blackburn rovers 2-1

Independent:

Ivanovic hits the front to punish profligate Rovers
Blackburn Rovers 1 Chelsea 2

By Tim Rich at Ewood Park

Football talks of points being chiselled out, but this was a Mount Rushmore of a victory. Chelsea would have been happy with one. They flew back to London with three.
Branislav Ivanovic's winner may have been so much against the grain of the game that it left splinters but it was superbly executed. Throughout the afternoon, Blackburn's crosses were of a significantly higher quality than the champions' but, under pressure and in mid-turn, Yuri Zhirkov produced a wonderful delivery that found Chelsea's right-back unmarked.
Moments before, Blackburn, who had produced perhaps their finest performance of the season, had been handed an equally inviting opportunity when Jason Roberts was played clean through. As his manager, Sam Allardyce, remarked with the resigned sigh of a man who knows he should have won, everything about the way Roberts created the opening was perfect except for the finish, which went six inches the wrong side of the post.
"It was one of those days when you play as well as you possibly can but we needed to convert chances into goals at the right time," Allardyce reflected. "We got the ultimate kick in the teeth when you don't punish the opposition."
It was a result that might be compared to Manchester United's victory at Stoke last Sunday as a win at one of the Premier League's more forbidding minor venues. However, Blackburn performed far better than Stoke and Chelsea far worse than United had done. Even when Nicolas Anelka equalised, the match refused to run to a predictable pattern, and had Mame Biram Diouf arrived fractionally sooner to meet Morten Gamst Pedersen's low free-kick, Blackburn would have had a second before Roberts squandered his chance.
"It was very difficult to play here and it was important to get a result and stay top," said Chelsea's manager, Carlo Ancelotti, afterwards. "Blackburn put us under pressure; we didn't find the space in the middle of the pitch, although in the second half we took more of a risk on the counterattack."
With Allardyce employing a Diouf on either flank, Chelsea were harried, denied space and opened up continually with some high-class crossing. The sight of Benjani operating asthe lone striker had, however, drawn a metaphorical sigh.
His best days were long ago and far away at Portsmouth, nobody ever quite figured out what he was doing at Manchester City and the hamstring injury that forced him off at half-time showed why Allardyce might have had second thoughts about the deal.
And yet the Zimbabwean still has something about him. It was not just his goal, the way he squeezed between Chelsea's two centre-halves, Alex and John Terry, to head home El-Hadji Diouf's wonderfully precise cross. The breakthrough had been coming; moments earlier, Benjani had thundered through and shot against the goalkeeper's legs.
Petr Cech was at least more in control of that move than he had been when Mame Biram Diouf attempted what appeared an innocuous chip into the Chelsea area. Cech slipped and had to palm the ball away one-handed.
"The thing about Chelsea is that when they are being outplayed, they hang in there and hang in there," said Allardyce.
Zhirkov, who was supposed to be an indulgent buy at the behest of Roman Abramovich, threatened constantly and had a shot brilliantly saved by Paul Robinson, while Anelka was a familiar threat.
Chelsea's equaliser, like their winner, may have looked simple but was beautifully executed. Florent Malouda's long ball was skilfully taken down by Didier Drogba and swept in by Anelka for his 11th goal in 15 appearances against Rovers, to whom he must seem like an avenging angel.

Attendance: 25,836
Referee: Peter Walton
Man of the match: Zhirkov
Match rating: 7/10

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Observer:

Branislav Ivanovic heads Chelsea back from behind at Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers 1 Benjani 21 Chelsea 2 Anelka 39, Ivanovic 84
Paul Wilson at Ewood Park

