The Sunday Times
March 04, 2007

Blues kept in touch by Drogba
Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 2
Duncan Castles at Fratton Park

As the cabal of advisers surrounding Roman Abramovich has discovered,
dispensing with Jose Mourinho is not easy. While Sir Alex Ferguson
will have little time for the schemers, he should understand their
frustrations as he struggles to finally shake off his Portuguese
adversary.

Though Manchester United hold a nine-point lead, the padding may not
be as luxurious as it appears. Chelsea's indefatigable manager has one
match in hand, and another in direct combat with the Scot.

Mourinho's Chelsea have grown used to creating virtue out of
adversity, their survival instincts and bloody-minded resolution
sharpened by an emergency ward's worth of injuries and their owner's
stubborn refusal to sanction reinforcements.

This was neither an exuberant nor a convincing victory, conjured as it
was from an afternoon of scrambled defending and occasional
counter-attacking, but it was, in its own way, impressive.

Having watched United claim a desperately fortunate victory for the
second weekend running, Chelsea could have been forgiven for declaring
the fates against them this season.

Instead they endured, conjured up a quite exquisite opener from Didier
Drogba, worked their way through the second half and cut back United's
advantage once again.

There has been more enforced shuffling of the Chelsea team, with John
Terry injured and John Obi Mikel suspended. Mourinho elected to move
Michael Ballack to the right of his midfield diamond, leaving Arjen
Robben free to roam behind Drogba and Andriy Shevchenko. Ashley Cole
returned after knee ligament damage.

All had watched, and been disappointed by, United's good fortune at
Anfield. Deprived of a third of a first team by injury and Glen
Johnson's contractual ineligibility, Harry Redknapp seemed
half-reliant on Fratton Park's ability to intimidate and unsettle the
unprepared visitor. It had not been something that bothered Chelsea
greatly, having gone 50 years and 20 league meetings without losing to
these opponents.

On a sodden pitch, though, Redknapp's men soon exploited Cole's ring
rust, Gary O'Neil breaking into the space behind the left-back to
deliver a cross, then Lomana LuaLua emulating that to draw an alert
save from Petr Cech.

When Cole manufactured space in the other penalty box he wasted it,
slipping Linvoy Primus adroitly to open up the shot, then chipping
high over David James's crossbar. Chelsea were struggling for both
possession and fluency as the home side forced set pieces and LuaLua
revelled in the greasy conditions and a defence half-full of
midfielders.

Shevchenko and Drogba proceeded to blast balls into the side netting
with teammates better placed, Cech was forced to recover a Lassana
Diarra error at right-back, and Claude Makelele defied the ageing
process to outpace a breaking LuaLua.

Then, on 33 minutes, Drogba, the newly crowned African Player of the
Year, produced the kind of sublime finish that has become a regular
occurrence this season. He broke away from Sol Campbell and his
precise volley left James needing another week for a Premiership
record 141st clean sheet.

Chelsea's defensive worries, however, were far from solved. Pompey
returned to their pressing ways, looking for and finding room behind
Chelsea's full-backs. Switching wings, Matt Taylor cantered down the
right and crossed invitingly, but again Cech was equal to it.

Far more like champions was the way in which they opened the second
half — a swift exchange of passes between Robben and Drogba, putting
the former clean through on a goal whose frame he proceeded to rattle
from acute angle.

Frank Lampard, captain on his 350th league start, attacked James in
the way he has attacked goalkeepers throughout his prodigious career.
Less compelling was Ballack's reluctance to head a well-flighted
Robben cross as Sol Campbell elevated a boot.

With Makelele increasingly influential and superior stamina telling,
Chelsea were exerting more pressure on the home penalty area, but the
chances were not exclusively their own.

On 77 minutes, substitute Andrew Cole headed across Cech, who was
moving away from the ball. Barely believably, Cech managed to turn his
arms around and beat the ball out before throwing himself low to
smother yet another header. Then Chelsea countered, Lampard passing
long, Cole heading on and Salomon Kalou sprinting through to make it
2-0. Ever the fighter, Mourinho has not given up yet.

