Arsenal 2-1

Independent:

Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1

Jack Pitt-Brooke

The fight-back, when it came, could not make up the gap.
For the second successive Sunday, Arsenal only started playing in the second half, when they were already 2-0 down to a better-resourced team. The result is that they are six points off fourth place and 11 behind Chelsea. Yesterday’s winners are not a flawless team but they do have enough good players to be sure of a top-four finish, which is more than can be said of Arsenal.
Arsène Wenger’s side might have recovered to take a point but they did not deserve one. The distance between the sides was far wider in the first half than the second. The game, in a sense, was decided before half-time. But, in another, it had been decided with every day of drift, with every diffident window that Arsenal have wasted for the last few years.
As the travelling fans made very clear, this Arsenal squad is in need of heavy investment. They robustly advised their club to spend money, and wondered aloud what exactly chief executive Ivan Gazidis does in his job.
Arsenal’s famous ‘self-sustaining model’ can look fairly exposed at Chelsea, a club with the opposite problems. Here at Stamford Bridge there may be too much what Arsenal lack – purpose, ambition and ruthlessness – but perhaps not enough of the patience which Arsenal seem to be drowning in. Not everyone would hold up Chelsea as a perfectly-run club but they have won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and one Champions League since Arsenal lifted anything.
Of course, winning is easier when you buy better players. That, more than anything, seemed the difference between these two flawed sides in the first half yesterday. Chelsea’s front four – Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Oscar and Fernando Torres – cost more than £125million. Arsenal’s – the same side from Wednesday night – did not.
After just five minutes Arsenal could have gone ahead. Theo Walcott, in his first appearance since signing the new contract which may just mark a pause in Arsenal’s slide, brought the ball in from the right. He saw Olivier Giroud running in behind and played him through. Giroud took the ball, paused, but struck it wide of the far post.
From the goal-kick Ramires won the ball – probably illegally – from Francis Coquelin. Cesar Azpilicueta played a diagonal pass to Mata, in the great plain of space between Bacary Sagna and Per Mertesacker. Mata controlled the ball perfectly with his left-foot. Sagna was charging across but Mata is astonishingly calm in these situations, and his pause was followed by a driven finish into the near top-corner. In that one minute the issue seemed clear. Giroud is a good admirable centre-forward, a French champion and France international. But he is not an exceptional player, and is no replacement for Robin van Persie. At £12million he was fairly priced. Mata, though, is an exceptional player, of remarkable imagination and technique. He cost roughly twice what Giroud did. Arsenal might have bought him but they did not. And yesterday he showed them what they missed.
But as the first half continued, efficiency ceased to be Arsenal’s problem. In truth they could barely compete. Chelsea were first to every loose ball in midfield. Arsenal exerted neither control nor pressure. In front of the back four they had Abou Diaby, making his third straight start and patently exhausted, and Coquelin, swamped in Diaby’s effective absence.
It was no surprise when the second came. Diaby, nowhere near the pace of game, was robbed by Mata, who was setting it. He found Ramires, who was tripped by Wojciech Szczesny. Martin Atkinson generously only booked Szczesny, but Frank Lampard converted the penalty anyway.
From that point Chelsea started to play with a fluency that they have only shown on the road so far under Rafael Benitez. This was Benitez’s eighth home game but by far the best performance, the only wins before this coming against Nordsjaelland and Aston Villa. There was less animosity directed at the interim manager – home goals are a pacifier – and even the anxiety in the second half was fairly mild.
Chelsea, though, should have gone into the break more than 2-0 up. Hazard burst past Kieran Gibbs and Thomas Vermaelen but saw his shot saved. The move of the match went through Hazard, Oscar, Hazard again and Mata before Ramires escaped Gibbs and shot over.
Arsenal had no right to still be in the game but they were and did improve in the second half, pushed Chelsea back and even created chances. Mertsacker and Walcott had shots saved, and Giroud headed at Petr Cech.
Walcott spent most of the first-half being flagged for off-side but when he caught Gary Cahill too deep he pulled a goal back. Santi Cazorla slid a delightful pass in, and Walcott – with the conviction of a man with his future secure – curled the ball into the far top corner.
It was as if confidence could only belong to one side or the other and Arsenal were now in possession. Walcott shot wide, Cazorla hit a 20-yard free-kick into the wall and Vermaelen hit one from the same position just wide. In added time Giroud headed over but Arsenal, for all their passing, never had the incision of Chelsea in the first half. They had improved, certainly, but the damage had already been done.

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Guardian:

Chelsea resist Arsenal fightback to secure warming derby victory
Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea have spluttered amid the poisonous atmosphere allowed to fester in this stadium over recent weeks but Arsenal's visit provided an antidote of sorts. All that rancour was forgotten amid the distraction of a rumbustious derby, the dissent at Rafael Benítez's mere presence more a grumbling than bellowed protest. Victory against local rivals has strengthened Chelsea's position in third. Any respite is to be cherished.
This being a Chelsea side engulfed in a season of tumult, there was still the fluttering of nerves to suffer through a second half when the visitors, so dishevelled up to then, revived and rallied. Benítez's side clung on desperately at times but where they had wilted against Queens Park Rangers, Swansea City and Southampton, their resistance endured for once. Gary Cahill stretched out a seemingly telescopic limb to deny Theo Walcott in the six-yard box almost four minutes into stoppage time, and Olivier Giroud looped a header on to the roof of the net seconds later. The final whistle was celebrated with gusto.
It felt rare for Chelsea to have cause for celebration in these parts. Refreshing, even. This was only a second home win in the seven domestic fixtures overseen by the interim manager and timely in deflating Arsenal's aspirations to remain regulars in the top four.
The sense of normality being restored stretched even to the 16th-minute tribute to Roberto Di Matteo going forgotten, if only because the locals were too busy anticipating and then celebrating Frank Lampard's 195th goal for the club, converted from the penalty spot, at the time. Throw in the welcome news that Ashley Cole has agreed a contract extension through to 2014 and this all felt unusually upbeat. Roman Abramovich even managed a smile at the end. So much for doom and gloom.
Inevitably, it is too simplistic to suppose this is the turning of the tide. There is too much vulnerability to Chelsea to assume they will travel to Swansea on Wednesday and run riot to overturn the two-goal deficit surrendered in the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final. Benítez could win that competition, the Europa League and FA Cup, and qualify for the Champions League, but still be dogged by abuse in this stadium.
Yet, at their attacking best, Chelsea are still a force and had swarmed all over disorganised opponents – Eden Hazard, Oscar and Juan Mata leaving Arsenal dizzy. It was a reflection of their psychological fragility that they permitted the visitors to dominate after the interval but both these sides are afflicted by inconsistency. On this occasion, Chelsea did enough during their own period of ascendancy to squeeze home.
Both the goals they scored were controversial. Ramires, an explosion of energy throughout, stepped on Francis Coquelin's foot just inside the Chelsea half for the first, César Azpilicueta springing on to the loose ball to free Mata as the Frenchman sank to the turf in pain. That was cause for complaint, though Bacary Sagna was still the wrong side of Mata as he burst through to finish. "It's frustrating but it doesn't mean we should have conceded the goal," Wenger said.
He could feel similarly aggrieved at the quarter-hour mark, both at his team's attempt at defence and with the officials' interpretation of events. Ramires dispossessed Abou Diaby too easily to send Mata into enemy territory, with the Brazilian then allowed to charge unchecked to collect the return alone inside the area. There was an attempt to edge round Wojciech Szczesny but, as the chance threatened to veer away, out came a foot to ensure contact with the goalkeeper and a tumble to the floor. Lampard duly scored from the spot and Chelsea were back where they had been in midweek against Southampton, two goals up and apparently comfortable.
Yet, as Rickie Lambert had proved then, all it takes to discomfort them is some urgency from the opposition and a hint of retreat. Arsenal pressed higher upon the resumption, their own conviction growing despite Per Mertesacker, Giroud and Walcott all being denied by Petr Cech. Benítez sensed what was coming, barking orders almost indiscriminately from his technical area and pleading for concentration, but minds were frazzled. Santi Cazorla, peripheral up to then, duly squeezed a fine pass behind a back-tracking Branislav Ivanovic for Walcott to collect and finish smartly.
How Wenger must curse his team's inability to start contests with that much intensity. As they poured at their hosts, pinning them back, Arsenal looked like contenders with Walcott, in particular, discomforting Cole as he has so often with his jet-heeled darts.
Admittedly, they gambled and were left open at times on the break, not least when Demba Ba was able to amble forward alone and round Szczesny only for Thomas Vermaelen to scramble his shot from the goalline. But had they started with as much attacking zest as they finished then it might have been Chelsea who shrunk.
As it was the home support roared their approval for Cahill's late intervention, the England defender taking on the John Terry role while the club captain shivered unused on the bench. It has needed a last-ditch tackle like that to get the blood pumping, a glimpse of strength to remind this team what their qualities used to be. Benítez will believe he can build on this win, not least at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday, with third place consolidated. For Wenger, with similar problems flaring too regularly, the top four feels distant yet again.
Man of the match Ramires (Chelsea)

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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1

Jeremy Wilson

There was a time, just briefly during the Premier League era, when Chelsea against Arsenaland the sub-plot of Jose Mourinho going head-to-head with Arsene Wenger, was the defining confrontation of the season.
Good players certainly remain on both teams but, for a compelling illustration of why Manchester and not London is now the indisputablecapital of English football, a recording of this match would suffice.
Yes, Chelsea eventually did just enough to scrape past an Arsenal team lacking both quality and basic fighting spirit but the way they almost let slip a two-goal lead for the second time in six days was characteristic of also-rans rather than eventual champions.
Familiar problems were evident, not least in the form of Fernando Torres but it was still critical for Rafael Benitez to record what has been only his second win at Stamford Bridge since replacing Roberto di Matteo in November. An added bonus for Benitez of Frank Lampard scoring in the 16th minute was that even the usual chants for Di Matteo were forgotten.
Chelsea were on the front-foot from the very first minute when they had a plausible penalty appeal waved away after Abou Diaby appeared to man-handle Oscar to the floor. With Ramires and Lampard dominant in central midfield and Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard all initially interchanging to mesmerising affect further forward, it quickly looked like a matter of time before Chelsea went ahead.
That suspicion was confirmed when Olivier Giroud missed an excellent chance and Chelsea struck clinically on the counter-attack through Juan Mata. Cesar Azpilicueta also deserved considerable credit for his defence-splitting through ball that exposed the gaping hole between Sagna and Mertesacker in the Arsenal defence.
Wenger was apoplectic, not so much at defending of his team, but a blatant mistake from referee Martin Atkinson in missing Ramires’ late tackle on Francis Coquelin that had begun Chelsea’s attack.
There was further controversy for Chelsea’s second but, once again, also some terrible Arsenal defending. Mertesacker continued to find himself sucked, almost schoolboy style, towards the ball, with Mata exploiting Sagna’s positional indiscipline to put Ramires clear on goal.
Szczesny, who was also partially culpable for the first, went to ground, with Ramires knocking the ball past the Arsenal goalkeeper and then just glancing his leg before going down. It appeared that the only point of debate would be whether Atkinson should sent off Szczesny as well as award the penalty, but replays suggested that Ramires had deliberately moved his leg towards Szzcesny just before contact.
Atkinson sided with Ramires in awarding a penalty but, having made that decision, was generous in allowing Szczesny to escape with a booking. Lampard, inevitable, converted the penalty and it seemed that the main interest for the rest of the afternoon would be whether Arsenal were humiliated or merely beaten. In singing ‘Arsene Wenger, we want you to stay’, it seemed that Chelsea supporters were already confident of the latter.
Chelsea remained dominant but, in spite of overrunning Arsenal in central midfield, they were again being repeatdely let down by Torres and some dreadful finishing. And that lack of certainty, confidence and killer instinct gradually seeped through the team.
Clearly mindful of wasting a 2-0 lead against Southampton last Tuesday, Chelsea found themselves inexplicably pinned back throughout a nervy second-half.
Mertesacker and Walcott had both tested Cech shortly after the re-start before Chelsea’s lead was deservedly halved. Santi Cazorla, who had been virtually anonymous until that point, spotted Walcott lurking on the shoulder of Branislav Ivanovic and delivered a perfectly-timed pass. Walcott’s pace ensured a clear run at goal and, demonstrating the calmness in front of goal that has persuaded Wenger to make him the club’s highest-paid player, he brilliantly opened up his body and side-footed the ball past Cech.
Chelsea were now clinging on, with Benitez promoting the only cheer for Chelsea fans during the second-half by finally replacing Torres with Demba Ba. His impact was immediate. With Sagna and Szczesny again caught out of position, he was clear on goal and only denied only by a goal-line clearance from Thomas Vermaelen.

