Pompey Placated : Chelsea 1 Portsmouth 0

Didier Drogba won the double for Chelsea with the only goal in a quite remarkable FA Cup final.
Drogba's 37th goal of the season was a free-kick just before the hour that found the net with tracer-bullet precision from 20 yards.
It maintained Drogba's impressive record of scoring in all six competitive games he has played at the new Wembley and confirmed Chelsea as only the seventh club to complete the league and FA Cup double, a pretty significant achievement in Carlo Ancelotti's first season in charge.
But that does not even come close to telling the story of a game that saw Chelsea hit the woodwork five times before the interval, including a terrible miss from Salomon Kalou, Kevin-Prince Boateng fail to convert a penalty shortly before Drogba's winner that could have set up a fairytale finish to a shambolic season of turmoil at Portsmouth, and even Frank Lampard fired wide from the spot three minutes from time.
Given the financial straightjacket they find themselves in, this was likely to be Pompey's last major final for quite some time.
That certainty, at the end of a campaign where you are 135 million pounds in debt, in administration, have had nine points deducted, been relegated, not been paid your wages on time on numerous occasions and seen players sold at a moment's notice, probably generated a devil-may-care attitude within the Portsmouth squad.
Frederic Piquionne brought a staggering reaction save out of Petr Cech during the first half and Aruna Dindane failed to make clean contact as he tried to turn home Piquionne's cut-back a few minutes later.
By any standards, these were glorious openings which Portsmouth might have had cause to regret if it were not for the fact that Chelsea were enduring such great frustrations of their own that Drogba ended the half slapping a post in total irritation at his side's inability to get the ball past it.
Within this flurry of activity came a contender for the best save ever seen in a cup final, and that miss.
Chelsea's victory will save Kalou extreme ridicule, but he knows his own contribution is going to be replayed so often he will never escape.
Frank Lampard had already flashed a 14th-minute shot against a post and Chelsea were on top when Ashley Cole, the first man to win the famous old trophy six times, drove deep into the Pompey box, completely outpacing Aaron Mokoena.
Fabio Capello would not have been the only one to admire his sublime cross, which completely took David James out of the game and presented Kalou with a four-yard tap-in.
The Chelsea fans were already on their feet, arms aloft in triumph, when Kalou's shinned effort soared skywards and thudded against the bar.
For a moment or two, the stadium was completely silent, as if unable to comprehend what it had just witnessed. The eruption of noise from the Portsmouth end confirmed the reality.
Within a couple of minutes, John Terry had glided a header against the bar, but that was nothing compared to the free-kick Drogba curled towards the top corner later on.
Somehow, James managed to reach it. His touch was only faint but it was enough to push the ball onto the bar and down, smack bang onto the goal-line.
So, when Drogba fired a low effort against the post four minutes from half-time, little wonder the offending upright suffered the backlash.
For once, a half had been completed with no one mentioning the pitch.
An odd colour it might have looked but it was not restricting the entertainment value, which included a penalty 10 minutes after the restart.
Introduced for Michael Ballack, who had been the subject of a vicious first-half tackle from Boateng, Juliano Belletti had not quite got his bearings.
And when Dindane nipped past him, the Brazilian lunged in and sent him sprawling.
After all that had gone before, the entire stadium had the sense this was the moment that would give the underdogs the trophy. Except Boateng had not read the script.
So bad was his effort that Cech, having gone down early, had time to make the readjustment required and boot it clear.
Within three minutes, Drogba converted his magnificent free-kick and the dream was over.
Had Lampard scored when he was bundled over in the box by Michael Brown three minutes from time, Chelsea would have deserved it.
He did not. It was that type of extraordinary game.

In the end it didn't matter, The Blues achieving the double for the first, but hopefully not the last, time in their history.

(sportal.co.nz)

Championes Championes Ole Ole Ole Athletic Annihilated : Chelsea 8 Wigan 0

Chelsea clinched the Premier League title and set a new goalscoring record with a sensational destruction of 10-man Wigan at Stamford Bridge.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti guided the Blues to their first Championship success since 2006 in his debut season in England as Chelsea took their tally to 103 goals - the highest in the Premier League since Manchester United in 2000 and the first to achieve the century since Tottenham in 1962/3.
United's victory over Stoke at Old Trafford was irrelevant as the Blues finished the season one point clear of their rivals.
Ancelotti's side smashed home seven or more goals for the fourth time this season as Wigan, who had defender Gary Caldwell sent-off on the half-hour, simply capitulated.
A hat-trick from Golden Boot winner Didier Drogba, who finished the season with 29 league goals, two from Nicolas Anelka, a Frank Lampard penalty and others from Salomon Kalou and Ashley Cole, left Chelsea champions and on the brink of a League and FA Cup Double.
Only Portsmouth now stand in their way of a history-making season for Ancelotti and his team.
The Blues will become only the seventh team in the history of the game to win both competitions if they can overcome Avram Grant's side at Wembley next week.
The Blues were given the best possible start by France international Nicolas Anelka.
The striker, expected to sign a new two-year contract once the season is over, collected a knock down from Florent Malouda to fire past Wigan goalkeeper Mike Pollitt.
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez caused a stir by playing three in defence and for the next 25 minutes they gave Chelsea and their fans some anxious moments.
But the game changed on a pivotal penalty on the half-hour when Lampard was clearly brought down by Wigan defender Caldwell.
Referee Martin Atkinson then produced the red-card for the unfortunate centre-half.
Drogba, chasing the Premier League Golden Boot and level on 26 goals with United's Wayne Rooney, asked Lampard to let him take the spot-kick but the England international rejected his request.
Drogba was distinctly unhappy with Lampard's answer and had to be calmed down by other members of the Chelsea side.
Lampard duly put the penalty into the bottom corner to leave Chelsea in control of their own destiny at half-time.
In the 54th minute the title was sealed as Lampard and Kalou combined for the Ivory Coast international to almost walk the ball into the net.
Two minutes later Chelsea's fans were in dreamland when a cross from Branislav Ivanovic was volleyed home at the far post by Anelka.
With the title now Chelsea's, the only remaining issue to be settled was Drogba and his hunt for the Golden Boot.
That was settled in the 63rd minute when the Ivorian rose highest at the far post to head Lampard's cross into the net and make it 5-0.
It got better for Drogba five minutes later when Cole was brought down and Lampard tossed the ball to Drogba so he could take the penalty.
The Ivorian's spot-kick went in off the post but it mattered little to Drogba who had taken his tally for the season in the league to 28.
Ancelotti was hailed by the home fans and for the first time in the game the Italian responded by waving to the supporters chanting his name.
Drogba completed his hat-trick 10 minutes from the end of the game as Chelsea made it seven in a game for the fourth time this season.
Substitute Joe Cole's shot was parried by Pollitt but the ball fell kindly to the lurking Drogba who tucked it home for his 29th league strike of the season.
The goal sparked more cheering of Ancelotti but Wigan, who had not tested Petr Cech at all during the one-side contest, finally forced him into action when the Czech international tipped a goalbound shot from substitute Victor Moses over the bar in the 87th minute.
Cole completed the rout when he volleyed home in the final minute to make it 8-0 and as the champagne was sprayed over Ancelotti, the Italian had clearly banished the ghost of Jose Mourinho.
The day belonged to Ancelotti and his attacking side as Chelsea was crowned deserved champions for the fourth time in their history.
(sportal.co.nz)

Subdued Scousers : Liverpool 0 Chelsea 2

Chelsea edged closer to the Premier League title with a crucial 2-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield.
An error by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard handed Didier Drogba a simple opening goal in the first half and Frank Lampard added a second after the break.
The result ensured Chelsea remained in pole position to win their first championship for four years but also finally put paid to the Merseysiders' hopes of securing Champions League football next season.
With Manchester United a point behind before kick-off and playing later in the day, Carlo Ancelotti's side knew anything less than a win would hand the initiative to their rival.
And with next week's final weekend seeing United host Stoke - Chelsea are at home to Wigan - there was no margin for error.
Chelsea were undoubtedly the better side but the match may have turned out differently had they not been gifted a 33rd-minute lead.
The conspiracy theorists would certainly have had a field day.
Some fans had been suggesting all week they would rather Chelsea win an Anfield than beat the Stamford Bridge side and hand United the chance to eclipse the club's tally of 18 league titles.
However, even they could not have prophesied the manner of Chelsea's goal.
Gerrard failed to notice Drogba when he passed back to Jose Reina and the Ivory Coast international nipped in to round the goalkeeper and tuck the ball home.
Prior to that, the early exchanges had been open. Lampard shot wide and Nicolas Anelka forced Reina into a low save while Liverpool's Maxi Rodriguez and Javier Mascherano, standing in at right-back because of Glen Johnson's calf injury, saw shots deflected wide.
There were also three penalty claims in what was a bustling first half.
Two for Chelsea involved Salomon Kalou. His first was an ambitious dive in the ninth minute under Mascherano's challenge but referee Alan Wiley allowed that to go unpunished.
In added time at the end of the first half the same player was through on goal - with Lucas Leiva in close attendance - and managed to trip himself up.
Despite fierce Chelsea protests Wiley again made the correct decision.
Whether he got Alberto Aquilani's 26th-minute penalty shout right was open to debate after the Italy international went down under Branislav Ivanovic's challenge. As he raced on to Rodriguez's chipped pass the defender's contact with the ball was inconclusive.
The loss of Rodriguez to injury just before half-time, when he was replaced by Ryan Babel, was a blow to Liverpool.
Six minutes into the second half Kalou muscled his way past Mascherano to drill a cross into the six-yard area, where Anelka failed to get the touch which would certainly have brought a second Chelsea goal.
But the Frenchman played a more influential role in the 54th minute when his cross picked out Lampard who bundled home from close range.
If that was not bad enough for Liverpool, they then lost Carragher to injury which meant 19-year-old Daniel Ayala was thrust into the action.
A forlorn-looking Fernando Torres, whose season was prematurely ended by a second knee operation in three months, could only watch on despondently from the stands.
It would have been 3-0 in the 67th minute had it not been for Reina's one-handed save from Florent Malouda's low shot.
David Ngog replaced Aquilani for the final 15 minutes but Liverpool were a spent force with only Reina keeping Chelsea at bay, punching away Michael Ballack's 25-yard free-kick and then producing a smart double save from Anelka and then Kalou.
The defeat meant Liverpool will finish the season with their lowest points total in five years, since accruing 58 in Rafael Benitez's first campaign in charge back in 2004-05.
Whether the Spaniard, strongly linked with Juventus, is around next season to rectify that remains in doubt.