Sam Allardyce rates Nicolas Anelka the best finisher he has worked with, and reckons if the Chelsea striker was at Blackburn he would score 15 goals per season and enable Rovers to comfortably finish in the top half of the table.
Unfortunately for the Blackburn manager, matters are not presently arranged along those lines and he has to make do with Jason Roberts instead. After Anelka had equalised the home side's early lead, the substitute had a great opportunity to win the game when magnificent work from Mame Biram Diouf on the right found him in front of goal nine minutes from time. Roberts neatly cut inside his marker yet still missed the target with only Petr Cech to beat, and Blackburn's chance was gone. A minute later, Anelka helped on a Yuri Zhirkov cross from the left for Branislav Ivanovic to secure all three points with a free header.
Victory kept Chelsea five points clear at the top of the Premier League and though one could not say they did not deserve it, they were flat and somewhat uninspired and would have been punished by deadlier finishers. Allardyce's side did most of the hard work, matched their opponents and made several chances, yet not for the first time failed to find the killer punch.
"We were a little bit lucky," Carlo Ancelotti was honest enough to admit. "Blackburn had a chance to close the game just before we scored. I liked the way Yuri set up the winning goal, he is a very efficient player, but we could have been out of it. It was an important win. Every team finds it difficult here."
That is still true. After a minute's applause to mark Ronnie Clayton's passing, Rovers took the game to Chelsea in the opening stages, with Benjani Mwaruwari finding plenty of space. It was from his pass that Mame Biram Diouf almost caught out Cech with a delicate chip in the 15th minute, then a minute later Benjani tested the goalkeeper. Chelsea could hardly complain when Benjani put Blackburn in front midway through the first half, beating John Terry and Alex to a cross from El Hadji Diouf to register his first goal in almost two years. Cech then needed to stretch to prevent Mame Biram Diouf putting Rovers two up on their next attack, from another searching cross from his namesake.
When Michael Essien poked a shot narrowly wide shortly before the interval, it came as something of a shock to realise it was Chelsea's first serious attempt. Yet as Allardyce wearily remarked afterwards, when you have quality you don't need to dominate, and the visitors equalised with a goal of sublime simplicity. Florent Malouda hoisted over a cross from the left, Didier Drogba knocked it back across goal from the far post, and Allardyce's favourite striker swept the ball into the net without opposition.
To no one's enormous surprise, Benjani did not reappear for the second half, making way for another infrequent performer in Roberts. Ashley Cole put a good chance wide before Zhirkov brought a fine save from Paul Robinson on the hour, drilling a shot straight at the goalkeeper after Drogba had squared across the six-yard line.
Blackburn attempts were becoming scarce, yet Mame Biram Diouf still had the opportunity to restore their lead when Morten Gamst Pedersen's free-kick came through to him at the far post, only for his touch to send the ball the wrong side of the upright from no more than a foot out. Then came what Allardyce termed the golden chance.
"I can't really fault Jason, he did everything else right but he put the ball six inches wide," the Blackburn manager said. "In this game you have to be ruthless, and that's why Chelsea are at the top and we are near the bottom. We gave them a good game, but if you don't punch opponents when you have the chance, you are asking for a kick in the teeth. That's exactly what we got."

THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT

MARCUS TATTERSALL, Observer reader

Ronnie Clayton would have been proud of them. Rovers were wonderful. We didn't play to the usual Rovers manual; we took the game to the opposition, we were inventive and, with Mame Biram Diouf and Emerton providing support for the excellent Benjani, who totally justified his selection, we carried the game to Chelsea. My only criticism would be Pedersen's distribution from free-kicks. We didn't bully Chelsea; we played them off the park with very good football, which shocked and surprised us. I hope that losing doesn't put Allardyce off adopting this approach again.

The fan's player ratings Robinson 8; Salgado 7, Samba 7, Nelsen 7, Givet 6 (Olsson 35 6); Jones 7; MB Diouf 8, Emerton 8, Pedersen 6; EH Diouf 8 (Dunn 79 n/a); Benjani 9 (Roberts ht 5)

TRIZIA FIORELLINO, ChelseaSupportersGroup.net

We made hard work of it. In the first half Blackburn had us really under the cosh. We made a better fist of it in the second half but we could have been 3-0 down at one point. Cole, Zhirkov and Ivanovic were excellent. Ivanovic almost single-handedly won us the game – he seemed to be making up for everybody else's lack of energy. Terry had an off day and Drogba had a diva day. Every so often we have a game like this, it's nothing to do with not liking to come to places like Blackburn. It was a bit of a smash and grab, and the Rovers fans will be disappointed, but that's why we're champions.