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Mail:

Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1: Blues avoid a Saints repeat as they cling on to a two-goal lead after Gunners' second-half fightback

By MATT BARLOW

The prospect of Ashley Cole in contract talks at a time when the country’s road network is hazardous with ice and snow may have sparked a red alert at RAC headquarters, but it had the desired effect on Chelsea.
It was seven years ago that Cole nearly swerved off the road, trembling with rage at Arsenal’s £55,000-a-week offer. This week, he is set to sign a one-year deal at Stamford Bridge at nearly £200,000 a week.
How better to celebrate than with a win against his old club to reinforce Chelsea’s superiority in the capital? They have given up on the title, misfired at home and been snubbed by Pep Guardiola, but at least they are secure in the top four.
Who knows, Cole may even win another trophy. As he never tires of reminding Arsenal fans, he has seven major honours since the move; the Gunners have won nothing.
Juan Mata struck after six minutes and Frank Lampard soon added the second from a disputed penalty before Chelsea survived a fightback and Theo Walcott’s 15th goal of the season.
Roman Abramovich may not be happy with developments since he conquered Europe, but compared to Arsenal, his team are in decent health as they head to Swansea in a bid to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the Capital One Cup semi-final.
There were no overt anti-Benitez protests for once and, for the first time since he replaced Roberto di Matteo, no 16th-minute homage  to his predecessor, thanks to Lampard’s 16th-minute goal.
Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, had to admit his team were in grave danger of surrendering their  Champions League status for the first time in 15 years.
Form is poor and confidence is brittle. There are flashes of encouragement from the likes of Walcott and Jack Wilshere, but overall, it feels like gravity is taking hold.
Arsenal are 11 points behind  Chelsea, albeit with a game in hand. It is three matches without a win in the Barclays Premier League and the second time in eight days they have wilted when confronted by a genuine force.
Against Manchester City, they started poorly and were two down at half-time, never to respond. At Stamford Bridge, they were two down within 16 minutes. Decisions conspired against Wenger’s team but, as with the City game, they could not summon the resolve to overcome that and were over-reliant on individuals, notably Walcott and Wilshere.
Perhaps it would have been different had Olivier Giroud found the net in the fifth minute when the game was goalless. Slid clear by Walcott, Giroud’s shot was only a foot wide, but it was an excellent chance to seize the initiative.
Within a minute, they were behind, Mata making no mistake from a similar situation. Arsenal complained about a foul on Francis Coquelin that went unnoticed at the turnover of possession.
Ramires sank his studs into the top of Coquelin’s foot in midfield and the pass, intended for Santi Cazorla, rolled instead to Cesar Azpilicueta, who clipped a long diagonal pass forward from right back. Mata escaped Bacary Sagna without trying too hard, took a touch and slammed in his 14th of the season.
For the penalty, Ramires took the ball from Abou Diaby, continued his run and took a return from Mata. As Wojciech Szczesny lurched from his goalline, the Brazilian shifted the ball to his right, paused for the keeper to touch him and went down.
Referee Martin Atkinson gave a penalty, Chelsea’s eighth of the  Premier League season. It looked questionable on the slow-motion replays. Ramires clearly went to ground early, fishing for contact from Szczesny by dangling his feet.
No one seemed very happy. Benitez stamped his feet and waved an imaginary card, demanding  that Szczesny be sent off, but the keeper was merely booked. Wenger thought it should have been a  yellow card to Ramires for a dive.
Lampard was happy enough. He stepped up to score his 195th goal for the club, his sixth in nine games and another step closer to Bobby Tambling’s club record of 202.
Ramires wasted a good chance for the third, and Arsenal found some inspiration at half-time.
Wenger pushed Diaby slightly further forward alongside Wilshere to match Chelsea’s midfield trio man-for-man but, on a more basic level, his team showed more desire.
Petr Cech saved from Walcott and Per Mertesacker and Giroud spurned a very good chance before Walcott scored, sprinting clear of Cole to apply a clinical finish.
At least, it gave Arsenal fans something to cheer. They had bought tickets at £60, something which had gone unnoticed after the storm of Manchester City fans who refused to pay £62 at the Emirates.
For Chelsea, this provided a test. Four days earlier, against Southampton, they had sped into a two-goal lead, conceded soon after the break and ended up with one point.
A ripple of anxiety lapped Stamford Bridge. Fernando Torres had a top chance to settle it but his touch was heavy. Fans cheered when he was replaced by Demba Ba.
Abramovich shifted uneasily in his posh seat. Not everything is cosy at Chelsea, but this was a welcome win, Cole has agreed to stay and the roads are a little bit safer.

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Mirror:

Blue steel: Mata and Lampard fire Chelsea to victory as they survive Arsenal backlash

Martin Lipton

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how you do it. Just that you do it.
Rafa Benitez needed the final whistle to be met with cheers, not jeers. Fernando Torres needed to leave the field to applause, not boos.
More importantly, Chelsea had to end the homesickness that threatened to send their season into freefall.
And as the snow fell, Benitez’s Blues held on in the teeth of Arsenal’s flurry to change the complexion of the rest of the season for both these clubs.
In the end, Frank Lampard’s 195th Chelsea goal, stroked home from the spot, divided two sides who each bossed 45 minutes.
The second period was controlled as much by the Gunners as the first had been by the home side.
But it is Chelsea, finally breaking their SW6 duck in 2013, who got what they required – three vital points and forward momentum.
And Arsenal, paying the price for a wretched start and now 11 points adrift of the Blues, know fourth is the summit of their Premier League ambitions over the next four months. In truth, Arsenal can have no complaints, starting too late to leave with anything other than regrets.
Where Arsene Wenger asked his side to expose a “fragile” Chelsea, it was his own side’s vulnerabilities that were opened up to scrutiny.
It might have been different had Olivier Giroud done what he should have five minutes in, when Theo Walcott’s pass sent the Frenchman in on goal.
But within a minute of Giroud dragging wide, Chelsea were in front. Wenger rightly claimed that Ramires caught Francis Coquelin, that referee Martin Atkinson should have seen the foul.
That did not excuse Arsenal’s failure to respond as Cesar Azpilicueta stepped in and played over the top into the hole that should have been filled by Bacary Sagna or Per Mertesacker but was by Juan Mata.
Nor did it fail to shine a light on Wojciech Szczesny’s initial step forward, then movement back, meaning he was off-balance as Mata thrashed his 14th goal of the season past his right shoulder.
Chelsea seized the day, swarming all over the Gunners, who in that key period had only Jack Wilshere and Walcott carrying the fight.
Wenger admitted after Chelsea won at the Emirates in September that leaving himself with Abou Diaby as his sole defensive midfielder was a “gamble”. The way the Frenchman was dispossessed by Ramires on 16 minutes only reinforced that view, the ball transferred swiftly out, via the newly-shorn Torres, to the impish Mata.
Mata picked out Ramires – Sagna absent without leave again – with only Szczesny in front of him and when the Brazilian hit the deck, Mr Atkinson pointed to the spot.
With no real cover behind the Pole, the yellow card was a let-off, although Lampard’s penalty brooked no further argument.
Nor did the persuasive manner of Chelsea’s performance until the break, Ashley Cole, his new contract to be inked this week, revelling in the freedom he was given. Strange game, football, as Arsenal flew out of the traps, Chelsea appeared mentally back in the kennel – just as they had against Southampton.
Mertesacker and Walcott could have scored before the England flier did claim his 15th of the season, a terrific, clinical finish when Santi Cazorla slid through.
Arsenal now were as good as they had been poor. Chelsea, in turn, looked shaky, their fans calling for Demba Ba.
The Senegalese showed why when he did enter – this time Torres was clapped off – rounding Szczesny but denied by Thomas Vermaelen.
But Arsenal remained alive. Vermaelen drilled wide, four late corners came to nothing, Chelsea held on. For Benitez, relief. For Wenger, exasperation. The margins were that fine but the moods starkly different


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Sun:

RAFA BENITEZ picked the right time to get the Chelsea show back on the road.

Shaun Custis

Roman Abramovich had flown in from his holidays to check on the state of the Benitez regime.

And, though the hosts staggered over the line, the Blues owner was all smiles after a first win of the year at Stamford Bridge.

Perhaps more significantly there was no abuse directed towards the manager from the home fans.

They are never going to love ex-Liverpool chief Benitez but he has got Chelsea on course for Champions League qualification, which is a lot more than can be said for Arsenal.

They are losing touch with the top four and are not showing enough consistency to suggest they can get back into the mix.

It was so easy for Chelsea in the first half — Arsenal were an embarrassment.

The Gunners were far removed from their teams of old like the 2003-04 Invincibles, when Blues full-back Ashley Cole was one of their stars.

Cole of course has been an integral part of Chelsea’s success and the fact he has agreed a new deal was warmly welcomed by fans on a snowy afternoon.

The England international may be getting £200,000 a week but, mad as that figure might sound, is there really a better left-back in the world?

Arsenal, who were without Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski because of illness, should actually have gone ahead.

Theo Walcott, who has finally committed himself to a new contract, played in Olivier Giroud but the big striker dragged his shot past a post when he should have stuck it away.

It is no use lamenting it now but it was the sort of chance ex-Gunner Robin van Persie used to score with his eyes closed.

Another man who knows all about finishing is Chelsea’s midfield artist Juan Mata, who showed Giroud exactly how it is done a minute later.

Yes, Arsenal had a case that Ramires fouled Francis Coquelin as the move started but they switched off when the decision was not given.

Full-back Cesar Azpilicueta sent a wonderful ball out to Mata, who killed it with one touch to completely outwit Bacary Sagna before burying a shot high into the net for his 14th goal of a very productive season.

Mata’s mate, Santi Cazorla, had a snap-shot for the visitors from 20 yards that Petr Cech pushed behind but, on 16 minutes, the home side were two to the good.

It is the moment when Blues fans usually sing for axed boss Roberto Di Matteo but instead they were distracted by good news on the field.

This time Abou Diaby lost out to Ramires and Chelsea broke quickly. The Brazilian kept going and surged into the box where he got the ball back from Mata.

Ramires started to take it round Wojciech Szczesny, left a leg trailing and the keeper took him down.

Up stepped Chelsea’s Mr Reliable, Frank Lampard, who tucked away the spot-kick to the usual chants of “sign him up, sign him up”.

Lampard is now on 195 goals, seven behind Bobby Tambling’s all-time Blues scoring record — and he has the bit between his teeth to set a new mark.

Abramovich might want Lamps out but the midfield veteran, 34, is making sure he ends on a high in West London.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, was moaning non-stop at fourth official Kevin Friend. He was fuming about the foul in the run-up to the first goal and was adamant that the second was not a penalty.

But he accepted afterwards that his team had been as timid as they were at Manchester City in the first half a week earlier.

Defender Per Mertesacker said Arsenal were scared against City and they looked gibbering wrecks here too.

They were fortunate that Fernando Torres, sporting a sharp new haircut, was as blunt as a pair of plastic scissors otherwise it could have been worse.

One shot which he blazed high and wide at the end of the first half summed up his complete lack of confidence.

Chelsea were two up against Southampton during the week only to throw it away and end up with a point.

And they were in similar self-destruct mode again.

Arsenal were a different team, pinning their opponents back and going for the throat.

Mertesacker and Jack Wilshere shot at Cech and a good cross from Kieran Gibbs was met by a poor header from Giroud.

But on 58 minutes Cazorla passed inside Branislav Ivanovic and Walcott was on to it to fire home.

It was Walcott’s 11th goal in 15 games and it spelled nervous times for Chelsea.

The memory of Southampton and the home defeats before that, against QPR and Swansea, were fresh in the mind.