Potters Punished : Chelsea 7 Stoke City 0

Chelsea sent a defiant title message to Manchester United as they went back to the top of the Premier League with a stunning 7-0 demolition of Stoke City at Stamford Bridge.
Carlo Ancelotti's side was asked to respond to United's 3-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday and the Blues, minus suspended captain John Terry, did so in some style.
A hat-trick from Ivorian striker Salomon Kalou, a brace from Frank Lampard, including a penalty, and late goals from substitute Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda maintained Chelsea's dream of winning a League and FA Cup double this season.
The win restored Chelsea's place at the summit by a single point and victories over Liverpool at Anfield and against Wigan in the final home game will deliver the title for the first time since 2006.
Stoke were expected to put up some stiff resistance but Chelsea's mood from the kick-off dictated otherwise.
The Blues, so often criticised for failing to start well, were determined to reclaim top spot.
The visitors were not helped by a serious injury to goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and the loss of captain Abdoulaye Faye through injury early on.
Faye had been struggling with a thigh problem all week and he was replaced by Ryan Shawcross after just eight minutes.
It was Shawcross's first game since his tackle on Aaron Ramsey left the Arsenal midfielder with a badly broken leg at the end of February.
Chelsea should have taken the lead in the 12th minute when Lampard's shot was palmed into the path of Ashley Cole by Sorensen.
But Cole, playing his first game since fracturing an ankle against Everton in February, smashed his shot straight at the Denmark international.
In the 18th minute Drogba sent a speculative effort over the cross bar but two minutes later the Ivorian forced a superb save from Sorensen.
Full-back Paulo Ferreira found Drogba unmarked at the near post but his powerful header was brilliantly tipped away by the Stoke stopper.
In the 22nd minute Drogba latched on to a superb ball from Malouda, rounded Sorensen and then inexplicably smashed his volley high into the crowd. It should have been Chelsea's opener.
But he made up for it a minute later when he controlled a sweeping pass from Malouda by lifting his left leg up behind him and crossed for Kalou to head home from close range.
Lampard almost made it two in the 26th minute but his volley was collected safely at the near post by Sorensen.
But it was 2-0 in the 31st minute with another superb move. Nicolas Anelka's pass was cleverly played into the path of Lampard by Drogba.
The England midfielder drilled a first-time shot which Sorensen saved but Kalou poked home the rebound.
But Sorensen was injured trying to prevent Kalou from scoring and is understood to have dislocated his elbow - an injury which will keep him out for the rest of the season but he should recover in time for the World Cup finals. He was carried off on a stretcher after undergoing lengthy treatment.
He required oxygen as he left the pitch and was replaced by Asmir Begovic.
Chelsea made it 3-0 from the penalty spot in the 43rd minute when Robert Huth brought down Kalou and Lampard stroked home the spot-kick.
In the 52nd minute Kalou, clearly looking to a hat-trick, sent a curling shot just over the angle of the post and crossbar.
Stoke made a change in the 59th minute when Tuncay Sanli replaced Dave Kitson. The departing Kitson was clearly not happy with the decision and gestured to the bench before going straight down the tunnel.
Kalou completed his first hat-trick for the club in the 68th minute to make it 4-0.
The Ivorian striker cut in from the right flank and although his first effort was saved by Begovic, Kalou slammed home the rebound.
It was the last action for the striker who was replaced by Joe Cole to a standing ovation from the home fans.
Malouda failed to score from a yard out when Anelka's cross eluded the Stoke defence and the France international was thwarted by a great save from Begovic in the 78th minute.
Chelsea made it 5-0 in the 81st minute when substitute Sam Hutchinson crossed for Lampard to score his 25th of the season with a clever volley.
In the 87th minute, Drogba set-up substitute Sturridge who rounded Begovic to make it 6-0.
Two minutes later Malouda made it 7-0 as Stoke capitulated under the constant pressure.
(sportal.co.nz)

Smooth Spurs : Tottenham 2 Chelsea 1

Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale blew the Premier League title race open with goals in Tottenham's 2-1 win over Chelsea - and also put Tottenham back in the Champions League places.
Defoe tucked away from the penalty spot for his 24th of the season after John Terry handled in the area, then Bale followed up his midweek goal against Arsenal with another before the break at White Hart Lane.
Terry's miserable evening, after being involved in a verbal spat with a supporter at half-time, was capped off with a sending off for two bookings.
Frank Lampard pulled one back but it was too late for Chelsea.
Television scheduling meant the match kicked off with Manchester United only a point behind Carlo Ancelotti's leaders, having defeated their rivals City with a last-gasp winner.
That result also favoured Spurs in their hunt for fourth place as they knew a victory would take them back above City - and within a quarter of an hour they were ahead.
Florent Malouda's powerful drive from 30 yards may have been parried by Heurelho Gomes in the early stages but it was Spurs who were applying the pressure before the deadlock was broken.
Roman Pavlyuchenko fired over from the edge of the area and also had an effort blocked by Alex - but Harry Redknapp's men were not made to wait long for their opener.
They were denied penalties when Defoe appeared to get his shirt pulled by Terry and when Bale went over John Mikel Obi's challenge, then Phil Dowd pointed to the spot after the third appeal. Pavlyuchenko stepped over Bale's cross from the left and Terry headed the ball onto his arm, enough for Dowd to award a penalty, a very soft one in my opinion.
Terry was accused of getting away with a penalty following a similar incident against Bolton in midweek but the former England skipper's luck looked to have run out on this occasion.
There was still a chance of a reprieve as Defoe had missed his previous two penalties this season and was asked to step down from spot-kick duties, but Tom Huddlestone then missed against Bolton so the England striker volunteered again and this time sent Petr Cech the wrong way.
Redknapp's men looked for a second and Cech was called into action when Pavlyuchenko spun on the edge of the area and curled a shot that needed tipping over. Then Luka Modric went on a mazy run that led to David Bentley getting a volley deflected wide by Terry.
It got worse for Chelsea as Mikel picked up an injury and headed straight down the tunnel when he was replaced by Michael Ballack in the 34th minute.
They did have the ball in the net shortly after, but the flag had gone up for offside when Yury Zhirkov slipped Malouda through to finish past Gomes.
Bale doubled the lead just before the break when he cut inside Paulo Ferreira and used his unfavoured right foot to beat Cech at the near post.
Lampard almost pulled one back immediately but Gomes pulled off a save at full stretch to block the volley, replicating his performance against Arsenal on Wednesday when he was at his best to protect Spurs' lead.
There was drama at half-time, starting with Terry's spat with a fan by the tunnel.
Ancelotti's response was to use his remaining substitutes at the break, with Nicolas Anelka and Branislav Ivanovic coming on for Joe Cole and Ferreira, but Didier Drogba then pulled up injured just before the restart. With all of Chelsea's substitutes used, Drogba hobbled back on to prevent his team playing with 10 men.
Defoe had a chance to extend the lead in the 50th minute when Pavlyuchenko poked his strike partner through, but Cech was down sharply to save the one-on-one opportunity.
The feisty atmosphere went up a notch when Lampard and Huddlestone crashed into a tackle, leading to the Spurs player getting booked and Deco also being cautioned for his role in the aftermath.
Terry was also cautioned midway through the second half for bringing down Pavlyuchenko from behind when the Russian was running at goal.
He got his marching orders 23 minutes from full-time, with his second foul on Bale.
"Twice I got the ball," he told his bench as he headed down the tunnel.
Bentley almost added another but his cheeky lob was tipped over by Cech and there was also time for Gomes to deny Drogba from close range and for Lampard to pull one back in stoppage time.

Let's hope Spurs put on this kind of performance against Manure next weekend.

