blackburn 2-0

Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Blackburn Rovers 0
By Jonathan Liew

Carlo Ancelotti talks a lot about being in a 'good moment’ or 'bad moment’. At this point, it is probably fair to say his team are somewhere in between.
Grinding out wins in adversity may be the hallmark of champions, but still, this was about as unsatisfying a 2-0 victory as it is possible to imagine. For a team low on morale and down on their luck, it is a start, but Ancelotti will be aware it is no more than that.
This was a Chelsea in transition, still trying to locate their poise, still struggling to prioritise instinct over thought. That apprehension has filtered through to the fans. Stamford Bridge was eerily hushed for the most of the game, and even when Chelsea broke through, the customary chant of “that’s why we’re champions” was notable by its absence. The quality was there, but the sharpness and swagger remain elusive.
“The performance was good,” Ancelotti insisted. “More intensity, more quality, and we have to be happy for this. We have to play better again, but we have more confidence now. I’m sure we will do better.”
For Blackburn Rovers’s part, the best that could be said of their approach was that it probably reassured Ronaldinho that he made the right choice in joining Flamengo.
David Dunn’s early hamstring injury robbed them of guile, and for most of the game they were obstinately functional. Their lone forward — Nikola Kalinic in the first-half, the returning Roque Santa Cruz in the second — was often hopelessly isolated.
“We felt we were forcing it when we got the ball,” manager Steve Kean admitted. “We were trying to hit the front too quickly.”
That Blackburn remained in the game as long as they did says more about their opponents’ profligacy than their own virtue. For most of the afternoon, Chelsea were like a joke without a punchline.
In the first two thirds of the pitch, they moved the ball with assurance and intelligence. As soon as the goal loomed into view, they thwarted their own aggressive intentions with heavy first touches and misplaced passes. It was telling that both their goals came from set-pieces, and Nicolas Anelka only got his by diverting in a Branislav Ivanovic header that was going in anyway.
Didier Drogba remains a source of concern for Ancelotti. The Drogba of old might have scored three or four yesterday; instead, he drew another blank, his 11th in 14 league games. He tried everything: speculative long-rangers, cute dinks, dipping free-kicks. Left one-on-one with the goalkeeper on innumerable occasions, he tried to lift the ball over Paul Robinson’s body and he tried to slide it underneath. Nothing worked.
“He played a good game, he was not selfish,” Ancelotti said, ignoring the fact that a self-seeking Drogba is generally a more effective one.
“He didn’t score, but it doesn’t matter. He is very close to his best. Sometimes you have to shoot 10 times to score.”
As the deadlock persisted, irritation turned to frustration. Wave after wave of attacks crashed against Robinson’s goal. Anelka curled a shot just wide from 20 yards. Frank Lampard headed over Jose Bosingwa’s cross. Ramires, one of the best players in a blue shirt, dragged a shot inches wide and also struck the woodwork, as did Anelka.
Blackburn’s best chance came in the first half, when Junior Hoilett cut in from the left and produced a diving stop of the highest quality from Petr Cech.
Chelsea needed a lucky break, and early in the second half an ordinary piece of Blackburn defending granted it to them.
Morten Gamst Pedersen tried to clear a Florent Malouda corner but could only get the faintest of touches. Ivanovic was able to gather at the back post, shield the ball from Ryan Nelsen and slot it past Robinson through a forest of legs.
With 14 minutes left, Blackburn were undone again. Malouda swung in the corner, Ivanovic headed the ball at goal and Anelka was on the line to turn the ball in. Relief, but one look at the league table will remind Chelsea that restitution is still some way off.

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Independent:

Ivanovic inspires as Chelsea turn corner
Chelsea 2 Blackburn Rovers 0:

