copenhagen 2-0

Independent:


Anelka's double delight lifts Chelsea's spirits as Torres starts to look at home

FC Copenhagen 0 Chelsea 2

By Sam Wallace at Parken Stadium


Carlo Ancelotti left the pitch with a fist raised in salute to the Chelsea fans who sung his name in the away end of the Parken Stadium and when he looks back on last night, the Italian will reflect it has been a while since that has happened. It has been a while since his Chelsea team have been quite so good as they were last night.

Instead of the meek, afraid-to-make-a-mistake team who have wrecked much of their season in the last three months, this was a different Chelsea. This was the Chelsea that likes to swagger into the homes of lesser European lights and, quite frankly, give the locals a lesson in how to play.

Led by Nicolas Anelka, and his two splendid goals, they dismissed the ambitious young kings of Denmark and as good as booked their place in the last eight of the Champions League. There was no doubt Copenhagen, who had not played a competitive game since 7 December thanks to a winter break in their league, were poor. Ancelotti's team, however, were ruthless.

The return leg at Stamford Bridge cannot be taken for granted – not until Chelsea's form has proved to have stabilised – but this was a giant stride in the right direction. There have been hints that Ancelotti's team were getting back to their form of before the start of their slump in November, especially in that win over Sunderland at the start of the month, but it is a long time since they have looked so in control of a game from the beginning. If Fernando Torres had been capable of mustering a goal that would have made it the ideal night but at least the £50m man looked much more on the pace.

Instead it was Anelka, with a goal in each half, who converted Chelsea's confident style into goals. The Frenchman has now scored seven goals in the Champions League this season in six appearances. Combined with Tottenham's defeat to Blackpool in the League, this turned out to be one of the best nights in a long time for Ancelotti.

As expected, the manager dropped Didier Drogba, but his 4-4-2 formation was something of a surprise. In attacking moments, Florent Malouda pushed on and tucked in to make it look more like 4-3-2-1. Torres benefited from the direct nature of Chelsea's play – more often than not it was a quick ball over the top.

From the way Ancelotti spoke later it was hard not to form the impression that he believes the partnership of Anelka and Torres is the way forward for his team. Drogba, he said, had taken the news that he was being left out well. "We want to maintain their fitness, but rotation could do them good with the Premier League and the Champions League," Ancelotti said. "They are accepting my decisions without problems, and this is important."

There was nothing about Drogba, who played 120 minutes against Everton on Saturday, that suggested he was having a sulk when he came on for the last 18 minutes. But it will be interesting to see his reaction should Torres and Anelka become the default option for the big games. Against Manchester United on Tuesday it seems certain Ancelotti will stick with the pair.

"They were two goals better than us, no discussion about that," said the Copenhagen coach Stale Solbakken. Those long weeks of inaction took their toll on this bright young team who, right from the start, were on the back foot. Solbakken admitted it was a problem. It is a major problem for Danish teams in European competition.

Copenhagen were taken by surprise in the early stages when Chelsea attacked in waves, but for all of their energy it was old boy Jesper Gronkjaer who unwittingly made his former side's goal in the first half when he gave the ball straight to Anelka who ran on goal unchallenged to score. It was Gronkjaer's first Chelsea assist since he made that goal for Marcel Desailly in the win over Liverpool in 2003. Still, Anelka was allowed to run a fair distance before he got his shot off.

This makes it three goals for Chelsea without a goal for Torres but he seems to be getting closer. His first meaningful touch, when he tried to control Ramires' wayward shot in the seventh minute, was poor but he improved. He got a harsh booking for a foul on Christian Bolanos.

Anelka's second goal was sweetly worked. It went from Essien to Lampard who slipped a pass into the right channel for Anelka to run on to. The distance from goal, as well as the angle, made it look unpromising but Anelka hit it so cleanly that the ball was past the goalkeeper Johan Wiland before he could get his hands anywhere near it.

Torres was played in by Essien before the hour and cut back inside nicely to deceive two Copenhagen defenders but could not beat Wiland with his shot. Whether this is the end of Ancelotti's "bad moment", we will be closer to knowing after United visit Stamford Bridge.

FC Copenhagen (4-4-2): Wiland; Pospech, Jorgensen, Antonsson, Wendt (Bengtsson, 75); Bolanos, Kvist, Claudemir, Gronkjaer (Zohore, 86); Santin (Vingaard, h-t), N'Doye. Substitutes not used Christensen (gk), Kristensen, Hooiveld, Delaney.

Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech; Ferreira, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Essien, Lampard, Malouda (Zhirkov, 85); Anelka (Drogba, 73), Torres (Kalou, 90). Substitutes not used Turnbull (gk), Mikel, Ferreira, McEachran.


Man of the match Lampard.

Match rating 6/10.

Referee B Kuipers (Netherlands).

Attendance 28,000.

Chelsea: Man for man marking

Petr Cech

Made some important second-half saves but never tested too much. 6/10

Ashley Cole

Lively overlapping beyond Malouda but delivery not at usual standard. 6

John Terry

Strong in the air as usual, booked late in the game after getting turned. 6

Branislav Ivanovic

Trademark reliability from the Serb, marked and tackled well throughout. 7

Jose Bosingwa

Tidy in defence without ever penetrating when in advanced positions. 6

Florent Malouda

Did not get into the box much, but provided good service from the left. 6

Frank Lampard

Passed the ball more quickly than recently, classy assist for the second goal. 7

Michael Essien

A more ambitious pick than John Obi Mikel, he drove forward throughout. 7

Ramires

Moved out to the right wing, working hard in defence and attack. 7

Fernando Torres

Movement and link-ups excellent but still short of confidence in the box. 6

Nicolas Anelka

Enjoyed playing up front rather than wide, took both goals clinically. 9

Substitutes Drogba: Some powerful play 6; Zhirkov: Too late to really impact 5



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


Guardian:


Chelsea bounce back as Nicolas Anelka hits double in Copenhagen


FC Copenhagen 0 Chelsea 2


Lost amid the tub-thumping rallying cry delivered by John Terry on the eve of this contest had been Carlo Ancelotti's reminder that Chelsea had "not died". This first-leg saunter in Denmark was nothing more than confirmation that the Champions League may yet breathe new life into the club's season. The Londoners have their respite.

They will not draw too many conclusions from a contest that appeared a mismatch once a lead had been established. But, where confidence had been so brittle after a sequence that had yielded only five wins in 16 and seen them jettisoned from the FA Cup and playing catch-up in the Premier League, hindsight would now suggest that a meeting with FC Copenhagen, who had been in competitive hibernation for more than two months, was a godsend.

The evening could hardly have gone better. While TottenhamHotspur were sinking at Blackpool back home, leaving Chelsea two points adrift of their rivals in the coveted fourth place with a game in hand, progress was being smoothed towards a quarter-final berth in Europe. Just as significantly, Ancelotti employed a system in which Fernando Torres and his team-mates seemed comfortable. Nicolas Anelka ended the evening as the Champions League's joint leading scorer for the campaign to date, level with Internazionale's Samuel Eto'o on seven, but Torres's rewards will also be forthcoming with performances such as this.

After Christmas trees and diamonds, this was more of a conventional 4-4-2 with Didier Drogba, absent from the pre-match warm-up as he underwent a rubdown in the warmth of the changing rooms, required for only the last 17 minutes, once the game had long since been won.

There was more width to enjoy down the left, where Florent Malouda stretched disconcerted opponents, and Ramires offered industry and energy tucked in slightly from the opposite flank. Chelsea have appeared awkward in recent weeks, attempting to shoehorn Torres into a variety of systems to squeeze form from their £50m signing. They may have stumbled upon a solution.

Better teams might have exploited the visitors' lack of a natural defensive midfielder, with gaps sometimes apparent between Frank Lampard and Michael Essien in the centre, but the Danes were too rusty to capitalise. Johan Wiland, alone of their players, appeared sharp, but the Swedish goalkeeper was horribly overworked and his reactions staved off a drubbing. He denied Torres a hat-trick, blocking at the Spaniard's feet twice in the first half and then pushing away a well-worked attempt with an outstretched hand after the break. When the goalkeeper was beaten, Oscar Wendt scrambled back to clear an effort from the line.

There was fluid movement and clever combination play to admire from Torres, as well as industry in tracking back to sniff out possession. He departed heartened, feeling as if he belonged, though Anelka's goals secured the victory. The Frenchman has rejoiced in the Champions League this term and he maintained outstanding form with two goals that left the locals numbed in a bitter sense of anticlimax.