(Nod to sportal.co.nz)

Wily Wanderers : Chelsea 1 Bolton 0

A first-half strike from Nicolas Anelka gave jittery Chelsea a 1-0 victory over Bolton and sent them four points clear at the top of the English Premier League.
But it was evident from the laboured performance by Carlo Ancelotti's side that the title nerves are beginning to take hold.
The Blues had to wait until the 43rd minute to break down a stubborn Bolton side that almost snatched a draw in the closing stages.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists the title is Chelsea's to throw away and, judging by the anxiety on show at Stamford Bridge, the run-in promises to be a thrilling affair.
There was little evidence that Chelsea would struggle to overcome Owen Coyle's side when left-back Yury Zhirkov created a chance for the home side in the fifth minute.
The Russian pulled the ball back for Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba who sent his curling shot over the crossbar.
Bolton's defence was almost caught out again moments later but Drogba was given offside as he tried to beat Jussi Jaaskelainen.
In the seventh minute, Chelsea had a scare when captain John Terry required lengthy treatment on his ankle following a collision with Matthew Taylor.
But the England defender was able to continue without any ill effects.
The Blues had lost their early impetus, though, and Bolton caused problems for the home side when Petr Cech failed to collect a cross from Chung-yong Lee.
Taylor almost profited from Cech's hesitation but the Czech Republic international quickly regained control of the ball before the Bolton midfielder could strike.
Zhirkov was in the wars in the 18th minute when he went down following a collision with Bolton striker Kevin Davies.
The left-back required a hefty bandage on his head to stem the flow of blood before being allowed to continue.
Chelsea almost went in front in the 25th minute when Jaaskelainen punched Drogba's free-kick straight at Salomon Kalou. But, luckily for Bolton, it bounced off his head and wide.
The hosts were becoming more and more frustrated by Bolton's battling rearguard and that increased in the 37th minute when Drogba sent another free-kick wide of the target from 20 yards.
Zhirkov was asked to leave the pitch in the 39th minute by referee Lee Probert because he was still losing blood from his head wound.
It was clear the Russian defender's injury required stitches and Chelsea continued with 10 men - Frank Lampard taking over Zhirkov's position until he re-appeared in the 41st minute.
The breakthrough came in the 43rd minute when Drogba's cross was headed home from inside the six-yard box by Anelka.
It was the France international's first goal in 14 games for the Blues in a barren spell lasting just over two months.
Moments later Kalou tried to increase Chelsea's lead but his 20-yard shot was well wide of the target.
Chelsea's opening goal failed to liven up their performance as the second half began.
Bolton enjoyed much of the possession and the home side looked decidedly subdued.
Chelsea had even resorted to lumping high balls in the general direction of Drogba but it was a fruitless tactic.
Kalou wasted a great chance to put the game beyond Bolton in the 54th minute when Drogba put his Ivory Coast team-mate through on goal.
Kalou only had Jaaskelainen to beat but his shot was saved by the Bolton goalkeeper.
But it was a rare chance for the home side, who then survived a penalty appeal when Terry appeared to use his arm to divert a cross from Lee into Cech's hands.
Zhirkov forced Jaaskelainen into another fine save when he collected a return ball from Lampard and thumped a volley straight at the Bolton keeper.
Anelka was replaced by Florent Malouda midway through the second half.
A superb 40-yard pass from Alex in the 75th minute allowed Kalou to get free of the Bolton defence yet again but his angled drive was well saved by Jaaskelainen.
Three minutes later Lampard almost sealed victory when his 20-yard drive cannoned back off the inside of the post.
Six minutes from time Bolton substitute Johan Elmander was inches away from equalising when he headed a cross from Taylor just wide.
It was, though, the last nervy moment for the hosts, who hung on to move a step closer to achieving the league and FA Cup double.
(sportal.co.nz)

Semi Sewn Up : Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 3

Chelsea kept themselves on course for a League and FA Cup double with a 3-0 semi-final victory against Aston Villa at Wembley.
Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba pounced in the 67th minute to put Chelsea in front and late goals from Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard ensured they remain in the hunt to become only the seventh English team to win both competitions in the same season.
It was Drogba's 32nd goal of the season but until he struck with typically clinical efficiency, the FA Cup holders had laboured against a side they hammered 7-1 in the league at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.
Carlo Ancelotti's side looked lethargic and out of sorts in a largely forgettable opening half.
The state of the Wembley pitch was the biggest factor as the semi-final got underway, with players from both sides failing to keep their feet.
Villa, still smarting from that heavy drubbing, settled much quicker than Chelsea.
But Chelsea had their isolated moments. Joe Cole, attempting to persuade watching England boss Fabio Capello that he is worth a place in his squad for the World Cup finals, sent an angled drive just wide from 20 yards in the 11th minute.
But Villa had more intensity about their game and, although the players continued to be hampered by the greasy surface, they possessed more menace.
James Milner almost put them in front in the 14th minute when his 25-yard drive flashed inches wide of Petr Cech's right-hand post.
But the biggest talking point of the opening half, even eclipsing the state of the pitch, was a Villa penalty appeal that was firmly rejected by Howard Webb.
Gabriel Agbonlahor looked to have pulled the shirt of John Obi Mikel before the Villa striker went down under his challenge.
Referee Webb dismissed their appeals, much to the chagrin of coach Martin O'Neill in the Villa technical area.
Villa's high-tempo game was causing Chelsea all kinds of problems and the league leaders needed a last-gasp header from captain John Terry to prevent John Carew from finishing off a fine cross by Stewart Downing.
But in the 34th minute, Villa were thankful for a superb block by Stephen Warnock as Florent Malouda's cross provided Drogba with an opening.
Chelsea countered through the lively Cole who forced Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel into a fine save at his near post when Warnock's poor header fell to the Chelsea winger.
Villa striker John Carew, who had been marshalled superbly by Terry for much of the game, was just wide from a corner by Downing in the 46th minute.
But Villa's game fell away, just as it had done in the league game a fortnight ago, and Chelsea, buoyed by a half-time pep-talk from Ancelotti, set about their opponents for the first time in the game.
Deco sent a half-volley wide of the target in the 50th minute and moments later Cole just failed to get on the end of a Drogba cross at the near post.
Cole made way for Salomon Kalou in the 64th minute and two minutes later the substitute played a part in Chelsea's opener.
Kalou found the rampaging Drogba with a clever through-ball but he was foiled by a challenge from Richard Dunne.
But Chelsea made Villa pay from Malouda's corner. Dunne could only head the ball straight to Terry and his mis-hit shot fell to the unmarked Drogba, who steered it home from six yards.
It was his fifth goal in competitive matches at Wembley and broke Villa's resistance completely.
O'Neill's side, faced with lifting themselves in the final 20 minutes, huffed and puffed without troubling Cech in the Chelsea goal.
It was Chelsea who finished the stronger and they booked a place in their third FA Cup final in four years through Malouda in the 89th minute.
Frank Lampard fed substitute Michael Ballack on the right wing and the German crossed superbly for Malouda to sweep the ball home at the far post.
Lampard scored a third from close range in added time but by then it was all academic, with Chelsea's double dream still very much alive.
(soccernet.espn.go.com)

United Usurped : Manchester United 1 Chelsea 2

Didier Drogba's controversial winner allowed Chelsea to shrug Manchester United aside 2-1 and put themselves back in pole position in the Premier League title race.
Sir Alex Ferguson and his team will feel hard done by as Drogba was clearly offside as he collected Salomon Kalou's pass and drove home 12 minutes from time.
The significance of the error only became clear once Federico Macheda had pulled a goal back, with his arm, for the hosts to set up a pulsating finish.
But Ferguson would be aware that the first hour had been completely one-sided in Chelsea's favour and that the visitors should have had a greater advantage than the one goal Joe Cole provided in the first half.
Without Wayne Rooney, there was no real bite in United's attack. And although the 34-goal striker is only out for a fortnight, by the time he returns his side's dreams of glory might be over, considering Chelsea now have a two-point advantage and a superior goal difference.
Since his recovery from a long-term knee injury, Cole has struggled to get back into the swing of things.
Fabio Capello claimed he was not the same player when he left the midfielder out of his England squad to face Egypt last month, raising extreme doubt over Cole's chances of making the World Cup.
Cole's admission that contract talks had broken down was a statement in itself, given it is hard to imagine Carlo Ancelotti allowing a pivotal player to find himself in such a position so close to him being allowed to leave on a free transfer.
Old Trafford has been mentioned as a potential destination should Cole leave Stamford Bridge this summer, so it was an opportunity to impress Sir Alex Ferguson, not that the United chief would have found the 18th-minute opener even vaguely admirable.
Having put his side's obvious failings in possession down to a one-off in Munich last week, Ferguson must have been worried to see the same fault reappearing quite so often, quite so soon.
There is no doubt the ankle injury Rooney suffered in Germany had a negative effect on United.
But the fault lay much deeper, their play too ponderous to have any impact.
All across the midfield, United were wasteful in possession. And with Florent Malouda giving Gary Neville a right old runaround, Chelsea took complete command.
The disappointment for Ancelotti must have been that his team did not make the most of their possession.
Edwin van der Sar denied Cole on one occasion and Nicolas Anelka had a couple of shots blocked but clear-cut chances were rare.
Even Chelsea's opening goal was not a golden opportunity in that sense.
Malouda was invited to run into the home box and although Darren Fletcher eventually reacted, the Chelsea midfielder had the strength to hold him off and cut the ball back to the near post, where Cole got in front of Patrice Evra and found the net with a neat back flick.
It took United a long time to respond. And when the rally eventually came, it took the form of a couple of debatable penalty appeals and referee Mike Dean was not impressed either when Yury Zhirkov chopped down Park Ji-sung and Dimitar Berbatov tried to con him after Frank Lampard's perfectly legal challenge.

