The Sunday Times
November 25, 2007

Red card for fiery Michael Essien
Derby 0 Chelsea 2
John Aizlewood at Pride Park

They say there are no easy games in the Premier League. As most of Derby County's opponents this season have discovered, sometimes there are. This game, though, was different and this was a performance upon which they can build, although for all their winning endeavour, they still do not know how to win or even score, even if referee Andre Marriner's decision to disallow Kenny Miller's 65th-minute strike for offside when they were only a solitary goal in arrears was incorrect.

A stoppage-time red card for Michael Essien, on as a 75th-minute substitute for Steve Sidwell, for an ugly elbow on Miller soured Chelsea's night, and drew from the manager, Avram Grant, a claim referees may be making easy pickings of his players.

"I have a feeling we are easy targets in the way they give us red cards," Grant said. "Since I came here we have had three red cards, two that were absolutely not."

Chelsea, though, will be satisfied with their evening's work. They came to town, picked some of their more peripheral superstars and won with clinical endeavour. The three points only kept them in the fourth place that Liverpool briefly prised from them at lunchtime, but the Stamford Bridge machine is beginning to crank itself up again.

September seems so long ago, but back then few would have given Grant much hope of not merely holding the dam that seemed about to break around Stamford Bridge after Jose Mourinho's departure, but of rebuilding the entire reservoir. Grant's first-game defeat at Old Trafford was followed by an unbeaten 11-match run of mostly swashbuckling victories.

Already, the Special One has been cast into the vaults of Stamford Bridge history, his folk memory gaining a sepia hue to match that of Roy Bentley, Charlie Cooke and Roberto Di Matteo. Chelsea rolled north yesterday without Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and Roberto Carvalho, but buoyed by the return of John Terry - three days too late, some might muse - and Joe Cole, albeit only as far as the bench where he smouldered alongside Essien, such was Grant's confidence in his fringe players, a description that now - as it did under Mourinho – includes Andriy Shevchenko.

In glum contrast, Derby kicked off not having scored in eight hours and 41 minutes of Premier League football. A debacle at home to West Ham United before the international break had left them marooned firmly at the bottom of the table, licking wounds that are already seen by some as mortal. With centre-backs Claude Davis and Dean Leacock recovered from injuries, manager Billy Davies tinkered yet again, utilising Leacock in front of that leaky defence, a role, curiously, Jon Obi Mikel fulfilled for Chelsea, although Mikel's role was to start attacks rather than bolster defence.

Derby started eagerly, Craig Fagan trying to pick a Chelsea pocket or two and Giles Barnes matching his youthful gusto with a worldlywise way. Indeed, for the first 10 minutes, they were the more enterprising team. Chelsea – whose England players, even the Terry and Ashley Cole – were at sixes and sevens with Shevchenko again playing like a man with legs of lead. Then, 17 minutes in, they attacked and scored.

Mikel found Frank Lampard – the butt of the loudest jeers every time he touched the ball, and resoundingly booed off when substituted in the 89th minute – whose neat through-ball reached Sidwell. As Derby back-pedalled, too late and too slowly seeing the crisis developing around them, Salomon Kalou nipped in to tuck imperiously past Stephen Bywater. As the ball nestled in Bywater's net, the hitherto fervid atmosphere evaporated into the drizzle and you sensed, even at this early stage, that Derby's moment had already gone.

Soon, Bywater was making a thrilling, flying save from the industrious Shaun Wright-Phillips after Andy Griffin had been too easily outpaced and Kalou missed the most straightforward of chances when he ballooned over from almost under the bar after Davis had rashly nodded Wright-Phillips's cross into his path. Indeed, Chelsea had already began to give the impression they were thinking more of Rosenborg on Wednesday than the second half and by the end of the first, they were controlling the game at walking pace.

In the second, Chelsea's remit was clearly to keep slowing the game down; Derby's to raise the tempo as, when and however they could. Miller whipped a 48th-minute shot past Carlo Cudicini and the far post, but the Italian was finally tested when he dived to save Craig Fagan's drive. Even so, for all their menacing flurries, the home side could never quite generate a head of steam. The clincher began when Shevchenko scythed through the back of Barnes's ankles. As Barnes lay prostrate, Marriner waved play on, Lampard ran through to shoot against the post and the rebound fell perfectly to Wright-Phillips, who poked home.

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Telegraph:

Wright-Phillips has last laugh at Derby
By Nick Alexander

Derby County (0) 0 Chelsea (1) 2

Shaun Wright-Phillips scored his first goal for Chelsea for seven months to silence the Derby boo-boys who had turned on the Blues' England contingent.