Star man: Petr Cech (Chelsea)

Player Ratings: Portsmouth: James 5, Pamarot 5, Primus 6, Campbell 5,
Traore 4 (Krancjar 68min), O'Neil 7, Davis 6, Hughes 6, Taylor 6,
LuaLua 7 (Cole 73min), Kanu 6

Chelsea: Cech 8, Diarra 5, Essien 6, Carvalho 6, Cole 5, Makelele 7,
Ballack 4, Robben 7 (Wright-Phillips 76min), Lampard 6, Drogba 7
(Bridge 84min), Shevchenko 6 (Kalou 76min)

Scorers: Chelsea: Drogba 33, Kalou 82

Referee: M Halsey

Attendance: 20,219

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------------------------

Telegraph:


Cech and Drogba keep Chelsea hopes alive
By Duncan White at Fratton Park, Sunday Telegraph

Portsmouth (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 2

In the autumn of any league championship, there is a tendency to grope
for defining moments, to try and pinpoint when a title is won or lost.
John O'Shea's late goal for Manchester United was deemed such a
moment; so was the remarkable act of contortion that Petr Cech
employed to preserve Chelsea's 1-0 lead late in this game.

Chelsea's conviction was eroding in front of the turbulent home
support as Didier Drogba's lone goal suddenly seemed the slightest of
advantages. With Portsmouth intensifying their attacks, Andy Cole, on
as a substitute, met Kanu's cross with a crisp contact on his
forehead. Cech, diving the wrong way, somehow managed to claw the ball
away to keep his goal intact. "Unbelievable world class," muttered
Harry Redknapp.

The victory, made safe by Salomon Kalou's deft late finish eight
minutes from time, means that Chelsea can close to within six points
of the leaders if they win their game in hand. Still, this was a
performance bereft of attacking verve and while Chelsea may keep pace,
they will struggle to close the gap.

"I was asked if Petr Cech had kept us in the title race," said Jose
Mourinho. "I answered with another question: how many points would we
have now if he had not been injured? It is simple: he is the best."
Mourinho's defining moment of the title race clearly did not happen
this weekend. No, it was the moment that Stephen Hunt's knee made
sickening contact with Cech's skull at the Madejski stadium in
November. Being deprived of the world's best goalkeeper for three
months is as much a factor in Chelsea's failings this season as
internal dispute or the continued mediocrity of Andriy Shevchenko.

Cech's importance was in clear evidence here. His slightly erratic
distribution aside he was flawless, denying Kanu with another
remarkable save and exuding an aura of impregnability.

Chelsea's other titan remains Didier Drogba, who is carrying his
team-mates as an attacking force. You can hit him from any angle, at
any trajectory and as long as the ball strays vaguely in his
direction, he will produce a goal. It might be predicable, but it
doesn't make it any easier to stop. With 33 minutes gone Ashley Cole
floated in an optimistic deep cross from the left; Drogba had drifted
away from his markers at the far post and he met the ball o the
volley, guiding it back across goal and into the far corner. It was
another piece of masterful finishing from the Ivorian.

It was a exactly the sort of deft goalmanship that used to be the
proud property of Shevchenko. At a sodden Fratton Park there were few
glimpses of his former glories. Having been put free down the left
channel by Arjen Robben he ineptly mis-crossed into the side-netting.
Shevchenko pointed with defensive desperation to a chunky divot in the
turf. Mourinho hung his head in his hands.

Aside from a late flurry when the game was won, Chelsea created little
in the way of clear chances. Arjen Robben came the closest, striking
the near post after sprinting down the inside left channel but with
Portsmouth closing down at a relentless tempo, Chelsea were made to
look cumbersome. True, there is a brutal efficiency about Mourinho's
team as they solemnly try and maintain pace with United, but no more
than that. There is only so far they can ride on the back of Drogba's
goals and Cech's superhuman reactions.

