
“What a magnificent player he is and he has already brought us a power and a presence we have lacked. He’s going to be a massive signing for us. This was a fabulous game and a brilliant result.”
Jonás Gutiérrez had given Newcastle the deserved lead in the first half when he beat John Terry to Davide Santon’s cross.
By then Papiss Cissé had already missed a wonderful chance when he shot weakly, allowing Petr Cech to save, while Sissoko had fired over the bar after a sweeping counter-attack.
Chelsea had also missed chances. Lampard blazed wildly over the bar from Ashley Cole’s pull back, before Demba Ba had two chances to beat Tim Krul, shooting straight at the Dutch goalkeeper before heading the rebound wide.
The Senegal striker suffered a painful return to St James’ Park. Caught full in the face by Fabricio Coloccini while going for that header, Ba’s nose was smashed and forced him off before half-time.
That gave Benítez a chance to divert attention from the defeat, but his was not an entirely convincing argument. “It was a penalty and a red card,” he said. “If that happened in the middle of the park, play would have been brought back, a free-kick given and a red card shown.
“It should not be different just because it’s in the area. He has kicked him in the face, broken his nose and he is bleeding all over the place.”
By the same logic, it could be argued that Ramires should have been sent off for a two-footed lunge on Gutiérrez. Contentious refereeing decisions cannot disguise the fact that Newcastle, over the 90 minutes, deserved to win and to move further away from relegation trouble.
Sissoko scored his first goal when he tapped in a rebound after Gouffran’s effort had been well saved. Sissoko was then denied a second by Cech’s fingertips after the midfielder had sprinted past Cole.
However, the Chelsea goalkeeper could not keep out Sissoko’s low shot in the 90th minute after Santon had picked him out running in from the edge of the area.

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

Times:

Newcastle 3 Chelsea 2: Sissoko’s instant hit
Nick Townsend

IT TAKES something special to make yourself the instant hero here. But in the words of manager Alan Pardew, Moussa Sissoko “walked into this club like a giant and played like giant.” The Frenchman’s brace, including a winner as added time beckoned, was followed by joyous scenes in front of the dug-out with his new team-mates, as the Toon Army rejoiced at the capture of the man from Toulose and reflected: Demba who?
 The Chelsea striker returned to the club he had departed only four weeks ago, after the Blues had met his £7m buy-out clause. He left with a broken nose after a first-half incident when he was kicked in the face, accidentally, by Fabricio Coloccini.
 Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez insisted it should have led to a penalty and red card for the Newcastle captain. He will be more concerned, however, that metaphorically, Chelsea were left again with a bloodied nose, which leaves the interim manager’s position looking vulnerable.


As easy as un, deux, trois for Newcastle, recording their second victory in a week? Well, not exactly. Chelsea recovered from Jonas Gutierrez’s opener, to establish a lead with two goals in a five-minute spell — the first from Frank Lampard, his 197th Chelsea goal, which takes him to only five behind Bobby Tambling’s all-time record for the Londoners of 202 — but they just didn’t have the stamina to cope with Newcastle who found a resurgence of belief.
 It was an impassioned affair. Howard Webb had to deal with an altercation between Papiss Cisse and Ashley Cole after Chelsea’s second goal when the former put his hands round the England man’s throat and there was also some kindergarten stuff between the benches over a throw-in.
 Newcastle had proudly introduced their parade of new French signings, with three in the starting line-up and one on the bench.
 Newcastle defender Steven Taylor says he’s learning a bit of French. At the rate Pardew & Co have delved into the French market and the impact they had yesterday he ought to make it his first language.
 Pardew went for a 4-2-2-1-1 line-up: four Frenchman, two Argentinians, two English, an Italian and a Sengalese.
 Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran and Mathieu Debuchy, together with substitute Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa all made their debuts in Tuesday’s win at Aston Villa, and in an unchanged starting eleven, all made contributions.
 An early Gouffran challenge on Ramires immediately endeared him to the home crowd. His energy and footwork impressed, too. Newcastle went close, but Cabaye from range, and Cisse from close in failed to worry Petr Cech. Then Debuchy volleyed wide and Cisse cleared the bar.
 With the crowd baying for a red card after Ramires lunged into a challenge with Gutierrez, he was only cautioned by referee Howard Webb. Then, just after the half hour, Lampard released Ba with a beautiful ball. Brushing off Coloccini’s challenge, Tim Krul thwarted him with a fine save and as he headed the rebound narrowly wide, he took a kick in the face from the Newcastle defender for his pains.
 With Ba still off the pitch receiving treatment for a bloody nose, United nearly profited after that escape when Cisse found himself clear and with only Cech to beat. The Chelsea goalkeeper anticipated him with a diving save.
 However, Cech could do nothing about Gutierrez’s opener. The Argentinian got the better of John Terry to despatch a deft header from Davide Santon’s cross wide of the goalkeeper. Immediately after the goal, Ba’s facial injury forced him to retire, and he was replaced by the shaven-headed Fernando Torres.
 Whatever Benitez’s words were in the interval, they had the desired effect.