Demba Ba came on for the ineffective Torres, who was actually clapped off by Abramovich.Eden Hazard then picked out the Senegal striker out with a cracking ball down the left.

Ba was onside and steamed towards goal with Szczesny stranded, not knowing whether to stick or twist.

Chelsea’s new buy then danced round the keeper but his shot was superbly blocked by the outstretched leg of Thomas Vermaelen.

At the other end, it took a magnificent defensive clearance from Gary Cahill to foil Walcott during the five minutes of added time.

And when Giroud headed on to the roof of the net, it was all over.

Now it is on to Swansea for Chelsea, who will try to overturn a two-goal deficit in the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final.

Arsenal will face West Ham at the Emirates in the Premier League on the same night. Losing that one does not even bear thinking about.

DREAM TEAM RATINGS

CHELSEA: Cech 6, Azpilicueta 6, Cahill 8, Ivanovic 7, Cole 7,STAR MAN RAMIRES 9,Lampard 7, Oscar 6 (Bertrand 6), Hazard 6 (Marin 6), Mata 8, Torres 5 (Ba 6).
Subs not used: Turnbull, Ferreira, Terry, Ake. Booked:Mata, Cole.

ARSENAL: Szczesny 5, Sagna 4, Mertesacker 7, Vermaelen 6, Gibbs 7, Coquelin 6 (Ramsey 6), Diaby 6 (Arshavin 6), Walcott 7, Wilshere 8, Cazorla 7, Giroud 5.
Subs not used: Mannone, Koscielny, Andre Santos, Jenkinson, Frimpong. Booked:Szczesny.
REF: M Atkinson 7

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Express:

CHELSEA 2 - ARSENAL 1: RAFA BENITEZ GETS SOME BREATHING SPACE
By Tony Banks


Stamford Bridge these days is a nervous, edgy place – and not just because the pavements are slippery.
Every home game is a trial for Rafa Benitez’s squad, a minefield to be negotiated by a team whose confidence has the fragility of a snowflake.
But yesterday against bitter rivals in a game they had to win to confirm third place in the table as their own, Chelsea finally triumphed, finally hung on.
It was still edgy, mind you. They were once again as brilliant for 45 minutes as Arsenal were awful, and two goals up at the break thanks to Juan Mata and Frank Lampard’s penalty.
But nothing is ever sure these days with Chelsea. On Wednesday just such a lead had been squandered against Southampton.
This time, despite Theo Walcott’s second-half goal, fingernails bitten to the quick, the team made it to the wire.
In the great scheme of things it was a result that makes little difference to the overall picture of the Premier League. Neither of these teams are good enough to win the title. As this game showed, both can be very good for 45 minutes. But 90? Look elsewhere.
After their poor first half, Arsenal just did not have enough to recover. Arsene Wenger’s team are now seven points off the top four, with one win in five games in all competitions, after successive league defeats by Manchester City and Chelsea.
For Chelsea it was only a third home win in nine games, their first this year. And for once, Benitez was not booed. Joy at the eventual result took the fans’ minds off it.
But Chelsea’s players’ minds will have been done a world of good by this game. It would be going a bit far to say they have put their home hoodoo behind them, but it will help.
Benitez, robbed by injury of David Luiz, boldly started with a newly-shorn Fernando Torres up front, and the Spaniard had one of his better games.
But it was Arsenal who missed a chance after just five minutes that could have turned this game on its head. Walcott put Olivier Giroud clean through, but the Frenchman criminally shot wide.
The punishment was instant. Ramires left Francis Coquelin in a heap with a lunge, but referee Martin Atkinson waved play on. Cesar Azpilicueta’s superb pass put Mata clear, and the Spaniard finished coolly past Wojciech Szczesny.
Petr Cech turned Santi Cazorla’s shot round a post, but Arsenal were being overwhelmed. Eden Hazard saw his shot tipped round the post and Oscar drove over. But then Mata cleverly put Ramires free in the box.
Szczesny lunged out and brought the Brazilian down for the penalty – but was astonishingly only booked and not sent off. It did not matter. Lampard rattled home the spot kick, and the Gunners had a mountain to climb.
It could have been worse, Ramires shooting just wide and then Torres blazing over.
Arsenal, though, came out for the second half a different team and Cech was forced to make good saves from Per Mertesacker and Walcott.
They deservedly got one back when Walcott raced on to Cazorla’s pass to beat Cech. Arsenal threw themselves forward, but Walcott put a good chance wide, Thomas Vermaelen wasted a free-kick and Giroud headed straight at Cech.
Time and again Chelsea got a boot or a head in the way. Torres could have made sure but his touch was too heavy and Szczesny saved.
Demba Ba, on for Torres, could have also made it safe late on after rounding Szczesny on the edge of area, only for Vermaelen to block his shot.
But Chelsea made it over the line. Where Arsenal are is another matter.

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Star:

CHELSEA 2 - ARSENAL 1: RAFA GETS SOME HOME HELP
For once, the Blues and Benitez walked off the pitch with cheers

By Adrian Kajumba

STAMFORD BRIDGE is a happy home for Chelsea again – for now anyway.
There has been nothing but home discomfort for interim boss Rafa Benitez and his Blues over the last month.
But a derby win over London rivals ­Arsenal – and first Bridge win in four ­attempts – was just what Chelsea and ­Benitez needed.
For once, the Blues and Benitez walked off the pitch with cheers, rather than deafening jeers, ringing in their ears thanks to midfield duo Juan Mata and Frank Lampard’s early goals.
Theo Walcott hit back after the break for Arsenal, but the hosts survived the Gunners’ second-half onslaught to bag the points and stay third.
But it is now three games without a win and successive defeats for Arsene Wenger’s men, who are facing a fight to make the top four that few would back them to win.
It’s unlikely there will be much sympathy for Wenger from Benitez, who will surely be happy to let another boss face the flak for few days, rather than him.
The Spaniard, a massively controversial pick to succeed Champions League-winning coach Roberto Di Matteo, has been the prime target for the Blues boo-boys since day one.
But he has never altered his belief that wins will get the fans off his back, although he also knows that the negativity is only just around the corner.
Victory in this pulsating derby, in front of owner Roman Abramovich, and coming hot on the heels of Ashley Cole’s new deal, was not a bad way to try and get the ­supporters back on side.
Given their recent problems at home, the last thing Chelsea needed was a visit from Arsenal.
The Gunners have won more times at Stamford Bridge – seven – than any other Premier League team.
Oliver Giroud blew an early chance to set the home fans’ nerves jangling again after being played through by Walcott.
It took just a minute for Arsenal to find out how costly that miss was when Spanish star Mata showed Giroud how to finish to fire Chelsea ahead.
There was controversy about the Blues’ opener when referee Martin Atkinson missed a clear Ramires foul on Francis ­Coquelin While the Gunners grumbled, Chelsea charged forward and took the lead on six minutes.
Cesar Azpilicueta latched on to the loose ball, drove into Arsenal territory and chipped to Mata, who controlled ­instantly before giving keeper Wojciech Szczesny no chance with a rising drive.
Ten minutes later it was 2-0 after the ­rampant Blues carved all-at-sea Arsenal open again.
Mata found Ramires in acres of space in the box and the Brazilian was tripped by Szczesny as he tried to round him.
Szczesny escaped a red thanks to two backtracking defenders, but he did not survive conceding a second as Lampard sent him the wrong way from the spot.
The snow continued to fall and Arsenal looked in danger of being buried under an avalanche of goals as Chelsea cut through them at will.
But Hazard, Cole, Ramires andFernando Torres – sporting a short, new-look haircut – all wasted chances to put the game to bed before the break.
And Chelsea needed no telling about the dangers of a 2-0 lead, having blown one against Southampton midweek.
The way the Blues started the second half it looked like they had been gripped by the fear of a repeat of their midweek collapse against Saints.
All of a sudden, the mistakes started creeping in, they started dropping back, the crowd started getting anxious and the visitors finally woke up.
Per Mertesacker, Walcott and Giroud all went close before the goal Arsenal were threatening finally arrived on 58 minutes.
Just like for Chelsea’s opener, there were complaints about a foul in the build-up – this time after a Thomas Vermaelen ­challenge on Torres.
But, once again, Atkinson ignored the ­appeals and Santi Cazorla slipped through Walcott to fire past Petr Cech.
Chelsea were hanging on to what they had, though Torres, twice, and sub Demba Ba had chances on the break to make the closing stages less nervy.
They spurned them, however, and ­Benitez’s Blues hung on for a vital and ­welcome win.

Southampton 2-2

Independent:

Rafael Benitez running out of time as Guardiola loss darkens mood
Chelsea 2 Southampton 2

Glenn Moore

Whatever Roman Abramovich's back-up was should Pep Guardiola resist his advances it surely cannot have been Plan B for Benitez.
Rafa may not be keeping the Stamford Bridge dugout warm for his compatriot any more, but the Spaniard's prospects of staying on himself receded even further tonight as Chelsea let slip a two-goal lead at home to Southampton.

Coming on top of home defeats to Queen's Park Rangers and Swansea the chants of "We don't want you here" that followed the interim first team manager down the tunnel were inevitable, especially after Benitez added to the enmity towards him by replacing Frank Lampard with Fernando Torres as Chelsea sought a winner, a decision greeted with widespread boos.

Stamford Bridge's lowest crowd of the league season had been more benevolent earlier as Demba Ba and Eden Hazard scored before the break, but Southampton, beaten 5-1 at home by Chelsea in the FA Cup 11 days prior, rallied to level through Rickie Lambert and Jason Puncheon.

"We didn't take our chances, we gave them hope they could score, and they did," said Benitez. "We have to be more clinical. The next game [at home to Arsenal] has to be totally different. We have to defend better as a unit."

Benitez added that his team lacked experience to deal with the pressure after Southampton scored, but said he had not brought John Terry off the bench as the captain "was not match fit". Terry, he indicated, was unlikely to start against Arsenal.

Nigel Adkins praised his own team's growing maturity and added: "The players have improved and found ways to pick up points." He had left Gaston Ramirez and Lambert on the bench, deploying Jay Rodriguez as a lone striker and Jack Cork in a holding role. Cork joined Chelsea at nine and stayed there for 12 years captaining the youth team and reserves and playing for England at every age level from Under-16 to Under-21. But he never played once for the first team, instead being sent on loan seven times before joining Southampton in 2011. That is how difficult it is for native talent to break into the starring XI at a club such as Chelsea.

The 23-year-old looked at home as Southampton began confidently, moving the ball patiently, but gradually Chelsea began to take control in midfield and the pressure grew. Nevertheless it was still a surprise when, in the 26th minute, they broke through. A poor clearance by Steven Davis was recycled by Lampard enabling Cesar Azpilicueta to cross. Oscar beat Jos Hooiveld to the ball and Ba volleyed his flck-on past Artur Boruc.

In the final minutes of the half Chelsea, seemingly galvanised by a Davis miss, successfully upped the tempo. Sliding passes behind the Saints back four to breaking midfielders they created a series of chances and after Lampard eschewed two and Boruc clawed away a Hazard effort, Ramires hit the bar and Hazard thundered in the rebound.

Chelsea seemed home and dry, if frozen, but 10 minutes into the second period Adkins brought on Lambert and, having pushed Gary Cahill to make space he headed in with his first touch after Nathaniel Clyne beat Hazard on the flank then crossed. It was the other young English full-back, Luke Shaw, who delivered the equaliser, sprinting away from Azpiliceuta before crossing to Puncheon, who had time to tee himself up before lashing a volley past Petr Cech.

Enter Torres, on the right wing. The gamble seemed to have worked as he took a pass from Juan Mata and advanced on goal, but then he shot wide of the near post and the boos began anew.

Man of the match Schneiderlin (Southampton).

Match rating 7/10.

Referee M Oliver (Northumberland).

Attendance 38,484.


