everton 1-1 fa cup

Independent:


Kalou rides to rescue and frustrates dominant Everton

Everton 1 Chelsea 1

By Tim Rich at Goodison Park




Louis Saha should know by now that scoring against Chelsea and beating Chelsea are two entirely different things. When he ran back in pink boots, blue shirt and hair dyed bronze after heading home Leighton Baines' corner, it was his fifth goal in as many appearances against Chelsea and only one of those games had been won. This should have been.

Everyone agreed on the turning point. There were 18 seconds separating Michael Essien's desperate lunge to block Seamus Coleman's shot with the goal gaping in front of him and the soft swish of the ball striking Tim Howard's net.

Chelsea had performed haltingly and but for Petr Cech, who had instinctively parried Coleman's initial header before Essien intervened and later tipped over a drive from Jermaine Beckford, their chances of a third successive FA Cup would have been dashed beneath the Gwladys End.

This was the 26th game Chelsea have played in the competition since they were overcome by Liverpool in the 2006 semi-final at Old Trafford and only one of those, at Barnsley nearly three years ago, had been lost. They needed luck and resilience to survive here and got both. Had Ramires' shot not struck the foot of the post, they might even have repeated the scoreline in the 2009 final when Saha's goal in the opening minute suggested a script that was never followed

"That one tackle from Michael Essien has saved the game for them," Everton's captain, Phil Neville, reflected. "If that goes in, we are through to the next round. Then they counter-attack and score in a game in which we have dominated possession. We are very, very disappointed. We have shown again we are a good team but we have to produce it again in the replay at Stamford Bridge and it will be a hell of a task. We just have to remember that a couple of years ago we drew with Liverpool and won the replay."

Everton's record in this corner of London is a highly creditable one – their last five League matches at Stamford Bridge have been drawn – but it was 1994 when they last won there. Saha commented: "We are fed up with playing well and it is time to start winning games. We have not got our rewards and once more it is a bitter shame."

Everton's domination after a flat and insipid 45 minutes began after the interval when David Moyes reminded his players that the low winter sun would now be shining directly into Chelsea eyes. It might explain why when Leighton Baines delivered a high corner, John Terry appeared to lose the ball and his marker, allowing Saha to make the breakthrough.

Later another set-piece, by Mikel Arteta, was aimed at the big hair of Marouane Fellaini and Cech, who has at times been found wanting when a ball comes out of the floodlights, was again at the peak of his game.

Nevertheless, Chelsea looked sluggish in the midday frost. They appeared what they are; an ageing side in need of new blood with only one header from their 30-year-old captain across the top of Howard's net to show for their efforts.

Chelsea looked lost without actually losing, epitomised by the waves of Didier Drogba's arms and the shrugs of his shoulders, although Moyes wondered aloud whether the Ivorian's pass that led to Salomon Kalou's shot that appeared too soft to result in a goal, was intended for Ramires. Nevertheless, Kalou's aim was so beautifully directed that its pace scarcely mattered.

However, new blood is required and in the shape of Fernando Torres it appears to be coming. Chelsea's fans acted as if Torres had already arrived, singing the song with which the Kop has hymned him for several seasons now. Meanwhile, his posters were being taken down from bedroom walls all over Merseyside.


Attendance: 28,376

Referee: Howard Webb

Man of the match: Coleman

Match rating: 7/10




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Observer:




Salomon Kalou earns FA Cup holders Chelsea a replay against Everton



Chelsea may be in for Fernando Torres but they would be out of the FA Cup without Petr Cech. The goalkeeper produced a save from Seamus Coleman to prevent Everton going two in front that proved to be a turning point when Chelsea mounted a swift counterattack to equalise, then denied Jermaine Beckford with a fingertip save in the final minutes to earn a replay.

A draw was a fair result in a game that only got going at half-time, yet Everton did enough to win and could reasonably claim that only Cech, with crucial back-up from Michael Essien when it mattered, prevented them inflicting the first Cup defeat on Chelsea since Barnsley beat them in March 2008.

Essien threw his body in the way of Coleman's attempt to follow up his headed effort in a manner that demonstrated his team's determination and their desire to keep their hands on a trophy that has resided at Stamford Bridge for the past two years. Playing their strongest team was a similar declaration of intent, though for most of the second half the visiting team seemed not to have turned up. It was all Everton. "A draw was a great result for us," a relieved Carlo Ancelotti said. "It was a difficult game, they were very dangerous at set pieces, and every time we play Everton we see a close match. We keep on drawing against them."