The Blues also had a valid penalty claim when the clumsy Gary Neville barged Nicolas Anelka off the ball in the area with no attempt to win the ball.
Had Paulo Ferreira shown more conviction when he raced to meet Cole's excellent through-ball at the start of the second half, the contest would have been over.
Instead, the full-back failed to find either the far corner, or Anelka, and United, who at least sped up a little, remained alive.
The escape certainly seemed to galvanise the hosts, who for the first time made Chelsea's defence creak.
Berbatov, the man of whom so much was expected in Rooney's absence, was just off target with a couple of headers and, off balance, Park was unable to keep his shot on target after a forceful Fletcher run had carved Chelsea open.
The introduction of Drogba midway through the second half emphasised the Blues' strength in depth compared to their hosts, who were forced to rely on the talents of teenager Macheda when Ferguson needed to reinvigorate his side.
Predictably, Drogba had an immediate impact, even if he was offside as he collected Kalou's pass before drilling his shot past Van der Sar.
Down, and almost out, United responded instantly as Cech pushed Nani's cross onto the on-rushing Macheda, which he pushed into the net with his arm, thereby negating any complaints they could have about Drogba's goal, thereby setting up a dramatic ending.
But the Blues were worthy winners in the end.

Villa Vanquished : Chelsea 7 Aston Villa 1

Frank Lampard grabbed four as Chelsea demolished Aston Villa 7-1 to soar back to the top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours.
Lampard's quartet made him third-highest scorer in the club's history, eclipsing legends Roy Bentley and Peter Osgood, with 151 goals.
Lampard was assisted by a double from Florent Malouda and another from substitute Salomon Kalou as Carlo Ancelotti's side smashed in 12 goals in four days.
The Blues have now scored 82 goals so far this season and apart from John Carew's first-half equaliser, were in cruise control for long periods.
Chelsea, who left 30-goal top scorer Didier Drogba on the bench, started brightly enough with Deco finding Nicolas Anelka inside the Villa penalty area in the third minute.
But the France international, given the task of leading the attack in place of Drogba, shot into the arms of Brad Friedel at his near post.
Drogba, who scored twice in the 5-0 midweek demolition of Portsmouth, was rested according to Ray Wilkins.
Lampard tried to surprise Friedel in the 14th minute with a low drive from 30 yards but the American goalkeeper was untroubled by the bounce.
But Chelsea went ahead a minute later when Malouda's low cross was turned home at the far post by Lampard.
It was the England midfielder's 18th goal of the season in all competitions.
Villa's Stephen Warnock required treatment to a head injury after a collision with Joe Cole in the 23rd minute.
Controversy erupted in the 27th minute when John Mikel Obi appeared to elbow James Milner.
But referee Peter Walton booked Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov for protesting about Mikel's challenge and took no action against the Chelsea midfielder.
However, Villa were jubilant in the 29th minute when they equalised through Carew.
He converted a superb curling cross from Ashley Young at the far post to score his ninth goal in eight games.
Moments later Yuri Zhirkov, who was clearly at fault for allowing Carew to ghost into space at the far post for Villa's goal, was booked for a foul Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Deco followed his Chelsea team-mate in the book moments later for a foul on Milner in the 40th minute.
But Chelsea restored their lead in the 44th minute through a Lampard penalty.
Referee Walton adjudged Zhirkov had been fouled by Villa defender James Collins as he burst into the penalty area and Lampard converted the spot-kick with ease.
Chelsea went 3-1 up in the 57th minute when Malouda finished off a sweeping move by the hosts.
Deco's clever ball inside the full-back found Zhirkov in space and his cross was met perfectly by Malouda for the France international to score his 12th of the season.
Chelsea gave away a dangerous free-kick on the edge of the penalty area seconds later when Paulo Ferreira fouled Agbonlahor.
But Milner's effort was straight into the defensive wall much to the dismay of the Villa fans.
Chelsea made Villa pay in the 62nd minute when Lampard grabbed his hat-trick, and his 20th of the season, with his second penalty of the game.
Zhirkov was again fouled, this time by Richard Dunne, and Lampard beat Friedel to become the joint third-highest scorer in the club's history.
It was a game of landmarks for the Blues with John Terry becoming the club's all-time record captain. His 325th appearance eclipsed former great Ron Harris and it was also Terry's 450th outing for the club.
In the 68th minute, rampant Chelsea made it 5-1 when Ferreira and Lampard combined to set-up Malouda for his second of the game and his 13th of the season.
In the 82nd minute substitute Kalou sent a curling shot around Friedel's right-hand post but he found the target a minute later when he drilled the ball past Friedel from 18 yards after an unselfish pass from Anelka.
Lampard then made it 7-1 with his fourth of the game in added time as Villa's 10-match unbeaten run came to a crashing halt.
It also made the midfielder the third-highest scorer in the club's history with 151 goals - only Kerry Dixon and Bobby Tambling are now ahead of him.

(sportal.co.nz)

Pompey Pacified : Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 5

The Blues cut Manchester United's lead at the top of the Premier League to one point with an impressive 5-0 hammering of crisis club Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
A David James howler allowed Didier Drogba to tap into an empty net for Chelsea's opener before Florent Malouda grabbed two second-half goals in 10 minutes.
Drogba's neat finish and Lampard's late goal sealed the win against a Portsmouth side now one step closer to almost certain relegation.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti handed Daniel Sturridge a surprise start as the Blues looked to close the gap on United and atone for their Champions League exit to Inter Milan last week.
Sturridge replaced Nicolas Anelka in Ancelotti's starting XI, which also included Petr Cech and Ricardo Carvalho, who have both been out through injury for a month. Deco was handed his first start since February 2 while Yury Zhirkov came in for the injured Branislav Ivanovic.
Portsmouth manager Avram Grant replaced Quincy Owusu-Abeyie and Nadir Belhadj with Steve Finnan and Richard Hughes, while there was no place for Aruna Dindane due to a clause in his loan agreement which would require Pompey to pay 4million pounds to Lens if he played another game for the club.
Ancelotti described the match as a ‘must win’ against Grant, who spent eight months at the helm at Stamford Bridge in the 2007-08 season.
Financially-stricken Portsmouth, who learned before kickoff they would be allowed to sell players outside the transfer window, lined up in a defensive 4-3-2-1 formation at a rain-soaked Fratton Park.
Chelsea were the most dominant team in the early exchanges and Deco combined well with Drogba before the Ivory Coast striker fired a weak shot wide.
Drogba was in the thick of the action again soon after but he wasted a good chance by volleying well over the bar from inside the box.
Lampard thought he had put Chelsea ahead in the 10th minute but James scrambled across his line to tip the midfielder's 30-yard strike around the post.
James was once again on hand to save another Lampard shot moments later from a similar distance.
Pompey started to get a foothold on the game as the pitch cut up under the rain but found themselves 1-0 down thanks to a James howler in the 32nd minute.
The England keeper raced out of his box to make a routine clearance after Deco tried to play Drogba through but James completely missed the ball, leaving the Ivory Coast man to tap into an empty net.
James was left with his hands on his hips as the Chelsea fans ridiculed the stopper for his mistake.
Ancelotti was forced into a change soon after when he brought on Alex for Carvalho, who went off clutching his ankle.
The game came close to boiling point soon after when Pompey full back Ricardo Rocha had to be carried off after colliding with Malouda.
Malouda then squared up to Hermann Hreidarsson, who claimed the Frenchman had used his elbow in the challenge, before being booked by referee Lee Mason.
Rocha, meanwhile, was carried off on a stretcher after a four-minute stoppage while wearing an oxygen mask.
Pompey's troubles worsened when Tommy Smith hobbled off after the half-time whistle.
Smith failed to emerge after half time and was replaced by Quincy, whose clever ball into the box failed to find a team-mate soon after the break.
After his booking, Malouda was booed every time he touched the ball but he soon plunged the Pompey fans into further misery when he picked up Lampard's pass and beat James from a tight angle to make it 2-0.
Joe Cole, who had voiced his frustration at his lack of first-team action earlier this week, replaced the ineffective Sturridge in the 53rd minute.
The midfielder made an immediate impact, drawing a good save from James after a clever through ball from Lampard.
Malouda then scored his second of the night when he reacted first to James' save from Lampard's shot to coolly slot the ball home to make it 3-0.
James then pulled off a flying save to deny Lampard from 20 yards as Chelsea looked to turn the screw.
Kanu replaced Mokoena with 15 minutes left in a desperate attempt to inject some life into the Pompey attack, who were being well marshalled by John Terry and Alex.
Drogba was then played in by John Obi Mikel and the striker held his nerve to slot past James from inside the box to make it 4-0.
Portsmouth then had a golden chance to pull one back but Hughes somehow put a free header from five yards out wide.
Frederic Piquionne then beat two Chelsea defenders down the right but Kanu blazed over from eight yards out.
Second half substitute Patrick Van Aanholt then squared the ball to Drogba but he just missed out on his third by firing over.
Lampard completed Pompey's misery when he finished from Drogba's knock down in the third minute of injury time to make it 5-0. (sportal.co.nz)