Wright-Phillips, Frank Lampard and returning captain John Terry were all jeered and taunted after England's abject failure to qualify for Euro 2008.

But after Salomon Kalou had fired home the 17th-minute opener at Pride Park, Wright-Phillips sealed the points in the 73rd minute to send Chelsea up to fourth in the Barclays Premier League.

With fellow centre-back Ricardo Carvalho out for four weeks with a back injury, manager Avram Grant pressed Terry, returning as captain after seven weeks out after knee surgery, into service a few days earlier than he would have liked.

Grant was without Didier Drogba after the striker sustained a knee injury on international duty with the Ivory Coast, resulting in a forward pairing of Andriy Shevchenko and Kalou.

Derby boss Billy Davies recalled centre-backs Claude Davis and Dean Leacock after both missed the Rams' 5-0 mauling at home to West Ham.

Terry at least looked fit as he made a number of cool, calm and telling contributions in the opening exchanges.

Lampard had the game's first opportunity in the 15th minute, but he blazed a 22-yard right-foot shot over the bar, much to the delight of the home faithful who greeted his effort with derision.

But their scorn was soon stifled as the visitors sliced open Derby's back four to take the lead via Kalou's fifth goal of the season.

Mikel Jon Obi, Shevchenko and Steve Sidwell all played their part, with the latter sliding a ball into the path of Kalou, who passed a low shot into the net beyond Stephen Bywater.

When Derby created their opening chance in the 27th minute as Giles Barnes teed up David Jones, it came as no surprise Terry was on hand to provide the necessary block.

The rebound fell to Jay McEveley, but he ballooned a long-range shot over the bar, failing to trouble Carlo Cudicini, standing in for Petr Cech, out with a calf injury.

Wright-Phillips then came close to personally silencing the Derby boo-boys, only to be denied by a fingertip save from Bywater as he turned away a 25-yard drive.

It should have been 2-0 just over six minutes from the break as Davis nodded a Wright-Phillips cross down into the path of Kalou.

But the 22-year-old failed to accept the gift, inexcusably not even testing Bywater as he side-footed Davis' gaffe over the bar from six yards.

The home side offered a semblance of hope that the second period would not be so one-sided when captain Matt Oakley drove a right-foot shot through the six-yard box in the 47th minute.

That was swiftly followed by a Lampard free-kick from wide on the left wing which was tipped wide by Bywater, with his effort taken under appalling provocation from the Derby fans. But they were at least raising their own players as Cudicini finally made a save after 50 minutes, pawing away a Fagan drive.

Miller had the ball in the back of the net in the 65th minute, looping a fine shot over Cudicini after taking a Leacock pass on his chest, only for the assistant referee's flag to wrongly intervene.

Wright-Phillips then tapped home the decisive second after Lampard hit the post.

That was much to Davies' fury as Barnes was tackled from behind by Shevchenko and lay injured as Lampard then strode into the area.

The game ended in contentious circumstances, substitute Michael Essien dismissed for flailing his arm into the face of Miller.
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Indy:

Derby County 0 Chelsea 2: Blues cruise to victory but Essien red card spoils day
Kalou and Wright-Phillips hit the target to finish off hopeless Derby
By Ronald Atkin at Pride Park
 
Not a sniff of a goal for nine hours now as Derby sink ever deeper into the relegation ooze, but at least there was a scalp for them to celebrate here with the straight red card dismissal in added time of Chelsea's substitute Michael Essien for a hand into the face of Kenny Miller. The Essien incident marred an otherwise comfortable evening's stroll for Chelsea, who closed the gap on Manchester United while still fielding a side with an eye on their Champions' League trip to Rosenborg in Wednesday.

The midfielder will not miss the trip to Norway but is suspended for the next three Premier League games as a result of a completely unnecessary foul with the game as good as over.

For Derby's manager, Billy Davies, the situation is even more dire. There were rumours before this game that he had two more matches to save his job and afterwards, calling for major investment in new blood in the January window, he admitted, "The team we have at the moment is not good enough to stay in the League. They have done a magnificent job but they need to see players walking through the door with the special technique needed to play at this level."

The record to date hardly qualifies as "magnificent": one win, six points and just five goals from 14 matches this season. Derby rarely looked capable of improving on those dismal statistics, though Davies insisted that a Miller chip in the second half, greeted by a raised offside flag, was in fact a genuine goal, perhaps the sort of ill-luck which dogs teams in these straits.