Match summary
Man of the match: Petr Cech: The Czech goalkeeper had to keep Chelsea
in this game with some outstanding shot-stopping. This was a mediocre
Chelsea performance but Cech is one of the few players who maintained
his high standards. Slightly erratic distribution but otherwise
flawless.
Moment of the match: With Chelsea trying to preserve a 1-0 lead, Sean
Davies crossed from the right for Andy Cole. The Portsmouth substitute
met the ball with a crisp header but Cech, going the wrong direction,
somehow clawed the ball away. Three minutes later Chelsea scored their
second to make the game safe.
Rating: 5/10

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------------------------------------

Indy :

Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 2: Drogba keeps Chelsea in slipstream
Champions beat Portsmouth to stay nine points behind United but time
is running short
By Nick Townsend at Fratton Park

Already given a ticking off by Sir Alex Ferguson for having the
temerity to question the beneficial refereeing decisions he believes
Manchester United have received, the real stinging rebuke for Jose
Mourinho came at a touch after 2.30pm yesterday. It was nothing the
Scot needed to say: John O'Shea's late, late winner at Anfield did it
for him, increasing the leaders' advantage over the champions to 12
points when this contest began.

United may have secured yet another victory from a performance that
probably had not merited it, but as the Chelsea manager would
acknowledge, that's the way titles are won. Or in Mourinho's case,
lost. "The belief is still there," Mourinho insisted. "Anything is
possible if we have all our players fit."

United's triumph could have been a psychologically devastating moment
for his men. But as Chelsea have demonstrated before, they are
prepared to match United's achievements, victory for victory - though
even with a game in hand, and with United still to play at home, you
have to suspect that the deficit may be too great.

The details of this match will not linger long in the memory of the
onlooking Roman Abramovich, save for yet another goal from Didier
Drogba, who thereby brought his season's tally to 29, and a remarkable
performance from Petr Cech. Late on, with the Blues leading 1-0, the
Czech goalkeeper denied the substitute Andrew Cole in spectacular
fashion. He was moving the wrong way, but twisted in mid-air to turn
away the striker's header. Almost immediately, he thwarted Nwankwo
Kanu, too.

It had Mourinho on his feet acclaiming the goalkeeper, who was absent
for three months following the injury suffered at Reading. "With Petr
Cech in goal all season, how many more points would Chelsea have?"
Mourinho reflected.

It may have been the Special One versus The Sexagenarian - Harry
Redknapp having turned 60 on Friday - but there is no footballing
senility about the Pompey manager yet. True, they have faltered, after
being seemingly Europe-bound, but here his team possessed energy, pace
and creative prowess.

In the absence of John Terry, who will also miss the match against
Porto on Tuesday, Mourinho was forced to deploy the ever-versatile
Michael Essien in place of the England captain. At least the Chelsea
manager, recently beset with injury problems, received encouragement
from the return of another England defender, Ashley Cole.

Kanu's aerial presence created an early opportunity for Lomana LuaLua
to examine Cech's reflexes, but the goalkeeper was quickly down to
smother the ball. It was not until midway through the half that the
visitors began to exhibit their superior talents, and the ball began
to flow incisively between them.

One beautiful move culminated with Arjen Robben finding Andriy
Shevchenko. He was presented with an acute angle, but the Ukrainian
fired wide. The home crowd jeered and chanted that he had been a touch
overpriced. But there was silence from the home seats when Drogba
scored after the half-hour. The impressive Robben cut the ball back
for Ashley Cole on the left and the defender's deep cross found
Drogba, who volleyed the ball back across David James.

Portsmouth rallied gamely. An unmarked Matthew Taylor, directly in
front of goal, was so surprised to receive a cross from Noe Pamarot
that the midfielder failed to capitalise. Within seconds of the
restart Robben struck a post before James denied Frank Lampard. But
Andrew Cole came off the bench and headed just wide, and then, from a
Richard Hughes cross, brought that marvellous save from Cech. A Kanu
header also failed to beat the goalkeeper.

