Independent:
Deadly Drogba gets Chelsea back on song for Europe
Chelsea 1 Stoke City 0: Ivorian repays Di Matteo's faith with neat finish against 10-man Stoke
STEVE TONGUE STAMFORD BRIDGE
Requiring a three-goal victory to push Arsenal out of the top four, Chelsea should have managed it, given that their opponents had Ricardo Fuller sent off for a blatant stamp after only 25 minutes. Instead, Stoke held on – literally at times,as most set-pieces turned into wrestling matches in the penalty area – until three-quarters of the way through a poor game, when Didier Drogba scored his 100th Premier League goal.
Roberto Di Matteo was hardly controversial in bringing the Ivorian back into the side in place of Fernando Torres, who left the dug-out only for a couple of warm-up jogs before sitting disconsolately down again. So the Spaniard remains 23 minutes short of playing 24 hours without a goal.
Andre Villas-Boas, drummed out as manager after defeat by West Bromwich Albion last Saturday, had played his first Premier League game in the hostile environment of Stoke's Britannia Ground and was happy enough to come out of the experience with a point. Di Matteo knew all about the threat: Stoke were the bogey team to the previous club he had managed, West Bromwich. But Stoke had not managed to win at Stamford Bridge since 1974 and were never close yesterday, not demanding a save of Petr Cech either before or after Fuller's dismissal.
Afterwards, Di Matteo was able to promise "better times will come". He felt that the sending-off made little difference to Stoke's approach, claiming: "They were still going to defend deep and have men behind the ball. Sometimes you have to win a little bit scrappy, and after the events of last week it was important just to get the win."
Following a winning start in the FA Cup at Birmingham – a home game against Leicester next Sunday offers every chance of a Wembley semi-final – Di Matteo made four changes, surprisingly leaving out Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge and just as unexpectedly opting for a 4-4-2 formation. It allowed John Obi Mikel more freedom to venture forward while Raul Meireles covered him, until he made way for Sturridge.
Stoke's manager, Tony Pulis, also had a surprise or two up his sleeve, leaving out leading scorer Peter Crouch ahead of the FA Cup tie at Liverpool, and in the absence of his wide men Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant, picking three similar strikers in Kenwyne Jones, Fuller and Jonathan Walters.
Three became two with little more than a quarter of the game played when Branislav Ivanovic cleared the ball and found Fuller stamping on the inside of his thigh. Fortunately for Chelsea and for justice, the officials saw it. Pulis said afterwards: "It's a ridiculous reaction from Ric. He has been at this football club for six years now or whatever and he's been a fantastic player for the club. But he is prone to react sometimes like that and – like I say – it's unacceptable."
Di Matteo reacted decisively by sending on the more adventurous Mata for Meireles, but although Chelsea struck the crossbar twice before half-time they could not break through. John Terry, returning only two-and-a- half weeks after an ankle operation, thumped a header into the ground and up against the frame of the goal. Less than 10 minutes later Robert Huth, back on his old stamping ground, headed weakly out to Ivanovic, who thrashed a shot past Asmir Begovic but against the bar.
Stoke were hardly in the game as an attacking force, their most promising move for a long time coming when Walters, on a break down the right, accidentally clipped Terry, who fell over, leaving Gary Cahill to bring off a brave block before Walters hit the rebound wide.
Free-kicks and corners appeared to offer the visitors their best chance with 10 men, Ryan Shotton hurling his throws almost as fast and far as the absent Rory Delap. Bringing on Matthew Upson and moving Huth to left-back gave them even greater aerial strength at both ends, though David Luiz, who replaced Ivanovic at half-time, might have been expected to outrun the former Chelsea man down the flank.
The same applied to Sturridge, brought on in a third positive substitution to replace Mikel, although the newcomer played no part in the goal that followed within a minute. Ashley Cole, well advanced, fed Mata, who turned and played in Drogba for a nifty piece of footwork in taking the ball past his marker and round Begovic to score.
If the crowd relaxed a little, their team could not afford to under the late barrage from Stoke, whose best effort – almost a parody of long-ball football – was a shot from inside the centre circle by Andy Wilkinson that had Cech looking momentarily concerned before it drifted wide of a post.
So Di Matteo was able to celebrate a first victory at this level for a year. He would love another when Napoli arrive on Wednesday, but on that occasion the margin – by a minimum of two goals – really will matter.
Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech; Ivanovic (David Luiz, h-t), Cahill, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Meireles (Mata, 38), Mikel (Sturridge, 67), Lampard; Drogba, Kalou.
Stoke (4-3-3): Begovic; Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Wilson (Upson, 51); Shotton, Whitehead, Diao (Palacios, 51); Jones (Jerome, 60), Walters, Fuller.
Referee Andre Marriner.
Man of the match Mata (Chelsea).
Match rating 6/10.