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Guardian:

Southampton's Lambert and Puncheon knock Chelsea out of their stride

David Hytner at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea had been braced for the death of the slow-burning dream. They had come to consider Pep Guardiola, now Bayern Munich-bound and the ideal choice as their next permanent manager, as being beyond them. Instead the shock waves came from the latest home failure against a Southampton side that had looked finished as they trailed to fine first-half goals from Demba Ba and Eden Hazard.
Chelsea had won 87 of the 89 Premier League matches since 1992 in which they had been two goals to the good at the interval yet they surrendered here, as the Southampton manager, Nigel Adkins, made attacking changes and enjoyed almost implausible reward. After his first substitute, Rickie Lambert, had reduced the deficit, his team prolonged their recent encouraging sequence with a dramatic equaliser on the counter, which was smashed home in emphatic style by Jason Puncheon.
Rafael Benítez had bemoaned how visiting teams had frustrated Chelsea at this stadium by sitting deep and packing numbers behind the ball. Yet this was a twist to his burgeoning frustration. The Southampton left-back Luke Shaw was deep inside his own half when he began the surging run that led to Puncheon's late goal.
It was difficult to forgive the manner in which Chelsea caught a sucker punch when in control and the home crowd was in no mood to do so. They had responded badly to Benítez's decision to replace Frank Lampard with Fernando Torres in the 80th minute and, after the Spain striker, playing towards the right flank, had laboured and snatched at his one chance, the full-time whistle brought another round of boos, together with the reminder for Benítez that he is not wanted here.
This was the night when Chelsea were supposed to put daylight behind them in third place but the lowest home league crowd of the season departed with further fuel for their grievances. Benítez has overseen only two Stamford Bridge wins in seven games in all competitions.
Southampton created little but they were rewarded for their refusal to accept the seemingly inevitable and their determination to stick to their game plan, which involved only one up front, staying compact and not chasing the game when they trailed to leave themselves exposed. Adkins remarked that this had seen Aston Villa undone here by an 8-0 scoreline while he also had the experience of the 5-1 FA Cup defeat by Chelsea at St Mary's Stadium on the Saturday before last.
Even so, it was remarkable that Chelsea were unhinged by Shaw's burst and Puncheon's spectacular left-footed blast because their comfort had been marked for long spells. Lambert's goal, two minutes after his introduction, had been a dreadful one to concede and it felt as though Chelsea had been lulled into false security. Nathaniel Clyne looked to have been slide-tackled by Hazard, only for the Chelsea winger weakly to allow him to wrest back possession, maraud further forward and cross. Lambert dropped off Gary Cahill, César Azpilicueta froze and the striker craned his neck to head firmly beyond Petr Cech.
But Chelsea responded. Ba volleyed over from Juan Mata's dinked pass and Lampard sent a free-kick over the wall and wide. The next goal looked likelier to be Chelsea's, despite this being far from a vintage performance. And yet, when Puncheon took his touch to tee up the decisive moment and the crowd howled at full-time, Benítez found himself forced to lament his players' lack of know-how and game management, along with their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.
The outpouring upon the final whistle contrasted with the apathy at the outset, when there had been little to stir the senses in the cold. Chelsea, though, got the breakthrough they wanted midway through the first half and it seemed for a while to have fortified them.
Benítez started with arguably his most exciting attacking midfielders but it was the selection of Ba in preference to Torres up front that appeared the vote-winner, given the boos that the latter had suffered here against Swansea City in the League Cup last Wednesday.
Ba marked his Chelsea debut after his £7m arrival from Newcastle United with two goals in the FA Cup drubbing of Southampton and he offered another glimpse of his clinical nature. Adkins was cursing his players' inability to clear adequately when Lampard showed skill on the right and Azpilicueta crossed with zip. Oscar flung himself into an attempted header, with Jos Hooiveld in close attendance, and the ball spun up towards Ba. In a flash he had leapt into a right-footed volley and squeezed it past Artur Boruc into the corner.
Chelsea finished the first half with panache. Twice Lampard went close and Hazard brought a reaction save out of Boruc before Chelsea took charge with another eye-catching strike. Southampton once again failed to clear and after Ramires's deflected shot had come back off a post Hazard guided home the rebound first time and left-footed. A home win looked assured. Chelsea's disbelief would be tangible.

P W D L F A GD Pts
ManUtd 22 18 1 3 56 29 27 55
Man City 22 14 6 2 43 19 24 48
Chelsea 22 12 6 4 45 21 24 42
Tottenham 22 12 4 6 39 27 12 40


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Telegraph:

Chelsea 2 Southampton 2

By Paul Kelso, at Stamford Bridge

An evening that began with good news from Germany ended in cold comfort at home for Rafael Benítez, as Chelsea tossed away a 2-0 lead to be held to a draw by Southampton.
Benítez’s position appeared to have been strengthened by Pep Guardiola’s decision to go to Bayern Munich, but his side’s failings undermined him once more. First-half goals from Demba Ba, starting ahead of Fernando Torres, and Eden Hazard appeared to have secured a win against a side fighting relegation, but Southampton rallied splendidly.
Goals from Rickie Lambert, left out of the starting XI, and a fine equaliser from Jason Puncheon snatched a point for the visitors. Chelsea have won just once in six domestic home matches under Benítez, a vulnerability unimaginable until the last 18 months, and Stamford Bridge was left fuming once again.
Come the final whistle Benítez was targeted with familiar calls for his removal, though Roman ­Abramovich’s shortlist of replacements now has a line through the name at the top. Supporters who began the evening discussing the impact of Guardiola’s move on the European managerial merry-go-round and the occupant of the home dugout, ended it singing “f--- off Benítez, you are not welcome here”.
There was vitriol too for Torres, booed for a second successive home game when his name was announced among the substitutes, and again when he replaced Frank Lampard with 10 minutes remaining.
This was a third successive home disappointment for Chelsea, coming after successive defeats here to QPR and Swansea, and leaves them 13 points adrift of league leaders Manchester United and six points behind Manchester City. Tottenham lie two points further back in fourth.
Benítez admitted his side had thrown away two points: “We should have won, but credit to Southampton, they played a good game. It was a question of experience and managing the game. We had to try and stop them playing counter-attack, but they did. So we made a mistake. We have to cut them out.
“I’m not angry, I’m disappointed. When you know your players and what they can do you’re disappointed. But I have to think about improving for the next game.” What a contrast with Southampton, who have now lost just twice in 12 Premier League games and are three points clear of the relegation zone in 15th.
While Benítez stalked away to try to unpick a result that seemed improbable at half-time, Nigel Adkins was serenaded by Southampton fans who sense a second season in the Premier League.
Adkins’ initial selection was ­conservative, unsurprisingly perhaps given the FA Cup tie between the sides 11 days ago ended in a 5-1 thumping. Leading-scorer Lambert and Gaston Ramirez were on the bench with a five-man midfield used to stifle Chelsea, but his side’s response to adversity was superb.
Sparked by Lambert, who thumped home a header within three minutes of being introduced, they sensed Chelsea’s anxiety and were rewarded with a point. The equaliser came from the goal of the night, Puncheon lashing home a left-foot volley after a decisive 70-yard run and cross from teenage full-back Luke Shaw, the latest prodigious wide player to emerge from the Southampton academy.
Adkins was delighted, praising his side for sticking to a game plan that looked in tatters at half-time. “Not many teams will come back from 2-0 down against Chelsea,” he said.
At half-time a draw seemed as likely as Benítez being chaired down the Fulham Road, though until the calamitous conclusion even the catcalls for the manager seemed half-hearted.
Abramovich was clearly not the only one left with something to ponder after Guardiola rejected his overtures. While the owner pondered that decision from his sunlounger in the Caribbean island of St Barts, the fans also seemed lost in thought in the Chelsea chill.
With 4,000 empty seats the significance of the game seemed to have paled in light of the bulletin from Bayern relayed three hours before kick-off. There were some stifled boos for Torres, and the usual 16th-minute tribute to Roberto Di Matteo. But until the final whistle there was not a murmur against Benítez. Perhaps the Chelsea fans realise they may have to get used to him.
After a scrappy opening quarter Chelsea asserted control. When ­Steven Davis half-cleared the ball from Southampton’s box Lampard recycled it expertly in the right-hand corner and fed César Azpilicueta, whose cross caused chaos in the Saints box.
It was touched away from Oscar at the near post by Jos Hooiveld, but the ball dropped to Ba, who volleyed in from 12 yards as he toppled over. It was a third goal in four games since joining Chelsea, an eloquent application for a place ahead of Torres.
Chelsea turned up the pressure and, after Lampard scuffed the sort of 18-yard chance that has brought him many of his 194 goals, Hazard ended the half with a splendid second.
Adkins responded by sending on Lambert and with virtually his first touch he scored his 10th goal of the season. The goal gave Chelsea the jitters, though Lampard went close to goal No 195 with a free-kick from the edge of the box that made the Matthew Harding Stand hold its breath. They held nothing back three minutes later as Puncheon volleyed home. The boos might have been heard in Bavaria.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Luiz, Cole; Ramires, Lampard (Torres 79); Oscar, Mata, Hazard; Ba. Subs: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Ferreira, Marin, Terry, Bertrand. Booked: Luiz.

Southampton (4-5-1): Boruc; Clyne, Yoshida, Hooiveld, Shaw; Puncheon, Cork, Davis (Chaplow 67), Schneiderlin, Prado (Ramirez 74); Rodriguez (Lambert 55). Subs: Davis, Ramirez, Fox, Ward-Prowse, Seabourne.

Referee: M Oliver (Northumberland).

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Mail:

Chelsea 2 Southampton 2: Who can Pep up Blues? Not Rafa, say angry fans after draw
By Matt Barlow

When it comes to tips on dealing with rejection and unrequited love, throwing away a two-goal lead at home to Southampton is not up there.

Although somehow it felt like nothing was ever going to be enough. Even when Chelsea led through first-half goals by Demba Ba and Eden Hazard, there was a feeling of unease inside Stamford Bridge.

It was Chelsea's smallest home crowd in the Barclays Premier League this season, in icy temperatures with minds distracted by Pep Guardiola's decision to snub the idea of a few months working for Roman Abramovich in favour of three years at Bayern Munich.
Apathy hung in the air. Chelsea supporters did not boo Rafa Benitez until the very end, although dissent began to stir when Frank Lampard was replaced by Fernando Torres after 79 minutes.
When Rickie Lambert pulled a goal back within three minutes of coming off the bench in the second half, the natives became agitated and when Jason Puncheon fired a superb equaliser 15 minutes from time they were left uncomfortably numb.

It may have been the cold but it may have been chilling realisation that Roman Abramovich's project has lost direction and, after sacking club legend Roberto Di Matteo, they are not about to be pleasantly surprised by the arrival of the world's most in-demand coach.
As they digested Guardiola's decision to choose Bayern from his wealth of options, Chelsea fans were left to contemplate this might mean an extended tenure for Benitez.
As if to remind Abramovich of their thoughts on this matter, they booed the team off the pitch and burst into a chorus of: 'F*** off, Benitez, we don't want you here'.
It was only the third time in the Premier League era Chelsea have led by two at half-time and failed to win.
The point leaves them 13 adrift of leaders Manchester United, six behind City in second. Benitez, who has enjoyed little comfort at Stamford Bridge from the moment he was jeered to his seat before his first match, said: 'We cannot be happy drawing at home.'
Chelsea have won two of seven matches at home since Benitez took over from Di Matteo. In those two games they smashed 14 goals past Aston Villa and Nordsjaelland.

The atmosphere was flat from the start. It wasn't only Guardiola. There had been stories circulating that Lampard was stepping up his talks with Los Angeles Galaxy after accepting his destiny lies elsewhere after this season.
Lampard, too, started like a man with his mind elsewhere. He was robbed deep in his own half by Jay Rodriguez but escaped as the Southampton striker hurried his shot and hooked it well wide.
If the home crowd had one thing to cheer it was the decision by Benitez to start with Ba up front rather than Torres.
The £7.5million signing from Newcastle provides an outlet like Didier Drogba used to and has started his Chelsea career with a flurry of goals.
He scored twice at Southampton on his debut in the FA Cup this month and punished the same side when they failed to clear in the 25th minute.
Lampard collected the ball on the right and eased a pass to Cesar Azpilicueta, who topped his cross but Oscar thrust his head down and helped it towards Ba, who adjusted his body and hooked a right-foot volley low into the net.

