The Times
March 31, 2008

Ricardo Carvalho claims reward for afternoon of hard labour
Chelsea 1 Middlesbrough 0

Chelsea's grit and determination are keeping them in the title race,
but Sir Alex Ferguson has little to worry about as he heads to the
Eternal City. The Manchester United manager need not waste any of his
prayers on domestic matters and can devote all his attention to his
side's Champions League quarter-final against AS Roma tomorrow.

With a five-point lead and only six matches left, the title is
United's to lose, with Chelsea showing little sign of prising the
trophy from their grasp. Avram Grant's team will have to raise their
game to previously unattained levels if they are to be victorious in
the must-win home match against United on April 26, while a repeat of
this poor performance could lead to defeat in any of their other five
games.

Their first-team coach would not admit as much, but Chelsea need to
win all of their matches to have any hope of winning the title. Having
inherited a troubled team in fifth place, Grant deserves considerable
credit for keeping them in contention for this long, but the feeling
is reminiscent of last season, when Chelsea huffed and puffed to stay
involved before running out of steam at the last as United's superior
class told.

With better finishing from Middlesbrough, Chelsea's hopes could have
been all but extinguished as, after a stupefying first 70 minutes, the
visiting team roused themselves to strike the woodwork three times in
nine minutes.

Afonso Alves was the most culpable, flashing a header wide, hitting a
post with the goal at his mercy and then heading against the bar –
efforts that made Gareth Southgate's claim that it was the Brazilian's
sharpest performance since his £12 million arrival from Heerenveen all
the more worrying.

Southgate continues to impress as an enterprising young manager and it
is reasonable to assume that his game plan did not involve conceding
an early goal, which at Stamford Bridge is the footballing equivalent
of attempting to climb Mount Everest in flip-flops. As the match
programme took great delight in celebrating, Chelsea have not lost a
league match at home for more than four years, so giving them a head
start is not advisable.

As a former central defender, Southgate will have been all the more
frustrated that the only goal of the game, if not quite soft, was
avoidable. Gary O'Neil's foul on Michael Ballack by the left-hand
corner of the penalty area presented Wayne Bridge with an opportunity
to demonstrate his dead-ball skills and with him enjoying a rare
Premier League outing while Ashley Cole rests for the Champions League
quarter-final, first leg against Fenerbahçe on Wednesday, the England
defender duly obliged.

Bridge's free kick eluded all Middlesbrough's defenders, with Ricardo
Carvalho arriving at the far post to head home his first goal of the
season.

Grant took a significant stride forward with his first victory against
a top-four rival by beating Arsenal the previous weekend, but this
could easily have been two steps back as Chelsea struggled against a
team with little to play for.

Mark Schwarzer's only involvement after Carvalho's goal had been
blocking speculative, long-range shots from John Obi Mikel and Michael
Essien until he tipped Salomon Kalou's header over the bar 70 minutes
later, although Shaun Wright-Phillips did provide a perfect
illustration of why he has been dropped from the England squad after
his introduction as a substitute, with two bad misses.

The tone of the afternoon was set by television pictures of a Chelsea
fan asleep on her neighbour's shoulder, but the home team's supporters
were jolted out of their lethargy in the final quarter.
Middlesbrough's revival was sparked by David Wheater, whose long pass
from his own half was missed by the onrushing Carlo Cudicini, giving
Alves the chance to score an open goal, but he missed.

If Chelsea were worried at that stage, they were panicking a few
minutes later when Adam Johnson delivered a free kick into the penalty
area, from which first Alves and then Wheater hit the bar, while the
substitute could have won a penalty when his cross appeared to roll
down the arm of Juliano Belletti. Grant conceded that Chelsea were
fortunate to stay in contention, but to judge from the attendance of
39,993 – Chelsea's second lowest of the season – some fans are losing
the faith.

How they rated

Chelsea (4-3-3): C Cudicini 5 J Belletti Y 5 R Carvalho 6 J Terry 5 W
Bridge 6 M Essien 6 J O Mikel 5 M Ballack 5 J Cole 6 D Drogba 6 S
Kalou 5 Substitutes: S Wright-Phillips 4 (for Ballack, 65min), N
Anelka (for Kalou, 78), Alex (for Drogba, 90). Not used: Hilário, A
Shevchenko. Next: Man City (a).