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Deadly Drogba gets Chelsea back on song for Europe
Chelsea 1 Stoke City 0: Ivorian repays Di Matteo's faith with neat finish against 10-man Stoke
STEVE TONGUE STAMFORD BRIDGE
Requiring a three-goal victory to push Arsenal out of the top four, Chelsea should have managed it, given that their opponents had Ricardo Fuller sent off for a blatant stamp after only 25 minutes. Instead, Stoke held on – literally at times,as most set-pieces turned into wrestling matches in the penalty area – until three-quarters of the way through a poor game, when Didier Drogba scored his 100th Premier League goal.
Roberto Di Matteo was hardly controversial in bringing the Ivorian back into the side in place of Fernando Torres, who left the dug-out only for a couple of warm-up jogs before sitting disconsolately down again. So the Spaniard remains 23 minutes short of playing 24 hours without a goal.
Andre Villas-Boas, drummed out as manager after defeat by West Bromwich Albion last Saturday, had played his first Premier League game in the hostile environment of Stoke's Britannia Ground and was happy enough to come out of the experience with a point. Di Matteo knew all about the threat: Stoke were the bogey team to the previous club he had managed, West Bromwich. But Stoke had not managed to win at Stamford Bridge since 1974 and were never close yesterday, not demanding a save of Petr Cech either before or after Fuller's dismissal.
Afterwards, Di Matteo was able to promise "better times will come". He felt that the sending-off made little difference to Stoke's approach, claiming: "They were still going to defend deep and have men behind the ball. Sometimes you have to win a little bit scrappy, and after the events of last week it was important just to get the win."
Following a winning start in the FA Cup at Birmingham – a home game against Leicester next Sunday offers every chance of a Wembley semi-final – Di Matteo made four changes, surprisingly leaving out Juan Mata and Daniel Sturridge and just as unexpectedly opting for a 4-4-2 formation. It allowed John Obi Mikel more freedom to venture forward while Raul Meireles covered him, until he made way for Sturridge.
Stoke's manager, Tony Pulis, also had a surprise or two up his sleeve, leaving out leading scorer Peter Crouch ahead of the FA Cup tie at Liverpool, and in the absence of his wide men Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant, picking three similar strikers in Kenwyne Jones, Fuller and Jonathan Walters.
Three became two with little more than a quarter of the game played when Branislav Ivanovic cleared the ball and found Fuller stamping on the inside of his thigh. Fortunately for Chelsea and for justice, the officials saw it. Pulis said afterwards: "It's a ridiculous reaction from Ric. He has been at this football club for six years now or whatever and he's been a fantastic player for the club. But he is prone to react sometimes like that and – like I say – it's unacceptable."
Di Matteo reacted decisively by sending on the more adventurous Mata for Meireles, but although Chelsea struck the crossbar twice before half-time they could not break through. John Terry, returning only two-and-a- half weeks after an ankle operation, thumped a header into the ground and up against the frame of the goal. Less than 10 minutes later Robert Huth, back on his old stamping ground, headed weakly out to Ivanovic, who thrashed a shot past Asmir Begovic but against the bar.
Stoke were hardly in the game as an attacking force, their most promising move for a long time coming when Walters, on a break down the right, accidentally clipped Terry, who fell over, leaving Gary Cahill to bring off a brave block before Walters hit the rebound wide.
Free-kicks and corners appeared to offer the visitors their best chance with 10 men, Ryan Shotton hurling his throws almost as fast and far as the absent Rory Delap. Bringing on Matthew Upson and moving Huth to left-back gave them even greater aerial strength at both ends, though David Luiz, who replaced Ivanovic at half-time, might have been expected to outrun the former Chelsea man down the flank.
The same applied to Sturridge, brought on in a third positive substitution to replace Mikel, although the newcomer played no part in the goal that followed within a minute. Ashley Cole, well advanced, fed Mata, who turned and played in Drogba for a nifty piece of footwork in taking the ball past his marker and round Begovic to score.
If the crowd relaxed a little, their team could not afford to under the late barrage from Stoke, whose best effort – almost a parody of long-ball football – was a shot from inside the centre circle by Andy Wilkinson that had Cech looking momentarily concerned before it drifted wide of a post.
So Di Matteo was able to celebrate a first victory at this level for a year. He would love another when Napoli arrive on Wednesday, but on that occasion the margin – by a minimum of two goals – really will matter.
Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech; Ivanovic (David Luiz, h-t), Cahill, Terry, Cole; Ramires, Meireles (Mata, 38), Mikel (Sturridge, 67), Lampard; Drogba, Kalou.
Stoke (4-3-3): Begovic; Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Wilson (Upson, 51); Shotton, Whitehead, Diao (Palacios, 51); Jones (Jerome, 60), Walters, Fuller.
Referee Andre Marriner.
