Fulham 2 Chelsea 2

Clint Dempsey's last-minute header dented Chelsea's Premier League title challenge as Fulham earned a battling 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage.
Chelsea, who, thanks in part to bad refereeing decisions, have now taken only 10 points from their last 21, had been on course for a west London derby win after two second-half strikes from Frank Lampard.
But Dempsey, who had given Fulham the lead after 10 minutes, popped up with seconds remaining to extend the Cottagers' unbeaten run to nine games.
Chelsea now head into the new year three points behind the Scousers, who had signed off 2008 earlier in the day with an easy 5-1 win at Newcastle (did they turn up?).
Fulham may not challenge for the title this season, but are determined to have a major say in its eventual destination having now beaten Arsenal and taken points off Liverpool and Chelsea.
It is some turnaround in the space of 12 months under manager Roy Hodgson, who took charge a year ago when the club seemed bound for relegation.
Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari decided to start with Nicolas Anelka on the bench and Didier Drogba caused Fulham all sorts of problems in the opening stages.
Florent Malouda fed the Ivorian striker with a delicate reverse ball but Drogba drove his shot into the side-netting, wide of the near post.
Chelsea full-back Jose Bosingwa was frustrated to concede a free-kick for a foul on Andrew Johnson and Fulham took full advantage to take a 10th-minute lead.
John Mikel Obi failed to deal with Simon Davies' curling free-kick as it bounced at the far post and Dempsey controlled the ball on his chest before flicking it past Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Drogba worked space in the Fulham box with a neat turn past Aaron Hughes to slide his shot between Mark Schwarzer's legs and was unfortunate to see the ball roll agonisingly wide.
Chelsea were laying siege to the Fulham box. Hughes did well to shepherd the ball out for a corner when Drogba latched onto a knock-down from Malouda.
Malouda was replaced by Anelka after half an hour and his first touch teed up a stinging drive from 25 yards that Schwarzer could only parry clear off his thigh.
Chelsea's reshuffle saw Joe Cole pushed into a more advanced role on the right and they continued to dominate possession but Fulham were bright on the ball and Cech needed to intercept a low cross from Bobby Zamora before Dempsey could pounce again.
Chelsea then made a second change with Alex replaced after 36 minutes by Ricardo Carvalho, who returned to action after nearly three months out with a knee injury.
Bosingwa teed up Lampard for another strike from outside the box and Schwarzer did well to scramble across and push it behind for a corner.
Fulham was under pressure right from the restart with Brede Hangeland and then Dickson Etuhu forced into vital rearguard action as Drogba linked with Cole down the left flank.
Branislav Ivanovic unleashed a fierce volley from outside the Chelsea box which Schwarzer appeared to have covered, though he was saved the bother as the ball slammed straight into Anelka's midriff.
Four minutes into the second half the pressure finally told as Lampard pounced on a mix-up between Hughes and Schwarzer to put Chelsea level.
Hughes, retreating towards his own goal to deal with Deco's lofted ball and under pressure from Drogba, collided with Schwarzer and Lampard was able to slot the loose ball home.
Chelsea ramped up the pressure further. Lampard's pin-point 50-yard ball bisected Hughes and John Pantsil to find Drogba who took one touch but then rifled his shot over the bar.
Chelsea switched their point of attack to Cole, who forced Schwarzer to make two sharp saves in the space of a minute as Fulham continued to be stretched.
But there was no hint of Fulham, driven by the industrious Dempsey and Danny Murphy in midfield, trying to hold on for the draw and when Pantsil cut inside his left-foot shot flew just wide of Cech's near post.
Chelsea fans booed the substitution of Cole but it was soon cheered as Lampard rifled a 25-yard free-kick through a gap in the Fulham wall and under Schwarzer's dive to put Chelsea 2-1 up.
But Fulham refused to roll over and with the clock ticking down earned one final chance and once again Chelsea were found wanting at a set-piece.
Dempsey rose highest to meet the corner and directed his header inside the unguarded far post.
There was more drama to come as Chelsea piled forward in search of an injury-time winner but Schwarzer pulled off a brilliant double save to deny Cole and then Lampard to seal the draw.

Just to change the subject slightly.
Referees decisions continue to have a bearing on where the Premier League trophy might end up this season.
On Boxing Day Manchester United got a late winner against Stoke after thr Potters had a man sent off for a second yellow card, the first of which was given for a very innocuous challenge.
In the same game, that spoilt brat Ronaldo kicked out at an opponent reminiscent of David Beckham against Argentina but of course none of the officials saw it so, as usual, he got away with it.
Before that, Shrek Rooney elbowed an opponent in the face right in front of the linesman but again no one saw it and no action was taken. He also got away with stamping on an opponent in a Champions League game a couple of weeks ago.
The saying about these things evening themselves up over the season is rubbish. United always get away with it.

Chelsea 2 WBA 0

Chelsea went back to the top of the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 win over rock-bottom West Brom at Stamford Bridge, writes PA Sport.
First-half goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard gave Chelsea its first home league win in four games.
The Blues took three minutes to go in front with Drogba, making his first league appearance since the end of September, heading home a cross from Joe Cole.
It was the Ivorian's second goal of the season and his first in the Premier League this term.
In the ninth minute Lampard tried his luck with a 35-yard free-kick which Albion keeper Scott Carson did well to hold at the first attempt.
Drogba's goal allowed Chelsea the luxury of playing without the nervousness that had accompanied its last three league games at the Bridge.
A defeat by Arsenal and draws with Newcastle and West Ham had stunted its title charge in recent weeks.
Lampard should have done better in the 19th minute when Ashley Cole found him unmarked inside the Albion penalty area.
But the England midfielder, captain in the absence of the suspended John Terry, sent his shot wide of the target.
Moments later Chelsea carved out a fine move down the right flank but a cross from Jose Bosingwa eluded everyone in the six-yard box.
In the 32nd minute, Carson had to be alert to keep out a low drive from Michael Ballack as Chelsea increased the tempo.
Ten minutes before the break, Joe Cole fed namesake Ashley on the left but the defender saw his shot tipped onto the post by Carson.
The ball rebounded back to Ashley Cole but Carson also saved his second effort, even though it was going wide.
Chelsea's biggest threat was coming from the rampaging runs of Bosingwa on the right.
The full-back was virtually ever-present in attack such was Albion's lack of a cutting edge.
Chelsea made it two in first-half injury time when Joe and Ashley Cole linked up to provide Lampard with the chance to beat Carson from close range.
Chelsea replaced Bosingwa with Juliano Belletti at half-time and he was quickly into the action, but a neat combination of passes with Drogba ended with an attempted chip over Carson going far too high.
Anelka and Drogba were starting a game together for the first time this season but Scolari had kept faith with his 4-3-3 formation.
That meant Anelka found himself out on the left flank for large periods of the game - a position he disliked under former coach Avram Grant last season.
But it was clear Drogba offered Chelsea more power in the central role and in the 53rd minute his trickery and muscle opened up the Albion defence sufficiently for him to test Carson with a powerful shot.
Lampard should have scored his second of the game in the 58th minute but he was far too cavalier with his effort.
Anelka, for once in a central position, supplied the England midfielder with a perfect pass but Lampard's attempted chip was easily dealt with by Carson.
Three minutes later Ballack found Drogba in space on the right side of the penalty area but the Ivorian sent his shot swerving into the crowd as he looked for a second goal of the afternoon.
Moments later Drogba squandered another chance after a fabulous run from Anelka presented him with a clear-cut opportunity.
The Chelsea striker was foiled by Carson who punched away Drogba'seffort. It was the Ivorian's last contribution as seconds later he was replaced by Florent Malouda.
Eight minutes from time Anelka tried his luck from 20 yards but sent his shot straight at Carson.
Malouda snatched wildly at a chance four minutes from the end of normal time but the France international hit the side netting.