Rovers Resilient : Blackburn Rovers 1 Chelsea 1

Chelsea suffered a stumble in the title race that could yet prove fatal to their chances of taking the Premier League crown to round off a week of bitter disappointment for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
A match that seemed there for the taking after Didier Drogba's early goal somehow drifted out of Chelsea's grasp.
El Hadji Diouf headed a superb equaliser as Blackburn put in such a powerful second-half performance that keeper Jason Brown was barely tested.
For Chelsea, whose record in its past nine matches is now four wins, four defeats and one draw, this was hardly a display of title-winning credentials and they are now four points behind Manchester United and two behind Arsenal, though with a game in hand.
This was underlined by the fact that the clear man of the match was none other than Rovers' 18-year-old central defender Phil Jones, making his league debut and up against Drogba and Nicolas Anelka.
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce had gambled on him in the absence of Ryan Nelsen and Gael Givet.
That gamble may have lookrd rash as Drogba carved out an early chance for himself, dinking a neat curling shot just wide of the post despite being surrounded by a posse of defenders.
That was just a foretaste of what was to come as the Ivory Coast striker opened the scoring in the sixth minute with almost effortless simplicity.
Anelka burst down the right, cut inside Jones and laid the ball back for Drogba to wrong-foot the entire Rovers defence and keeper Jason Brown with a neat left-footed finish back into the opposite corner.
Kalou threatened to further emphasise Chelsea's early dominance with a header from a corner that flew over the crossbar but from then on it was downhill for the visitors.
David Dunn won a free-kick in Morten Gamst Pedersen range after being halted by an agricultural challenge by Alex, but although the Norwegian was on target Chelsea keeper Ross Turnbull turned his effort behind.
Pedersen had another sight of goal but was wildly off-target with his volley, while Jones drew the loudest cheers from the Rovers fans so far with a series of crunching - but legal - challenges as Blackburn did their best to out-power the visitors.
Florent Malouda let fly from 20 yards out with a stinging drive but Brown managed to parry the shot, if somewhat unconvincingly.
Ancelotti was then forced to make a change just before the break with Branislav Ivanovic, who appeared to have been stood on unintentionally by El Hadji Diouf, limped off to be replaced by Zhirkov.
Blackburn, as if scenting that Chelsea may have missed a trick by scoring just a single goal in the first half, upped the tempo in the second.
Zhirkov's first involvement for Chelsea, right at the start of the second half was to head off the line after Chris Samba had beaten the flapping Turnbull to Pedersen's long throw.
Pedersen was then left cursing again when given space to shoot from 25 yards out but missing the target by some margin.
Frank Lampard, who had been having a quiet game by his standards, was much closer with a rising effort from the same range that was a whisker away from the top right-hand corner.
The suspicion that Chelsea had seemed over-confident in settling for a 1-0 win had been growing the longer the second half went on, and in the 70th minute Diouf made them pay.
The Senegal international hung in the air above Ferreira to meet Michel Salgado's cross with a superb header down into the corner.
Chelsea, stung into action, became more direct themselves and Alex struck a piledriver from a 30-yard free-kick over the bar.
With time running down, Drogba was denied a fine winner by a good block, then Jones crowned a magnificent debut with an intercepting header to keep out John Terry.
Rovers celebrated as though they had won the Premier League. Chelsea looked as though they had just lost it. (sportal.co.nz)

Sorry to keep banging on about referee's decisions but while watching this game there were several occasions when we didn't get decisions that I feel sure the likes of Man. Utd. and Arsenal would have.

You only have to look at the penalty Man. Utd. got against Liverpool the day before.

It's difficult enough for us to get a penalty when the offence is comitted inside the box let alone 10 yards outside.

We always seem to get results in spite of the officials, not because of them.

Blues Brushed Aside : Chelsea 0 Internazionale 1

Jose Mourinho enjoyed a triumphant return to Stamford Bridge as his Inter Milan side sent Chelsea spinning out of the Champions League by repeating their first-leg victory with another win at Stamford Bridge.
The former Chelsea coach had, prior to the match, promised to forego any personal celebrations as a mark of respect to his old club, but was nevertheless left filled with pride as Inter did a very professional job in west London.
After efficiently soaking up a barrage of Chelsea pressure in the first half, Inter became increasingly menacing as the second half unfolded, and in truth deserved their victory, sealed by a brilliant finish by Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o 11 minutes from time.
Worse was to follow for deflated Chelsea when Didier Drogba was shown a straight red card after 87 minutes.Mourinho's public celebrations were muted as he disappeared quietly down the tunnel just as the referee blew for full-time, but he admitted he did allow himself to enjoy the result behind closed doors. He said: "I celebrated a lot in the dressing-room when the game was over. It was a big victory for my team."Mourinho felt his team were better than Chelsea in every aspect on the night. "I think everything was superior," he added. "I don't think it was tactics, it was attitude on the pitch."
They had reactions of frustration, of a team that felt the opposition was superior. Our team started the second half in an incredible way. We were the best team by far."
Mourinho set out his stall to be positive from the start, picking three forwards. Rather than 'parking the bus' in front of goal, as he once accused a Premier League manager of doing against his old club, Mourinho chose Eto'o, Diego Milito and Goran Pandev as Inter looked to protect their 2-1 lead from the first leg. Pandev coming in for Dejan Stankovic was the only change from the Milan leg for Mourinho, who signed autographs near the dug-out before kick-off.
With the pleasantries out of the way, Inter looked to extend their advantage, with Wesley Sneijder having a shot blocked by Alex, while Maicon raided down the right and fired over. Florent Malouda led the charge for the hosts. One of his mazy runs was stopped by Lucio in the penalty area and referee Wolfgang Stark deemed the tackle fair. Drogba, always first on the scene when trouble flared, then had his first sight of goal when the ball broke for him 20 yards out – but Maicon blocked bravely.
The crucial blow came with 12 minutes to go and it was Sneijder who provided the chance. His ball over the top went over Ivanovic's head and landed perfectly for Eto'o, who took the pass in his stride and stroked his finish past Ross Turnbull.
Drogba was given a red card after a clash that had Motta clutching his shin and Inter players accusing the Chelsea striker of kicking out. (thescotsman.com)
Again, after their winning goal went in, a lot of people left their seats and exited the stadium. I commented on this in the Man. City report. These people aren't supporters, they're just paying guests (prats).
I know I'm biased, but there really does seem to be some sort of directive to stop a) too many English teams progressing in this competition or b) Chelsea progressing in this competition.
There was one nailed on penalty decision in the first leg and three in the second that we didn't get. Add to this the debacle of the semi-final second leg last season and you can see why most Chelsea supporters believe that something smells fishy.

Hammers Hammered : Chelsea 4 West Ham 1

Chelsea went back to the top of the Premier League with a comfortable 4-1 win over West Ham at Stamford Bridge.
Brazilian defender Alex headed Chelsea in front in the 15th minute but Scott Parker levelled with a stunning volley on the half-hour mark.
Didier Drogba rose unmarked to restore Chelsea's lead in the 55th minute before Florent Malouda's 20-yard effort in the 76th minute and Drogba's second put Carlo Ancelotti's side one point clear of Manchester United at the summit.
Chelsea goalkeeper Ross Turnbull made his league debut for the club and looked confident enough ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League last-16 return leg against Inter Milan.
The keeper, third choice all season, will be asked to play against Inter, who lead 2-1 from the first leg, due to injuries to Petr Cech and Hilario.
Chelsea were given a sterner test than they would have wanted by a West Ham side that went in 1-1 at the interval.
Ancelotti's side had the better of the early exchanges but West Ham should have been ahead in the 13th minute.
Mido's low cross from the byline found Araujo Ilan unmarked just eight yards out but the West Ham striker blazed his effort over the crossbar.
The miss proved costly for West Ham as Chelsea went ahead two minutes later through Brazilian defender Alex.
The Hammers failed to clear a corner from Malouda and when the ball was returned to the France winger, his cross was headed home by the unmarked Alex.
It was the defender's first goal of the season but it could have been worse for the Hammers seconds later.
Another cross from Malouda caused panic in the West Ham defence and a deflection off Matthew Upson looked to be heading for his own net until goalkeeper Robert Green just managed to palm it away to safety.
In the 27th minute, Chelsea carved West Ham open again and Frank Lampard's curling cross found Drogba at the far post only for the Ivorian to miss the target.
But West Ham were level in the 29th minute when former Chelsea midfielder Parker sent a 25-yard volley over Turnbull and into the top corner.
Turnbull could do nothing about Parker's effort but once again Chelsea were guilty of failing to defend a throw-in.
The goal stunned Chelsea and their response was predictable and rapid. In the 35th minute, Green had to dive full-stretch to keep out a 20-yard low drive from Lampard.
Two minutes later, Nicolas Anelka tried his luck from 20 yards out but the ball was comfortably collected by Green.
Malouda was a constant threat to West Ham and five minutes before the break he sent over another dangerous cross but Paulo Ferreira could only direct his header into the arms of Green.
Chelsea almost restored their advantage when a 53rd minute cross from Malouda just eluded Michael Ballack at the far post.
But the home side was ahead again in the 55th minute and the driving force was captain John Terry.
The Chelsea defender surged forward to the edge of West Ham penalty area and allowed Drogba to lay the ball off to Malouda on the left wing.
The France winger delivered another pinpoint cross into the six-yard box and this time Drogba headed home from point-blank range for his 26th goal of the season - his 20th in the league.
The Chelsea fans began chanting 'There's only one England captain' as England coach Fabio Capello watched on from the West stand.
Moments later Chelsea were denied a third by a great save from Green who dived to his right to tip away a header from Alex.
In the 65th minute, Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole was given a chance to shine before Capello when he replaced Anelka.
Moments later there was a double substitution for the Hammers - Junior Stanislas replaced Kieron Dyer and Mido made way for Carlton Cole.
Malouda made it 3-1 to Chelsea in the 76th minute with a 20-yard shot into the bottom corner.
It was a fitting reward for the France winger who had set up both of Chelsea's earlier goals.
Chelsea were then denied a fourth in the 85th minute when Lampard's glancing shot hit the far post.
Drogba completed the scoring in the 89th minute with his 27th goal of the season - finishing off from close range after Green had palmed a Lampard shot into his path.
As a footnote I was very impressed with the West Ham fans who hardly stopped singing and chanting the whole 90 minutes, even when our fourth went in they were cheering and dancing about as if they had scored themselves.
Pity our fans in the East and West stands can't get behind the team in the same way.