Man of the match Mata (Chelsea).
Match rating 6/10.
==================
Observer:
Didier Drogba's neat finish gives Chelsea victory against Stoke City
David Hytner at Stamford Bridge
This was not a performance to have the Napoli scouts trembling, ahead of the Champions League last 16 showdown here on Wednesday night, but for Roberto Di Matteo and everyone connected with Chelsea, the result was everything. After the angst of recent weeks, on and off the field, which culminated in the sacking of André Villas-Boas last Sunday, there was comfort to be located in a narrow victory.Chelsea's fourth Premier League win in 13 attempts was secured by Didier Drogba's neatly taken goal against a Stoke team that played for 69 minutes with 10 men. Ricardo Fuller's dismissal for an inexcusable stamp on Branislav Ivanovic was foolish in the extreme and it drew condemnation from his manager Tony Pulis.Di Matteo's team dominated without ever truly quickening the pulse, although they did hit the woodwork three times and create chances, particularly in the first half. The football was formulaic; the tempo and the excitement value low. Chelsea, though, would argue that it was not their fault and that they did everything to force the issue.Stoke tend to play a certain way on their travels and when they must fight without the full compliment, their backs become pinned even more closely to the wall. Di Matteo noted the difficulty in breaking them down, even before the sending-off.It always felt as though one goal would prove decisive and it came when the substitute Juan Mata found Drogba with an incisive pass. The Ivorian's first touch looked heavy but his second took him around the Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. His third brought up his 100th Premier League goal and saw him become the first African player to reach the landmark. The club must surely endeavour to ensure that he does not leave on a free transfer in the summer."Sometimes during the season, you have to win like this," Di Matteo said. "It's not always going to be easy or pretty. We scored goals against Bolton, for example, but sometimes you have to win a bit scrappy. It was a big goal for Didier and for the team. His contract is a club matter. Didier has been a tremendous player for this club."Di Matteo's caretaker charge has started in solid fashion. The victory followed the 2-0 success at Birmingham City in the FA Cup last Tuesday."It's two wins, two clean sheets: you gain confidence and belief from that," he said. But he was clear that a more impressive performance would be needed against Napoli to overturn the 3-1 first-leg deficit.The game was shaped by Fuller's sending-off, although Di Matteo noted that Stoke played with two deep-lying banks of four throughout. Fuller had already tangled with Ivanovic in his own half when he contested a ball with the Serb deep in Chelsea territory.Ivanovic did raise his leg to make contact with Fuller's shin, after the ball had gone, but Fuller's reaction, aiming a vicious stamp at Ivanovic's nether regions, was disproportionate and gave the referee Andre Marriner no option. The old joke about the player getting the ball did not help to remove the water from Ivanovic's eyes. Nor was it any way for Fuller to mark his first Premier League start since New Year's Day 2011."That makes it doubly disappointing," Pulis said. "It was a ridiculous reaction from Ric. He is prone to that. He's a great lad and he was the first to apologise to everyone in the dressing room. But it was unacceptable. We will see whether I fine him. Everything we do will be within the football club."Chelsea did everything but score in the first-half of a muscular contest and most of the clearest chances fell to Ivanovic. The defender thumped a free header from Frank Lampard's corner over the crossbar; he drew a save from Begovic with a looping header, following more prompting from Lampard and, on 41 minutes, he rattled the bar after Robert Huth's poor clearance.John Terry, who returned unscathed after his knee operation, also hit the bar, with a header from another Lampard corner while Gary Cahill, preferred to David Luiz at the start, tested Begovic from distance, and Ryan Shawcross almost put through his own goal with a backwards header. For Stoke, Jon Walters had a shot blocked by Cahill in the 17th minute. Mata started on the bench as Di Matteo sought greater physicality – yet the substitutions were positive and Chelsea were on the front foot throughout. Stoke, though, who resemble a team of man-mountains, do not give an easy ride.Chelsea had been restricted to efforts from distance in the second half, although Drogba's free-kick drew an excellent save from Begovic and there was the sense that they were beginning to labour when they fashioned the breakthrough. The relief was palpable.Stoke's response was a speculative effort from Andy Wilkinson from the halfway line that was not too far away and a shot from the substitute Cameron Jerome that flashed wide. Mata's curling free-kick from 25 yards hit the post and Daniel Sturridge, also on from the bench, went close.It was never going to be pretty. Nobody in Chelsea blue could grumble.
================
Telegraph:
Chelsea 1 Stoke City 0: match report
By Duncan White, Stamford Bridge
Roberto Di Matteo says he has no friends but after victory today the Chelsea interim manager will certainly have a few more pals to call on.