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): M Schwarzer 6 L Young 5 D Wheater 6 E Pogatetz
5 A Taylor 5 G O'Neil 5 L Cattermole Y 5 G Boateng 5 S Downing 6 J
Aliadière 5 Tuncay Sanli 4 Substitutes: A Alves 5 (for Tuncay, 65min),
A Johnson (for O'Neil, 80), M Shawky (for Cattermole, 90). Not used: R
Turnbull, T McMahon. Next: Man United (h).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Telegraph;

Lucky Chelsea hold out to beat Middlesbrough
By John Ley

Chelsea (1) 1 Middlesbrough (0) 0

If Chelsea win the Premier League title they should dismantle the goal
at the Shed End of Stamford Bridge and reconstruct it in their club
museum, alongside Jose Mourinho's raincoat and Peter Osgood's shirt,
as a standing memorial to the day it earned them three of their most
valuable points.

A week after having to battle back from behind to beat Arsenal, a
below-par Chelsea stuttered to another win, but only after
Middlesbrough succeeded in striking a post and the crossbar three
times in a 10-minute spell late in the second half.

Chelsea returned to second place thanks to an early goal from Ricardo
Carvalho and remain in the pursuit for the title, sitting five points
behind Manchester United with six games to play including, crucially,
the visit of United on April 26. But after the enthusiastic endeavour
and spirit that earned Chelsea their win over Arsenal, they failed to
find any rhythm and, after missing a catalogue of chances, were
fortunate not to concede late on.

Had Afonso Alves, who struck both the right-hand post and the bar
following his introduction as a substitute, or David Wheater, who also
hit the bar, been inches more accurate, Chelsea would now be
contemplating the end of their title challenge. Instead, they fly to
Turkey today ahead of their Champions League game against Fenerbahce,
knowing they are still in the race.

Avram Grant, the Chelsea manager, preferred, understandably, to
consider the points gained rather than the performance. "Is this
wood?" he asked afterwards, grinning and tapping a table, his side's
good fortune not lost on the Israeli. "I cannot say it was our best
game but it was important for us to win rather than the quality of the
football because we are so close to the end of the season. It was a
good win and they were unlucky.

"Man United and Arsenal won yesterday so it was important for us to
win, no matter how. I don't think all the three teams will take all
their points. Since I came here we have chased teams and we've passed
Liverpool and Arsenal. So we need to keep winning and hope that when
United come here, it will still be important."

Chelsea have now taken 37 points from a possible 45 since their last
defeat - at Arsenal in December - so perhaps they can be allowed a
less impressive performance in what was their 79th home game without
defeat in the league.

They began well enough; Didier Drogba had already troubled goalkeeper
Mark Schwarzer when, in the fifth minute, Wayne Bridge's free-kick was
converted by Carvalho's powerful header.

With Middlesbrough dropping deep - their performance in the early
stages described by manager Gareth Southgate as "soft and floppy" -
Chelsea dominated. Drogba went close twice more and then Chelsea
brought on Shaun Wright-Phillips, who made an immediate impact,
sending one effort just wide of the left-hand post before side-footing
over from 12 yards.

Middlesbrough sent on Alves, their £12 million Brazilian, and he
quickly troubled Chelsea's pedestrian defence. After directing a free
header just over, he chased a long ball, saw Carlo Cudicini hesitate
and rolled it against a post.

Chelsea were panicking and soon afterwards Alves struck the woodwork
while David Wheater followed up and did likewise. Chelsea were
becoming rattled and might have conceded a late penalty if referee
Phil Dowd had decreed that Juliano Belletti deliberately handled from
a Stewart Downing cross. "I've seen them given," added Southgate.

Chelsea certainly missed Frank Lampard, absent through illness, but he
should return in Turkey. Middlesbrough, meanwhile, have the chance to
carry their good form in the second half into next weekend's encounter
with United and, in the process, could do Chelsea another favour.
Luck, indeed, may still be on Grant's side.

Man of the match
Wayne Bridge (Chelsea) 8

Set up Chelsea's only goal
Completed 83 per cent of passes
Won all his five tackles
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Mail:

Woodwork keeps edgy Chelsea in the title race
Chelsea 1 Middlesbrough 0

By MATT LAWTON

Never mind the Premier League and a disgraceful decision to reschedule
Chelsea's visit to Goodison Park next month, condemning them to two
games in four days.

Chelsea's players also seem intent on making life as difficult as
possible for themselves.