Stale Solbakken's side had been preparing specifically for this contest since returning to training in early January, but were off the pace and out-muscled throughout. Not since Marseille won here a little over a year ago have their first-choice team been outclassed at Parken. At no stage did they threaten to snuff out Anelka's menace; the return fixture must now feel daunting.

The Frenchman had already been denied twice when Jesper Gronkjaer, a Chelsea player for four years until 2004, attempted to find Claudemir and merely presented Anelka with possession just inside the Danish side's half. The Frenchman was allowed to glide into the area unchallenged, Mikael Antonsson unable to muster a tackle, before finishing smartly beyond Wiland. "They were stronger than us and we made too many technical errors," said Solbakken,. Gronkjaer's misplaced pass was more basic.

The home side attempted to stir after the interval but Chelsea retained their bite on the break and a second goal reflected their true dominance. Lampard collected from Essien 54 minutes in and with the Danes anticipating a delivery for Torres, conjured a neat reverse pass to by-pass Antonsson and send Anelka through. The 31-year-old's finish was low and true, across Wiland and into the corner.

Ancelotti departed with the substantial travelling support chanting his name, prompting a polite wave and even the hint of a grin. Manchester United will test at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday whether the tide has truly turned but although a second leg of this tie awaits in three weeks' time, Chelsea will already feel as if the last eight beckons.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/gallery/2011/feb/23/chelsea-champions-league-pictures


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



Telegraph:


FC Copenhagen 0 Chelsea 2

By Henry Winter



Assailed with questions from all quarters, Chelsea demonstrated their character last night, emerging from the Big Chill that threatened to put their season into cold storage. On an evening of brutally plummeting temperatures at Ice Station Parken, Chelsea's spirits soared.

Looking solid in their 4-4-2 system, and always looking committed, Chelsea were given real sharpness by Nicolas Anelka if not Fernando Torres. Anelka was terrific, striking twice to take his tally to seven in his last six Champions League games. He roamed all over the front-line, seemingly as suffused with confidence as Torres was bereft.

While Anelka glided around one could almost hear Torres clunking through the gears, still struggling to find his stride. The Spaniard will come good because of his work-rate. Torres kept showing for the ball, kept running down channels which turned into cul-de-sacs. His perseverance could not be doubted; if anything the £50m man was trying almost too hard to force his way through for his first Chelsea goal.

When wasting possession late on, Torres was even told to proceed with more calm by Didier Drogba, hardly a sentinel of serenity. Such was the nervousness inhibiting Torres' play that he gave away the ball with 16 of his 31 passes.

Stats can be spun any way, particularly for an attacking player who inevitably gambles with the ball, but Torres' 52 per cent pass completion contrasted with his team-mates' greater control; the closest was Frank Lampard with 73 per cent.

Torres' contribution was really the only negative and even he seems to be moving, however hesitatingly, in the right direction. Otherwise positives abounded. Carlo Ancelotti's tactical alterations largely

worked, confirming his calibre as a manager. The support he received from Chelsea fans will also have warmed him on a bitterly cold night.

So did a club beanie hat. As well as the headline act of Anelka, who took his two goals well, Chelsea were well served by others. Petr Cech was composure personified in goal, although fortunate that Copenhagen looked desperately rusty after their winter hibernation.

John Terry organised the defensive resistance with his usual noisy zeal, barring a couple of mistakes when caught upfield and a foolish late booking. In midfield, Michael Essien was an energetic presence while Frank Lampard, particularly in creating Anelka's second, provided a timely reminder of the imaginative nature of his passing.

Florent Malouda was more like his old self, linking well with Anelka and making some incisive runs. The one obvious problem with Chelsea's 4-4-2 was that the wide players, Malouda and particularly Ramires, tended to tuck inside.

It was little surprise to learn that Chelsea's assessment of 4-4-2 in training had not been deemed a particular success by Ancelotti's players. Yet it worked well enough against the disappointing Danes.

What Chelsea proved last night was that they still have the hunger for the fight. They need to show such resilience week in, week out, particularly next week when they face the Premier League pacesetters. To borrow a phrase from Terry, Chelsea again need to "man up" with Manchester United up next.

Terry's pre-match rallying cry certainly worked. Anelka was the first to show. The Frenchman sought to create some chances for Torres, including an early pass that released the Spaniard. Only a foul from Matthias Zanka Jorgensen, the Copenhagen centre half, stopped Torres having a clean run through on goal.

