Didier Drogba ruined Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri's return to Stamford Bridge, the Ivory Coast international scoring the only goal of the first leg of the UEFA Champions League last 16 tie.Ranieri spent four years at Chelsea before making way for Jose Mourinho in 2004, but he still could have the last laugh though as the Blues' failure to turn pressure into more goals leaves the tie on a knife edge going into the return in Turin on March 10.
Guus Hiddink, the latest man to take his turn in the Chelsea hotseat, was brought in as a replacement for Luiz Felipe Scolari with the expectation of winning the UEFA Champions League and making Manchester United sweat for the Barclays Premier League title.
On the evidence of this energetic display, Hiddink, in just his second game in charge, has brought a sense of purpose and unity to a dressing room divided over Scolari's sacking.
Just as importantly, Scolari's stubborn policy of not playing Drogba and Nicolas Anelka in the same forward line has been scrapped.
The chance to avenge last year's UEFA Champions League final defeat by Manchester United is a powerful motivation for the Blues, and they made the kind of high-tempo start absent from the final days of Scolari's reign.
With Drogba back from exile and finally looking motivated, we look a team brimming with power and poise.
Jose Bosingwa whipped in a tantalising cross from the right touchline and Drogba launched himself into a diving header that flashed just over the Juventus goal.
Drogba can be unstoppable when he is in the right mood, and Juventus had no answer as he opened the scoring two minutes after having a penalty appeal waved away.
Salomon Kalou threaded a pass that dissected the Juventus defence and found Drogba, just onside, lurking on the edge of the area. The Ivorian was calmness personified as he took a touch before firing past Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to score his first goal of 2009 - and only his fourth of the season.
The Ivorian should have added to the total when he muscled his way on to Frank Lampard's corner moments later, but he mistimed his header and the ball drifted harmlessly wide.
Ranieri's side responded with a lightning break that almost produced an equaliser. Former Chelsea midfielder Tiago's astute pass picked out Alessandro Del Piero and the Juventus captain forced a fine save from Petr Cech with an angled drive.
Del Piero had another effort deflected wide before half-time, but Chelsea's relentless pressing gave Juventus little chance to settle.
Drogba showed no signs of easing up after half-time, and he powered a header wide of Buffon's near post from another Bosingwa cross.
Lampard then tested Buffon from long range, but Chelsea lost rhythm as the game wore on and found it increasingly difficult to prise open the Juventus defence.
Marco Marchionni went close for the visitors with a vicious strike that narrowly cleared the crossbar before Amauri's towering header forced Cech to save.
Anelka then arrowed a fierce shot just wide in the closing stages, but Chelsea were forced to settle for a perilously narrow margin of victory, but as long as we either score or don't concede, or hopefully both, in the 2nd leg, we'll be through to the quarter finals.
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