The Times

Chelsea embrace new work ethic to break the resistance of Hart’s men

Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 1

Matt Hughes, Deputy Football Correspondent

Like his fabled young compatriot who stuck his finger in the dyke,
Guus Hiddink does not shirk from seemingly impossible tasks. On his
first day at Chelsea, the interim manager boldly announced that his
side could catch Manchester United at the top of the Barclays Premier
League and three weeks later they are hovering on their shoulder after
three successive wins.

Sir Alex Ferguson will not have been too perturbed as he watched this
stuttering Chelsea performance at a hotel in Newcastle before this
evening’s engagement at St James’ Park, but the United manager will
have recognised their fighting spirit. Like the Scot, Hiddink has the
ability to imbue his players with an indomitable will to win and they
needed it in dreadful conditions on a sodden South Coast, Didier
Drogba settling a match that appeared to be slipping away from them
with a 79th-minute goal to close United’s lead to four points.

“They’re an experienced team, but it’s good for everyone in this
championship to have the pressure on the side at the top,” Hiddink
said. “Four points gives me more pressure to put on them.”

Hiddink has a reputation for being a tactical genius, a deep thinker
on the game with more theories than Pythagoras, but his impressive
start at Chelsea has been based on something far more straightforward.
By challenging his players to take greater responsibility, they are
working harder and producing more for themselves and their team-mates.
The Brazilian samba school has been replaced by a Dutch labour camp.

Ironically, the previously workshy Drogba has been the biggest
beneficiary, with the Ivory Coast striker relishing the new regime.
Drogba celebrated only his second Premier League goal of the season as
if it had secured the title, but he retained enough energy to head
clear a free kick from Niko Kranjcar in added time. A transformation
indeed.

“Didier is making the difference in the last few games,” Hiddink said.
“As long as he is so committed then he will make those goals as well.
He was very happy with his goal. That was an emotional explosion.”

Drogba is not the only player to have exploded into life, as several
of his team-mates have raised their game. Michael Ballack flew into
tackles, Salomon Kalou threatened down the right and Petr Cech showed
signs of regaining his best form, making a superb save from Sean Davis
in the first half and denying David Nugent from close range in the
second.

Frank Lampard has been a hard worker since the days when he stayed out
until dusk practising free kicks on his own as a trainee at West Ham
United, and the England midfield player was a class apart last night.
Since signing a new contract last summer, Lampard has matured into the
ultimate team player, alive to every situation and passing where he
would previously have shot. In the first half alone, the 30-year-old
released Kalou down the right with a great through-pass, picked out
Ballack with a pinpoint corner that he headed over the bar and brought
a good save from David James with a powerful left-foot shot.

Portsmouth, too, had their moments, and they have improved
dramatically under Paul Hart, the interim manager, who deserves the
opportunity that he has been given to keep them up. Hart’s secret has
been to speak to the players in a language that they understand and,
after being befuddled by Tony Adams, they have responded. With better
finishing from Nugent and Kranjcar, they would have claimed a point,
although if they can reproduce this performance regularly, they should
clamber to safety.

Chelsea should not get too carried away, because all four wins under
Hiddink have come by a single goal, but they have an outside chance of
achieving their mission impossible.

— Portsmouth confirmed the appointment of Paul Hart as their interim
manager last night, with Brian Kidd as his assistant. The club held a
board meeting yesterday afternoon, attended by Alexandre Gaydamak, the
owner, at which Hart’s appointment until the end of the season was
ratified. Portsmouth had hoped to recruit Sven-Göran Eriksson, but he
has stayed with Mexico, so Hart has been rewarded for steadying the
ship since replacing Tony Adams last month.

Portsmouth (4-3-3): D James — G Johnson, S Campbell, S Distin, H
Hreidarsson — H Mullins, N Kranjcar, S Davis — J Pennant (sub: J
Utaka, 70min), P Crouch, D Nugent. Substitutes not used: A Begovic, Y
Kaboul, N Pamarot, Kanu, A Basinas, N Belhadj.