Didier Drogba, who turns 34 tomorrow, celebrated the Blues' 107th anniversary with his 100th Premier League goal as Di Matteo's men finally managed to break down 10-man Stoke City
Didier Drogba has 10 Premier League games left as a Chelsea player under his current contract – here was a little message about what they would miss if he does not get a new one. In a frustrating, fractious game, Drogba made the decisive intervention with 20 minutes to go, finishing expertly for his 100th Premier League goal
Drogba turns 34 today and apparently wants a two-year deal to stay at Stamford Bridge. He will have lucrative offers from China and the
Middle East and has often spoken of the sentimental pull of a return to Marseilles but he clearly feels he has unfinished business at Stamford Bridge.
With Fernando Torres not even coming off the bench, Drogba remains the leading man of the Chelsea attack and the player whose goals they will rely on if they are to secure fourth place and Champions League football for next season.
To that end, Di Matteo appears to be taking a more pragmatic approach to his idealistic predecessor. “Sometimes during the season you have to win like this and get the three points,” he said.
“Sometimes it is not going to be easy or pretty. We have had games in which we have played fantastically well and scored a lot of goals but sometimes you have to win a bit scrappy.” Enough to make Andre Villas-Boas shudder.
This was certainly scrappy stuff. To be fair to Chelsea they hit the woodwork three times. John Terry had seen his downward header come back off the bar after half an hour and then, just before the break,
Branislav Ivanovic clipped the top of the bar with a powerful volleyed effort. Once Chelsea had their lead, Mata came close to closing out the game, curling a fine free kick against the top of the post.
Two of those efforts came from set pieces and that was were Chelsea looked most dangerous. Ivanovic also went close from a Lampard corner while Asmir Begovic pulled off an outstanding save to deny Drogba from another free kick.
From open play Chelsea were less convincing, especially as they played over an hour of this game against.
They never really developed an attacking rhythm – and to Stoke’s credit they worked extraordinarily hard to close their opponents down – and, until Mata’s clever pass for the winner, had lacked imagination in their final ball.
Chelsea had started strongly – Gary Cahill had forced a good save from Begovic with a long-ranger – but Stoke were playing their way into the game when Fuller sabotaged his team-mates’ chances.
The Stoke forward had started on the left and was getting frustrated at being on the periphery of the game.
That could not explain what followed, however. In the 25th minute, Ivanovic cleared the ball as Fuller closed in and the legs of both players got tangled.
Perhaps the Serb had accidentally caught Fuller but the response was unmerited, a stamp into the his opponent’s groin. It was an unambiguous red card.
“It is a ridiculous reaction from Ric,” said Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager. “He has been at this club for six years and has been fantastic for us. But he is prone to react like that sometimes and it is unacceptable.
"I have got a lot of time for him and he was the first to apologise when we went into the dressing room. I’ll speak to him about it on Monday.”
From that moment the destiny of the game was mapped out. Stoke would drop deep, work hard when the ball was in play and take their time when it was not.
“From the first minute there was time-wasting,” Di Matteo said. “It was important that the referee was aware of it but we had to keep our calm and just focus on getting the goal.”
Anticipating which way the game was going, Di Matteo was proactive, sending on Mata for Raul Meireles after 37 minutes.
He had left Mata out of the side because he wanted his team to match Stoke’s physical game but once Chelsea had the numerical advantage, Mata’s wit was in demand.
It was a while coming but ultimately Mata made the difference.
With just over 20 minutes left, he dropped a shoulder and shifted to the edge of the Stoke box before playing a reverse pass into the path of Drogba, who had got the wrong side of Dean Whitehead.
The Ivorian calmly danced around the advancing Begovic and finished into the empty net. Stoke gave Chelsea a couple of late scares.
Andy Wilkinson tried to lob Petr Cech from the halfway line but his ambitious effort went wide and then, with seven minutes to go, Terry misjudged the flight of the ball and Cameron Jerome was through one-on-one against Cahill. He opted to take an early shot but hit it wide of the near post.
Di Matteo’s attention now focuses on a Champions League rescue job against Napoli. The Italians beat Caligiari 6-3 on Friday night and have been in superb form but Di Matteo feels his team are growing in confidence and can overturn the 3-1 deficit.
“We have won two games, got two clean sheets and gained some
confidence,” he said.
“We are going to have to put in a great performance against Napoli because they are a good side. But it will be a completely different game.”
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Mail:
Chelsea 1 Stoke 0: Fuller sees red as Drogba keeps Blues in the hunt
By ROB DRAPER
If nothing else, the prognosis looks more hopeful at Stamford Bridge than it did a week ago.
Two routine if unspectacular wins and the return of the old guard to the team have at least stemmed the bleeding on the wounded patient, though Napoli could yet inflict a mortal blow on Wednesday.
But when Didier Drogba scored the decisive goal, his 100th in the Premier League coming the day before his 34th birthday, there was a palpable sense of relief.
