The Sunday Times
April 1, 2007

Saviour Kalou rescues Chelsea
Watford 0 Chelsea 1Duncan Castles at Vicarage Road

CHELSEA left it until three minutes into stoppage time before seeing
off a gallant Watford at Vicarage Road.

Salomon Kalou scored with virtually the final kick of the game from
Andriy Shevchenko's cross to at least take the title fight to another
week. While Chelsea's season of internecine conflict has followed a
script of outlandish manufacture, few have accused Watford of losing
touch with reality. Last week brought Aidy Boothroyd's second
anniversary as the club's manager, celebrated according to the
pragmatic northerner with "a couple of sandwiches and a bag of crisps
in the canteen".

If much of his team's football has been of the same economy brand it
has been for understandable reasons. Boothroyd's most effective
striker, Marlon King, was lost to injury in October. His most creative
influence, Ashley Young, sold to Aston Villa in January. Even with
both of them in place for the entire campaign it would have been a
struggle.

If that places Jose Mourinho's struggles in perspective, he had a new
problem to deal with in replacing Arjen Robben, victim of a torn
meniscus last week. Using Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right-hand side
of his midfield diamond did not prove an effective solution at first.

With John Terry knocked to the ground by an unintentional Darius
Henderson elbow in the first minute, the away defence was nervous.
Tommy Smith, playing with unexpected freedom at the head of Watford's
diamond, had a justifiable claim for a penalty when his right-wing
cross was palmed down by John Terry from a distance far enough away to
be avoidable. Nothing more complicated than a Gavin Mahon long throw
provoked a panicked back header that Steve Kabba met with an overhead
kick and Petr Cech parried. Soon Smith was accelerating beyond Terry
and into the area only to be halted by Ricardo Carvalho's fine tackle.
At the corner Chelsea permitted the ball to bobble around the
goalmouth again until Henderson slammed it over the crossbar.

Usually so accustomed in holding possession until their opposition
cedes chances, Chelsea's short passing suffered on the uneven surface
and their long passing lacked accuracy. Opportunities were sparse.
Frank Lampard, broken right wrist in plaster and bandage, forlornly
appealed for a penalty following an edge-of-the-box tangle. Then
Wright-Phillips worked himself into space to shoot at Ben Foster, but
his strike was gathered.

Only with a third of the match gone did the visitors begin to pose a
genuine threat as Lampard headed on for a Didier Drogba volley stymied
by excellent goalkeeping. A minute later Carvalho's ability to summon
the unconventional pass saw him loft the ball on to Michael Ballack's
head for an effort that diced with Foster's upright. An agile double
save was required to foil Ashley Cole and Shevchenko.

The half-time ovation from the yellow section of Vicarage Road was
more intense than that following some Stamford Bridge wins; Mourinho's
interval response was more typical. Off went the ineffective Geremi
and the unusually inattentive Claude Makelele. In came Paulo Ferreira
and Kalou as the coach pushed his diamond from the midfield to the
attack, asking Ballack and Lampard to hold.

It was not immediately effective, the first chance of the half falling
to Watford from another scrappily defended long throw that Kabba
angled wastefully over.

When Smith's sprint on goal and tussle with Ferreira was incorrectly
judged illegal by Uriah Rennie, Mourinho and Boothroyd ended up in
touchline debate. If it was about tactics, Mourinho agreed his weren't
working, bringing Jon Obi Mikel on before the hour mark.

Star man: Salomon Kalou (Chelsea)

Player ratings. Watford: Foster 7, Chambers 6, Shittu 7, DeMerit 7,
Stewart 6, Mahon 7, Francis 6, Rinaldi 6, Smith 7, Henderson 7
(Priskin 69min), Kabba 7 (Bouazza 81min)

Chelsea: Cech 7, Geremi 5 (Ferreira ht 6), Carvalho 6, Terry 5, A Cole
5 (Mikel 58min, 6), Makelele 5 (Kalou ht 7), Wright-Phillips 5,
Lampard 6, Ballack 5, Drogba 5, Shevchenko 5

Scorer: Chelsea: Kalou 90

Referee: U Rennie

Attendance: 19,793
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Chelsea struggling to keep up

By Roy Collins at Vicarage Road, Sunday Telegraph

Watford (0) 0 Chelsea (0) 1

Chelsea seem to be growing weary of the task of continually being
asked to match the feats of Manchester United in an attempt to reel in
their lead at the top of the Premiership. Once again, their pre-match
preparation consisted of watching United struggle, then majestically
recover and stretch their advantage as leaders.

It is draining to have one's emotions continually messed about in such a way.

And it all seems to be taking its toll of Chelsea and their
increasingly tiresome manager Jose Mourinho, who had what is now
becoming his usual touchline spat with the opposing coach, he and
Adrian Boothroyd jabbing fingers at one another after disputing a
decision while fourth official Andy Woolmer tried to calm them down.