Chelsea snapped out of their torpor. Or was it simply that United, not for the first time this season, sat on their lead? They did it in their last home match when succumbing to Reading, and here again Chelsea seized the initiative.
 Cole poked a ball through to Lampard who, out on the left wing, eluded a challenge before whipping a glorious across Krul for the equaliser.
 Seconds later, Juan Mata’s cross found Lampard but his header was straight the home goalkeeper before Branislav Ivanovic surged down the right, and pulled the ball back for Torres who laid on a chance for Mata to curl the ball artfully around Krul.
 Pardew’s men looked stunned. But they responded magnificently. Gouffran surged deep into the visitors’ territory before dispatching a cracking effort which Cech parried. Sissoko dashed in to head an equaliser into an unguarded net.
 Again on the break, Sissoko just had the beating of Cole — no mean feat that — but his goal-bound drive was diverted wide by Cech. Sissoko was in again, but this time shot directly at Cech.
 But as added time approached Santon again was the provider, setting up Sissoko to drive the ball unerringly past Cech.
 It was pandemonium. There were late Chelsea claims for a penalty rejected by Webb. But Newcastle weren’t going to let this one slip.

 Newcastle: Krul 6, Debuchy 7, S Taylor 6, Coloccini 6, Santon 7, Cabaye 8, Perch 6, Gutierrez 7, Sissoko 9 (Yanga-Mbiwa 90 min), Gouffran 7 (Marveaux 84min), Cisse 6

 Chelsea: Cech 7, Ivanovic 6, Cahill 7, Terry 6, Cole 7, Ramires 6, Lampard 7, Oscar 6, Mata 7, Bertrand 6, Ba 6 (Torres 43min, 5)

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

Mail:

Newcastle 3 Chelsea 2: The French revolution gathers pace as Sissoko stuns Benitez
By BOB CASS