What might have become a dispiriting goalless draw against a well-organised Stoke side, who were reduced to 10 men after 25 minutes thanks to Ricardo Fuller's stupidity, became a morale-boosting victory.
John Terry returned, two-and-a-half weeks after his knee operation, and despite two near calamitous slip-ups, it adds to a sense of wellbeing at the club.
Fans even briefly chanted the name of caretaker manager and former player Roberto Di Matteo, who quickly acknowledged the support with a thumbs-up. Almost in the same breath, those same fans made it clear they do not approve of the talks the board have had with Rafa Benitez but, for now, order is restored, stability has returned and the essential qualification for the Champions League remains in sight.
'Today was a step in that direction and sometimes during the season you have to win like this,' said Di Matteo. 'It's not always going to be easy and pretty. We had some great games against Bolton, where we scored lots of goals and played fantastically well, but sometimes you have to win a little bit scrappy.'
It is not, you would imagine, quite what Roman Abramovich imagined when he charged Andre Villas-Boas with turning Chelsea into a new Barcelona at the start of the season. But then, needs must.
This wasn't beautiful but then it wasn't a humiliating defeat. The calm cannot last, of course, for this is Chelsea but their task was considerably aided by the inexplicable indiscipline of Fuller.
Just 25 minutes had passed when he was upended by Branislav Ivanovic.Fuller decided to pre-empt the referee and administer his own justice. As he fell to the ground, he kicked out in order to stamp on the Chelsea defender and made painful contact.
Having picked himself up, all that remained for Fuller was for Andre Marriner to send him off.
'It's a ridiculous reaction from Ric,' said Pulis. 'He's been here at the club for six years, he's been a fantastic player but he is prone to react. It's unacceptable. He's a great lad, I've a lot of time for him and he was the first to apologise in the dressing room. I'll speak to him on Monday morning. Will I fine him? We'll see. We'll do it within the football club. The most important thing is to be straight and I'll speak to Ric before anyone else.'
In such moments are a week's planning undone but Pulis and Stoke reacted well. Before that, Chelsea had started brightly, with an Ivanovic header just clearing the bar and Asmir Begovic pulling off a fine save from Gary Cahill's 20- yarder.
The chances continued to come but Stoke defended manfully. Jon Walters, as stand-in right winger, was industrious while Dean Whitehead scurried around midfield to great effect.
They were fortunate on 32 minutes when Terry's header from Frank Lampard's corner bounced off the ground and on to the bar, and they required Begovic again to be alert to Ivanovic's header after he exchanged a neat one-two with Lampard.
And a rare poor clearance from Robert Huth allowed Ivanovic a strike on goal from 25 yards on 42 minutes which struck the bar. With a half-time reorganisation from Pulis, Stoke settled down.
Early second-half introductions of Matthew Upson and Wilson Palacios restricted Chelsea to the occasional long-range shot, Terry and Lampard trying their luck to no avail.
For a full 20 minutes, Stoke contained a Chelsea side that seemed little better than the failed Villas- Boas model.
As Chelsea laboured, Di Matteo turned to Daniel Sturridge as his chosen substitute - not Fernando Torres. If you need a goal now, the £50million striker is not a man on whom you would want to rely.
Coincidentally, the substitution sparked the game's best moments. On 67 minutes, Drogba struck a curling free-kick from 25 yards which Begovic did brilliantly to save. But it was Juan Mata who became the game's most influential player and the Spaniard's input was to prove pivotal.
Di Matteo had left him out initially as, against Stoke, he 'wanted to have a powerful, physical team to start with'. Nevertheless, with his opponents down to 10 men, the manager had brought Mata on for Raul Meireles and he remains a match-winner in the central areas .
The threaded through-ball Mata delivered for Drogba was a delight.
The Ivorian's first touch was heavy, but it drew Begovic out, allowing Drogba to dink the ball past him and net from close range.
There was more when, on 88 minutes, the Spaniard hit a spectacular free-kick from 30 yards, which struck a post. By then the victory, though, was relatively secure.
On Wednesday night, when exit from the Champions League looms, you suspect that Mata may get a start.
=================
Mirror:
An unblemished start by Roberto Di Matteo to his career as Chelsea’s interim manager has left the Stamford Bridge faithful in no doubt who they want as the new man in charge.
True, emotion generated by relief at the win achieved by as much sweat as subtlety may have played its part yesterday as a stubborn Stoke were eventually overcome courtesy of an assured finish from Didier Drogba.
“One Di Matteo, there’s only one Di Matteo,” was the terrace chant.
It remains to be seen if he gets the job on a full-time basis. What was abundantly clear, however, was that Rafa Benitez would not be a popular choice. And that is putting it mildly.
A relieved Di Matteo said: “I sensed the crowd were a little nervous but I want to say that better times will come.
