wigan 1-0

Independent: Malouda shows scrappy Chelsea how to win ugly Chelsea 1 Wigan Athletic 0

By Steve Tongue at Stamford Bridge

It was soporific stuff in the sunshine at Stamford Bridge, and with Wigan never quite capable of threatening an equaliser once Florent Malouda had broken through at last, the only interest centred on whether Fernando Torres, brought on as a substitute for the last half an hour, would break his own duck ahead of Tuesday's Champions' League second leg at Old Trafford. Frustratingly he could not, which means Britain's most expensive footballer will go there without a goal in 10 hours and 49 minutes for Chelsea, and more than 13 and a half hours all told, having last netted for Liverpool back in January. He still made one crucial intervention, however, according to Wigan's manager, Roberto Martinez, in impeding the visitors' goalkeeper,Ali Al Habsi, at the corner from which Malouda scored. "It was clear as day that he had his elbow in Ali's face," Martinez said. A neutral view was that Al Habsi should still have done better than his feeble flap, allowing Branislav Ivanovic a shot that was blocked before Malouda drove it in off another defender. After that, the crowd were roused from their stupor several times as Torres set off towards goal. Didier Drogba's cross towards him was too strong; a minute later his own bad touch let him down when apparently clear; and as Yossi Benayoun, another substitute, put him away, Emmerson Boyce brought off a timely interception. Most dramatically of all, with two minutes to play, Torres made a clever crossover run to take another Benayoun pass on his left foot 10 yards out and shoot strongly, only for Al Habsi to make his second fine save of an otherwise dreary afternoon. Chelsea's manager, Carlo Ancelotti,is understandably reluctant to say a word against a player already short of confidence, while admitting: "Everyone wanted him to score today. But we have to continue to have confidence in him. Maybe he will score the most important goals of our season." It had seemed likely that Torres might have been given a run from the start against the League's bottom club in the hope of recording that morale-boosting first goal. Instead, the bewildering implication must be that he will play from the start against United. Seeing Drogba limp off at the final whistle after taking a painful blow in the back will not have reassured any Chelsea followers, even if Ancelotti said he had a full squad to choose from, now including Alex and Benayoun; both reappeared in the second half after long absences, and John Terry was given a rare day off. Malouda, overlooked in the first leg last Wednesday, when Yuri Zhirkov was preferred, also staked a claim with an improved performance and settled nerves around the ground with his goal in the 66th minute, at which point Wigan were holding on with a degree of comfort hardly expected. They had lost their previous two meetings with Chelsea 8-0 and 6-0, so yesterday's margin says much about the champions' decline since those victories last May and in the second game of this season. Bottom or not, Wigan have improved since then, the worry for them being that as the League's lowest scorers – 29 goals in 32 games – they do not the firepower to save themselves in the last six matches, four of which are away from home. Martinez refuses to be downcast, insisting: "I'm extremely proud of the performance. We were brave, kept the ball well and defended really well. We've got 18 points to compete for and if we play the same as today we'll get enough. I feel the team's finally clicked and if the season started eight games ago I feel we'd have been in the top 10." It was true that his team moved the ball around nicely, but then they always have done. The lack of penetration is what has constantly undermined them. Hugo Roda-llega is the leading scorer with only seven goals, and his frustration was clear when Martinez substituted both him and Charles N'Zogbia, who had been given a positive role pushing up the left wing. They will watch the games involving Blackpool and Aston Villa with some anxiety today, hoping that pair do not pull any further ahead. Meanwhile, Chelsea, back in third place, will stay there unless Manchester City win at Liverpool tomorrow.

