The Times

Chelsea stay top after crushing Spurs in London derby
Matt Hughes at Stamford Bridge


Chelsea led from gun to tape on the two occasions they won the
Barclays Premier League under José Mourinho, so the sight of Carlo
Ancelotti’s side moving ahead by a length should worry the rest of the
field.

It is too early for talk of a two-horse title race, but Chelsea appear
the best-placed to give Manchester United a run for their money after
moving three points clear with a sixth successive victory.

Roman Abramovich, the owner, has seen three further managers depart
since Mourinho briefly threatened to bring about a power shift from
the North West to West London, making it somewhat ironic that Chelsea
have achieved their best start to a season since the reign of the
“Special One” by going back to basics.

The managers may change with the seasons at Stamford Bridge, but the
awe-inspiring power, professionalism and commitment of their players
remains the same.

In fairness to Ancelotti, his rapidly developing side are more than
just a Mourinho tribute act, because the Italian appears to have fused
the trademark discipline and dynamism of the Portuguese with the flair
that briefly flowered under Luiz Felipe Scolari last season. After
years spent failing Abramovich’s purist versus pragmatist test,
Chelsea’s class of 2009-10 are showing signs of offering the best of
both worlds.

Didier Drogba remains as menacing as ever, as he demonstrated by
creating goals for Ashley Cole and Michael Ballack before scoring the
third, and the midfield diamond contains an impressive blend of
adventure and security. But the attacking threat of the full backs is
the real revelation.

The best example was provided by Cole, who ghosted in behind Vedran
Corluka in the 33rd minute to meet Drogba’s cross with a diving header
to open the scoring and help to set a club record of 11 successive
Premier League wins.

“This is the best squad, best team and best spirit since I’ve been
here,” Cole said. “They won the title before I came here so we’re
maybe not as good as that, but we’re getting there. We’re all
together, we always fight for each other on and off the pitch.”

The scoreline suggests that Chelsea went on to win at a canter, but
the truth is rather more complex. After competing as equals during a
first half in which Jermain Defoe, Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas
missed good opportunities to give them the lead, Tottenham imploded in
the space of ten second-half minutes. Ledley King hobbled off with a
hamstring injury, Robbie Keane was denied a clear-cut penalty and
Ballack scored Chelsea’s second goal after Carlo Cudicini had saved a
volley from Drogba.

Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, was understandably annoyed at
Howard Webb’s failure to spot Ricardo Carvalho’s 55th-minute trip on
Keane as the Ireland striker reached the byline, but viewed the loss
of King eight minutes earlier as more crucial. The visiting team
suffered a further blow when Sébastien Bassong was knocked unconscious
and carried off with a suspected broken cheekbone minutes from the
end, leaving Redknapp without his four first-choice centre backs.

“In the first half-hour I was delighted and thought we could win it,”
Redknapp said. “If Robbie went down with the first contact, it’s a
penalty, but he was too honest. With all the talk there’s been about
diving, he tried to stay on his feet.

“It was a nailed-on penalty, but Ledley going off was the big turning
point. Once we lost Ledley there was no way we could deal with Drogba.
[Ledley is] the most fantastic player, but if you don’t train, you
can’t just go out and play without doing damage to hamstrings, groins
or calves. Bassong doesn’t look too good, either. He got a bang on the
head and his eye’s all swollen up.”

Drogba was also in need of a stretcher with five minutes remaining,
but Ancelotti’s worst fears soon receded as the Ivory Coast striker
was revealed to have cramp, meaning that he is likely to be available
for Saturday’s visit to Wigan Athletic.

Ancelotti was as deadpan as ever, refusing to heap praise on his
players or express an opinion on United’s thrilling victory in their
derby. “I’m interested that Chelsea play well and win,” he said.
“Other things are not important for us.”

The manager’s refusal to get carried away reflects his realisation
that Chelsea are exactly where they should be after six matches
against modest opposition. The real tests are to come, starting with
Liverpool’s visit a week on Sunday.