David Moyes made optimistic noises about Everton's chances in London but was probably closer to the mark in his programme notes when he said his players had to make home advantage count. "We nearly did," the Everton manager said. "We probably did enough to win, and I don't think Chelsea would have come back from two down, but their goalkeeper makes a great save, they score, and that's what happens against quality opponents."

The first half was truly terrible, a slow, uneventful affair on a frosty pitch enlivened only by the Chelsea fans chanting for Torres to give them a wave. The Liverpool striker was not here, of course, the only player in the guest seats was Gary Neville watching his brother get trampled underfoot by John Terry, but it was an amusing follow-up to the usual request made of Ancelotti.

Each team had one decent chance before the interval. Marouane Fellaini's persistence won the ball from Essien and set up Jack Rodwell for a shot straight at Cech, while at the other end Nicolas Anelka was given a slightly clearer opportunity by Ramires's through ball but was unable to beat Tim Howard. It was the sort of chance Anelka normally accepts, though perhaps Sylvain Distin deserves credit for coming across quickly and forcing him to hurry his shot.

The second half was immediately better, mainly because Everton took the game to Chelsea and threw men forward in support of Louis Saha, who had been asked to do too much on his own in the first period. Saha might have scored from a Rodwell cross after Terry had given the ball away but for Ramires sprinting back to block on the line, and from a Mikel Arteta free-kick Fellaini produced a header that Cech had to tip over his bar.

With Chelsea pinned in their own half it was always likely Everton might be first to score, even if the breakthrough after just over an hour did come from a set piece. Leighton Baines sent over a measured corner from the right, and Saha found just enough space on the six‑yard line to score with a firm downward header.

Chelsea could have had no complaints at that stage – they barely crossed the halfway line for half an hour after the interval, yet once they did they equalised with almost nonchalant ease. Cech had just produced a save to keep out a Coleman header, Essien making his important cover tackle to prevent him following up, when Anelka brought the ball out of defence and played a crossfield pass that Ramires allowed to run on to Salomon Kalou. The substitute had only been on the field a few minutes, but with Everton backing off seemingly unaware of the danger, he beat an unsighted Howard with a low shot past Distin and Phil Neville.

"It was a disappointing game to lose," Neville said. "We were all over them in the second half and if Seamus had put that in we would be in the next round."





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Telegraph:


Everton 1 Chelsea 1


Chelsea returned to London from their first visit to Merseyside this weekend mired in stalemate, aware that they will be given a second chance at success early next month. Roman Abramovich will be aware that his second, rather more expensive, foray north-west in the next 48 hours will not come with a do-over.

Liverpool, as they attempt to hold on to Fernando Torres, could do worse than copy their neighbours' example. Everton were defiant, dominant at Goodison Park, deservedly taking the lead through Louis Saha and only ceding it thanks to a fortuitous strike from Salomon Kalou.

Abramovich covets Torres as much for his unpredictability, his dash of daring and his frisson of flair, as he does for his star quality and market appeal. For all the hundreds of millions he has spent, all of the internationals at his disposal, Chelsea remain at heart the functional, effective unit Jose Mourinho wished them to be. Chelsea are easy to admire; for all but their fans, they are hard to love.

Torres represents someone who can capture the heart and the imagination.

That sort of purchase, the acquisition of a status symbol by an owner with a taste for the exotic, the unattainable, is anathema to most managers. Even Ancelotti, with his background fitting Silvio Berlusconi's square pegs into round holes at AC Milan - not to mention playing with any number of the Italian Prime Minister's flights of fancy at San Siro - is thought to harbour doubts over where Torres will fit in.

It is not hard to see why. The Spaniard thrives as a lone striker, rather like Didier Drogba, roaming the front line as he pleases.

Unlike the Ivorian, Torres requires an accomplice lurking in his shadow. He plays on the shoulder of the last defender; his partner-in-crime, be it Steven Gerrard at Liverpool or Maxi Rodriguez at Atletico Madrid, is expected to maintain his supply line. Torres might be one of the world's best safe-breakers; even he must first get into the bank.

At Chelsea, that assistant does not exist. Ancelotti has, after a brief flirtation with a diamond midfield, returned to the 4-3-3 that Mourinho has bequeathed the club and with which his players are comfortable. Torres's arrival would require a switch to 4-4-2. Of such tinkering are troubles made.

And yet, the counter argument, the one Abramovich would propagate, was proven here. Chelsea, for all they are well-organised and effective and disciplined and talented, lack something. They lack sparkle.

In games like this, such a trait is priceless. This was a war of attrition, of two sides whose systems cancelled their opponents out, of fine margins and slender advantages. Chelsea, ageing, their morale fragile after six weeks of toil, slowly but surely ceded ground.