Attendance: 40,734 Referee: Howard Webb Man of the match: David Luiz Match rating: 5/10 ========================================= Observer:

Florent Malouda goal against Wigan papers over Chelsea cracks

Chelsea 1 Malouda 67 Wigan Athletic 0

Paul Doyle at Stamford Bridge Fernando Torres still has not scored for Chelsea but although he started on the bench, the Spaniard had a hand in the winning goal. Or rather, an elbow. In the 67th minute, Didier Drogba curled in a corner that David Luiz met at the near post, sending a looping header towards the far one. The Wigan goalkeeper, Ali al-Habsi, jumped to claim it, but with Torres's arm exerting undue pressure on him he could only flap at it. Branislav Ivanovic's attempt to bundle it over the line was thwarted, but Florent Malouda slammed the follow-up into the net from six yards to settle this scrappy game and ignite a debate. "It was clear as day that Torres had his elbow in Ali's face, impeding him," Roberto Martínez said. "I rate Howard [Webb, the referee] very much but that was the call of the day. We did not deserve to lose." Chelsea might not have deserved to win, for this was another laboured display. Catching Manchester United in the Premier League remains a remote possibility, but overtaking taking them in the Champions League is the priority and that reality was reflected in Ancelotti's team selection, with John Terry and Michael Essien omitted in order to preserve them for Tuesday's quarter-final second leg at Old Trafford. Torres did not start either, although it is open to speculation as to whether that was to rest him or to prove that Chelsea are more dangerous without their £50m striker. No such conclusion could be drawn from this game. Chelsea did start well and Drogba tormented Wigan throughout. He nearly set up a goal in the opening minute, rampaging down the right and cutting the ball back for Frank Lampard, who mis-hit his shot from eight yards, directing it towards Ramires to his left rather than at goal. Such was the Brazilian's surprise that he too botched his shot. Drogba forced a save from a free-kick moments later, and in the eighth minute he trapped a long pass before slipping the ball through to the overlapping Malouda, who shot tamely at Habsi from the edge of the area. Chelsea, having reverted to the 4–3–3 formation that fell out of favour when Ancelotti started trying to tailor the team to Torres, were looking more coherent than they had done during their disjointed defeat to Manchester United in midweek. But their fluency quickly faded. Wigan pierced their defence easily in the 10th minute as Charles N'Zogbia ran unattended through the middle to receive Hugo Rodallega's astute pass. Luckily for the hosts, N'Zogbia was incorrectly called back for offside. The knowledge that they could create chances seemed to solidify Wigan and Chelsea struggled to summon enough invention to infiltrate. Lampard was again peripheral. The hosts began to resort to route one and that nearly took them to their desired destination just before the break, when Drogba flicked on a Petr Cech punt and Malouda found himself face to face with Habsi, who foiled the Frenchman with a fine save. Ancelotti introduced Yossi Benayoun and Torres in a bid to stimulate his side and, in fairness, both made much better contributions than the players whom they replaced, Mikel John Obi and Nicolas Anelka. Torres looked sprightly and, beyond his controversial contribution to the goal, earned two chances to finally open his account for Chelsea. He finished feebly in the 87th minute, driving straight at Habsi after being put clean through. He could hardly be faulted one minute later, however, when he exchanged neat passes with Benayoun before aiming an artful clip over the keeper, only for Habsi to deny him with a superb one-handed stop. "His movement was good ... maybe he will still score the most important goals of our season," said Ancelotti, who described his team's overall performance as "not good, but enough". Wigan's performance was not bad, and not enough. But Martínez insists his side, whose only clear chance came when the substitute Franco Di Santo forced a good save from Cech, can clamber off the bottom of the table. "I am extremely proud of the performance. I am 100% sure that if we perform in that manner we will get enough to stay in this league" THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT

ROB HOBSON, CFCnet.co.uk If you saw just the first half hour of each half, you would have gone away feeling pretty miserable about this. It took the team a long time to get into the game: a few of them really looked pretty old and sluggish today, especially Lampard, Drogba and Anelka. Fernando Torres should have done better on a couple of occasions when he came on – but he did show glimpses of what he used to do.

The fan's player ratings Cech 7; Ferreira 5 (Alex 75 6), David Luiz 7, Ivanovic 7, Cole 6; Mikel 6 (Benayoun 46 7), Ramires 8, Lampard 6; Malouda 6, Drogba 6, Anelka 5 (Torres 59 6)

PAUL ASHBY, Observer reader Not a bad day – it's hard to get too upbeat about any defeat when you're in our position, but there were some really decent aspects to this. The defence was solid and al-Habsi was great again. But going forward we're still almost totally impotent – Di Santo was awful. It's fine being tight at the back and keeping possession, but as soon as this side goes behind you know there's no way back.