Chelsea (4-1-3-2): P Cech 6 J Bosingwa 7 R Carvalho 5 J Terry 6 A Cole
7 M Essien 5 M Ballack 6 F Lampard 6 F Malouda 6 N Anelka 6 D Drogba 7
Substitutes: J O Mikel 6 (for Ballack, 62min), S Kalou (for Drogba,
85), F Borini (for Anelka, 89). Not used: Hilário, B Ivanovic, J
Belletti, S Hutchison. Next: Wigan Athletic (a).

Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3): C Cudicini 5 V Corluka 4 L King 6 S Bassong
6 B Assou-Ekotto 6 J Jenas 6 W Palacios 6 T Huddlestone 6 A Lennon 6 J
Defoe 5 R Keane 5. Substitutes: A Hutton 5 (for King, 47min), P Crouch
5 (for Defoe, 67), N Kranjcar (for Bassong, 82). Not used: H Gomes, D
Bentley, K Naughton, G Dos Santos. Next: Burnley (h).

Referee: H Webb. Attendance: 41,623.



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



Telegraph:


Chelsea 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0

By John Ley


Chelsea returned to the top of the Premier League today by beating
Tottenham Hotspur and, in so doing, claimed a club record 11th
straight victory, at Stamford Bridge.

Earlier in the day Manchester United had moved into first spot with a
dramatic 4-3 win over rivals Manchester City. But after Ashley Cole
had given Chelsea an early advantage, second half goals from Michael
Ballack and Didier Drogba confirmed the victory.

Spurs were left to rue wasted first half opportunities, with Petr Cech
saving from Jermain Defoe and Tom Huddlestone while the recalled
Jermaine Jenas also went close.

Chelsea’s Jose Bosingwa struck the angle of right post and cross bar,
from 20 yards, Frank Lampard headed wide and Nicolas Anelka found the
side netting. And the home side were unfortunate not to win a penalty
when Spurs defender Vedran Corluka shoved Ballack.

But, seconds later, Drogba crossed from the right and Cole, slipping
inside Corluka, stooped to head the 32nd minute opener.

Before the interval Lampard struck a low free kick narrowly wide and,
soon after the restart the England midfielder was allowed to offer
another chance when Ledley King pulled up unchallenged.

The Spurs defender appeared to feel his knee and, with only three
minutes of the half played, was replaced by Alan Hutton.

In the 55th minute, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp was furious when
referee Howard Webb refused to award a penalty when Robbie Keane fell
under the weight of a challenge from Ricardo Carvalho.

And Spurs’ woe increased three minutes later when sloppy defending
handed Chelsea a second goal. Nicolas Anelka crossed from the right,
Drogba’s volley was only parried by former Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo
Cudicini, and Lampard was allowed to pull the ball back from the
byline, allowing Ballack to bundle it over the line under pressure
from Sébastien Bassong.

Corluka was at fault for the third goal, in the 63rd minute. Cole’s
long ball sent Drogba chasing and the striker robbed the Croat before
stepping around Cudicini to finish in style for his 99th goal for
Chelsea.

And then Benoît Assou-Ekotto was lucky not to concede a penalty when
he clearly handled Lampard’s latest free kick.

Before the end, Spurs lost another central defender when Bassong fell
heavily on his shoulder in a challenge with Anelka and, during lengthy
treatment, required oxygen to ease the pain and a neck-brace to
support the injury before he was stretchered off.

And then Drogba damaged his right calf with an attempted shot and he,
too, had to be carried off, meaning that an extra eight minutes had to
be played before Spurs were put out of their misery.

Peter Crouch thought he had scored for Spurs, in the sixth minute of
added time – but it was ruled out for offside.



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


Guardian:


Chelsea's Didier Drogba completes a miserable day for SpursBuzz up!