Potters Sent Packing : Chelsea 2 Stoke City 0

Chelsea assistant coach Ray Wilkins described controversial captain John Terry's contribution as "superb" after his side overcame stubborn Stoke in their FA Cup quarter-final.
Goals from Frank Lampard and Terry gave Chelsea a place in the last four where they will meet Aston Villa at Wembley.

Lampard's opener came in the 35th minute when he fired a rising 20-yard shot into the net and Terry sealed victory 22 minutes from time with a firm header.

Terry was booed and abused all afternoon by Stoke fans who lambasted the defender for his alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of one-time Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge. Terry, stripped of the England captaincy by Fabio Capello because of the lurid headlines concerning his private life, celebrated his second half goal by running to the corner flag and pointing at his captain's armband.

When asked about the abuse, Wilkins replied: "It's happening and John's just getting on with the situation. I'm not too happy about it, but there's nothing I can do. He's dealing with the situation in the only way he can – committing himself to the cause. That was a superb performance from him."He's an exceptional captain and we're delighted to have him on board. He leads these players on the pitch in fantastic fashion and scored a great second goal.

"Terry paid tribute to the club for their support during a difficult period.

"The armband means a lot, of course," said Terry. "Chelsea have been very supportive, the players as well, but we wanted to show the fans how much it meant to us.

"We had a couple of days to work on their set plays but they can play as well. On a dodgy pitch I thought we played well and bounced back from last week," added Terry, in reference to the 4-2 defeat by Manchester City which opened up the Premiership title race once again.

Chelsea certainly did not have it all their own way, and in the 14th minute it required a clearance off the line from John Obi Mikel to prevent Stoke going ahead. Delap's long throw was punched clear by Hilario but only to Dean Whitehead on the edge of the penalty area. The Stoke midfielder's drilled shot was heading for the bottom corner until Mikel's timely intervention.

Chelsea squandered a great chance in the 29th minute when Whitehead was caught in possession inside the penalty area but Nicolas Anelka fired beyond the far post from six yards.

However, Chelsea won a succession of corners and one of them paid off in the 35th minute when Lampard fired them in front with the 18th FA Cup goal of his Stamford Bridge career. Florent Malouda's corner found Terry at the far post and the Chelsea captain laid the ball into the path of Lampard for the England midfielder to send a well-hit drive into the net for his 16th of the season. It was also his 146th career goal for the club and pushed him closer to Peter Osgood's tally of 150.

After Terry had made the game all but safe after 68 minutes, heading home another Malouda corner, Lampard almost grabbed a second in the 75th minute but his dipping 20-yard effort was well saved by Sorensen.

Wilkins said: "Stoke put you under a lot of pressure from dead balls and long throws but our concentration was fantastic." Of Chelsea's semi-final chances, he said: "Aston Villa are a very strong side and beat us earlier in the season. It will be another tough game in the semi-final."

England midfielder Joe Cole was again left out of the starting line-up by Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti, but Wilkins insists the player will get his chance."We have a superb squad of players and Carlo has a very difficult task in picking a side," he added. "Everyone merits a place in our team, but that was the side today. Joe's had a very traumatic time with his knee, and you get highs and lows. He'll play plenty of games for Chelsea."

Stoke manager Tony Pulis defended his supporters over their treatment of Terry and claimed that the Chelsea captain will come home a hero if England win the World Cup in South Africa this summer.

"Our fans are brilliant, different class," said Pulis. "John will have to accept he'll take stick. He took stick from England supporters the other night. If John does well in the World Cup and wins it, he'll come back a hero."

Pulis was sorry to see his side's cup run come to an end, but said: "We've knocked Arsenal and Man City out. To pull Chelsea out of the hat at Stamford Bridge was a difficult tie. The players were first class, we gave everything and had a right go

Chelsea 2 Man. City 4

Wayne Bridge made a point, then left with all three as Manchester City blew the Premier League title race wide open once more by hammering nine-man Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
All kinds of conspiracy theories had been raised about the pre-match handshake following revelations about John Terry's alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the mother of Bridge's young son.
In the end, there was no mass boycott of the traditional pre-match handshake by City players, just an icy stare from Bridge as he refused to shake Terry's hand.
It was perhaps the most predictable part of a truly astonishing afternoon that exploded into life once Frank Lampard had put the hosts in front just before the break.
At about that point, Chelsea's world imploded.
Henrique Hilario gifted City goals either side of the interval, failing to make saves Petr Cech would regard as routine to keep out shots from Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy either side of the interval.
Then Juliano Belletti was red carded for a foul on Gareth Barry that allowed Tevez to fire home a third from the spot.
And the drama did not finish there as Michael Ballack was also sent off for two yellow cards before Bellamy added another.
A stoppage time Lampard penalty at least raised a cheer from a team whose lead over Manchester United remains a precarious single point.
The intrigue concerning Terry and Bridge had completely overshadowed what was a key encounter for both clubs.
After their midweek loss in Milan, Chelsea were eager to re-establish their four-point lead over Manchester United whilst for City, it was an opportunity to reinforce their top four credentials after a disappointing FA Cup exit at Stoke.
Indeed, it could be argued the Bridge issue has taken quite a lot of heat away from Roberto Mancini, who, after that short post-Christmas honeymoon period, has found his position already coming under scrutiny.
The Italian cannot have been too impressed with his side's early efforts either.
Although Chelsea were not at their best, they monopolised possession and could have been in front when Didier Drogba turned onto an off-target Lampard effort and fired a first-time shot over the bar from six yards.
An overworked Vincent Kompany also sliced a shot over his own bar, while, for their part, City barely emerged from their own half.
Given that backdrop, Chelsea could have been forgiven for thinking it was 'job done' when Lampard struck.
Joe Cole had cut a frustrated figure during the opening period and clearly remains some way below his best.
But he spotted Lampard's perfectly-timed run in a flash and once through, there was never any real doubt the midfielder would beat Given, which he did with a precise shot into the corner.
The home fans breathed a sigh of relief and went off to grab their half-time snacks, only for Tevez to jolt them out of their complacency and shine the light of responsibility on Hilario.
With Petr Cech out for a month with an calf injury, Chelsea are relying on Hilario at a crucial stage of the season and there could only be concerned frowns on the home bench as Tevez's shot rolled in.
It looked bad in real time. Replays were no kinder to Hilario after Tevez had turned Terry, then scuffed a shot that incredibly turned into his 20th goal of the season.
Within four minutes of the re-start, City had scored again, with Hilario again placed in the role of accused.
Although Chelsea had plenty of men forward when Craig Bellamy broke from halfway, John Obi Mikel appeared to do everything right.
He did not dive in and kept the Welshman to his outside, ensuring the angle was as tight as possible when the shot eventually came.
But yet again Hilario was not up to the task as Bellamy's shot flew under his body and into the far corner.
For a team that had not scored on this ground since 2000 and had offered so little in the opening 40 minutes, it was a quite astonishing change of fortunes.
But more was to come as the red cards started flying.
Belletti was shown his for a foul on Gareth Barry that allowed Tevez to tuck home a penalty.
Ballack followed for a tackle on Tevez that could easily have been a dismissal in itself. A second yellow was produced and he was gone too.
Bellamy took advantage of the huge holes now apparent in the Chelsea rearguard with his second of the game.
And while Lampard rounded off the scoring, it was City, and Bridge, who were laughing all the way back to Manchester.

I was at the game as usual and I hope the people who left when we went 3-1 down with 15 minutes to go are suitably ashamed of themselves. You know who you are.

Typical of the Johnnie come lateleys that have arrived at the Bridge over the last few years, these are the people who regularly turn up five minutes after kick off, disappear downstairs five minutes before half-time, reappear five minutes after the second half has kicked off and then sod off home ten minutes before the final whistle to 'avoid the crush', each time disturbing the people who want to see the game.

They should be stopped on the way out, have their season tickets confiscated and given to people on the waiting list who actually want to support the club.