It was his third goal in three starts for his new club - it took Torres 25 games to reach three goals -and his 16th of the season.
Lampard fired wide from the sort of chance he rarely misses and Artur Boruc denied Hazard with his fingertips before the visitors leaked a second goal.
As with the first, it was a threat that ought to have been cleared but Nigel Adkins saw his defence dither and allow Chelsea to recycle the ball on their right.
Ramires lashed a half-volley into the post and Hazard pounced on the rebound on the edge of the penalty area and made a difficult finish look incredibly easy, tucking the ball inside the post with his left foot.
Adkins threw on Lambert for Rodriguez early in the second half and he struck quickly.
Nathaniel Clyne muscled past Hazard on the wing and delivered a fine cross, Lambert eased away from Gary Cahill and beat Azpilicueta in the air, thumping his header into the top corner before Petr Cech could react. Southampton rode Chelsea's brief retaliation before Puncheon levelled.
His goal started with a surging run by 17-year-old full back Luke Shaw. Gaston Ramirez was unable to control his low cross but it spilled to Puncheon, who applied a clinical finish. Southampton are improving and this was a good point in the fight against relegation.

Torres for Lampard was not a popular move by Benitez and Lampard did not appear impressed as he ripped off his armband.
The skipper had not played well but these fans trust him to find them a goal more than Torres. With good reason.
One chance fell to Torres, sent on to play wide on the right, but he sliced it wide. When he over-hit a cross in added time, fans turned on him with a volley of abuse. Patience had worn out. No Pep and one point.
Those still around at the final whistle turned on Benitez. Abramovich must know fans will not tolerate a permanent deal for the interim boss.

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Mirror:

Chelsea 2-2 Southampton report Saints alive! Southampton fight back from two down to draw with Chelsea

Martin Lipton

Goals from Ba and Hazard had Blues cruising towards the win but Lambert and Puncheon level it up - and awake the Stamford Bridge boo-boys

Oh dear, Rafa.
Not good enough - and the sounds of protest are only getting louder.
Rafa Benitez had bemoaned the fact his side had struggled to break down massed defences at Stamford Bridge, insisting one early goal was all Chelsea needed.
But somehow the Blues conspired to surrender a two-goal advantage as the introduction of Rickie Lambert changed everything except the feeling that Benitez will never be wanted by the Chelsea faithful.
Where the interval advantage, courtesy of terrific finishes by Demba Ba and Eden Hazard, combined with the news that Pep Guardiola has definitely said no to Roman Abramovich's millions, had initially eased the customary Benitez baiting, suddenly all was different.
Chelsea's inability to handle Lambert's physical presence underlined the mental weakness at the heart of this side as Saints grabbed a potentially priceless point in their survival fight.
Lambert pulled one back with his first touch, allowed to out-muscle three Blue shirts when Nathaniel Clyne was far too strong for Hazard.
And then Luke Shaw's fantastic run down the left, leaving Cesar Azpilicueta trailing in his wake, ended with Jason Puncheon crashing home an absolute stunner to give Nigel Adkins a draw which would have been beyond his wildest hopes at the interval.
But Chelsea now seem locked in a desperate fight for the top four place that is all or nothing for a club that cannot afford to be outside the European elite.
The response was predictable, the jeers that had met Fernando Torres' arrival in place of Frank Lampard 10 minutes from time focused once again on Benitez at the final whistle.
Benitez was subjected to more four-letter chants as the SW6 atmosphere turned rancorous.
Yet the truth is that Benitez cannot put character in those players who seem increasingly inclined to shrivel under the first sign of pressure at the venue where they should be most emboldened.
That is not in itself the fault of the fans.
At some point the players themselves must take responsibility, and the way Chelsea subsided from a position of such superiority is a major issue.
But in seven home games, Benitez has won just twice - the turkey shoots over hapless duo Nordsjaelland and Aston Villa.
By the standards Abramovich demands, the standards that have seen so many managers deemed as failures, that is simply unacceptable.
So, in many ways, was their performance, although there seemed only one possible outcome when Hazard put Chelsea two to the good seconds before the interval.
Chelsea had hardly been impressive but had demonstrated the clinical instincts Benitez had demanded when Ba put them ahead with their first serious shot.
It was a top-class finish by the man who scored twice against Saints on his Chelsea debut in the FA Cup and gleefully claimed his third on 25 minutes.
Lampard did the initial foraging and when Oscar's header from Azpilicueta's centre was blocked the ball fell for Ba, whose instant volley took a flick off Maya Yoshida and fizzed past Artur Boruc.
Davis slid wide from a rare Saints counter but the second was coming.
Lampard scuffed wide and Boruc just touched a Hazard effort past the post before the Belgian was in the right place to return the ball into the net with interest after Ramires had hammered against the woodwork.
All over? It looked that way and should have been.
But the arrival of Lambert in place of Jay Rodriguez altered the tone of the night as Saints suddenly had a real threat.
Lambert's header, taking him to 10 Premier League goals for the season no Englishman has scored more put Chelsea on the back foot and while Ba was just too high and Lampard a yard wide, the home side's frailties were evident.
So it was proved as Shaw's terrific burst down the left showcased the youngster's potential, Azpilicueta horribly exposed.
Gaston Ramirez, just on, could not control but Puncheon did, before unleashing a beauty that flew past Petr Cech.
Torres, on for Lampard, created room but shot wide.
It was to no avail, Michael Oliver's final whistle bringing yet more boos cascading down on Benitez' head.
No wonder Pep didn't fancy it.
Who would?


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Sun:

Chelsea 2 Southampton 2

By SHAUN CUSTIS

RAFA BENITEZ must have thought he had got a monkey off his back with the news that Pep Guardiola was off to Bayern Munich.
But with a major rival out of the way, interim Chelsea boss Benitez failed again to make his case for the permanent job.
The Blues wasted a two-goal lead as improving Southampton staged a magnificent second-half comeback.
Demba Ba’s third goal in four games since his arrival from Newcastle appeared to have set Chelsea on course for victory.
And when Eden Hazard got the second on the stroke of half-time they were on easy street.
But once sub Rickie Lambert pulled one back with a 58th-minute header the visitors could smell blood.

And from Luke Shaw’s cross, after a lung-busting run down the left, Jason Puncheon flicked the ball up before crashing a volley past Petr Cech with 15 minutes left.
It was a tremendous effort by Nigel Adkins’ men, who are now three points clear of the relegation zone having looked certs for the drop three months ago.
But this was another woeful 90 minutes for disgruntled home fans.
Chelsea had lost their previous two at the Bridge without even scoring — a shock 1-0 defeat to relegation favourites QPR and a 2-0 loss against Swansea in the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final.
And this result made it one win in six domestic games on home turf.
Benitez claims the poisonous atmosphere caused by his presence in the dugout is not affecting the players.

He says it is down to the opponents’ tactics. However, the fact they strolled to a 4-0 win at Stoke last time out indicated they find life easier and more relaxed on their travels.
Blues fans have had plenty to complain about this season but none have been bleating about the signing of Ba. He is a goalscorer supreme.
The Senegal star got two on his debut against Southampton in the 5-1 FA Cup thrashing at St Mary’s just 11 days earlier and punished them again here with an opportunist strike.
Frank Lampard shuttled the ball back to Cesar Azpilicueta and, when the full-back crossed, Oscar got his head to it in front of Jos Hooiveld.
Ba reacted quickest and hooked in a right-foot shot which took a deflection and beat the diving Artur Boruc.
Ba was again preferred to Fernando Torres who sat on the bench for the second game in a row.
Torres once admitted he got little pleasure from Chelsea’s Champions League success after he was only named as a sub in the final.
So you can imagine he was less than thrilled at seeing his team-mate hit the net once more.
Southampton did not sit back and Steven Davis could have equalised only to drag his shot across goal after Jay Rodriguez had brought the ball down beautifully and set him up.
Lampard then had two chances to increase the advantage.
But his first shot was blocked and he scuffed another wide from Juan Mata’s pass.
Then Hazard almost bundled one in with his knee before the second goal came with the ref looking at his watch for half-time.
Ramires rattled the woodwork and Hazard was there to smack home the rebound.
Yet for all their control, Chelsea surprisingly conceded early in the second half.
Full-back Nathaniel Clyne’s cross was right on the money and Lambert did not disappoint with a firm header beyond Cech.
Adkins has a habit of leaving top scorer Lambert out from time to time but it doesn’t half fire him up. Torres could learn a lesson there.
Ba stretched to turn one over from Mata’s cross and a Lampard free-kick curled narrowly wide as Chelsea tried to respond.
But then Shaw went off on his storming run and Puncheon produced his world-class finish.
Torres replaced Lampard for the last 11 minutes which did not please the crowd — or Lamps.
And the Spanish striker did little to justify Benitez’s decision.
So Southampton celebrated a well-deserved point as the boos rang out after another night to forget for Chelsea.

DREAM TEAM RATINGS

STAR MAN - MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN

CHELSEA: Cech 6, Azpilicueta 6, Cahill 6, Luiz 6, Cole 6, Ramires 6, Lampard 6 (Torres 6); Oscar 6, Mata 7, Hazard 7, Ba 7. Subs: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Ferreira, Marin, Terry, Bertrand. Booked: Luiz

SOUTHAMPTON: Boruc 6, Clyne 6, Yoshida 6, Hooiveld 6, Shaw 6, Cork 7, Steven Davis 6 (Chaplow 6); Schneiderlin 8, Puncheon 7, Guly 5 (Ramirez 6), Rodriguez 6 (Lambert 7). Subs: Kelvin Davis, Fox, Ward-Prowse, Seaborne.


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Times:

Chelsea 2 Southampton 2: Southampton fightback ensures no relief for embattled Rafael Benítez

Rory Smith


 This was not the day to disappoint Roman Abramovich. This was not the day to give Chelsea’s owner reason to yearn for Pep Guardiola, his great lost love. This was not the day to throw away a two-goal lead at home against a side scrambling to avoid relegation, or the day to be booed off the pitch — again — by your own fans.
 This was not Rafael Benítez’s day at all.
 At first glance, this looked a happy accident of fate. Just hours after Guardiola, the man Abramovich has coveted for three years at the very least, spurned the oligarch’s advances and pledged himself to Bayern Munich until 2016, Benítez sent a side out to face Southampton, a team they had dispatched 5-1 just ten days ago, in a fixture rearranged from December. What better chance could there be?
 Abramovich, his heart broken and his dreams dashed, would be scanning the horizon, looking for someone, anyone, to take the pain away, to let him fall in love again. Benítez would have the first opportunity to catch his eye. This was the interim manager’s moment, his audition, to convince the Russian to commit.

At half-time, Abramovich’s heart might have been beating a little faster. Chelsea had toiled for the first 25 minutes, struggling to break down Nigel Adkins’s well-drilled, highly disciplined side; Stamford Bridge quiet, flat, as though the shadow of Guardiola was hanging over them all. Once Demba Ba pounced, though, Chelsea clicked into gear. The Senegalese’s third goal in four starts, whipcracked home on the volley after Oscar distracted Jos Hooiveld sufficiently to prevent the giant centre back clearing César Azpilicueta’s cross, settled the hosts’ nerves.
 Chelsea raced forward. A glimpse, here, of what life would be like, perhaps, if Abramovich chose Benítez, if they agreed to a permanent union. Frank Lampard saw one effort blocked and placed another wide. Eden Hazard and Oscar befuddled each other as they attempted to convert a clever, looping pass from the 34-year-old. The mercury rose, the pressure mounted.