Chelsea broke, and Lampard's long ball and Ashley Cole's header on
found the substitute Salomon Kalou. He turned the ball past James and
Mourinho could relax. The title race remains alive. Just.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------------------------

Drogba maintains Chelsea's chase


Amy Lawrence at Fratton Park
Sunday March 4, 2007
The Observer


John O'Shea may be many things, but as far as Chelsea are concerned he
in no way resembles a fat lady singing. Manchester United's snatched
lunchtime win at Anfield might have offered compelling evidence that
the title is bound for Old Trafford. But Didier Drogba and Petr Cech
inspired their team to snap out of it. As long as Drogba continues
lurking with intent and Cech is patrolling the net at the other end,
the champions will not give up without a few dogged results of their
own.

Chelsea achieved this win without their skipper, John Terry, who will
also be missing from Tuesday's Champions League tie against Porto. 'JT
to play against Porto? No chance,' said Jose Mourinho.
Drogba returned from Ghana at 5am on Friday having been crowned
African Footballer of the Year and marked the occasion with his
twenty-ninth goal of the season to set Chelsea on their way. Then Cech
took up the baton with an illustration of match-winning goalkeeping.

He is more than a dependable shot stopper, a point Mourinho raised:
'With Petr Cech in goal all season, how many more points would Chelsea
have?' The Czech's interventions to deny Andrew Cole and Nwankwo Kanu
when Portsmouth raised their game in the second half were
breathtakingly good. Mourinho added: 'We had control of the game for
80 minutes and then for 10 minutes the opposition reacted in front of
their noisy crowd. Petr Cech had to say: "I'm here and I'm the best."
' You could not blame Mourinho for lamenting Cech's three-month
absence with a fractured skull - a period where Chelsea conceded goals
liberally.

This was an occasion for resilience in the face of adversity. Chelsea
began with the look of a team who had spent a couple of hours before
kick-off watching Manchester United's stoppage-time matchwinner at
Anfield on a loop. Flat and sluggish, they provided an open invitation
for Portsmouth to improve on recent form.

Kanu loped up front, an irritation to Chelsea's backline, and his
knock-down teed up Lomana LuaLua for an angled drive. Cech handled it
unfussily.

But for all Portsmouth's early pressure, Chelsea had the cleaner
chances and the man who has been electric in front of goal all season
demonstrated his Midas touch. Once Drogba was picked out by Ashley
Cole's tantalising cross, the master marksman drilled a volley into
the far corner.

Chelsea were bolder in the second half, with Frank Lampard, Andriy
Shevchenko and Arjen Robben - who struck a post - pressing. But
Portsmouth's rally provided a real scare.

Andrew Cole almost provided the classic comeback with two fine headed
opportunities. The first was steered wide, the second denied by Cech's
outstanding reactions as he thrust out a hand in one direction while
his body was moving in the other. The Czech goalkeeper followed that
with another alert save to deny Kanu. Chelsea eased the pressure with
a lightning break. Lampard's hoisted ball was nodded on by Ashley Cole
for Salomon Kalou to accelerate into the penalty area and steer past
David James.

Harry Redknapp duly had little to toast from his own team on the
weekend of his 60th birthday. He even had to reassess his own
prediction that Manchester United would be champions if they beat
Liverpool. 'You've got to favour Man U, and ask yourself when can you
see them losing three games? But Chelsea won't give up, will they?
That man never plays a weakened team!'

Mourinho wouldn't dream of it. Alex Ferguson might tell him to button
his lip and watch out for mind games to come, but Chelsea's boss is in
the mood to fight over every point of the nine that separate England's
top two. 'We have a game in hand and we play against them,' he said
pointedly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------------------------

Mail:

Chelsea in for the long haul after Cech super show
by PATRICK COLLINS

Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 2

As a cold mist descended upon Fratton Park last night, the sounds of
exhausted celebration announced that Chelsea are still clinging to
their Premiership title.