Everton 0 Chelsea 0

Luiz Felipe Scolari was seething today after captain John Terry was sent off in the 0-0 draw with Everton.
Scolari's only reported reaction, according to Setanta TV's touchline reporter, was Scolari shouting, "Are you afraid? Are you afraid?" at referee Phil Dowd as the pair departed down the tunnel at half-time of the Premier League match at Goodison Park.
Terry now faces a three-match ban, which will rule him out of league matches against West Bromwich Albion and Fulham, and the FA Cup third-round game with League 1 side Southend on January 3.
Clearly, Scolari knew he risked Football Association sanctions of his own if he vented his anger publicly so he boycotted the compulsory post-match press conference.
"None of the Chelsea management is coming up to talk to you," Chelsea media chief Steve Atkins told waiting journalists.
"The Chelsea management have a number of issues with a number of the decisions during the game and they feel it is better not to say anything that gets them into trouble."
Chelsea's Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack were also booked for dissent as the Blues squandered a chance to leap above Premier League leader Liverpool in the standings.
But Everton manager David Moyes backed the referee, despite his side being denied a late winner when Steven Pienaar bundled the ball into the net.
The midfielder was adjudged to have been offside before stealing the ball out of goalkeeper Petr Cech's hands.
"My first reaction from the side was that it was reckless and I thought it was going to be close," Moyes said.
"In my day, I would have enjoyed a tackle like that but I don't think you are allowed it now. "And did he get the decision right leading up to the goal that we scored? Yes he did."
The stalemate saw Chelsea move to Liverpool - Everton's city rivals - and ended a run of 11 straight away league wins for the Blues.
Chelsea played 55 minutes of the match a man down after England skipper Terry received a straight red card from referee Dowd for a late and dangerous tackle on Everton midfielder Leon Osman.
But, despite the centre-half's expulsion 10 minutes before half-time, Everton - without a recognised striker because of injury - couldn't score.
Chelsea, who'd seen Liverpool drop points in a 1-1 draw away to Arsenal, were going for a Premier League record of 12 straight away wins against an Everton side that had won just once on home turf all season.
Injuries to Everton's strikers again saw manager David Moyes field Australia's Tim Cahill as the lone man up front after the midfielder had netted an an injury-time winner at Manchester City last week.
Chelsea made the brighter start, though, and defender Ashley Cole almost gave them a second-minute lead after breaking behind the Everton back four to fire a left-foot volley at goal.
But United States goalkeeper Tim Howard reacted well to push the shot behind for a corner. Moyes's team, who suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat against Aston Villa in their last outing at Goodison Park, responded well and captain Phil Neville's 25-metre effort forced Cech into a fine save.
Chelsea, with Nicolas Anelka once again keeping Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba on the bench, struggled to make any headway against the home side.
Their frustration spilled over in the 35th minute when Terry committed the foul that saw him sent off.
Terry was always up against it in his bid to beat Osman to the ball inside the Everton half and he mis-timed his tackle badly, catching his opponent on the leg in front of the referee and, for the second time this season, Terry found himself dismissed.
Had Everton been blessed with a full complement of strikers, a second-half onslaught against Chelsea's goal could have been expected.
But with options limited, Moyes's team instead attempted to find their way to goal by gradually increasing the pressure on their under-manned opponents and it was a frustrating spectacle for the home supporters.
And as the clocked ticked by, only a Marouane Fellaini header from Neville's cross, saved by Cech in the 53rd minute, was created by a cautious Everton.
Chelsea were unable to push Everton back inside their own territory, however, and an off-target 30-metre strike from Frank Lampard in the 75th minute was as close as they came to scoring. Everton almost snatched it when Fellaini's back heel bounced just wide of the far post 10 minutes from the finish, but Chelsea held out to claim what could ultimately prove to be a crucial point.

In my opinion, Dowd was in his usual "look at me" mood.

He sent J.T. off for what was, at the end of the day, a rash but not dangerous challenge which warranted a booking at best. He also booked a number of other Chelsea players for 'nothing' offences and Ballack for asking if the wall was 10 yards back at a free kick.

Referees decisions are becoming farcical and it's about time that they realised the best referees are innocuous, and when they're not they spoil the game for thousands of paying fans.

They are not the stars of the show.

More Points Lost To Incompetent Officials

Two more points were dropped by the Blues yesterday as that big nosed comedian Mike Riley either missed or chose to ignore a nailed on penalty eight yards in front of him. His linesman also failed to spot either of two handball incidents in the build up to the Hammers 'goal'.
Add that to the linesman failing to spot that van Persie was at least a yard offside as he scored an equaliser in our last home league game against Arsenal and also giving Salomon Kalou offside (when he wasn't) when through on goal one on one with the keeper in the same game and that amounts to five points taken from Chelsea by incompetent, and make no mistake that's what they are, officials.
Liverpool, on the other hand, won a point in their home game against Hull by the referee, Alan Wiley, missing or turning a blind eye to incidents in the build up to both of their goals scored by ickle Stevie. He's obviously blind or got no bottle.
If the officials in only these three games had done their job properly, Chelsea would be five points clear at the top of the table by now.
Fans of all clubs like us pay a lot of ticket money to watch these games and it's about time these officials were forced to perform to a higher standard or be dropped permanently.
Where are the referee observers? Do they actually give their reports in? If so, they don't seem to be acted upon very strictly.
Riley in partcular gives consistently sub standard displays and something should be done about it.
The govering bodies should realise it's a high powered job and act accordingly.
The trouble is they are too protected. Nobody is allowed to criticise them and if managers give their opinion they are banned, fined, etc.
It's about time referees were treated in the same way for their disgaceful performances.

Chelsea 1 West Ham 1

Gianfranco Zola stopped his old club Chelsea from returning to the top of the Premier League as his West Ham side claimed a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
On his return to Chelsea, where the former Italy striker holds legendary status, the fledgling manager's Hammers team gained a well-earned point in a fiercely contested London derby.
Wales striker Craig Bellamy gave the visitors a 33rd-minute lead with a well-taken strike but France forward Nicolas Anelka rescued a point for Chelsea in the 51st minute with his 100th Premier League goal.
The result means Chelsea remain second in the Premier League table, one point behind Liverpool, while West Ham's struggle to pull away from the relegation zone is helped by a useful point gained away from home.
Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari had treatment for a kidney stone problem overnight but was well enough to take charge on the touchline.
Despite substitute Didier Drogba scoring the winner in Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Romania's CFR Cluj that put them into the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday, Scolari kept the Ivory Coast forward on the bench with Anelka remaining as the sole striker.
Frank Lampard came in for Salomon Kalou in the only change to the Blues line-up.
Zola was given a warm welcome back to Stamford Bridge by the home fans, and the Sardinian's exit from the tunnel was delayed by several warm exchanges with Blues backroom staff. Germany captain Michael Ballack missed the first scoring chance of the game, firing over the bar after Lampard dummied.
Lampard them combined with fellow former West Ham midfielder Joe Cole, sending his England team-mate through but Cole's shot from close range deflected wide off former Blues midfielder Scott Parker.
Both sides were struggling to create goalscoring opportunities and convert corners into dangerous chances.
But fired-up forward Bellamy broke the deadlock with a well-taken strike in the 33rd minute. Parker took down Herita Ilunga's throw-in, rounded right-back Jose Boswinga as he charged into the penalty box and cut the ball back for Bellamy, who chested it down and blasted a shot low inside goalkeeper Petr Cech's near post.
Anelka missed a good chance just before the interval, blasting a bobbling ball wide when presented with a good chance to hit the target.
Scolari had seen enough and replaced the booked Ballack with Drogba at half-time to sharpen up Chelsea's attack.
But within six minutes Anelka reminded Scolari of his shooting skills with a well-taken goal. After smart passing among the Chelsea ranks, Drogba laid the ball off to Lampard outside the penalty box and the former Hammer clipped it over the visitors' back line for Anelka.
The France striker took a half-volley in his stride, hitting it down into the turf and beyond goalkeeper Robert Green's dive for the equaliser.
Chelsea went in search of a winner, with Lampard firing a volley straight at Green five minutes later and then screwing another shot wide.
Lampard hit a long-distance shot at Green in the 65th minute, which the England international managed to smother at the second attempt.
Alex then had a shot on the turn deflected over the crossbar and Green had to be alert to keep out Drogba's volley from the resulting corner.
Parker headed a 79th-minute effort off the line as Chelsea upped the pressure and Scolari brought on Kalou and Juliano Belletti in a bid to capitalise on their dominance.
Lampard was seemingly clipped in the penalty box by Hammers captain Lucas Neill but referee Mike Riley waved away his penalty claims.
In injury time, Carlton Cole could have hit a shock winner after being played through by Valon Behrami but Cech saved his low shot to secure a point for Chelsea in their bid to recapture the Premier League title.

Chelsea 2 FC Cluj 1

Luiz Felipe Scolari hailed Didier Drogba as "one of the best strikers in the world" after Chelsea reached the Champions League knockout stages, reports Teamtalk.com.
Substitute Drogba climbed off the bench to grab the Blues' winner in a 2-1 victory over CFR Cluj, and Scolari believes he must now find a way to accommodate both the Ivorian and Nicolas Anelka in his side.
Anelka has bagged 15 goals so far this season, while Drogba's campaign has been hampered by a knee injury and suspension.
But the Ivorian upstaged Anelka against Cluj by coming on in the 65th minute and firing the winner six minutes later.
It enabled Chelsea to finish second in Group A behind Roma, but while Drogba took all the plaudits, Scolari insisted he still had to find a place in his side for both of them.
"Drogba is one of the best strikers in the world," said Scolari. "I have more options now he is fit. But he didn't have a pre-season build-up because of injury and when he came back he got injured again.
"Then he was suspended and now he is back again. But it gives me a chance to play a different system sometimes. Before he was fit, I could not do that.
"He is important but don't forget we are second in the Champions League group and second in the Premier League because our top scorer is Nicolas Anelka.
"Drogba is one of the best in the world but I need to think about Anelka. He is as important as Drogba. After this, it is my job to put the two together."
Chelsea's second place in the group means they will have to play the second leg of their knockout tie away from home.
But Scolari, who says he feels 'zero pressure' as Chelsea coach, insists he does not fear anyone.
"I don't get to choose," said Scolari. "For me it is not difficult if we play Barcelona, Real Madrid or any team because they are the best.
"If we want to arrive in the final games, we need to win."
Chelsea took the lead in the 40th minute through Salomon Kalou but Cluj shocked the Blues with a 55th minute leveller from Yssouf Kone.
But Scolari's blushes were spared when Drogba, who refused to speak after the game, scored the vital winner.
"I think we played well, but not very well," said Scolari. "We had more of the ball but they did well on the counter-attack.
"They have a very good group and good spirit and I like some of the Cluj players.
"We played with spirit and fight. Maybe some of my players made mistakes but the others helped them. All of my players are important not just one. We played as a team today."
Cluj coach Maurizio Trombetta was disappointed that his side could not go on to beat Chelsea after giving them an almighty scare.
Cluj finished bottom of Group A, but Trombetta insisted their first campaign in the competition had given them much valuable experience.
"Unfortunately Chelsea managed to score again after we had equalised," said Trombetta.
"Maybe Chelsea were a little bit nervous and when we scored maybe there was little less in their playing capacity but in the end they managed to get another goal and win.
"But obviously playing in the Champions League has been a very useful experience for the players and the club."