Torres was certainly not starved of the ball's company. When Ramires mis-hit a shot, a tantalising glimpse of goal opened up for Torres. His body language never exuded confidence and his shot drew a routine save from Johan Wiland.

After Terry twice rescued his team with important interceptions, Chelsea began building again. The eye kept being drawn to Anelka. So did the ball.

In the build-up to Anelka's opener, an old friend did Chelsea an unexpected favour. Jesper Gronkjaer, formerly of the Kings Road parish, suffered one of those nightmare lapses of concentration, gifting possession to the opposition. Anelka was on to the stray ball like a flash running through and shooting low, from right to left, past the exposed Wiland. Copenhagen's keeper should still have formed more of a barrier.

The Blues were now in the mood, belief now suffusing their movements, counter-attacking with growing menace. When Ashley Cole ended one Copenhagen break with a neat headed clearance, Malouda made good ground and sent Torres hurtling down the inside-left channel. A change of pace created a sight of goal but the Danes had manned the barricades.

Hinting at a sense of frustration, Torres was then booked for a push. His team-mates kept looking to release him, to help him to a first goal that would inevitably lift the striker's spirits.

Unlike Torres, Copenhagen briefly appeared invigorated at the break, a sign of the many positive qualities of their coach Stale Solbakken, whose credentials have been so enhanced this season. Striving to get his team to shift up a gear, Solbakken sent on the lively Martin Vingaard. It proved a false dawn.

Anelka pounced again eight minutes into the new half, capping a fine move. Essien began the attack with a neat pass to Lampard. The England midfielder responded in superb fashion, playing a magnificent reverse pass to send Anelka racing into the box. His finish was again true, low and hard past Wiland.

The Chelsea choirs were now in full voice, lauding Anelka and the team. "You only sing when you're winning" rebuked the locals in perfect English. Chelsea's fans ignored them, carrying on bouncing and swayed and singing, soon turning their attention to Drogba, who was warming up in trainers.

Torres was struggling to impose his undoubted talent. Just before the hour, Torres he hinted at his class, but found his sight of goal quickly blotted out. Running again towards Copenhagen's goal with 20 minutes remaining, brought was brought down by Zdenek Pospech. Lampard swept the free kick over the bar.

Drogba soon arrived, replacing Anelka, whose team-mates applauded him from the field. Torres himself was removed shortly before the final whistle. An evening of personal frustration for one player, a night of collective delight for Chelsea.



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


Mail:


FC Copenhagen 0 Chelsea 2: Anelka hits Danish double to save Carlo's bacon

By Matt Lawton

Chief Football Correspondent in Copenhagen



As Carlo Ancelotti said, Chelsea are not dead yet. Not even close judging by the manner in which they secured victory here at a particularly parky Parken Stadium.

They were excellent in the way they seized a significant first-leg advantage in this important Champions League last 16 tie, and while it remains far too early to say if this can be their 'best season ever', there were signs that it could yet turn out to be a successful one.

Ancelotti certainly emerged with much-needed credit. It has been a struggle accommodating Fernando Torres in a reshaped attack but the Italian simplified matters by dropping Didier Drogba for the second time in three matches and switching to a more conventional formation that worked a treat.

Beating Copenhagen here is no easy task. They had not lost at home since September and held Barcelona to a draw in the group stages. They came into this game full of confidence despite their winter break. Stale Solbakken, their coach, boldly declared they were more than ready after a six-week period of intense preparation for this one fixture.

In the end, two Nicolas Anelka goals swung the tie very much in Chelsea's favour, the French striker seizing on a mistake by Jesper Gronkjaer in the 17th minute, adding a second nine minutes after the break.

But as Ancelotti noted later, it was the way Anelka also combined with Torres that proved so decisive. 'The key to the game was the work of the strikers,' he said, and it was.

Torres might still be awaiting his first Chelsea goal but the £50million striker looked sharp on this occasion, twice going close when forcing a fine save from Johan Wiland and seeing an effort cleared as the ball rolled beyond the Copenhagen goalkeeper and towards the net.

For Drogba, however, it must have been painful to watch. He was the one player who did not emerge for the pre-match warm-up - the club said he was having a rub-down - and his chances of returning to the starting line-up for the more crucial matches will diminish after this. Torres and Anelka are beginning to develop quite a partnership.

From all the Chelsea players, this was much better. Skipper John Terry had called for them to 'man up' and the sight of so many short-sleeved shirts in sub-zero conditions suggested they were in the mood to lift themselves out of a slump that dates back to early November.