Chelsea (4-1-2-3): P Cech — J Bosingwa, Alex, J Terry, A Cole — J O
Mikel (sub: J Belletti, 57) — M Ballack (sub: M Mancienne, 90), F
Lampard — S Kalou (sub: R Quaresma, 60), D Drogba, F Malouda.
Substitutes not used: Hilário, B Ivanovic, F Di Santo, P Ferreira.

Referee: P Dowd.


------------------------------------------------------------------------


Telegraph:


Didier Drogba keeps Chelsea hoping of miracle

Didier Drogba maintained Chelsea’s outside chances of upsetting
Manchester United’s march to five trophies with a goal 11 minutes from
the end of a game played in a storm, the victory taking Chelsea to
within four points of the leaders.

By John Ley at Fratton Park

United may have two games in hand – one on Wednesday night at
Newcastle – but the intentions from a battling performance in
difficult conditions were apparent, that Chelsea are refusing to give
up the title lightly, with Drogba claiming his first League goal of
2009 and only his second in the Premier League this season.

Torrential rain fell before and during the game, making the Fratton
Park pitch heavy in some places. And with the wind blowing off the
Solent, it made for difficult conditions. The gusts were so strong
early on, that players had trouble in keeping the ball steady at
set-piece kicks.

Before the game, FA Cup holders Portsmouth, with help from four
soldiers from the Royal Artillery, paraded the trophy around the
stadium, with the PA announcer admitting it was the home fans’ last
chance to see the Cup.

Chelsea fans butted in with cries of “cheerio, cheerio”, knowing that
their name could be next of the trophy, particularly if they beat
Coventry on Saturday to progress to the semi-finals.

Guus Hiddink, their interim manager, made two changes from the side
that plucked a late victory off Wigan on Saturday. Leading scorer
Nicolas Anelka, who has scored 21 goals so far, was ruled out with a
toe injury, so for the first time under the Dutchman, his partnership
with Didier Drogba had to be broken up.

Hiddink brought in Florent Malouda for his first start for more than a
month while, in defence, Jose Bosingwa returned from suspension to
replace youngster Michael Mancienne.

Paul Hart, Portsmouth’s caretaker manager, made only one change from
the side that drew 2-2 at Stoke 10 days previously, with Hayden
Mullins in for Greek international Angelis Basinas.

Chelsea went into the game boasting a 100 per cent record since the
shock departure of Luiz Felipe Scolari. Under Ray Wilkins they beat
Watford in the FA Cup with Hiddink watching from the stands and, since
taking over, Hiddink has presided over two Premier League wins and a
1-0 victory over Juventus in the Champions League.

The conditions made for an enterprising if not always controlled start
from both sides, with Portsmouth adopting an attacking 4-3-3 formation
when going forward and threatening to open the scoring. Hermann
Hreidarsson won an early corner for Portsmouth but Sean Davis sent the
resultant effort over before David Nugent, named the club’s player of
the month before hand, setting up Mullins, but he completely
miss-kicked in the South Coast wind.

Chelsea responded with a Salomon Kalou cross, held easily by David
James, and a wayward drive from Frank Lampard. They went closer in the
16th minute when John Mikel Obi’s persistence allowed Ashley Cole to
cross from the left but the ball was a foot to far for the incoming
Drogba.

Hreidarsson made a timely interception as Chelsea threatened again,
while Malouda sent another attempt wide as the visitors increased
their hold on the game. And in the 22nd minute, with the blustery
conditions clearly having an influence, Malouda’s cross was spilled by
James but Chelsea could not take advantage.

Portsmouth fans called for a penalty midway through the first half
when, with Nugent and Peter Crouch pushing forward the ball appeared
to catch Alex’s arm and then followed the best chance so far when, in
the 28th minute Davis’s strong shot was pushed aside by the athletic
Petr Cech.

But, in keeping with the unpredictable nature of this game Chelsea
responded when Lampard produced a marvellous half volley out of
nothing and it took all of James’ goalkeeping skills to block the
effort on the line.

And with three minutes of the half remaining Chelsea survived a
goalmouth scramble with Hreidrasson and Nugent failing to nudge the
ball home before Cech made a desperate save, hugging the ball on the
line.

Chelsea made an early second half change with Mikel replaced by
Juliano Belletti but soon afterwards Nugent chased a ball knocked-down
by Crouch but Cech made another outstanding save, stretching to his
right.