The fan's player ratings Cech 7; Ivanovic 9, Alex 8, Terry 7, Cole 8; Essien 7, Mikel 7, Zhirkov 8; Anelka 7 (Ferreira 90 n/a); Drogba 6, Malouda 6 (Sturridge 72 8)

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Mail:

Blackburn 1 Chelsea 2:
Branislav Ivanovic's late header caps Blues' comeback
By Bob Cass

In one wanton act of carelessness, Jason Roberts showed just why teams like Blackburn Rovers are more likely to suffer the pangs of injustice rather than the euphoria of ultimate victory.
Opportunity knocked for the Rovers striker nine minutes from the end of a match in which the home team had proved the difference between the top and the bottom of the Premier League was mathematical rather than inferior.
Roberts, a half-time substitute, collected a superb crossfield ball from Mame Diouf, then killed and controlled it in a second with a flick which also bamboozled the greatest left-back in the world.
With Ashley Cole stranded in his wake, another shimmy sold Petr Cech an even better dummy, leaving him with the goal at his mercy.
And then, carefully and with the utmost precision, he guided his shot six inches wide of the left-hand post.
Roberts looked to the heavens in abject misery; Sam Allardyce screamed in frustrated agony. The golden chance to take three points from the all conquering boys in blue had slipped through their fingers.
And if the Rovers manager thought that was bad enough, there was worse to come.
Two minutes later Yury Zhirkov, in spite of intense pressure from three Blackburn defenders, somehow managed to get in a high cross that saw Branislav Ivanovic steaming in at the far post to head the Chelsea winner.
'It was the ultimate kick in the teeth,' moaned Allardyce with some justification. 'It's pleasing that we were able to create so many chances against a team of such high calibre and give them a good game. But when you don't punish a team as good as Chelsea when you get the chance, they are able to take full advantage of it.
'That's just what they did. It's disappointing when you think of the performance that we gave and the result that we've got. The only consolation is to be able to tell the players that if we can compete at this level, the results will look after themselves.'
Chelsea have already shown they can win in style but it is scrapping ugly wins like this one which will be just as significant when the prizes are handed out at the end of the season.
Carlo Ancelotti knew his team had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. 'We were fortunate but we have a lot of confidence to go and get a lot of benefit from this,' said the Chelsea manager.
'Blackburn put us under a lot of pressure in the first half when we were unable to find any space, but in the second we were better.'
In spite of assertions in the match programme from chairman John Williams that the Indian takeover would go ahead next month and the presence of representatives from the bidding Venkys conglomerate in the directors' box, speculation abounded at Ewood Park about the £46million deal fouling up because of unforeseen technicalities.
Allardyce is hardly salivating at the prospect of a £5m transfer market budget being put at his disposal in the January transfer window should the chickens finally come home to roost - that's the sort of small change Chelsea spend on decorating the dressing room rather than populating it.
But you have to wonder, given his shrewdness in assembling a team more than capable of competing against the Premier League pacesetters, what the Rovers manager could do with something not so paltry from the poultry people. And he might need to.
Rovers had more than enough possession and chances to take something from the game but they were punished because they were wasteful in front of goal and seriously lacking in defence in the game's pivotal moments. Benjani's first goal in two years in the 21st minute gave Rovers an overdue lead.
But for three magnificent saves from Cech, the home team could have been at least three up by then. But the defence was caught ball-watching when Florent Malouda slung a high cross for Didier Drogba to set up Nicolas Anelka for a 37th-minute equaliser.
While Chelsea are maintaining a signficant gap between themselves and their rivals at the top, Allardyce knows he needs a few wins to get them away from the bottom three.
He admitted: 'Unfortunately, it leaves us in a dangerous position after a quarter of the season. The points on the board are not good enough. The pressure comes on you now and we've really got to start putting it right.'

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Telegraph:

Blackburn Rovers 1 Chelsea 2:
By Graham Chase at Ewood Park

Having been the venue where they took a huge step towards Jose Mourinho's first title, Ewood Park has become an increasingly frustrating venue for Chelsea but Branislav Ivanovic's late winner ensured this game could not be added to that list.
Last season they were dumped out of the Carling Cup and a draw in the Premier League looked to have given their title chances a huge blow before they were victorious at Old Trafford.
Carlo Ancelotti can at least take satisfaction from the fact that his side should have been behind by more than Benjani's goal – his first in almost two years - before Nicolas Anelka pulled the champions level just before the interval.
But, so unlike a side that went into the game averaging almost three goals for each Premier League match, they rarely threatened to take the lead themselves, until Ivanovic headed in with eight minutes remaining to preserve their lead at the top of the table.
Blackburn Rovers's recent form has been dreadful and that looked set to continue as they barely touched the ball for the first 10 minutes.
The visitors had an early scare when Petr Cech slipped before palming away a chip from Mame Biram Diouf but with Benjani, making his first start for Blackburn, in fine form, Chelsea were struggling to cope with the pace and width of the home team's attacks.
Blackburn pulled level when Chelsea failed to clear Morten Gamst Pedersen's cross and when El-Hadji Diouf clipped the ball back in and after John Terry failed to get a decent contact, Benjani glanced into the corner to score the first goal against Ancelotti's side for more than eight hours since the 4-3 Carling Cup defeat to Newcastle last month.
They continued to pile forward and might have doubled their lead without Cech's fine tip to Diouf's cross after another quick break.
But just before the interval, Chelsea pulled level with a fine effort of their own. Cech clipped the ball out to Florent Malouda who hit a cross-field pass to Didier Drogba, who knocked down thanks after Ryan Nelsen and Martin Olsson ran into each other.
Anticipating the flick ahead of Phil Jones, Anelka guided past Paul Robinson for his first league goal since August.
After the restart, Blackburn continued to look the most likely other than Robinson having to save from Yuri Zhirkov.
But in the 83rd minute, Zhirkov looped a cross to the far post and Ivanovic headed in to earn Chelsea all three points.


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Star:

BLACKBURN 1 - CHELSEA 2:

ROVER-DOSE OF BRAN! By Mike Whalley at Ewood Park

CARLO ANCELOTTI may have a point when he argues that his ­Chelsea side still have plenty of room for improvement.
The Premier League leaders may have won thanks to Branislav Ivanovic’s late strike but they could easily have been beaten.
And had Blackburn sub Jason Roberts not fluffed a glorious one-on-one chance seconds before Ivanovic’s 83rd-minute headed winner, it probably would have been a Rovers win.
Chelsea may be the best team in England and they may yet run away with the title but they aren’t turning it on away from home.
And Blackburn nearly gave them another away day to forget in a week when most of the talk at Ewood Park has been of a pending £46million takeover by Indian poultry firm Venky’s.
Rovers’ display would have made a good ­impression on Venky’s bosses Balaji and Venkatesh Rao as they watched from the stand.
The prospective owners’ pledge of just £5m for boss Sam Allardyce to spend in January is ­nothing compared to the fortunes spent at ­Stamford Bridge over the last few years. But then it’s a long time since Blackburn were the big spenders of the Premier League.
Allardyce looked to free transfers and loan deals to bolster his squad over the summer.
And one of those signings, Benjani, came up trumps for him midway through the first half to end Chelsea’s run of 503 minutes in all ­competitions without conceding a goal.
There were a few eyebrows raised when ­Allardyce sent out the Zimbabwean but when Chelsea failed to deal with Morten Gamst ­Pedersen’s short corner midway through the first half, El-Hadji Diouf returned the ball for Benjani to turn it in with his shoulder.
The lead was no more than Rovers deserved. It was as if they were determined to put on a show as a fitting tribute to club legend and former England captain Ronnie Clayton, who died on Friday at the age of 76.
Even before Benjani scored, Mame Biram ­Diouf nearly embarrassed Chelsea keeper Petr Cech, who lost his footing dealing with a chipped cross-shot and just managed to flip the ball away. After Benjani’s strike, the two Dioufs combined to cause Chelsea more trouble, Mame Biram ­just ­failing to meet El-Hadji’s terrific left-wing cross.
Chelsea had to wake up at some point and Nicolas Anelka struck six minutes before half-time.
The Frenchman could be forgiven for rubbing his hands with glee whenever he faces Rovers.
When he raced in to finish off Didier Drogba’s knockdown from a superb Florent Malouda pass, it was his 11th goal in 15 Premier League games against them.
Even then, it wasn’t straightforward for Chelsea. Yes, home keeper Paul Robinson had to make a smart stop to deny Yuri Zhirkov but Mame Diouf almost turned in a Pedersen free-kick.
Chelsea sub Daniel Sturridge went close with a long-range effort and then Roberts missed his big chance for Rovers, before Ivanovic headed in ­Zhirov’s left-wing cross for the winner.
Ancelotti admitted his side were lucky to come away with a victory.
“Blackburn played well in the first half,” he said. “They put pressure on us and we were a bit lucky.”
Allardyce said: “It’s one of those days where we’ve played as well as we can play.
“But we got the ultimate kick in the teeth.”