Bolton Wanderers 0 Chelsea 2

Nicolas Anelka struck the 99th goal of his Premier League career to help Chelsea to a place in the record books during its 2-0 win over Bolton.
On his old Bolton stamping ground 11 months after a £15million move, a diving header from Anelka gave the Blues an 11th consecutive away win in the league, with eight this season.
Deco's sumptuous scissor-kick 12 minutes later sealed the victory as Chelsea eclipsed the mark set 48 years ago by Bill Nicholson's Tottenham side.
With leaders Liverpool winning at Blackburn, the win keeps perfect-on-the-road Chelsea hot on the heels of the Merseyside club at the top of the table.
In fairness, the first half was all too easy for Chelsea once Anelka set it on its way.
But shortly before that there was one a chance for Bolton that would undoubtedly have put a different complexion on the game.
Despite Chelsea's frightening away record coming into this game, and its dominance over Bolton as it has now won its last six at the Reebok Stadium without conceding a goal, the home side came into the match on a roll themselves with four wins in five games.
Salomon Kalou had cleared the crossbar by inches with a deft flick with the outside of his right foot from the edge of the area in the fifth minute.
But three minutes later came an opportunity for Kevin Davies to at least put Chelsea on the back foot.
However, despite being given a free header from six yards in latching onto an inswinging corner from Gavin McCann, he shaved the crossbar instead of putting Petr Cech under pressure.
Chelsea's relief was evident, and Davies' dismay intensified just a minute later when Anelka found the back of the net.
Switching the play from left wing to right, Deco fed an unmarked Jose Bosingwa who then produced a measured cross into the six-yard box.
Anelka drifted off the back of Andy O'Brien and planted a home diving header off Jussi Jaaskelainen's right-hand post.
It was the Frenchman's 15th goal in all competitions this season and his ninth in his last seven Premier League games.
It was a simple chance for an on-song Anelka to take, in particular in light of Bolton's recent upturn in form and new-found resilience.
Yet just 12 minutes later boss Gary Megson's side were left chasing shadows as Chelsea doubled their advantage, even if the visitors enjoyed a touch of fortune into the bargain.
There can be no doubting the clinical nature of Chelsea's attack, culminating in Deco and Michael Ballack teeing up Bosingwa for a fearsome drive that cannoned off Jaaskelainen's legs.
Then came the luck as the ball ballooned up in the air straight to Ballack who instinctively nodded on for Deco.
The finish from the unmarked Portuguese, though, was exquisite as he beat Jaaskelainen inside his right-hand post with a right-foot scissor-kick from 15 yards.
It was a fine way for Deco to end a personal 14-match drought after scoring in his opening two matches for the Blues following his move from Barcelona in the summer.
If Anelka had made it 3-0 midway through the half then a rout would have been on the cards, but instead he sidefooted an angled effort wide after Jaaskelainen had fisted clear a Frank Lampard free-kick.
But Bolton dug in for the remainder of the half, and for the majority of the second period, without thereward its character and attitude deserved.
They were fortunate, though, not to have conceded a third in the 56th minute when Deco was sent scampering clear from the edge of the centre circle.
But with only Jaaskelainen to beat, and although making the right choice in lifting the ball over Bolton's number one as he went to ground, he somehow contrived to send his flick wide.
If Chelsea felt it should have been out of sight, Bolton will have felt aggrieved at being denied a nailed-on penalty on the hour.
Replays showed Johan Elmander's half-volley clearly struck Terry on his upper-left arm, but a possibly unsighted Howard Webb turned aside the vociferous appeals.
Cech then produced a superb point-blank reaction save 10 minutes later to block Gary Cahill's diving header inside the six-yard box as Bolton fought desperately for a foothold in the game.
But it never came, and instead Luiz Felipe Scolari's side are now record-breakers, but that will matter little to the Blues boss unless this season ends with the title in his grasp.

Arsenal Forget To Pay Linesnman Shock

The Goners were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Burnley last night, losing 2-0.
The only possible reason is that they forgot to pay off the linesman or referee, or both, as is their custom.
Blame the accounts dept.

Chelsea 1 Arsenal 2

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie put Arsenal back into the Premier League title race with a superb second-half double to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Van Persie struck twice in three minutes after the Blues had taken a first-half lead through a fortuitous Johan Djourou own goal. But while the Dutch striker's second goal was sheer class, his equaliser was clearly scored from an offside position.
Chelsea remain top on goal difference from Liverpool but the Merseysiders will replace them if they get at least a point from their home clash with West Ham on Monday night. The victory helped Arsenal to move back into the top four and cut the gap between them and Chelsea to seven points.
There was no hint of an Arsenal revival after a first half which saw them largely outplayed by the league leaders. Arsenal's season, dogged by dressing-room unrest and five league defeats, looked in danger of imploding completely.
The opening 45 minutes was typically frenetic for a London derby and although Chelsea started brightly, the visitors almost snatched the lead in the 13th minute. A cross to the far post from Emmanuel Adebayor was expertly controlled by Samir Nasri at the far post. His drilled shot was only kept out by the outstretched arm of the giant Petr Cech in the Chelsea goal.
But Chelsea weathered Arsenal's early fire and almost opened the scoring themselves in the 23rd minute when a cross from Jose Bosingwa was met by the unmarked Frank Lampard. The England midfielder sent his header goalwards only for Manuel Almunia to grasp it with both hands.
But Chelsea went ahead in the 29th minute thanks to some comedy football from Arsenal. Almunia threw the ball straight to Bosingwa and when the Portugal right-back had exchanged passes with Nicolas Anelka, he sent over a dangerous low cross that Djourou could only turn into his own net from six yards. But the first portent of an Arsenal revival arrived in the 32nd minute when Van Persie forced Cech into another fine save after the Arsenal midfielder had got the better of Branislav Ivanovic and unleashed a low drive towards the bottom corner.
Arsenal could have gone further behind five minutes before the interval but Almunia denied Salomon Kalou after Lampard's audacious flicked header had put him clear. He was given offside but subsequent replays showed that he wsan't.
Chelsea had not conceded a second-half goal all season and so any chance of an Arsenal fightback was deemed remote at best.
The home side should have gone two in front four minutes after the restart but Lampard saw his shot flash just wide of Almunia's left-hand upright. It was the last Chelsea attempt before Arsenal, against all the odds, turned the game on its head with two goals in three minutes.
The first was a controversial one as Van Persie was clearly yards offside when Denilson found him on the edge of the penalty area. But with no whistle from referee Mike Dean, the Arsenal midfielder smashed the ball into the net for a 59th-minute equaliser.
Three minutes later the Dutchman put Arsenal in front. There seemed little danger as Van Persie shielded the ball on the edge of the penalty area with his back to Cech's goal. But a superb shot on the turn sent the ball through the legs of Lampard and beyond the surprised Cech and into the bottom corner to the delight of the Arsenal fans. It was his ninth of the season.
Chelsea were stunned but the introductions of both Florent Malouda and Miroslav Stoch in place of John Obi Mikel and Deco, proved fruitless for Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Chelsea have not won at home now for three games and the flowing football that allowed them to destroy Sunderland 5-0 at the start of the month has deserted them.
Scolari's side ran out of ideas as the game wore on and even when they fashioned a rare chance to get back in the game, it was squandered by poor finishing. Malouda sent a shot high into the crowd with four minutes remaining when the Frenchman should have at least hit the target. Arsenal were clearly in no mood to allow Chelsea to get back in the game and despite a spell of injury-time pressure, Wenger's side clung on to defy the critics and keep themselves in the hunt for the title.
So, well done officials. Two key mistakes in one game, both favouring the Goners. Yes, only one 'o'. Well, they're not called 'Lucky' Arsenal for nothing.
When will the officials of the game learn the rules and concentrate on the job in hand? They're paid enough.

Bordeaux 1 Chelsea 1

Chelsea must wait on a seventh straight appearance in the knock-out phase of the Champions League after Bordeaux held them 1-1 while the Blues also had Frank Lampard sent off on a night of European drama yesterday.