The fan's player ratings Habsi 8; Alcaraz 7, G Caldwell 7, Boyce 7, Figueroa 7; McCarthy 7, Watson 6, N'Zogbia 6 (Di Santo 62 3), Cleverley 6, Diamé 5 (Moses 85); Rodallega 6 (Sammon 62 6) ==============================================

Telegraph: Chelsea 1 Wigan Athletic 0

By Jeremy Wilson, Stamford Bridge The goal drought has now extended beyond 12 hours and, for the first time, the absurdity of the situation even provoked a smile from Fernando Torres. Chelsea, after all, had scored 14 times in their previous two matches against Wigan and so, if their new £50 million signing could have hand-picked an occasion when he might finally break his duck, it would have been on Saturday. After replacing Nicolas Anelka in the 59th minute, he was presented with three clear chances. For the first, Torres failed completely to control the ball when played clear into space behind the Wigan defence by Branislav Ivanovic. He could then only muster a tame shot when his pace had taken him clear of the two centre-backs and, most agonising of all, Ali Al-Habsi also produced one of the saves of the season to parry his last-minute shot to safety. Torres had looked certain to score and the collective cry of anguish echoed all around Stamford Bridge. The player nicknamed 'El Nino’ simply grinned at being forced to accept that, once again, this would not be his day. There was also some consolation in his questionable involvement in Chelsea’s winner. With David Luiz heading Didier Drogba’s corner across goal, Torres jumped and impeded Al-Habsi, whose fumble was pounced upon by Florent Malouda. There was also some consolation in his questionable involvement in Chelsea’s winner. With David Luiz heading Didier Drogba’s corner across goal, Torres jumped and impeded Al-Habsi, whose fumble was pounced upon by Florent Malouda. “It’s a huge frustration,” said Roberto Martinez, the Wigan manager. “He had his elbow in his face — it was a clear as day.” It was a scrappy way to end a match which, while forgettable, may yet have a profound influence on both ends of the final Premier League table. “It was not a good performance but we won; three points and no injuries,” said Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager. “We need to play better against Manchester United on Tuesday. This is normal. To win at Old Trafford we have to play our 100 per cent.” Indeed, for long periods, this had the feel of an audition for their looming Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United. After accommodating both Torres and Drogba in Wednesday’s 1-0 first-leg defeat, Ancelotti reverted on Saturday to the 4-3-3 formation that has generally been preferred by every Chelsea manager since Jose Mourinho. He might be 32, he might be high maintenance and Chelsea may already have signed his long-term replacement, but it remains questionable whether there is a better main central striker in that system than Drogba. He began with real purpose, bursting clear down the right with Chelsea’s first attack before crossing for Frank Lampard who scuffed his shot across the six-yard box. Other than Drogba, the main moments of genuine quality during a plodding first-half were provided by Luiz, Chelsea’s adventurous new centre-back. Wigan were also not without their opportunities. Martinez remains admirably committed to attacking football and his two forwards, Charles N’Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega, ensured that the Chelsea defence had to be alert in the absence of John Terry, who was rested ahead of Tuesday’s match. Ancelotti quickly lost patience with Chelsea’s stodgy performance, bringing on Yossi Benayoun at half-time for what his first appearance in six months following knee surgery. It meant a further reshuffling of the system, with Chelsea reverting to 4-4-2 when Torres replaced Anelka. Martinez reacted by making his own attacking changes, replacing Rodallega and N’Zogbia with Franco Di Santo, the former Chelsea striker, and Conor Sammon. The reaction from Rodallega was one of petulance, stomping down the tunnel after flinging some wrist tape and a drink on the floor. Martinez claimed that he was “pleased” with Rodallega’s behaviour. “They should want to stay on — we are fighting for our lives,” he said. The substitutions did little to improve the fluency of either team and the winning goal was appropriately ragged. Ancelotti is convinced that Chelsea can now progress on Tuesday to a likely Champions League semi-final against Schalke. “We needed to win at Old Trafford [last season] to go to the top of the league and become champions and we won 2-1. With the same score again we would progress on Tuesday. We need to score one goal and, if possible, more. We have confidence.” That confidence can only rest on past deeds rather than the evidence of recent performances. ===============================================