Chelsea 3 Cole, A 32, Ballack 58, Drogba 63
Tottenham Hotspur 0

Dominic Fifield at Stamford Bridge


The fire and brimstone may have been reserved for a venue 200 miles
further north, but the Premier League leadership remains in west
London. Chelsea's serene progress under Carlo Ancelotti was maintained
with a sixth consecutive victory that restored their three-point
advantage at the top while most were still digesting events at Old
Trafford. The Italian's perfect start almost feels as if it has
slipped in under the radar.

The run of wins needs to be put into context. This was actually a club
record 11th win in succession – another José Mourinho record has been
eclipsed – yet it was Chelsea's sternest test this season. A
combination of Tottenham Hotspur's profligacy and an oversight by the
referee, Howard Webb, contributed to the hosts extending their
sequence. Spurs left crying injustice, after Robbie Keane's penalty
appeals were rejected when the visitors were only one goal behind.

In truth, the tide had turned by then. It was the ping of Ledley
King's hamstring three minutes into the second half that truly
signalled that this game would be beyond Tottenham. By the end they
had been buried as Didier Drogba, liberated from his marker's
shackles, bulldozed them into submission. The Ivorian still tumbles to
the ground too easily, but he is simply devastating when he builds up
a head of steam and stays on his feet. Spurs, wounded at the heart of
their defence, parted for him as the game slipped away. The cramp that
curtailed the striker's afternoon was a blessing, though Tottenham had
long since been bloodied and bruised.

Ancelotti said in the aftermath that his team could win key contests
without their talismanic forward, pointing to the narrow success over
Porto in midweek as evidence, though his anxiety as he awaits news on
the forward's calftomorrow will betray the reality. The goal Drogba
scored just after the hour, latching on to Ashley Cole's punt to
out-pace and out-muscle Vedran Corluka and poke the ball around Carlo
Cudicini before slamming it into the empty net, was his fifth of the
league season. Yet his game cannot be measured purely in weight of
goals.

Too many opponents shrink in his mere presence. King was not one of
them – the strength the centre-half showed in holding off the forward
towards the end of the first half brought a smile of admiration from
Drogba – but Spurs' best defender could not suppress him on his own.
The forward merely ventured wider on the field, to find the space and
time to whip in the cross that Cole, sprinting, unnoticed, beyond the
hapless Corluka at the far post, converted.

Once King had retreated, Tottenham only wilted. The substitute Alan
Hutton seemed frozen in blind panic as Drogba cushioned Nicolas
Anelka's cross on his chest and drew a save from Cudicini. Frank
Lampard reacted from the rebound, dragging the ball back for Michael
Ballack to bundle it into the unguarded net.



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


Independent:


Drogba unleashed to halt Spurs' progress

Chelsea 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0

By Glenn Moore



This derby may have lacked the drama of Manchester's but it was
notably more conclusive. "Tottenham are back" rang around Stamford
Bridge at the end but the chant was gloatingly ironic. This has been a
sobering nine days for Spurs, their opening burst of four victories
followed by successive defeats to "Big Four" clubs with three goals
conceded in each. And, with Ledley King and Sébastien Bassong
departing with injuries yesterday, making a quartet of lame
centre-halves at the club, their defensive insecurities will continue.

For Chelsea, however, it was confirmation that Carlo Ancelotti's
low-key arrival could have high-profile results. The Premier League
leaders took a while to come to terms with Spurs' formation, and were
fortunate to survive a strong penalty appeal at 1-0, but their class
and strength won through.

Didier Drogba epitomized both elements and none of the Spurs defenders
came to terms with him. His Champions League ban has had the
unintended benefit for Chelsea of rendering Drogba fresh for the
domestic programme and he set about Spurs' defence with gusto, making
the first two goals and scoring the third. However, he then limped off
after a mis-hit shot. Ancelotti said it was a calf problem which he
hoped was "just cramp". Fortunately Chelsea's next major test is not
until Liverpool visit on 4 October.

"We are very happy because we won a difficult, important game," added
Ancelotti, who has surpervised the last six of this club record
11-match winning run.