Chelsea immediately made another alteration, with Ricardo Quaresma on
for Kalou, but with the gusts now reaching gale-force strength, the
visitors looked as if they were struggling to weather the storm.

Both sides squandered chances mid-way though the second half:
Quaresma’s right-wing cross was met by Drogba, the striker beating Sol
Campbell to the ball but sending a headed chance dipping just over.
And at the other end, Crouch was found in a surprising amount of
space, drove down the right and then crossed for Niko Kranjcar, but
the Croatian shot wide when he could have scored.

But Chelsea stole the winning goal in the 79th minute when Drogba, who
scored the winner against Juventus, met a cross from Bosingwa’s cross
and found the bottom right hand corner with a masterclass in
finishing.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mail;


Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 1: Drogba fires late winner to keep Blues in title hunt
By Neil Ashton

Didier Drogba's late strike settled the match at Fratton Park, a
reminder for the new Portsmouth manager Paul Hart that the beautiful
game can still bring the most brutal results.
Portsmouth did not deserve this, rough justice on a team who fought
for Hart and fought for every inch of the windswept, rain-sodden turf
against high-calibre opposition.

They were beaten by a strike of the highest quality, curled beyond the
unsighted Portsmouth keeper David James 11 minutes from time by a
player with a point to prove.

Tough luck on a team fighting for their lives near the foot of the
table. Hart will stay until the end of the season, attempting to plot
the path to another season in the Premier League, with the help of his
astute assistant Brian Kidd.
They remain 16th in the table after Drogba’s strike, staring up at
Chelsea this morning and wondering how they failed to finish off
Stamford Bridge title ambitions.
It was cup-tie stuff, with Pompey’s supporters crackling into life as
they sensed an upset, a win that would be their first over Chelsea
since 1957.
Drogba’s strike illustrated the narrow margin between success and
failure as Pompey fought to within touching distance of ending
Chelsea’s ambitious plans to overhaul
the best team on the planet, Manchester United.

Chelsea fancy their chances, with Drogba scoring only his second
League goal this season and taking off on a remarkable celebration
before being stopped by swathes
of yellow-shirted team-mates.
Guus Hiddink, soaked on the sidelines, barely flinched, reminding his
players that their fourth straight victory, three in the Premier
League, was not yet secure.
He sent on Michael Mancienne towards the end to replace Michael
Ballack, closing the game out in a style reminiscent of a certain
managerial predecessor.

One-nil to the Chelsea is enough to keep them in it, enough for the
players to march towards the hordes of supporters stationed behind the
goal and throw their muddied shirts into the baying mob.
They want more of this and Hiddink’s team are promising to provide it
as they chase the impossible dream of catching Manchester United at
the top of the table and the more realistic targets, the Champions
League and FA Cup.
Anything is possible after this streaky victory. Somehow they are
still in the hunt for the title, ensuring another agonising week for
Chelsea’s supporters, but Portsmouth deserved more than this. Much
more.
They were beaten 4-0 at Stamford Bridge on the first day of the
season, ripped apart by Deco, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Nicolas
Anelka, but that was never likely to happen last night.
Hart has this team organised, scrambling towards safety with a victory
over Manchester City on Valentine’s Day.

They matched Chelsea man for man, warriors all, as they chased a
momentous victory.
They should have won this, denied by the brilliance of Petr Cech in
Chelsea’s goal, turning Sean Davis’s long-range effort over the bar in
the first half and then palming David Nugent’s effort around the post
after the break.
Pompey paraded the FA Cup for the last time ahead of kick-off before
it was spirited back to Soho Square after the game in an armoured
vehicle.
It is safe to say it will not been seen at Fratton Park for a while so
it was given a fitting send-off by 20,000 Portsmouth supporters
setting their sights on another season in the Premier League.
That is the target for Hart and Kidd, popular with the players after
the confusing thoughts of Tony Adams, as they prepare the team to
power their way from the foot of the table.
But this was a visit from a team energised by the arrival of Hiddink
with three wins on the spin under the new manager and intent on
securing a fourth.

