Fulham 2 Chelsea 2

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

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

Chelsea 2 WBA 0

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

Everton 0 Chelsea 0

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

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

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

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

They are not the stars of the show.

More Points Lost To Incompetent Officials

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

Chelsea 1 West Ham 1

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