Alan Pardew ended a momentous week for Newcastle United by lauding the player whose two goals made him a new hero for the Toon Army. The manager said of Moussa Sissoko: 'He walked into this club last week like a giant - and today he played like a giant.'
Forget the puns and the mickeytaking that flooded the social networks when Pardew crossed the Channel to search for soccer salvation. And if La Marseillaise replaces the Blaydon Races as the new Geordie anthem, nobody should be surprised.
Because when Pardew splashed out on five more Frenchmen in the transfer window to arrest his team's plunge towards the relegation zone, many questioned the wisdom of his death-or-glory gamble.
Well, if there are more like Sissoko, signed from Toulouse for £1.8million - the cheapest buy on a shopping list that totalled just under £20m, Pardew can start queuing up at the payout window.
'I thought his performance said it all,' said Pardew. 'I remember watching him in Toulouse maybe 14 months ago and I came away thinking he was definitely one for us. We set our sights on him early and then we accelerated it because the intention was for him to come in the summer but we've had to do it now. And he's paying us back handsomely.
'He announced his presence in the game, not just with his technical quality but his power and that's something which has sadly been missing from the team.'
If it was Sissoko's contribution that provided the headline-grabbing finale, the foundations for victory were laid by a combination of quality, technique and a pressing game which never allowed the opposition the time to settle into a rhythm.
The impressive Yohan Cabaye was the launchpad of United pressure and he played an important role in the move which ended with Jonas Gutierrez glancing a header from Davide Santon's cross out of Petr Cech's reach.
It was the Argentinian's first goal of the season and how he celebrated: crossing himself and pointing to the heavens. But two Chelsea goals in six minutes after the break swung the game in the visitors' favour. For a player who, supposedly, will be persona non grata at Chelsea after the season ends, Frank Lampard is racking up enough records to ensure he will be a lot tougher to remove from Stamford Bridge posterity than the dressing room.
He now stands five goals short of Bobby Tambling's club record of 202 and there have been few better than the 55th-minute strike that brought Chelsea level. He collected a chipped pass from Ashley Cole on the left, shimmied past a challenge and crashed a right-footer into the roof of the net from 20 yards. Lampard's goal gave him the added distinction of becoming the first player to reach double figures in 10 consecutive Premier League seasons.
And when Juan Mata stroked a curling left-footer wide of Tim Krul's despairing right hand, it looked as if Newcastle's early gritty domination was doomed to failure.
But from adversity came even more determination and it brought its reward in the 68th minute, when Cech parried Yoan Gouffran's low shot into the path of Sissoko, who slipped the ball into an empty net.
The French midfielder's winner was as spectacular as it was superbly timed, 50 seconds from the end of normal time. Santon was again the provider, pulling back a cross for Sissoko to beat the Chelsea keeper with a 20-yard daisycutter.
'It was a massive win for us,' said Pardew. 'To come back like that was outstanding. It was an unbelievable game. Truly I can't remember seeing a game as good as that.
'We were great in the first half. We deserved to have the lead. In the second half Chelsea came out and showed what they are - world-class players - and we conceded two unbelievable goals. Usually when you get goals like that, it knocks the stuffing out of a team.
'But we wouldn't let that happen. We stayed in the game and got a breakaway goal and won it with one which took the roof off the place.
'If you're going to beat the top teams you have to put them under pressure and we did that. But you can't keep a great team down and they came back at us. With the quality we showed we deserved to win.'


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

Mirror:

Newcastle 3-2 Chelsea match report Tres bien! Sissoko double earns Newcastle needed victory over Chelsea
By Brian McNally

The Toon Army rose as one to salute a new hero as bargain buy Moussa Sissoko marked his home debut with a famous match-winning double.
Not since Malcom Macdonald hit a hat-trick on his first game on Tyneside way back in 1971 has a Newcastle player made such a dramatic impact on his introduction to St.James’ Park.
Sissoko cost just £1.8m from Toulouse and already he looks like proving the best Premier League buy of the January transfer window.
It was a breathtaking display from Sissoko but he had plenty of competition for the man-of-the-match title from French colleague Yohan Cabaye, who was a sublime influence in midfield.
Chelsea played their part in a pulsating, thrilling contest and scored two wonderful goals in the space of six second minutes from Frank Lampard and Juan Mata and felt they should have had a penalty when Demba Ba had his nose broken in the 32nd minute when home skipper Fabricio Coloccini kicked him in the face.
The Magpies had deservedly led at half-time thanks to Jonas Gutierrez’s first goal of the season and the first headed effort of his Newcastle career in the 41st minute.
A beaming Alan Pardew said:” Moussa Sissoko’s winning goal signalled his entry into the Premier League. He was absolutely outstanding, confirming everything I knew about him.
“I don’t need to say too much about him. His performance said it all.
“I first saw him 14 months ago and knew he was the one for us. We were going to do the deal in the summer but we accelerated it. My God he is paying us back handsomely.
“But don’t under-estimate Yohan Cabaye. He was magnificent. We saw some real French flair today.”
But Bentitez, whose side have failed to win in a run of four successive away league and cup games, felt referee Howard Webb bottled the Ba decision.
Benitez said: “It should have been a red card and a penalty. It was so clear that Coloccini kicked Ba in the face. Anywhere else on the pitch the referee tales action.
“The failure to deal with that incident changed the game. We reacted with two good goals but we were unlucky to lose.”
Former Magpie Ba held off Coloccini to fire in a drive that was pushed out by Tim Krul. The ball came straight back to Ba, whose header trundled just wide.
But in the process Coloccini caught his former team-mate flush in the face and Ba was eventually forced to retire with what looked like a broken nose.
Newcastle went ahead four minutes before the break with an unlikely goal from Gutierrez. Santon swung a teasing ball in from the left and Gutierrez rose above a statuesque John Terry to glance the ball past Petr Cech.
It was no more than Newcastle deserved but they were stung by a superb 1-2 from Chelsea after the break.
First Lampard cleverly chested down a lovely pass from Cole on the left before firing home a rasping 20-yard for his 10th League goal of the season-the tenth succesive season he has achieved that feat.
Then Mata produced an equally brilliant finish to send an unstoppable swerving shot from just outside the box into the net after substitute Fernando Torres touched a right-wing Branislav Ivanovic cross on to the Spaniard.
But the excitement and drama was far from finished as Newcastle produced a storming grandstand finished.
Cisse, who missed a couple of decent chances, set Yoan Gouffran racing free on 68 minutes but Cech parried his shot.The ball fell straight to Sissoko, who calmly fired home for his first Toon goal.
And the Magpies latest French hero sent the home crowd into absolute delirium when he began a move on the left before feeding Santon on the left. The Italian intelligently cut the ball back to Sissoko, lurking just outside the visitors box, and he smashed a glorious winner beyond the helpless Cech.