Any manager, or long-distance runner for that matter, will tell you
that it is doubly tiring to have to cover a front runner's every move
while maintaining enough reserves of energy for a sprint in the
finishing straight. Chelsea at least found a final ounce of energy in
time added on for Salomon Kalou to head a winner from Andrei
Shevchenko's cross.

It was a totally undeserved victory against a Watford side who battled
all afternoon and missed a host of chances to claim what would have
been a triumph they would have talked about for years.

For much of the afternoon, it seemed that Chelsea were finally going
to benefit from the United slip-up they have prayed so long for to
turn the war of attrition at the top of the Premiership into a true
title race. But as this game limped into overtime it seemed that it
was Chelsea, having matched United's run of six successive league wins
before yesterday, who had blinked first.

A blink? Chelsea fans were struggling to keep their eyes open to watch
when substitute Kalou finally found a winner.

To make it even more painful for Watford, the goal came minutes after
a save by Petr Cech from Damien Francis had kept Chelsea in it.

Watford had similarly found their position worsened in the hours
before kick-off when West Ham and Charlton both won but seeing that
they were already 10 points from safety it was largely irrelevant.
Given that situation, they have little choice but to throw the kitchen
sink at everyone they play in their final Premiership games of the
season, even if they are the two times champions of England.

While the likes of John Terry, Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard had been
enjoying, perhaps not the right word, a spot of international duty
with England over the past 10 days, Watford's players had enjoyed a
welcome rest.

They certainly came out the fresher, Steve Kabba trying an overhead
kick that flew too close for Chelsea's comfort, Darius Henderson
cracking one over and Douglas Rinaldi running 50 yards before
squirting a shot wide.

All this by the 13th minute, as well as an unintentional forehand
smash by Henderson into the side of Terry's head which brought back
memories of his horrific injury in the Carling Cup final against
Arsenal. Fortunately, on this occasion, he was soon fit to continue.

Chelsea under Mourinho, of course, have always had the patient
approach of Fletch in Porridge, "bide your time, son, bide your time".

Sure enough, a chance fell to Didier Drogba only a few yards out which
Ben Foster saved with his left foot and he later repelled a Cole cross
in the same manner.

Mourinho clearly did not like what he saw in the opening 45 minutes
and sent on Paulo Ferreira and Kalou for Geremi and Claude Makelele,
the latter once one of his untouchables.

Mourinho lasted only another impatient 13 minutes before sending on
Jon Obi Mikel for Cole to facilitate a tactical switch to a more
attacking 3-5-2.

He wanted the points wrapped up as swiftly as possible so that his
side could start concentrating on Wednesday's Champions League
quarter-final first leg against Valencia. Yet it was Watford who
spurned a gilt-edged opportunity when Kabba shot wide from six yards,
though the real drama was yet to unfold.

Match summary
Man of the match: Jay DeMerit: Some magnificent last-ditch tackles to
keep his team in the game. Did not deserve to be on the losing side
and must have taken the late goal as a personal insult.
Moment of the match: A wonderful one-handed save by Petr Cech from
Damien Francis, minutes before Chelsea's winner. As Jose Mourinho
said: "We had belief, attitude and the 'keeper."
Rating: 7/10
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Indy:
Watford 0 Chelsea 1: Last-gasp Kalou heads off the Chelsea concession
By Steve Tongue at Vicarage Road

The home crowd's chants directed at Jose Mourinho predicted, "You're
getting sacked in the summer". If so, this game illustrated why. Roman
Abramovich, the man likely to administer the chop, sat glumly watching
a thoroughly uninspiring performance that on the balance of chances
created could even have brought an embarrassing defeat.

Then, in added time, Salomon Kalou, one of three substitutes brought
on in the first hour by a dissatisfied Mourinho, headed an undeserved
winning goal to peg Manchester United back to a six-point lead again.
Until that moment Watford, rooted to the bottom of the table and
surely doomed, were set to remember this as one of the more enjoyable
days of their Premiership adventure.

What can be said for Mourinho is that he does all he can from the
sidelines. Having started looking hands-in-pockets relaxed in the
sunshine, he quickly grew restive at Chelsea's failure to seize
control, changing the system at half-time with two substitutions, then
changing it again within 15 minutes.

This would not be a man to stand by and hope for the best while an
England team struggled against opposition such as Israel and Andorra.

"The only good things we had today were attitude, belief and the
keeper [Petr Cech]," Mourinho said. "Maybe it's a little unfair on
Watford but our belief deserved that little bit of luck. If you have
to die, it's better to die giving everything." But he is not yet ready
for a funeral, claiming: "I can see United dropping six points."