They were missing Nicolas Anelka, given the evening off after stubbing
his toe in training on Monday and told to use the recovery time to
prepare for Saturday’s trip to Coventry’s Ricoh Arena.
Instead, Drogba shouldered responsibility, throwing himself into
challenges and reminding owner Roman Abramovich of some of the reasons
why he spent £24million to sign him from Marseille in the summer of
2004.
Only the conditions at Fratton Park prevented him scoring in the first
half when he mistimed his run when Ashley Cole prodded the ball across
the penalty area.
No-one could blame him, sliding across the face of James’ goalmouth as
he attempted to connect with Cole’s cross, but his reward for this
impressive, diligent
and disciplined performance was the winning goal.
He got it when Jose Bosingwa’s cross fell to him invitingly inside the
area, taking a touch to set himself and then sweeping his effort
beyond James.
It was a goal of stunning quality, not enough to turn the title in
their favour, but enough to suggest Chelsea will take this to the
bitter end.



------------------------------------------------------------------------


Guardian:

Drogba the difference as Pompey put faith in Hart
Portsmouth 0
Chelsea 1 Drogba 79

Dominic Fifield at Fratton Park

Portsmouth are on the verge of confirming Paul Hart as their manager
until the end of the season, though the caretaker-turned-firefighter
will be grateful he will not be visited again before the end of the
campaign by the likes of Chelsea. This contest had threatened to be a
soggy stalemate, the hosts eking out the better opportunities and
ready to celebrate their point, until one flash of genuine quality
amid the downpour wrecked the locals' mood.

Hart has his first experience of cruel defeat at the helm of this
club. Didier Drogba, so anaemic for much of this campaign but
resurgent in recent weeks, provided the game's pivotal moment only 11
minutes from time, gathering Jose Bosingwa's cross and cushioning a
curled finish low and beyond David James to squeeze out the advantage.
Guus Hiddink has overseen narrow victories in each of his four games
in charge, all by a single goal, yet he retains the magic touch. How
Portsmouth, still only two points clear of the cut-off, crave such
inspiration. The four points accrued by Hart and Brian Kidd in their
two previous games in charge had constituted something of a revival at
this club given the ignominy endured too often over Tony Adams' brief
reign. Portsmouth had teetered on the brink, poor luck failing to
disguise a lack of cohesion in their performances to undermine the
former Arsenal centre-half. The club's owner, Sacha Gaydamak, and
executive chairman Peter Storrie had been seeking "stability" in
granting Hart, previously the director of youth development, some
permanence in the role. Theirs had been a pursuit of "continuity" in
turning to Adams, Harry Redknapp's No2, back in October.

There is certainly more belief in these parts at present that disaster
can be staved off. Chelsea had not lost in the league to these
opponents since 1957 but they were stretched at times as this arena
was drenched in a deluge. Hermann Hreidarsson and David Nugent, both
revived in recent times, should have tested Petr Cech in the opening
jousts. Sean Davis did, skimming a shot from distance, only for the
goalkeeper to save wonderfully. Cech was merely relieved to choke
Hreidarsson's subsequent stabbed attempt from close range on his
goal-line as Nugent and Niko Kranjcar threatened to convert.

Yet, while those opportunities unsettled Chelsea, they did rather
puncture long periods of the visitors' possession. Hiddink, like Hart,
has had an immediate effect since assuming the reins, hoisting a team
that had been threatening to stall under Luiz Felipe Scolari back into
second place with narrow wins in his first two league games. He had
cited plenty of aspects to his team's play still in need of
improvement ahead of the visit to the south coast. That work is still
to be implemented, but there was promise to be had in Drogba's
bustling energy and Frank Lampard's class through the centre.

With Nicolas Anelka absent nursing a toe injury, Drogba was a man
possessed, tearing at the home side's back-line as if he was competing
for a Jose Mourinho side once again. The Ivorian was agonisingly close
to tapping in Ashley Cole's fizzed centre as it careered across the
goal-line. Lampard, taking up the baton, forced James to save from
distance. The veteran England goalkeeper broke a record here, with
this his 538th Premier League appearance, and excelled in denying
Alex's free-kick in first half stoppage time. His spill from Florent
Malouda's slippery cross was less to the hosts' liking.