Alou Diarra headed home from a corner with seven minutes remaining to cancel out Nicolas Anelka's opener as the French side carved out a well-deserved point to send Group A down to the final round of action on December 9 and 10.

Chelsea keeper Petr Cech said Chelsea should not have dropped points. "The moment we scored the goal I thought it was over. I think we should have done better. We should have closed the door," Cech told Sky Sports.

It was not a virtuoso performance from last season's finalists and they were somewhat fortunate to escape with a point despite taking the lead on the hour mark. The West Londoners had to wait until the 60th minute for their first shot on goal but when it came, Anelka made Bordeaux pay for all their wasted first half opportunities in the most clinical fashion.

Brendan Is New Hornets Manager

Chelsea reserve team coach Brendan Rogers has been appointed as the new manager of Watford as replacement for Adrian Boothroyd.
Rodgers, aged 35, has beat off strong competition to land the job. He has been coaching since 1995 when he started with Reading, eventually becoming their Academy Director.
Frank Lampard Senior has also joined them as Football Consultant.

Chelsea 0 Newcastle Utd 0

Chelsea squandered a great chance to pull clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League as stubborn Newcastle held them to a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea dominated the game but could not find a way to break the deadlock.
Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given saved superbly from Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole went agonisingly close with a header - but Chelsea failed to capitalise on Liverpool's home draw with Fulham.
The Blues remain top on goal difference but failed to win at home for the second successive game.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's side should have taken the lead in the seventh minute but Given made a tremendous save to prevent Lampard scoring.
Florent Malouda had picked out the England midfielder with a delightful chip into the penalty area but Given guessed correctly and dived to his right to keep Lampard's header out.
In the 10th minute referee Phil Dowd lectured Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari after the Brazilian moaned too long about a free-kick decision that went against his side.
It was all Chelsea in the opening 15 minutes and when Newcastle did break Michael Owen found himself isolated and unable to get the better of the home defence.
Malouda created a fine opening in the 16th minute when he left Fabricio Coloccini flat-footed and burst into the penalty area - but Given dived low to his right to prevent the Frenchman's shot from hitting the net.
Newcastle's first attempt on goal arrived in the 20th minute through Jonas, whose right-foot volley failed to trouble Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Chelsea continued to dominate with Deco and Joe Cole pulling the strings in midfield.
In the 23rd minute, some clever work on the left flank from Nicolas Anelka ended with Branislav Ivanovic heading his cross over the bar.
Moments later John Terry and Lampard just failed to carve out an opening inside the Newcastle area but their neat passing move was eventually stopped by Coloccini.
Deco's accuracy was found wanting in the 28th minute when his right-foot shot from 25-yards fell at least a yard wide of the upright.
But the Portugal midfielder almost made up for it two minutes later but Lampard just failed to connect properly with his sublime chip into the penalty area.
In the 31st minute, Ashley Cole sent a header inches wide of the far post after a curling cross from Jose Bosingwa had beaten the United defence.
Deco supplied another quality through ball for Joe Cole two minutes later but the England international just failed to apply the finishing touch as Given raced out to save.
Seconds later it was Ivanovic's turn to miss a gilt-edged chance when a free-kick from Lampard found him unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box.
The Chelsea defender sent his header flashing beyond the far post with Given flat-footed.
Anelka was unlucky not to put Chelsea in front in the 48th minute when he got on the end of Lampard's pass but his angled drive hit the chest of Given.
Chelsea had a goal ruled out for offside in the 54th minute. Lampard's through-ball allowed Malouda to fire in a shot which Given stopped, with Joe Cole who bundling the loose ball over the line from an offside position.
A Lampard free-kick was then held by Given on the line with the crowd claiming it was a goal.
Moments later another superb move from the home side saw Joe Cole and Anelka combine to set up Lampard.
The England midfielder burst into the penalty area but curled his shot just the wrong side of the upright.
Chelsea had increased the tempo at the start of the half but United continued to frustrate the league leaders with some resolute defending.
The hosts' frustration was beginning to show as two long-range efforts from Lampard failed to hit the target.
But for all their possession, Chelsea was now being forced to try and break the deadlock with long shots.
Chelsea continued to camp in United's half but the lack of penetrating final ball was a real problem.
Substitute Ballack, on for Joe Cole, shot into the side-netting in the 89th minute as Chelsea's frustration mounted - but the hosts had to settle for a point.

WBA 0 Chelsea 3

Chelsea rewrote the history books in a 3-0 result over West Brom as Nicolas Anelka continued his prolific form to take the Blues back to the top of the Premier League.
Luiz Felipe Scolari's side equalled Tottenham's 48-year-old record with a 10th successive away win in the top flight and surpassed its own previous best Premier League run away from Stamford Bridge set four years ago.
Anelka's double took his tally to 12 league goals for the season and eight in the last four games after Jose Bosingwa had broken the deadlock.
Chelsea's comfortable success, courtesy of three goals in 12 minutes before half-time, saw it overtake Liverpool on goal difference at the top of the table.
The Blues have now scored 19 goals in seven away league matches this season and conceded just one.
Albion showed plenty of promise in the opening half hour and knocked the ball around in the style demanded by manager Tony Mowbray.
But it lacks a cutting edge and is not strong enough defensively and remains anchored at the bottom of the table after collecting just one point from its last six games.
Albion began well and James Morrison was only just too high with a powerful 20-yard effort.
The first decent chance fell to West Brom after a powerful 50-yard run by Borja Valero. He reached the edge of the box before picking out the run of Ishmael Miller but the former Manchester City striker dragged his shot across the face of goal.
Chelsea retaliated and Salomon Kalou drilled a rising shot past the post from a wide angle. The visitors started to find more space near the Albion goal and the home side was indebted to Scott Carson for keeping it on level terms.
Malouda's first time ball was perfectly weighted for the run of Lampard into the inside left channel and his powerful drive was beat out by the England goalkeeper.
Carson was tested for the second time in turning away a swerving drive from Malouda after he had advanced towards the box unchallenged.
But out of nothing a superb strike from Bosingwa gave the Blues the lead after 34 minutes.
There appeared to be little danger but Bosingwa suddenly unleashed a powerful left-footed drive from 30 yards out which Carson got a hand to but could not prevent from crossing the line.
Albion was stunned and it needed a fine tackle from Jonas Olsson to deny Malouda as he lined up a shot inside the area.
But after 38 minutes Anelka doubled Chelsea's lead, seizing Malouda's headed pass and racing into the area to beat an exposed Carson.
Chelsea now threatened every time t ventured forward and in first-half injury-time Anelka struck again, beating Carson from a narrow angle with Kalou this time the provider.
Mowbray made a half-time substitution, taking off striker Roman Bednar and replacing him with midfielder Kim Do-Heon in what seemed a damage limitation exercise.
Chelsea was soon back on the offensive and Carson managed to block an effort from a narrow angle by Malouda.
Anelka had the chance to go for his hat-trick when in space 15 yards out but he unselfishly attempted to tee up Deco, who was denied by a last-gasp tackle from Paul Robinson.
The Chelsea players were now queueing up to take shots at goal and Abdoulaye Meite threw himself in front of a shot from Anelka.

Bosingwa picked up the first yellow cards of the game for challenges on Miller and Morrison respectively. Morrison had to limp out of the action and he was replaced by Felipe Teixeira.
The Portuguese player almost made an immediate impact with a curling shot which was only inches too high but Malouda should have made it 4-0 when he shot across the face of goal with only Carson to beat.

Chelsea 1 Burnley 1 aet (4-5 penalties)

Championship side Burnley have knocked Chelsea out of the Carling Cup after beating them 5-4 on penalties at Stamford Bridge.

The fourth round tie finished 1-1 after normal time and neither side could add to that during extra time so penalties were required.

Burnley had the chance to win it after five penalties due to Wayne Bridge's miss but Wade Elliot blasted his shot wide.

Michael Duff then scored the first sudden death penalty for the visitors and Jensen made the crucial save from John Obi Mikel to send Owen Coyle's side into the quarter-finals.

Chelsea had dominated proceedings in the first half with Bridge shooting over the bar and Salomon Kalou being denied by Jensen on the edge of his box, before they managed to get the breakthrough.

With 30 minutes gone Didier Drogba was on hand to put the blues in front. Lampard picked him out inside the ox and the Ivorian's close control allowed him to get the shot away. The goal was Drogba's first of the season on his return from injury.Just before half time the Blues should have doubled their lead but Branislav Ivanovic could only head Florent Malouda's cross onto the woodwork.

With an hour gone the Blues took off Drogba and replaced him with Franco di Santo and were made to regret the decision soon after.

Burnley substitute Ade Akinbiyi made it 1-1 and got his side back in the match when he poked home a rebound when Carlo Cudicini failed to hold on to the ball.

Chris Eagles was sent though on goal and although Cudicini saved one-on-one with the midfielder the ball broke to Akinbiyi who tucked it home.

With no further addition to the scoreline extra time was called for and no sooner had that started than the Blues suffered another setback.