McNally’s Verdict: Moussa Sissoko is the new king of Tyneside. The French schemer showed stunning quality to score a magnificent double that derailed an impressive Chelsea comeback.
Referee: H.Webb 6 Kept a memorable game flowing despite a few errors on a busy day.

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

Sun:
Rob Beasley

YOUNG, gifted and black and white... new boy Moussa Sissoko has come to Toon and become an instant local hero.
Two goals on his home debut nicked Newcastle a thrilling 3-2 win over Chelsea and earned him a standing ovation from a pumping St James’ Park.
The £1.8million bargain-buy from Toulouse dramatically announced his arrival just as Alan Pardew’s side looked to be sliding to another damaging home defeat.
Chelsea led 2-1 with less than half-an-hour to go after stunning second-half strikes by Frank Lampard and Juan Mata wiped out Jonas Gutierrez’s opener.
But Sissoko was in no mood to allow his big day be ruined and he personified the old saying: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. And boy is he tough... not to mention, fast, skilful and lethal?
In the 68th minute he powered forward to back up fellow Frenchman Yoan Gouffran as he zeroed in on goal.
So, when Petr Cech parried Gouffran’s shot he was perfectly placed to swoop on the rebound.
Three minutes later he was searing down the right wing, winning a sprint with Ashley Cole to fire off a shot that Cech was happy to touch behind.
Suddenly Chelsea were desperately trying to hold on for a point when they looked to have had all three in the bag.
Blues have developed an unhappy habit of failing to hold onto a lead just lately. And Toon took full advantage of their nervousness right at the death.
The clock in the corner of the pitch showed 89 minutes, 26 seconds when Davide Santon fed Sissoko on the edge of the box.
Chelsea had bodies back in the area and a world-class keeper in Cech. But it just didn’t matter as the Frenchman’s shot flew through the lot and into the net.
Sissoko sprinted off in celebration and ended up mobbed by players and staff in front of the United dug-out.
And straight after the re-start boss Pardew ensured the match-winner received yet more praise.
He subbed him in injury time and the home crowd rose as one to give him a deserved ovation.
But those deafening cheers were in stark contrast to the way St James’ Park treated a returning hero Demba Ba.
Fickle home fans, still furious at his £7m defection to Chelsea, booed their former favourite every touch of the ball.
Clearly 29 goals in 58 appearances means nothing in these parts.
The Senegal striker’s return to Toon turned out to be short, but eventful.
He came so close to silencing the jeers with Chelsea’s best chance of the opening half — an incident that became the main debating point after the match.
Ba cut in menacingly from the left to unleash a low shot that keeper Tim Krul could only block straight back at him.
Ba reacted superbly to head the rebound goalwards but a boot in the face from Toon skipper Fabricio Coloccini meant he did not see it fly just past the far post. The near miss should not have mattered, though.
Referee Howard Webb should have pointed to the spot for the clearest penalty you will ever see.
And straight afterwards reaching for a red card.
Yet, incredibly, instead of pointing to the spot and sending off Coloccini he waved on the physio!
I think that’s called adding insult to injury.
Ba needed four minutes of treatment and re-appeared briefly with a huge bandage across his injured nose — just in time to see his former club take the lead.
A great move out of defence saw ended with Santon’s deep cross for Gutierrez, who outjumped John Terry to glide a super header beyond Cech four minutes before the break.
That was the signal for Ba to depart to yet more cat-calls, to be replaced by Fernando Torres.
Chelsea emerged a different side after the break, as if enraged by the injustice. And two goals in six minutes stunned Newcastle.
Lampard’s trademark 20-yarder beyond a bamboozled Krul was his 197th Blues goal, leaving him just five behind Bobby Tambling’s Chelsea record.
And when Juan Mata curled a cracker into the top corner no one was surprised.
Just as no one was surprised when Chelsea, who have given up 2-0 leads to Southampton and Reading recently, tossed it away again.