Chelsea had threatened reward but delivered none, their approach play
running aground too often on Pompey's stubborn and hugely experienced
back-line. Frustration welled up, Ricardo Quaresma replacing an
ineffective Salomon Kalou, but the visitors' growing desperation to
force an advantage occasionally leaving them vulnerable on the
counter-attack. Jermaine Pennant was a nuisance down the right. When
Nugent rolled away from John Terry and wriggled in on goal there was a
collective in-take of breath around this arena, only for Cech once
again to palm away the former Preston striker's attempt.

The Londoners had been warned, though they did not learn. Chelsea
over-committed at a Lampard free-kick, with Sol Campbell eventually
clearing for Peter Crouch, alone near the halfway line, to charge down
the right flank. Kranjcar was the only Portsmouth player in support
but, when the England forward's cross reached the Croatian, there was
only a scuffed shot wide to show for the opportunity.

The miss felt wasteful at the time but critical once Drogba had forced
Chelsea ahead. The frantic late pressure, with crosses flung towards
Crouch and massed scrambles inside the visitors' penalty area, rarely
threatened to yield an equaliser. Hart most hope this misfortune is
not a sign of things to come.



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


Independent:


Drogba fires to resurrect Chelsea title ambitions

Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 1

By Sam Wallace, Football correspondent

Another case of deadly Didier and golden Guus, a double-act that is
turning into a beautiful friendship. The moodiest striker at Chelsea
has now rescued his new manager twice in the space of a week and last
night Drogba kept alive any fading hopes his club might have of the
title.

Not only that, but he keeps intact Hiddink's impressive start at
Chelsea, a record that is four games, four wins and a revival that has
kept the club in touch with Manchester United at the top of the
Premier League. In the mud and rain of a Tuesday night at Fratton Park
there were times when you had to wonder whether this was where
Chelsea's challenge was going to end, but they had just enough resolve
to win a crucial game.

Or rather they had a match-winner in Drogba, whose goal meant that the
gap to United at the top is four points, although the champions have
two games in hand. You could not help thinking that Sir Alex
Ferguson's team would not have left it until the 78th minute to beat
Portsmouth last night. Neither do United look as pedestrian and
predictable as Chelsea do at times, but with Drogba on this form it
looks like they will always have a chance.

Hiddink (below) is just about hanging in there and he knows it. "I
have to face the facts that we had two difficult games," he said. "I
haven't shut my eyes to [problems] in the Wigan game as well, but we
must improve. What is good in this team is that they react when there
are difficulties. This team is not happy when things are not going
well. Then you see they get rewards."

The Chelsea coach is not so daft that he is calling it on with United,
but he is keen on reminding Ferguson that his side have not given up.
"[A gap of] four points means there is more pressure on them, but they
still have two games in hand," Hiddink said. "They're an experienced
team. But it's good, for everyone in this championship to have the
pressure on the side at the top."

Hiddink called it right when he brought on the Portuguese winger
Ricardo Quaresma for the final stages, he was lively and contributed
to the pressure that led to the goal. The problem for Hiddink is that
there are just so few options available. Salomon Kalou and Florent
Malouda's contribution was negligible but with Nicolas Anelka out with
a bruised toe there was little else he could do. He praised his team's
reaction to adversity, their imagination was less impressive.

Petr Cech kept them in the match when he saved from Sean Davis and
David Nugent, but come the end of the game there was some desperate
defending. Peter Crouch had broken free on 69 minutes and crossed for
Niko Kranjcar who got his touch wrong and put the ball wide. Pompey
had their chances, but Chelsea are at last running into a bit of luck.

Portsmouth announced after the match that Paul Hart will be coach
until the end of the season and last night you could see why he has
the board's confidence. They look much more disciplined under Hart and
Brian Kidd and, despite being 16th, there are definitely signs of
life. David James was excellent again, and Sol Campbell and Sylvain
Distin solid, but for the one moment they let Drogba in.

Hart said: "I'm very pleased to be here until the end of the season.
It's good for the club and players that there's been a decision made.
You don't want to speak too soon – it's been three games, but in those
matches the players have shown magnificent determination and a
response to what we've asked. If we maintain that spirit, we'll be a
difficult side to beat. We deserved to get a point, and we could have
won."