Effective Inter : Internazionale 2 Chelsea 1

Chelsea grabbed a vital away goal as former manager Jose Mourinho and his Inter Milan side came out on top in a pulsating Champions League first leg at the San Siro.
Chelsea, whose defeat was compounded by the loss of goalkeeper Petr Cech with a calf injury in the second half, were a goal down inside three minutes when striker Diego Milito put Inter ahead. Salomon Kalou equalised in the 51st minute but Mourinho's men restored their advantage four minutes later when Esteban Cambiasso drilled in the winner.

Kalou's goal may yet prove to be the pivotal moment of the tie when the two teams meet again in the return leg at Stamford Bridge next month.

A match that had been built-up as a contest between the two coaches – Blues manager Carlo Ancelotti was returning to his former home – was sparked into life inside three minutes. Thiago Motta's through ball found Milito inside the Chelsea area and when captain John Terry half-heartedly attempted to block Milito's progress, the Inter striker slammed the ball beyond Cech at the near post. Mourinho greeted the goal with an approving nod from his seat in the Inter dugout.

Chelsea won a free-kick some 35 yards out when Dejan Stankovic fouled Michael Ballack in the 15th minute and they were unlucky not to equalise. Didier Drogba's fierce attempt on goal cannoned back off the crossbar with Julio Cesar well beaten. In the 22nd minute goalscorer Milito was booked for diving after going down from an imaginary challenge by Ricardo Carvalho and Kalou followed him after a foul on Wesley Sneijder.

Apart from Milito's goal, Chelsea had looked untroubled in defence and had dominated possession. John Obi Mikel sent a rising drive into the arms of Cesar in the 29th minute as Chelsea continued to press for a leveller.

But Inter spurned a gilt-edged chance to increase the lead in the 34th minute when Sneijder's cross found Samuel Eto'o unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box. But instead of planting the ball past Cech, Eto'o missed his kick.

Chelsea should have been awarded a penalty seconds before the interval when Kalou went down under a challenge from Walter Samuel. But their claims were denied by referee Manuel Gonzalez. But in the 51st minute Chelsea were level through Kalou. Branislav Ivanovic created the opportunity when he ran unchallenged to the edge of the Inter area. The Chelsea right-back looked to have over-run the ball but managed to turn it into the path of Kalou, who curled it in from the edge of the box. Kalou and the rest of the Chelsea squad then ran to the dugout in a clear show of support for Ancelotti.

It took Inter just four minutes to re-establish their lead. Ivanovic blocked Cambiasso's first attempt but there was little anyone could do about the follow-up shot which flashed into the bottom corner beyond Cech from 18 yards.It got worse for Chelsea on the hour when goalkeeper Cech had to be stretchered off after rolling the ball out. There was nobody around the Czech Republic international when the incident occurred and Chelsea later confirmed Cech had suffered a calf injury, which will be monitored over the coming days, and he was replaced by Hilario.

Chelsea should have levelled in the 64th minute when Frank Lampard collected a cross from Anelka but saw his eight-yard shot saved by Cesar. Mikel summed up a night of frustration for the Blues when he sent a 20-yard shot into the stands in the 88th minute

Wolves Wobbling : Wolverhampton W. 0 Chelsea 2

Didier Drogba's double enabled Chelsea to move four points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League as they overcame Wolves at Molineux, reports sportal.co.nz.
Drogba ensured the Blues took advantage of United's 3-1 lunchtime reversal against Everton at Goodison Park with a goal in each half.
It took his tally for the campaign to 25 in all competitions and earned Carlo Ancelotti's side only its second away win in its last seven league games.
Chelsea barely moved out of second gear for long periods ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Inter Milan.
But the quality finishing of Drogba was the difference between the sides and means the Blues are now favourites to take the Premier League crown with only 11 games remaining.
Petr Cech was the busier of the two keepers and made two crucial saves early in the second half when Chelsea held only a single-goal advantage.
But Wolves' problem all season have been failure to take their chances, as demonstrated by their meagre goal tally of 21 - although Kevin Doyle again impressed as a lone striker.
Chelsea were quickly in the ascendancy and the first half-chance fell to Michael Ballack.
Yury Zhirkov sent over a threatening cross from the left flank and Ballack got up well in the danger area but directed his header wide.
Doyle produced the first save of the game out of Cech after 15 minutes.
The Republic of Ireland international made space for himself after a diagonal run and Cech had to go down to his right to save his 20-yard drive.
Doyle then flicked the ball into the path of the overlapping Kevin Foley but his shot from a narrow angle flew into the side netting.
Doyle was causing problems for Chelsea and he was alert to a quick throw from Foley and forced Cech to parry his shot around the post.
Ballack was only just too high with a rasping volley after a corner from Florent Malouda was only half-cleared.
Jones, who had scored the winner against Tottenham 10 days ago, curled a free-kick just wide as Wolves started to grow in confidence.
But five minutes before the interval, Chelsea took the lead through Drogba.
Zhirkov played a one-two with Ballack before squaring a low ball across the six-yard box and Drogba had the easiest of tap-ins.
Cech produced a superb reflex save to protect Chelsea's lead after 55 minutes.
Adlene Guedioura timed his run perfectly to connect with a far-post cross from Jarvis but his fierce volley was somehow kept out by the Chelsea keeper.
Ancelotti made his first change a minute later with Zhirkov replaced by Jeffrey Bruma.
The home side tried to get a foothold in the game and Cech produced another splendid stop to deny Foley an equaliser.
Terry miskicked when attempting to clear and Foley found himself with only Cech to beat but he managed to block his fierce shot.
Ballack became the first player to be yellow-carded for dissent as the Blues looked rattled.
But then Drogba doubled Chelsea's lead as Wolves were caught napping by a long clearance from Cech.
Drogba was the first to react and took the ball away from Christophe Berra before clipping the ball wide of Marcus Hahnemann.
McCarthy made a triple substitution with Jarvis, Foley and Jones making way for Geoffrey Mujangi Bia, Greg Halford and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.
Doyle was only just off target for Wolves with a shot on the turn after some typical aggression.
But it needed a good tackle from Ronald Zubar to deny Anelka a third goal as he bore down on the Wolves goal.
Terry cleared the ball off the line in a late Wolves rally after Cech had failed to gather a long throw from Halford.

Bluebirds Breached : Chelsea 4 Cardiff City 1

Holders Chelsea reached the FA Cup quarter-finals after Cardiff had briefly threatened to cause a massive shock.

Didier Drogba put Chelsea in front in the second minute but Michael Chopra stunned the home side with an equaliser before half-time.

But second-half goals from Michael Ballack, Daniel Sturridge and substitute Salomon Kalou put Carlo Ancelotti’s side into the last eight.

Chelsea got off to a great start when John Obi Mikel’s long ball put Drogba in the clear and the Ivory Coast striker ran on to fire past the static David Marshall.

It was Drogba’s fourth goal in three games since his return from the African Nations Cup and his 23rd of the season.

Cardiff almost equalised when Peter Whittingham’s free-kick was sent towards the top corner by Anthony Gerrard.

But with City ready to celebrate an equaliser, Hilario somehow managed to get across and tip the ball over the bar.

In the 25th minute, Drogba was unlucky with an overhead kick from six yards when a cross from Michael Ballack had found him ahead of his marker.

Fortunately for Marshall in the City goal, Drogba’s effort went straight to him.

Chelsea remained in control of the game with Cardiff restricted to rare counter-attacks.

But one of them paid off in stunning fashion in the 34th minute when they equalised through Chopra.

The Cardiff striker shocked the home side with his 17th goal of the season.

Chopra got clear of Alex to head Chris Burke’s cross into the net beyond the helpless Hilario, to the delight of the 6,000 travelling City fans.

The Cardiff equaliser had certainly livened the game up but Chelsea gradually managed to get on top once more.

Chelsea’s passing began to go astray as the half wore on and Cardiff were able to end the first half on level terms.

Chelsea replaced the ineffective Joe Cole with Kalou at half-time.

Drogba, the only Chelsea player really on his game, found Marshall alert when he tried to send a 25-yard free-kick inside the near post just seconds after the restart.

But Chelsea were back in front in the 51st minute when Drogba’s pass evaded Mark Kennedy to put Michael Ballack through on goal. The Germany captain kept his cool to volley the ball over Marshall and make it 2-1.

Chelsea defender Alex was unlucky to see a header cleared by the Cardiff rearguard on the hour as the home side pressed for a third goal.

The home side were again in control with Drogba at the heart of all their best moves.

The Ivory Coast striker was unlucky not to get on the end of a through-ball from Paulo Ferreira while Sturridge shot well wide from 20 yards in the 67th minute.

Chelsea finally got a third in the 69th minute when a scrappy build-up allowed the ball to run loose to Sturridge, who slipped it beyond Marshall.

It was his fourth goal in the competition – and his last contribution before being replaced by Florent Malouda.

Cardiff continued to make sporadic forays into the Chelsea half and on one such attack, Kevin McNaughton was a yard wide with a 20-yard angled drive.

Whittingham then brought a fine save out of Hilario with a low drive from 25 yards as Chelsea rested on their two-goal lead.

However, Kalou made it 4-1 in the 86th minute when he superbly headed home a cross from Ferreira.

The Ivory Coast striker twisted his body in mid-air to send the header over Marshall’s reach and into the top corner of the net.

Malouda was way off target in the 90th minute when he tried his luck from the edge of the penalty area – but Chelsea had done enough to go through to the last eight.