“Last week all I did was talk to the players and try to give our targets. The win today was a step in the right direction. I’m not thinking about the Chelsea job, I’m thinking only about Napoli on Wednesday in the Champions League.”
Di Matteo could not have asked for a more encouraging lift-off to his career as a Premier League manager with Chelsea.
He was able, for a start, to call on his inspirational captain John Terry.
Terry had missed the previous eight matches with a knee injury and declared himself fit a mere 17 days after surgery.
He also had the experience of a rejuvenated Frank Lampard after the midfielder’s tetchy relationship with Andre Villas-Boas was brought to an abrupt end.
And there was the lift of a bright, enthusiastic start which so nearly brought two goals in the first 20 minutes.
Only ten had gone when Gary Cahill made the decision to abandon his defensive duties and accelerate into the Stoke area.
Resistance was non-existent so Cahill just kept running and unleashed a fierce drive that Asmir Begovic dived spectacularly to turn away.
Then it was the turn of Brazilian Ramires to find space in the area but he failed to connect with a perfectly flighted cross from Salomon Kalou.
Stoke? They held firm and defended for their lives. They had to stay in the contest – and while it always had a muscular element, there were occasions when it had more than an element of the over-physical.
As Terry was quick to point out to referee Andre Marriner after his header hit the bar but only after an almighty tussle with Robert Huth.
But after 24 minutes, a flash of indiscipline from Ricardo Fuller made Stoke’s task that much harder.
He tangled with Branislav Ivanovic but there was no apparent venom. Then Fuller clearly stamped on the Chelsea defender in a fit of pique and referee Marriner had no option but to produce a red card.
Stoke’s difficult task now became even more taxing.
Di Matteo responded to the numerical advantage by sending on Juan Mata for the more defensively minded Raul Meireles and the gifted Spaniard certainly added pep and trickery to supplement the power of Drogba.
The Ivorian had a strange game. One moment he looked irresistible and almost unplayable. The next he was producing a shot that would have needed heat-seeking equipment to locate.
He also made the vital breakthrough in the 68th minute when Stoke’s resistance was finally broken.
The architect was Mata who has that X-factor that makes you wonder why he was not in the starting line-up.
Fuller’s premature departure gave him the chance and he took it.
Stoke’s massed ranks were assembled around Begovic’s goal but Mata found a way through with an exquisite pass that Drogba collected with relish to net his 100th Premier League goal for the Blues.
Out came Begovic but the goalkeeper who had produced a stunning save a few minutes earlier to keep out Drogba’s free-kick found it harder to deal with a one-on-one confrontation. The ball was knocked past him and Drogba then scored from close range.
Stoke rallied but Chelsea always looked the more likely team to score the next goal.
Indeed, Mata thought he had done just that five minutes from time with a wicked free-kick that beat Begovic but not the left-hand post.
Di Matteo added: “I am pleased for Didier to score 100 goals but the important thing was for the team to win. When Stoke had a man sent off it did not make any difference to the way they play. They still had two banks of four.
Stoke manager Pulis said: “I have watched the Ricardo Fuller incident on the television and it was a ridiculous reaction from him.
“He is a great lad but he is prone to react like that. It was unacceptable. To be fair, he was the first to apologise back in the dressing room.
“It is hard enough to play Chelsea with 11 men. It was a tough ask but the players worked very hard. I thought that generally we kept them at bay.”
===================
Sun:
DIDIER DROGBA and Ricardo Fuller both used their boots to devastating effect.
The difference was match-winner Drogba earned Chelsea a victory that puts them level with fourth-placed Arsenal.
While match-sinner Fuller cost his team dear with a shameful moment of madness.
An act of pure thuggery over-shadowed the game — and it decided the match just as much as Drogba's goal.
The Stoke striker's vicious stamp on right-back Branislav Ivanovic in the 25th minute was a disgrace and deserved a straight red card.
That is an automatic three-match ban — but it merits a six-game sanction at least.
This did not happen in the heat of the moment or the heart of a tackle — this was so long after the event it is a tribute to the officials that they saw the incident and dealt with it.
If Fuller did the same in the street he would be on a police charge for assault or actual bodily harm as Ivanovic failed to make it out for the second half. There will be those who will say "but that's what you get when you take on Stoke City."
And, yes, we all know the Potters are tough, uncompromising and even intimidating.
Of course they get physical, that is not a problem. But this was so beyond the pale, so outrageous that there can be no excuse.
What on earth goes through a player's mind when he stands above an opponent and decides it is a good idea to bring his studs crashing down on the midriff of a rival?
Going for the ball? He was going for Branislav's b***s — and anything else that got in the way.
Mind you, he probably avoided the tough-guy Serb afterwards.
Thankfully, Stoke boss Tony Pulis did not try to defend the indefensible and admitted: "It's a reckless tackle from Ric, it's unacceptable."
Well said, sir. Fortunately football triumphed in the end. But only just.