Just before the interval, Southampton’s luck ran out. Maya Yochida denied Oscar as the Brazilian raced on to Hazard’s through ball. Then Hooiveld slid in to block Lampard’s shot. Ramires, seizing the loose ball, struck the post. The visiting side breathed, but briefly. Hazard fired home, first time, from the edge of the box. Game over, romance on, surely? Time to send out the save-the-dates and buy a hat? Not quite. How quickly things can change.
 Within ten minutes of the restart, Abramovich might have been having second thoughts. Rickie Lambert and Fernando Torres had been left on the bench; both appeared in the second half. Only one had the desired impact, the Southampton forward heading home Nathaniel Clyne’s cross with what may well have been his first touch.
 A quarter of an hour later, Benítez’s hopes for a happy union had receded yet farther. By the end, Abramovich would have been thinking it might be time to see other people. Although Chelsea might have settled it — Ba firing over, Lampard sending a free kick agonisingly wide — instead Southampton equalised. Luke Shaw raced down the left wing, giving the impression that Azpilicueta was running in treacle, and fizzed a low cross along the edge of the box. Jason Puncheon took one touch and arrowed a volley back past Petr Cech.
 Chelsea could not find a winner, although Torres perhaps ought to have done so. Benítez — booed for bringing the £50 million striker on in place of Lampard — was jeered from the pitch; Chelsea’s supporters are not in favour of his temporary stay becoming permanent. The message is clear: do not expect them at the wedding, should it come to pass.
 “I was not angry with the players, just disappointed,” Benítez said. “We have to manage games better. We have to sustain attacks and we did not do that. We need to be more clinical, and we need to cut out our mistakes.”
 This is a recurring theme, though. That is now just one win in their past six domestic games at home for Chelsea. The Spaniard would not be drawn on the subject, but there can be no doubt his side do not feel comfortable here.
 The fans, of course, and their simmering mutiny, are a factor, but so is a squad ill suited to breaking down the massed ranks of visiting teams. This is Chelsea’s house, but it does not feel much like home. If Benítez cannot remedy that, he cannot hope to win Abramovich’s heart.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): P Cech — C Azpilicueta, G Cahill, David Luiz, A Cole — Ramires, F Lampard (sub: F Torres, 79min) — Oscar, J Mata, E Hazard — D Ba. Substitutes not used: R Turnbull, B Ivanovic, P Ferreira, M Marin, J Terry, R Bertrand. Booked: David Luiz.

 Southampton (4-1-4-1): A Boruc — N Clyne, J Hooiveld, M Yoshida, L Shaw — J Cork — J Puncheon, S Davis (sub: R Chaplow, 67), M Schneiderlin, G do Prado (sub: G Ramírez, 74)— J Rodriguez (sub: R Lambert, 55). Substitutes not used: K Davis, D Fox, J

Stoke 4-0

Independent:
Two Jonathan Walters howlers set Chelsea en route to rout
by simon Hart

They say any port in a storm will do and so it is proving for Chelsea.
Away from the toxic atmosphere in the stands at Stamford Bridge, the Londoners are on quite a roll. This was Chelsea’s sixth successive away victory under Rafael Benitez and it was undoubtedly their most impressive as they tore apart a Stoke City team who had not lost at home since last February.
Admittedly this Potteries outpost does not intimidate Chelsea as it does other clubs – the Londoners are unbeaten here since 1975 – but three days after their League Cup semi-final home loss to Swansea City, Chelsea showed that their crises are strictly relative, no matter how well-publicised.
Yes, they may have lost two successive home games, yes, fans may be unhappy about Benitez being there and about Frank Lampard’s approaching departure, but as transitional seasons go, things really could be worse as they moved up to third place, four points behind Manchester City. As Benitez noted afterwards: “Every week we can’t be thinking ‘crisis, not crisis’. We are scoring more goals than the team was scoring in the past, we are conceding half the goals.”
While Chelsea’s good day was capped by John Terry’s return from injury with an 11-minute substitute cameo, this really was the worst of days for Jon Walters, the Stoke forward who headed two own-goals and blazed over a late penalty to earn ironic “man of the match” chants from the away end. Chelsea added to Walters’ unwanted double with a Lampard penalty and Eden Hazard wonder goal to inflict Stoke’s heaviest top-flight defeat at the Britannia.
Chelsea have hit 20 goals in this sequence of six away victories and explaining the contrast between this and the home blanks against QPR and Swansea, Benitez noted how: “You play away and they come [at] you, you have more space behind and the movement of your players can kill them.”
Chelsea came into the game showing some significant changes after that League Cup semi-final loss. Petr Cech was back in goal and there were starting roles for Lampard and Ryan Bertrand in midfield and up front for Demba Ba, the latter taking the place, predictably, of Fernando Torres.
With Gary Cahill absent for the birth of his boy, David Luiz joined Branislav Ivanovic in the heart of Chelsea’s defence and they had an early let-off after seven minutes when Andy Wilkinson’s deflected shot ran to Kenwyne Jones, but he steered his shot a whisker wide.
That was as close as Stoke would come, and Chelsea nearly broke through in the 25th minute after one passage of prolonged possession ended with Hazard and Ba combining to play in Lampard but Asmir  Begovic flicked out a boot to divert the midfielder’s first-time shot. Lampard then created a chance for Ba with a high ball behind Robert Huth that the striker latched on to. Begovic was equal to the shot, however, and Wilkinson’s superb tackle stopped Ramires turning in the loose ball.
Stoke’s defending was less impressive in first-half stoppage time as Walters dived in ahead of Juan Mata to head Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross into his own net. It was a goal with its origin in Lampard’s willingness to chase a lost cause, the midfielder closing down Geoff Cameron to win a throw. From Mata’s resulting cross, neither Wilkinson nor Etherington could clear and Hazard set up Azpilicueta to cross.
The second half began with Ashley Cole testing Begovic with a near-post drive, but Stoke came again with Steven Nzonzi’s powerful strike drawing a fingertip save from Cech. Etherington then went down in the box under a challenge by Azpilicueta but Sian Massey’s raised flag indicated that the winger had been offside.
The contest was over in the 62nd minute with Walters’ second own goal, the forward nodding in Mata’s corner under pressure from Lampard. “The second goal kills us,” said Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager.
Two minutes later, it was three as Lampard struck from the spot. It looked a harsh decision by Andre Marriner as although Mata had Huth behind him and Ryan Shawcross in front of him neither man seemed to make much contact. “Robert has his hand on his shoulder but Mata’s legs collapse,” complained Pulis. Regardless, Lampard lashed in goal 194 of his Chelsea career, eight behind Bobby Tambling’s all-time record.
Hazard made it four, collecting the ball some 30 metres out, turned into space and unleashed a superb angled shot which flew wide of Begovic’s right hand and left the net bulging.

Stoke (4-5-1): Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Huth, Wilkinson; Walters, Whelan, Adam (Whitehead, 79), Nzonzi, Etherington (Kightly, 86); Jones (Jerome, 78).

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Azpilicueta (Ferreira, 83), Ivanovic, Luiz, Cole; Lampard, Ramires; Hazard, Mata (Terry, 79), Bertrand; Ba Mani. Dieke; Asante, Scott; Carney, Little.

Referee: Andre Marriner.
Man of the match: Lampard (Chelsea)
Match rating: 7/10

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

Observer:

Stoke City's Jon Walters scores two own goals to hand Chelsea easy win
Paul Wilson at the Britannia Stadium

You have to hand it to Stoke: the spectators have an attitude as uncompromising as the players. Midway through the first half here, as the European champions attempted to slow the game down by passing across midfield and patiently waiting for the opportunity to play the killer ball, the home crowd struck up a chant of "Boring, boring". As if stung by the enormity of being so insulted in these parts, Eden Hazard and Demba Ba promptly combined to produce a moment of true quality and a shooting chance for Frank Lampard, who rather fluffed his lines by allowing Asmir Begovic to save with his legs.
Boring or not, Chelsea managed to deprive the Potters of their proud claim to be the last team in all four divisions with an unbeaten home record, proving that while Rafael Benítez's side might have been through a blip with defeats to QPR and Swansea, they can still do it on a freezing cold Saturday in Stoke. Chelsea did not just end the record, they demolished it, and deserved to, though it always comes in handy when the home side chips in with two own goals from the same player, who then goes on to miss a penalty.
"It wasn't our day today, it was Chelsea's," Tony Pulis admitted. "Up until the second goal I thought we were the better team but it just didn't go for us."
That is not to suggest Chelsea had everything their own way. They would have been in trouble after just eight minutes had Kenwyne Jones finished with more composure when a rebound from an Andy Wilkinson shot left him with only Petr Cech to beat. The goalkeeper stood up well but Jones still failed to test him, rolling his shot inches beyond a post from the sort of position Stoke would spend the rest of the afternoon trying to reproduce.
Chelsea also took something of a physical battering, with Hazard in particular on the receiving end of some meaty challenges, and naturally the more he protested to the referee the more the crowd enjoyed it.
"We knew it would be tough here," Benítez said. "It was intense and physical but we were ready for that."
After a shaky period in the middle of the first half, Chelsea found their bearings and were beginning to get on top by the interval, though it still took an own goal to break the deadlock, Jon Walters heading past his own goalkeeper from César Azpilicueta's dipping cross. Juan Mata may or may not have scored had Walters left the ball alone, but for the previous few minutes Stoke had been taking no chances, trying and generally succeeding in getting heads or bodies in the way of everything Chelsea could throw at them.
Ashley Cole brought a save from Begovic at the start of the second half after Ba had done well to reach and control Lampard's searching pass, but Chelsea kept inviting Stoke back into the game by needlessly giving the ball away, and when they stood off Steven Nzonzi just before the hour it took a good save from Cech to beat out a rising shot.
Chelsea got even luckier a few minutes later. Andre Marriner pointed to the spot when Azpilicueta felled Matthew Etherington in the area, only to find the visitors reprieved by Sian Massey's flag for offside.
Replays showed there was not much in it, but confirmed the linesperson had been absolutely correct.
Stoke's luck ran out shortly after that, with the match settled by two more Chelsea goals in three minutes. The hapless Walters contributed the first from Mata's corner, getting himself into a tangle facing his own net under pressure from Lampard and ending up getting in the way of the Chelsea captain but not out of the way of the ball. Perhaps, like Paul Scholes, Walters is just not cut out for getting back to help out his defence.
On Chelsea's next visit to the Stoke penalty area Robert Huth went through Mata from behind. Home defenders looked in vain for any help from the referee's assistant, leaving Lampard to score emphatically from the spot.
With the game safe Fernando Torres and then John Terry joined the action, the latter to a rapturous reception from the Chelsea support.
Terry fouled Walters to give away the last-minute penalty that the Stoke player all too predictably blasted too high, prompting the visiting fans to pile on the misery by chanting that Walters scores when he wants.
Fittingly, it was Hazard who had provided the true final flourish a few minutes earlier, neatly stepping inside a challenge and beating Begovic from 25 yards with a stunning left-foot drive. Not even Stoke could call that boring.


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

Telegraph:

Stoke City 0 Chelsea 4:
Oliver Brown

Chelsea are discovering that life on the road can be every bit as invigorating as Jack Kerouac suggested. Away from suffocating tensions on the home front at Stamford Bridge, where supporters have hardly helped inspire the team with recent mutinous chants, Rafael Benítez’s players extended their prolific away form to nine goals in two games while inflicting uponStoke City the club’s heaviest home defeat in the Premier League.
True, they were aided by a performance of nightmarish misfortune by Stoke’s Jonathan Walters, who scored two own goals before fluffing his opportunity of a reprieve as he missed a late penalty. Benítez smiled at being asked when he had last seen such a remarkably gaffe-prone individual display.
“We had one of our own last week,” he said, recalling Branislav Ivanovic’s two wretched defensive lapses against Swansea, the memories of which were emphatically expunged by this decisive victory.
Such is the febrile atmosphere around Chelsea this season that their every result is scrutinised for some portent of Benitez’s future. “We can’t every week be thinking, 'crisis, not a crisis’,” argued the interim manager, desperate to ensure that this win restored some normality to a chaotic campaign.
Chelsea stand third in the Premier League, not that you would have known it from the fans’ now-familiar song repertoire of “We don’t care about Rafa” and “There’s only one Di Matteo”.
Benítez was evasive when pressed on whether his side felt more relaxed away from south-west London, but there was no mistaking his satisfaction at a win that rekindled the club’s faint vestiges of hope for the title.
In a veiled broadside at his predecessor, Roberto Di Matteo, he was not shy of advertising Chelsea’s resurgence under his watch: “We are conceding fewer goals than in the past. We are also scoring more, which means we have more balance.”
He had primed his men for the particularly physical test at the Britannia Stadium, but he could not have foreseen the gifts that arrived courtesy of the hapless Walters. The Irishman has developed a reputation as an effective forward but on this evidence he is not lavishly furnished in the defensive department.
His afternoon had begun inauspiciously, when Walters set himself for an extravagant volley and proceeded to boot the ball straight into his own face, and from there his afternoon took ever more darkly comic turns. He had to endure the indignity of heading Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross into his own net on the stroke of half-time and then, remarkably, he contrived to repeat the trick early in the second half when he nodded in Juan Mata’s corner. Walters was handed the opportunity to redeem himself by taking a penalty with his team already 4-0 down, and promptly skied his attempt over the bar.
There appeared no hole in the Britannia pitch large enough to swallow him, even if Tony Pulis offered a few consoling words afterwards. “Jon’s all right,” the Stoke manager assured. “We look after people at this club.”
Benítez could scarcely have asked for more exquisitely-wrapped presents from Walters, en route to three points. Positive messages abounded for his team, not least the Frank Lampard penalty that took the midfielder clear of Kerry Dixon as the club’s second-highest all-time leading scorer, with 194 goals.
Nine more and Lampard can usurp Bobby Tambling at the top of the list, even if this looks unlikely to dissuade Roman Abramovich from his plan to offload the 34 year-old in the summer. There was also a return from injury for John Terry, who came through the final 10 minutes of the match unscathed, despite handing Stoke their penalty for his late foul on Walters.
Pulis was involved in a lively exchange of words with referee Andre Marriner, claiming that Chelsea did not deserve their penalty when Mata went to ground in a tangle with Robert Huth. “I was just a bit disappointed with a couple of things that went on, let’s leave it at that,” he said.
Seldom was he more dismayed than upon seeing Walters undo all Stoke’s first-half resistance. The striker had been under pressure from Mata as he sought to defend a ball whipped in by Azpilicueta, but succeeded only in redirecting it past goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.
Any ambition Stoke had of a comeback was soon snuffed out by poor Walters, who intercepted Mata’s corner with another fine header, unfortunately in the wrong direction. “It killed us off,” admitted Pulis, who watched helplessly as Lampard lashed home his penalty, before Eden Hazard produced a moment of inspiration from 25 yards.