For Redknapp the game swung on two incidents early in the second half,
King's exit and Robbie Keane's denied spot-kick. "Ledley's going was a
big turning point for us," the Spurs manager said. "Once we lost him
there was no way we could deal with Drogba. He's too strong, too
powerful." As for the penalty Redknapp, whose ire was aggravated by
the memory of Howard Webb wrongly giving a match-changing penalty
against Spurs at Old Trafford last spring, said: "If Robbie goes down
at first contact it's nailed on, but he tried to keep his feet. He's
too honest really. If [the referee] felt he dived, why not give him a
yellow card?"

Redknapp's disappointment at the result was compounded by the hope
engendered by his side's bright start. He went with a tight midfield
three, to counter Chelsea's diamond midfield, with an equally narrow
attack which featured Aaron Lennon and Keane buzzing around behind
Jermain Defoe. "We caused them problems with our movement and were
much the better team for the first half-hour," said Redknapp. However,
packing central midfield left a lot of space on the flanks which Jose
Bosingwa, who crashed a shot against the bar in the seventh minute,
and Ashley Cole utilised.

Chelsea's front men also went wide at every opportunity and the tactic
brought reward in the 32nd minute. The home side worked an overload on
the right and Drogba delivered an excellent, deep cross which Cole,
sneaking in on Vedran Corluka's blind side, headed in at the far post.

It was a grievous blow to a Tottenham side which should have been
ahead. Wilson Palacios split the Chelsea defence after 11 minutes to
send Defoe clear but the in-form striker's shot hit the outstretched
leg of Petr Cech. The keeper then scrambled away a deflected Palacios
drive before watching Jermaine Jenas whistle a shot wide. At this
point Michael Essien looked lost but he, and Chelsea, adjusted to
Spurs' shape and Cole's goal was not a surprise.

Nevertheless, the match seemed in the balance at the break. Then King,
soon after the resumption, turned with Drogba to chase a through ball
but crumpled to the ground. As he limped off Redknapp, he revealed
later, turned to his assistant Kevin Bond and said, "We're in trouble
now." He was right, but not before Spurs had one last glimmer of hope.
Keane wriggled in to the area before appearing to be tripped by
Ricardo Carvalho. Webb, who was close but poorly sighted, waved play
on. Keane, furious, demanded to be booked for diving. It was an
example of where one of Michel Platini's additional assistant referees
might have seen the offence, but only if he was on that side of the
goal, and even then it was not clear-cut.

Soon after Nicolas Anelka ran off Palacios to collect a ball down the
line and crossed. Drogba held off Hutton and though Carlo Cudicini
parried, Frank Lampard, reacting quicker than Corluka or Bassong,
squared for Michael Ballack to score. Then Drogba muscled Corluka
aside for the third and it could have become a rout.

Chelsea (4-1-2-1-2): Cech; Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Essien;
Ballack (Mikel, 61), Malouda; Lampard; Anelka (Borini, 88), Drogba
(Kalou, 83). Substitutes not used: Hilario (gk), Ivanovic, Belletti,
Hutchinson.

Tottenham (4-3-2-1): Cudicini; Corluka, King (Hutton, 48), Bassong
(Kranjcar, 79), Assou-Ekotto; Jenas, Huddlestone, Palacios; Lennon,
Defoe (Crouch, 67); Keane.

Substitutes not used: Gomes (gk), Bentley, Naughton, Giovani.

Referee H Webb (S Yorkshire).

Booked: Tottenham Bassong, Jenas.

Man of the match: Drogba

Attendance: 41,623



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



Mail:


Chelsea 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0:
Blues make class tell as suffering Spurs left behind at Stamford Bridge

By Ivan Speck


Nine days ago, Chelsea and Tottenham stood proudly arm-in-arm in
perfection atop the Barclays Premier League.