What should have been an easy victory at Stamford Bridge turned into
something of an ordeal for the final 17 minutes, with only good
fortune to thank for the three points which keep them in a fascinating
title race.

It was extraordinary from the moment Carlo Cudicini rushed out of his
area to challenge Afonso Alves to the split-second when Ricardo
Carvalho appeared to use his arm to deal with a teasing cross from
Stewart Downing.

Even if Middlesbrough's players were not sure, members of their
coaching staff certainly thought it was a penalty.

By then, Boro had hit the Chelsea woodwork three times. Alves did so
first after knocking the ball beyond the careless Cudicini and
striking a long-range shot that bounced back off the post.

Then, in an amazing sequence, Alves squandered another chance by
heading against the bar from a Downing corner from close range. David
Wheater did the same from the rebound before Jeremie Aliadiere blazed
wildly over from two yards out.

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate was left to reflect on the kind
of penalty he said had been given against his side this season, while
counterpart Avram Grant was able to express his relief at the result.

"They were unlucky," admitted Grant. "We controlled the ball, we
controlled the game and we made a good start, and because of that I
think we thought it was going to be easy."

It looked easy for the opening 45 minutes. The goal came after just
six, Carvalho rising above George Boateng to meet a Wayne Bridge
free-kick with a fine header that floated beyond the reach of Mark
Schwarzer, and by the time the interval arrived, Boro seemed ready to
throw in the towel.

"We looked like a team who had turned up just to exchange shirts with
Chelsea at the end," said Southgate.

"But at half-time I told them they should have no regrets."

Southgate had a point. If this was an important match, nobody at
Stamford Bridge appeared to realise, not even the supporters.

They watched in silence, although perhaps in embarrassed silence after
the stick they gave Grant prior to the comeback against Arsenal the
previous weekend.

'You don't know what you're doing,' they had cried. Two more victories
amounts to quite a riposte from the Israeli.

Given Boro's recent performance at Arsenal, this amounted to a good
result and one that could be all the more valuable if Manchester
United drop points at the Riverside on Sunday.

Boro have proved something of a bogey team for United and Alves, for
all his failings in front of goal yesterday, could be quite a handful
now that he has another half-anhour under his belt.

Grant is convinced points will be dropped by all three teams who
remain in the chase for the championship.

"I just can't see anyone taking all the points that are available to
them," he said.

"But we are moving in the right direction. We have been chasing since
I became manager. First we overtook Liverpool, then Arsenal. Now we
are chasing United."

Catch United and the 'flair players' Grant says he wants are bound to follow.

It was interesting yesterday to open the programme and see an
advertisement featuring Kaka. Wishful thinking, perhaps, but the AC
Milan star is a player who features prominently on Grant's wish-list.

Someone with flair as well as the ability to finish would have killed
off Boro long before Cudicini tried to press the self-destruct button.

As it was, opportunities were squandered, not least by Shaun
Wright-Phillips after the winger was sent on as a replacement for
Michael Ballack.

Didier Drogba also threatened, as did Mikel, but Chelsea's failure to
build on the advantage that had been provided by Carvalho gave Boro
cause for optimism.

The goal aside, Southgate's side were defensively strong. Schwarzer
produced one or two important saves and in Wheater they have a young
centre half capable of one day playing for England.

Afterwards he asked permission to enter Chelsea's room to exchange
shirts with Drogba, who was only too happy to oblige.

In the end, Boro impressed going forward as well. Downing created
problems for Chelsea on both flanks, not least against the defensively
inept Juliano Belletti.

"We just need to change the mentality of the club and believe that we
can get results against the big teams," said Southgate. Change it in
time for United on Sunday and the luck might just remain with Chelsea.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Indy:

Chelsea 1 Middlesbrough 0: Chelsea get lost on the way but manage to
stay in title hunt
By Jason Burt
Monday, 31 March 2008

A Sunday lunchtime stroll for Chelsea turned into one of those wild
cross-country rambles in which you get lost, end up frantically
scrambling across muddy fields and through prickly hedges, only to
eventually find your way and get home in one piece. Just. Results are
everything at present which, for Avram Grant, is a very good thing.
For this, after a bright start, was a performance to forget.