Match details
Stoke City: Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Huth, Wilkinson; Walters, Whelan, Nzonzi, Etherington (Kightly 85,; Adam (Whitehead 78); Jones(Jerome 78).
Subs not used: Sorensen, Upson, Crouch, Shotton.

Chelsea: Cech; Azpilicueta (Ferreira 82), Ivanovic, Luiz, Cole; Hazard, Lampard, Ramires, Bertrand; Mata (Terry 76); Ba (Torres 70).
Subs not used: Turnbull, Oscar, Marin, Ake.
Ref: Andre Marriner.
Att: 27.348

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


Times:


Stoke 0 Chelsea 4: Comedy of errors- Jonathan Norcroft

 GOING to the Britannia stadium when you’re under pressure can be like trying to walk across a bed of nails when you have blisters on your feet. Chelsea, however, positively skipped to the other side — after Jonathan Walters carried them half of the way.
 Poor Walters. One of the Premier League’s better players this season, one of football’s 100% men, whose diligence never dips, whose commitment never wavers. Unfortunately, these very qualities contributed inadvertently to one of the most self-harming performances a footballer has ever put in. The quiz question for years to come: which player scored two own goals and missed a penalty in the same game as his side’s unbeaten home record was shattered?
 Walters’ afternoon began like Stoke’s — well. He was part of a typically muscular, collective and energetic effort by Tony Pulis’s team. But in first-half stoppage time, paying for his conscientiousness when tracking back to help his defenders, Walters headed into his own net.

He repeated the mishap by nodding Juan Mata’s corner past Asmir Begovic to put Chelsea 2-0 up and then — with his team 4-0 down after a Frank Lampard penalty and a comely strike by Eden Hazard — he was offered a shot at partial redemption when John Terry, returning from injury as a substitute, was questionably adjudged to have fouled him. Walters stepped up to the spot kick, gave it a good, firm, uncomplicated welly . . . and saw the ball strike the bar and balloon to, if not Row Z, Row Q at the very least. Stoke fans offered tremendous backing, singing “One Johnny Walters” as he stood there anguished. Chelsea supporters joined in.
 At full-time, Walters staggered down the tunnel, head bowed. You worried: would he get home, find he’d left the gas on, the dog had eaten his winning lottery ticket and a cult had moved in next door?
 Lampard’s goals-per-game record for Chelsea is almost as good as Walters’. Chelsea’s penalty was also iffy — given against Robert Huth for a mild shove on Mata — but Lampard rammed it high and hard past Begovic for his 194th Chelsea goal, taking him to outright second on the club’s all-time scoring list.
 Stoke had never lost at the Britannia in the league by more than two goals. For Rafa Benitez, this was the passing of an important test. He drilled into Chelsea’s Britannia stadium virgins such as Hazard that they would have to be brave “in a physical game against a good team who have a clear idea of how they want to play”, and the message clearly registered.
 Hazard maybe wasn’t always physically courageous — sometimes bullied off the ball by Andy Wilkinson — but the Belgian has fortitude of character, for he never stopped showing for the ball. After Wilkinson was booked and had to curb himself, Hazard began to win the battle.
 For the first own goal, Mata was behind Walters, but probably not close enough to excuse his error.
 He was blameless for his second “goal”. Mata’s delivery at a corner was excellent and Lampard would have headed the ball home had Walters not gone for it.
 Until 2-0 Stoke were Chelsea’s equals and Andre Marriner awarded a penalty for a trip on Matt Etherington before reneging when his assistant, Sian Massey, correctly flagged offside.
 Hazard’s 25-yard curling finish was the pick of the four goals; the moment Walters volleyed the ball into his own face just another element in the Irishman’s day to forget.

 Stoke City: Begovic 7, Cameron 6, Shawcross 6, Huth 5, Wilkinson 6, Whelan 6, Nzonzi 7, Walters 3, Adam 5 (Whitehead 79min), Etherington 6 (Kightly 86min), Jones 6 (Jerome 78min)
 Chelsea: Cech 7, Azpilicueta 6 (Ferreira 83min), Ivanovic 6, Luiz 6, Cole 6, Lampard 8, Ramires 6, Hazard 7, Bertrand 5, Mata 6 (Terry 79min), Ba 6 (Torres 71min)



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

Mail:
Stoke 0 Chelsea 4: Walters brace of own goals gives Blues footing for rampage.. and then he misses a penalty!
By ELEANOR CROOKS, PRESS ASSOCIATION

Stoke's long unbeaten home run was brought to a shuddering halt as Chelsea chalked up a much-needed victory - with a helping hand from Jonathan Walters.
The Potters had not lost at the Britannia Stadium in the Barclays Premier League since February and have proved formidable opponents for the league's big guns, but this was their biggest home loss since returning to the top flight in 2008.
It began to go wrong in injury time at the end of the first half when Walters headed into his own net, and remarkably the striker repeated the trick in the 62nd minute.
Three minutes later Frank Lampard netted a penalty after Juan Mata went down and Eden Hazard rounded off the scoring with a long-range screamer 17 minutes from time.
Walters was given the chance to at least score one goal at the right end when Stoke were awarded a 90th-minute penalty but in keeping with the rest of the striker's day he could only find the top of the bar.
Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez made the decision to start Demba Ba for his first Premier League appearance for the club, with Fernando Torres dropping to the bench.
Defender Gary Cahill was absent to be at the birth of his son so David Luiz dropped back into defence alongside Branislav Ivanovic, the culprit for both Swansea's goals in the midweek Capital One Cup defeat.
Lampard started while captain John Terry was on the bench for the first time since sustaining knee ligament damage two months ago.
Benitez was once again feeling the heat from the Chelsea fans following the Swansea result and defeat by QPR in their last league game, but they began positively and only a well-timed tackle from Ryan Shawcross prevented Ramires getting a shot away.
The Stoke captain showed just why the Potters were so keen to tie him to a long-term deal with some assured play to steady the ship and soon it was the home side who were threatening.
In the eighth minute a shot from Andy Wilkinson was blocked by Ramires and the ball fell to Kenwyne Jones on the right of the area. His shot beat Petr Cech but rolled just past the post.
Chelsea were rattled and Cech was grateful to hang on to a header from Steven Nzonzi, who could not get enough power into his effort.
The visitors were struggling to get out of their half but a break in the 25th minute provided them with a great chance as Ba found Lampard running into the area only for Asmir Begovic to stick out a leg and deny him.
The Bosnian's reputation has soared this season and he was again the saviour for Stoke six minutes later as Ba outpaced Robert Huth but could not beat the keeper with the angle tightening, while Wilkinson's crunching tackle stopped Ramires from reaching the loose ball.
Stoke by now were reduced to half-chances - a shot on the turn from Jones that was blocked by Luiz and a volley from Glenn Whelan that was straight at Cech.
It looked like the teams would go into half-time all square but with injury time almost up Cesar Azpilicueta swung in a cross from the right.
Mata was poised to convert but he was beaten to the ball by a diving Walters, who powered the ball past his own keeper.
The striker attempted to make amends after the restart but, although he beat the Chelsea defence, the angle was too narrow to really trouble Cech.
It was an open game and, after Begovic had produced another decent stop to push Ashley Cole's low drive round the post, Nzonzi tested Cech with a fine strike from 25 yards that the Chelsea keeper pushed over the bar.
Shortly after, Stoke thought they had been given a penalty when Matthew Etherington fell under a challenge from Azpilicueta but referee Andre Marriner had in fact awarded a free-kick to Chelsea for offside.
The killer goal arrived in the 62nd minute, and incredibly it was another own goal from Walters. This time Mata sent in a corner and the Stoke striker got his head to the ball just ahead of Lampard.
The Potters were now staring at the end of their long unbeaten home run, and things got worse three minutes later when they conceded a penalty.
Mata broke through and went to ground under pressure from both Huth and Shawcross, although it was the contact from Huth that seemed to prompt Marriner to point to the spot.
Lampard smashed the penalty down the middle, and he should have added a fourth moments later but shot straight at Begovic from point-blank range.
The visitors did manage another in the 73rd minute, though, and what a strike it was as Hazard let fly from 25 yards and the ball rocketed into the top corner.
Two minutes before Torres had replaced Ba, while Terry was given a little over 10 minutes - and was greeted by his now customary reaction from the opposing fans.
There was still time for the defender to give away a penalty for a foul on Walters, but there was no redemption for the striker.

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

Mirror:

Troubled Walters: Chelsea thump Stoke 4-0 as Walters scores two OGs and misses a penalty
by Ian Edwards
Rafa Benitez appears to have found love in Madrid to soothe the sting of a tempestuous relationship with Chelsea and this emphatic victory over Stoke could deepen admiration at the Bernebeu yet further.
The toxic, anti-Rafa Blues supporters ­would cheerfully drive him out of Stamford Bridge, yet the Spaniard could have an even more opulent new home next ­season — back where he started as a youth coach.
Influential members of Real Madrid want him to ­replace their own bête-noir Jose Mourinho, so Benitez was ­well insulated from the freezing temperatures and icy blasts of “we don’t care about Rafa” at the Britannia Stadium.
Chelsea ripped Stoke’s proud unbeaten record to shreds, and became the first side to inflict the embarrassment of a beating by more than two clear goals.
Their cause was helped by two own goals by Jonathan Walters, who presumably would also pay for ­hypnotherapy if it could help him forget the fact he also missed a penalty and ­volleyed the ball into his own face.
Retaining an impressive record of never tasting defeat at the Britannia, Chelsea’s effort was improved further by Eden Hazard’s marvellous
35-yard strike for the fourth goal and the return of captain John Terry for the first time since ­injured his knee in November.
Although the former England captain was guilty of gifting Stoke their late ­penalty.
Perhaps the only negative for Benitez was the fact Frank Lampard, restored after his rest for the debacle against Swansea, moved to ­within nine goals of overtaking Bobby Tambling’s record to spark the latest ­chorus of “sign him up”.
Benitez said: “I have spoken about Frank one hundred times. I don’t want to talk about one player.
“It was a team performance. He is under contract. He is playing well and he has got to keep performing at the level he is doing. He is fine, it is not an issue.
“All the players showed great quality and character.
“We had to tell some of them what to expect and how physical and intense it would be.
“We were ready for that challenge. When we are away the movement of our players can kill the opponents.”
Perhaps more of an issue is the fact Chelsea appear far happier away from the ­hostile environment of their own home at the moment. A fifth successive win on their travels contrasts with the caustic reactions to ­successive defeats at ­Stamford Bridge.
Stoke’s resistance was ­broken in first-half stoppage time.
Walters headed Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross beyond his own goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who had already denied Lampard from 10 yards and Demba Ba from marking his full Premier league debut with a goal. It was the second Walters ­header inside his own
six-yard box, from Juan ­Mata’s corner, which “killed” Stoke according to Pulis.
And it came in the middle of a 23-minute spell in which Chelsea ripped the heart out of their opponents.
Pulis said: “We conceded some poor goals and I was disappointed with the ­penalty.
“Robert Huth had his hand on his shoulder but Mata’s legs just collapsed. But Jon Walters will be fine, we look after our players.
“It was not our day, but to lose by four goals is hard to take.”
Matthew Etherington had been denied an earlier ­penalty by an offside flag after Azpilicueta’s trip and there was a soft element to the way Mata went to ground for Lampard to smash in Stoke’s third.
Then Hazard struck equally powerfully from distance.
Walters generated even greater power, but lacked the accuracy of Lampard from 12 yards, endangering stewards in the stand behind the goal, after Terry had clipped the Stoke striker in the area.
It was a miserable end to a miserable day for Walters and Co.