They remain nine points adrift, the task is daunting and Jose Mourinho
expressed it quite starkly: "If we win our match in hand we could be
down to six, so mathematically it is more than possible that we can
catch Manchester United. Anything is possible if we have all our
players."

And then, ruminatively, he enquired: 'How many more points would
Chelsea have if we'd had Petr Cech all season?"

It was a reasonable question, for his goalkeeper had delivered a
performance which not only secured the points but also occasionally
challenged belief.

Within the final 15 minutes, he made one of the finest saves we shall
see all season when the Portsmouth substitute Andy Cole thrust his
head at a cross and Cech, off-balance and reacting like a cat, somehow
knocked it aside. Mourinho came leaping off the bench to applaud his
brilliance.

Moments later, with Portsmouth still chasing the cause, the
inspirational Kanu reached for another header, sent it to the bottom
corner and saw it improbably parried by the finest goalkeeper the
English game has seen since Peter Schmeichel hung up his gloves.
Remove Cech from the equation and all the arguments might now be over.
But then, Chelsea possess so many thoroughbreds that any one of
half-a-dozen is equipped to get them out of trouble. And for long
stretches last evening, they found all the trouble they could handle.

For Portsmouth were impressive. Sure, they had won only once in the
Premiership this year. As for their last victory over Chelsea,
archaeologists dated it at December 1960, in the old League Cup. And
yet they attacked their task like men who had never read the history.

Their passing was briskly incisive, their running resourceful. Sean
Davis and Richard Hughes set the terms of the midfield struggle, while
Kanu was at his most disconcerting at the front. And yet, as that
canny sexagenarian Harry Redknapp later remarked: 'That Chelsea:
they're not champions for nothing, are they?"

Indeed they aren't. For one thing,they are not easily fazed. United's
belated victory in the lunchtime sunshine of Anfield had extended
their lead to 12 points, and as Chelsea's players trotted out into a
squally evening on the South Coast, it must have seemed like a distant
target.

True, they did not lack for encouragement. A platoon of loyalists
assembled on the open terrace, singing in the driving rain. Also,
Roman Abramovich bucked a recent trend by turning up and was seen in
desultory conversation neglected to raise his head and slapped a vapid
volley into the side-netting. In the stands, Mourinho sneered his
disgust.

But, inevitably, the opening goal settled most of the nerves. It came
in the with Portsmouth's owner Alexandre Gaydamark; oligarch to
mini-oligarch. And Chelsea were unnerved. Michael Ballack was largely
ineffective, while Andriy Shevchenko was panic personified when he
broke free on the left, 33rd minute and was instigated by the
invariably excellent Claude Makelele with a sweeping pass.

The ball was worked to Ashley Cole, who floated a long cross. Djimi
Traore defended it haplessly, stooping beneath the ball and allowing
it to fall to Didier Drogba. The volley was fiercely controlled and
flew past David James' right hand into the far corner.

Portsmouth kept faith with their own attacking instincts, and should
have found equality six minutes later, but Noe Pamarot's cross flew at
Matthew Taylor, three yards out, and the chance was miserably missed.
And yet Chelsea could have concluded affairs within a minute of the
second half, as Arjen Robben swapped close passes with Drogba,sliced
through the Portsmouth defence and slapped his drive against the post
and bar.

Redknapp came urgently to the line, arms waving and eyes frantically
blinking. He cannot call upon players of the pedigree of Drogba or
Makelele,but he can persuade ordinary sides that they are something
special. And so he tinkered and exhorted; closing a gap here, opening
a channel there. And his team responded with style and confidence.

But the extraordinary Cech took a hand as the balance was swinging,and
the 82nd minute ended Portsmouth's ambitions.

Frank Lampard played a crossfield pass, Ashley Cole pushed it inside,
James slipped as he advanced and Salomon Kalou,who had arrived three
minutes earlier for the unhappy Shevchenko, accepted the chance.

Manchester United remain the overwhelming favourites, but there is
still a race to be run. And the champions may still have something to
say.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------------------------