This was James's 538th Premier League appearance and he clearly still
lives for evenings like these in the rainwith, as Pompey have found of
late, backs against the wall. James saved brilliantly from Alex's
free-kick at the end of the first half. But when Drogba got the ball
from Jose Bosingwa's cross, the ball was past James before he could
react.

In the period at the start of the second half, when Nugent and
Kranjcar should have scored, Pompey were on top. If they could have
supported Crouch more they might have won. At the end Drogba even
threw his shirt into the crowd. There was a time when it might have
come straight back at him but things are different now.

Goals: Drogba (78) 0-1.

Portsmouth (4-4-1-1): James; Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson;
Pennant (Utaka, 70), Mullins, Davis, Nugent; Kranjcar; Crouch.
Substitutes not used: Begovic (gk), Kaboul, Pamarot, Kanu, Basinas,
Belhadj.

Chelsea (4-1-4-1): Cech; Bosingwa, Terry, Alex, A Cole; Mikel
(Belletti, 56); Kalou (Quaresma, 60), Ballack (Mancienne, 90),
Lampard, Malouda; Drogba. Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk),
Ivanovic, Di Santo, Ferreira.

Referee: P Dowd (Staffordshire).

Man of the match: Drogba.

Attendance: 20, 326.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mirror:

Portsmouth 0-1 Chelsea: Blues still second thanks to late Didier Drogba winner

By Martin Lipton

Barclays Premier League

Grind them out, scratch them out, dig them out.

But keep on winning, keep on fighting, never give in - and who knows
what might happen.

Last night, to the despair of Fratton Park, Didier Drogba struck
unerringly into the bottom corner of David James' net to continue Guus
Hiddink's winning start and Chelsea's pursuit of the unlikely.

And it wouldn't be a huge surprise if the absent Roman Abramovich was
left wondering what the season could have brought if he had ditched
Luiz Felipe Scolari a month earlier.

Hiddink has not wrought miracles at Stamford Bridge, not changed that
much, even essentially picked Scolari's team, although getting Drogba
back onside was perhaps the most significant move of all.

What he has done, though, is make them start believing in themselves
again, make them want to play for the shirt and find a way to win
games they would have lost few short weeks ago.

This, unquestionably, was one of those, Paul Hart's side justifying
the club's decision to hand him the reins for the rest of the season
with a display of commitment and conviction that deserved better.

They would have got it too, had it not been for Petr Cech, another of
those who fell out with Scolari.

Cech's displays in the last days of the Brazilian's reign led to a
whispering campaign suggesting the Czech had lost his aura of
impregnability.

But the keeper, like Drogba and the rest, has been rejuvenated by
Hiddink's gentle touch and harder training regime.

And if there was any doubt on that score, it must have been ended with
two moments in which Cech saved his side to create the platform for
Drogba's late heroics.

The first came just before the half hour, after Chelsea's dominance,
orchestrated by Frank Lampard, had brought them precisely zero reward.

Loose play on the edge of their own box allowed Sean Davis room for a
screaming strike which had the home fans already celebrating before
Cech flung himself to his right to turn the ball up and over the bar.

Then just before the hour, the keeper was equally, and perhaps even
more crucially agile as he thwarted David Nugent when the former
England man turned John Terry from Peter Crouch's flick and let fly
from 16 yards.

On such moments can matches, even seasons change, although Nico
Krancjar, found by Crouch when Sol Campbell's defensive hoof caught
all 10 Chelsea outfield players in the Portsmouth half, glided another
opening wide.

At that stage Chelsea might have been happy with a point.

Yes, they had created the best openings in the first half, with Drogba
inches away from converting Ashley Cole's driven cross, before being
blocked by James after racing onto a Lampard through-ball.

James, too, struck lucky when he fumbled a cross by Florent Malouda
and Lampard's shot, bailed out by a back-line led by Campbell and
Sylvain Distin.

But while Michael Ballack and then Alex went close before the break
and Drogba headed over from substitute Ricardo Quaresma after the
interval, Portsmouth had looked the more likely to reap the benefits
of their sunshine break in Dubai as Chelsea looked like a side playing
their third game in eight days.

Enter Drogba. A week ago, his goal against Juventus had given Cheksea
the precious advantage to take to Turin.