Newcastle: Krul, Debuchy, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Santon, Perch, Cabaye, Gouffran (Marveaux 84), Sissoko (Yanga-Mbiwa 90), Gutierrez, Cisse.Subs Not Used: Elliot, Anita, Bigirimana, Obertan, Shola Ameobi. Booked: Perch, Cisse.Goals: Gutierrez 41, Sissoko 68, 90.

Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Lampard, Oscar, Mata, Bertrand, Ba (Torres 43). Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Ferreira, Marin, Azpilicueta, Benayoun, Ake. Booked:Ramires, Cole, Mata. Goals:Lampard 55, Mata 61.
Att: 52,314

Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

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

Express:

NEWCASTLE 3 - CHELSEA 2: SUPER MOUSSA SISSOKO THE TALK OF LE TOON
John Richardson

If the pain on Chelsea inflicted by Fabricio Coloccini’s boot into £7.5million Ba’s face was bad enough, it was nothing compared to what followed for Rafa Benitez.
The hapless Chelsea manager, who became embroiled in a touchline row with Newcastle boss Alan Pardew, could only watch on in increasing frustration as a 2-1 lead evaporated quicker than you could say French fried.
When Ba incensed the Toon army with his January transfer window desertion, the Geordies set sail across the Channel and did their duty free shopping in the shape of five new French players.
It was one of the cheapest imports – Toulouse midfield powerhouse Moussa Sissoko, costing less than £2m – who announced himself, complete with the No7 shirt which once adorned Kevin Keegan’s back. His drive and energy, allied to two splendidly-taken goals, emphasised that the French resistance is alive and well on Tyneside.
The Blaydon Races might not yet have been replaced by La Marseillaise, but yesterday it was definitely a case of Allez les Lads.
For Benitez, who had to endure chants of “Jose Mourinho” from the travelling Chelsea fans, it could be the guillotine at this rate. But after recovering from a goal down to lead 2-1, it seemed that Chelsea were going to make it a sixth successive unbeaten trip to St James’ Park.
It was some return to the North East for Ba. His afternoon effectively came to an end as he chased down a 32nd-minute, defence-splitting ball from Frank Lampard, fired in a shot which was pushed out by Tim Krul and the follow-up header – which sneaked just wide of the post – was accompanied by a kick on the bridge of the nose.
Ba staggered on, bandaged up after his penalty-box mishap – just long enough to see his former Argentinian team-mate Jonas Gutierrez stun Chelsea – and, you even suspect, the Gallowgate End – with a rare headed goal.
Davide Santon was the instigator of Chelsea’s downfall, cutting in from the left flank and providing a silky right-footed cross for Gutierrez to rise above John Terry and direct his header into the corner of the net.
It was all too much for Ba, whose every move following his January exit from Tyneside to Stamford Bridge was booed by the dismayed Newcastle fans.
Barely able to breathe with what proved to be a broken nose, he made his way slowly to the touchline to be replaced by Fernando Torres.
Newcastle’s goal served only to light the fuse to an entertaining affair which ebbed and flowed with increasing ferocity, lapped up by a full house. Lampard edged ever closer to Bobby Tambling’s 202-goal all-time Chelsea scoring record with a brilliant finish to level things.
Goal number 197 was a cracker, controlling a ball from Ashley Cole before unleashing a dipping effort from 20 yards which left Krul grasping thin air.
Chelsea were now on a roll, Newcastle were on the back foot and six minutes later it was 2-1, Branislav Ivanovic galloping down the right and finding Torres. A neat lay-off to Juan Mata ended with another clinical finish. With the Toon having suffered three defeats in their last four games, Newcastle followers must have feared the worst.
But for those games they didn’t have Sissoko in harness. Already making life difficult for the Chelsea midfield with his ceaseless running, he popped up to prod home a blocked attempt from Yoan Gouffran.
He wasn’t finished. In the last minute of normal time, Papiss Cisse, who had squandered three highly presentable chances, helped atone with a brilliant ball played into substitute Sylvain Marveaux’s path.
When Marveaux skipped into the area, there was Sissoko to hammer low past Petr Cech. There was still time for Lampard to be denied by Steven Taylor’s midriff, with desperate Chelsea claiming a penalty.
A bitter Benitez believed the broken nose incident involving Ba should have earned his side a penalty kick. “It should have been a red card and a penalty,” he said. “Anywhere else on the pitch and the referee would have taken action. That changed the game.”
Pardew thought otherwise. “It was an unbelievable game,” he said. “We accelerated the Sissoko deal and that paid off handsomely.”