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

Sun:
Stoke 0 Chelsea 4
by Rob Beasley

IT SURELY doesn’t get any worse than this — two own goals and a shocking penalty miss.
Poor Jonathan Walters. Everything he did went wrong, awfully wrong.
It would be cruel to name him man of the match.
But the fact is he was the man who had the most effect on the outcome of this game.
It was his incredible diving header that gave Chelsea the lead just before half-time.
Eden Hazard coolly held the ball up inside the City penalty area before rolling it on to the over-lapping Cesar Azpilicueta.
The Spaniard’s cross looked perfect for compatriot Juan Mata to head home but Walters intervened in disastrous fashion.
Just as he did in the 62nd minute from Mata’s corner with Frank Lampard this time poised to score.
Again, Walters tried to clear but he succeeded only in turning the ball into his own net AGAIN.
And then, with Stoke trailing 4-0, he had the chance to redeem himself for at least for one of his OGs when City earned a penalty.
But he blew it, blazing his spot-kick against the top of the bar and high into the Boothen End to complete a sorry showing.
No wonder Chelsea fans began singing “Super Jonny Walters” as they revelled in his misery.
But Stoke fans quickly joined in, a desperate attempt to lift his spirits and show they were with him in his darkest hour, well 90 minutes actually.
They remember the forward’s heroics for the Potters, even if this was a rotten day for him.
OK, the penalty miss — after he was fouled by substitute John Terry — did not really matter, the game was dead and gone.
But his two own goals were deeply damaging.
They gifted Chelsea a two-goal advantage on a ground where the home side had gone undefeated in the league for almost a year.
There was no way back.
Especially with Chelsea turning a 2-0 lead into 3-0 inside three minutes.
Mata was brought down by a combination of Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth. And Lampard smashed home an unstoppable penalty — that’s the way to do it Jonathan! — for game over.
The Blues, though, saved the best for last, Hazard driving home the goal of the game after 73 minutes.
If Walters had a shocker, then Lampard had a stormer.
He now has 194 goals for Chelsea — one clear of Kerry Dixon — and is just eight behind Bobby Tambling’s record of 202.
The clock is seemingly ticking down on his trophy-laden Blues career but he did his best to make up ground on Tambling at the Britannia Stadium. As it turned out, he notched only the one goal — outdone by Walters, then — but he was so close to a landmark afternoon of his own.
Two fine saves by Asmir Begovic denied him two other certain goals.
And that man Walters robbed him of another, the Stoke forward turning into his own net for the second time, just as Lamps was about to nod home.
No wonder delirious Chelsea fans were singing “Sign him up” as they made another desperate bid to persuade billionaire owner Roman Abramovich to change his mind and keep the England midfielder at the Bridge.
It is unlikely to happen, which is a crying shame.
As role models go, they surely don’t come any bigger or better than the man revered as “super Frankie Lampard”.
That’s because in his stellar Chelsea career he’s seen it all, done it all, won it all.
And he’s done it with class and with style. Just as he’s doing now in his swansong.
Still, Abramovich thinks he can do without him.
And it’s not just the fans who vehemently disagree. So do the facts.
When Lampard plays, Chelsea tend to win and he tends to score.
It is a remarkably different story when he is overlooked.
This match was a classic example of what Lampard brings to the table.
Energy and vision in the middle and that unerring ability to ghost into the box unnoticed and unmarked.
Just like he did in the 25th minute here against Stoke.
Chelsea strung an impressive succession of passes together in a spell of football from the Blues that first brought boos from the locals and then a chant of ‘boring’!
But those ‘boring’ calls were strangled in Potters throats as Lampard raced clear through the middle.
Surely, this was it — 1-0 — and an outstanding contender for goal of the season.
But this time Chelsea’s prolific midfielder hit his low shot too close to the keeper and Begovic stretched out a leg to save.
And, 20 minutes from the end, Begovic pulled off an even better save to again frustrate Frank.
Demba Ba teed him up, Lampard hit it sweetly but Begovic pulled off a blinder.
Lamps will have felt frustrated at the end but one look at Walters would have reminded him it could have been worse. Much worse.

Stoke: Begovic, Cameron, Shawcross, Huth, Wilkinson, Walters, Whelan, Nzonzi, Etherington (Kightly 86), Adam (Whitehead 79), Jones (Jerome 78). Subs not used: Sorensen, Upson, Crouch, Shotton. Booked:Wilkinson.

Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta (Ferreira 83), Ivanovic, Luiz, Cole, Hazard, Lampard, Ramires, Bertrand, Mata (Terry 79), Ba (Torres 71). Subs not used:Turnbull, Oscar, Marin, Ake.
Goals: Walters 45 og, 62 og, Lampard 65 pen, Hazard 73.
Att: 27,348
Ref: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).

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Express:

STOKE CITY 0 - CHELSEA 4: HERO FRANK LAMPARD MAKES STOKE CHANGE

By John Richardson

He might have been portrayed as a ‘fat Spanish waiter’ by Stoke’s Boothen End but Rafa Benitez delivered for Chelsea.
It was certainly silver service on a bitterly cold day in the Potteries and gratefully accepted as the doom and gloom of the club’s shock midweek home League Cup semi-final defeat against Swansea was pierced.
And just for a welcome change, any abuse hurled in the Chelsea interim manager’s direction came from opposition fans and not his own.
Chelsea’s travelling fans restricted themselves to their “Super Frank” chants in homage of 34-year-old midfielder Lampard, whose time at the Bridge appears up and a welcome back to John Terry, who returned from injury for the last 11 minutes of this demolition – long enough to concede a penalty.
Lampard, once again in tandem with livewire Eden Hazard, proved that he is far from his sell-by date as the last unbeaten home record in all four divisions was systematically torn to shreds.
The fortress which is the Britannia Stadium and which has stood firm for the previous 17 Premier League games, was dismantled with a little help from within.
Luckless Republic of Ireland striker Jon Walters twice found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time to leave Chelsea 2-0 up and a subdued Stoke with nowhere to go. He even spurned an unwanted hat-trick with a late penalty miss.
Chelsea had started sluggishly, only to be awoken from their early slumbers by the man with no long- term future at the club.
Seemingly hemmed in by a marauding Stoke who with an icy blast at their backs were determined to make their illustrious visitors suffer, Chelsea sprung out of their defensive straitjacket with energy and skill.
Following pinball accuracy on the edge of the box involving Hazard and Demba Ba, Lampard was in on goal only for Stoke keeper Asmire Begovic to deflect around the post with his right foot. In Chelsea’s next meaningful attack it was Lampard supplying the ammunition for Ba to accelerate into the area but found Begovic once again in defiant mood.
A Chelsea goal at that stage would have been tough on Tony Pulis’s side, who had, with their now refined style, created the greater danger – Kenwyne Jones going the closest with a shot narrowly past the far post.
But it was Chelsea who took the lead seconds before the break through the first spectacular own goal from Walters.
Hazard fed Cesar Azpilicueta and his cross seemed destined for Juan Mata until Walters launched himself, but could only direct the ball past his own keeper.
That seemed too much for the Stoke boss, who had already been intent on having a few words with referee Andre Marriner at half time, apparently for the official allowing Chelsea some lenient free-kicks.
Now he was in Marriner’s face, with Benitez alongside the referee acting as his minder.
His mood wasn’t improved when, from a Mata corner, Walters nipped in front of the lurking Lampard and to just to prove that lightning can strike twice the ball skimmed off his head for own goal number two.
When Stoke’s Robert Huth pushed Mata over in the box, Lampard stepped up to blast his penalty high into the net in front of his adoring fans to make it 3-0. “Sign him up, sign him up,” they cried.
It was effectively game over and Lampard should have helped himself to a second goal, firing straight at Begovic from close range.
Chelsea’s final goal was all of their own making and had the Hazard stamp of class all over it – the Belgian midfield master exploding a 25-yarder past a bemused Begovic.
It definitely wasn’t Walters’ day. When Terry tripped him in the box he hammered the spot-kick against the top of the bar and off it went into the stratosphere – one for stargazer Brian Cox to keep an eye on.
Pulis maintained: “I don’t think it was a 4-0. Things just didn’t go for us. The second goal killed us.
“Jon (Walters) is fine. We look after people at this club.”
Benitez said: “We have found it more difficult at home to play our football. Away there is more space to kill teams.”


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

Star:

Stoke 0 - Chelsea 4: Jonathan Walters goes to Pot with two own goals - and missed pen

By Paul Hetherington

STOKE dismantled their own unbeaten home record – the last in England’s four divisions this season – to help Chelsea run riot.
Jonathan Walters headed two own goals and missed a penalty on a bizarre day in the Potteries.
Stoke then gave away a penalty which man-of-the-match Frank Lampard blasted home.
And even Chelsea’s fourth goal from Eden Hazard took a deflection off Ryan Shawcross.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis said: “It just didn’t go for us and as for Jon scoring two own goals, we’ll look after him because that’s what we do at the club.
“I was disappointed with the referee’s decision in giving Chelsea a penalty and then Hazard scores a wonder goal.
“For the penalty, Robert did lay a hand on Mata but then his legs just collapsed.
“It was a soft penalty but it was the second goal which killed us.”
But all that shouldn’t detract from a superb Chelsea display which gave under-fire boss Rafa Benitez a lot of satisfaction.
Despite another outstanding performance by Lampard, who is set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, Benitez said: “Frank is doing well but it is about the team.
“He has to keep performing. He is under contract until the end of the season and it is not an issue at the moment.”
Chelsea hit back superbly from their Capital One Cup defeat by Swansea on a day it all went wrong for Stoke.
That was summed up when the Walters hit an 89th-minute spot kick against the top of the bar after substitute John Terry was adjudged to have fouled him.
Chelsea should have been behind after only eight minutes – despite dominating possession from the start.
The chance fell to Kenwyne Jones, who shot across the face of the goal with his left foot and wide of the far post.
When Stoke got into their stride Steven Nzonzi had a header held by fit-again Chelsea keeper Petr Cech.
But Chelsea deserved to take the lead in the 25th minute after a brilliant move, only to be denied by Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic.
A spell of Chelsea keep-ball had the Stoke supporters screaming “boring”.
But the Londoners deservedly went ahead in first-half added time through the luckless Walters.
Hazard rolled the ball into the path of Cesar Azpilicueta, whose cross was headed into his own goal by Walters as he threw himself in front of Juan Mata. Stoke weren’t happy when they thought they had a penalty for Cesar Azpilicueta’s tackle on Matty Etherington – but referee’s assistant Sian Massey had her flag raised for offside.
Chelsea then killed off Stoke with two goals in two minutes.
In the 62nd minute Walters again headed into his own goal as he tried to prevent Lampard reaching Hazard’s corner.
Then former Chelsea defender Robert Huth pushed Mata from behind and Lampard lashed home the penalty.
Begovic denied Lampard with a point-blank save before Hazard made it four with a 25-yard screamer which skimmed off the head of Shawcross on its way in.
Bentitez added: “The team is doing a great job.”