Di Santo was forced to leave the game with a hamstring injury but could not be replaced as Chelsea had used all three of their substitutes earlier, thus forcing them to go down to ten men.Both teams could have won it during the extra period, Lampard shot over the bar and Cudicini made a smart save to deny Alan Mahon. The best chance fell to Alex but the Brazilian defender blazed high over the bar from four yards out.

Burnley captain Steven Caldwell was then sent off for a second bookable offence meaning it was ten against ten heading into the shootout.

The Burnley players held their nerve well and looked to be heading into the last eight when Jensen saved Bridge's penalty but Elliot sent their fifth penalty into the stand to keep the match alive.Malouda converted his spot kick to force sudden death and it seemed as if the Premier League side would not let it slip from their grasp again.

But Duff scored his spot kick and Jensen made another fine save to deny Mikel and send the Championship side through and send the Premier League leaders out.

Blackburn Rovers 0 Chelsea 2

Nicolas Anelka struck twice as Chelsea went back to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers at a rain-soaked Ewood Park.
A torrential downpour made conditions almost unplayable in Lancashire but Anelka overcame the elements to find the net in each half and fire Chelsea back above Liverpool on goal difference.
Anelka broke the deadlock on 39 minutes, deflecting a long-range Alex shot past Paul Robinson, before adding a second in the 68th minute with a cool dinked finish over the otherwise excellent Rovers keeper.
The win - on manager Luiz Felipe Scolari's 60th birthday - was Chelsea's sixth out of six on the road so far this season and did much to make amends for their Champions League defeat to Roma in midweek.
Despite the appalling playing conditions, the visitors flew out of the blocks and went on to dominate the first half, even though it took them the majority of the opening period to find a way through the Rovers defence.
That the deadlock lasted so long had much to do with the form of Robinson, who pulled off a string of fine saves to deny Anelka two headed efforts, a John Obi Mikel header and Frank Lampard's bouncing strike before even 20 minutes were on the clock.
Chelsea had earlier seen a loud penalty shout waved away by referee Chris Foy when Anelka tumbled to the ground under a challenge from Robinson after having latched onto a suicidal Keith Andrews back pass. Replays showed there was minimal contact between the two.
Terry saw a header fly over the bar before Anelka and Lampard were again thwarted by Robinson as Chelsea pressed for an opener.
The pressure finally told as Anelka netted his first of the day six minutes before the half-time whistle; the goal stood despite loud calls from Robinson for handball against the Frenchman.
During the break, the skies cleared and by the time the second half kicked off the weather were far more clement - Blackburn capitalised and began to work their way back into the game as Chelsea eased off the gas.
During the opening period, Blackburn had just a Carlos Villanueva shot on the break to shout about - an effort which brought a fine save out of Petr Cech - but once the rain had stopped, Paul Ince's side looked far more threatening.
The hosts could have equalised soon after the restart when jason Roberts - asked to play as a lone striker due to Blackburn's injury problems - turned John Terry with some neat control on his chest to make space for a shot. Only a fine save by Cech foiled him.
Blackburn continued to press for an equaliser, but Chelsea hit them on the break on 68 minutes to effectively seal all three points.
Anelka registered his sixth goal in the last three league games when he reacted sharply to pounce on a loose ball in the box ahead of Robinson, clipping it over the keeper and into the back of the net.
At 2-0 up, Chelsea were able to cruise for the remainder of the game, and they should have added to their tally, Lampard rattling the cross bar with a terrific free-kick moments before Terry missed his kick from close range with eight minutes left.

Roma 3 Chelsea 1

A Mirko Vucinic brace inspired Roma to a superb 3-1 victory over 10-man Chelsea in the Champions League Group A clash at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Romans, fourth from bottom in Serie A, were too strong for the Premier League leaders, for whom John Terry's late goal was nothing more than a consolation after Christian Panucci's strike before the break and Vucinic's second-half double.
Chelsea also saw Deco dismissed late on, perhaps harshly, after the Portuguese was shown two yellow cards.
The Blues had much the better of the possession in the opening half-hour but failed to test Doni with anything other than efforts from long range. The Brazilian keeper twice denied Frank Lampard from distance after he had turned away a Deco drive from outside the box as Chelsea made all the early running.
The hosts however grabbed the lead, against the run of play, in the 34th minute. Cicinho escaped the attentions of the Chelsea defence as Francesco Totti lined up a long-range free-kick, and the right-back's low cross was turned home by Panucci as the Chelsea defence stood and watched. The former Blues defender's strike was the first Chelsea have conceded in this season's Champions League campaign and it seemed to settle the hosts down.
Florent Malouda blasted high and wide of the target five minutes later when he was sent clear down the inside-left channel by John Obi Mikel's fine pass, and that was the French wideman's final contribution as he was withdrawn at half time, along with Joe Cole, to make way for Didier Drogba and Juliano Beletti.
Despite the decisive substitutions, things got worse for Blues boss Luiz Filipe Scolari when Roma doubled their lead only three minutes after the break. Matteo Brighi laid the ball off the Mirko Vucinic to unleash a superb 20-yard drive which flew past Cech and into the corner of the Blues net.
If the second goal was good, Roma's third 10 minutes later was even better, and it was Vucinic again. The Montenegrin striker robbed Mikel in the host's half and carried the ball fully 50-yards, outpacing and riding the tackle of the Nigerian before fooling Cech to slide the ball coolly inside the near post.
Chelsea looked ragged but Terry gave his side a lifeline, somewhat controversially, with 15 minutes remaining. Deco's shot was directed goalwards seemingly off the arm of the England skipper and despite Doni's point-blank block, Terry sidefooted home the rebound.
Deco, cautioned in the first half, was lucky to avoid a second booking when he up-ended Totti early in the second period. But his luck ran out in the 81st-minute when referee Luis Medina Cantalejo brandished a yellow card, followed by a red, when the Portuguese took a free-kick too quickly for the official's liking.
Despite the result, Chelsea remain top of Group A with seven points, one ahead of Roma and Bordeaux, with the French side due to arrive at Stamford Bridge in three weeks time.
Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was left to rue an under-par performance from his side.
Scolari felt his side made too many errors to merit taking anything away from their trip to the Italian capital.
"We didn't play well," Scolari admitted after goals from Christian Panucci and two from Mirko Vucinic gave the Italians a deserved victory.
"We made mistakes at critical times. We allowed Roma chances and individual mistakes cost us dearly."

Chelsea 5 Sunderland 0

If the mission was to make Stamford Bridge the fortress it had been for the past four and a half years before Liverpool barged down the gates last week then this was a splendid start.
A short-range effort from Brazilian defender Alex notched up the 1,000th Chelsea goal in the Premier League. A Frank Lampard header gave the Chelsea midfielder the 100th league goal of his career. And a Nicolas Anelka hat-trick completed a rout which had the home jokers chanting sarcastically "Boring, boring Chelsea."

In truth Chelsea hardly required a fortress to repel a Sunderland side who all but waved a white flag in the teeming rain which drenched Stamford Bridge.

The Wearsiders, dismal in defeat against Stoke in midweek, were as woeful as Chelsea's passing and movement was wonderful.

So woeful that manager Roy Keane was sent to the stands by referee Martin Atkinson as his frustration boiled over in the half-time tunnel when he verbally remonstrated with the officials.

Before the match Keane had warned it takes at least four days for him to recover his karma when he loses his temper. After this performance it might take him until Christmas.

Keane had made five changes to the starting line-up, dropping Djibril Cisse and El-Hadji Diouf to the bench and handing striker Kenwyne Jones his first start of the season after recovering from the knee injury which had kept him out for four months.

But not one Sunderland player would have passed the exacting Keane contribution test on an afternoon when the Chelsea fans taunted them with chants of "Cheerio".

The tone was set from the kick-off as Chelsea penned Sunderland in their own half, dominating possession, fizzing the ball around the greasy surface with precision.

They signalled their intentions as early as the 16th minute when Deco swivelled sweetly on the edge of the area and sent a swerving angled shot thundering against the Sunderland crossbar. It was the shot of the match, a demonstration of Portuguese quality. But there was more, much more, to come.

And Chelsea confirmed their authority with two goals in two first-half minutes.

The first arrived from Rodrigo Dias de Costa, otherwise known as Alex, who started the move in midfield. The ball was switched to Joe Cole out on the right and when it fizzed across the penalty area it deflected off goalkeeper Marton Fulop into the path of Alex, who had continued his run, and he swept the goal home from three yards.

Not the grandest of strikes but it will still grace the record books as Chelsea's 1,000th Premier League goal.

Number 1,001 was scored by Anelka, but again owed much to the prescience of Alex.

This time it was Lampard who provided the angled cross, which skidded across the penalty area off the rain-drenched surface.

Alex again got the touch as he slid in and although the ball was about to cross the line Anelka made sure, smashing the ball home from no more than 12 inches.

Anelka slotted his second, again from close range, on the stroke of half-time.

It got worse for Sunderland in the 51st minute when Joe Cole supplied the cross for Lampard to head home and two minutes later Anelka completed his hat-trick, again from close-range with the ball looping off the body of goalkeeper Fulop and dropping agonisingly over the line.