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

Star:

NEWCASTLE 3 - CHELSEA 2: MOUSSA SISSOKO HITS DOUBLE AS DEMBA BA BREAKS HIS NOSE

By Paul Hetherington

DEMBA BA’S return to Newcastle ended in agony – and he wasn’t the only one to suffer.
Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez saw his side surrender another winning position after they blew a two-goal lead at Reading in their previous match.
Moussa Sissoko struck twice on a sensational home debut for Newcastle – ­after his bargain £1.8million move from Toulouse – to shatter Chelsea.
Ba, making a quick return to Tyneside after quitting the Geordies for Chelsea in the transfer window through his £7.5m release clause, suffered a broken nose.
He lasted only 42 minutes of a thriller which saw Frank Lampard and Juan Mata put Chelsea on top with great strikes.
That was after Jonas Gutierrez had given Newcastle the lead with his first goal of the season. But Toon roared back for Sissoko to equalise, then rifle home a last-minute winner from Davide Santon’s low cross.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew was delighted with new signing Sissoko. He said: “I saw him 14 months ago and decided then he’s the one for us.
“We were going to sign him in the summer but we accelerated the deal and he is repaying us handsomely.
“Chelsea scored two unbelievable goals and usually when that happens against you, the stuffing is knocked out of you.
“But we weren’t to be denied.”
Newcastle were the more dangerous side in the first half.
Papiss Cisse had a drive bravely blocked by Gary Cahill, then placed his shot too close to Petr Cech when he had a chance to open the scoring. Toon full-back Santon also flashed a shot just wide before Cisse missed another chance – but on this occasion he was denied by a fine Cech save.
Ba’s agony came in the 32nd minute but it could have been ecstasy.
The former Newcastle striker sprinted onto Lampard’s pass, only to see his shot beaten out by Tim Krul.
Ba followed up with a header which travelled wide but took a kick in the face from Fabricio Coloccini as he met the ball.
After seven minutes of treatment, the Chelsea striker returned to the action but lasted only three minutes before being replaced by Fernando Torres. That was just a minute after Gutierrez had beaten John Terry to Santon’s cross to head into the corner of the net.
But ten minutes into the second half Lampard took a pass from Cole and powered the ball home from 25 yards.
He then had a header saved after a brilliant Chelsea move involving Oscar and Mata, who put the Blues ahead in the 61st minute.
Branislav Ivanovic’s cross from the right was laid off by Torres to Mata, who produced a brilliant left-foot finish.
While that was happening, Cole and Cisse were tangling off the ball and both were booked.
Rival bosses Benitez and Pardew also exchanged words on the touchline on a lively day on Tyneside which saw Newcastle equalise in the 68th minute.
Cisse escaped the attentions of Terry to find Yoan Gouffran, whose shot was parried by Cech but only to the impressive Sissoko, who slotted home. And after Sissoko’s winner, Chelsea might have had a penalty for handball against Steven Taylor.
There was even more frustration for Benitez on a day when Chelsea’s travelling fans chanted for the return of Jose Mourinho.
Benitez said: “The Ba incident should have been a penalty for us and a red card for the Newcastle player.
“That changed the game. Anywhere else on the pitch and the referee would have taken action.
“We reacted well and scored two goals but we then gave them the opportunity to play on the counter attack.”