For an hour before they kicked off, Chelsea had hoped against hope
that two or even three of those points might be surrendered to
Blackburn at Old Trafford. By half past four, however, the pressure
was back on and the response was poor.

It took more than half an hour to force Watford's goalkeeper Ben
Foster - acclaimed by the home crowd as "England's No 1" despite being
beaten by Paul Robinson at White Hart Lane two weeks ago - into a
serious save. He did well to stop Didier Drogba's shot with a foot
after the Ivorian swivelled smartly on to Frank Lampard's downward
header.

By the time additional time was signalled, however, Foster's only
other work involved a more orthodox save from Andriy Shevchenko. Then
Michael Ballack made his one significant contribution of the
afternoon, winning a tackle to help set up Shevchenko on the right.
The cross was perfect for Kalou to nod in at the far post and keep the
Premiership race alive - albeit on life-support. Missing Arjen Robben,
injured playing for Holland in midweek to his manager's frustration,
Chelsea took the narrow option, playing Shaun Wright-Phillips but
initially using him and Lampard as the widest points of a diamond
which was not very wide at all. The full-backs were supposed to supply
the genuine width, but Gérémi and Ashley Cole were disconcerted to
discover how much defensive work was demanded of them as Watford
pressed forward with uncomplicated vigour.

John Terry found an uncomfortable week continuing when he was laid out
in the first minute. Soon afterwards, Steve Kabba's imaginative
overhead kick was well saved by Cech. Douglas Rinaldi, a Brazilian on
his full debut, raced past Chelsea's two central defenders before
Ricardo Carvalho recovered to concede a corner and Darius Henderson
struck a fierce volley just over the bar.

Paulo Ferreira and Kalou duly appeared for the second half and soon
Jon Obi Mikel came on as Chelsea switched to a back-three. In between
times Watford should have scored, Kabba shooting wide from six yards
following a long throw. It took another fine save by Cech to deny
Damien Francis from a late corner before the dramatic final act.
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Can-do Kalou rises in extra time to give Chelsea the edge

Stuart Barnes at Vicarage Road
Sunday April 1, 2007
The Observer

Jose Mourinho considered the question for a few seconds. 'If you
hadn't won, would that have been it?' he was asked after Salomon
Kalou's stoppage- time header had got his side out of jail.
The Chelsea manager nodded, paused then declared: 'Yes. Mathematically
it would have been possible. That is the law and we have to respect
it. But eight or even nine points - it is almost done.'

Kalou struck in the 92nd minute to paper over a performance lacking
shape and substance but containing one vital quality, a never-say-die
attitude, that ruined all the commitment and hard work Watford had
poured into the game. The goal kept their team six points behind
Manchester United - a gap Mourinho insists United can lose. 'Three
points against Chelsea and other results going against them,' he said.

'The only good things today were attitude, belief and the keeper.
After that it was difficult to find the pace of the game. Watford
pressed hard and the pitch was not good.
'Maybe it was unfair on them because of the way they fought. But we
kept going. I gambled everything because if you are going to die it is
better you die by giving everything.'

Mourinho risked late Watford counters against his three-man defence
and only a point-blank save by Petr Cech from Damien Francis two
minutes from the end of normal time prevented his worst fear from
being confirmed.

'This was a big step forward for us,' said the Watford manager Aidy
Boothroyd. 'The last time we played them the team were in awe - they
almost went autograph hunting. This time they stood up and could have
won it.

'The result is disappointing, but if you don't score you always run
the risk of conceding one, particularly against a champion team like
Chelsea.'

The result leaves Watford needing a miracle, although Boothroyd has
not thrown in the towel. 'The other results haven't helped us, but we
shall try to finish the season as strongly as we can and see where it
takes us,' he said.

Boothroyd, who took over two years ago and continues to maintain that
the club are building for the future, made six changes and gave a
first Premiership start to on-loan Brazilian midfielder Douglas
Rinaldi.

Darius Henderson and Steve Kabba were two of the players restored to
the home side - and were responsible for giving Chelsea an
uncomfortable start which set the pattern for the match.

Henderson's aerial challenge left John Terry flat out and needing
attention. Then, from another corner, Kabba's overhead volley had to
be tipped over by Cech. Ben Foster more than matched his opposite
number by saving from Didier Drogba with his legs, then made a double
stop from Ashley Cole and Andriy Shevchenko.

Mourinho shuffled his pack after the break. But they struggled to
contest another corner which fell to Steve Kabba, who slashed his shot
wide when a steadier application was called for.

Foster saved from Michael Ballack, while Jay DeMerit made a vital
tackle as Frank Lampard, playing with a lightweight cast to protect a
hairline fracture of his right wrist, took aim from close in.

But neither could do much as Chelsea fashioned their most incisive
passing movement of the evening, a succession of passes that ended
with Shevchenko delivering a precise cross and substitute Kalou
stealing in for a glancing header.