Blackburn caught napping at set-pieces as champions grind out victory

By Steve Tongue at Stamford Bridge

It was a win, though still not as Chelsea supporters know it; or indeed expect. Last weekend's 7-0 romp against Ipswich in the FA Cup had revived memories of more carefree days earlier in the season but this was back to hard grind. That made it similar to the victory against Bolton two weeks ago, the only one in nine previous League games.
The points earned by goals from Branislav Ivanovic and Nicolas Anelka following corners in the second half carried the champions above Tottenham into fourth place, remaining in some sort of contact with Manchester United before that pair meet at White Hart Lane this afternoon. At least both cannot win. Finishing above Spurs to secure a vitally important place in the Champions' League would appear to be a more realistic target than retaining the Premier League title.
Naturally Carlo Ancelotti could or would not admit that. "It's not easy to close the gap in the Premier League but we have to think we can do it," the Chelsea manager said.
Blackburn's manager, Steve Kean, a Portuguese speaker who almost joined Chelsea as a coach under Luiz Felipe Scolari, had seen his team defend stoutly for almost an hour before submitting. "We're disappointed because we're normally very good at defensive set-plays," he said.
Blackburn proved fallible at two of the umpteen corner-kicks Chelsea won. In the 57th minute, John Terry was allowed too much room to head on Florent Malouda's flag-kick, and when Morten Gamst Pedersen failed to clear, Ivanovic drove it past Paul Robinson from an acute angle.
Blackburn might have claimed – though Kean to his credit did not – that Malouda should not have been on the pitch after the sort of double-footed challenge 10 minutes earlier that has recently cost other players a red card. It was another left-wing corner from the French winger that brought the second goal, and relief all round Stamford Bridge, with 14 minutes to play. The powerful Ivanovic reached this one first and his header might even have crept in had Anelka not made certain with a deft touch from close range.
Chelsea, to be fair, dominated the second half. At the interval the visitors had thrown on Roque Santa Cruz, welcomed back from Manchester City complaining he had been offered far too little playing time. But the effect of that, unfortunately, was that he looked rusty.
Blackburn made their best chance without him, after half an hour's play. David Hoilett drifted through the centre, easily avoided Terry and forced a fine save from Petr Cech, Terry recovering to block the follow-up. They packed the midfield but suffered from losing the influential David Dunn midway through the first half with a hamstring strain, offering a first opportunity to Jason Lowe, an England Under-19 squad member who had made his Rovers debut in the FA Cup last weekend.
Ryan Nelsen and Gaël Givet did particularly well in defence, although twice in that opening half the crossbar saved their team. In only the second minute Ramires cracked a shot against the bar from some 20 yards. Just before the interval Didier Drogbawhipped over a cross and the ball came back off the angle of post and bar.
There has been talk of both principal strikers being left out recently. They each looked sharper yesterday and combined well after half an hour when Anelka played his partner in – albeit looking suspiciously offside – only to be denied by a fine saving tackle from Givet.
The day before the game Ancelottihad not discouraged speculation that Drogba and Michael Essien could be dropped. His insisted afterwards, however: "We needed more size because I knew Blackburn could use the big ball and set-pieces. So Essien and Drogba started the game."
Of his team's fluctuating form, he added: "I think our bad moment is over. Our [form] is better and now we have to play better again."

Attendance: 40,846
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Man of the match: Ivanovic
Match rating: 6/10


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Observer:

Nicolas Anelka helps Chelsea to victory against Blackburn Rovers

Chelsea 2 Ivanovic 57, Anelka 76 Blackburn Rovers 0

Paul Doyle at Stamford Bridge

This was not quite a return to form for Chelsea but it was an encouraging step in the right direction, albeit against a Blackburn side whose ability seemed as limited as their ambition.
Carlo Ancelotti went into this game hoping for proof that last weekend's 7-0 FA Cup demolition of IpswichTown had propelled his team out of the rut that they had sunk into over the past two months, during which they had won only one of nine Premier League games.
The initial signs were promising for the Italian as Chelsea nearly blew Blackburn away in the opening minutes, during which the ball was barely out of the visitors' half. Even the much-maligned Ramires looked formidable and nearly gave the hosts the lead in the third minute, but his shot from 10 yards following a half-cleared corner cannoned back off the bar.
Chelsea dominated possession for the rest of the half but, with the visitors defending with diligence and great numbers, often struggled to pick a way through Blackburn, their approach work often suffering from stodgy predictability.
Didier Drogba, José Bosingwa and Nicolas Anelka all tried their luck from distance but their shots failed to find the target and for a while this seemed like being another frustrating afternoon for Ancelotti. In the 33rd minute, Anelka did manage to release Drogba with a ball straight through the middle but Gaël Givet – hardly a speedster – managed to catch up with the Ivorian and make a saving tackle just as he wound up as shot. Clearly Drogba, though willing, is not yet back to his best.
Sighs began to be heard around Stamford Bridge and they almost turned to shrieks when Blackburn sweptunexpectedly forward in the 34th minute and worked an opening for David Hoilett. Petr Cech produced a fine save to foil the attempted smash-and-grab. Two minutes before the break Chelsea came close again, Drogba delivering a cross from the
right that Anelka met with a neat flick six yards out - for the second time, however, the champions were thwarted by the frame of the goal.
Blackburn introduced new re-signing Roque Santa Cruz at half-time, seemingly in a bid to sharpen their offensive threat, but the direction of play continued to be overwhelmingly towards the other penalty area.
In the 56th minute, Chelsea finally forced their way in front with a goal born more of persistence than of inspiration.
John Terry sent a firm header into a cluster of bodies around the six-yard box following a Drogba corner and, as Ryan Nelsen struggled to clear, Branislav Ivanovic squeezed the ball over the line from five yards. Relief exploded around the ground.
Blackburn never looked like scrounging an equaliser, and Drogba, Terry and Frank Lampard – who was a peripheral influence throughout – all fluffed chances to extend the lead but Rovers' luck ran out in the 76th minute, when Chelsea struck their second.
Ivanovic was again instrumental, sending a powerful header towards goal following a Drogba corner. It would probably have crossed the line without Anelka's assistance but the striker, without a Premier League goal in over two months, gave it a helping prod from one yard just to make sure.
"I think our bad moment is over," declared Ancelotti, who nevertheless was not getting carried away over successive home victories. "Our play was good, with more intensity and quality, but our last two games have been at home. We have to check now how we are away – next week's game at Bolton is very important."
He was sufficiently buoyed, however, to suggest that there is still life in his team's ailing title challenge. "We have more confidence now and I am sure we will do better in the Premier League – it's not easy to close the gap but we have to think that we can," said the Italian. "We won last year and we want to do everything to be in the competition until the end."
Ancelotti scoffed at suggestions that this win had saved his job. "I never doubted the support of my club was very close to me and the players," he said.

THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT TRIZIA FIORELLINO, ChelseaSupportersGroup.net
Ivanovic is our player of the year so far, I can't believe the rumours that we are quibbling over his contract – we need to pay whatever it takes to keep him at the Bridge. Overall, it wasn't too convincing, but there was a little more positivity on the pitch. Lampard is not match-fit yet, but he's making a difference, orchestrating the midfield. Blackburn were very negative and we again weren't at our best, so if they'd had more of a go they might have got something. Despite the win, we're definitely out of the title race. We need to find some form and secure a Champions League place. Whatever happens on top will be a bonus.

The fan's player ratings Cech 8; Bosingwa 7, Terry 8, Ivanovic 9, Cole 9; Ramires 9, Essien 7 (McEachran 80 9), Lampard 8; Anelka 8 (Kalou 79 7), Drogba 7, Malouda 7 (Sturridge 87 8)

MARCUS TATTERSALL, Observer reader
It was a case of spot the difference between the old Allardyce methods and Steve Kean's new Rovers. The subtle changes he's made, with the full-backs pushing on, have been more positive, but that was rarely seen today. Which is a shame because Chelsea looked a shadow of the team they were, and it was a golden opportunity to get at least a point. Their goals seemed to be carbon copies, even though defending set pieces is one of our strengths. Santa Cruz looked class when he came on, but we desperately need a creative midfielder – forget bidding for Ronaldinho, I'd have Charlie Adam. I think he's a great player.

The fan's player ratings Robinson 8; Salgado 7, Samba 6, Nelsen 8, Givet 7; MB Diouf 6, Dunn 5 (Lowe 24 6), Pedersen 6, Olsson 6; Hoilett 5 (Roberts 68 5); Kalinic 5 (Santa Cruz 45 7)


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Mail:

Chelsea 2 Blackburn 0: Ivanovic and Anelka put Blues back into top four

By Rob Draper

Carlo Ancelotti purports to be confident about the future. ‘I didn’t have a doubt about my job before this game, because the club and the players have been very close to me,’ he claimed. ‘So you could have written that my job was safe even before this game.’ And that may be an entirely sensible line to take for public consumption.But in reality, having raised the prospect of dropping Didier Drogba and Michael Essien for the match then relenting and choosing to play them, and with owner Roman Abramovich due in London this week, a victory was the very least he required. Yet for almost an hour Ancelotti could not be sure it was coming.
True, Chelsea started at a blistering pace, with Ramires skewing a shot against the bar after two minutes and Ashley Cole rampaging down the left, creating three chances in the opening six minutes alone.But thereafter, they were laboured and insipid. In fact, they would have scared neither Manchester United nor Arsenal and certainly not Barcelona or Real Madrid. As for Bolton and Everton, their forthcoming opponents in the Premier League and the FA Cup, they, too, will not be terrorised by what was on offer.For Chelsea are not yet out of their ‘bad moment’, as Ancelotti refers to it. ‘We are not at the same level we were at the start of the season, but we will come back to that level,’ insisted Ancelotti.‘We don’t need much time to get back to that level. But the next game against Bolton will be very important because then, if we can win, we can say that moment has gone. It is a good test for us.‘The last two games were at home and now we have to check our moment away, which will be more difficult. But I think scoring the seven goals against Ipswich last week in the FA Cup was important psychologically. Our moment is really better and we are playing better. We have more confidence now and I’m sure we will do better.
‘It isn’t easy to close the gap on the leaders but we have to believe we are able to do this. I don’t know if it’s possible, but because we won the title last year we want to do everything to be competitive until the end.’It is a measure of how much things have changed in such a short space of time that a mediocre Blackburn side felt that they had a chance of winning at Stamford Bridge.
Their manager, Steve Kean, said: ‘We were confident as we’ve won three of the last four, so we felt we could get something from the game.’Rovers’ best chance came from lively Canadian David Hoilett, 20, who cut inside John Terry and forced a tremendous save from Petr Cech on 35 minutes. ‘It was a world-class save from Cech,’ said Kean.They might have had the advantage of an extra man had referee Martin Atkinson taken a sterner view of Florent Malouda’s two-footed challenge on Mame Biram Diouf on 49 minutes. A yellow card was produced but it could easily have been red, though Kean had no complaints. ‘I thought the yellow was fair,’ he said.Blackburn held their own until the 57th minute when they failed to defend Malouda’s corner, allowing John Terry a flicked header which reached Branislav Ivanovic who, from three yards, dug out a shot which somehow managed to sneak past the attendant Ryan Nelsen, Michel Salgado and Paul Robinson.
Then, on 76 minutes and from another Malouda corner, Ivanovic climbed quite magnificently — though without sufficient challenge — and powered a header goalwards, which Nicolas Anelka flicked past Robinson, also from three yards out.As for Essien and Drogba, Ancelotti has clearly indicated they are living on borrowed time by raising the prospect of dropping them. ‘It’s important for us that Josh McEachran is ready to play from the beginning and he can give more competition in the squad,’ said Ancelotti.‘But we needed more size. I knew Blackburn could use the long ball and set-pieces and I wanted to have power in the box, which is why Essien and Drogba started the game.‘They are some of the most important players not because they play every game — because sometimes they can stay out of the team, this doesn’t matter. But Didier was very close to his best today. He played a good game, didn’t score but played for the team and came back and also helped the midfield players.’
While neither is playing his best, both showed signs of the incision and power of which they are capable.Indeed, the final 20 minutes saw a succession of chances — Terry’s flicked header, Drogba’s saved shot, Malouda’s long-range effort — that suggested Chelsea might be emerging from their dismal midwinter.However, that came once victory was assured. When they can play like that from the start, then Ancelotti can be sure that his moment has passed.

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Star:

UGLY WIN'S A BEAUTY

By Tony Stenson

Chelsea 2 - Blackburn 0

IT was probably the ugliest goal Chelsea have ever scored under manager Carlo Ancelotti.
But after Branislav Ivanovic’s opener against Blackburn the Italian breathed deep, as if he had witnessed a footballing masterclass.
For a while his job was safe. But then came a collapse not seen at Chelsea since before Roman Abramovich started pouring cash into the Blues.
A win over Bolton at the end of last year seemed to have stopped the rot – but then a draw against a struggling Aston Villa and an away defeat at Wolves plunged Ancelotti’s men back into crisis.
Blackburn provided a tough test and gave a much better account of themselves than they did in a 7-1 mauling at Old Trafford earlier this season.
Steve Kean’s side did enough at times to show they could have taken all three points.
Chelsea thankfully had skipper John Terry back to his inspiring best, providing the muscle and mental toughness to get things moving.
They also had Ivanovic on hand to break the deadlock after 57 minutes. The Serb then also turned provider for Nicolas Anelka, who netted Chelsea’s second 14 minutes from time to seal the win.
Ivanovic didn’t make great contact with the shot for his goal – but it was good enough to squeeze between a number of Blackburn defenders and beat keeper Paul Robinson.
Terry had flicked on a Florent Malouda corner and the ball fell kindly for Ivanovic to score his fifth goal of the season.
Chelsea started out well but are still a long way off their classy best.
They are getting there – but it will be an uphill struggle until their confidence is fully restored.
England boss Fabio Capello was in the stands watching on but the game started with only five Englishmen on the pitch – none of whom was under the age of 30.
Chelsea’s Ramires, who signed from Benfica in the summer, struck the Blackburn bar early in the first half before Martin Olsson tested Petr Cech from 25 yards at the other end.
Michael Essien sent a header wide from a Frank Lampard corner, while Didier Drogba fired over from long range.
The striker then broke clear in the 33rd minute, only for Gael Givet to make up ground and put in a fantastic challenge.
Blues keeper Cech was then forced to make a fine save to deny Junior Hoilett two minutes later.
After the break Anelka dragged a shot just wide before Ivanovic’s opener.
And Robinson came to his side’s rescue 15 minutes from time when Christopher Samba’s poor backpass put Drogba clear.
But that work was undone by more poor defending from the following corner.
Ivanovic headed towards goal and Anelka was perfectly placed to fire home from point-blank range.
Ancelotti said: “I think our bad run is over. We still believe we can win the title.
“I did not have a doubt about my job because of the support I have had from the club.
“It was always good, so why should it be different now?
“Beating Ipswich by seven goals helped our confidence.
“Now we have to go forward, believing we can make up ground on the leaders. We will not give up.”
Blackburn boss Kean said: “We are disappointed because we are normally very good at set plays but we got caught out by two today.
“Roque Santa Cruz is lacking fitness but he showed one or two good touches and I hope I can add a couple more players to help him before the window closes at the end of the month.”


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Mirror:

Chelsea 2-0 Blackburn:
By Paul Smith

Victory for Chelsea failed to mask the fact that their title challenge is all but over.
Although they secured only their second league win in 10 games, the defending champions, who looked to have their lost their way alarmingly in recent weeks, still showed no encouraging evidence that their early season form was returning.
Indeed until Branislav Ivanovic eased home pressure with the opening goal in the 57th minute they looked like a club low on confidence and short on belief.
Better sides than Blackburn, who didn’t decide to park a bus in front of their own goal, would have caused Chelsea far more problems.
And even though Carlo Ancelotti claimed Chelsea had momentarily emerged from a bad moment in their season you still suspected he had justifiable concerns to be cautious.
“I think the bad moment is over. It was important for us to play at home but the bad moment also has to be achieved away from home so the game against Bolton is very important.
“At least we will go into that game with some confidence, I am convinced we will be much stronger.
“There was more intensity and more quality about our play against Blackburn. Now we have confidence and I’m sure we will do better in the Premier League.”
But Ancelotti did concede that the gap between them and the title pacesetter might be too big to close.
“I am not sure whether the gap is too big now but we have to believe. We still want to win trophies.”
While Blackburn boss Steve Kean had no complaints about the defeat he was disappointed in the manner of the way his side conceded the goals.
“Overall I have no complaints with the result. We are disappointed with the goals though.
“Normally we are very good at defending set plays but today we were very sloppy.
“We did well in the first half and tried to go a bit more offensive in the second half. Having won three of the last four we came here confident we could get a result.
“We chipped away but never managed to really trouble Chelsea in the end.”
Ancelotti resisted significant changes despite claims he was set to drop key players for the home clash with Blackburn.
Indeed there was only one from the side that lost at Wolves in the last Premier league clash, Nicolas Anelka returning at the expense of Salomon Kalou.
Despite their recent poor form in the league that has seen Chelsea’s title campaign alarmingly falter, they went into the game full of confidence following the 7-0 win over Championship side Ipswich in the FA Cup.
They certainly made an encouraging start pegging Blackburn back in their own half in a frantic opening.
But while home possession was embarrassing at times, Chelsea inability to convert a succession of chances was cause for concern.
Didier Drogba’s form which has seen him score just two goals from open play since the start of October was showing little evidence of rediscovering his form in front of goal.
For their part Blackburn were more than content to sit deep and soak up home pressure.
Inevitably chances came and went for Chelsea but as close as they came to finding the opening goal you somehow suspected it was going to elude them.
Ancelotti certainly showed signs of growing anxiety as he paced up and down the technical area with the half time whistle fast approaching.
Sadly Chelsea’s frustrations continued after the break as more of the same followed while Blackburn introduced Roque Santa Cruz following his loan switch from Manchester City.
Tempting crosses from right, notably from Jose Bosingwa failed to find a man in a blue shirt.
Blackburn, while showing little appetite for offensive football, were an all together different proposition at the back where they packed their own penalty area to further frustrate Chelsea.
The home crowd were also becoming increasingly agitated until Chelsea’s dominance finally paid off in the 57th minute.
Flourent Malouda’s cross was headed on by captain John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic fired home at the far post.
The relief was evident and suddenly Chelsea had a real spring in their step.
The goal forced Blackburn to change tactics and Frank Lampard almost added a second when Chelsea broke swiftly from their own half.
Jason Roberts was introduced to add more power to the Blackburn attack.
Drogba should have added a second Chelsea goal in the 76th minute when he raced through on goal following Christopher Samba’s woeful back pass.
But Robinson momentarily averted the danger by touching the ball around his post.
Unfortunately from the subsequent corner Chelsea increased their lead.
Ivanovic rose unchallenged to send in a powerful goal bound header, which Anelka got the slightest touch on to wrong foot Robinson and secure the points.