By late afternoon yesterday, as the sun set on Stamford Bridge and
John Terry cavorted playfully on the pitch with his young twins
Georgie and Summer - in Chelsea kits both with their names proudly
emblazoned on the back, a world of ambition separated the clubs.

Chelsea, fortified by Terry's steel, energised by Frank Lampard's
persistence and electrified by the effervescent Didier Drogba, know
that summit meetings with Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal
during the two coming months will define the significance of their
unbeaten start.

Tottenham, on the other hand, must now fight to convince their
supporters that the dazzling form of August was not another cruel
mirage.

What is more, they must almost certainly do so without any of the four
recognised central defenders on their books after losing both Ledley
King and Sebastien Bassong to injury during a second half that became
a slide into oblivion as a tiny gap between the sides became a yawning
chasm.
Clearly, the secrets they have learned at White Hart Lane of how to
beat Chelsea in recent seasons do not apply at Stamford Bridge, and on
this evidence their miserable record of not having won there since
1990 will continue for some time.

The paradox that this match presented was that for half an hour Spurs
offered the more potent threat.

Harry Redknapp sprang a surprise by releasing Aaron Lennon into a
roving role behind Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe, and Chelsea's
defenders didn't quite know whether to follow the England winger from
flank to flank or to try to manage more the gaps he was creating.
A case in point arrived after 15 minutes. Lennon drifted over to the
left, picking up the ball in space. As he threatened an angled run,
Ricardo Carvalho stood off him, so Lennon simply stroked the ball
easily into the path of Jermaine Jenas, whose scorching drive flew
inches wide.

The trouble was that, while Tottenham's peaks were spiky, they were
also isolated. Too often the front trio were despatched upfield with
little support.

Chelsea, by contrast, moved as a unit, one whose powerful insistence
could eventually no longer be contained.

If the opening 32 minutes brought only a rasping 20-yard Jose Bosingwa
shot which struck the junction of post and bar and rebounded to
safety, their next attack was clinical.

Drogba curled a diagonal low cross in at pace from the right. Vedran
Corluka, who endured a torrid afternoon, lost his bearings at the far
post and Ashley Cole suddenly darted in front of the Croat, stooped
and conquered with a diving header little more than eight inches above
the turf.

True, it required the majestic Michael Essien to perform a surgically
precise tackle at high speed to prise the ball out from under Lennon's
feet as the free spirit attacked the Chelsea rearguard at full speed
six minutes before halftime.

And, the home support also held its collective breath nine minutes
after the interval when Keane stumbled under a Carvalho challenge in
the area, but Chelsea, you felt, had been released.
It was unclear how much contact was made by Carvalho on Keane - there
was some - but within three minutes the game was over.

Nicolas Anelka's deep cross was cushioned with impish precision on the
chest of Drogba, whose shot on the swivel caused Carlo Cudicini to
push away for a corner.

Except that, sensing the opportunity, Lampard wrapped his foot around
the ball before it went out and squared it back across an empty
goalmouth for the incoming Michael Ballack to steer home.

Defeat turned to embarrassment in the 63rd minute. A ball over the top
found the galloping Drogba outpacing the wooden Corluka once more.

Drogba cut across his man and as the two converged and were met by the
onrushing Cudicini, the ball popped out to the side, allowing Drogba
to scoot around the keeper and side-foot the ball gleefully over the
line.

The only question that remained was the margin of Chelsea's win. A Jon
Mikel Obi volley squirmed under Cudicini, who somehow managed to
shovel it out for a corner.

By the time Mikel's fellow substitute, Salomon Kalou, burst into the
box in the 88th minute and struck a Tottenham post, the ball cannoning
back against the hapless keeper, Cudicini would have been forgiven for
questioning the wisdom of emerging from the sanctuary of Chelsea's
reserves to try his luck at a starting role elsewhere.

Tottenham's misery, which had been compounded by King limping off
three minutes into the second half and then the sorry sight of Bassong
being stretchered off in clear distress, a brace around his neck,
following an awkward tussle with Anelka, was completed six minutes
into injury time.