Ramires enjoyed one of his better games and Florent Malouda, who has been poor compared to last season, was more effective on the left of a midfield four.

In adopting a more defensive 4-4-2, Ancelotti was responding to what he saw in last week's Champions League fixtures. He noted that the counter-attacking teams had been more successful and that was pretty much the approach he employed.

By half time they had unleashed four shots on target with none in return. One of those was the opening goal, a superb finish from Anelka. He owed much to the error committed by Gronkjaer.

The former Chelsea winger - a man credited with securing Chelsea's original passage to the Champions League with a goal against Liverpool in 2003 - misplaced a pass that went straight to Anelka. Gronkjaer watched in horror as the Frenchman accelerated towards the penalty area and scored his sixth in as many Champions League games.

Anelka's passing was crisp, his movement terrific, and when he seized on a delightful reverse pass from Frank Lampard after the break he took his European tally to seven. Again, with an excellent angled strike with his right foot.

Ancelotti's night got better with Tottenham losing at Blackpool and Chelsea will go back into fourth in the Barclays Premier League if they beat Manchester United at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday.

The Italian, though, remains cautious, even when it comes to predicting the outcome of this tie.

'Don't forget,' he said. 'I lost a Champions League final when I was leading 3-0.' Too true. Too true.



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


Sun:


Copenhagen 0 Chelsea 2


By MARK IRWIN


CARLO ANCELOTTI had told us not to write him off too soon and last night in the bitter cold of Copenhagen his players backed up his bold words.

Two goals from Nicolas Anelka and Fernando Torres' most effective display in a Chelsea shirt were enough to warm the cockles on a night when the thermometer plunged to minus five degrees.

There must be times when Ancelotti feels like strangling the languid Anelka - but this was not one of them.

It was the Frenchman's casual penalty miss which had contributed to the Blues' FA Cup penalty shootout KO by Everton and left Ancelotti clinging on to his job for dear life But last night Anelka said sorry in the best possible way as he fired his misfiring team to the brink of the Champions League quarter-finals. Anelka has now scored 16 times this season - including seven in Europe.

If Chelsea are to continue to progress in the competition they crave above all others, they will need Anelka to maintain this faultless level of performance.

When England played Denmark here in the Parken Stadium two weeks ago, the roof was closed to protect the players and the crowd from the Baltic wind and sub-zero temperatures.

But this time the stadium was wide open to the elements to accommodate the extra TV cameras filming the action. Thanks for that all you armchair viewers, maybe you know a decent remedy for frostbite!

For the Danish champions, this was their first competitive game since their last Champions League group game against Panathinaikos on December 7.

Plenty of time to prepare for this one, then. Mind you, it could be argued Chelsea have hardly played in that 11-week period, either.

They have already kissed goodbye to their Premier League title and relinquished their grip on the FA Cup.

So this return to European action represented a last chance to save their season from total disaster - and Ancelotti from the axe.

It was only after listening to captain John Terry's passionate rallying cry on the eve of this match that Ancelotti stirred himself to defiantly declare "Chelsea is not dead."

Usually it is the manager who inspires his players. But in Chelsea's case it appears to be the other way round.

Sometimes you just wish the mild-mannered Ancelotti would allow his anger to show. Maybe a blast from the hairdryer is just what his under-performing players need to get them going.

But there is a complacency which has crept into Chelsea's recent performances created by the knowledge that no matter how wretchedly they might perform, no one is going to be dropped and no one is waiting to chew them out in the dressing-room.

That was certainly the case for Torres, who had done nothing in his previous two appearances for Chelsea to warrant his recall last night.

Yet the £50million striker still went straight back into the team, with Didier Drogba once again having to settle for a place on the bench.

The last of Torres' eight Champions League goals for Liverpool had come in a 3-1 defeat by Chelsea in April 2009.And last night it was clear he was desperate to open his account for his new employers - and start justifying his record transfer fee.

Within a minute of kick-off he had teed up Florent Malouda for a volley high into the crowd and 10 minutes later his curling pass set up Anelka for a shot which was deflected wide by Mikael Antonsson.

In the end, though, it was a former Chelsea player who provided the opening for their breakthrough goal when Jesper Gronkjaer's dreadful pass went straight to Anelka.

The Frenchman had squandered a much easier chance when he missed from 12 yards on Saturday.