The first half was largely, grindingly, even. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, tasked with replacing Steven Pienaar, could only toe poke softly at Petr Cech after Seamus Coleman - a man Ashley Cole will not wish to see again in a hurry - flicked on Phil Neville's throw. Jack Rodwell was denied by the Czech goalkeeper's legs.

Chelsea's opportunities were equally scarce. Tim Howard denied Nicolas Anelka after the best move of the opening period, the Frenchman slipped through by Ramires, the pick of the visitors' midfield. The American did well to tip a Florent Malouda effort round the post.

That moment represented Chelsea's high point; Everton, after the interval, began to assert themselves. Jose Bosingwa denied Saha on the line, Marouane Fellaini headed straight at Cech from a Mikel Arteta free kick. When Saha, unmarked, powered a header past the goalkeeper to send Goodison Park into raptures, the lead was deserved.

It might have been doubled, too, Bilyaletdinov's ambitious overhead kick spinning just wide before Coleman was denied first by Cech and then the outstretched leg of John Terry. Chelsea looked down; they seemed out.

Loveable or no, though, they have not sat at or near the top of the Premier League for seven years without a degree of resilience. They had created little or nothing when Kalou's pea-roller wrong-footed Howard, gifting Ancelotti's side a leveller. They had created precious little more when Ramires swerved a 25-yard effort off the post. The visitors would have been unwarranted victors; the hosts less so, had Jermaine Beckford managed to beat Cech at the last, rather than seeing his shot tipped over.





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Mirror:


Everton 1-1 Chelsea


By Simon Mullock


Carlo Ancleotti may be in the market for more quality, but there is nothing wrong with Chelsea’s spirit.

The Blues boss is desperate to take Liverpool striker Fernando Torres and Benfica centre-back David Luiz to Stamford Bridge before the transfer window slams shut tomorrow night.

Whether he is successful or not, the players Ancelotti already has at his disposal proved at Goodison Park that when it comes to the business end of the season they won’t be taking a backward step.

Nothing illustrated Chelsea’s hunger to make history by becoming the first club since Blackburn 125 years ago to lift the FA Cup for a third successive time than the turning point of this fourth round tie in the 75th minute.

Louis Saha had put the home side into a deserved lead just after the hour and David Moyes’ dogs of war had the scent of blood in their nostrils.

Leighton Baines crossed from the left for Seamus Coleman to climb above Ashley Cole and connect with a textbook downward header that Petr Cech did well to claw away at the foot of a post.

The livewire Coleman reacted first to the rebound, only to be denied by a heroic block from Michael Essien.

This was Chelsea refusing to be beaten, despite coming off second best for much of the tie.

And within seconds, Blues substitute Salomon Kalou had secured a replay by putting the finishing touch to a sweeping counter-attack.

Neither manager was in any doubt as they highlighted those two moments as the reason why the clubs will be meeting again in west London next week. “The block was a very important moment for us in the game because after that we equalised immediately,” said Ancelotti.

“In the end a draw was a great result for us because Everton are a good team and they can be very dangerous from set-pieces.”

Ancelotti’s relief was in contrast to Moyes’ sense of injustice.

“The game changed with that chance for Coleman,” he said. “It was a good, old-fashioned header at the far post that

Petr Cech did really well to save and then Essien made an unbelievable challenge from the rebound.

“Then they go up the pitch and score pretty much against the run of play.

“We are disappointed because when you get the chance to beat Chelsea at home you really have to take it.”

Everton skipper Phil Neville set the tone for the contest with a bone-jarring first-minute challenge on Florent Malouda.

Jack Rodwell failed to test Cech with a shot on the run after Saha had given him a clear sight of Chelsea’s goal.

And at the other end, Tim Howard managed to block Nicolas Anelka’s drive when the Frenchman went for power rather than precision after being freed by the impressive Ramires.

After the break, though, the home side really forced the champions on to the back foot.

Ramires showed that he can operate in both penalty areas by throwing himself fearlessly in front of Saha’s far-post volley after Rodwell had served up a teasing cross.

Then Marouane Fellaini should have scored when he rose unchallenged to meet Mikel Arteta’s free-kick but instead directed his header straight at Cech.

Saha made no such mistake in the 62nd minute.

The Frenchman scored the fastest goal in FA Cup final history in 2009 with a strike after 25 seconds – only to finish on the losing side.

This time, Saha’s movement when Baines swung in a corner from the right was too clever for John Terry and his header gave Cech no chance. But Chelsea had not been beaten in 14 FA Cup ties and this was time for their sheer bloody-mindedness to kick in.

Ancelotti replaced Malouda with Kalou after 70 minutes – and was given his reward just minutes later.

