newcastle 2-2

Independent:

Muted send-off for Ancelotti as Abramovich prepares to strike

Chelsea 2 Newcastle United 2

By Mark Fleming at Stamford Bridge


There was no emotional farewell yesterday for manager Carlo Ancelotti,who is expected to pay the price for Chelsea's worst season during theownership of Roman Abramovich with his job.Instead, the Italian cut an isolated figure as Stamford Bridge badefarewell to the Premier League crown. The stadium was less than aquarter-full when the players and coaching staff went on what waseuphemistically called a "lap of appreciation".Didier Drogba, who could also be leaving Chelsea in the summer, smiledand waved to those supporters who had stayed behind, while Ancelottiseemed a little uncomfortable by the occasion. "We have to wait justone week. A week is not a long period, and see what happens," theItalian said.If, as expected, this proves to be Ancelotti's last home game incharge of Chelsea, then it was an unsatisfactory way for theDouble-winning manager to leave. When his fellow Italian ClaudioRanieri was shown the door with similar ruthless disdain by Abramovichin 2004, he was afforded a grand farewell by the Chelsea supporters inhis last game at the Bridge.Not for Ancelotti however. The only time his name was chanted from thestands was after the game had finished and Abramovich had left. Theindifference of the majority of Chelsea fans to Ancelotti's plight isperplexing, as this is the man who will forever be remembered forwinning the Double in his first season. However, some supporterscomplain about a lack of passion from Ancelotti and moan that he toooften follows the path of least resistance.The visit of Newcastle summed up Chelsea's season – they startedbrilliantly, and were ahead by the second minute when BranislavIvanovic bundled home Fernando Torres' near-post flick from a corner.They then wobbled when Ryan Taylor's free-kick was deflected in offJonas Gutierrez's back, before launching a late revival. Alex headedChelsea in front with seven minutes to go, only for it all to go wrongwith Steven Taylor's equaliser in the third minute of stoppage-time.The Newcastle manager, Alan Pardew, said: "It was one of the mostenjoyable goals I can think of. I was thrilled with some of theyounger players' performances. It was a just result."For Chelsea, the 18-year-old Josh McEachran looked tidy and composedin his first Premier League start, one of six changes made byAncelotti to the team that lost 2-1 at Old Trafford last weekend. Butanother of them, the £50m man Torres, was simply awful, which does notbode well for whoever replaces Ancelotti at the helm.


Substitutes: Chelsea Malouda (Ramires, 64) Drogba (Benayoun, 64)Essien (McEachran, 64). Newcastle LuaLua (Ferguson, 69), Ranger(Gutierrez, 76), Samuel Ameobi (Lovenkrands, 82). Booked: ChelseaIvanovic, Terry, Ramires, Lampard. Newcastle Enrique, Simpson.Man of the match: S Taylor. Match rating: 6/10.Possession: Chelsea 56% Newcastle 44%.Attempts on target: Chelsea 7 Newcastle 7.Referee: L Mason (Lancashire).Attendance: 41,739.


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Guardian:


Steven Taylor steals Chelsea's thunder with a late goal for Newcastle


Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge


Carlo Ancelotti trudged through the rather awkward post-match lap ofappreciation, with those who had stayed behind mustering enoughenthusiasm to chorus his name and Roman Abramovich applaudingpolitely, but the air of despondency was inescapable. The Italianwants to remain at this club to see out the final year of hiscontract, but he did not appear comfortable as he trod the touchline.If this was a send-off, it was depressingly downbeat.Chelsea's campaign is fizzling out, the point plucked here by StevenTaylor's deserved stoppage-time equaliser for Newcastle leaving mostin this arena numbed. It will end as the worst season of theAbramovich era – in terms of points accrued, trophies claimed andprogress made in Europe – and that will tarnish the memory of theunprecedented Double last season. The players had retreated ratherapologetically at the final whistle as if acknowledging the sense ofunderachievement that has set in.The delay before they re-emerged for the post-match parade tested thepatience of those locals prepared to stay, but everything about thisclub is in limbo at present: the sporting director, Frank Arnesen, isen route to Hamburg; the record signing, Fernando Torres, appears tobe praying for a new season and a fresh start; and the manager's ownposition will only become clear next week.Abramovich and his chief executive, Ron Gourlay, will deliberatebefore the Italian is informed. Does he expect to stay? "I think so, Ithink so," offered Ancelotti, though even that sounded deeplyunconvincing.He is in the dark, and that in itself does not bode well for hisfuture. His priority is to remain at Chelsea and, if he is sacked asexpected, continue in the Premier League. If not, and settled as he isin a flat in this plush pocket of west London, he may simply enjoy asabbatical until an opportunity arises."I don't know what will happen and I want to wait," he said. "We onlyhave to wait one week. It is the club that has to take a decision andjudge me. If my job was good, I will stay. If not, I will have to go.Sometimes I did a good job. Sometimes I could have done better."His team should have done better here. Their bright start hadBranislav Ivanovic bundling in Torres's flicked header, with theprospect of an end-of-season avalanche apparently very real. YetChelsea were stodgy thereafter, a line-up that included six changesfrom Old Trafford the previous weekend struggling to impose theirrhythm on the occasion. Ryan Taylor's free-kick deflected off JonásGutiérrez's back eight minutes later and the visitors were level, withAlan Pardew's charges arguably the more threatening team for longperiods thereafter.Torres summed up the hosts' toils, his touch still elusive and StevenTaylor and Fabricio Coloccini revelling in prolonging his misery. TheSpaniard has now managed one goal in 17 appearances since his £50marrival for Liverpool.He looks eager for a summer break and a chance to take stock.Newcastle barely offered him a sight of goal here, his confidencehaving been frayed further after an early thrashed effort flew out ofplay nearer the corner flag.Newcastle's resilience warranted praise. Shane Ferguson, likeChelsea's Josh McEachran, provided a mature and encouraging displayand a glimpse of a promising future. Joey Barton, forever thepantomime villain, marshalled their ranks impressively and Alex'sheaded goal seven minutes from time, with Tim Krul out of position,felt cruel. Yet Chelsea dawdled at a corner in stoppage time andSteven Taylor nodded in to secure the visitors' point. Newcastle hadprevailed here in the Carling Cup back in September, but this drawmust have felt just as satisfying.Their progress under Pardew may depend upon the level of funding madeavailable this summer. "Newcastle is a big, big club," said themanager. "We now want to attract one or two big players. You've got tooffer the fans hope and belief, and they'll be waiting for a few bignew players to come in. A performance like that will also give theowner the belief that we're doing things in the right way. If I wasthe owner, I'd think my investment was a bit more secure."A top-half finish would constitute a remarkable campaign given thetrauma of losing Andy Carroll so late in the January window. Chelseawill not end with any such satisfaction. Arguably the only moment tobe cherished here was reserved for Ivanovic's toddler, Stefan, whotottered up to the goal in front of the Matthew Harding stand to scorewhile his father looked on proudly.Almost a year ago, the post-match lap had been conducted in giddycelebration; that feels an age ago.


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Telegraph:


Chelsea 2 Newcastle United 2:


Carlo Ancelotti's new-look Chelsea looked anything but challengers fornext season's Premier League title as they threw away victory againstNewcastle.In what could be his final home game in charge, Ancelotti's teamselection very much appeared to have the new campaign in mind and itlooked promising when Branislav Ivanovic scored inside two minutes.But Jonas Gutierrez soon levelled after unwittingly deflecting in RyanTaylor's free-kick and although Alex headed the Blues back in frontlate on, Steven Taylor snatched a draw at the death.After seeing Manchester United depose them as champions yesterday,this afternoon's game was Chelsea's chance to lay down a marker fornext season as they paraded their new home kit.Despite appearing resigned to losing his job in the summer,Ancelotti's line-up reflected this as he made several changes,including starting Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun and Josh McEachran.And despite Ancelotti's protestations that they could play together,he decided against pairing Didier Drogba with Torres.It took the new-look Chelsea less than 10 minutes to open theiraccount, Frank Lampard's corner flicked on by Torres for Ivanovic tovolley home.The home side continued to dominate as Roman Abramovich watched onfrom the Stamford Bridge directors' box.But they undid the good work in the ninth minute when Alex gave theball straight to Peter Lovenkrands and John Terry tripped the striker,earning a booking.Making a rare start, Ryan Taylor struck the free-kick, which took ahuge deflection off Gutierrez and flew past the wrong-footed PetrCech.If that was unlucky for Chelsea, they were fortunate in the 16thminute when Shola Ameobi beat Cech in the air and the striker'sgoalbound header was cleared.The hosts also enjoyed a let-off when Ramires lunged horribly at DannySimpson but failed to earn even a booking.A crucial interception from Alex cut out a dangerous Shane Fergusoncross, while Ryan Taylor went close to deflecting the ball into hisown net at the other end after Ashley Cole's centre sparked panic.But as the half wore on, Chelsea began to look like a side that hadnot played together before as Newcastle more than matched them.The hosts' passing was sloppy, while Torres' inability to hold theball up was not helping and it appeared only a matter of time beforeDrogba entered the fray.Torres wasted a good crossing chance immediately after the restart ashis touch began to desert him, with any confidence he might havegained from ending his goal drought last month appearing to haveevaporated.Cole saw a header deflected behind and Ramires flashed wide from 30yards, although Newcastle remained a threat and Gutierrez looped aheader straight into Cech's arms and also curled too close to thegoalkeeper from 25 yards.Lampard had just been booked for going straight through the back ofJoey Barton and Ivanovic soon followed suit for tripping theimpressive Ferguson.The resulting Taylor free-kick was clutched by Cech, despite thelooming presence of Ameobi.With a little more than 25 minutes remaining, Ancelotti abandoned hisexperiment, introducing Drogba, Florent Malouda and Michael Essien forMcEachran, Ramires and Benayoun.Newcastle then lost Ferguson to injury, Kazenga LuaLua coming on.A brilliant Drogba free-kick evaded everyone and Simpson was cardedfor a foul on Essien as Chelsea tried to crank up the pressure.Cole made a hash of a glorious Drogba lay-off before Terry headed overunder pressure.Newcastle introduced Nile Ranger for Gutierrez and they went closethemselves when Lovenkrands' overhead kick screwed off target, theforward immediately replaced by Ameobi's younger brother Samuel.But that 83rd-minute change came during a Chelsea free-kick which setup the home side's second goal, Lampard crossing and Alex leapingabove Tim Krul to head home and net for the first time since October.Ryan Taylor almost levelled in stoppage-time before namesake Stevendid, taking advantage of slack marking to nod in Ranger's header backacross goal.