blackburn: Robinson 8; Salgado 7, Samba 8, Nelsen 8, Givet 7 (Olsson (35th) 7); M Diouf 8, Emerton 7, Jones 8, Pedersen 7; E Diouf 8 (Dunn 80th), Benjani 8 (Roberts (46th) 7)

chelsea: Cech 6; Ivanovic 6, Alex 6, Terry 7, Cole 7; Essien 6, Mikel 6, ­Zhirkov 6; Anelka 7 (Ferreira 90th); Drogba 6, Malouda 7 (Sturridge (72nd) 7)

STAR MAN: Mame Biram Diouf
Ref: P Walton

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People:

Blackburn 1-2 Chelsea: Ivanovic nicks it for Chelsea
by Alan Nixon, The People

CHELSEA fans sang ‘That’s why we’re ­champions’ after watching Carlo Ancelotti’s side somehow turn trash into triumph.
The Blues were more like chumps and could have been beaten out of sight, yet marched off victorious thanks to a late winner from ­defender Branislav Ivanovic.
Blackburn’s prospective new owners, the chicken-breeding Rao brothers, saw plenty of pluck from the team they are about to buy but in the end they were left painfully stuffed.
Ancelotti knew his side had got out of jail, saying: “They put us under strong pressure and we were not able to play football.
“The equaliser was important and we were much better in the second half – but even then we were lucky.
“We were brave and took risks and Blackburn could have scored before our winner. But we knew it would be difficult here ... every team finds it difficult.”
A week ago, Blackburn forgot to turn up at Anfield but on home soil yesterday they were at Chelsea’s throats from the off as striker Mame Biram Diouf forced Petr Cech into an athletic save from a clever chip.
Then Benjani twice went close to putting Rovers ahead as Chelsea struggled to find their rhythm.
And it was Benjani, a ­free-transfer arrival at Ewood, who opening the scoring in the 21st minute.
He escaped the shackles of John Terry to plant a header from ­El-Hadji Diouf’s cross past Cech.
Chelsea were sluggish until Nicolas Anelka finally woke them from their slumbers with a super-smooth equaliser in the 39th minute.
Florent Malouda drilled a glorious deep cross ­beyond the Rovers ­backline for Didier Drogba to find space and ­cleverly head down. Anelka was ­lurking on his own to beat Paul Robinson with a smart finish.
Chelsea’s fans broke into their ‘That’s why we’re champions’ chant and it was hard to argue because the sheer quality of the goal had been dredged from pure dross.
Blackburn’s cause was not helped by the loss of Gael Givet before the goal and an injury to scorer Benjani that forced him off at half time.
Buoyed by the goal, Chelsea moved up a gear after the break.
Ashley Cole never stopped running and broke forward time and again, a tactical move that swayed the game Chelsea’s way. Yuri Zhirkov also came alive while John Obi Mikel at last found his touch.
Cole then fluffed a chance to grab the lead ­before Zhirkov made Robinson push away his effort in a storming second half. Drogba ­almost knocked out Mort Pedersen with a volley as the pressure mounted.
Chelsea sub Daniel Sturridge was fractions away from a goal-of-the-month contender soon after coming on, waltzing across the park and shaving a post with a 25-yarder.
The closing stages were ferocious as both sides pressed for a winner.
Mame Biram Diouf fluffed ­another chance before sub Jason Roberts shot wide with just Cech to beat – a real howler from the ­experienced front man.
The miss was to prove so costly because in the next attack Ivanovic rose at the far post in the 84th minute to powerfully nod in a cross from Zhirkov after the Russian had brilliantly wriggled into space. Ancelotti admitted the game was defined in those madcap-turned-magic minutes.
He said: “Blackburn could have closed the game out, but then it was fantastic play by Zhirkov.”
It was not the result Allardyce wanted as the Blackburn takeover draws near and he seeks assurances about his future.
The Ewood chief said: “When Chelsea are not playing well they hang in there.
“Look at the first goal, pure ­quality. They were not in the game, not looking like scoring, but two passes later we’re a goal down.
“That is how good they are. They don’t have to play better than you, it is just down to their outstanding ability.
“It leaves us in a very dangerous position. Performances have been OK but the points total is not good enough and it puts us at the wrong end of the table.”

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