But there was no loss of nerve this time as he raced clear of the Copenhagen defence to sidefoot into the far corner.

Time was when that would have been game over for Chelsea. However, they have failed to hold on to a lead too many times this season.

But they secured the second goal their efforts deserved when Anelka latched on to Frank Lampard's 54th-minute through-ball to effectively end this tie before next month's return leg.

That was to be Anelka's last meaningful contribution before making way for Drogba for the final 18 minutes.

But it was Torres who came closest to extending Chelsea's lead when his low shot was cleared off the line by Oscar Wendt.

It certainly helped that Chelsea were up against a team making their first appearance in the Champions League knockout stage and the weakest remaining team in Europe's elite competition.

Copenhagen might have held Barcelona to a draw here in November, but there is nothing to suggest that they can threaten Chelsea's progress to the quarter-finals.




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


Mirror:


Copenhagen 0-2 Chelsea

by Darren Lewis



Better. Much better from the men who had been ordered to man up.

And the way in which Carlo Ancelotti was received by the travelling Blues fans at the final whistle suggested it met with their approval too.

It wasn't just the clinical fashion in which Nicolas Anelka dispatched his two goals to earn his status as Man of the Match.

It wasn't just the fact that Chelsea put themselves within range of the Champions League semi-finals with pretty much the minimum of fuss.

It was the way they went about their work in the bitterly cold, sub-zero temperatures at the Parken Stadium.

It was the way that they responded to the rallying cry of their captain, John Terry to 'man up' and show what they were made of.

And in the city of fairytales a good night was made even better as news filtered across the north sea that Spurs had been stunned by Blackpool to put Chelsea back into contention for fourth in the Premier League.

Barcelona could not win here last November while Manchester United were beaten back in 2006.

Chelsea, however, shattered Copenhagen's proud home Champions League record with the players showing they had woken up to the fact that they need to win this competition to save their season.

Ancelotti had insisted in the pre-match build-up that reports of his Chelsea demise had been greatly exaggerated.

And if there was any doubt about the team's commitment to Ancelotti, the players dispelled them as well by dominating the Danes from the first minute to the last.

Copenhagen coach Stale Solbakken declared afterwards that some of his best players didn't have their best days.

Yet that was because Chelsea refused to allow them to, with the statistics at half-time - 17 efforts on goal to the home side's four - evidence of the one-way traffic.

Anelka's sixth and seventh goals make him joint-top scorer in the competition with Inter Milan's Samuel Eto'o.

The Chelsea marksman vindicated utterly Ancelotti's decision to pair him with Fernando Torres with the Danes unable to cope with their movement throughout the first half.

In doing so he had bravely opted to abandon to 4-3-3 formation that has served the club so well over the years.

But the doubts were dispelled immediately and there seemed an irony about the fact that Gronkjaer, the man whose 2003 goal had secured Chelsea's champions League status - would inadvertently provide the pass for the goal that may yet keep his former club in it.

But it was indeed the Danish winger's mistake that allowed Anelka to power into the box and dispatch the ball with the clinical efficiency that Chelsea have lacked on far too many occasions this season.

The Danes, despite insisting beforehand they were primed and ready to wreak havoc on Ancelotti's job prospects, were authors of their own misfortune.

Bright, pacy and full of enterprise going forward, they undid their good work on too many occasions by needlessly conceding possession.

It was also easy too, to see why only four teams have had fewer attempts on goal than Copenhagen in this season's Champions League.

They make too many poor decisions in the final third, going for the spectacular when the simple ball will do.

The second half was only six minutes old when Anelka made the game safe, with a smart diagonal effort across keeper Johan Wiland.

And Torres's big moment came just before the hour mark, the Spaniard showing quick feet to leave two defenders for dead and looking for all the world as if he was about to break his duck before Wiland's outstretched arm denied him.

He will indeed find himself back among the goals sooner rather than later, however.

Ancelotti expressed himself satisfied with the Spaniard's work-rate afterwards and it will be interesting to see how the Italian's declaration that Torres will score in his next game - against Manchester United - goes down at Old Trafford.

In the meantime the Chelsea players will enjoy a well-earned day off today.

Even though their boss was anxious not to start insisting they had turned a corner, they look to be on the way back.


http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/pictures/FC-Copenhagen-v-Chelsea-Uefa-Champions-League-Picture-special-article704281.html



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