Ashley Ankle Blow

Ashley Cole faces a fight to be fit in time for the World Cup finals in South Africa after fracturing his ankle in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Goodison on Wednesday night, reports gazettelive.co.uk.
The England left-back is almost certainly out for the remainder of the domestic season and his place in Fabio Capello’s squad for the finals in South Africa will depend on his rehabilitation programme.
England open their campaign in South Africa on June 12 with a match against the United States, but Cole will have to convince Capello he is back to full fitness before the Italian names his 23-man squad.
Ironically, Cole’s injury will provide former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge with the chance to become Capello’s first-choice left-back. Chelsea are fortunate they have enough cover to cope with Cole’s absence.
Russia international Yury Zhirkov is comfortable at left-back and Portugal international Paulo Ferreira can also play in the same position despite being signed by former boss Jose Mourinho as a right-back.
Speaking about Cole, Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti said: “We are very disappointed because he’s a very important player for us.
“Now we have to do our best to get him recovered quickly, although we have Yury, who is a fantastic full-back, so we can use him.”
Asked about Cole’s prospects of playing in the World Cup, the Italian added: “I don’t know - I hope so for him and for the England team.”

Toffees Triumphant : Everton 2 Chelsea 1

Louis Saha celebrated his new contract with Everton with a stunning double to sink Premier League leaders Chelsea 2-1,reports sportal.co.nz.
The Frenchman, who signed a two-year deal last week, first exposed Chelsea's weakness at set-pieces with a headed equaliser and then fired a brilliant 75th-minute winner at Goodison Park.
Chelsea had shaded the early stages and taken the lead through Florent Malouda but Saha, who also missed a penalty, secured Everton's first victory over the Londoners since 2000.
With Manchester United held by Aston Villa, victory could have taken Chelsea four points clear at the top but Everton's greater industry merited victory.
Sacked England captain John Terry escaped lightly in terms of crowd abuse following recent media revelations but the Chelsea stalwart was caught out for Saha's winner.
And of further concern for manager Carlo Ancelotti was the nature of the equaliser - the 16th of 22 goals this season Chelsea have conceded from set-pieces.
Everton scored all its goals from similar situations when the sides played out an entertaining 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge two months ago.
This time the Toffees were without key midfielders Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar through injury and suspension respectively.
Mikel Arteta, having recovered from a knee injury, made his first start in almost a year while Chelsea replaced Michael Ballack with Yury Zhirkov.
Everton stretched Chelsea within the opening minutes as Landon Donovan broke clear but the American overhit his cross for Saha.
After that Chelsea began to take control with Frank Lampard shooting wide after a Nicolas Anelka dummy and Didier Drogba heading over from a Malouda cross.
Branislav Ivanovic then volleyed wide but Chelsea broke through after 17 minutes from a route-one ball.
Peter Cech's long clearance was headed on by Drogba and Malouda brushed off the challenge of Phil Neville to drill a left-footed shot low past Tim Howard.
Chelsea threatened again when Richardo Carvalho leapt above Terry to meet a Lampard corner but Howard saved comfortably.
Everton then launched a counter-attack with Diniyar Bilyaletdinov breaking down the left to cross for Leighton Baines but the left-back caught his volley awkwardly and Cech saved.
But the Toffees grew in confidence and pulled level after winning a corner in the 33rd minute.
Donovan's cross dropped over Lampard and Saha rushed in to power a header past Cech for his 12th goal of the season and his first in five games.
Everton almost added an immediate second as Tim Cahill set up Leon Osman on the edge of the area but his shot flew wide.
Drogba pulled the ball back from the byline as Chelsea responded but Anelka stabbed wide from six yards.
Lampard tried his luck from a 30-yard free-kick but shot over and Drogba then curled one wide.
But Everton finished the half with a flourish and Saha should twice have given the hosts the lead.
First he was picked out in front of goal by Donovan but his first touch bought Cech time and the keeper rushed forward to save from point-blank range.
The former Manchester United forward had an immediate chance to make amends after Donovan was felled in the area by Carvalho but Cech guessed right and saved the resulting spot-kick to his left.
Everton did not let the miss affect them and started the second half well with a dangerous Bilyaletdinov cross palmed over the bar by Cech.
Saha then showed brilliant control to turn and create another shooting opportunity in the box but Carvalho just did enough to force him to fire wide.
Everton also started winning the 50-50 balls and Drogba showed a growing Chelsea frustration when he fired wildly at goal from more than 40 yards.
Bilyaletdinov showed good control in the area but his shot was blocked and a Donovan cross was just too high for Cahill.
Everton appealed for handball against Terry on the edge of the area but referee Alan Wiley's decision to play on was vindicated as replays showed the ball catching the face.
Pressure finally paid off as Everton deservedly went ahead through Saha after 75 minutes.
Terry missed the chance to cut out a long ball from Sylvain Distin and Saha brilliantly chested the ball down before turning and firing home powerfully with his left foot.
Chelsea, having been subdued for most of the second half, finally sparked into life but the crossbar came to Everton's rescue as Drogba met a Lampard corner with a good header.
Lampard then got in a shot at the end of a flowing move but Howard saved to his right.

Gunners Grounded : Chelsea 2 Arsenal 0

John Terry's life may be in turmoil off the pitch but the former England captain remains as inspirational as ever in a Chelsea shirt as his side put an end to Arsenal's remaining title dreams at Stamford Bridge, reports sport.scotsman.com.
Stripped of the England captaincy by Fabio Capello 48 hours earlier and the subject of more lurid headlines about his private life, Terry responded in a typically defiant manner as two first-half goals from Didier Drogba put Chelsea back on top of the Barclays Premier League – Drogba's first goal in the eighth minute arrived courtesy of a glancing header from Terry.

Taunted by Arsenal fans throughout for his alleged affair with French lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel, the former girlfriend of Terry's one-time team-mate Wayne Bridge, the Chelsea captain produced a commanding performance at the heart of the defence and, in coach Carlo Ancelotti's eyes, vindicated his decision not to switch skippers.

"John is the perfect captain for Chelsea," said Ancelotti. "My captain has a fantastic attitude. He is doing very well in every game."It is very important for the team to have this leadership. He was always in control of the game. He has a strong mentality."He is working for his club and we are happy to have this performance from him in this moment."

The victory restored Chelsea's two-point lead over Manchester United at the top of the table and, more significantly, increased the gap over third-placed Arsenal to nine. Despite the imposing gap, Ancelotti was not willing to rule his London rivals out of the title race just yet.

"Arsenal still have a possibility because they are a good team," added the Italian."It depends on the performances of Manchester United and Chelsea. I am not sure it will be a race with two horses."

The outcome was never in doubt once Chelsea's other talismanic figure had put them in front with a simple volley at the far post. Drogba's 21st goal of the season was the perfect start for Carlo Ancelotti's side and with their confidence sufficiently rocked, Arsenal failed to respond before the Ivory Coast striker added his second.

When Arsenal did manage to get past the imposing Terry, they were woefully wasteful with Andrey Arshavin the main culprit.

In the 20th minute, a delightful chip from Cesc Fabregas found the Russian unmarked inside the penalty area but he volleyed straight at Petr Cech.

Two minutes later Arsenal were handed a lesson in textbook finishing which was to ultimately leave their title dreams in tatters as Drogba notched his 22nd goal of the season.

Frank Lampard was given the freedom of Stamford Bridge to run 30 yards before supplying the Ivory Coast striker with a simple pass. The Arsenal defence continued to back-pedal and that was the invitation Drogba required to cut inside from the right and fire a left-foot volley beyond Manuel Almunia.

Chelsea could have increased their advantage shortly afterwards but Ashley Cole was denied by Almunia after Lampard's incisive pass had put him clear.

Arsenal were a different side in the second-half but the task was just too much for them.

Terry was forced to play much of the second period with his thigh heavily strapped after a muscle injury but there was little chance he would desert his post with all eyes upon him.

Theo Walcott should have done better when clean through but got caught in two minds and Chelsea's defence cleared.

Cech, who had preserved Chelsea's lead in the first half, was in outstanding form and pulled off another great save to keep out a goal-bound Fabregas free-kick.

But as Arsenal overstretched themselves, Chelsea looked for a third.Michael Ballack went close with an angled drive which flashed beyond the far post on the hour but Cech rescued Chelsea again 11 minutes from time by whipping the ball off the toes of Arsenal substitute Nicklas Bendtner – on for Walcott.

Drogba came close to completing a fine hat-trick but his 83rd minute free-kick from 20 yards cannoned back off the crossbar.

In the end, it was of little consequence, leaving Terry to enjoy a welcome moment of elation in front of his adoring fans as Chelsea climbed back to the Premier League summit.

Afterwards, Drogba confirmed the Chelsea squad were united behind Terry.

The Ivorian admitted it had been a tough week for the club but he stressed Terry had the players' full support.

"It has been a difficult week for us, for Chelsea, for all the club," Drogba said. "We tried to stay together and focus on the game. It is a matter of time but we will stick together and keep looking forward. We have offered him as much support as we can. The best thing for him is to play. All his team-mates have to do everything for him."Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted his side are now outsiders for the title."It is difficult to swallow a defeat like that when we felt we were the better team," said Wenger. "Chelsea defended well until the last minute so you have got to give them credit. We are outsiders but we will fight until the last day of the season. I believe everyone can drop points. Let's come back to win our next game first and then see where we stand."