For 10-man Stoke battled bravely — and legitimately — to keep the Blues at bay despite their early disadvantage.
It made you wonder if they would have frustrated Chelsea totally if reckless Ric had not seen the red mist.
But the breakthrough finally came in the 68th minute.
Supersub Juan Mata steered a low ball into the box to Drogba and he rolled back the years with a vintage finish.
One deft touch with his left boot controlled the ball and moved it into space. Two quick touches with his right took the ball beyond Asmir Begovic and on into the net.
Now that is how to do some damage, that is how to really hurt your rivals — kick the ball into the back of their net!
And few have done that better than Drogba in recent years. This was his 100th league goal which makes him the first African to reach a century of strikes in the Premier League.
What a good finish too. A classic, quick shoe-shuffle from the 33-year-old who is not deemed worthy of the two-year deal he wants to stay at the Bridge.
So he is set to quit West London this summer on a free.
And that is fine because this is a team that needs refreshing and, to an extent, re-building.
Except who is around to fill his boots? Fernando Torres . . . the £50million man who has gone close to 24 hours playing-time without a goal?
Romelu Lukaku . . . who cost £18million in the summer but cannot even make the bench?
Or Daniel Sturridge . . . who is not trusted to play through the middle, well not yet anyway?
More likely the Blues billionaire owner Roman Abramovich will have to dig deep yet again and bring in another big-name, big-money buy to try to replace the Drog.
And those boots will take some filling.
Not so the boots left by Andre Villas-Boas in the vacant manager's office.
It's two wins out of two now for "interim first-team coach" Roberto Di Matteo with the bonus of three goals scored and two clean sheets.
Chelsea also hit the woodwork three times — returning skipper John Terry and Ivanovic hit the bar and Mata's marvellous free-kick came off a post.
And Potters keeper Begovic was also forced to produce a string of fine saves to keep his side in it.
So this was a far more decisive victory than the 1-0 scoreline suggests.
Di Matteo deserves particular praise, acting quickly after the dismissal to send on Mata who he had originally decided to protect from the power of the Potters.
The Spaniard ran the show, orchestrating everything from the middle, and it was his assist that helped win the day.
That guaranteed smiles all around afterwards with Di Matteo promising "better times will come."
The sooner the better. It is Napoli at the Bridge in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday night and there's a 3-1 deficit to overturn.
But if Di Matteo can keep the magic going put your money on Torres to get the winner.
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Star:
CHELSEA 1 - STOKE CITY 0: DIDIER DROGBA'S A TON-DINGERA
By Paul Hetherington
DIDIER DROGBA led the birthday celebrations with his 100th Premier League goal.
The Chelsea striker is 34 today and he clinched the points yet again on the day his club was 107 years old.
It was a much-needed victory against ten-man Stoke – only the Blues’ second in the last seven league matches.
And it might make Roberto Di Matteo, caretaker boss after the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas last weekend, a bit more popular.
Di Matteo admits he doesn’t have friends but plenty of people at Chelsea were happy with him yesterday.
The Italian went into battle calling for unity.
AVB’s former right-hand man said: “I want to see a team that is committed to the cause of this club.
“I want players that help each other on the pitch, who are united to combat any opposition we come up against.
Di Matteo, who recalled the big four – John Terry, Drogba, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole – then saw his side dominate from the start.
They were close to scoring three times in the opening ten minutes.
Ryan Shawcross almost headed into his own goal, Branislav Ivanovic bulleted a header just over and Gary Cahill was denied by keeper Asmir Begovic after a storming run and shot.
And Stoke certainly weren’t helped by a foolish stamp on Ivanovic in the 25th minute from Ricardo Fuller, who was shown a straight red card by ref Andre Marriner.
Fuller caught the Chelsea right-back where it really hurts in an off-the-ball incident.
Terry saw a downward header bounce up and hit the bar and Ivanovic went close with another headed effort before striking the woodwork himself.
Then skipper Terry struck a shot just wide on a day when many of their best efforts came from defenders.
But it was Drogba who changed that.
Barely 60 seconds after having a superb free-kick brilliantly saved by Begovic, the Ivory Coast ace cracked Stoke’s resistance in the 68th minute.
Substitute Juan Mata threaded a pass through the massed Stoke defence and Drogba took the ball round Begovic before finishing with his right foot.
He is the first African to reach a century of goals in the top flight.
The impressive Mata almost increased the lead but his curling free-kick hit the post.
And another lively sub – Daniel Sturridge – shot just wide in the last minute.
Fernando Torres was spared the humiliation of going 24 hours without a goal.
The Spanish striker, who is nine minutes away from the unwanted milestone, was left on the bench as Chelsea moved level on points with fourth-placed Arsenal.
They trail the Gunners by just one on goal difference.