Last night, when Jose Bosingwa's cross flicked off Campbell's knee and
into Drogba's path 12 yards out, the ball was only ever going to
finish up in one place.

Drogba ran to celebrate in front of Hiddink and at the end, after
withstanding a late siege which saw James take residence in the other
box, the Chelsea players' clenched fists were a statement of intent.

The odds still, vastly, favour United. But it is not all over yet.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sun:

Portsm'th 0 Chelsea 1

By SHAUN CUSTIS


GUUS HIDDINK has become a Drog addict.

Chelsea’s Dutch boss has got moody striker Didier Drogba smoking again
and his winner kept the Blues just about hanging on to Manchester
United’s coat-tails in the title race.


The hitman scored the goal that beat Juventus in the Champions League
last week.


And last night he fired home Ricardo Quaresma’s 78th-minute cross to
take Chelsea to within four points of Alex Ferguson’s Premier League
kings.


Hiddink’s record as Chelsea caretaker manager is now four wins out of four.


The Dutchman had done a Kevin Keegan in the pre-match build-up and
spoken about how he would ‘love it’ if Chelsea could put a spanner in
the United works


But the Blues machine ran far from smoothly and they had to dig in to
emerge with three points from this one.


For most of an awful night in which the wind howled and the rain
pelted down it seemed the best Chelsea could hope for was a draw,
which was no good at all.


A point, however, would have been invaluable to Portsmouth in their
relegation fight.


They will take heart from this performance, which showed bags of
character. And after the game caretaker boss Paul Hart was named
manager for the rest of the season, with Brian Kidd as his assistant.


Slipping all over

But Pompey paid for failing to take their chances and found Chelsea
keeper Petr Cech back to his best.


It was an evening for battlers and the conditions made quality football tricky.


But Chelsea were lacklustre and seemed content to soak up pressure
rather than take the game to Portsmouth.


Players were slipping all over the place and Drogba could not quite
slide far enough to connect with Ashley Cole’s cross on 10 minutes
with the goal gaping in front of him.


Had Drogba got any touch Chelsea would have been ahead and life might
have been a lot easier.


The keepers performed exceptionally well in the circumstances and
Pompey veteran David James, 38, came skidding out superbly to block
from Drogba.


He acknowledged the England keeper’s excellence with a respectful thumbs-up.


Cech showed he was equally adept when he palmed a screaming low drive
from Sean Davis, which was heading for the bottom corner, over the
bar.


Holding on to the ball was difficult though and James could only
bundle a Frank Lampard free-kick back into his own six-yard box where
former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson cleared before Michael Ballack
could finish it off.


Ballack headed just over from Lampard’s corner then, with the last
kick of the first half, Alex’s rocket of a free-kick from 35 yards
beat the wall but not James who got firm hands on it diving to his
right.



Hiddink’s men needed to step it up and take the game to the opposition
and the manager withdrew defensive midfielder Jon Obi Mikel and
replaced him with the more attack-minded Juliano Belletti.


But the Blues were almost caught out on 58 minutes after an
uncharacteristic mistake by Terry.


The skipper failed to deal with a routine through ball and David
Nugent was clear on goal.


He got his shot in but it was a nice height for Cech who flew to his
right to beat it away.


The man who changed the game was on-loan Quaresma who replaced Salomon
Kalou on the hour and livened things up immediately.


He burst down the right and crossed for Drogba who headed over and
another dangerous ball into the area from the Portuguese winger was
scrambled behind by Sol Campbell.


It reminded us of what once made Quaresma one of the most sought-after
creators in European football.


He lost his way having been bought then dumped by Jose Mourinho at
Inter Milan but maybe he and Chelsea will be good for each other.


For all Chelsea’s pressure, Portsmouth suddenly broke as the ball
rebounded to Crouch who was all alone on the halfway line.


His first touch was not a good one, taking him too far wide but he
still had plenty of room to work in and crossed for Nico Kranjcar who
controlled and shot wide.


The rain came down harder and the wind got stronger but Quaresma’s
influence on Chelsea was growing and it was his cross which found its
way through the Pompey defence for Drogba’s winner.


The strike from 12 yards was clean and true and it was job done.


Absolutely spliffing!