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.