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Mail:

Chelsea 2 Newcastle 2:

Carlo heads for the exit as Blues fall to a new low

By Matt Barlow


The latest episode in what appears to be the slow death of CarloAncelotti somehow epitomised his second campaign.A lead surrendered, an indifferent performance and a manager lookingon, glazed and isolated.Steven Taylor scrambled Newcastle a deserved equaliser in stoppagetime, a goal which condemns Chelsea to their worst haul of BarclaysPremier League points since Roman Abramovich took over.Ancelotti stood at the mouth of the tunnel, staring into the middledistance, as the teams left the pitch. Four of his players trudgedpast - no eye contact, no handshake - before the Italian spun on hisheels and disappeared towards the dressing rooms.He reappeared half an hour later, trundling reluctantly behind theplayers and their children on an end-of-season lap of appreciation asBranislav Ivanovic's son Stefan stole the show by bundling a couple ofgoals into an empty net in front of the Matthew Harding Stand.Most fans had drained from Stamford Bridge by this point. Perhapsthere were 10,000 left inside the stadium and they applauded the squadand sang the manager's name. Ever dignified, Ancelotti offered agentle wave, lengthened his stride, cut a few corners and was thefirst back down the tunnel.Last year, he was Chelsea's first Double winning manager and led amass choir of supporters from an open-top bus. Last night, he made hisway home from the Bridge, unsure whether he will be back in charge ofthe team and unaware of any hard facts.'I don't know what will happen,' said Ancelotti. 'Everyone can give anopinion about my job here. It is the club who have to judge. If my jobwas good, I will stay. If they think it was not good, I will have togo. In my opinion, sometimes I did a good job, sometimes I could dobetter.'We have to wait just one week. A week is not a long period. You'reasking questions I'm not able to answer. You have to propose thisquestion to the club, not to me. I cannot give an answer.'Chelsea's backing for Ancelotti vanished in February, when chiefexecutive Ron Gourlay revealed the manager's position would beassessed at the end of the season. Since then, the silence has beendeafening.The club, who end their campaign at Everton on Sunday, still look setto finish runners-up behind Manchester United but they cannot surpass74 points.The previous low under Abramovich had been in 2003-04 when ClaudioRanieri's team compiled 79. The same old problems were in evidenceyesterday.A proud and talented team nearing the end of their natural cycle, buta limited squad, undermined by a poor recent transfer policy andlacking variety to change direction when things went badly.Ancelotti made six changes to the side beaten at Old Trafford theprevious week, including giving a full Premier League debut for JoshMcEachran, Yossi Benayoun's first League start for the club and arecall for Fernando Torres, but Chelsea found Newcastle spiritedopponents.Ivanovic used his knee to put the home side ahead in the second minutebut the visitors soon levelled when Ryan Taylor's free-kick hit JonasGutierrez in the back and beat Petr Cech. Torres had a hand in theopener but it failed to inspire him.The Spaniard soon drifted out of touch, seemingly devoid of confidenceand desperate for a rest. Abramovich winced as an early shot from his£50million striker narrowly missed a corner flag. Ancelotti revertedto the old guard after the break.On came the muscle of Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and FlorentMalouda and off went the craft of McEachran, Ramires and Benayoun.With seven minutes left, Alex drifted away from his marker to head ina free-kick which was badly misjudged by Tim Krul. It ought to havebeen the winner but the visitors, who brought famous siblingsubstitutes Sammy Ameobi and Kazenga LuaLua from the bench, respondedwith another set-piece.Ryan Taylor's deep corner reached Nile Ranger, who was free beyond thefar post, and he headed the ball back into the goalmouth.Steven Taylor was completely alone as he headed powerfully inside thepost. 'When you concede a lot of goals in the last minute, somethingis wrong,' mused Ancelotti.