Sunderland raids were rare but one did bring the save of the match from Petr Cech, who dived bravely at the feet of Cisse to palm the ball away.

But that was scant consolation for Keane who sat in the stand, hunched into his overcoat, whispering into his mobile phone.

He might well have been telling chairman Niall Quinn how many reinforcements he needs in the January transfer window.

As for Chelsea, they go to Roma in midweek in buoyant mood. The fortress as secure as ever.

Hull City 0 Chelsea 3

The Blues put high-flying Hull in their place to get back to winning ways in the Barclays Premier League last night.
The Tigers had gone into the game at the KC Stadium trailing the Blues only on goal difference but a stunning strike from Frank Lampard after just two minutes established superiority.

Lampard found the net with a delicate left-footed chip from the edge of the box after Paul McShane had dispossessed Florent Malouda but failed to clear.

Hull tried to respond through star forward Geovanni but the Brazilian was denied a free-kick after running into Ricardo Carvalho just outside the area.

Lampard tried his luck again from a free-kick 30 yards out but could not find the target.

Hull were inches away from an equaliser after 22 minutes as former Rangers striker Daniel Cousin's low shot from 20 yards took a slight deflection and beat Cech, only to bounce back off the post.

Geovanni also tested Cech with a long-range free-kick, but the Chelsea keeper beat the ball away after it bounced awkwardly in front of him.

Hull were then forced to sit back for a spell and survived a scare as Malouda found room to shoot but fired over.

Nicolas Anelka went even closer with a ferocious drive just before the break but Myhill did brilliantly to tip over.

Cech was also in action again, keeping out another Geovanni free-kick and a King header.

Chelsea doubled their lead in the 50th minute as Anelka capitalised on uncertainty in the home defence.

Michael Turner and Kamil Zayatte switched off as they allowed a ball to bounce between them. Myhill came forward to gather but was caught in two minds as he reached the edge of the area and Anelka nipped past him to turn the ball home.

Malouda made up for some earlier misses as he reacted first to stab home a Carvalho cross and put the game beyond doubt after 75 minutes.

Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1

Xabi Alonso's first-half goal ended Chelsea's 86-game unbeaten home league record and put Liverpool three points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League.
Alonso struck in the ninth minute when his 20-yard shot deflected off Jose Bosingwa and left Petr Cech wrong-footed.
It was Chelsea's first defeat under new boss Luiz Felipe Scolari. Chelsea had not been beaten at home since Arsenal's 2-1 success in February 2004 but Liverpool deserved their triumph with an impressive display.
Chelsea began the brighter of the two sides and their initial thrusts almost resulted in an opening goal.
Nicolas Anelka dribbled his way into the penalty area in the third minute but was tackled before he could test Jose Reina.
The ball fell to Deco but the Chelsea midfielder's shot was deflected to safety.
Liverpool went ahead in the ninth minute with their first attack of the game.
Chelsea failed to deal with a thrown-in when John Terry could only half-clear Dirk Kuyt's clever back-header.
The ball fell to Alonso on the edge of the penalty area and his shot deflected luckily off Chelsea right-back Bosingwa into the net.
In the 17th minute, Albert Riera beat Bosingwa on the left flank but fired his shot into the side netting.
Chelsea, hoping to stretch their unbeaten home league sequence to 87 games, struggled to get back into the game.
Bosingwa tried to run at the Liverpool defence in the 21st minute but was chopped down crudely by Riera who received a deserved booking from referee Howard Webb as a result.
Seconds later Salomon Kalou headed just over the bar from another cross by Bosingwa.
Liverpool continued to look dangerous and in the 24th minute they almost increased their lead when Cech was forced to tip a glorious volley from Ickle Steven Gerrard over the bar.
Chelsea began to find some consistency as the first half wore on but they were struggling to produce a telling final ball into the penalty area.
Time and again their neat approach work was undone by a poor pass but Frank Lampard, so often their inspiration, won a corner in the 33rd minute with a deflected shot.
But although it came to nothing, Chelsea continued to enjoy their best spell of the game.
Bosingwa sent over a number of crosses from the right flank but Daniel Agger and Jamie Carragher, through a process of undetected holding and shirt pulling, managed to survive.
In the 36th minute Deco was given time and space to run at the Liverpool defence but his left-foot drive from 18 yards was wide of Jose Reina's right-hand upright.
In the 38th minute Gerrard should have been heading for an early bath for a foul on Bosingwa.
However, referee Webb elected to show the media's golden boy a yellow card for his challenge.
Liverpool's speed on the counter-attack almost opened up Chelsea again in the 43rd minute but, despite some confusion in the home defence, John Mikel Obi managed to clear their lines.
Chelsea began the second half in a much brighter fashion and it required an interception from Carragher to prevent a cross from Florent Malouda reaching its destination in the six-yard box.
In the 53rd minute Malouda was booked for checking a fine run by Alvaro Arbeloa.
Moments later Malouda was felled by Liverpool 'keeper Reina in the penalty area but he had already been ruled offside by referee Webb.
Cole was next into Webb's book when the official took a dislike to his challenge on Carragher.
In the 57th minute, Kuyt tried his luck from 20 yards but his effort was wide of the target.
It was the catalyst for a Chelsea to make a double substitution with Malouda and Kalou replaced by Juliano Belletti and Franco Di Santo.
It was another indication of Chelsea's growing frustration and it prompted Liverpool to replace Robbie Keane with Ryan Babel.
The Reds were awarded a free-kick 25 yards out in the 60th minute when Belletti kicked Riera in the face.
Chelsea then had a massive escape when Alonso's effort rebounded off the foot of the post for Ricardo Carvalho to clear.
Babel was brought down by Cole as he tried to collect the ball but referee Webb decided, quite rightly, to book Javier Mascherano for attempting to persuade the official to dismiss the left-back.
Cole squandered a great chance to level the scores in the 73rd minute when Di Santo nodded Lampard's cross into his path.
But the defender screwed his effort wide of the post from eight yards. Moments later Carragher rescued Liverpool when he deflected Deco's effort for a corner.
At the opposite end, a 25-yard drive from Babel was only just wide of the target.

All in all, the standard of Howard Webb's refereeing was awful to say the least and if he's supposed to be the best we've got then refereeing in the Premier League is in serious trouble.

Although Liverpool shaded the game performance wise, and that's debateable, their last two games were won with late comebacks, one of them against ten men and they got a lucky deflected goal against us, which the wrong footed Cech would have saved comfortably otherwise, so I still can't see them being up there at the end of the season.

Having said that, we looked pretty lightweight up front and I think Anelka just isn't good enough for us. We need Drogba back and maybe a forage into the transfer market in January for another striker but I still think it'll be us and United again in May.

Chelsea 1 Roma 0

Captain John Terry ended Roma's stubborn resistance with a second-half matchwinner at Stamford Bridge.
He headed home from Frank Lampard's 77th-minute corner to keep Luiz Felipe Scolari's side top of Champions League Group A.

Roma, struggling in the lower reaches of Serie A, were not expected to upset Chelsea's European momentum but they almost did so with a dogged defensive display that nearly earned them a share of the spoils.

The opening few minutes saw Chelsea enjoy the lion's share of possession with the impish Deco pulling the strings in midfield. But eight minutes elapsed before Chelsea mustered their first real attempt on goal via a 20-yard volley from Lampard which Doni dealt with effectively.

That apart, there was little sign of the beautiful game which Scolari desired as the home side were largely frustrated by the visitors.

In the 21st minute a rare attacking drive from John Mikel Obi brought a booking for Philippe Mexes when he brought the Nigerian crashing down on the edge of the penalty area. But Lampard saw his effort cannon into the crowd after flicking the angle of the post and bar.

Roma were more than happy to stop Chelsea trying to play their way through the middle with Alberto Aquilani particularly impressive.

It required a superb tackle by Terry to prevent Matteo Brighi opening the scoring in the 35th minute. Terry dived in to deflect the ball for a corner after a fine piece of skill from Francesco Totti had set up Brighi.

Scolari was incensed four minutes before the interval when Deco was brought down on the edge of the penalty area but the referee opted to let the home side play on.

Scolari replaced Florent Malouda at the interval with Juliano Belletti and he immediately sent a 20-yard drive high into the crowd.

Roma were forced to make a change on the hour when Aquilani suffered a hamstring injury and was replaced by Simone Perrotta.

The Italians were happy to settle for a point and, with Totti offering a solo option in attack, the onus was on Chelsea to make the breakthrough, which almost arrived in the 67th minute when a 20-yard shot from Mikel was deflected over the bar by Anelka.

But the deadlock was finally broken by England captain Terry in the 77th minute when he slipped his marker and headed Lampard's corner into the net. Lampard almost made it two in the 83rd minute but Doni tipped his free-kick over the bar.