Avram Grant, presiding over his 12th game without defeat since stepping into Jose Mourinho's shoes, denied he was stamping his personality on the team. "I just wanted to do my job from the first day, and it was not easy," he said.

But he was as close to indignant as it is possible for this quietly spoken Israeli to get when he complained: "I won't say anything to Essien. We are an easy target for red cards." It was their third this season.

While not as humiliating as the five-goal hammering by West Ham in their last home game, Derby rarely showed any vestige of decent combination. A three-pass move was a rarity and Chelsea needed less than a quarter of an hour to suss out that this would be one of their easier outings. At that point they scored, having – not by any means for the first time – pene-trated Derby's porous central defence with a simply delivered ball down the middle.

Steve Sidwell, making one of his rare starts, was the provider and Salomon Kalou supplied the sidefooted finish. Chelsea made light of the booing that greeted every touch by Frank Lampard and Shaun Wright-Phillips, who had been on the Wembley pitch last Wednesday, and John Terry and Ashley Cole, who had not. Grant had advised his players beforehand to "put it behind you", adding:, "What happened for them on Wednesday was some kind of tragedy, but they know life goes on."

In their lollipop-man fluorescent yellow strip, Chelsea were clearly content that if boos were the worst part of this game they could handle it comfortably, as they did.

Terry, having missed seven games with knee trouble, was back to captain the side with customary authority and Carlo Cudicini, standing in for the injured Petr Cech, did not have a shot to handle in the first half.

A few Davies verbals at the interval clearly pepped Derby for the second half, when they should have been at least two goals behind. Kalou, benefiting when Claude Davis misheaded a Wright-Phillips cross on to his boots, shovelled a miserable effort over the top and Stephen Bywater made one excellent save from Wright-Phillips.

For a while, a very short while, it seemed a price might be paid for those misses as Craig Fagan brought a low save from Cudicini at his near post before Miller's "offside" chip, but any Chelsea nerves were settled in the 72 minute by a second goal which Derby hotly disputed.

Andriy Shevchenko, in his one notable contribution to the match, brought down Giles Barnes from behind just outside the centre circle, and with the Derby man lying injured Chelsea surged forward, Lampard struck a post and Wright-Phillips buried the rebound.

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Davies rages at Derby dilemma

Jamie Jackson at Pride Park
Sunday November 25, 2007
The Observer

Chelsea will take the three easy points from this outing against dire opposition, but will be cursing the straight arm that late substitute Michael Essien offered Kenny Miller in added time. The Ghana midfielder was sent off and Avram Grant faces the loss of a key player for three games. It was clumsy from Essien, but at least Chelsea fans wake up this morning to see their team just two points behind champions Manchester United, who lost at Bolton.

If that means the Premier League title race is very much back on in west London, there seems a little trouble brewing at Pride Park judging by the remarks of the Derby manager, Billy Davies, who had a go at his team - 'they're not good enough' - and the new chairman, Adam Pearson: 'I have not spoken to him for three weeks, but it would be nice if I could see him before Christmas.'
Before kick-off Pearson had chosen his third match since replacing Peter Gadsby as chairman to arch his back, though he had a differing target. 'There have been a lot of comments in relation to Disney of late which I am sure journalists have loved and it was very easy copy for them. I do feel however that the last laugh will be ours, if we can secure significant overseas investment and still align it to local stewardship. This club has too much heritage and tradition to be the butt of cheap jibes.'

The idea that the company fronted by the mouse with the big ears could hook up with the club of Brian Clough, Dave Mackay and Roy McFarland will always sound like a half-decent yarn. So it is questionable if writing about it in programme notes is the best way to silence the hacks.

Investment was also precisely the word that peppered Davies' hardly disguised rant at his chairman. Here is a flavour: 'To compete in this league and at this level you need investment in players. We have to invest in the playing staff. I haven't spoken to the new chairman in three weeks' - which seemed a staggering admission - 'because he's a busy man who does things different to the ex-chairman. But it would be nice to meet up soon.

'The club received £50 million from winning the play-off [final] against West Brom, we have average gates of 33,000, and record season-ticket sales. Everybody at this club must see we need,' he said, offering the word one more time, 'cash investment in players.'

Is he, then, frustrated at never having set eyes on the man with the purse strings. 'Oh no, its not frustration,' Davies said, with an admirable straight face, before he was off again. 'But to compete at this level you have to invest in players. It would be nice if I could have a word with the chairman.' Pearson, though, may well feel like doing a Tom Hicks, the Liverpool co-owner, and informing his manager exactly who is in charge.