Middlesbrough struck the woodwork three times, should have had a
penalty, while Afonso Alves missed with a free header. The blind panic
which appeared to seize Chelsea in the final 20 minutes was
astonishing. Set-pieces, for them, have suddenly provoked a Pavlovian
response of imitating headless chickens. The introduction of Alves,
until now a £12m misfit for Boro, seemed to trigger something in the
visitors which unsettled the home side to such an extent that Grant
was stood with his arms outstretched imploring the referee to blow the
final whistle.

Chelsea will point out that substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips also
wasted three great opportunities during that time but the wildness and
lack of composure he displayed was, in itself, symptomatic of the
collective loss of nerve that spread throughout the team.

In the end they held on to leap-frog Arsenal, reclaim second place in
the table and reduce Manchester United's advantage to five points once
again. Little wonder Grant tapped the wooden table before he sat down
in the press room after the contest to admit that, yes, his team had
been lucky to win and extend their unbeaten league run to 15 matches.

Not that Michael Ballack saw the denouement – unless he was watching
from monitors inside the dressing room. For the second home match
running the German midfielder reacted to being substituted by marching
directly down the tunnel without acknowledging his manager. At least
this time there was not also a chorus directed at Grant of "You don't
know what your doing," (which of course he turned on its head against
Arsenal by winning the game through his changes).

Indeed, there were not many choruses of anything at all. Having scored
in the sixth minute through Ricardo Carvalho's towering header from 14
yards when the central defender lost George Boateng to reach Wayne
Bridge's free-kick after Ballack was fouled, Chelsea threatened to cut
Boro apart and their supporters sat back, ready to admire the
onslaught. The goal was the Portuguese's first of the season and every
Chelsea outfield player must have felt they could increase their own
tally.

It was too easy. Didier Drogba, unmarked, flashed a header beyond the
near post, only a last-ditch tackle by the impressive David Wheater
halted Ballack, while Mark Schwarzer saved smartly with an
outstretched foot when Salomon Kalou cut inside and should have
scored.

No matter. A second goal appeared inevitable and that point appeared
to arrive in the second half when Joe Cole's clever pass inside Boro
left-back Andrew Taylor released Wright-Phillips. It was the winger's
first touch and, clear on goal, he dragged it wide. Another
opportunity arrived, only for Wright-Phillips to woefully sidefoot
Kalou's cut-back. And then another – but this time Wright-Phillips's
shot cannoned off Taylor's back and flew over.

Then Boro's Brazilian substitute suddenly had an effect. Alves is
quick and big – although he does not appear keen to use that strength
and is causing ripples of apprehension among Boro fans that he is a
second Massimo Maccarone. When Alves was picked out by Stewart Downing
he appeared set to break his scoring duck but mistimed his header
completely and glanced the ball wide.

If that was exasperating for Boro, so was the moment when Alves showed
his speed to reach Wheater's punt forward. With Carlo Cudicini out of
his goal and stranded, the striker cut inside but his shot, from 30
yards, struck the post and bounced back into the grateful arms of the
goalkeeper.

Boro's anguish was compounded by an amazing sequence of events soon
after. Downing, increasingly dangerous, sent in a free-kick which was
met by Wheater. The defender's header was headed on by Alves, the ball
slammed against the bar and back to Wheater who also headed against
the bar only for it to fall to Jérémie Aliadière who blazed his shot
over. Astonishing.

An Adam Johnson cross was then controlled by Chelsea's Juliano
Belletti with his chest only for the ball to roll down his arm. It
appeared a penalty but the demands were waved away. At least fortune
favoured one Brazilian yesterday.

Goal: Carvalho (6) 1-0.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cudicini; Belletti, Terry, Carvalho, Bridge; Essien,
Mikel, Ballack (Wright-Phillips, 65); J Cole, Drogba (Alex, 89), Kalou
(Anelka, 78). Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Shevchenko.

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): Schwarzer; Young, Wheater, Pogatetz, Taylor;
O'Neil (Johnson, 80), Cattermole (Shawky, 89), Boateng, Downing;
Tuncay (Alves, 65), Aliadière. Substitutes not used: Turnbull (gk),
McMahon.

Referee: P Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent).

Booked: Chelsea Belletti; Middlesbrough Cattermole.

Man of the match: Wheater.

Attendance: 39,993.