Di Matteo said of match-winner Drogba: “The club will make a decision on Didier’s future but he has been fantastic for this club.
“He’s come up with a winning goal and he’ll be very happy to have reached 100 goals.
“Today was a step in the right direction to finish in the top four.
“We now have Napoli in the Champions League but I wasn’t thinking of that with my team selection because today was very important in its own right.
“We’ve got three points, kept a clean sheet and I always like to concentrate on the positives.
“Stoke defend well and are hard to break down.
“The sending-off didn’t really make a difference because we still had two banks of four to get through.”
Stoke boss Tony Pulis did not try to hide his disappointment with Fuller.
The Potters’ gaffer said: “Ric’s a great lad and he’s been a great servant to this club but his reaction was ridiculous .
“What he did to get sent off was unacceptable.
“He’s apologised for what he did and I will speak to him again on Monday.
“But what happens will be kept within the club.
“It was his first start for a long time and that makes it doubly disappointing. It was always going to be hard here with eleven men – never mind ten.”
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Express:
THE manager may have changed, the captain may be back, but Chelsea are still locked in a struggle to save the remnants of a fractured season.
It took them an age to break the resistance of 10-man Stoke and the narrow victory was not enough to haul the Blues back into fourth place in the Premier League table.
Maybe Chelsea fans will point to their team hitting the woodwork three times in this game. Realists will respond that too much of their football remains of the ponderous variety you might expect from an ageing side.
The first League match since the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas proved nothing; certainly not that caretaker boss Roberto Di Matteo has an instant magical formula.
RDM was little different from AVB. At least he didn’t put Fernando Torres through the torture of going onto the field and not scoring.
The winning goal came in the 68th minute from Didier Drogba, his 100th in the Premier League, the finish cool and collected after a sublime pass from Juan Mata.
Chelsea win ugly
Chelsea had required more than 40 minutes to take advantage of numerical superiority after the dismissal of Stoke forward Ricardo Fuller for a blatant stamp on the thigh of Branislav Ivanovic.
There have been more than a few stupid, hothead dismissals this season but this one may count as the worst of all. Stoke manager Tony Pulis looked on in disgust as his player marched down the tunnel.
The game was tetchy throughout, the consequence of Stoke’s ever-physical approach and Chelsea’s desire to fight fire with fire. It made for a poor spectacle, except when Mata was on the ball.
John Terry had returned to the Chelsea side after an absence of eight matches due to a knee injury. He was cheered by the home fans and buffeted by the oppositionplayers.
Every Chelsea corner turned into a wrestling match between Terry and Stoke centre-half Robert Huth, a former Stamford Bridge team-mate.
They knew each other’s tricks and strengths and the confrontations were almost comical at times, each one professing innocence and claiming the other was cheating. Referee Andre Marriner lectured them, but his heart wasn’t really in it. Nothing he could say would stop boys being boys.
The former England captain moaned most furiously after his header struck the bar from one corner, obviously believing he would have scored but for hassle from Huth.
Terry also had endless aerial duels with Stoke striker Kenwyne Jones when the ball was hoofed upfield. He won them, but looked less comfortable on the deck, slipping over at the wrong moment in a chase for the ball with Jonathan Walters.
His blushes were spared by defensive partner Gary Cahill, who blocked the subsequent shot from Walters.
Chelsea’s best efforts on goal, and they were few given total dominance of possession, came from their defenders.
Cahill made a surging forward run and his powerful drive was saved superbly by Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic. Full-back Ivanovic went even closer with another fierce shot that beat Begovic but rattled the crossbar.
It had been one-way traffic from the start, and the red card for the disgraceful Fuller only ensured the pattern would be repeated for the whole game.
At least Di Matteo had the sense to bring on Mata to add more guile and craft to the side for whom the blunderbuss approach was looking misjudged.
Nevertheless, it took an age for the winner to arrive.
Terry and Frank Lampard had both attempted long-range efforts early in the second half and fired wide of the goal, revealing a touch of desperation.
It was Mata’s twinkling feet, patience and eye for a killer pass that unlocked the door. His deft ball released Drogba in the area to round the keeper and tap home.
Moments earlier Drogba had seen his excellent free-kick tipped away by Begovic when it was heading for the top corner of the net.
Mata, David Luiz and Daniel Sturridge had all been left on the bench, perhaps with the midweek Champions League match against Napoli in mind. They were all required, though, to fashion a crucial victory, leaving Torres unused.
Sturridge had a couple of decent shots, but was a fitful presence.
Ambition stirred in Stoke only once they were losing. They delivered some high crosses into the Chelsea penalty area but the threat was minimal.
This was a poor performance from the visitors. They are a settled Premier League team now, with experience of European football. Even without absent wingers Matthew Etherington and Jermaine Pennant, they should surely be able to aim for better football than they showed yesterday.
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