Mail: Chelsea 1 Wigan 0:

Torres tests Roman's patience to the limit as Blues scrape win

By Patrick Collins

Roman Abramovich sat in his private box, staring down on the efforts of the team assembled by the power of his purse. It is said that the oligarch has spent the best part of £1billion on Chelsea, and £50million of that was invested in Fernando Torres.Now nobody is ever quite sure what Abramovich is thinking, since his habitual expression is that of an empty dinner plate. But it is safe to assume that if Torres was one of his custom-built yachts, then Roman might be having a word with the designer.Now that the prospect of a Premier League title has receded over the horizon, the chief interest at Stamford Bridge is the persistent inability of Torres to deliver the goals for which he was bought. Every conversation revolves around the man with the gauntly worried face, even when he spends most of the match on the bench, as he did against Wigan.For such an improbable fee, wonders are expected. Yet the more the man tries, the more abjectly he fails.His ability is not in question and his temperament has been tested on far bigger stages. But it will not happen for him. Once again, chances came, and once again his efforts only drew the best from an opposing goalkeeper.Indeed, his most effective contribution — in the view of the Wigan manager Roberto Martinez — was the elbow he allegedly planted in the face of that same keeper, Ali Al-Habsi, to allow Florent Malouda to score the decisive goal in the 67th minute. Time was when Chelsea would use games with Wigan as a kind of therapy. Last season, they poured 14 goals past them, eight at home and six away. Here, they were thankful for that single success.They worked with appropriate persistence, and in Didier Drogba they could offer a striker at the top of his game; brutally strong and endlessly resourceful. But Wigan worked as hard or harder, they defended rigorously and their heads just refused to drop. Martinez was ‘extremely proud’. He believed that Howard Webb made his biggest mistake on the biggest call of the match. The manager assured his listeners that he was ‘100 per cent sure’ of Wigan’s Premier League survival and, in truth, you could understand his optimism.For their part, Chelsea can carry little optimism into the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Old Trafford. Carlo Ancelotti acknowledged an indifferent performance, which he conceded would be wholly inadequate against Manchester United. He strives to maintain essential confidence, but the prospect of awholly unrewarding season is hanging over him, blankly unpromising, like the expression on the face of his employer. Important players, other than Torres, did not meet his standards. Ashley Cole was untypically indecisive, Nicolas Anelka was at his most infuriating, while Frank Lampard never came to terms with the match, never imposed his authority on midfield proceedings. An early goal might have yielded more promising results, and Malouda should have taken the chance he was given by Drogba in the eighth minute. But the shot was struck at the keeper and from then on, Wigan simply raised their workrate and backed their own spirited organisation. The chances fell almost exclusively to Chelsea, but they were spasmodic and tardily attempted. Yossi Benayoun was brought on for John Obi Mikel at the start of the second half and his energetic runninglifted the tone and authority of Chelsea’s play. But Wigan maintained that diligent defence, and through the playmaking efforts of Ben Watson, theyyielded nothing of note in midfield. Torres made his entrance, to surprising acclaim, in the 58th minute and Chelsea did what they could to construct the chance he must eventually take. But when the goal came it was scrappy and untidy. A right-wing corner from Drogba put the keeper under pressure. Torres may or may not have deployed a cunning elbow, as Martinez claimed. But the ball ran loose in the six-yard box, was beaten out a time or two then fell to Malouda, whose flailing hack squeezed it across the line.A couple of Torres runs lit up the rest of the match; the first involved a foot race with Antolin Alcaraz and a futile drive, the second, arranged by Benayoun, was perfectly driven and saved with thefingertips of Al-Habsi. The Chelsea crowd was remarkably understanding, although their patience might have been tested had Wigan managed to convert their late half-chances. If Torres should score an important goal at Old Trafford, then all will be forgiven. But at the moment, it seems a distant prospect. And the patience of Roman Abramovich is not without limit. =============================================