Chelsea's League fixtures

5 April Man City (a)

14 April Wigan (h)

17 April Everton (a)

26 April Man Utd (h)

3 May Newcastle (a)

11 May Bolton (h)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Scrappy Chelsea ride their luck to keep up pursuit

Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge
Monday March 31, 2008
The Guardian

Chelsea's pursuit has been maintained at a stagger rather than a
sprint. Victory here hauled them back up to second, and within five
points of the top, but this display will hardly have had Manchester
United quaking in their boots. Had Afonso Alves brought the form that
inflated his transfer fee as a potent scorer in the Dutch league to
England, then the home side's game of catch-up might have been
rendered hopeless. Regardless, this is a club sensing conspiracy.

The ramifications of the Premier League's decision to bring forward
Chelsea's fixture at Everton by 48 hours to a Thursday night next
month, thereby ensuring the game can be televised on Sky, has whipped
up a sense of injustice. United and Arsenal will have six days between
league fixtures that week.
Avram Grant's side host Wigan on the Monday, on a rival television
channel, then must travel to Goodison Park three days later. "I don't
understand why we need to play then," bemoaned the manager. "It's
unfair. When you are coming to the end of the season, it should be
equal for all the teams involved."

Chelsea make uncomfortable victims but it is hard not to sympathise at
such a farcical schedule. The League points to restrictive European
Commission directives, and the demands of satellite broadcasters, but
common sense appears to have been jettisoned. "It's unfair, what's
happening," added Grant. "We need to fight in any way that we can to
make it a fair decision."

A spokesman for the club insisted the decision had been made solely on
television grounds - ". . . and as a result of the Premier League
board failing to resolve schedule issues between broadcasters" - yet
the League's stance is set in stone. Chelsea will have to put up with
an unnecessary fixture pile-up and hope that momentum is with them at
the time.

It had threatened to drain away here. The ease at which the hosts had
edged ahead, with Ricardo Carvalho rising effortlessly for Wayne
Bridge's free-kick to plant his first goal of the season beyond Mark
Schwarzer with a glorious header, had set a deceptive tone. Chelsea
anticipated a stroll. "We were soft and floppy," conceded Gareth
Southgate of the first-half performance which saw his side sink deep
and allow the home side the freedom of Stamford Bridge. "It was as if
we'd come to admire Chelsea and swap shirts at the end of the game."

Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou might have scored, the former fluffing
a free header, but the contest drifted. Sleepiness set in. The cameras
focused on dozing home supporters in the crowd as if this pocket of
the capital had forgotten that British Summer Time was upon us. It
took Alves' arrival to shrug the sides awake.

The Brazilian was summoned from the substitutes' bench just after the
hour to make his eighth Boro appearance since a £12m mid-winter move
from the Dutch league and Heerenveen. The 27-year-old remains
goalless, though quite how he failed to pilfer his first reward in
England here almost defied belief.

He might have had a hat-trick within 17 minutes of his arrival, first
steering Stewart Downing's excellent cross wide and then beating Carlo
Cudicini to the ball some 30 yards out only to strike the far post
from distance with the goal gaping invitingly. The fragility that has
been evident in recent weeks at the heart of Chelsea's defence
persisted, set pieces suddenly inducing panic. Downing's free-kick
near the corner flag eight minutes from time saw Alves and then David
Wheater nod against the bar in the confusion.

Chelsea could marvel at the escapes. By the time the substitute Adam
Johnson's cross drifted from Juliano Belletti's chest on to hand in
the penalty area, there seemed little chance of the visitors being
awarded the penalty they warranted. Grant's luck was in. "Afonso
looked sharper than he has done previously for us and I can only
compare that shout with the one that was given against us at Aston
Villa, when Luke Young wasn't even looking at the ball," added
Southgate. "It rolled down his arm."

If the flurry of opportunities gleaned in the last quarter suggested
Boro might have deserved their point, then Chelsea could justifiably
point to their dominance in the opening hour. There were occasional
grumblings of frustration at the Chelsea's inability to secure victory
in more swashbuckling manner, Shaun Wright-Phillips blazing horribly
high and wide on two occasions when he might have added a second.

Grant, however, could still depart relatively content in victory. His
predecessor, Jose Mourinho, had won plenty of games as scrappy as this
and was praised for the success he brought to the club. "I cannot say
that was our best game," conceded the Israeli. "But at this stage of
the season it's all about winning."

Man of the match Stewart Downing

The England winger maintained his form from his midweek substitute's
appearance at the Stade de France, offering much needed forward thrust
to Boro's approach

Best moment Drifting to the right to deliver a fine cross that was
flicked wastefully wide by Afonso Alve