Terry said: 'They were hungrier than us in the first half. But I
always fancied us to nick one. It would have been over if we hadn't.'

Mourinho couldn't resist a dig at two changes of referee for the match
- Mike Riley, Mike Dean and eventually Uriah Rennie - or hide his
annoyance at what he claims is having to follow in United's lunchtime
footsteps.

'We don't have the chance very often to cut their lead and put the
pressure on them,' he said.

Man of the match Ben Foster

The Watford goalkeeper enhanced his England credentials with sharp
reflexes and excellent shot stopping. If Foster has a weakness it is a
lack of authority at times with crosses, but he is clearly destined
for big things.
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Mail:
Kalou rises to the challenge
Watford 0 1 Chelsea

The game was going, the title all but gone. Manchester United had
teased them earlier in the day by falling behind to Blackburn but
recovered to re-establish daylight at the top.

Bottom-club Watford had battered them, deserving a point that would
leave Chelsea finally cracking under the pressure of playing catch-up.

Two minutes of added time having passed, Michael Ballack stretched out
a tired leg to win the ball. Andriy Shevchenko swung in a final
cross.And Salomon Kalou rose one last time to glance home a header.
Dramatically, daringly and fortunately, Chelsea had poached a precious
seventh consecutive Premiership win.

The gap remains six points and a relieved Jose Mourinho,who had dared
to win the game by throwing on attackers, believes United can still
throw away their lead.

"Three to Chelsea and three from the moon," he said. "They can have
one bad game or maybe two draws."

He conceded that his side of weary internationals had not performed to
their capabilities. "The only good things we had were the attitude,
the belief and the goalkeeper."

Kalou's goal was cruel for Watford, gritty though often
over-physical,who now look doomed to relegation. They, too, needed a
win from a fiery, feisty encounter in which the home side were
determined to ruffle the preened feathers of the champions. Chelsea
took exception to some of their challenges and the leniency of referee
Uriah Rennie.

At one point in the second half, the two managers had to be separated
by the fourth official as they traded angry words, although peace and
smiles prevailed in the end.

"This was a big step forward for us," said the Watford manager Aidy
Boothroyd. "We are disappointed with the result but the last time we
played them we were awe-struck autograph hunters. This was a manful
performance but if you don't take your chances that's what happens."

It should have been a huge mismatch between rich and comparatively
poor, with Watford having won only three league games all season — the
same number as Chelsea have lost.

As expected, Frank Lampard was fit to play after a wrist break on
England duty — as he might well have been in midweek against Andorra —
with a plaster cast protecting the injury. In the absence of Arjen
Robben, likely to miss the rest of the season after picking up an
injury while with Holland, Shaun Wright-Phillips was given a rare
start.

Boothroyd had clearly done his homework, employing a midfield diamond
to match Chelsea's. With the help of some robust tactics that had
Mourinho shaking his head, they gave the champions a torrid welcome to
Vicarage Road.

John Terry was poleaxed within a minute by a forearm from the muscular
Darius Henderson and Ashley Cole floored by a late challenge from
Damien Francis. Francis was justly booked, but it was the only time
referee Rennie took firm action. Aside from these incidents, Watford
also disturbed a wobbly Chelsea with some more acceptable tactics.

Tommy Smith thought he should have had a penalty when a cross hit
Terry's arm — although Chelsea also claimed one when Gavin Mahon
brought down Lampard — and Petr Cech had to be alert to tip away an
overhead kick from Steve Kabba.

Gradually, Chelsea imposed some order on proceedings. Ben Foster was
his customary alert self in pushing away a shot on the turn by Didier
Drogba after Lampard's header had found him in space, then Ballack
headed Carvalho's cross just wide. Jordan Stewart also rescued a
stretched defence by kicking Andriy Shevchenko's shot off the line.

Still goalless and not one to let things drift, Mourinho sent his side
out several minutes early for the start of the second half as if to
impress on them a sense of urgency. He also made two changes to give
Chelsea a more attacking look, Paulo Ferreira replacing Geremi and
Kalou on for Claude Makelele.

It opened up the game.Watford might have had the lead when Henderson
turned on a long throw to supply Kabba — Chelsea again looked
uncomfortable under the high ball — but he sliced his shot from just
eight yards horribly wide.

This prompted Mourinho to make another change, John Obi Mikel
replacing Cole to seal a midfield hole as Chelsea converted to a back
three. It meant they had used all three substitutes with less than an
hour of the game gone.

Now the match grew stretched as both sides chased three points.
Watford had a chance to win the game when the admirable Cech kept out
Francis's volley at his near post, then Kalou finally struck.

Mourinho's gamble had paid off to prove that late winners are not
Manchester United's sole preserve.
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