Middlesboro 0 Chelsea 5

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari gained an insight into just how good his injury-hit squad is after seeing it rip Middlesbrough apart 5-0.
Despite missing the likes of Petr Cech, Didier Drogba and Ashley and Joe Cole, the Blues were in rampant form at the Riverside Stadium to condemn Boro to the heaviest defeat of Gareth Southgate's reign.
Salomon Kalou fired the visitors ahead with 14 minutes gone, and although Chelsea took the game by the scruff of the neck, they had to wait until six minutes after the break for Juliano Belletti to increase their lead with a stunning 35-yard strike.
Kalou made sure of the points with a deflected 53rd-minute third, and Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda completed the rout on a day when Nicolas Anelka had a goal disallowed, hit the post and was denied by keeper Ross Turnbull.
The visitors arrived on Teesside having not lost a league game in 10 months, but with concerns their injury problems might make an extension of that record difficult.
But they need not have worried as Boro proved compliant hosts in front of a crowd that numbered 29,221 at kick-off, but significantly fewer by the time the final whistle brought a welcome end to their misery.
Scolari could have been forgiven for bemoaning his luck as he was forced to name a side shorn of players worth in excess of £100million, with Cech, the Coles, Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien and Drogba all unavailable to him.
Opposite number Southgate, however, might have reminded him, had he asked, he was still able to call upon a formidable squad, and the former England defender would have taken little pleasure in being proved absolutely correct in his assessment by half-time.
Despite their lack of big names, the visitors were utterly dominant before the break and not only that, they played a brand of expansive, penetrative football that left Boro gasping for air.
The only concern for Scolari will have been that as they went in at the break, they were only a goal to the good, Kalou pouncing on a loose ball to fire past Turnbull after Andrew Taylor had blocked the impressive Belletti's 14th-minute shot.
But for the slightest of touches from right-back Jonathan Grounds, Lampard would have doubled the lead from Malouda's cross 10 minutes later.
The Frenchman should have done better when he found himself in on goal with 31 minutes gone, only to fire wide of Turnbull's far post with Boro hanging on for dear life.
Southgate's side did not muster a single credible attempt on goal in the opening 45 minutes with Cech's deputy Carlo Cudicini a virtual spectator.
Its fortunes were summed up seconds before Malouda's miss when Adam Johnson picked out Stewart Downing with a set-play from a corner, only to see the England international thrash at fresh air.
Indeed, the most pressure returning England skipper John Terry found himself under was in injury-time when central defensive partner Alex tried to be a little too clever and left him stretching to clear his lines.
That earned the apologetic Brazilian a stern rebuke from his captain, who otherwise had few problems handling Egypt striker Mido.
Southgate may have been happy to get his players back into the dressing room with the scoreline at only 1-0, but the game was over within eight minutes of the restart.
Turnbull at least stood up to the challenge when, within four minutes of the restart, Malouda waltzed past Grounds and, having opted not to hand Anelka a tap-in, was denied by the keeper.
But the youngster could do nothing two minutes later to keep Belletti's stinging 35-yard pile-driver out of his top corner as Chelsea flexed its muscles once again.
The third goal arrived with 37 minutes still to play when Kalou claimed his second with the help of a wicked deflection off David Wheater, although Boro's misery was far from complete.
Kalou and Anelka combined down the right with 63 minutes gone for the midfielder to send in an inviting cross for Lampard, whose diving header gave Turnbull no chance.
The Boro keeper's afternoon took a further turn for the worse with 66 minutes gone when he allowed Anelka's shot to squirm from his grasp, with the post serving a fifth up on a plate for the vigilant Malouda.
Anelka saw a sixth goal rightly ruled out for offside with the Teessiders in tatters, and was then denied by a fine save from Turnbull with 14 minutes remaining, although the job had been completed long before.

Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 0

Chelsea extended their unbeaten start with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa in what coach Luiz Felipe Scolari called the Premier League leaders' most important game so far this season.
Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka hit first-half goals at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea totally outclassed a Villa side that had lost just once in the league this season.
Villa went into the game in fourth place and confident of a good result after taking four points off Chelsea last season, including a 4-4 draw in west London.
But Chelsea made light of the injury problems that robbed them of Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Deco and Ricardo Carvalho to dominate their opponents.
"I thought Chelsea were brilliant today,'' Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill said. "Absolutely brilliant. We would have had to have our best players playing at their peak to compete. It was a harsh lesson.
"I really thought this morning that we would win the game.''
Instead, Chelsea are now unbeaten in 86 Premier League games at Stamford Bridge - a run stretching back to February 2004.
Chelsea had already created several chances by the 21st minute when Cole, who later limped off injured, put the home team in front from a slick move involving Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard. Anelka then hit the bar before doubling the advantage from close range in the 43rd minute, following a double save from goalkeeper Brad Friedel.
The win lifted Chelsea to 17 points from seven matches, further raising fans' hopes that last season's failure to win a single trophy will not be repeated. Chelsea will stay top for at least two weeks as the league breaks for World Cup qualifying matches.
Although Liverpool trail only on goal difference after scoring in the last minute to win 3-2 at Manchester City on Sunday, the Blues look well equipped to regain the Premier League title they last won in 2006.
"For me, it is the most important game this season because if we win we are in first position,'' Scolari said. "We now have a minimum 10 days to recuperate our players - the players who are injured and did not play. This is most important thing for us.''
Cole, Malouda, Michael Ballack and Anelka were all on form in an attack so potent that Scolari felt able to withdraw Anelka at halftime because of a minor leg problem.
Scolari said Anelka may only be able to play one of France's two upcoming matches but his rest still represented another boost for Chelsea, wh0 learned Saturday that Drogba's midweek injury may only keep him on the sidelines for a month - far less than initially feared.
But the Blues didn't seem to miss him much Sunday anyway. Villa rarely threatened despite starting with an unchanged lineup for the seventh straight Premier League match.
Chelsea fullback Jose Bosingwa had the first shot of the game blocked in the first minute before Ballack and Malouda each had a swerving shot saved by Friedel.
"He was brilliant,'' O'Neill said. "And we needed him today.''
Cole then just failed to get on the end of a firm cross from Anelka inside the six-yard box and Lampard missed a clear opportunity by heading past the post.
Villa were under sustained pressure and lost possession on the edge of their area, where Malouda gathered the ball and slipped a pass to Lampard. The midfielder played it on to Cole, who let it run across his body before shooting right-footed past Friedel.
More chances came and went before Anelka made it 2-0. Friedel parried a shot from Ballack and couldn't hold the follow up from Anelka, who reached the ball first to hit the rebound past the veteran American goalkeeper.
With Anelka off the field and Cole injured by a lunging challenge from Stilian Petrov - forcing him to be replaced in the 57th by Salomon Kalou - Chelsea still produced some thrilling football even though the players eased off slightly in the second half.
Ballack smashed a chance over the bar and substitute Juliano Belletti missed with an overhead kick as Villa still spent most of the second period pinned inside their own half.
Gabriel Agbonlahor almost had a chance to get a goal back for Villa in the last minute of normal time when John Terry missed a header back to Petr Cech and let the ball bounce, but the Czech Republic goalkeeper still intercepted to preserve the two-goal advantage.

CFR Cluj 0 Chelsea 0

Romanian minnows CFR Cluj pulled off a surprise result at home to Chelsea in the Champions League after holding last year's runners-up to a 0-0 draw.

An injury to striker Didier Drogba added to a frustrating night for the Blues, although they had goalkeeper Petr Cech to thanks for keeping them in the match late on as Cluj almost nicked a win.

Buoyed by a 2-1 win against Roma in the last round Cluj defended confidently against Luiz Felipe Scolari's side and restricted them to half-chances throughout most of the match.

Drogba linked up well with Salomon Kalou before he got injured but Kalou scuffed his two chances and Drogba did likewise from a Frank Lampard free-kick.

The Transylvanians played largely on the counter-attack but Alvaro Pereira showed a sign for what was still to come when he whizzed a shot just wide of Cech's goal before half-time.

Nicolas Anelka replaced Kalou at the break as Chelsea looked for a way to break down the stoic Romanian defence.

But their plans were severely affected when Drogba collapsed heavily after going up for a headed ten minutes into the second half. The Ivorian was down for several minutes and had to be stretchered off the field.Chelsea were not as threatening without Drogba up front and only had two long-range Lampard shots to show for their second-half efforts.

As the match wore on Cluj grew in confidence and increasingly threatened the Blues' goal.

Eugen Trica unleashed a fearsome shot that had Cech beaten but it shaved the outside of the post, much to the relief of Chelsea. The Czech keeper then had to be alert to deny Pereira with a good save in the dying minutes.

The draw means both sides move on to four points in group A. Chelsea will play Roma home and away in their next two fixtures.