But not before Essien had come up with the kind of inspirational block that will go down in Chelsea folklore if the Cup is back at Stamford Bridge in May.

Ramires started the move after dispossessing Rodwell deep inside Chelsea’s penalty area.

The Brazilian sent Anelka galloping into Everton territory and although he failed to find Ramires with a return pass, there was Kalou drifting in to fool the unsighted Howard with a low shot that bobbled through the legs of Sylvain Distin.

Chelsea could have stolen it in the last five minutes when Ramires’ fierce low strike from 20 yards hit the foot a post.

Asked whether there was any update over the signing of Torres, Ancelotti simply smiled and said: “No, but I am always happy.”

With his Blues still in with a shout of making history this season, the Italian had every reason to be cheerful.



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Mail:


Everton 1 Chelsea 1: Super sub Saloman Kalou rescues FA Cup holders

By Rob Draper


It was only 18 seconds' worth of time yet it could prove pivotal to the seasons of both Chelsea and Everton.

More than 75 minutes had elapsed and Seamus Coleman, excellent throughout, had initially jumped superbly to meet a Leighton Baines cross, only for Petr Cech to save sharply.

The young Irishman then hauled himself to his feet and struck the rebound goalwards. All seemed lost for Chelsea. They were already a goal down and seemed about to concede the second.

They have already effectively conceded their Premier League title and seemed about to surrender their FA Cup.

At the last, though, came Michael Essien, diving desperately across to block the chance. He was an unlikely saviour, for had you wished to single out a visiting player who was furthest from fulfilling his potential in this game - and there were a clutch of candidates - Essien would have topped the list with his repeated inability to retain possession. But his heart remains and there he was, saving Chelsea.

Then came the 18 seconds as the ball eventually reached Nicolas Anelka after going out for a corner.

A dash down the left wing followed, a misplaced pass for Ramires, which eventually found Salomon Kalou on the right flank, a cut inside and an equaliser off a post.

From being a fraction away from another crushing blow to morale to a saving moment, all in the space of less than half a minute.

'The difference between 2-0 and 1-1,' sighed Everton manager David Moyes. 'It was against the run of play as we'd had the better of the second half. We were caught on the break and Chelsea do that to you because they have so much speed.'

Everton skipper Phil Neville added: 'It was the turning point. We're disappointed because, in the second half, we took it to them.

'The manager wanted more tempo in the second half and he wanted us to play the ball forward because the sun was in their eyes.

'The big man, Louis Saha, was world class for us. And if Seamus's effort goes in, we win the tie.'

Everton talked up their record of not losing to Chelsea since their FA Cup final defeat in 2009 as they began preparations for next week's replay at Stamford Bridge.

But for all that, they recognised that they had missed their best chance to finish off the holders.

'If you get a chance at home, you want to take it,' said Moyes. Fernando Torres, watching at home, would doubtless have been unimpressed with his potential new team-mates.

'Torres, Torres, give us a wave,' chanted the visiting Chelsea fans triumphantly early in the first half. Both sides had been seemingly stupefied before half-time, with little class of note.

Jack Rodwell was played in by Saha after Marouane Fellaini had caught Essien in possession on 25 minutes but his shot was saved by Cech. And Anelka, fed beautifully by Ramires, was in on goal but had his strike well saved by Tim Howard on 31 minutes.

Those were the only meaningful efforts on goal in the opening 45 minutes. John Terry put a free header over on 18 minutes and Mikel Arteta shot just wide on the stroke of half-time but that was about it for the first half.

Nevertheless, Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti made all the right noises about the performance.

'A draw was the right result,' he said. 'The second half was really difficult and they put us under a lot pressure. Going 1-0 down wasn't easy but we showed good attitude and spirit.'

And for all Chelsea's lack of bite in midfield, the ineffectiveness of Didier Drogba up front and the failure of Terry to mark Saha for the opening goal, they did show resilience.

It was not just Essien's block, but a similar lunge from Ramires which saved them from Saha on 53 minutes. And there were key saves from Cech, from Fellaini on 56 minutes and then his last-minute tip over the bar from substitute Jermaine Beckford's spectacular volley, which had been presented to him following a woeful error by Branislav Ivanovic.

Chelsea's vulnerability from set-pieces became evident again when Saha's checked run fooled Terry, allowing him to rise magnificently and relatively unchallenged to head in a Baines corner, his seventh goal in eight games against Chelsea.

Until Chelsea's equaliser Everton had looked in control, yet they almost lost the game when Ramires struck a post from 25 yards on 86 minutes.

That would have been a travesty, yet Everton still may live to regret those infamous 18 seconds that snuffed out their lead and their best chance of overcoming the FA Cup holders.



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