Substitute Peter Crouch rounded Peter Cech and rolled home only for an
offside flag to halt even the meekest of Tottenham celebrations. The
division between the sides, it appears, remains unbridged.




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


Sun:



Chelsea 3 Spurs 0

IAN McGARRY at Stamford Bridge



AFTER the mayhem came the master-class.

Old Trafford may have been the place for thrills yesterday but
Stamford Bridge remains a fortress.


Chelsea's demolition of Spurs did not have the drama of the Manchester
derby but it starred the country's best team.


Six wins out of six. Eleven consecutive Premier League victories
stretching back to last season which beats the club record set by Jose
Mourinho's title-winning side in 2005.


A perfect start by a team that is beginning to make flawless look easy.


Tottenham's second league defeat in a week - the other to United - has
put them back in their place as title also-rans.


The fact Spurs have failed to beat any of the Big Four in 64 attempts
on the road says it all.


Chelsea, on the other hand, continue to enhance their image as the
team to wrest the crown from Alex Ferguson's side.


They were simply devastating. Having soaked up 20 minutes of pressure
the response was a killer.


Didier Drogba turned from poacher to provider and whipped in a cross
that saw Ashley Cole dive at the back post to head the opener.


And despite Harry Redknapp's side having tested Chelsea in all areas
until then, the contest was over.


Redknapp complained bitterly that Robbie Keane should have had a
penalty nine minutes into the second half but the claim was more
doubtful than the outcome.


Four minutes after that, Michael Ballack tapped in to make absolutely
sure of the three points.


Spurs boss Redknapp admitted the loss of centre-half Ledley King with
a hamstring injury left them at the mercy of the Drog.


And he was not wrong. King was already on the physio's table when
Ivory Coast skipper Drogba took Nicolas Anelka's cross on his chest.


His control allowed him to volley at ex-Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini,
who could only parry the ball into the path of Frank Lampard.


A simple centre to Ballack put Chelsea 2-0 up but the players ran to
Drogba and Lamps to celebrate.


Then Cole dinked a hopeful ball into the inside-left channel on 63
minutes which Drogba chased like his life depended on catching it.


Vedran Corluka - woefully standing in at centre-half - tried to tackle
him but only succeeded in knocking the ball round Cudicini.


Drogba followed the same path and swept the ball into an empty net to
complete the rout.


The scoreline, though, was a bit harsh on the visitors. After
confronting United with a three-pronged attack, Redknapp matched
Chelsea with a diamond midfield yesterday.



Aaron Lennon was given licence to float on either flank and hover
behind Jermain Defoe to make a nuisance of himself.


The ploy worked well enough to set up chances for Tom Huddlestone and
Jermaine Jenas in the opening exchanges which had Petr Cech
scrambling.


It was Michael Essien who made the real difference when he gave a
lesson in the lost art of the tackle.


Paul Scholes is rightly considered the finest passer in English
football over the past decade but his careless lunging at White Hart
Lane last weekend saw him sent off.


United boss Ferguson could do worse than sit Scholes down in front of
a DVD of Essien's 40th-minute challenge on Lennon.


He tracked the Spurs winger for 30 yards before stretching perfectly
with his right boot to spoon the ball away and collect possession.


Lennon's momentum saw him tumble and his team-mates appealed for a
penalty. Not a bit of it. It was the perfect challenge.


The same cannot be said of Ricardo Carvalho's on Keane but the
reaction of the Spurs skipper led to justice, regardless of the
claims.


Carvalho did make contact but Keane initially stayed on his feet
before tumbling like a stuntman.


Ref Howard Webb waved away the appeals and even refused to book Keane
for diving - despite his insistence he should get one if there was no
foul.


All of this, however, was an example of wasted energy from Spurs.


Even Peter Crouch's introduction had little effect outside of him
straying offside in injury-time to score a goal that never was.


Chelsea are top of the league, a 100 per cent record and playing well
- who could ask for more?