As for the Derby players, what will they make of this? 'The team is not good enough for the Premier League,' said Davies. 'That's no reflection or disrespect to the players. They know that. They're not good enough.' Maybe, but telling the world may not be wise man-management.

Grant, meanwhile, also did his bit to maintain the idea that managers are sane, intelligent and right-minded folk when asked about Essien's red card. 'I don't like to speak against the referee,' he began, announcing that he was about to do precisely that. 'But he [Andre Marriner] is in his first year [actually his fourth as a Premier League referee] and we are an easy target. 'It happened against Fulham and Manchester United [Didier Drogba and John Obi Mikel were sent off] and it cost us points.'

When it was suggested that Essien had clearly stuck an arm out, Grant came up with the following: 'The uniforms have no pockets so [players] have to put their hands out like this.'

Grant said he would take another look at it, but confirmed the club would probably appeal. Davies, meanwhile, had seen again the incident 64 minutes in when Miller lobbed Carlo Cudicini but was ruled offside. 'I know he was onside,' he said, and Davies did seem to have a point.

Derby had huffed and puffed throughout, but it always appeared Chelsea's three points. Their opener came from a dazzling move that began when Mikel found Frank Lampard - booed along with his England colleagues throughout - who instantly turned it across midfield to Steve Sidwell. His pass to Salomon Kalou allowed the striker to run and finish inside the area.

The clincher arrived after 73 minutes. Andriy Shevchenko had been anonymous as he can be. But when he lost possession, the striker made an impressive recovery to slide in on the ball and Giles Barnes. While the home fans howled at the referee to blow for a foul - it seemed a fair enough challenge - Lampard collected, advanced, and hit the post. Shaun Wright-Phillips was calm enough to finish.
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Mail:

Essien red card takes the gloss off smooth riposte from Chelsea
Derby 0 Chelsea 2

By IAN RIDLEY

Avram Grant's brief of turning Chelsea into the entertainers of England will have to be put on hold until those days when players are not wearied or deflated by international double-headers, nor harried and chased by relegation candidates with bile and bite as their main weapons.

The only blot on a smooth win yesterday came in added time when substitute Michael Essien was sent off for swinging an arm at Kenny Miller. Otherwise, Chelsea were efficient and adequate, with goals by Salomon Kalou and Shaun Wright-Phillips enough to keep them in the top-four hunt.

As for Derby, they lamented two moments that went against them. First Miller was denied a potential equaliser by an offside flag, then Giles Barnes was floored in the build-up to Chelsea's second.

Even well below full-strength and their best, Chelsea were value enough for their 12th game unbeaten in all competitions under new manager Grant.

In keeping with the theme of the day, the England players on view were roundly jeered. Derby fans' venom was particularly spiteful.

"You're not fit to wear the shirt," they sang at Wright- Phillips and Frank Lampard, who may not have had his best game for England but at least had the courage to convert the penalty. John Terry and Ashley Cole, absent against Croatia but fit to return for Chelsea, presented a bit of a problem. The crowd settled for: "Where were you on Wednesday night?"

It may have contributed to a subdued Chelsea start, though the absence of Didier Drogba, who had injured a knee on duty for Ivory Coast, was probably a more significant factor as they adjusted to playing with Andriy Shevchenko as central striker.

Even with Ricardo Carvalho injured and Essien and Joe Cole on the bench, Chelsea had far too many weapons for Derby.

Lampard did not seem especially concerned by the ridicule he received after sending a shot over the bar. Within a minute he instigated the move that ended with Steve Sidwell slipping a ball into Kalou, darting through the gaping Derby central defence, Chelsea's other Ivorian tucking the ball neatly past Stephen Bywater.

Kalou should have doubled the lead before half-time. Wright- Phillips, revelling in more accommodating opposition than the Croatians, floated in a cross from the left and Claude Davis horrendously headed the ball straight down on the edge of the Derby six-yard box. Kalou, unaccountably, fired over.

It would have been fair reflection of the balance of play, with Derby exhibiting the English disease, not good enough to retain possession for long enough to carve out clear-cut chances or sustain pressure.

Talented teenager Barnes did offer hope but he was too often isolated. When David Jones found Barnes, he in turn supplied Craig Fagan in space on the right but the drilled shot was wide.

Derby rarely tested Carlo Cudicini, deputising for the injured Petr Cech, aside from a Fagan shot pushed away and the Miller lobbed finish which was controversially ruled out.

Then when Barnes was caught in possession near halfway by Shevchenko, referee Andre Marriner waved play on, Lampard went on to hit a post and a kind rebound allowed Wright-Phillips to tap home.