28) Portsmouth 0 - 2 Chelsea Fc

Sun, 4th Mar 2007 Chelsea stayed nine points behind Manchester United with a game in hand by almost sleep-walking to a win at Portsmouth, Ashley Cole setting up both goals for Didier Drogba and substitute Salomon Kalou. The stoppage time winning goal by Manchester United at Liverpool earlier in the day must have been a real sickener for the Chelsea players. They started with possession and belief, but not a lot of urgency, and almost paid the price when LuaLua ran on to Kanu's nod down and hit a well angled low shot across Cech which the big goalkeeper got down to and held well on the soaked pitch. Chelsea's quality and inertia was balanced by Portsmouth's heart and endeavour. It wasn't that Chelsea players weren't trying, it was just that they lacked edge all over the park. Shevchenko cleverly worked an opening with Robben, but when he charged through on goal fired badly wide with his left foot. Ballack was booked when he drove in on LuaLua after Diarra had let a high ball fall over his head. Drogba, without surprise, gave Chelsea the lead. He hadn't been looking at his best, having returned from Ghana with Essien at around 5am on Friday after being named African Player of the Year, but he was alone beyond the far post when Cole lifted a diagonal ball to him, and his volley was well-placed if not fierce, and settled in the far corner of the net. It was Chelsea's first shot on target - 32 minutes had gone - and surprisingly it was Cole's first assist of the season. There was much relief in the next few minutes that Taylor's penalty area technique doesn't equal his shooting-from-distance prowess. Firstly he ran on to the ball between the central defenders but his touch took him away from goal, and then he allowed a flicked-on cross from Pamarot to squirm between his legs just over six yards out. When the half-time whistle went, recent history seemed to be writing itself deeper into the records of both sides: Portsmouth had come into the game winning one in seven in all competitions, indeed one in eight in the Premier League; Chelsea had come into it having lost one in 23 in all competitions. A minute into the second-half that record looked all the more established when Robben played a one-two with Drogba and sprinted through to shoot past James, but the ball hit the face of the crossbar and bounced out.

Five minutes later Lampard was the benefactor of a poor Campbell clearance and raced forward to strike a 25 yard left-footer with trademark power which James claimed with good footwork. Chelsea's superiority was now replaced by a more open game as Portsmouth kept fighting. They won three corners all of which Drogba headed away. They found Essien and Carvalho faultless in central defence. And they had to be alert to Chelsea's countering. The problem was almost every player's insistence on time on the ball. Too many times different people were caught in possession. When Lampard's corner was cleared midway through the second-half, and only LuaLua was forward against three Chelsea players, he still got the ball first and forced a booking out of Makelele who blocked him. Portsmouth kept their shape but changed personnel when Krønjcar came on to play leftmidfield in place of substituted Traore, Taylor withdrawing to left-back. Two minutes after being sent on for LuaLua, Andrew Cole badly missed the target with a header following Kanu weaving his magic against Makelele and Ashley Cole and providing a fine cross. The game was dropping tempo. José Mourinho sent on Wright-Phillips and Kalou for Shevchenko and Robben, and immediately Wright-Phillips delivered a magnificent cross which James brilliantly intercepted off the feet of Kalou. Immediately Portsmouth were twice denied by Cech. Firstly Davis crossed and Cole's header from point-blank range found Cech going the wrong way but recovering to turn the ball away. Cole held his head in anguish. Next, Kanu had a free far post header which was arrowing just inside the post when the goalkeeper got across, back and down to turn it away for a corner. Once again he was looking the best in the world. When the corner came in, he caught it majestically. And Chelsea paid him back immediately. Lampard chipped a ball up the left, Ashley Cole bravely headed it on the run into Kalou's path, and the substitute ran through to slip in his fourth goal of the season in front of the Chelsea fans. Bridge was sent on to give Drogba rest and arrived to traditional Portsmouth jeers for exSouthampton players. He went to the left-wing with Kalou moving to centre-forward, and much to the concern of Portsmouth fans he had a speedy shot on goal. In stoppage time Wright-Phillips missed the chance to put Chelsea three up from five yards when he made poor contact with Lampard's cross.

Chelsea have now gone 22 games without defeat against Portsmouth in a run stretching back to 1960. But the task of winning the Premiership for the third consecutive year is made that bit harder by Manchester United's late victory at Liverpool. Portsmouth(4-4-2) James; Pamarot, Primus, Campbell, Traore (Krønjcar 67); O'Neil (c), Davis, Hughes, Taylor; Kanu, LuaLua (Cole 73). Chelsea (4-3-3) Cech; Diarra, Essien, Carvalho, A Cole; Ballack, Makelele, Lampard (c); Shevchenko (Wright-Phillips 75), Drogba (Bridge 84), Robben (Kalou 75). Scorers Drogba (32), Kalou (81). Booked Ballack (24), Makelele (67).