Stoke City 0 Chelsea 2

Jose Bosingwa and Nicolas Anelka scored to give Chelsea a 2-0 win at Stoke for their sixth consecutive away victory in the Premier League.
Bosingwa's goal was his first for Chelsea and gave the Blues the lead in the 36th minute. Anelka came off the bench to score for manager Luiz Felipe Scolari's team in the 76th.
It was Chelsea's third league win on the road this season and their sixth straight stretching back to the last campaign. The Blues are now unbeaten in 27 league matches overall.
Resilient Stoke battled hard for most of the game but rarely threatened, eventually slumping to their fourth defeat in six league games.
Scolari said his team had fought to get the result because Stoke "were just trying to put the ball in the box every time.''
"It is impossible sometimes to play beautiful football,'' Scolari said. "We have to win the game first. And second, if it's possible to play good football, OK. But it's difficult when we try to play and the other team don't. It's not easy in this situation.''
Bosingwa crossed to set up Anelka's goal, and Scolari praised the player he had worked with when Portugal coach.
"Bosingwa started as a midfielder and when Porto bought him, their coach put him right back,'' Scolari said. "He has the power to go forward 200 times a game - he is an improved right back who got into the national team and now the whole world knows him.''
Stoke had its first attempt on goal in the 36th when Mamady Sidibe's header at the far post forced goalkeeper Petr Cech into a comfortable low-down save.
Chelsea almost immediately took the lead, Bosingwa finally managing to penetrate Stoke's solid defence when the Portugal right back started and finished a clinical move.
He broke down Chelsea's right flank and, after a neat exchange of passes, controlled Frank Lampard's pass on his chest before slotting the ball into the net from an angle despite defender Andy Griffin's attempt to clear on the line.
The 1-0 halftime score didn't quite reflect Chelsea's dominance as Stoke lacked the attacking punch of pre-match guest and former boxing world champion "Sugar'' Ray Leonard.
Chelsea almost went 2-0 up in the 47th when Stoke failed to clear a corner and Florent Malouda found himself alone 20 yards out, but his stinging shot was tipped on to the crossbar by goalkeeper Thomas Soerensen.
Stoke substitute Ricardo Fuller injected some pace after coming on in the 55th minute and the hosts almost equalized just minutes later when Leon Cort's header had to be cleared off the line by John Obi Mikel.
The chance nearly punished Chelsea for failing to convert its superiority into more goals. Anelka's miss from 12 yards after Lampard's neat pass soon after was another example of their wastefulness.
Chelsea eventually extended their lead when Cort failed to clear Bosingwa's cross from the right and Anelka scored from close range after some clumsy defending.
"The second goal killed us,'' Stoke manager Tony Pulis said. "They are a great, great team with good players all over the pitch. They are like red arrows - or blue arrows - attacking all over the place.''
Scolari said Salomon Kalou, who had to be substituted at halftime due to injury, should be fit for next week's Champions League game against CFR Cluj, but that Deco requires "another 14 days'' before he will be available.

Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 4

Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari selected close to a full-strength starting line-up for his side's visit of Fratton Park this evening, says Goal.com.

The only notable tinkerings were the inclusion Serbian international Branislav Ivanovic in the place of Jose Bosingwa, Juliano Bellitti displaced John Obi Mikel, and Salomon Kalou was also fielded.

Ahead of tonight's clash Harry Redknapp noted that Arsenal loanee Armand Traore was in need of a rest from first team affairs after witnessing him "running on empty in the second half on Saturday [against Manchester City]," so the French wing-back is named among the seven options for the bench, together with England international Jermain Defoe.

This is a reverse fixture of the Premier League tie at the beginning of the season but Pompey still suffered a similar fate as they were outclassed once again by an efficient and emphatic Chelsea side.

Two goals in the first half virtually sealed the match as there are not too many teams who could net three times in 45 minutes, least of all Portsmouth, who are having problems with their positional sense and overall defending, as highlighted during their 6-0 mauling at the City of Manchester Stadium on Saturday.

Frank Lampard scored the first, a powerfully converted penalty kick, after Michael Ballack was fouled by Nadir Belhadj in the box.

Just before half-time Florent Malouda, who also scored Chelsea's third goal in their opening Champions League match against Girondins de Bordeaux last week, doubled the Blues' lead when he took advantage of a Kalou pass and sent a shot centred down the goal from the 12-yard line.

After the break it didn't take long for the visitors to inflict more misery on the south-coast club as Kalou provided another assist and Frank Lampard recorded his first brace of the season.

Kalou completed the rout fifteen minutes later when he sent a low left-footed drive from the centre of the penalty area.

Mineiro Signs

Chelsea have signed experienced Brazilian midfielder Mineiro as cover for the injured Michael Essien.
Mineiro, 33, has signed until the end of the season and was able to join the Chelsea playing staff immediately as he was a free agent after failing to agree terms for an extension of his contract at previous club Hertha Berlin.
Chelsea will be without Essien for most of the season as a result of the Ghana star's serious knee injury.
With Claude Makelele leaving the cloub, John Mikel Obi was the only specialist defensive midfielder available to manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Mineiro, whose full name is Carlos Luciano da Silva, was a member of the Brazil squad at the 2006 World Cup and had also attracted interest from Arsenal following his departure from Hertha.
Scolari said it would take the midfielder a couple of weeks to get his fitness up to scratch.
"He needs to play some games in the reserve team, and for me it is very good because I have one more player in this position.
"If not I have to put in (Juliano) Belletti or (Paulo) Ferreira, or (Michael) Ballack, and they are not for this position," Scolari said.
"I say to fans of Chelsea, if they remember (Claude) Makelele, Mineiro is the same. Good positionally, a very good marker. He is a man that works for the other players and he is also a good man outside of the pitch."
Mineiro spent 18 months with Hertha, scoring twice in 36 appearances, having previously played solely in his homeland with Sao Paulo, Sao Caetano and Ponte Preta.
While at Sao Paulo he scored the goal which beat Liverpool in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship.

Deco And Riccy Out

Ricardo Carvalho could be out for a month and Deco could miss two weeks of action.
Riccy limped off during the 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday with a knee injury and the club's medical staff estimate he will be out of action for three or four weeks.
Brazil defender Alex is expected to take his place in the team after he was praised by the Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.
He said: "He is a player that is very fast and he smells when the ball is coming. He can read where the ball is going to be and go."
Deco tore a thigh muscle in the warm-up before the Manchester United match but his injury could be covered by the imminent signing of free agent Mineiro.

Chelsea 1 Man Utd 1

Salomon Kalou’s late equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw for Chelsea against Manchester United on Sunday and extended the Blues’ unbeaten streak at home in the Premier League to 85 games.

Park Ji-sung gave Manchester United an 18th-minute lead in a fiery game at Stamford Bridge, but Kalou headed home a freekick for Chelsea’s deserved equaliser in the 80th.

Referee Mike Riley showed only one of the eight yellow cards to Chelsea, but angered Blues fans by blowing the final whistle after striker Didier Drogba had been fouled on the edge of United’s area.

The bus taking United’s players from the stadium had its windscreen cracked by a bottle hurled by a fan.

The Blues moved up to second in the standings, ahead of Liverpool on goal difference but a point behind Arsenal, who won 3-1 at Bolton on Saturday. United have five points from four games and are 15th in the standings after only one victory.

“I felt we deserved a point,” United manager Alex Ferguson said.“They had a lot of freekicks around the box at the end, but we worked hard and I felt we deserved it. We played with great tempo in the first 20 minutes. The real shame was that we didn’t go for the jugular at 1-0 up. We had control of the match at that point, but we eased off and allowed them to get to halftime.”

United are expected to be fined, but Ferguson didn’t think the game merited the number of cautions.“The game is being screened worldwide. Everyone is watching it and something like that goes on,” he said of the yellow cards. “It was a competitive game but I did not think there was one bad tackle in it.”

Chelsea lost midfielder Deco with an injury during the warm-up, and manager Luiz Felipe Scolari said it made a big difference as his team struggled in the early stages.

“It affected our transition from midfield to attack and for 15-20 minutes, United made the pressure and made a goal,” he stated. “They played very well. After that we had more chances than them, but we missed some chances in front of goal.”

Scolari was amazed that Riley blew for fulltime when the Blues should have been awarded a freekick for a foul by Rio Ferdinand on Drogba.“This was strange for me, for the referee to finish the game at that time,” Scolari said. “But he’s the boss on the pitch and it is his decision and we need to accept that.”

Chelsea lost Ricardo Carvalho after only 12 minutes, while United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar limped off with a leg injury midway through the first half after racing off his line to block a shot from Florent Malouda.

In a lively and entertaining opening spell, both teams missed chances before United took the lead.

Joe Cole shot wide with only Van der Sar to beat and then Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech deflected a shot from Ferdinand over the bar.

United went ahead with a well-worked move that started when Rooney sent Patrice Evra down the left flank and he crossed to Dimitar Berbatov. The forward’s low shot was blocked by Cech, and Park slotted the ball into an empty net.

Like the game between the teams near the end of last season, the match had plenty of spicy tackles and confrontations and Riley lectured several players for repeated fouls.

Chelsea sent on Drogba for the second half to partner Nicolas Anelka and add extra height to the attack, and United countered by bringing on Cristiano Ronaldo for Paul Scholes in the 54th.

Anelka missed an easy close-range chance from Joe Cole’s cross with 20 minutes to go and Rooney squandered a great opportunity to score a second in the 77th when he shot wide from Ronaldo’s pass.

Rooney was partly to blame for Chelsea’s equaliser in the 80th when he needlessly fouled Ashley Cole deep in his own half. Kalou was unchallenged when he met John Mikel Obi’s freekick to head home from close range.