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People:

Chelsea 2-0 Blackburn: Set-pieces revive Carlo's hopes as Blues turn the corner
By Tom Hopkinson, The People

CARLO ANCELOTTI will wake this morning knowing this was better, much better, from his Chelsea side.
But the Italian won’t need any ­reminding that the Blues still have a long way to go before they can claim to be genuine title ­contenders once again.
They deserved their ­victory over Steve Kean’s Blackburn, thanks to goals from Branislav Ivanovic and Nicolas Anelka.
But both came from corners. In open play Chelsea simply aren’t ­the same side that started the campaign in such blistering fashion.
Now they are having to grind results out and, worryingly for Ancelotti, for much of this match they looked every inch the top flight’s fifth-best team.
OK, so they might be back up to fourth and will stay there if Tottenham are beaten by leaders Manchester United this afternoon.
But Spurs, Arsenal, United and Manchester City are playing with much more confidence and flair, and Chelsea face a major battle to finish in the all-important Champions League spots.
Ancelotti says the “bad moment” he has often referred to in recent months is now over. But he admits they still aren’t back to their best and only another win away at Bolton next weekend will confirm they are even back in the mix.
Ancelotti said: “I have to judge this performance first, and I thought we started well and could have scored before the Ivanovic goal.
“We played with intensity, with ­quality and we have to be happy with this, but we have to check the next game because we play away and it will be more difficult.
“Last weekend was important but so was this weekend. We are playing better but we have to play better again.
“We have more confidence now and I’m sure we will do better in the Premier League.”
The win further eased the pressure on Ancelotti, although he insists he never doubted Roman Abramovich’s faith in him.
He added: “I didn’t ever doubt my position was safe, because the support of my club and the players was always very close to me.”
Ramires’ early effort hit the top of the bar after he shrugged off David Hoilett with ease, but Rovers keeper Paul Robinson had to wait almost the entire half before his goal was ­threatened again.
It wasn’t that Chelsea didn’t have chances. Didier Drogba’s wild shot was well wide and Frank Lampard was unable to keep a header down
And, when Robinson was beaten, the joint of bar and post came to Rovers’ rescue from Anelka’s deft touch.
Rovers had their chances, though none fell to Roque Santa Cruz on his return. The ­impressive ­Hoilett forced Petr Cech to make a great save with a low drive.
But they suffered when David Dunn went off with a hamstring tweak midway through the first half and fell behind shortly into the second. Florent Malouda’s corner was turned on by John Terry and Morten Gamst Pedersen could do ­nothing with his header but send it into Ivanovic’s path. The Serb slamming the ball past Robinson, who was ­unsighted by Michel Salgado.
Malouda was booked for a challenge on Mame Diouf which caused a few gasps around the ground but Kean felt referee Martin Atkinson was right not to dismiss the Chelsea man.
Good defending from Salgado then denied Terry, but ­moments later Anelka got the faintest of touches on Ivanovic’s header to double Chelsea’s lead.
Only then did Chelsea start to play and Robinson was forced to make a good save when Chris Samba’s woeful backpass released Drogba.
The Drog is still short of his best form but a late, snatched effort from him was a reminder that his sharpness is starting to return.
Rovers boss Kean said: “We felt there was a foul on Hoilett as the ball came over for the first goal but I’m still disappointed because normally we’re very good at defending set-plays and that was sloppy by our standards.
“We were confident because we’d won three of the last four and felt we could get something, but we chucked it away a bit and got our just rewards.”
Kean revealed American midfielder Jermaine Jones is on the verge of ­joining Rovers on loan from German side Schalke.

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